River Avenue Blues

Alex Rodriguez and the Still-Sore Hamstring?

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I had nearly forgotten about this, but on July 2, the Yankees’ season hung in the balance. The Yanks hadn’t yet pushed to within 5 of the Red Sox and 0.5 of the Wild Card, but there went A-Rod, limping off the field with a hammy problem. The Yanks’ season could have ended in July, but Rodriguez returned quickly. We breathed a sigh of relief.

However, things haven’t quite been the same. Look:

AB AB/HR AVG OBP SLG
Pre-Hammy 299 10.68 .321 .419 .669
Post-Hammy 117 14.62 .239 .370 .496

Statistically, the post-hammy injury is a small sample. It’s been just a shade over 100 at-bats, and A-Rod’s hitting around .250 during that time. It could happen to anyone at any point in the season over that stretch really. Additionally, during the last month, A-Rod’s had 500 on the mind. We know how he deals with the psychology of sports and competition. This slump could have been spurred on as much by that drive as by anything else.

But in the back of my mind, I can’t help but think that Alex Rodriguez, a tough competitor, just didn’t give his hamstring the rest it needed. Maybe I’m wrong; his stolen base numbers are right on par and his mobility in the field seems fine. Meanwhile the Yankees are winning and scoring runs without as much production from A-Rod as they were enjoying when he was all but carrying the team.

But I can’t stop thinking about that hamstring now that the memory’s been triggered. What if it’s still bothering him?

Scrubs shouldn’t run their mouthes

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Josh Towers is a freakin’ moron. From the Journal News:

“I heard somebody chirping and I didn’t think it was Alex,” Towers said. “I asked who it was and Tony Pena is running his mouth. … He’s a quitter. He was managing (the Royals in 2005) and he quit in the middle of a season because he couldn’t hack it.”

Says he with the 5.36 ERA this year — and an 8.42 ERA last year.

This is also the guy who tells the media that “I don’t think that we consistently show up as a coaching staff and as a team every day.” Real good guy, that Josh Towers.

And then there were 5…

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For six or nine times a year, depending on the schedule, I root for the Angels. This week, they aren’t disappointing. Joe Saunders staved off the Red Sox, and the Angels downed Boston for the second night in a row.

Doing some very simple baseball math leads me to conclude that, yes, the Yanks, once 14 games out, are now sitting now just five games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. That’s pretty freakin’ exciting. The Yanks, as I noted earlier, have six games left against the Red Sox, and basically, they control their own October fate at this point. Win and they’re in. It’s that simple.

Meanwhile, up in Canada, exciting happenings. Let’s start with the end. Joba Chamberlain made his big league debut, and it was pretty. While his control wasn’t as perfect as it had been in the Minors, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk that up to nerves. Sporting a high-90s fastball and an utterly devastating and majestically beautiful 90-mph slider, Joba pitched 2 innings in his debut. He gave up 1 hit and 2 walks and struck out 2. The game ended on a double-play ball. Joba even had the guts to shake off Jorge Posada three times on one pitch. He’s 21, folks.

This game also shows that the Blue Jays really have their priorities screwed up. Over two months ago, A-Rod humorously called for a pop-up in Toronto as he was running the bases. Debate the sportsmanship all you want, but realize that this happened in May. It’s August. Yet still the Blue Jays insist on throwing at A-Rod twice.

So in the 7th, Roger Clemens may or may not have retaliated, and he got tossed. He may land a suspension for this move too. Considering that Posada set up for this pitch outside, that it was 7-0 Yankees, and that Clemens was working on his best outing in a month, it’s hard to believe he was aiming intentionally for Alex Rios. But who knows? Hopefully, these two teams can leave this silliness behind them. Chien-Ming Wang isn’t exactly the head-hunting type anyway.

While I’m still unimpressed with Jim Brower — couldn’t Brian Bruney do that? — I am officially apologizing for advocating that dumb trade of Eric Gagne for Melky Cabrera. I’ve changed my mind. I love Melky. And I love Robinson Cano even more. That’s all.

Cairo, Bruney out; Joba, Giambi in

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Lisa Kennelly of The Star-Ledger has the definitive word on the Yankees’ roster moves.

Brian Bruney, who has struggled greatly with his control, will be optioned to Scranton to make room for Joba Chamberlain. And thankfully, Miguel Cairo has been designated for assignment to make room for Jason Giambi. That move gets rid of the worst offensive player on the Yankee and clears up a spot on the 40-man for Chamberlain.

The Bruney move is questionable but not surprising. While his 3.40 ERA is low this year, that number doesn’t tell the whole story. On the season, Bruney’s been very inconsistent. He’s pitching to a K/BB ratio of nearly 1. His strike outs are way down this season to 10.89 per 9 IP last year to 6.80 per 9 IP this year. His walks are up, and Torre has given him numerous opportunities to pitch. The Yankee skipper has, in other words, few reasons to feel confident in Bruney right now.

Relatedely, last week, Mariano Rivera called out Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth and Brian Bruney. He noted that the three of them could throw hard but couldn’t pitch. With Proctor and Bruney gone, Kyle Farnsworth must be looking over his proverbial shoulder now too.

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ bench just became a source of strength for this team. Some Yankee fans have always liked Miguel Cairo. But no one will miss his .252/.308/.318. With Melky Cabrera firmly entrenched as the team’s starting centerfielder, the Yankee bench now features some combination of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Andy Phillips, Wilson Betemit, Jose Molina and Shelley Duncan. That’s a far cry from Josh Phelps, Wil Nieves and Miguel Cairo.