Across the nation on the West Coast, the Dodgers are in second place, just one game behind the D-Backs. But by many accounts, their season has not been a success. They’re three games under .500, and as Ian O’Connor writes, Joe Torre doesn’t look so hot anymore. Sure, Frank McCourt killed a deal for CC Sabathia. Sure, Ned Colletti will probably take the blame. Los Angeles, however, expected more from Joe. I was surprised when Torre took this LA job. It was a no-win situation for him because, while the pressure wasn’t as high as it was in New York, anything short of a World Series would be both a disappointment and an admission that perhaps Torre isn’t as great an on-field manager as many think he was while in the Bronx.
Jorge should probably just call it a season
The Yankees today sit at something of a crossroad in 2008. They are on the verge of an important three-game set against the Red Sox in Boston. They’ve gained a lot of ground in both the division and Wild Card and could see their play this weekend determine whether they are pretenders or contenders.
Meanwhile, one of their star players and biggest money-makers, number 20 himself, Jorge Posada has a decision to make as well. On the one hand, we have doctors — many of them — calling for Posada to get surgery. It is a foregone conclusion that, at some point, he will need surgery on his ailing shoulder, and recovery time for this surgery is at least six months. If he has the operation now, he’ll be ready for the start of Spring Training if all goes according to plan. His window for this decision is about two weeks.
But at the same time, Jorge Posada sees the Yankees winning and doesn’t want to give up. He also knows that the Yankees rewarded him with a high-risk, four-year contract. While this shoulder injury isn’t indicative of the problems likely to show up in the latter years of the contract, that Posada is missing so much time at age 36 is sending off alarm bells left and right.
To that end, Jorge is considing a position change that would keep him in the lineup. He might play first; he might DH; he won’t be catching. Some reports have pressure on Posada originated with Yanks’ Team President Randy Levine. Others have it coming from Jorge himself and his desire to play.
But the reality is that the Yankees need Jorge Posada to be healthy for next season. They don’t need him to delay surgery, and they know that his bat isn’t what it should be with his shoulder hurting. In fact, Jorge has said so himself, and the numbers bear him out. Since returning from the DL in June, Jorge has hit .248/.380/.371 over 129 plate appearances. Since July 1, those numbers — .214/.365/.262 — look even worse.
For the Yankees and for Jorge, it’s not worth the risk. Posada should get the surgery and come back next year. The Yankees — 6-0 in the last six games — can win without Jorge, but next year, they’ll need him healthy and ready to go.
9th inning wins for Tampa & Charleston
Triple-A Scranton was warshed out. They’re going to make this heres one up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow. If you’ve ever set foot in Scranton, you’ll get that.
Double-A Trenton (2-1 win over New Hampshire)
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 2 K
Ramiro Pena & Austin Jackson: both 1 for 4, 1 R – Ajax doubled & uninspiringly K’ed
Chris Malec: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB – 17 for his last 35 (.486) with 3 XBH and a 7-9 K/BB ratio
Colin Curtis: 2 for 3, 2 RBI, 1 BB
PJ Pilittere: 0 for 3 – left the game in the middle of the bottom of the 7th for an unknown reason
Edwar Gonzalez & James Cooper: both 0 for 4 – Cooper K’ed & is now 6 for his last 37 (.162)
Walt Ibarra: 1 or 4, 1 K
Chase Wright: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 9-11 GB/FB
Mark Melancon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 5-1 GB/FB – 2 runs allowed in his last 14.1 IP
Mussina, Yanks roll over Twins
Four starts into the season, things were not looking up for Mike Mussina. The 39-year-old, coming off his worst professional season in 2007, began the year 1-3, and after a three-inning shellacking at the hands of Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox, his ERA stood at 5.75. On April 23, Hank Steinbrenner publicly slammed Mooes.
Well, since then, it’s been an entirely different story. With his eight shut-out innings this afternoon, Mike Mussina improved to 12-3 over his last 17 starts. He’s thrown 101 innings and has an ERA of 2.76 over that stretch. He has struck out 74 while walking just 13, none since his July 5 start against the Red Sox. He’s not giving up free passes; he’s pitching well with runners on base; and much like Old Man River, he just keeps rolling along.
For Mussina, today’s game was something of a milestone. He’s reached 13 wins in 21 starts, and he figures to have another 12 or 13 starts this season. Can he win seven more of those to reach 20 wins for the first time in his career? I’m pulling for him.
The Yanks, meanwhile, had their typical offensive game. Robinson Cano picked up his usual two hits; A-Rod picked up his usual two RBIs. After Glen Perkins stifled the offensive for the first four innings, mental errors doomed the Twins in the 5th, and the Yanks plated three more in the 6th.
While LaTroy Hawkins had to be lifted for Mariano Rivera with two outs in the ninth, the Yanks held on for a 5-1 win. They’ve won six straight since the All Star Break and ten in a row at home. While Tampa overcame a 2-0 deficit to top the A’s and the Mariners and Red Sox are facing off as I write, the Yankees are now in sole possession of second place in the Wild Card. This weekend, needless to say, is huge, and Joba will face Josh Beckett in a marquee match-up on Friday night. Who could ask for anything more?
Open Thread Rumors: With no game this evening, feel free to use this thread for a general baseball discussion. We’ve got rumors and news galore:
- While Jorge Posada is not quite ready to go under the knife, his days behind the plate this season are over. Ergo, according to RoboKen, the Yankees are looking for a catcher. I think the Molina/Moeller tandem can do well enough behind the dish, and the rest of the lineup should cover the offense. Go pitching, I say.
- Rumors are floating around the the Rockies are eying Humberto Sanchez as a possible piece to a Brian Fuentes trade. I’m still firmly in the “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” camp here. The bullpen has been outstanding and shows no signs of slipping. They don’t need a lefty if everyone else is getting outs, and trading a chip for unnecessary piece isn’t a smart baseball move.
- Manny being Manny. Perhaps he hurt that knee while jaywalking.
- Melky got a talking-to after his mental error leading off the game yesterday. Oops.
Mike will hit you up with DotF later, and if news breaks, we’ll have something. Otherwise, play nice.
Not-so-old timers set to join Old Timers Day
Nothing makes a young fan feel old quite like Old Timers’ Day. In the past, Old Timers’ had long been the purview of players I never knew growing up. Sure, Don Mattingly’s made a few token appearances, but not until last year when Paul O’Neill and Scott Brosius show up did Old Timers’ Day really hit home. This year, it’s going to be even worse. The Yanks yesterday announced the cast of characters for the Old Timers’ Day set for Saturday, August 2.
On that list are a bunch of guys making their first appearances whom I grew up watching: Tino Martinez, Pat Kelly, Jimmy Key, Graeme Lloyd, Ramiro Mendoza, Jeff Nelson, Tim Raines, Rickey Henderson, Tony Fernandez and Buck Showalter. Kevin Maas, Wade Boggs, Steve Balboni and Jesse Barfield are set to make appearances as well. If these guys are Old Timers, well, that’s just a reflections on the whims of age in baseball.
Game 101: Momentum is only as good as tomorrow’s starter
The Yankees are hot hot hot, winners of all five games since coming back from the All-Star Break. They’ve won in blowouts, nail biters, extra inning marathons, you name it. Nine games back in the division as recently as July 6th, the Yanks have cut that deficit down to just 3.5 thanks to timely hitting, a lights out bullpen, and a well-timed slump by the Rays.
On the mound today is the AL’s second winningest pitcher, Mike Mussina. Picking up a win before heading up to the land of pizza throwers (with an off-day in between) would be pretty rad. Standing in their way is young southpaw Glen Perkins, a command-and-control lefty that tends to give up oodles of hits without many strikeouts. Dick Lock Sexy, this is why you’re in pinstripes brother.
Damon DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Sexson 1B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Christian LF
Mussina P
Remember, off days are only fun when you go in with a six-game win streak.
The Washburn deal won’t come easy
As rumors continue to mount about a Jarrod Washburn-to-the-Yanks deal, a few developments late last night have me thinking that this won’t be a quick or easy deal. In fact, these sticking points could portend the collapse of a deal with a team notable for its unwillingness to trade. Ken Rosenthal reports that Washburn’s limited no-trade clause may complicate things. Jarrod could veto a deal to the Yanks, according to Rosenthal’s sources, and while one way to placate the lefty would be more cash, the Yanks aren’t going to be too willing to kick more money into Washburn after they pick up his hefty contract.
Meanwhile, Jon Heyman reports that the Mariners may want the Yankees to take Jose Vidro too. Vidro would be dead weight on the Yanks, and his contract complicates these talks as well. Of course, right now, this is all just rumor and conjecture from unnamed sources, but it goes a long way toward illustrated why we as a fanbase shouldn’t put too much stock into these various reports. The Yanks may be kicking the tires on Washburn, but it takes a lot more that interest to seal a deal when millions of dollars are at stake.