Fan Confidence Poll: July 9th, 2012

Record Last Week: 4-2 (39 RS, 35 RA)
Season Record: 52-33 (412 RS, 347 RA, 50-35 pythag. record), 7.0 games up in AL East
Opponents This Week: All-Star Break (Mon. to Thurs.), vs. Angels (three games, Fri. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

• The week opened with three games in Tampa. The bullpen blew a late lead in the opener then some mental errors contributed to a loss the next day. The Yankees salvaged the series with a win on Wednesday.
• The Bombers headed up to Boston for a four-game set after taking Thursday off, winning a wild affair in the opener. They took the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader but dropped the nightcap thanks to four errors. Ivan Nova led his team to a win in yesterday’s finale.
• Injury News: CC Sabathia (groin) played catch over the weekend and is on track to rejoin the rotation after the All-Star break. Joba Chamberlain (elbow, ankle) threw a simulated game on Friday and could begin a minor league rehab assignment this week. Eduardo Nunez (thumb) has just started taking batting practice. Manny Banuelos (elbow) has been throwing in Tampa for a few weeks, but there is no firm timetable for his return. Tyler Austin (head) was hit by a pitch and will be out for an unknown length of time.
• The Yankees acquired reliever Chad Qualls from the Phillies for cash or a player to be named later, adding a tiny bit of bullpen depth. They also claimed outfielder Darnell McDonald off waivers from the Red Sox. The Yankees reportedly have “no intention” of getting into a bidding war for Cole Hamels at the trade deadline, though they did offer a minor league deal to Ben Sheets.
• David Phelps was sent to Double-A Trenton after Wednesday’s game so he could keep working as a starter during the All-Star break. Cory Wade was optioned to Triple-A and Matt Antonelli was released to make room on the 25-man and 40-man rosters for Qualls, respectively. Chris Schwinden was designated for assignment for McDonald and claimed off waivers by the Mets.
• Mason Williams, Gary Sanchez, and Austin all ranked in the top 40 of Baseball America’s midseason top 50 prospects list. Austin missed the Futures Game after being hit in the head by a pitch.
• The international signing period opened and the Yankees signed Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens ($1.3M), Venezuelan outfielder Alex Palma ($800k), and Dominican shortstop Yancarlos Baez ($625k). They also inked sixth rounder 2B/OF Rob Refsnyder ($206k) and have until Friday to sign first rounder RHP Ty Hensley.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the interactive Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.