Yankees sweep split squad Saturday

The Yankees, behind A.J. Burnett's four perfect innings, defeated the Astros 3-1 in one split squad game this afternoon in Tampa.

Burnett struck out three batters in his second start in Grapefruit League play. Dan Giese followed, giving up one run in two innings of play, striking out three. Edwar Ramirez, Brian Bruney and Jason Johnson then pitched one scoreless inning each.

Johnny Damon hit a solo home run in the first inning to give Burnett and the Yankees an early lead. Cody Ransom went 2-for-4 with his third double of the spring and a run scored.

In the other game, the Yankees defeated the Pirates 13-10. Austin Jackson went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Jesus Montero hit a grand slam in the seventh inning.

Phil Hughes started for the Yankees. In three innings, he gave up two earned runs, two hits and three walks while striking out two. Ian Kennedy pitched three innings of his own, striking out five and allowing one run. Mark Melancon disappointing, giving up five earned runs in only 2/3 of an inning. He gave up six hits and two home runs.

Andy Pettitte will start for the Yankees against Minnesota in Tampa at 1:15 tomorrow.

Yankees sign remaining 0-3 players

0-3 players are players who have between zero to three years of service time. The Yankees have signed all 20 of these players, including Joba Chamberlain.

According to Bryan Hoch, Chamberlain will make $432,575 if he spends the entire season with the big club.

In addition to Chamberlain, the Yankees agreed to terms on 2009 contracts with the following players: Alfredo Aceves, Jonathan Albaladejo, Francisco Cervelli, Anthony Claggett, Phil Coke, Wilkin De La Rosa, Christian Garcia, Brett Gardner, Dan Giese, Eric Hacker, Phil Hughes, Steven Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Edwar Ramirez, Cody Ransom, Dave Robertson, Humberto Sanchez and Jose Veras.

The team didn't have to "renew" any contracts, meaning this year the team and the players all came to terms on a contract,

Yankees lose 6-2

Ian Kennedy's struggles in the middle of the game sank the Yankees in their game against the Blue Jays this afternoon. Kennedy gave up five earned runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira were the offensive bright spots for the Yankees on this day. Gardner went 2-for-3 with his third home run of the spring and two RBI. Teixeira also went 2-for-3 with his second double in Grapefruit League play.

Andy Pettitte made his spring debut, and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out two and walking one.

The Yankees will play the Reds tomorrow night in Tampa at 7:15 with Joba Chamberlain on the hill. The game will be broadcast on YES.

Yankees lose 3-2

Time to panic! The Yankees are now 2-4-1 in spring training thus far.

Ian Kennedy went three innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, one walk and no strikeouts. Dan Giese also pitched three innings, struck out three, walked one and gave up one earned run. Andrew Brackman and Mark Melancon pitched one scoreless inning apiece in relief.

Offensively, the Yankees were offensive. They only scattered five hits (one of them off the bat of Giese) and plated two runs. Johnny Damon had an RBI single and Juan Miranda's sixth-inning groundout also scored one.

The Yankees will play Team Canada tomorrow afternoon in Tampa at 1:15 p.m. Joba Chamberlain will start this untelevised game.

Yankees sign remainder of 40-man players

Joel Sherman has the news that the Yankees have signed the remainder of the players on their 40-man roster, including Jonathan Albaladejo and Ian Kennedy.

The Yankees completed the signing of their 40-man roster players by coming to terms with Jonathan Albaladejo ($220,000 in the minors/$403,075 in the majors); Francisco Cervelli ($65,000/$400,700); Wilkin De La Rosa ($23,500/$400,000); Michael Dunn ($32,500/$400,000); Christian Garcia ($32,500/$400,000); Eric Hacker ($32,500/$400,000); Steven Jackson ($32,500/$400,000); Ian Kennedy ($123,435/$408,925), Cody Ransom ($66,394/$455,100) and David Robertson ($102,812/ $406,825).

Yankees lose 6-5

Thanks to those who were following along with me on Twitter.

The Yankees lost to Team USA 6-5 this afternoon in Tampa. Yes, it certainly was strange seeing Derek Jeter play against the Yankees, but I eventually forgot about it after a while. Too bad Michael Kay kept bringing it up every chance he got.

Jeter went 2-for-4 against his team with a two-RBI single to center field. As for players wearing the Yankees uniform, Brett Gardner went 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Jorge Posada and Cody Ransom each went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and pitched into the third inning for the first time this spring. The last pitch he threw was the two-run single to Jeter. Other than that, he looked good. He gave up three hits, struck out two, walked none and hit one batter. Eric Hacker struggled, almost to the point where it was painful to watch. He didn't retire any of the six batters he faced, allowing two hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks.

The Yankees resume their Grapefruit League schedule tomorrow when they face the Atlanta Braves in Lake Buena Vista at 1:05. Ian Kennedy will start for the Yankees.

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Yankees lose 5-4

The Yankees' bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings, blowing a 3-1 lead, to fall to the Twins 5-4 in Fort Myers.

Ian Kennedy gave up one hit over two innings, striking out three and walking one. Brett Gardner (CF), Nick Swisher (1B) and Jorge Posada (DH) each had two hits - Gardner hit a double. Justin Leone also added a home run.

Andrew Brackman gave up a home run to Jason Kubel in the sixth inning.

The Yankees will face the Twins tomorrow in Tampa. The game is set to begin at 1:15 p.m. and it will be broadcast on YES and WCBS-AM 880.

Yankees win 5-1

The Yankees are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 11-2. Too bad it's only February.

Phil Hughes started today, and pitched two shutout innings, despite hitting two batters. He threw 33 pitches for 22 strikes and struck out one batter. Hughes was consistently reaching 92 mph with his fastballs. The two hit batters are a concern, but he was able to work out of trouble in the first inning.

Phil Coke also pitched two shutout innings, so did Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Mark Melancon and Jonathan Albaladejo. J.B. Cox gave up one run on three hits in his one inning of work.

At the plate, the Yankees hit two home runs, including a solo home run by Jorge Posada in the third inning. He also drove in a run on a ground-rule double to center in the fifth. Shelley Duncan followed with a three-run home run of his own in the seventh.

Mark Teixeira also hit a single in his first game as a Yankee.

The Yankees travel to Fort Myers tomorrow to face the Twins at 1:05 p.m. Ian Kennedy will go for the Yankees.

The deal with Pettitte's deal

Peter Abraham relays an AP report regarding Andy Pettitte's incentives:

Base salary: $5.5 million.

Innings bonuses: $500,000 each for 150, 160 and 170 innings pitched and $750,000 each for 180, 190, 200 and 210 innings.

Roster bonuses: $100,000 for 120 days on the active 25-man roster, $200,000 for 130 days, $250,000 each for 140 and 150 days, and $400,000 each for 160, 170 and 180 days.

They're mostly health-based and not performance-based, but it seems fair to me. It will keep Pettitte motivated, because, as we've seen this offseason, Pettitte really does care about the money.

Meanwhile, Mike Ashmore (via River Ave. Blues) from Thunder Thoughts does not like the move. He believes it hinders the development of the younger starters.

Consider the starters that will be without a big league job come April…

Phil Hughes
Ian Kennedy
Phil Coke
Alfredo Aceves
Jason Johnson
Dan Giese
Kei Igawa
Chase Wright
Eric Hacker
Christian Garcia
George Kontos
Humberto Sanchez
Alan Horne

Where do all of these guys go? How many of them end up moving to the bullpen — some like Coke, Sanchez and Giese already have experience having done so — or starting at the minor league level.

Yankees fans have to ask themselves…what’s more important, Andy Pettitte getting 30 starts or Phil Hughes/Ian Kennedy/Phil Coke/Alfredo Aceves getting 30?

If the consensus is that Pettitte is little more than a placeholder, why not use one of your numerous starting pitching prospects in a meaningful role at the big league level instead of picking up garbage innings as a long man in the Bronx or spending another year in Trenton or Scranton?

Hughes and Kennedy need more time in the minors, I believe. Hughes was rushed up in 2007 and has proven he can't stay healthy. I also don't think Kennedy is a very good major-league pitcher. Coke was solid out of the bullpen last year, and Aceves would be a great long reliever/spot starter.

To answer Ashmore's question, I'd much rather have Pettitte get 30 starts. With A.J. Burnett's injury history and Joba Chamberlain's innings limit, there could be some extra starts to go around. Some extra polishing in the minors for both Hughes and Kennedy is a good thing.

Sherman's latest: Ankiel and more on Sheets

In Joel Sherman's latest "3 Up," he says the Yankees have some interest in ex-pitcher Rick Ankiel. Ankiel, who Sherman said should only make about $3 million in arbitration, has at least five teams looking at him as a possible trade option.

Ankiel batted .264/.337/.506 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI in 463 plate appearances last season, and the Cardinals' needs, according to Sherman, are a closer and a starter. Sherman also said the Cardinals have "some interest" in Ian Kennedy.

The Yankees' outfield is crowded, with Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Brett Gardner all currently on the roster.

Would you trade Kennedy and someone like Cabrera for Ankiel? I'd definitely have to think about it. Sherman believes the Cardinals won't ask for a lot, considering Ankiel only has one year left until free agency.

Meanwhile, Sherman said the Yankees haven't fully decided whether to offer Ben Sheets a deal, contradicting Mark Feinsand's report. "But there is some chance that the Yankees can end up this offseason with the Nos. 1 and 2 starters from last year's Brewers," Sherman said

Post: Cashman wants to return

From George King:

While Brian Cashman remained mum about his future, the buzz smothering the Yankees' universe yesterday focused on the GM telling the Steinbrenner family he wants to return.

An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow.

"Sooner than later," Cashman said with a smile when asked about reaching a decision.

Hopefully Cashman has learned from his mistakes of last off-season. He'll have a lot of money to play with once the season ends.

I'm sure he's a disappointed as anyone with the way this season has panned out. He was very much invested in the success of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. While no one could have predicted their failures and injuries this year, the fact that Johan Santana is pitching complete game shutouts for the Mets will always loom over his head.

Typical Hughes

Phil Hughes made his first start since April 29, and his performance tonight was similar to his performances prior to his mysterious rib injury.

In four innings tonight, Hughes threw 89 pitches (57 strikes) while allowing four hits, one earned run and two walks (four strikeouts).

Inefficiency has been Hughes' game when he's been on the mound. On April 8, Hughes threw 87 pitches in three innings. He followed up that start with a 65-pitch, two-inning outing on April 13. Then on April 29, Hughes threw 82 pitches in 3 2/3 innings.

A positive to take from tonight was that his hits, runs and walks were all down. Prior to tonight's game, Hughes had surrendered 34 hits, 22 earned runs and 13 walks in 22 innings.

This is something the Yankees will need to work on with their young starters during the spring. Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain have also had high-pitch, low-inning starts. The difference is that Chamberlain has shown the ability to get big strikeouts when he needs to, while Kennedy and Hughes nibble around the strike zone. This eventually drives up their pitch counts while not going deep into games.

My biggest fear is that Hughes will not amount to what the Yankees thought he'd be. He is still very young and could prove to be a reliable starter, but the jury is still out.

Oh, the Yankees won tonight, by the way.

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Alfredo Aceves called up

The Yankees have called up RHP Alfredo Aceves from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this morning, according to Ed Price.

Aceves is 2-3 with a 4.12 ERA for Scranton, striking out 42 and walking 13 in 43 2/3 innings. He posted better numbers for Double-A Trenton, walking only six batters in 50 innings, but his last two starts have shown improvement.

This seems to me that the Yankees are trying to see what they have in their system, especially because Aceves was signed out of the Mexican League before the season. It should also be noted that both Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were passed over.

No corresponding roster move has been announced.

The season that was not meant to be: Part One

For a team with a payroll over $200 million, many things have to go wrong for it to fail. By the Yankees standards, the 2008 season has been a catastrophic one. With 30 games remaining and a seemingly insurmountable seven-game wild-card deficit ahead of us, it's about time to, for lack of a better phrase, put a bow on this season.

In this part of the miniseries entitled, "The Season That Was Not Meant to be," I will focus on how injuries to the starting pitching staff, ineffectiveness of its replacements and false hope have let the team down.

Whether or not you feel that Chien-Ming Wang is an ace, it's obvious that the first hit to the Yankees' playoff chances occurred when he injured his foot on the Minute Maid Park basepaths. Wang had a rough stretch at the end of May and beginning of June, going 0-1 with an 8.75 ERA in four starts. However, the Yankees only lost one of those starts and despite that run, Wang was 6-2. He turned it around after pitching 7 1/3 solid innings against Oakland and was pitching a five-inning shutout in Houston before reaching base on a fielder's choice. His season would soon be over after injuring his foot behind third base and home.

After winning that game 13-0, the Yankees were 37-33. They were six games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. They are now 10.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and seven games behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card standings.

The next blow came on August 4 when Joba Chamberlain left in the middle of his start against the Texas Rangers with a right shoulder injury. Phil Hughes injured his hamstring in the middle of a no-hit bid in the same park one year earlier. The Yankees were 10 games above .500 after losing to Texas on that night, 5.5 games behind the frontrunning Rays. They have since lost five games in the standings.

The Yankees went into this season expecting big things about of so-called "Big 3." Hughes is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and hasn't pitched since April 29. Ian Kennedy is 0-4 with an 8.17 ERA and has made one start in the Majors since May 27. For those scoring at home, Carl Pavano has won more games than both Kennedy and Hughes combined.

Replacing Wang and Chamberlain has been a tough task. You know it'll be hard to win games when Darrell Rasner has started the third-most games for the Yankees this season. After starting his season off 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA, Rasner has since gone 2-8 with a 6.08 ERA. The Yankees are 5-10 in those starts.

Sidney Ponson was also picked up off the scrap heap. The Yankees are somehow 6-5 in his starts, despite having a 5.64 ERA in his time with the team. If only the other starters got that kind of run support we may not be having this conversation.

The point is that it's hard to be a consistent team when you only have one reliable starter. Mike Mussina is 16-7 this season while Andy Pettitte, who is getting paid $16 million to blow leads, has 10 losses and a 4.37 ERA.

There is still plenty of blame to go around, and I'll get to the offense next. But for now let's reflect on the starting pitching. What has been your biggest disappointment regarding the starters?

Kennedy fans nine Bisons

Ian Kennedy pitched six innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tonight, striking out nine Buffalo Bisons while giving up two earned runs and four hits.

From Chad Jennings:

“I felt like I was pitching instead of just working on things,” Kennedy said. “But at the same time, I was throwing my curveball for strikes... It felt really good tonight. I didn't feel like I babied any of them in there. And I have to give credit to Stew (Chris Stewart) because he made me throw it in counts where it couldn't hurt me."

Well, he's certainly pitched better than Phil Hughes has. Both pitchers still have much to prove.

Add Darrell Rasner and Edwar Ramirez to the "garbage" list

Darrell Rasner and Edwar Ramirez can now be considered 2008 Yankees trash.

The fact that Rasner is pitching meaningful games for a $200+ million team is a flat-out embarrassment. While no one could have predicted the problems of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy this season, the Yankees do not have viable replacements.

Signing a top-flight starting pitcher like CC Sabathia for next season should be the No. 1 priority for whomever is in charge.

Regarding Ramirez: it's hard to fool batters with a mediocre fastball.

Garbage

Your 2008 New York Yankees, ladies and gentlemen.

Kennedy optioned

The Yankees have optioned Ian Kennedy to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and have called up LHP Billy Traber, according to Peter Abraham.

Kennedy was sent down with instructions to work on his pitching, not work on throwing seven shutout innings. He has proven he can win in the International League. He need to work on specific things now like his two-seamer and curveball.

Kennedy looked lost on Friday night, so this is the right move no matter who they called up.

It really makes you wonder what they're teaching these "prospects" in the minor leagues. Hopefully they've realized what's wrong with Kennedy and can fix him because with each bad start, he is looking like a AAAA pitcher.

Kennedy makes Yankees fans look stupid

Wow, what a gutless performance by Ian Kennedy.

Instead of making opposing hitters look stupid, Kennedy made Yankees fans and the front office look stupid by believing he can contribute.

Joba has rotator cuff tendinitis

Joba Chamberlain has been diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis and will rest for at least a week before throwing again. He has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, with Chris Britton taking his spot on the active roster.

Ian Kennedy is expected to take Chamberlain's place on Friday.

As a result of this injury, all three members of the so-called "Big 3" have spent at least some time on the disabled list.

It will be interesting to see how careful the Yankees are with Chamberlain's shoulder. He means a lot to the team this season, but he means even more to the team in the future.