Results tagged ‘ Yogi Berra ’

Cervelli Tops Quartet Dueling For Catching Role

Happy New Year to all my fellow fans. I recently posted a three-part series looking at the Yankees from their pitching, their bullpen and starting lineup. Now I intend to zero in on a look at them from a position-by-position standpoint. With spring training mere weeks away it seems an appropriate time to do this. Enjoy!

CATCHER – POSITION OPEN

When  it comes to catchers, Yankee fans have been pretty spoiled. The position has been manned by such legends as Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson and Jorge Posada.

Of course, there have been years when the position has been filled by less than legends like Rick Cerone, Mike Stanley and Joe Girardi. Yes, him.

It seems that 2013 is one of those years the Yankees will be fielding a catcher who will be even lesser of a legend. The departure of Russell Martin to the Pittsburgh Pirates has left this position open with a four candidates vying for it beginning this spring.

None of the four have anywhere near the power Martin provided. But some are just as adept defensively. The Yankees signaled this was the direction they were going when they chose let Martin walk and opted not to sign free agent A.J. Pierzynski.

Pierzynski, 36, hit .278 with 27 home runs and 77 RBIs with the White Sox last season and he would have loved the short rightfield porch as a left-handed hitter. But the Yankees passed on him because of his defensive shortcomings and he signed with the Texas Rangers.

The Yankees four candidates are: former Posada and Martin backup Francisco Cervelli, 2012′s backup Chris Stewart, rookie prospect Austin Romine and former Los Angeles Angels backup Bobby Wilson.

The quartet are politely described as “defensive-minded” catchers, which in baseball-speak means they can’t hit a lick. For Yankee fans used to cyclical lineups without a weak link, the 2013 version will have one huge hole in it here. Whoever wins this job will be the opposing pitcher’s “escape hatch” out of big innings.

The leading candidate for the job appears to be Cervelli, 26, who ironically spent all of last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because of the presence of Martin and Stewart.

On the last day of spring training the Yankees swung a last-minute deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire Stewart, who was out of minor-league options. The Yankees were so in love with Stewart’s defensive work behind the plate they opted to ship Cervelli out and he was not pleased about it – mostly because of the poor timing.

Cervelli went to Scranton determined to show the Yankees he belonged on the roster, but he hit just .246 with two home runs and 39 RBIs in 99 games. That is odd considering Cervelli had hit .271 with five home runs and 71 RBIs in 184 games over three previous seasons in the majors.

Cervelli admits that he was not happy about his demotion and it did affect his game.

Cervelli’s defense is considered pretty good. He sets a good target, he knows the hitters, calls a good game, has the respect of the pitchers and the coaching staff. His weakness lies in a somewhat erratic throwing arm. He has only thrown out 18.3 percent of base-stealers in his major-league career (23 out of 93 attempts).

He also has committed 20 errors in 177 games, most of those on throwing errors.

At Scranton, Cervelli threw out 30 percent of potential base-stealers but committed a whopping 15 passed balls.

So Cervelli’s defense is definite notch below what Martin and Stewart provided in 2012 and Cervelli is going to have to improve if he wants to win the starting job and keep it.

There is no doubt he is the best hitter of the bunch, albeit he lacks power. Cervelli is a spray hitter who is very adept hitting with runners in scoring position. He also is not bad a bunter and will give himself up to advance a runner. Those things should help the Yankees in 2013 since the team does lack power.

One concern with Cervelli is his penchant for injuries. He suffered a broken wrist in a home-plate collision in spring training in 2008. He also has suffered a trio of concussions the past few years and broke a bone in his foot in the spring of 2010 fouling a ball off his foot.

In winter ball in his native Venezuela, he suffered a whiplash injury, which later proved to be minor.

So durability is a definite issue with Cervelli.

Stewart, 30, has been a backup catcher throughout his career. The most games he has played is the 51 he started with Giants in 2011. He started 46 games for the Yankees last season and he batted .241 with one home run and 13 RBIs. Stewart actually improved some with the bat in 2012 because he is a career .217 hitter.

But he does not have a very high ceiling as a hitter.

Stewart enters the catching competition as probably the best defensive option the Yankees have.

This is despite that he set a personal high for himself of with eight passed balls last season. Then again, the Yankees’ pitchers are not the easiest to catch.

Stewart, however, committed only four errors and he cut down 22.8 percent of base-stealers after he threw out an amazing 39.2 percent with the Giants in 2011. Stewart not only has a strong arm, he is also accurate with it. It was obvious that not many teams wanted to challenge him last season.

Though Stewart won’t hit much, he will be an asset against teams that are aggressive on basepaths such as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Angels.

There was all kinds of talk this offseason that Romine, 24, was the organization’s choice to start behind the plate in 2013.

But general manager Brian Cashman recently addressed that issue by saying that it was extremely unlikely Romine would be able to win the job this spring coming off a season in which he was plagued with a serious back injury.

The son of former major-league outfielder Kevin Romine played in only 31 games in three stops last season. Romine batted .243 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in just 103 at-bats.

Despite playing in the shadow of Jesus Montero throughout his minor-league career, the Yankees have always felt that Romine was far superior to Montero on defense and they have hoped that he would develop as a hitter as he matured.

But the back injury, which a recurrence of a previous back strain, certainly has arrested his development. Romine is considered to have a good enough bat to hit for a decent average in the major leagues with low double-digit power potential.

It is likely that the Yankees will take a more cautious approach with Romine this season. He likely would benefit from playing a full season at Scranton to prove his back problems are over. There is no doubt that Romine’s defense is already major-league quality.

Girardi and bench coach Tony Pena, two former catchers, absolutely love Romine’s defensive ability. They each say he is ready to play defense at the major-league level now. But the Yankees are waiting for him to prove himself healthy and they would like to see more improvement with his bat.

Wilson, 29, was a backup catcher with the Angels from 2009 through 2012. But he was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays late last season and he never played a game for them before not being tendered a contract offer this offseason.

The Yankees offered him a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training. So he will be in the mix for a spot.

Wilson hit .211 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 75 games with the Angels last season. He is a career .208 hitter in the majors.

But like Cervelli, Stewart and Romine, Wilson is considered an excellent defensive catcher.

In 2012, Wilson committed only four errors and was charged with just two passed balls. He also threw out 28.6 percent of potential base-stealers and he has a 27.1 percent career mark of nailing runners.

Wilson’s only hope seems to be supplanting Stewart as the backup but Stewart’s defense may be just too good. So the Yankees might ask Wilson to accept a minor-league assignment so he can be recalled if either Cervelli or Stewart are injured. That way the Yankees could keep Romine on track for promotion in 2014.

Two years ago, with Martin as the starter and Montero and Romine in the pipeline, catching looked to the strongest position on the team from a long-range standpoint. But the Yankees were not satisfied with Montero’s defense and they traded him to the Seattle Mariners in return for right-hand starter Michael Pineda.

Now with Martin and Montero gone and Romine on the mend, the position seems to rest with catching prospects in the minors.

J.R. Murphy, 21, regressed a bit last season. In 110 games between Class-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton, Murphy hit .248 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs.

Scouts still believe that Murphy will develop power as he progresses because he has a short, powerful right-hand stroke. There are doubts about his long-term progress defensively. But, fortunately for Murphy, he also can play third base and he may eventually end up there.

But the player the Yankees are really salivating over is No. 1-ranked prospect Gary Sanchez, who turned 20 in December. Sanchez hit a combined .290 with 18 home runs and 85 RBIs between Class-A Charleston and Tampa.

The Yankees look at Sanchez as a Montero with better defensive potential. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Sanchez possesses above-average raw power and the potential to be excellent all-around hitter. He did regress a bit defensively last season, but Sanchez has a plus arm and he has time to develop into a good defensive catcher.

There have been rumors the Yankees might be willing to trade Sanchez but it is hard to see what the justification would be for Cashman. Catchers with good power bats like Sanchez do not come along too often and there are slim pickings in looking for a catcher who can match Posada’s or Martin’s production.

The Yankees may have been weakened by the loss of Martin, but the Yankees seem to be committed to starting a catcher with defensive ability and they will not care what they hit. Cervelli seems to have the inside track on the starting job and Stewart looks like he will be hard to beat as the backup.

That will allow the Yankees to get Romine another season of experience at Scranton and Wilson could be a call away at Scranton.

With Romine, Murphy and Sanchez in the pipeline, the Yankees do have some excellent young catchers on the way – particularly the gifted Sanchez. So if the Yankees can just withstand the short-term problem of having pure defensive catchers, the long-term prospects at this position are good.

But Yankee fans might be missing Martin’s power a lot this season.

NOTE: The only position I have not reviewed in this series is designated hitter. There is a good reason for that. The position has not been filled and may not be until spring exhibition games are under way. So this is the last part of the series. I hope it helped set the stage for how the team will fare this spring.

 

Joe’s Move To Sub Ibanez For A-Rod Was Genius

 

“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” 

 

                                                               - Pythagoras, Greek philosopher

 

ALDS GAME 3: KEY MOMENT

In the pivotal game of the Yankees-Orioles division series, manager Joe Girardi made one the boldest and ballsiest calls in major-league postseason history.

With his big power-hitter Alex Rodriguez 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the game and 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the series, Girardi elected to sit the most dangerous home run hitter of this generation and replace him with a 40-year-old left-handed hitter to face the American League’s best closer this season in right-hander Jim Johnson.

The Yankees were down 2-1 and they were two outs away from being left down in the playoff series 2-1 to the upstart Orioles.

But Girardi was resolute in his decision. He told Rodriguez to sit and Ibanez to grab a bat.

Think of the blowback if Ibanez had failed. The New York scribes would have had a foot race to the clubhouse for reaction from A-Rod. Headlines would have blared “Joe Loses Cool By Subbing Raul” or “Joe Panics; Yanks Fall.”

That, of course, is the nature of the New York media. They are with you until you fail and then you are left out to dry. Billy Martin, Yogi Berra Dick Howser were folded spindled and mutilated by the headline hungry denizens in  the Bronx Zoo.

But after Johnson had retired Ichiro Suzuki, the crowd on the one hand stunned and, on the other hand, hopeful with fingers and toes crossed routed on Ibnez as he lumbered to the plate.

 

“Raul had to come through,” Girardi said. “Raul had some kind of day for us today, and you have to make decisions sometimes that are tough decisions. But I just had a gut feeling.”

Ibanez had his share of travails this season, too.

In spring training, Ibanez hit in the first three weeks of spring training as if he just picked up a bat at age 40 and was giving the major leagues a try. It was if he could not hit a ball off a tee he was so bad. But Girardi told the press that Ibanez was a professional hitter his entire career and that he had faith he would turn it around soon.

Sure enough, Ibanez starting roping line drives all over the place at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL, and the wolves (the writers) were forced to stop baying at the moon.

Ibanez then became an integral part of the Yankees success this season. Forced into playing more outfield than he had expected in the absence of starting left-fielder Brett Gardner, Ibanez hit 19 home runs, drove in 62 runs and batted .240 in 340 at-bats this season for the Yankees.

Of course, Ibanez also fell into a severe slump in late August that bled into September. Once again, Girardi kept faith with his veteran outfielder/designated hitter. And again Ibanez rewarded the skipper.

Beginning with a Sept. 22 game against Oakland in which Ibanez entered the game as pinch-hitter in the fifth inning and he ended up hitting two game-tying homers, he went on a full-fledged tear in the final two weeks of the season. Ibanez went 15-for-37  (.405) with five home runs and nine RBIs down the stretch.

He also punctuated his hot streak with a game-tying two-run pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth and a game-winning RBI single in the 12th in a must-win 4-3 victory the Red Sox on Oct. 2.

But those heroics on Sept. 22 and Oct. 2 were but a dress rehearsal for what he was being asked to do on Wednesday. It is one thing to pinch-hit for Casey McGehee (as he did on Sept. 22) or Eduardo Nunez (as he did on Oct. 2). It is quite another to pinch-hit for A-Rod.

That is pressure.

But Ibanez was able to cast it aside enough to concentrate on what he wanted to do: Get a Johnson sinker up enough so that he could launch it into the seats. Johnson provided it on the very first pitch and Ibanez took care of it.

The subdued but hopeful crowd of 50,497 seemed to rise as one while the baseball traveled on a low, line-drive trajectory towards the straightaway right-field. It rose well over the head of Oriole defensive replacement Endy Chavez and some five rows into the bleachers.

On the top step of the dugout cheering loudly was A-Rod.

 

“Maybe 10 years ago, I’d react a much different way. But I’m at a place in my career right now where team means everything,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think there was anybody in the ballpark more excited for Raul than me.”

 

That home run, harkening Yankee fans back to the days of Bucky Dent, Reggie Jackson and Aaron Boone, allowed the Yankees to stave off what would have been a saddening blow to their playoff hopes. But Ibanez wasn’t having it.

The game remained tied until Ibanez’s next at-bat leading off the bottom of the 12th. Orioles manager Buck Showalter had opted to leave in left-hander Brian Matusz to face him.

Again, Ibanez was looking for a pitch up to drive. Matusz threw a chest high fastball but it was in the middle of the plate. Ibanez was ready and the sound so familiar to the fans rang out all over Yankee Stadium.

Ibanez, knew, Matusz knew and the fans there and those watching at home knew where it was going.

In one mere stretch of just two swings in two at-bats, Ibanez – should the Yankees advance to their 28th world championship – will be remembered in Yankee lore for what he did this evening.

While they are at it, they should also remember the guts it took for Girardi to push the correct button. Managers seem to get little of the credit and most of the blame in baseball.

This is not one of those instances. Girardi played his roster like a maestro and the music hit a real high note in the Bronx.

 

Ichiro Drives In 5 As Yankees Clip Blue Jays’ Wings

GAME 112

YANKEES 10, BLUE JAYS 3

When the New York Yankees acquired Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners they were just expecting some great outfield defense and some singles and some steals at the bottom of the batting order. It is now beginning to look like they have a top-flight RBI man instead.

Suzuki drove in five runs to lead a late-inning seven-run assault on Toronto pitching as New York put away a badly depleted Blue Jay team on Friday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Suzuki gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead in the second inning by driving in a run beating out a potential double-play grounder. He added a two-run single in the eighth inning and a bases-loaded two-run double in the ninth inning. Suzuki, who had only 28 RBis when he was obtained on July 23, has driven in 11 runs in his last 11 games and nine and his last four games with the Yankees.

Meanwhile, veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia (6-5) pitched six solid innings to pick up his second straight victory. Garcia gave up two runs on four hits and struck four against a Blue Jays team missing Jose Bautista, Brett Lawrie, J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind.

The Yankees built an early lead on Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero in second inning after Robinson Cano led off the frame with a single and Romero walked Andruw Jones.

Jayson Nix attempted to bunt the next pitch and it rolled just out in front of home plate. But Blue Jays catcher Jeff Mathis threw the ball past third baseman Omar Vizquel and into left-field to allow Cano to score and Jones to advance to third. Suzuki followed with a grounder that forced Nix at second but Suzuki beat the relay to first and Jones scored.

The Yankees added a run in the following inning on a leadoff single by Nick Swisher and a one-out RBI single by Cano.

Romero ( 8-9) then shut down the Yankees over the next four innings on just one hit. He left having given up four hits and three walks and struck out two over seven innings.

Kelly Johnson proved to be Garcia’s big nemesis. He struck with one-out solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to halve the Yankees’ lead at 2-1. Two innings later, he followed a bunt single by Yunel Escobar and a lined single by David Cooper with a double down the right-field line that scored Escobar to make it 3-2.

But Garcia ended the threat by striking out Vizquel and inducing Mathis to tap back to the mound.

The game stayed 3-2 until Steve Delabar’s first offering in the eighth inning in relief of Romero was tagged by Mark Teixeira for his 22nd home run of the season.

With two out, Nix and Russell Martin each dunked in a pair of bloop hits and Suzuki followed with an RBI single up the middle to break the game open at 6-2.

The Yankees added four runs in the ninth off rookie reliever David Carpenter and Brad Lincoln. Suzuki culminated the scoring with base-loaded liner that Rajai Davis lost in the lights and it was scored a double.

With the victory the Yankees have now won three games in a row and are 66-46 on the season. They remain 5 1/2 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The reeling Blue Jays have lost four in a row and are in last place in the division with a record of 53-59.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Suzuki has had at least one hit in 16 of the 17 games he has played with the Yankees. The five-RBI night tied a career high and it was the third time in Suzuki’s career he achieved the feat. But it was the first time since the 2004 season. He also started his first game in center-field since the 2008 season and he has now started in all three outfield position since coming to the Yankees. He was acquired to provide speed, defense and a consistent bat at the bottom of the order and he has done all three very well.
  • Teixeira’s home run was the second straight game in which he has delivered a home run in the eighth inning on the road. Teixeira and Eric Chaez combined to hit back-to-back solo home runs to turn a 3-2 Yankee deficit on Thursday into a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. It was the first time two Yankees had hit consecutive home runs in the eighth inning or later to win a game on the road since Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle did it during the 1955 season. Teixeira extended his team-leading RBI total to 76.
  • Garcia is never going to be confused with Felix Hernandez or Justin Verlander, but he put in another solid effort to win his second straight start. In his eight starts since replacing Andy Pettitte in the rotation, Garcia is 4-3 with a 3.83 ERA. The 35-year-old right-hander has been valuable as a placeholder for Pettitte.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

I can’t think of much to complain about. Garcia pitched well and the offense has scored 31 runs and notched double-digits in hits over the team’s last four games. Perhaps they can put that stretch of nine losses over 12 games behind them now.

BOMBER BANTER

It is possible that left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano could be added to the Yankees’ expanded roster in September. Feliciano has not pitched since the 2010 season with the New York Mets because he underwent surgery for  torn rotator cuff. On Friday, Feliciano made his second rehab appearance for the Yankees’ rookie Gulf Coast League. Feliciano was signed to a two-year $8 million deal prior to the 2011 season but he has not pitched a single game for the Yankees. He is 22-19 with a 3.31 ERA over 459 appearances over his eight-season career.

ON DECK

The Yankees will continue their weekend road series with Blue Jays on Saturday.

Ivan Nova (10-6, 4.81 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees. Nova has a lot to prove after giving up seven runs on 11 hits on Monday against the Tigers. He is 0-3 with a 8.36 ERA in his last five starts. Nova is 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA against the Blue Jays in his career.

The Blue Jays will counter with left-hander Aaron Laffey (3-2, 4.39 ERA), who pitched briefly for the Yankees last season. Laffey gave up four runs on six hits in his last start, a victory over the Oakland Athletics. He is 0-1 with an 11.74 ERA against the Yankees in his career.

Game-time will be 1:07 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

 

Kuroda Cooly Fans 11 As Yankees Blank White Sox

GAME 77

YANKEES 4, WHITE SOX 0

Nothing will put the chill on some red-hot bats like a real cool pitcher on a sweltering afternoon in the Bronx, N.Y. That is exactly what 37-year-old right-hander Hiroki Kuroda did to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.

Kuroda, who was having trouble all afternoon throwing his swing-and-miss split-finger fastball, calmly switched gears and used his mid-90′s fastball and slider to baffle the White Sox for seven shutout innings as he ran his record to 5-1 in his last seven starts and give the Yankees’ pitching staff a much-needed boost.

Kuroda (8-7) struck out a career-tying high of 11 batters and gave up just three singles and one walk in a dazzling display of pitching artistry over 104 pitches in 93-degree heat in front of a crowd of 46,895 at Yankee Stadium.

To back up the strong starting pitching they got from Kuroda, the Yankees used their favorite weapon – the home run – to saddle right-hander Jake Peavy (6-5) with yet another loss in June. During the month of June, Peavy was 0-4 with two no-decisions in his six starts despite compiling an ERA of 2.76.

Curtis Granderson hit the first of a trio of solo home runs Peavy surrendered in the first inning. Granderson smacked a 1-0 fastball into the second deck in straightaway right-field to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. It was Granderson’s 23rd home run of the season.

An inning later, newly discovered super-sub Dewayne Wise laced a first-pitch fastball off the wall in right-center to score Nick Swisher from first to give the Yankees another run with two outs in the second inning.

Wise then added to his most recent hot streak on this homestand in the fifth inning with a second-deck rainbow solo shot into right-field for his second home of the season and his second in his last three starts. In the five games in which he played in the field in this homestand, Wise was 7-for-11 (.636) with two home runs and five RBis. And don’t forget his perfect two-thirds of an inning of relief on Friday to take the lead on the Yankees in ERA with 0.00.

Robinson Cano ended his red-hot June with his 11th home run of the month in the sixth, a titanic blast into the second deck in right on the first offering of the inning from Peavy. It was Cano’s 19th home run of the season.

Though he pitched all eight innings, Peavy gave up four runs on eight hits and he also struck out 11.

David Robertson pitched a perfect eighth, striking out two and Boone Logan and Rafael Soriano combined to finish the ninth as the Yankees ended the four-game winning streak of the White Sox and halted their disastrous two-game losing streak to the Chisox in which they were outscored 18-10.

With the victory, the Yankees’ season record improved to 47-30 and they are five games ahead of the second-place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The White Sox fell to 42-36.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Kuroda certainly stepped up in the absence of CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte and pitched like an ace on Saturday. Ten of 11 strikeouts were swinging strikes and some of them came on fastballs up in the strike zone. During his 5-1 run in his seven starts, he has failed to pitch seven innings only once and his ERA over that stretch is 1.65.
  • Wise has mostly been used as a late-inning defensive replacement for Raul Ibanez in left-field. But in his three starts in the past six games, Wise is 6-for-10 with two home runs and five RBIs. The 34-year-old veteran perhaps is proving to manager Joe Girardi that he is deserving of some more starts.
  • Cano probably does not want June to end. During the month he hit a robust .340 with 11 home runs and 21 RBIs. In the 30 games this month, Cano failed to get at least one hit in only four games and he had multiple hits in 10 games. After a slow start in April, Cano is hitting .308 with 19 home runs and 44 RBIs.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Alex Rodriguez was 0-for-4 on the day with two strikeouts looking, a fielder’s choice groundout and a double-play grounder. That lowered his season average to .265. Though Rodriguez had his best month by hitting six home runs and driving in 16 runs, he hit a miserable .232 and struck out 30 times in 95 at-bats.
  • Mark Teixeira also was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a routine groundout. He finished June in a 3-for-28 (.107) slide that has dropped his season average back to .244. He hit .219 in June with four home runs and 14 RBIs. The Yankees had a hot June in winning 20 games but Teixeira and Rodriguez had very little to do with it.
  • Derek Jeter was 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in Saturday’s game. Very quietly, Jeter’s batting average is getting close to slipping under .300. Jeter is 8-for-42 (.190) with one home run and one RBI and that has lowered his season average to an even .300. On June 1, Jeter was hitting .340.

BOMBER BANTER

A day after rookie right-hander Adam Warren was shelled for six runs on eight hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings in his major-league debut against the White Sox on Friday, he was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and replaced on the 25-man roster by right-hander D.J. Mitchell. Mitchell, 25, is in his second stint with the Yankees and he will used as a long man out of the bullpen. Mitchell was 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two relief appearances with the Yankees in his last call-up.  . . .  The Yankees announced on Saturday that 25-year-old right-hander David Phelps will start in place of the injured Sabathia on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, FL, against the Tampa Bay Rays. Phelps gave up two runs in 3 1/4 innings and took the loss in relief against the White Sox on Friday. But he is 1-3 with a 3.16 ERA for the Yankees this season. Like Mitchell, Phelps is in his second stint with the Yankees.  . . .  Russell Martin got his first start in the last three days and only his second since June 23 because of lower-back stiffness. Martin was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts but threw out Alejandro De Aza attempting to steal second in the first inning.

ON DECK

On Sunday, the Yankees will conduct their 66th Annual Old-Timers Day at Yankee Stadium and legends such as Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage and Paul O’Neill will be on hand for the ceremonial introductions and the game. The festivities begin at 11 a.m. EDT and it will be broadcast by the YES Network.

After the game, the Yankees will look for a split of their four-game weekend series with the White Sox.

Phil Hughes (8-6, 4.48 ERA) will look to continue his most recent success as he takes the mound on Sunday. Hughes has won five of his last six starts and spun eight scoreless innings on Tuesday in a victory over the Cleveland Indians in his last start. He is 2-1 with a 0.75 ERA in his career against the Chisox.

Hughes will be opposed by veteran right-hander Gavin Floyd (6-7, 4.80 ERA). Floyd tossed seven scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, his second straight start he has not allowed a run. However, he is just 2-2 with a 5.98 ERA lifetime against the Yankees.

Game-time will be 2:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by TBS and locally by the YES Network.

 

For Starters, Hughes Ends Up Besting Mariners

GAME 33

YANKEES 6, MARINERS 2

A few weeks ago it looked like Phil Hughes was headed to the bullpen after he started the season 1-4 with a 7.48 ERA. On Saturday, Hughes looked like he actually belonged in the rotation all along and there is no doubt he is going to stay there for a long time.

Hughes pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball and he got two RBIs apiece from Raul Ibanez and Jayson Nix as New York defeated Seattle at Yankee Stadium for their fifth victory in their last six games.

Hughes (3-4) carried a shutout into the seventh inning until Mike Carp belted a two-out solo home run to center-field. Hughes left with two out in the eighth having given up six hits and one walk and struck out four batters for his second straight victory.

Hughes also continued a trend the rotation started at the beginning of the six-game homestand on Tuesday. The starters since Tuesday are 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA.

Former Yankee Hector Noesi (2-4) gave up five runs on six hits and struck out four over seven innings to take the loss. But he actually pitched much better than his line indicates. He was undone by pair of two-out doubles in the second inning and a pair of home runs.

With Mark Teixiera on second with a double and two outs, Ibanez looped an opposite-field double into the left-field corner to score Teixeira. Russell Martin, who was one for his last 16 at-bats, followed with a double off the wall at the 408-foot mark in center-field to score Ibanez.

Nix then completed the four-run explosion with an opposite-field fly ball into right that landed in the first row of the bleachers for Nix’s first home run with the Yankees.

On Friday, Nix learned that when Eric Chavez was activated from the seven-day disabled list it would be Eduardo Nunez sent to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre and not him. Manager Joe Girardi then decided to start Nix at shortstop on Saturday in order to give Derek Jeter a rest from the field by utilizing him as the designated hitter.

Ibanez continued his hot hitting in the fourth inning when he slammed a high and outside 3-2 fastball into the monuments in center-field for his seventh home run of the season.

Ibanez hit a three-run home run off Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on Friday that led the Yankees to a victory by the same 6-2 score. Since May 5, Ibanez is 9-for-22 (.409) with four home runs and nine RBIs.

Boone Logan pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and he picked up his second major league save – his first since he was pitching for the Chicago White Sox as a rookie in 2006. Logan, however, did give up a run in the ninth inning when Carp followed a one-out single by Kyle Seager with a hit that originally was ruled a home run to right. but the umpires used television replays to reverse the call to a double that scored Seager.

Logan struck out the next two batters to preserve the victory for Hughes and the Yankees.

With the victory, the Yankees improved to 19-14. The Mariners dipped to 15-20.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Hughes has managed to remake himself as a starter. He has basically junked his cutter and he is using his change-up more sparingly, which means he using his fastball and curve more. The results in his last two starts show it is working. Hughes has given up four runs on 12 hits and two walks and he has struck out 11 in 14 1/3 innings over his last two starts. That is an ERA of 2.51 and a WHIP of  0.98.
  • Ibanez could not be any hotter if he poured gasoline over himself and lit a match. From primarily the seventh spot in the batting order Ibanez is hitting .282 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. He also is making life miserable for good right-handers like James Shields and Hernandez, who are looking for a soft spot in the Yankees’ batting order and they are not finding it in Ibanez.
  • Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an opposite-field RBI single off reliever Tom Wilhelmsen in the eighth inning to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead. Cano is hitting .429 over that span.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Curtis Granderson had a bad day at the office. He was 0-for-4 with two weak infield rollers to first and two strikeouts. Though Granderson is hitting .264 with 11 home runs and  20 RBIs, he also has struck out a team-leading 37 times in 129 at-bats. That is a pace just over one out of every four at-bats.
  • Cano had an uncharacteristically bad moment in the field in the third inning. With one out and Justin Smoak on first, Munenori Kawasaki lofted a fly ball in shallow right. Cano tracked the ball and then stopped at the last moment, allowing the ball to drop a few feet behind him. Right-fielder Nick Swisher, however, bailed Cano out with a quick throw to second that beat Smoak to the bag for a rare 9-4 fielder’s choice putout.
  • Alex Rodriguez also had a bad day at the plate. He was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. It snapped his five-game hitting streak and lowered his season average to .287. A-Rod came into the contest hitting .406 in his previous nine games.

BOMBER BANTER

On Saturday, the Yankees honored legendary catcher Yogi Berra on his 87th birthday with a ceremony before the game. Berra was presented with a cake and former Yankee left-hander Ron Guidry drove Berra in a cart around the stadium so he could be saluted by the 43,954 people in attendance.  . . .  Though it was not much of a secret, Girardi announced on Saturday that rookie David Phelps would return to the bullpen as a long reliever. Phelps was 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his two starts. But he did not make it out of the fifth inning in either appearance.  . . .  The Yankees announced on Saturday they they have claimed left-handed reliever Justin Thomas off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Thomas has posted a 7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings with the Red Sox. He was designated for assignment on Thursday. The Yankees will send Thomas, 28, to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

ON DECK

Because of the significance of Sunday’s game, this regular blog feature will be expanded into a complete report which will follow shortly.

 

Yanks’ Offense Fires Nothing But Blanks At Rays

GAME 5

RAYS 4, YANKEES 0

TAMPA - No matter how good a team is it just seems like there is one of those days where everything goes right for the opponent and nothing goes right for you. Wednesday was one of those days for the Yankees.

Stephen Vogt slapped an opposite field triple to right-field to drive in two runs and Jose Molina drove him home on a infield groundout in the second inning and the Rays’ pitching staff held New York to only four hits as the Yankees to a long nine-inning sleepwalk through this Grapefruit League contest at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Right-hander James Shields (1-0) combined with five other Rays pitchers to stymie a Yankee team minus two starters, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Shields threw two hitless innings and struck out a pair. Meanwhile, Hiroki Kuroda (0-1) was saddled with a loss in his Yankee debut.

After winning their first two spring games, the Yankees now have dropped their third straight. The Rays won their first game of the spring and are 1-4.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • The weather was pretty much perfect: Sunny skies, 77 degrees and a light breeze made it very comfortable for the sellout crowd of 10,846.
  • None of the Yankee players were injured during the production of this shutout.
  • One lone bright spot would have to be the pitching of Clay Rapada. The 30-year-old non-roster invitee vying with three other pitchers to be the second left-hander in the bullpen pitched two innings and gave up only an infield hit and struck out three batters.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Kuroda was lights out in the first inning, retiring the side on only nine pitches. However, he was rocked by three consecutive hits to open the third inning and he ended up giving up three runs. Though Kuroda took the loss he said he was happy with the way he threw the ball in his first outing of the spring.
  • In five of nine innings, the Yankees were retired in order. It is a little hard to sustain an offense when you do not reach base. The fifth inning was typical of the Yankees’ frustrating day on offense. Eric Chavez opened the inning against right-hander Josh Lueke by slapping a grounder up the middle. Second baseman Ben Zobrist moved to his right past the second-base bag, threw across his body and nipped Chavez at first. Andruw Jones followed with a hard-hit liner to left that was over the head of left-fielder Jesus Feliciano. But Feliciano laid out and caught the ball just before he slammed hard into the turf. Russell Martin then laced a line drive but it was hit right to third baseman Elliot Johnson to retire the side.
  • The Yankees managed to get eight balls out of the infield through nine innings. By just about any measure this is not real good.

BOMBER BANTER

Hall of Fame legend Yogi Berra arrived at camp on Wednesday to start his usual stint as guest instructor for the team. Berra, 86, did not suit up for the game but his No. 8 is ready for him when he decides to take the field.  . . .   Rafael Soriano has requested in the past that he not be used against division opponents. He has since reconsidered that stance and pitched an inning of relief against his former team on Wednesday. Soriano pitched a scoreless frame around a walk and a single.  . . .  The Yankees have announced that their top-tier farm team will carry a new name starting this season. The Triple-A franchise known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees now will be known as the Empire State Yankees. The team will be playing its slate of games this season on the road while their home PNC Field in Moosic, PA, is being renovated. The team will play its home games in six cities, including Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and Batavia in New York and Pawtucket, RI, and Allentown, PA.  . . .   Eduardo Nunez (bruised right hand) is still sporting a bandage and feels some pain but he still hopes to be able able to play Friday when the Yankees host the Atlanta Braves.  . . .  Closer Mariano Rivera is scheduled to throw his second bullpen session on Thursday and could pitch as early as Sunday at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.

ON DECK

The Yankees head back out on the road on Thursday to play the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL.

Right-hander Ivan Nova is scheduled to make his second start of the spring. David Robertson and Dellin Betances are also expected to pitch. The Yankees will bring Rodriguez, Teixeira, Brett Gardner and Raul Ibanez on the trip.

The Blue Jays will start left-hander Brett Cecil.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EST and the game will not be broadcast on radio or television. The Yankees’ game against the Rays will be shown via tape delay at 9 a.m. EST by the MLB Network. I suggest you purchase a prescription of Xanax and stay away away from sharp objects and tall buildings or bridges if you plan to watch this game.

 

One Last ‘Hip-Hip, Jorge’ For A Very Classy Yankee

Every spring training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field those of us in Section 205 would see No. 20 in Yankee pinstripes striding toward the plate. At that point we would train our eyes toward a longtime Yankee fan with full-flowing mustache rise from his seat and yell at the top of his lungs “Hip, Hip” and the surrounding crowd of regulars in the section would reply with a raucous “Jor-ge,” which he and the rest us would repeat two more times before every home at-bat.

It was not just a token cheer stolen from our brethren in the Bronx. No, it was a absolute homage to one of the very best catchers in Yankee history. It was done with love and great admiration.

But it has been a foregone conclusion this winter that the ritual of Section 205 would no longer be carried out in 2012. There was a chance the cheer might have rang out if Jorge Posada chose, at age 40, to continue his career in another uniform. But, alas, that will not happen either.

According to an anonymous source reported by WFAN in New York, Posada has elected not play another game and retire as a Yankee after 17 years and 1,574 games behind the plate. Only Bill Dickey (1,708) and Yogi Berra (1,695) played in more games catching for the Yankees.

In hearing the news, my first reaction is sadness, of course. Posada won five World Series titles and was part of the famous “Core Four” along with Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, which is now down to the “Flair Pair” of Jeter and Rivera.

From 1996 through 2001, the New York Yankees won four world championships and Posada was in the middle of just about every one of them, though he was somewhat overshadowed by Paul O’Neill, Bernie Williams, Jeter, Rivera, manager Joe Torre.

But history speaks for itself and Posada hit .273. He is seventh on the Yankees’ all-time list with 379 doubles and 936 walks, eighth with 279 home runs and 11th with 1,065 RBIs. There is no doubt that Posada, a converted second baseman in the minors, was a major cog in Yankee teams that made the playoffs in every season he played for them except 2008.

Posada was greatly disappointed with his final season.

He came to spring training for the first time as non-factor as a catcher. Russell Martin was signed as the new starter and rookies Jesus Montero and Austin Romine were being groomed as replacements. Posada’s catching gear collected dust as he tried to adapt as the team’s switch-hitting designated hitter.

Unfortunately Posada got off to a slow start, particularly against left-handers and lost that part of his duties early in the season. Then on May 14, Posada spotted his name in the No. 9 spot in the batting order in a game against the Boston Red Sox and pride would not allow him to participate in that game.

By September, Posada was also being phased out of the lineup altogether. However, when he was given chances to play in the final few weeks, Posada began to consistently reach base on hits and walks. On Sept. 21, Posada stroked a two-run game-winning single against the Tampa Bay Rays that clinched the American League East title for the Yankees.

Playing a hunch, manager Joe Girardi used Posada in the A.L. Division Series against the Detroit Tigers and Posada responded by hitting .429 (6 for-14) in the series.

But Posda knew that with his four-year $52 million contract coming to an end in 2011 that he would never play for the Yankees again. If he wanted to continue to play it would have to be in a foreign uniform. Posada even began working out on Nov. 1 in anticipation of some offers to play with other teams.

They came. Posada considered them.

But, in the end, Posada realized perhaps it was time to end his career, a grand career at that, as a New York Yankee.

There are those who claim Posada is not worthy of the Hall of Fame. But when you look at the numbers he compiled, you can make a pretty good case for the gritty veteran from Santurce, Puerto Rico.

Posada’s 246 home runs as a catcher are only second to Berra’s 306 on the club’s all-time list. Of the 13 catchers that are currently in Cooperstown, only Berra has better career numbers in all three categories of batting average, home runs and RBIs.

Those numbers are for those who will vote in five years to chew on. But Posada can make a compelling case for joining that group.

He already joins a great lineage of former Yankee greats at catcher, which includes Berra, Dickey and Thurman Munson. His star may not burn as bright as those three but his star certainly burns bright enough to have his number retired somewhere down the road.

Posada apparently will make his decision final in about two weeks. But it won’t take Yankee fans that long to agree that he was certainly one of the classiest leaders of one of the Yankees’ most successful string of teams in their history.

Yogi will always be No. 1 in Yankee hearts but will we never forget what Jorge did in his 17 seasons with the Yankees.

OK. Section 205. One last time and let’s hear it loud and proud: “Hip, Hip, Jorge! Hip-Hip, Jorge! Hip-Hip, Jorge!”

Posada Unleashes Torrent Of Anger On Poor Rays


“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

                                                                 - Dylan Thomas

GAME 118

YANKEES 9, RAYS 2

For Jorge Posada, the 2011 season has been a season-long battle with Father Time and trying to staunch the obvious erosion of his once considerable skills.

But on Saturday, after five games of watching his teammates from the bench without a defined role anymore, Posada got a chance to start at designated hitter and he ended up with three hits including a grand slam home run and six RBIs as New York crushed Tampa Bay in front of a national TV audience.

Posada, who will turn 40 on Wednesday and who is in the final year of what likely will be his last contract with the Yankees, was removed from his left-hand-hitting DH role last Sunday in favor of Eric Chavez. Posada, a switch-hitter, had been removed as the right-hand-hitting DH in May for Andruw Jones because he is hitting .102 against left-handers this season.

But a highly motivated Posada showed manager Joe Girardi and a crowd of 47,804 at Yankee Stadium that he may not quite be done yet.

In the second inning of a scoreless game, Posada came to the plate to a standing ovation with the bases loaded and one out against Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson. He stepped in with only one hit in his last 13 at-bats. He smashed a 1-0 fastball into right-field for a single to drive in Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano. That hit gave the Yankees a lead they never relinquished throughout the contest.

The Yankees erupted for five runs in the fifth and chased Hellickson from the game.

Curtis Granderson started it off with a leadoff home run, his 33rd of the season, which ties him with Jose Bautista of Toronto for the major-league lead. After one out, Cano doubled to the wall in right to end the day for Hellickson (10-8).

Nick Swisher and Chavez drew walks from right-hand reliever Brandon Gomes. That brought Posada up with the bases loaded and one out for the second time in the game.

The veteran looked for and got a 2-0 fastball from Gomes and he launched it into bleachers in right-center for his 10th career grand slam, which passed Yankee legends Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle for fifth on the all-time Yankee list. The fans in the stadium stood on their feet and erupted with thunderous applause until Posada came out of the Yankee dugout for a curtain call.

Meanwhile, on the mound, a teammate who also did not have a clear long-term role with the team, was pitching to become a part of the Yankees’ five-man rotation. Phil Hughes entered the game 2-4 with a 7.11 ERA but was 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last two starts. He needed to pitch well or he would lose the spot to A.J. Burnett, who is winless in his last seven starts and has an ERA of 6.00 over that stretch.

Hughes (3-4) pitched brilliantly over the first five innings and he ended up giving up two runs on four hits and one walk and he struck six batters in six innings. He gave up a solo home run to Desmond Jennings and Johnny Damon followed with a triple. Damon scored an out later on a infield ground ball to Teixeira off the bat of Ben Zobrist.

It would be pretty hard to banish Hughes to the bullpen with a 2.00 ERA over his last three starts and 13 strikeouts over 18 innings. But Burnett has only made one relief appearance since 2008 while Hughes was the setup man for Mariano Rivera in the second half of 2009 when the Yankees went on to win their 27th world championship.

However, Freddy Garcia may have accidently solved the problem for now. The Yankees announced that Garcia will not make his scheduled start on Sunday against the Rays because of a cut he has on a finger on his right hand that he sustained earlier in the week in a kitchen mishap. The cut is deep, Girardi said, it affects Garcia’s grip on his split-finger fastball. He will miss at least one start.

With the Yankees’ victory they improved their season ledger to 72-45 and they are a game behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East. More importantly, the Rays’ loss drops them 8 1/2 games in back of the Yankees in the wild-card chase. The Rays are 64-55.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Posada was 3-for-5 with two singles, a home run, a run scored and six RBIs. Posada is a career .326 hitter with the bases loaded and he improved that with his two big hits today. Posada refused to criticize Girardi for his decision to replace him as the team’s DH against right-handers last Sunday. Posada said it was his poor hitting that placed him into the situation that he was in. After hitting .382 in June, Posada slumped to hit .217 in July and he was hitting .167 in August until Saturday’s game. Posada likely will get another start at DH on Sunday against Rays right-hander James Shields.
  • Granderson’s magical season continues. Granderson has now hit five homers in his last five games. With his home run in his third at-bat on Saturday, he had homered five times in his last 19 at-bats. He is tied for first in the majors in home runs with 33, he is first in the majors in RBIs with 94 and he is first in the majors by a margin of 23 runs in runs scored with 106. He has scored seven runs and driven in eight in his last fives games.
  • Hughes pitched probably his best game since coming off the disabled list in July. He gave up a two-out double to B.J. Upton in the second inning and a leadoff single to Evan Longoria in the fourth over his first five innings and walked just one batter. The most important thing is that his six strikeouts showed he had good velocity on his fastball and he was able to locate it for strikes. Hughes actually has enough time, should he stay in the rotation, to establish himself as the Yankees’ No. 2 starter behind CC Sabathia.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

Posada and Hughes did well even though their roles going forward are really up in the air. Jeter made a sloppy error in the first inning but he erased it with a double play on the next batter. So there were no real major negatives today.

BOMBER BANTER

To celebrate Jeter’s reaching the 3,000-hit plateau, the Yankees honored him before the game with a 225-pound crystal and stainless steel sculpture of Jeter doffing his cap with the number 3,000 below. It was commissioned by Sabathia and Posada and it was inscribed “To our captain, leader and friend, congratulations on your achievement, from your teammates.”  Jeter also received gifts from Yankee management as his parents and his sister looked on.  . . .  Alex Rodriguez was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in his second rehab game in Tampa, FL. Rodriguez started at DH for the second straight night. He homered on the first pitch in his first at-bat on Friday. Rodriguez hopes to play a few games in the field with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to the Yankees next week for their series against the Twins in Minneapolis. Rodriguez has been on the 15-day disabled list since mid-July after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.  . . .  The Yankees signed former Yankee reliever Scott Proctor to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Scranton. Proctor, 34, had a 6.44 ERa in 31 appearances with the Braves when he was released on Wednesday.

ON DECK

The Yankees can win the rubber game of the three-game home weekend series with the Rays with a victory on Sunday.

But if you are planning to attend this game, bring your rabbits feet, St. Christopher medals and four-leaf clovers.

To replace Freddy Garcia as the starter, the Yankees have named Burnett (8-9, 4.60 ERA) as the starter. Burnett was pitching one-run baseball into the seventh inning against the Angels on Tuesday but he unraveled and ended up losing yet another start in August. He ended up giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings. Burnett has not won a game in August since he became a Yankee in 2009. He is 12-8 with a 3.45 ERA lifetime against the Rays.

The Rays will start right-hander James Shields (11-9, 2.90 ERA). Shields is coming off his major-league-leading eighth complete game of the season in his victory over Kansas City on Tuesday. Shields is 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this season. He is 4-10 with a 4.25 ERA in his career against the Bombers.

Game-time will be at 1:05 p.m. and the game will be telecast nationally by TBS and locally by the YES Network.

 

Atlanta Takes ‘Gone With Wind’ Victory Over Yankees

GAME 15
BRAVES 6, YANKEES (SS) 2

TAMPA – Brent Clevlen stroked an RBI single to left in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie and the Braves added three more runs in the inning as Atlanta defeated a New York split squad on Friday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Former Yankees reliever Scott Proctor (1-1) got credit for the victory despite giving up the tying run an inning before. Left-hander Steve Garrison (0-1) gave up five hits and four runs in one inning to take the loss.
The loss dropped the Yankees spring record to 6-7-2. The Braves improved to 9-5.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
  • Jorge Posada blasted his first home run of the spring in the second inning off Braves starter Tommy Hanson. Posada got a ball into a gusting wind blowing to right-field and the ball carried out of the stadium.
  • Alex Rodriguez tied the game up in the sixth with a fielder’s choice grounder that scored Andruw Jones from third.
  • Rafael Soriano threw one perfect inning and punctuated the outing by fanning two of the three batters he faced.
  • Minor-league outfielder Austin Krum made a fantastic diving catch in center-field in the sixth inning on a ball off the bat of Ed Lucas with one out and Jason Heyward at second base. The effort saved a run and Krum received a rousing ovation from the 10,957 fans in attendance.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
  • Phil Hughes started his third game of the spring and the wind played havoc with his outing because he is a flyball pitcher. Hughes gave up seven hits and a walk in four innings but he did limit the damage to just two runs. One came on a wind-aided home run to right by Jordan Schafer.
  • Do not read too much into the five hits and four runs the Braves scored off Garrison. The 24-year-old left-hander was not hit hard. Most of the hits rolled through the infield because they were perfectly placed. The Braves could not have thrown those balls into better spots. It was just a frustrating day for Garrison, who made good pitches and got burned.
  • While the Braves had no problem catching balls of the bat of the Yankees, the Yankees had trouble doing the same with the Braves. The Yankees managed only six hits all day off the Braves. This comes a day after they managed just four hits off the Phillies.
BOMBER BANTER
Yogi Berra was back at the Yankees complex in Tampa, FL, a day after being hospitalized at a Clearwater, FL, hospital after a fall in the clubhouse. Berra, 85, was taken to the hospital as a precaution and was later released. He watched the game with his wife Carmen from his suite at Steinbrenner Field.  . . .  Derek Jeter’s new “no-stride” swing seems to be working. He was 1-for-3 on Friday and he is hitting .333 so far.  . . .  Closer Mariano Rivera is scheduled to make his first appearance in a game this spring on Sunday.  . . .  Joba Chamberlain pitched a scoreless inning on Friday and he has a 0.38 ERA so far.
The On Deck feature will appear in the posting of Friday’s second split-squad game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
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