Yankees win, move into first place

A.J. Burnett won for the first time since mid-April and the Yankees moved into a tie for first place with the Boston Red Sox after defeating the Texas Rangers 9-2 tonight.  The Yankees won two out of the three against the Rangers, recording 47 hits in the process.

The Yankees hit four home runs (two from the struggling Hideki Matsui and one each from Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano).  Kevin Cash went 2-for-4 with two RBI and was one of six Yankees with multiple hits.  Derek Jeter was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two walks.

Burnett went six shutout innings, striking out seven and allowing only three hits.  However, he gave up four walks.  Jose Veras couldn’t get out of his own way in the seventh inning, so David Robertson had to come in, followed by Chien-Ming Wang for two innings to close out the game.

Wang faced six batters and retired them all in what had to be a confidence boost for the right-hander.  His velocity is still down somewhat, but this is obviously a step in the right direction.

The Yankees have tomorrow off before beginning a four-game series in Cleveland on Friday.

Hughes, offense dominate Rangers

Don’t be confused by the red hats.

Phil Hughes threw eight shutout innings and the Yankees recorded 11 runs on 19 hits to win the series opener against the Texas Rangers 11-1.  Hughes struck out six and only walked one in his 101-pitch effort.

Alex Rodriguez went 5-for-5 with four RBI to raise his batting average to .259.  Of the Yankees 19 hits and six extra-base hits, none were home runs, which is great to see.

You know it was the Yankees’ day when Kevin Cash had three hits.  Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano also had two hits apiece.

The 11 runs match a season-high and the team’s 19 hits set a season-high.

There’s not much more to add here.  Joba Chamberlain gets the start tomorrow night at 8:05 p.m.

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Teacher defeats student

Roy Halladay was fantastic; A.J. Burnett, not so much.

The Yankees lineup with players like Brett Gardner, Kevin Cash and Ramiro Pena was no match for Halladay, as he retired 17 batters in a row at one point, throwing a low amount of pitches in the process.

For the first three innings, Burnett matched him.  Then the fourth inning happened.  Two doubles, two walks and a sacrifice fly scored three runs for the Jays, and that was all Halladay needed in the team’s 5-1 victory.

Burnett finished the evening pitching 7 2/3 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits.  He walked four and struck out three.

The Yankees were able to score their only run in the seventh on Alex Rodriguez’s two-out single with Johnny Damon on second.  Damon actually had two hits against Halladay.  He singled in the first inning but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

Scott Rolen was 3-for-4 with three RBI tonight.  Before tonight’s game, he was 0-for-18 against Burnett.

The Yankees are now 15-17, and will try to rebound with Andy Pettitte on the mound tomorrow night.

A-Rod, Cash up; Melancon, Molina down

Jose Molina was officially placed on the disabled list with the quad injury.  Kevin Cash has been summoned from Triple-A to replace him.  However, he is not on the 40-man, so a move has to be made (not yet announced).

Alex Rodriguez has also been officially activated.  To make room for him, Mark Melancon was optioned to Scranton.

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 win 7-4

The Yankees survived a scare tonight when A.J. Burnett took a ball off his left forearm. However, he stayed in the game and pitched 3 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits, one earned run and three walks, while striking out one in the Yankees 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Brian Bruney was a negative, as he walked four and surrendered two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Mariano Rivera restored order when he retired the side in order in the sixth on five pitches.

Offensively, the Yankees had 14 hits as a team, but only Nick Swisher had a multi-hit game. Eduardo Nunez hit a two-run home run in the eighth. Ramiro Pena, Jorge Posada, Kevin Cash and Swisher each had one double, and Xavier Nady hit a triple.

Phil Hughes will start for the Yankees tomorrow afternoon in Fort Myers against the Twins at 1:05 p.m.

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Harper: CC's workload could be a concern

Well, this didn't take long. CC Sabathia had a bad start yesterday, and the alarmists - particularly John Harper of the Daily News - are out.

Still, Wednesday was a reminder that there are at least a couple of reasons to keep an eye on the $161 million man as he adjusts to life as a Yankee: he's a laid-back Californian who admittedly would have preferred the West Coast, and he's pitched a ton of innings the last two seasons.

Yes, if Yankee fans feel any need to worry about Sabathia, the numbers that matter aren't the six hits and five runs he gave up in 1-2/3 innings here against the Tigers. Instead it's the total of 512 innings, including postseason, that Sabathia pitched over the last two seasons, by far the most of any pitcher in baseball.

Add the stress of pitching on three days' rest in September and October for the Brewers last season, and Sabathia has the potential for a hangover effect that at least some people in baseball believe is inevitable. In fact, according to one Yankee person, Sabathia's workload was a source of some internal discussion before it was decided the combination of talent and toughness was worth investing huge money in him over seven years.

Mr. Harper: relax. It's March 12. Kevin Cash is batting .385. Does that mean he should start at catcher? Angel Berroa is batting .417. Let's cut Derek Jeter!

If there's any reason to be concerned about Sabathia, it should be about his October performances - a 7.92 ERA in 25 innings pitched (small sample size, obviously). A bad spring training outing in mid-March shouldn't throw up any red flags.

Let's all remain calm here, please.

Yankees lose 7-4

CC Sabathia's second inning was horrendous this afternoon against the Tigers. He gave up three singles, a double and a two-run home run by Gary Sheffield. He only retired two batters in the frame before he was taken out. In total: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HRA.

Alfredo Aceves wasn't much better. He gave up three hits and two earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, including Sheffield's second home run of the game. He also allowed a home run to Wilkin Ramirez.

Brian Bruney, Jose Veras and Mark Melancon combined to pitch the final three (scoreless) innings of the game.

Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira each had two hits, and Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Kevin Cash and Jorge Posada all drove in a run apiece.

The Yankees have an off-day tomorrow before playing the Red Sox in Fort Myers Friday night.

Sabathia pitches in simulated game

CC Sabathia threw 28 pitches in a simulated game against Hideki Matsui and Kevin Cash today in Tampa. His first start of the spring is scheduled for Friday.

"Just trying to get a feel for it, the first time throwing to guys without a (pitching) screen up," Sabathia said. "It felt good."

Sabathia's fastball looked strong, but he considers his cutter a work in progress.

"It usually takes awhile for it to get right," Sabathia said. "I'll keep working at it and hopefully it will be ready for the season."

Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera is still on schedule for Opening Day. He will throw his first bullpen session of the spring sometime this week.

And live from Kissimmee, it's 4-0 Yankees in the second inning. Chien-Ming Wang gave up one hit in the first inning but was able to strand the runner.

Yankees invite 20 to spring training

The Yankees announced 20 spring training invitees in a press release today. Some names we already knew from minor-league signing this offseason: Angel Berroa, Kevin Cash, Sergio Mitre and John Rodriguez. Other notables are Shelley Duncan, Kei Igawa, Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero.

In addition to the players on the 40-man roster, this brings the total number of players scheduled to report to 60. Chad Jennings notes that some names not included were J.B. Cox, Alan Horne and Eric Duncan.

Click the above link to read the entire release.

Yankees sign Kevin Cash

First Mark Teixeira. Now Kevin Cash. Take that, Red Sox!

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees have signed the ex-Red Sox catcher to a minor league deal. It'll pay him $700,000 if he makes the majors.

Cash hit .225 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 142 at-bats last season.