ByJoe Torre’s at it again. Or actually, won’t be at it again. After seeing his shiny new manager signal for relievers Joe Beimel and Scott Proctor a combined 32 times in the Dodgers’ first 31 games, GM Ned Coletti instituted the Kershaw Decree to protect his 20-yr old stud southpaw, who will inevitably take over the fifth starter spot later this summer. Kershaw will be limited to 25 innings per month for the remainder of the year, putting him on pace for 150 IP or so after tossing 122 last year. “We don’t want to get teased and find out in September [that Kershaw's] not pitching anymore,” said Torre. I’m sure the front office is thinking “We don’t want to get teased and find out in September [that Kershaw's] shoulder and elbow are shredded.” Saving the world’s top young arms from Joe Torre, one GM at a time. · (15) ·
ByIt’s no secret that we here at RAB weren’t the biggest fans of Melky Cabrera by the end of last season. We thought we had seen enough of Melky to recognize his ceiling and pinpoint his flaws. So far, through 118 plate appearances this year, Melky seems to be proving us wrong. He’s hitting .291/.359/.505, and he leads the team with 6 HR. He’s showing more patience at the plate and more power with the bat. While it’s still early, Melky’s been a pleasant surprise. Today, in Newsday, Ken Davidoff looks at the career path of Melky and praises the Yankees for their patience in developing the youngster. It is certainly ironic that the one piece of the Santana puzzle we were most willing to part with in December is the one producing the most for the team right now. · (24) ·
ByWith Ian Kennedy on the way down, all signs are point to a Kei Igawa start in Detroit next weekend. Considering that Kennedy claims he’s making progress, I’d rather just see Ian make his next start at the Big League level. For what it’s worth, Igawa is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 39.2 AAA innings. He’s walked just 12 and has 40 strike outs, but he’s still getting more outs in the air than on the ground. Igawa’s never had much of a problem getting MiLB hitters out, but his stuff hasn’t translated into Big League success at all yet. · (34) ·
McAllister’s breakout continues
By · CommentsI’ve got a minor correction to this comment I made the other day about draft eligibility. If a team wants to draft a player than isn’t in the MLB Scouting Bureau database, they have to request a “commisioner number” for that player ahead of time. If no request is made, the player can’t be drafted. Thanks to KLaw for the heads up.
Triple-A Scranton (9-5 win over Durham)
Wilson Betemit: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
Brett Gardner: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB – on base 45 times in 28 games
Jason Lane: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI – 5 RBI total in his last 23 games
Eric Duncan: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 CS – batted cleanup for the first time all year
Cody Ransom: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
JD Closser & Justin Christian: both 1 for 4 – Closser K’ed once … Christian scored a run & K’ed twice
Kei Igawa: 7 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 2-11 GB/FB – 66 of 108 pitches were strikes (61.1%) … he bit the bullet and went as deep as possible because there were only two relievers available today
Scott Strickland: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0-4 GB/FB – 25 of 41 pitches were strikes (61.0%) … David Robertson was the only other reliever available
ByStop me if you’re heard this one before: Jim Salisbury of The Philadelphia Inquirer opines on Brian Cashman’s future today. With a GM vacancy in Philadelphia probably opening up after the season, Salisbury believes that, if Cashman’s Yanks fail to make the playoffs, he could be out in the Bronx and in in Philadelphia. I think Salisbury is getting too far ahead of himself. As things stand today, the Yanks are 1.5 games out of a playoff spot and 3 games out of first. Meanwhile, the youth movement won’t happen in one month, and the Steinbrenners, despite Hank’s public comments, seem to understand that. I know a good number of Yankee fans don’t think highly of Cashman, but getting rid of him won’t be as easy or as quick as Salisbury seems to think. · (25) ·
Game 33: To sweep, or not to sweep
By · CommentsJoe and Ben are both at the game today, so I’m your host for the afternoon. They’ll get to see the triumphant return of Darrell Rasner, one of the more underappreciated arms in the organization. He’s not flashy and he doesn’t have the overpowering stuff, but he throws strikes and keeps the ball in the park, which is more than say, Bronson Arroyo is doing these days.
Rasner will face perennial punching bag Carlos Silva as the Yanks shoot for their first sweep of a three game series this year. Hopefully facing Silva allows them to keep distancing themselves from that frustrating “score some runs early then go into hibernation” routine.
To make room for Rasner, Brian Bruney was shifted to the 60-day DL (to clear a 40-man spot) and IPK was demoted to Triple-A Scranton (to clear a 25-man spot). IPK’s elgible to be called back up on May 14th, four days after the next time the Yanks will need a fifth starter. So unless someone gets injured between now and then, it’ll probably be Kei Igawa or Steven White on the 10th in Detroit. The Yanks’ patience lasts only 6 games, I see.
Can you hear all the Dodgers’ fans crying bloody murder over Chad Billingsley’s poor start? I sure can’t.
The lineup:
The team’s leader in slugging percentage, LF
Jessica Alba’s baby daddy, SS
The offensive MVP, RF
Godzilla, DH
Thank goodness there’s only 1 year left on his deal, 1B
The guy who kidnapped Melky Cabrera and is playing his place, CF
He won’t hit .150-.213-.230 all year, right?, 2B
The guy that’s hit exactly 36 HR since hitting 36 HR in 2005, 3B
Chad “is this what we’ve come to” Moeller, C
Notes: Looks like Latrell Spreewell needed that money to feed his family after all.
ByPeteAbe has more of the details surrounding Jose Tabata’s suspension last week. The year at AA is not going too well for a player once regarded as the Yanks’ top positional prospect. · (31) ·
BySometimes the jokes just write themselves. An acting U.S. Marshal in Boston is under investigation for allegedly having her deputies guard and chauffeur Joe Buck and Tim McCarver around Boston during the World Series last year. These two deputies may also have watched games one and two of the World Series from the broadcast booth. The punch lines are limitless. · (5) ·
ByA short wrap-up for you because I’m heading off to the new beer garden in Prospect Heights: Mike Mussina is thriving this year not because he’s a better pitcher but because he’s pitching better. It’s a subtle difference, but what we’re seeing this year is a clinic in pitching by an old master who many of us — including me — had written off. Mike Mussina has learned how to use his killer breaking pitches and the “slow, slower, slowest” approach to set up an average fastball. His striking out the side in the sixth was masterful.
So now, over his last three starts, Mussina has given the Yankees 18 innings. He’s allowed 18 hits while walking just two batters and striking out 10. He’s 3-0 over that span, and his ERA is 2.50. I, for one, am enjoying the career resurgence of Mussina, and I’m happy to see that I was wrong in calling him a dead Moose a little under a month ago. · (26) ·
