Joba, Aceves falter in Sunday defeat

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

Joba Chamberlain allowed four earned runs over five innings, and was relieved by an equally shaky Alfredo Aceves, who was charged with four runs of his own in 1 2/3 innings.  Doug Fister, on the other hand, pitched well in seven innings, as the Mariners defeated the Yankees 10-3 to avoid a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field.

The game started out well for the Yankees, as Derek Jeter recorded two hits in his first two at-bats to pass Luis Aparicio with the most hits as a shortstop, including an RBI double in the third inning.

Chamberlain retired the first seven batters he faced, but ran into trouble after walking Ryan Langerhans with one out in the third.  After a single and another walk, Jose Lopez hit a two-run double to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.

Nick Swisher and the Yankees responded in the next half-inning, when he hit a two-run home run to center to put the Yankees ahead 3-2.

But Chamberlain was undone in the fifth, with successive two-out RBI singles.

The Mariners wouldn’t look back from there, but they added insurance in the seventh.  Aceves struggled in his second inning of work, but he wasn’t helped by Jerry Hairston Jr. to a step back before having to charge on Ken Griffey Jr.’s leadoff fly ball.  Instead of making the catch, he had to field it on a hop.  Eventually, the Mariners had the bases loaded with one out.  After Langerhans struck out, Aceves hit Josh Wilson with a pitch.  Chad Gaudin was then brought in, and he gave up three straight RBI base hits, extending the Mariners’ lead to 9-3.  Kenji Johjima’s solo home run in the eighth put the M’s ahead 10-3.

The Yankees don’t lose any ground in the American League East, as the Red Sox were defeated in Texas.  The Yankees take their 7.5-game division lead to Oakland for three games starting tomorrow night.  A.J. Burnett will start against Brett Tomko, whom the Yankees designated for assignment earlier this summer.

Another day, another walk-off

Today was Johnny Damon’s turn.  He hit a walk-off home run to right field in the 10th inning.  This was the Yankees’ third straight win in such fashion and fifth straight overall, as they improve to 20-17.

Alex Rodriguez also added a solo home run to first get the Yankees on the board after falling behind 2-0.

A.J. Burnett struck out seven and walked six in 6 2/3 innings in the no decision.  Jonathan Albaladejo got out of a jam Burnett created, and Brett Tomko got out of a jam Albaladejo created.

And how about that play by Joe Mauer?  That was unbelievable.  With Brett Gardner at second with one out in the ninth inning, Francisco Cervelli hit a ball off the pitcher that Mauer fielder in front of the plate.  He then pump-faked a throw to first and tagged out the running Gardner at home.

But the day belonged to Damon and the Yankees.  Melky Cabrera won the game Friday night and Rodriguez won it yesterday.  If this doesn’t set the Yankees off, nothing will.

Andy Pettitte goes for the four-game sweep tomorrow night.

Late-inning magic leads Yanks to victory

Heading into the bottom of the ninth tonight, the Yankees were down 4-2 with star closer Joe Nathan on the hill.

However, Brett Gardner quickly put a scare into him, tripling to lead off the inning.  It could have been worse, however, as he tripped over first base.  He actually had a chance for a second inside-the-park home run on the night, as he ran around the bases in the seventh inning for one.

Following the triple, Mark Teixeira singled to cut the Twins’ lead to 4-3.  Alex Rodriguez then walked (he had four walks in his first game in the new Yankee Stadium), advancing Teixeira to second.  However, Hideki Matsui struck out swinging and Nick Swisher was robbed of a hit by first baseman Justin Morneau.  With runners on second and third, Robinson Cano was intentionally walked to load the bases for Melky Cabrera.  On the first pitch, Cabrera hit a fly ball that dunked in in between Denard Span and Carlos Gomez to drive in the game-tying and the game-winning run.

Gardner, who went 3-for-3 and was a double shy of the cycle, wasn’t even in the starting lineup.  He entered the game in the fourth inning when Johnny Damon was ejected for arguing a call.  Home plate umpire Wally Bell had a rather inconsistent strike zone.

Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and only lasted five innings.  He walked four, struck out only two and allowed two home runs to Morneau.  Phil Coke also allowed a home run in his first game back from back stiffness.

Jose Veras retired the final batter in the top of the ninth inning and was rewarded with his second victory of the season despite his 6.89 ERA.  Relievers Jonathan Albaladejo, Brett Tomko and Edwar Ramirez also had scoreless outings.

The Yankees have won five out of their last seven and will look to take the second game of the series tomorrow afternoon with Joba Chamberlain on the mound.

Tomko called up

Bryan Hoch texted into Twitter saying that Brett Tomko was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  David Robertson was sent down.

Tomko has struck out 17 and walked four in 14 innings in Scranton, allowing only one earned run.

I think it’s worth having his veteran presence up here.  The Yankees will need to make a 40-man roster move.

Yankees to carry no long reliever

Bryan Hoch is reporting that Jonathan Albaladejo has made the team, meaning that the Yankees will have no dedicated long reliever to begin the season.

Pitchers Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and Brett Tomko, and catcher Kevin Cash were all sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

I liked what Tomko showed during spring training. His meaningless stats: 15.1 IP, 12 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 12 K. Small sample size, yes, but he would've been a nice addition to the team coming out of camp.

That said, Albaladejo pitched well also, giving up one earned run in 9 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one. I've been intrigued by Albaladejo. We didn't see much of him last year but he could be another nice addition to the team if he stays healthy.

The first of the last two games in Florida is this afternoon. The Yankees are playing in New York on Friday.

Yankees lose 8-4

Though Chien-Ming Wang was only charged with one earned run, he gave up seven runs while on the mound in 1 2/3 innings pitched in the Yankees' 8-4 loss to the Red Sox in Fort Myers. He also surrendered six hits (two home runs) while striking out one. Mike Lowell and David Ortiz homered for the Red Sox.

Xavier Nady drove in two runs for the Yankees and Cody Ransom hit an RBI triple in his 1-for-3 night.

Brett Tomko pitched 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball, striking out five and only allowing two hits.

The Yankees have a split squad game tomorrow. A.J. Burnett will start in Tampa at 1:15 (on YES) against the Houston Astros. Phil Hughes will start against the Pirates at 1:05.

Yankees lose 3-1

Chien-Ming Wang allowed a solo home run to Casey Kotchman, but that was his only blemish during Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Wang struck out two batters in three innings of work, allowing three hits and walking none.

Brett Tomkofollowed with three innings of his own. He gave up a solo home run to Greg Norton in the sixth, but struck out three and scattered three hits.

The Yankees only recorded six hits, and Justin Leone drove in the team's only run in the fouth inning.

A.J. Burnett will make his spring debut tomorrow afternoon in Lakeland when the Yankees face the Detroit Tigers.

Yankees win 6-1

Hopefully this is a phrase I'll be able to write 100 times this year: "Yankees win."

The Yankees won 6-1 this afternoon behind home runs from Brett Gardner and Alex Rodriguez. Brett Tomko pitched two shutout innings from the starting role.

The Yankees return home to Tampa for a 1:15 game tomorrow. The game will be on YES, with Phil Hughes starting.

Here is the final box score from today.

Gardner homers, A-Rod booed

Brett Gardner led off this afternoon's exhibition opener with a home run off lefty Brett Cecil.

Alex Rodriguez, on the other hand, was booed. Pete Caldera said the reaction was 50-50, while Peter Abraham said he was booed "loudly."

Brett Tomko retired the side in order in the bottom of the first. Abraham said he has a chance to make the team as a long reliever. We'll see.

All very fascinating, but at least they're on the field playing baseball now.

I have a paper to write, so you can follow the game here. Also, apparently Melky Cabrera switched numbers. He will wear No. 53, while Tomko is now wearing Cabrera's old No. 28.

And once again, I laugh at anyone who ever bought the "Got Melky?" T-shirts.

Edwar update; traveling roster

According to Newsday's Roderick Boone, an MRI done on Edwar Ramirez revealed mild bursitis in his right shoulder.  As a result, he will be shut down until at least Friday because he was told to rest a minimum three days.

Meanwhile, click the above link for the traveling roster for tomorrow's game in Dunedin, Fla., against the Blue Jays.  I'm writing this from the student newspaper office on a Mac and the computer won't let me copy the text from the article.

The big names include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano.  Brett Tomko is scheduled to start.

Yankees ink Tomko to minor-league deal

The Yankees signed 35-year-old Brett Tomko to a minor-league deal today.

The right-hander pitched 70 innings last year for the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres last season, amassing a 6.30 ERA (67 ERA+).

Not much else to say here. Basically, if he has to pitch with the big club in real games, the Yankees are in trouble.