PeteAbe notes that Chris Britton has been recalled for the umpteenth time this season, and is on his way to Texas to give the Yanks some much needed relief help. The kicker is figuring out who’s roster spot he’s going to take. Pete speculates that Joba may head to DL, which makes perfect sense, but part of me wonders if it would be more beneficial to ship Melky to AAA for 10 days as a wake up call. What do you guys think, could a four man outfield of Damon, Nady, Abreu & Christian hold it down for 10 days? It sure would be nice to have that extra arm out there with Ponson, Rasner & Giese tentatively holding down rotation spots, no?
Charleston’s offense keeps on rollin’
Chad Jennings has an update on Humberto Sanchez & Jeff Marquez. Check it fool.
Triple-A Scranton (4-2 win over Pawtucket)
Brett Gardner & Juan Miranda: both 1 for 3, 1 BB – Gardner K’ed & swiped a bag … Miranda doubled & scored a run
Bernie Castro: 2 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB – left the game after Matt Carson ran him over on a pop fly
Matt Carson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Shelley Duncan & Chris Stewart: both 0 for 3, 1 BB – Duncan K’ed
Ben Broussard & Eric Duncan: both 0 for 4 – E-Dunc was caught stealing
The Ghost of Kei Igawa: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 5-10 GB/FB – 64 of 104 pitches strikes (61.5%)
Chris Britton: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 1-1 GB/FB
Billy Traber: 0.1 IP, zeroes
Mark Melancon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 3-0 GB/FB – 19 of 28 pitches were strikes (67.9%) … three ground balls his first inning, three strikeouts his next inning … equal opportunity domination
Game 113: ZOMG A LEFTY!!11!11!
Why is Jason Giambi sitting tonight? Why? Why why why why why? Texas starter Matt Harrison is a lefty, that’s why. Never freaking mind that Giambi has .919 OPS against LHP in a not insignificant sampling of 112 plate appearances this year (.895 OPS vs RHP), or that he went 3 for 4 with a homer yesterday, or that big league lefties are hitting (this is too good) .500-.563-.923 against Harrison in his young career. Erg.
David Robertson, get ready, you’re the next contestant on “Let’s See If You Can Magically Pitch Out Of Self-Induced Trouble Despite Being Left In The Game For Far Too Long.” The previous two participants – Edwar Ramirez & Damaso Marte – had to settle for consolation prizes: a four-slot toaster, and a parrot that can’t talk. Good luck!
1. Damon, LF
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. X(BH) Nady, DH
6. Cano, 2B
7. Dick Lock Sexy Sexson, 1B – you gotta earn that nickname
8. Molina, C
9. Christian, CF – two straight starts huh? interesting…
And on the mound, Andy “sure, you can” Pettitte.
Notes: Joba’s MRI is heading to Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, which sounds really bad, but anyone with half a brain understands that something like this gets second, third, and fourth opinions, plus the last pitch he threw yesterday registered 96, something you can’t do with a major shoulder issue … this is a few days old, but the guys at Baseball America broke down the trade deadline action podcast style, don’t miss it, really really good stuff … despite all the doom & gloom lately, the Yanks are only 2.5 GB of a playoff spot, they’re just a good weekend away from leading the Wildcard …
Charleston’s offense unloads on Boston’s Low-A squad
George Kontos was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week, so congrats to him. Jim Callis at Baseball America answered a question about two-sport eligiblity in this week’s Ask BA, which applies to the Yanks’ 29th round pick Mike Jones, who’s also a senior wideout for Arizona State.
Triple-A Scranton (3-2 win over Pawtucket, walk-off style)
Brett Gardner & Chris Stewart: 1 for 3 – Gardner drew a pair of walks … Stewart walked & K’ed
Bernie Castro: 1 for 4, 1 RBI – walk-off single
Matt Carson & Ben Broussard: both 0 for 3, 1 BB
Juan Miranda: 2 for 4, 1 R
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K – well I guess the shoulder’s fine
Cody Ransom: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 2B
Chase Wright: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HB, 10-5 GB/FB – 63 of 89 pitches were strikes (70.8%)
Phil Coke: 1.2 IP, zeroes, 3 K – 15 of 22 pitches strikes (68.2%)
Steven Jackson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Game 112: Hot hot hot
The weatherman says it feels like 103° in Arlington, which by my estimation is really freakin’ hot. Luckily for the players it’s supposed to cool down to 99° by game time. That’s why God made air conditioning.
The Rangers are flying under the radar as one of baseball’s hottest teams (no pun intended), having gone 47-36 since May 1st, good for a .566 winning percentage. The messed-up part is that they’ve gone from 6.5 GB in the division to 11.5 GB because the Angels are just that damn good. It’s the same story, different year with them: They have scored the most runs in baseball by a significant amount. Yet they’ve also allowed the most runs in baseball, again by a significant amount. Luckily Milton Bradley (aka the man with highest OPS in the AL) has been bothered by a quad injury of late. So he may not be his usual self this series.
They love them some Alex Rodriguez in Texas; he should feel right at home with all the boos.
1. Damon, DH
2. Jeter, SS
3. Abreu, RF
4. A-Rod, 3B
5. Giambi, 1B – sans ‘stache
6. X(BH) Nady, LF
7. Cano, 2B
8. Pudge, C
9. J-Christ, CF
And on the mound, Joba “lower ERA as a starter than as a reliever despite three times as many IP” Chamberlain.
Notes: Melky is “hitting” .229-.278-.287 over his last 76 games, giving him the 4th worst OBP & the worstest SLG in the game over that time … That’s right, I said the worstest … Let’s stop beating around the bush and just say it: Melky Cabrera is the worst every day player in Major League Baseball … On the bright side, X. Nady shared AL Player of the Week honors, he’s been the anti-Melky since the trade …
SI Yanks on SNY tonight
Just a heads up, tonight’s SI Yanks-Brooklyn Cyclones game will be airing on Snigh, first pitch is set for 7:00. Luke Greinke should be taking the mound for SI, but Pat Venditte will likely get the day off after tossing 3 scoreless frames yesterday. Ike Davis, the Mets’ first pick in this year’s draft (#18 overall), should be in the lineup for Brooklyn. (h/t MetsBlog)
Hughes, Shelley return to Scranton
Per Tyler Kepner, both Phil Hughes and Shelley Duncan will make their triumphant return to Triple-A Scranton this week follow short rehab stints in the lower minors. Hughes will slot into the rotation sometime this weeked, likely taking the spot currently occupied by Billy Traber. Shelley should return to the lineup in the next day or so. You may remember that he separated his shoulder making a diving catch in the outfield a few weeks back. (h/t to loyal reader Gurpreet for the email)