Scott Proctor's back

I never thought I'd be writing that Scott Proctor was back in pinstripes after the Yankees traded him to the Dodgers at the 2007 deadline. But life is unpredictable, and here we are.

Obviously the biggest news here is that Jesus Montero will finally be joining the big club, but Proctor's return is more poignant for me. This blog served as an outlet for me to get my long-form baseball and Yankees opinions out there, to hone my writing skills, and to pretend to be a baseball reporter.

The jokes about his arm falling off are as tired as me complaining about Jorge Posada, but for a time way back in 2007, those jokes inspired me to name this blog. Thank you, Joe Torre, for riding Proctor's arm for a ridiculous 102.1 innings way back in 2006. Wow, 2006. The year I graduated high school; the year I began college. I can't believe that was five years ago.

Proctor has always seemed like a good dude and hopefully he can take advantage of the opportunities he gets to finish out this season. It'd be foolish to expect him to get high-leverage innings out of the bullpen in a race to win the division, but the fact he's back here at all is rather astonishing. Stranger things have happened, I suppose.

My interests and goals have changed, but I'll always look back fondly on the time I had keeping up this blog and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Maybe Scott Proctor will get a ring after all.

Jeter ties Gehrig, Yanks sweep Rays

Derek Jeter’s 3-for-4 night put him in a tie with Lou Gehrig for first place on the Yankees’ all-time hits list with 2,721.  He had been hitless in his previous three games.  As for the team, the Yankees scored four in the eighth to defeat Tampa Bay 4-2 Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain only lasted three innings, throwing 56 pitches and allowing two earned runs and three hits.

The three hits and two runs allowed were recorded in the first inning, meaning the Tampa Bay Rays were no-hit over the final 8 2/3 innings.

Jorge Posada hit a go-ahead pinch-hit three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Yankees to victory.

The Yankees were able to avoid using Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera in the ninth.  Brian Bruney got the first two outs, while Phil Coke earned the save by striking out the only batter he faced.

New York is now 91-50 and will begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Posada drives in 4 as Yankees win another

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

Jorge Posada went 4-for-5 with a home run, double and four RBI in the Yankees' 10-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday night at Rogers Centre.  Alfredo Aceves picked up his 10th win of the season with 2 1/3 innings of relief.

The Yankees scored four quick runs in the first inning against starter Ricky Romero.  With the bases loaded, Hideki Matsui singled.  Three runs scored, aided by Travis Snider's fielding error. As a result, Matsui was only credited with one RBI.  Posada followed with an RBI single of his own to increase the lead to 4-0.

Chad Gaudin couldn't escape the fourth inning, allowing three earned runs while only retiring 11 batters.  With one out in the fourth, Gaudin allowed three singles, he hit a batter and allowed a sacrifice fly to cut the Yankees' lead to 5-3.

Aceves entered in relief and allowed two runs (one earned) in his 2 1/3 innings of work.  David Robertson, Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte each followed with a scoreless inning of work apiece.

In addition to Posada's four RBI, Alex Rodriguez drove in two runs on two hits, including a solo home run in the ninth.

The Yankees have now won seven games in a row and are 38 games over .500.  Joba Chamberlain takes the hill tomorrow night in Toronto.

Yanks hit 5 home runs, win 9-6

Jorge Posada hit two home runs and drove in three runs in the Yankees’ 9-6 victory over Baltimore Tuesday night.  Robinson Cano, Eric Hinske and Nick Swisher joined in on the home run fun as well.

A.J. Burnett did not fare as well, allowing six runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.  He allowed a two-run home run to Felix Pie and a three-run home run Luke Scott.

Damaso Marte earned his first win of the season after retiring all three batters he faced.  David Robertson, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera also had scoreless outings, with Rivera earning his 38th save of the season.

The Yankees will go for the sweep tomorrow night with CC Sabathia on the mound.

Teixeira, bullpen ensure sweep of White Sox

(Originally posted for Baseball Digest)

Mark Teixeira drove in four runs and the Yankees bullpen pitched six innings, allowing only one earned run, in the team’s 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly in the first and then hit a three-run home run in the five-run seventh inning to pass 100 RBI on the season.  He has now reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI in six straight seasons.

Starter Joba Chamberlain only went three innings, as the Yankees instituted their revised version of the “Joba Rules.”  They are essentially simulating spring training and will get him up and around 100 pitches near the end of the season.  He threw 35 pitches, allowing four hits and two earned runs.

Alfredo Aceves relieved Chamberlain, pitching three shutout innings, to earn his ninth win of the season.  Damaso Marte, David Robertson and Phil Hughes combined to pitch two shutout innings.  Phil Coke allowed a solo home run in the ninth.

On the offensive side, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada each had two hits, while Johnny Damon was the other Yankees aside from Teixeira to drive in more than one run (he hit a two-run home run in the third to give the Yankees the lead).  The home run, which was his 24th, ties a career-high.  Damon left the game in the seventh with cramping in both calves.

With the sweep of the White Sox, the Yankees are now 34 games over .500.  They now embark on a seven-game road trip with the first stop being in Baltimore for three games starting tomorrow night.

Yanks turn 3 double plays behind Pettitte, win 9-2

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

When Andy Pettitte loaded the bases with Texas Rangers with one out in the top of the first, it didn't look like he would be long for Wednesday night's game at Yankee Stadium.  However, he was able to induce a 5-4-3 double play with Ivan Rodriguez at the plate to end the threat.  After a Jorge Posada three-run home run against Texas starter Derek Holland in the bottom half of the frame, the Yankees were on their way to a 9-2 victory.

Jerry Hairston Jr. added a solo home run in the fourth, and his 12-pitch at-bat in the seventh inning helped start the Yankees' five-run rally after Robinson Cano led off with a double.

Pettitte went seven strong, allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking three.  He threw 103 pitches and was aided by three double plays behind him.  The Yankees would turn another with Brian Bruney pitching in relief.

In addition to Posada's three RBI, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira drove in two runs apiece, while Hideki Matsui and Cano were the only Yankees with multi-hit games.

It wasn't all good news for New York.  Posada left the game in the top of the eighth after taking a foul tip off his glove hand.  X-rays were negative, and the team's report is that he aggravated his ring finger.  The Boston Red Sox also won on David Ortiz's walk-off home run.

The Yankees will look to take this three-game series tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch slated for 1:05.  A.J. Burnett will get the start.

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Much ado about Posada/Burnett

Anyone who watched yesterday’s disaster of a game could tell that A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada were not on the same page.  This was evidenced by Burnett talking to himself on the mound, by two missed return throws to Burnett and by numerous mound visits.

Peter Abraham relays quotes from both characters, with Burnett putting the blame squarely on himself.

“There were a couple of heaters (when) I felt that I should have thrown a hook. I step off and re-gather and that’s when the non-executed pitch came. (Posada) calls fine back there. It’s just a matter of me throwing what I want to throw.

“There’s no pattern there. I’ve had a great run now with Jorge. So there’s no fingers to point but at me.”

Posada basically said, according to Abraham, that he just makes suggestions and the pitcher is the one who is ultimately in charge.

Abraham called Burnett stubborn, which he is, but Posada also appears to be extremely stubborn as well.

The team’s ultimate success is bigger than any one man.  Burnett and Posada need to get over the problems they have with each other – if any – because both players are important now and will be even more important come October.  Burnett will be the No. 2 starter in the playoffs, and Joe Girardi will obviously not want to use Jose Molina.

There is a little more than a month left in the season.  Sit these two down in one room and let them figure out what’s wrong.

As Pettitte settles down, Yanks come back

Andy Pettitte’s evening began rather inauspiciously at Safeco Field Saturday night.  Though the Yankees eventually won 4-2, it didn’t look like Pettitte would hang around for a while.  Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single, followed by a Franklin Gutierrez single, a Jose Lopez RBI single and an RBI groundout from Ken Griffey Jr.

After retiring four of his next five batters via the strikeout, he had trouble with the Mariners’ top of the order in the third inning.  Suzuki led off with a single and Gutierrez walked.  But after that, Pettitte closed the door.

When the dust settled, he struck out a season-high 10 batters over six innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs.  For the second straight game in Seattle, the Yankees’ starting pitcher struck out 10.  Pettitte, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett now each have one game of double-digit strikeouts this season.

The Yankees began their comeback in the second when Jorge Posada doubled off the top of the right center field wall.  The play was reviewed, but the call stood.  Jerry Hairston Jr. eventually drove Posada home on a fielder’s choice to halve the Mariners’ lead.

For the next few innings, Seattle’s starter, Ryan Rowland-Smith, held the Yankees in check.  However, in the fifth, he was hit with some bad luck.  Melky Cabrera singled with two outs and took second on a wild pitch.  Derek Jeter followed with a single through the left side of the infield, somehow getting under both Josh Wilson’s and Jack Hannahan’s gloves to score Cabrera and tie the game.

The game remained tied at 2 until Mark Teixeira led off the ninth with a solo home run against Mark Lowe.  The Yankees would add another on Nick Swisher’s RBI single following Robinson Cano’s bloop double.

New York is now 30 games over .500 and remain 6.5 games ahead of Boston following a dramatic comeback of its own in Texas (they scored six runs in the ninth to win by four).  Sergio Mitre gets the ball tomorrow night.

Teixeira: Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Pettitte: AP Photo

More back-to-back magic leads Yanks to victory

Joba Chamberlain was bad last night, but he and the rest of the team were bailed out by back-to-back home runs by Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada last night, as the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 7-5.

Chamberlain blew a 3-0 lead in the third inning when he allowed a three-run double to Lyle Overbay. He then served up a solo shot to Randy Ruiz, a 31-year-old who played in his 23rd career game.

After three great starts following the All-Star break, Chamberlain has been average, at best. You can't expect him to be perfect all the time, but he has reverted back to what the majority of his starts this season have been like.

But for the third time in as many games, the Yankees hit back-to-back home runs. They are now 70-43 and have a 5.5-game lead over the Red Sox in the East.

They're playing a day game today, with A.J. Burnett getting the start. First pitch is a little after 1.

Aceves saves Joba and Ransom

Joba Chamberlain and Cody Ransom did their best to turn a 4-0 lead into an 8-4 deficit.  Ransom’s fielding error in the third inning opened the floodgates, as Chamberlain gave up five unearned runs and was out of the game after only retiring 11 batters.

However, Jonathan Albaladejo and Alfredo Aceves saved the Yankees on the pitching side, while Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui provided the offense.  Jeter hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning after Matsui drew the Yankees closer with a three-run shot in the fourth inning.  Posada added four hits and three RBI.

But the real story was Aceves, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball for his first career save.

The Yankees are now 15 games over .500 at 48-33, their highest amount of games above .500 this season.  They have also won 10 of their 11 games.  Andy Pettitte will look to lead the Yankees to a sweep over the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon at 1:05.

Saturday YanksBlog.com game recap

Jorge Posada won the game for the Yankees on a walk-off single in the 12th innings this afternoon.  The Yankees defeated Roy Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5.  Read all about it on YanksBlog.com.

Rivera saves 500th, drives in run as Yanks sweep Mets

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

Mariano Rivera entered Sunday night's game at Citi Field in search of one milestone.  When the game was over, he came away with two milestones: his 500th career save and his first career RBI.  Yes, I said RBI.

Rivera, who entered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, drew a based loaded walk against Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez in the top of the ninth inning.  The run gave the Yankees valuable insurance headed into the bottom of the frame.  Rivera wouldn't need it, however, as he was able to nail down the Yankees' 4-2 victory to sweep their first series at Citi Field.

Another story seemingly lost in all this (as Rebecca pointed out on Twitter) is that Chien-Ming Wang picked up his first win of 2009.  But how did we get here?

The Yankees got on the board early and often in the first inning against starter Livan Hernandez.  Derek Jeter, playing in his first game of the series, led off with a double off the left field wall.  Nick Swisher then grounded to first, but Daniel Murphy threw to third in an attempt to get Jeter.  It turned out to be a mistake, as both runners were safe.  Mark Teixeira followed with a two-run double and Alex Rodriguez walked.  Robinson Cano was up next, and was bailed out by another Murphy miscue.  He grounded into a sure double play, but Murphy dropped the ball at first.  Jorge Posada hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in the Yankees' third run.

Wang wasn't great, but he pitched a season-high 5 1/3 innings.  He allowed four hits, two earned runs and three walks while striking out three.  He gave up his runs in the fourth inning on a Fernando Martinez RBI double and a Luis Castillo RBI single.

Wang was relieved by Phil Coke and Phil Hughes in the sixth inning.  Hughes would also go on to pitch a scoreless seventh before being replaced by Brian Bruney in the eighth.  Bruney's control failed him, as only six of his 15 pitches went for strikes.  This caused Rivera to be brought in for a four-out save.  But that's where the fun began.

Posada reached on another botched pop up by the Mets with Rodriguez on the mound.  Eventually, the Yankees loaded the bases on walks, bringing up Rivera with the bases loaded and two outs.  He only swung at one pitch and had a full count before taking a pitch inside for the walk.

Rivera only gave up a two-out single in the ninth before inducing a grounder to second for the third and final out.  His 500th career save was his 18th of 2009 in 19 chances.

After a day off Monday, the Yankees will begin a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at home.  Joba Chamberlain takes the ball in Game 1.

Teixeira’s slide inspires Yankees to victory

Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch twice tonight in the Yankees’ 12-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.  On the second one, he snapped, eventually breaking up a double play with a hard slide in the fourth inning.

After that slide, the Yankees scored five runs, giving enough breathing room for A.J. Burnett.  He gutted through seven innings, striking out eight on 110 pitches.  He allowed three earned runs, all on a long home run by Nelson Cruz.

Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter each had three hits.  Posada drove in four runs, including three on a long home run to right.  Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui had two hits apiece.  Like Posada, Matsui hit a three-run home run as well.

All in all, it was a nice win for New York, even though the errorless streak ended when Posada air-mailed a throw to second base attempting to catch a runner stealing.  They are now 10 games over .500 and maintained their one-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East.  The 12 runs scored were a season-high.

Andy Pettitte will face Scott Feldman tomorrow night at the Stadium.

This one’s on Girardi (with a side of Posada)

Update – 4:35 p.m.: Apparently Girardi said Gardner not running has been addressed, meaning Gardner did something wrong (h/t RAB’s Twitter page).

Why didn’t Joe Girardi have Brett Gardner steal with the extremely slow Jorge Posada up at bat?

Why couldn’t Posada hit a fly ball?

Why was Chien-Ming Wang taken out?  Why were Phil Coke and David Robertson brought in?

Eric Wedge looked like a fool for taking out the surging Carl Pavano when he did.  But by the end of the ninth inning, Girardi made Wedge look like a genius.

By the way, I’ve seen just about enough of Coke.  Walking someone batting .184 in the ninth inning is just inexcusable.

Bad, frustrating loss, folks.

Posada to be activated tomorrow; Melky update

Brian Cashman (via Peter Abraham) said Jorge Posada will be activated tomorrow.  Posada was placed on the disabled list on May 5 with a right hamstring strain.  He was hitting .312 with five home runs and 20 RBI in 77 at-bats.

Melky Cabrera will not be placed on the disabled list, but he won’t play in the Cleveland series either.  This means that the Yankees will only have three outfielders on the roster.

Also included in Abraham’s update was that Xavier Nady went 2-for-5 with a home run against Blue Jays’ prospects.  It will be nice to get him back.

The Big Apple Circus heads to Baltimore

Alex Rodriguez will return to the Yankees tomorrow.

With Jorge Posada going down with the hamstring injury, the Yankees need A-Rod now more than ever (on the field, not off the field).

Meanwhile, Chien-Ming Wang threw 72 pitches today in Tampa.  Pitching guru Billy Connors said Wang is healthy and he’s feeling well.

Cervelli called up

The Yankees have called up Double-A catcher Francisco Cervelli to replace Jorge Posada, according to Peter Abraham.

Cervelli is batting .190 with two home runs and seven RBI in 58 at-bats for the Thunder.  Cervelli went 0-5 in three games with the Yankees at the end of last year.

Posada to the DL

Jorge Posada re-aggravated a hamstring injury when sliding into second base last night.  He was set to have an MRI today, and obviously the results were bad enough to warrant a trip to the disabled list, according to Sweeny Murti on WFAN.

Posada joins Damaso Marte, Cody Ransom, Brian Bruney, Chien-Ming Wang and Xavier Nady as Yankees who were placed on the disabled list during the regular season.  Alex Rodriguez has been injured since spring training.

This is bad news all around.  The Yankees obviously missed Posada last year, and will continue to miss him while he’s out this year.

Yankees win battle of comebacks

The Yankees scored six runs in the final two innings to come back from a 9-4 deficit.  Jorge Posada came through with the big hit with no outs and the bases loaded in the ninth.  The Yankees are now 13-10 and are carrying a four-game winning streak.

The Yankees scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, after Hideki Matsui hit a sacrifice fly, Robinson Cano hit a single and Jorge Posada hit a two-run home run.

Andy Pettitte held that lead until the top of the sixth when he fell apart.  With two outs, the Angels scored six runs (five charged to Pettitte) to take a 6-4 lead.  They would score three more in the seventh against Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez.  Gary Matthews Jr. had four RBI in the two innings, including a three-run triple.

However, the Yankees put together a rally themselves in the bottom of the eighth.  Melky Cabrera had an RBI single and Ramiro Pena followed with a two-run single.  Derek Jeter then hit an RBI groundout to cut the Angels’ lead to 9-8.

They were then able to fully come back against Angels’ closer Brian Fuentes.  Mark Teixeira led off with a walk.  Hideki Matsui and Cano’s consecutive singles loaded the bases with no outs for Posada.  He then laced a single to left-center to drive in Teixeira and pinch-runner Angel Berroa to end the game in walk-off fashion.

CC Sabathia will look to keep the line moving tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m.  Matt Palmer will oppose him.

Welcome back, Abreu, and thanks!

Bobby Abreu’s trap in right field on Robinson Cano’s line drive in the eighth inning started the eventual game-winning rally.

In Abreu’s return to Yankee Stadium, Abreu decided to be, well, Bobby Abreu.  After Cano’s single, which extended his hitting streak to 17 games, Jorge Posada hit a ground-rule double.  Nick Swisher was then intentionally walked.

Melky Cabrera (RBI single) and Ramiro Pena (two-run double) came through with the big hits to break the 4-4 tie.  The Yankees won 7-4 to extend their winning streak to three games.

A.J. Burnett pitched seven innings, giving up four earned runs and eight hits.  Phil Coke pitched a scoreless eighth and was credited with the win.  Mariano Rivera recorded his fifth save of the year with a scoreless ninth.

Every Yankee starter had at least one hit, while Derek Jeter, Cabrera and Pena had two apiece.  Pena’s two RBI were the first of his career.

The Yankees finish April at 12-10, the first time they had a winning April since 2006.

Andy Pettitte and Jered Weaver start for their respective teams tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m.