River Avenue Blues

Girardi on Gardner coming off DL: “It’s going to happen”

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Via Mark Hale, manager Joe Girardi said that the Yankees are planning to activate Brett Gardner off the DL before the end of the season, they’re just not sure when exactly. “It’s going to happen,” said the skipper. “I just can’t tell you exactly what day … We’re just not quite ready to make the move yet.

Gardner, 29, started a light hitting program earlier this week and has been running the bases/taking fly balls for a bit longer. The Yankees won’t be able to use him as anything more than a pinch-runner/defensive replacement down the stretch, which I suppose is better than nothing. The club will have to make a 40-man roster move to activate Gardner off the 60-day DL though, and frankly I have absolutely no idea who will get the boot. Could be Derek Lowe, Casey McGehee, Steve Pearce, Cory Wade, Justin Thomas … lots of candidates.

CC brilliant as Martin walks off with win over A’s

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Source: FanGraphs

Friday night’s game started out really well, then it really sucked, then it was really awesome again. That’s the anatomy of a walk-off win against a fellow contender, the Yankees’ sixth consecutive win and 11th in their last 15 games. The six wins is their second longest winning streak of the season behind the ten-gamer back in June. Let’s recap…

  • Don’t Call It A Comeback: All eyes were on CC Sabathia on Friday, as the Yankees needed their ace to start pitching like, well, an ace. He shook off his recent stretch of poor starts and delivered that much-needed ace-like performance, striking out 11 in eight shutout innings. Sabathia took a no-hitter into the sixth, allowed just three singles, and didn’t put a runner in scoring position until there were two outs in the eighth. His fastball averaged 92.8 mph according to PitchFX, and hitters swung and missed seven times times at his 33 sliders (15 whiffs overall). He looked like the CC of old, which is exactly what the Yankees needed. Just a marvelous performance.
  • One Run: Jarrod Parker nearly matched Sabathia zero for zero, but the Yankees were able to manufacture a run in the fourth. Nick Swisher singled to open the frame and then moved to third with one out on Alex Rodriguez’s single, eventually coming in to score on Curtis Granderson’s sacrifice fly. It was a really great at-bat by Granderson, who saw eight pitches before lofting a two-strike changeup to left. That was the only run the Bombers scored in regulation, and it looked like it would hold up until…
  • Blown Save: I can’t really get on Rafael Soriano for blowing a one-run lead, as much as it sucked. He’s been fantastic since taking over for the injured Mariano Rivera, but he hung a slider — actually several, but he got away the others — to pinch-hitter Brandon Moss who clobbered it to right for a no-doubt solo homer to knot things up at one. It was only his fourth blown save overall and first since allowing the three-run dinger to Colby Rasmus a few weeks ago. Just shake it off, they’ll need him again soon enough.
  • Walk-Off: The Yankees have three walk-off wins this season, one on a passed ball and two on Russell Martin leadoff homers. The first came against the Mets during interleague play, the second against the Athletics on Friday. There really wasn’t anything noteworthy about this blast other than the timing — it was a generic 92 mph fastball that caught too much of the plate in an 0-1 count. It wasn’t a Yankee Stadium cheapie either, it landed several rows back in left. Gone as soon as it left the bat, just the way I like it.
  • Leftovers: Evidently the plan against Parker was to jump on his fastball early to avoid his out-pitch changeup as four of the first six and five of the first eight batters he faced swung at the first pitch … Ichiro (2-for-3 with a steal) is so hot these days that he singled directly into Parker’s jersey. Here’s a gif if you haven’t seen it … A-Rod (two singles) was the only other Yankee with multiple hits, though Derek Jeter did extend hit hitting streak to 15 games … for the second time in four games, the Yankees didn’t draw a single walk. In both of the other two games, they drew eight walks … David Robertson vultured the win with a perfect tenth inning.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, ESPN the updated standings. The Orioles beat the lowly Red Sox and the Rays pounded the Blue Jays, so they remain one and seven games back in the division race, respectively. The magic number to clinch the division is 12 while the magic number to clinch a playoff berth is just seven. Ivan Nova will make his second start back from the DL on Saturday afternoon against the left-hander Travis Blackley. Check out RAB Tickets for some last-minute tickets to the matinee.

Game 150: Payback

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(Al Bello/Getty)

The Yankees and Athletics have played two series this season, a pair of sweeps that bookend New York’s great midsummer stretch. The Yanks won three straight in Oakland in late-May, won 31 of their next 44 games, then lost four straight in Oakland in late-July. Now the season series comes to the Bronx for the first time, and everyone is looking for some revenge after that four-game sweep.

That said, these games are probably a little more meaningful that you realize. Obviously the Yankees need to win as many games as possible to maintain their AL East lead, but should they fall back and have to settle for a wildcard spot, they could easily end up playing the Athletics in the play-in game. Since the A’s currently lead the season series 4-3, that play-in game would be played in their ballpark. If the Yankees win this series and the two clubs finish with the same overall record, the game would be played in the Bronx because they (currently) hold the tiebreaker. The Athletics are a much different team at home than on the road, so yeah, keep winning. Here’s the starting nine…

DH Derek Jeter
RF Nick Swisher
2B Robinson Cano
3B Alex Rodriguez
CF Curtis Granderson
C  Russell Martin
1B Eric Chavez
LF Ichiro Suzuki
SS Eduardo Nunez

LHP CC Sabathia

Tonight’s game is scheduled to start a little after 7pm ET and can be seen on My9 locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy.

Derek Jeter talks changing teams, ownership

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(Jim McIsaac/Getty)

This has been a great season for Derek Jeter, as the Yankees captain has rebounded from two down years to hit .323/.367/.443 with 15 homers through the team’s first 149 games. At some point next week he’ll pass Pete Rose for the most hits by a 38-year-old player in baseball history, and after the season he’ll surely get more than a handful of MVP votes. Coming into the season, I don’t think we could have reasonably expected more out of him.

Jeter recently sat down with Rick Reilly for a short interview, some gimmicky thing where the Cap’n was allowed to pass on questions he didn’t want to answer. Most of the interview is typical worthless Reilly nonsense — Jeff Kent is on “Survivor” right now. How would you do on “Survivor”? — but two (questions and) answers stuck out to me. Here’s the first…

Me: Peyton Manning changed teams this season after 14 seasons with one team. Could you see yourself doing that?
Jeter: Well, if I wanted to keep playing, yes. It’s a business. People forget that.

Jeter has made it no secret that he loves being a Yankee and that he grew up dreaming about playing shortstop for the Yankees, but I think it’s pretty clear he’s still miffed about how the negotiations for his current contract went down two years ago. The club took a much harder line than he probably expected, and Jeter seemed a little annoyed by it both then and now.

Now does that mean he’ll actually look to play elsewhere once his current deal is up in two years? I find that to be very unlikely, but you never know. The Cap’n can famously hold a grudge, and if he still thinks he has gas in tank down the road while the Yankees disagree, he could take on the challenge of trying to succeed elsewhere. We’re a long ways off from worrying about his next contract, but this is probably something worth keeping in mind if and when the time comes. Here’s the second thing that caught my eye…

Me: Secret dream job?
Jeter: Own a team.

Me: Which team?
Jeter: A good team.

Again, it’s not much of a secret that Jeter would like to own a team after his playing days are over, but I believe this is the first time he’s actually confirmed it. Previous reports were always citing “friends” and “people close to,” stuff like that. Never actually Derek though. I can totally see him buying into the Yankees once his playing career is over, taking on a role as more of a public face than a key decision maker. Like Magic Johnson and the Dodgers, he’s someone for the fanbase to identify with. I’ve always kinda felt that Jeter becoming part-owner of the Yankees wasn’t just a possibility, it’s inevitable.

9/21-9/23 Series Preview: Oakland Athletics

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(Gregory Shamus/Getty)

Blame the Athletics. The Yankees’ second half slide all started out in Oakland, with a four-game sweep that featured four one-run losses. The Bombers have started to right the ship these last two weeks and now the A’s are coming to the Bronx for three games. I think payback is on everyone’s mind.

What Have They Done Lately?

Although they hammered the Tigers yesterday, Oakland lost three straight prior to that and four of their last seven overall. The A’s are no pushover; they’re within shouting disaster of the Rangers in the AL West and are just one game worse than the Yankees at 85-64 with a +74 run differential.

Offense

(Jonathan Daniel/Getty)

The Athletics have a middle of the road offense, featuring a team 96 wRC+ with an average of 4.3 runs per game. I think they have the offense people think the Yankees have, meaning homer-reliant (172 HR, ninth in MLB) with a super-low batting average (.236, 29th in MLB). They will draw some walks but generally just sit around waiting for the long ball, far more than the Yankees have this year.

Oakland’s two best hitters this season have been Josh Reddick (114 wRC+) and Yoenis Cespedes (134 wRC+), the latter of whom just crushed the Yankees during the four-game set in July. Coco Crisp (108 wRC+) has been solid at the leadoff spot and Chris Carter (140 wRC+) has hit the snot out of the ball since coming up at midseason. Josh Donaldson (94 wRC+) and Stephen Drew (61 wRC+) hold down the left side of the infield. The various platoon bats including Jonny Gomes (162 wRC+ vs. LHP), Seth Smith (125 wRC+ vs. RHP), Brandon Moss (155 wRC+ vs. RHP), and catchers Derek Norris (59 wRC+ vs. LHP) and George Kottaras (124 wRC+ vs. RHP).

The list of September call-ups is quite lengthy and is highlighted by former everyday guys Daric Barton (82 wRC+), Cliff Pennington (64 wRC+), and Jemile Weeks (75 wRC+). Pennington never actually went down, but Drew gets the majority of the playing time at short these days. Infielder Brandon Hicks, outfielder Collin Cowgill, and utility man Adam Rosales round out the rest of the bench.

Pitching Matchups

Friday: LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP Jarrod Parker
The 23-year-old Parker picked a bad year to be a good rookie. Guys like Mike Trout, Yu Darvish, and Cespedes mean he will be a Rookie of the Year afterthought despite a rock solid 3.54 ERA (3.48 FIP). He doesn’t miss a ton of bats (6.64 K/9 and 17.7 K%), doesn’t walk a ton (3.24 BB/9 and 8.6 BB%), and doesn’t get an overwhelming amount of ground balls (44.1%). I suspect he’ll be a Matt Cain type down the road in that his actual performance is greater than the sum of his peripherals. Anyway, Parker is a two fastball guy, sitting in the low-to-mid-90s with both the two- and four-seamers. His money pitch is a low-80s changeup that he’ll throw to both lefties and righties. A low-80s slider is a distant fourth pitch. Parker dominated the Yankees earlier this season, holding them to one run in eight innings.

(Hannah Foslien/Getty)

Saturday: RHP Ivan Nova vs. LHP Travis Blackley
Blackley, 29, is well-traveled. He was a hotshot prospect with the Mariners once upon a time, but after flaming out he wound up pitching in his native Australia as well as Mexico and Korea. He resurfaced in the big leagues this season, and has pitched to a 3.65 ERA (3.62 FIP) in 98.2 innings as a swingman. He’s a ground ball (47.3%) guy who limits walks (2.46 BB/9 and 6.8 BB%), though he isn’t a threat to strike many people out (5.93 K/9 and 16.3 K%). Blackley is a four-pitch guy who will sit right around 90 with his four-seamer, backing it up with a mid-80s slider, a low-80s changeup, and a mid-70s curveball. The Yankees didn’t see him earlier this season, and it’s worth noting that right-handers (.296 wOBA) have much more success against Blackley than lefties (.249 wOBA). He’s starting this game because Brett Anderson suffered a season-ending oblique injury earlier this week.

Sunday: RHP Hiroki Kuroda vs. RHP A.J. Griffin
One of four rookies in the Athletics’ rotation, the 24-year-old Griffin has been superb (2.45 ERA and 3.50 FIP) since coming up at midseason. He’s an extreme fly ball pitcher (38.2% grounders) who won’t walk anyone (1.55 BB/9 and 4.4 BB%) and will miss enough bats (7.23 K/9 and 20.5 K%). A big, slow, upper-60s (yes, 60s) curveball is Griffin’s moneymaker, a frustrating little floater that catches everyone out in front. His fastball sits in the upper-80s and he’ll also mix in low-80s sliders and changeups. Griffin has a bit of a reverse split (.227 wOBA vs. LHB and .265 vs. RHB) and he held New York to two runs in six innings back in July.

(Doug Pensinger/Getty)

Bullpen Status
There’s no such thing as a short bullpen these days, not with tight division races and September call-ups crowding the roster. Closer Grant Balfour (3.42 FIP) hasn’t pitched in a week, but setup men Ryan Cook (3.21 FIP) and Sean Doolittle (1.31 FIP) both pitched yesterday. Doolittle, a left-hander and former first baseman, is especially ridiculous, with a 12.34 K/9 and 1.86 BB/9 since being recalled a few months ago. Nearly 40% of the lefties he’s faced as a big leaguer have struck out. The guy has been crazy good.

Righties Pat Neshek (3.04 FIP) and Evan Scribner (3.32 FIP) join southpaws Jerry Blevins (4.22 FIP) and Jordan Norberto (3.91 FIP) in the middle innings. Blevins is the specialist, Norberto the multi-inning guy. The crop of September call-ups includes righty Jesse Chavez, lefty Pedro Figueroa, righty Jim Miller, and righty Tyson Ross. The Athletics are carrying 34 total players at the moment, so they’re certainly taking advantage of the expanded rosters. Check out our Bullpen Workload page for the details on the Yankees’ relief corps, then check out Athletics Nation and Beaneball for the latest on this weekend’s opponent.

Mailbag: Grilli, Ross, Villanueva, Peavy, DH

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Got five questions for you this week, including three already looking forward to potential offseason roster moves. Aren’t you people excited about the pennant race and a potential postseason run? We’ll have more than enough time to toss roster moves around in winter, trust me. Anyway, please use the Submit A Tip box in the sidebar to send up anything, mailbag questions or otherwise.

(Justin K. Aller/Getty)

Kyle asks: Hi Mike, I’m sure you’re going to get asked this a few times now that MLBTR wrote about him, but any interest in picking up Jason Grilli in the offseason? What potential contract could he get?

Obviously the future of the bullpen is going to depend a lot on what happens with Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera after the season, but I think either way the Yankees should look into bringing in a free agent reliever to shore up the middle innings. That doesn’t mean dumping three years and $30M on someone, but I do think they need someone better than Cody Eppley to hold down the fort until the Chase Whitley and Mark Montgomery types are ready.

As the MLBTR post explains, Grilli is missing a ton of bats (13.58 K/9) and otherwise pitching extremely well (2.91 ERA and 2.95 FIP) after what amounts to a career of mediocrity. His strikeout rate has been trending up for years, so it’s not like this is completely out of the blue. Even though he’s 35 and will be 36 in November, I think Grilli will still be able to find two guaranteed years on the open market at like, $4-5M per year. I’d rather see the Yankees bring someone in on a one-year deal rather than start committing 2014 payroll to middle relievers. Grilli’s a good pitcher worth discussing, but I don’t think is price will matchup well for New York.

Anonymous asks: Do you see the Yankees pursuing Cody Ross this off-season to possibly replace Nick Swisher? He might be able to fill a need against lefties, and is said to be looking to play for a “winning team.” Thoughts?

No, I hope not. He’s a right-handed dead pull hitter, which plays great in Fenway Park (152 wRC+ home) but almost nowhere else (86 wRC+ road). Sure, Ross can definitely hit lefties, but he isn’t much against righties and he’s a poor defensive outfielder. He has decent range and can run some balls down, but he’s also one of the most fundamentally unsound players you’ll ever see. Can’t play the wall properly, misses the cutoff man or just flat out throws to the wrong base, dives when he should be keeping the ball in front of him … it’s brutal.

I’m sure Ross and his agent will be looking to parlay his big career year into a multi-year contract and a full-time job somewhere, which is not something I want the Yankees to get involved in. He’s not a great fit for the ballpark, not a good fit defensively, and likely to sign a contract that is far too lucrative for for the light half of an outfield platoon. One-year and $3M for the Red Sox was a great deal, but someone will get sucked into two or three years at $8M+ this offseason. Just watch.

Travis asks: If Hiroki Kuroda goes back to Japan and Andy Pettitte re-retires, could the Yankees sign guys like Carlos Villanueva or Jake Peavy (with their success in the AL) as two or three-year guys in the rotation?

(J. Meric/Getty)

Yeah, if the Yankees are unable to bring at least one of Kuroda or Pettitte back next year, they’ll definitely need to sign some kind of stopgap starter. I’m a big Villanueva fan but you have to be skeptical about his ability to make 30 starts and throw 200 innings next season just because he’s never done it in his life. I’d love him as an overqualified fifth starter/swingman, but a) some team will give him a full-time rotation slot, and b) the Yankees are going to need more than that.

Peavy is interesting, and yesterday we learned that the White Sox are likely to decline his $22M option. The concern here is health more than anything, but he’s held up well this season and has certainly pitched well in a tough ballpark. In a perfect world the Yankees would find another one-year, $10Mish stopgap starter this winter, but Peavy will end up with more than that, probably fro the White Sox. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look into signing him, it’s just tough to answer because I have no idea what his market will be. Two years and $30M? Three years and $36M? I don’t have any idea. But yeah, if Kuroda and Pettitte walk this offseason, the Yankees will definitely be in the market for a veteran innings eater.

Anonymous asks: With interleague play becoming an everyday reality next season, how will that affect the DH issue going forward?

It won’t. The number of interleague games did not change, they’re just spread out throughout the season now rather than localized in June. So now instead of playing nine games in interleague parks in the span of two weeks, they’ll be spread out and played at various points of the season. If anything, it will actually helps the Yankees because they can just sit their DH for a few games at a time rather than worry about losing a big bat for a longer stretch of time. I still expect them to have some kind of DH rotation next year, especially with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira getting a year older.

Travis asks: Have you heard any recovery news about Cesar Cabral, Brad Meyers, Jose Campos or Manny Banuelos? I’m just wondering if those guys are going to be ready for Spring Training 2013 and if so, what are the Yankees going to do with Cabral and Meyers?

Joel Sherman confirmed the other day that Banuelos will pitch in winter ball this year and be healthy in time for Spring Training. I believe his former Mexican League team still controls his winter ball rights, so he’ll probably spend the winter pitching there. Don’t quote on my that though. The last we heard about Campos was that he was slated to participate in Instructional League, which will start any day now. If he does that, I assume he’ll be healthy in time for Spring Training.

I haven’t seen a single update on Cabral (elbow) or Meyers (shoulder) since they suffered their injuries in camp. Since neither guy spent 90 days on the active roster this summer, the Rule 5 Draft rules will carry over to next season. I get the sense that the Yankees will just cut Meyers whenever they need a 40-man roster spot this offseason, though the Cabral situation is a little different because he’s a two-time Rule 5er. I explained that whole thing back in March. Maybe the Yankees can leverage his injury into a minor league contract instead of a big league deal, but either way I think he’ll be on the 40-man chopping block this winter if a spot is needed. That’s a shame, he was pretty impressive in March and had a very good chance of winning the final bullpen spot over Clay Rapada.