Yankees Blog

Yankees Blog

Rain keeps Granderson from Yankees left-field debut

March 12, 2010 , ι By GEORGE A. KING III

Curtis Granderson was slated to start in left field for the Yankees against the Nationals in Viera, Fla., but the game was called for rain while the team was traveling across the state.
	 
Though Granderson likely will be Joe Girardi’s everyday center fielder, the manager is intrigued to find out if Granderson can handle left.
	 
“I want to see how he reacts to balls in left,’’ said Girardi, who makes out the lineup cards with his coaches five days in advance and didn’t know if Granderson will play left in one of the two games today against the Tigers (away) and Orioles (home). “It’s a different angle and the ball will go somewhat a different way.’’
	 
The evaluation process is based on what type of action Granderson gets in left.
	 
“If you don’t get a lot of testers it’s gong to be hard to tell,’’ Girardi said.
	 
Granderson’s “I’ll Do Whatever Asked’’ attitude enables Girardi to get a look at him in left knowing the player isn’t griping.
	 
“It makes it real easy when you have players who do what they ask them,’’ Girardi said. “That shows you they check their egos when they come into the clubhouse.’’
	 
Granderson took some bad routes to balls late last year and the Yankees may have a reason for it: Comerica Park.
	 
“We saw that Detroit’s center field is one of the toughest center fields to play,’’ Girardi said. “We have every stat available (and) it wasn’t necessarily Detroit center fielders.’’

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Yankees' Pettitte pitches simulated game

March 12, 2010 , ι By HOWIE RUMBERG

TAMPA -- Andy Pettitte peered over his raised black glove for a sign from the catcher, shook him off, nodded ‘OK,’ then froze Jimmy Rollins with a changeup for strike three. Vintage Pettitte. Too bad... Read on

TAMPA -- Andy Pettitte peered over his raised black glove for a sign from the catcher, shook him off, nodded ‘OK,’ then froze Jimmy Rollins with a changeup for strike three.
	 
Vintage Pettitte.
	 
Too bad the sequence took place in a batting cage under the stands at Steinbrenner Field — and Philadelphia’s Rollins was nowhere to be found.
	 
Torrential rains force the Yankees’ bus to turn around about an hour into the trip to Viera on Friday, and Pettitte’s first scheduled start of spring training was turned into another simulated outing.
	 
“I got my normal warmup in, and then I got all my throws in and I’m tired,” Pettitte said. “That’s the biggest thing, I wanted to make sure I was good and fatigued. Obviously, I would’ve loved to face hitters but the way the weather’s been I had to get my work in here today.”
	 
JETER FEELING BETTER
	 
Pettitte taught minor league catcher Austin Romine the signs — swirl the finger for the cutter. Pitching coach Dave Eiland called balls and strikes, and bullpen coach Mike Harkey stood in the batter’s box as the lefty faced a stacked Phillies’ lineup — his opponent Wednesday.
	 
After a two-inning simulated outing on a back field Sunday, Pettitte went three innings Friday and threw 50 pitches, mixing in several breaking balls. Instead of cheers on a nice pitch, he’d get an “atta boy” from Harkey.
	 
“I don’t need big league hitters. I need my sequences, that’s all I need to get in rhythm. I know what I want to do with a hitter,” the 15-year big league veteran said. “At a point in spring training you want to see a couple of them (batters) just to say OK, I know going into the season, you could still get a couple of guys out.”
	 
Pitching coach Dave Eiland said he kept the strike zone a little tight and sometimes would call a foul ball on a good pitch to raise Pettitte’s pitch count.
	 
“Andy goes up and he gets after it, just like A.J. did last night,” Eiland said of Burnett, who threw a simulated game after the Yankees were rained out Thursday night. “They let it fly, they don’t hold anything back.”
	 
Just ask Pettitte’s 11-year-old son Jared, who shouted out a question to his dad during the “first inning” and Andy just waved a finger, “Not now.”
	 
Manager Joe Girardi wasn’t concerned that Pettitte would not make his first start of spring training until March 17.
	 
“He’s got four more starts. We’ll make sure he sees live people,” Girardi said with a laugh.
	 
Girardi has a lot more to contemplate: He has five pitchers competing for the No. 5 starter spot. And three work Saturday.
	 
Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre will each pitch with the split squad that travels to Lakeland, and Alfredo Aceves will stay home in Tampa, where Girardi will manage.
	 
Joba Chamberlain, who gave up six runs in his last outing, will follow Pettitte on Wednesday. And Phil Hughes is paired with Burnett on Tuesday. Chamberlain and Hughes were the front-runners when camp started but everyone appears to have a shot now.
	 
“Yeah. I don’t think anybody’s pulled — I mean Ace has thrown the ball really well. But as of right now, if we had to pick, we really couldn’t pick one because they haven’t been out there long enough,” Eiland said.

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Yankees' Jeter scratched with flu; game rained out

March 11, 2010 , ι By GEORGE A. KING III

TAMPA -- Derek Jeter was scratched from the lineup against the Braves due to the flu that is circulating through the Yankees’ clubhouse.“We sent him home,’’ said Joe Girardi, who never saw the... Read on

TAMPA -- Derek Jeter was scratched from the lineup against the Braves due to the flu that is circulating through the Yankees’ clubhouse.
	 
“We sent him home,’’ said Joe Girardi, who never saw the shortstop Thursday. “It’s going around, it’s either the flu or a head cold. One or the other. He came in and we kicked him out.’’
	 
Ramiro Pena would have replaced Jeter in the lineup, but the game was cancelled due to rain.
	 
*
	 
Girardi said Mariano Rivera will have his first spring outing Tuesday against the Astros at home. Girardi also said he likely will split Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain up with one working Tuesday and the other Wednesday.
	 
*
	 
With heavy rains on the east coast of Florida also predicted for Friday, the Nationals are expected to call the Yankees early this morning to tell them if the game at Viera will be played.
	 
If the game is rained out, it’s possible Andy Pettitte, the scheduled starter, would throw a simulated game at home. That would be Pettitte’s second simulated game without a regular start this spring.
	 
*
	 
The day is coming when Girardi will take a look at Curtis Granderson in left but it appears Granderson will be in center field for Opening Day at Fenway Park.
	 
“We will move him around a bit, we have a schedule worked out. It will be in the next few days,’’ Girardi said. “We traded him to be a center fielder. The first 10 or so days I wanted him play a position he is comfortable with but I am not locked into what we will be on April 4 by no means.’’

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Could Twins trade Mauer?

March 11, 2010 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

With an expected contract extension still not signed, the Twins may have to trade AL MVP Joe Mauer, a Minnesota columnist speculates.Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune writes, "Mauer's hesitancy to... Read on

With an expected contract extension still not signed, the Twins may have to trade AL MVP Joe Mauer, a Minnesota columnist speculates.
	 
Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune writes, "Mauer's hesitancy to accept a record-setting contract offer from his hometown team has made his signing less than a sure thing and raised this previously unthinkable question: 'Won't the Twins have to trade him if he refuses their best offer?' "
	 
Souhan does continue to say a deal "is still more likely than not, and at any moment Mauer's agent, Ron Shapiro, could call the team and make it happen."
	 
However, Souhan says without a new contract, and Mauer in the last year of his current deal, "a combination of modern baseball logic and Twins history suggests that if the Twins' decision-makers can't sign Mauer, they will be obligated to trade him."
	 
The Twins reportedly have offered $20 million per season, but Mauer may be looking for closer to $25 million.
	 
The Yankees, Mets and possibly Red Sox could have a need for a catcher this season or afterward, when Mauer could be a free agent.

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Yankees favorite among five teams for Cuban shortstop

March 10, 2010 , ι By GEORGE A. KING III

According to sources, the Yankees remain the favorites to sign Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria.However, they have company in chasing the 21-year-old who defected from Cuba last year.“There are... Read on

According to sources, the Yankees remain the favorites to sign Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria.
	 
However, they have company in chasing the 21-year-old who defected from Cuba last year.
	 
“There are five teams that are interested,’’ a source said.
	 
The Yankees have long been the favorites to land Hechavarria for two reasons: They have the money, and they have spent more time than any team scouting him. They have seen him in open workouts in the Dominican Republic and he has been to their complex in the DR several times to work out. The most recent trip was last week.
	 
“He has a body like (Alfonso) Soriano," a talent evaluator said of Hechavarria. “And he can hit.’’
	 
The Red Sox gave Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias $8 million, and it’s believed Hechavarria is looking for a similar figure.
	 
“He is very proud to point out that he was the shortstop and Iglesias the second baseman when they played on the Cuban (junior) team," a Dominican scout said.
	 
Hechavarria could be the Yankees’ second baseman. With Derek Jeter set to sign a long-term deal at the end of the season and shortstop the only place he can play, the Yankees could trade Robinson Cano after next season and make room for Hechavarria.
	 
Next season is the final leg of Cano’s four-year, $30 million deal. There are options for 2012 ($14 million) and 2013 ($15 million).
	 
“Things are going very well,’’ Hechavarria's agent, Bart Hernandez, said. “We should have news soon. The market has been strong. I can’t put a timetable on it, we are engaged with teams.’’

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Joba gives up six runs in third inning of Yankees' game with Tigers

March 10, 2010 , ι By GEORGE A. KING III

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Joba Chamberlain's spring training ERA rose to 27.00 after the Yankees starting-rotation-candidate gave up six runs in his third inning of work against the Tigers today.
	 
Chamberlain pitched two scoreless innings before the Tigers scored six in the third, with Tigers catcher Gerald Laird hitting a grand slam.
	 
Chamberlain gave up five hits and walked three of the 15 batters he faced in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out one.
	 
“I understand what’s at stake," Chamberlain said. "You got to get better. You can’t worry about what (the competition) is doing. There is a sense of urgency but not a panic button."
	 
Chamberlain was slowed by a stomach virus early in camp that caused him to lose 8 pounds and that bothered him in the previous outing. But this week he declared himself at full strength, but ran out of fuel today.
	 
“My delivery was a lot better, I need to keep my legs (strong). I worked on throwing in and I didn’t cut any balls off,’’ said Chamberlain, who has given up eight hits and six walks in 3 2/3 spring innings. “I had a little hitch in my delivery and I fixed that. I will go to the bullpen and continue to work.’’
	 
Phil Hughes, another candidate for the Yankees' rotation, relieved Chamberlain and allowed one run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. Hughes' spring ERA is 3.86.
	 
Chamberlain and Hughes are competing with Sergio Mitre, Alfredo Aceves and Chad Gaudin for the final starter's spot.
	 
Joe Girardi, asked if he could envision Chamberlain and Hughes in the bullpen, said, “I think any scenario is possible. We will have to make evaluations that we think are the best. Very few things in this game end up the way they started."
	 
Curtis Granderson, playing against Detroit for the first time since being traded to New York, singled in his first two at-bats, and Greg Golson hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to lift the Yankees to a 9-8 win.
	 
Granderson also made a spectacular one-handed catch against the center-field wall.
	 
Johnny Damon, who signed with Detroit after four seasons with the Yankees, did not play because of a sore big toe on his right foot.

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Mattingly could take over Dodgers when Torre leaves

March 10, 2010 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- On his first day as Dodgers interim manager, hitting coach Don Mattingly said Wednesday that the team has made overtures about him eventually becoming Joe Torre’s permanent replacement.
	 
With Torre en route to Taiwan to manage a Dodgers split squad for three exhibition games, Mattingly is in charge of the team in Arizona and will work at least five games as manager.
	 
Mattingly interviewed with the Cleveland Indians for their manager opening this offseason. He then turned down an interview request from the Washington Nationals.
	 
In a meeting this winter with Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, owner Frank McCourt and team president Dennis Mannion, Mattingly said the word manager was brought up but “nothing definitive” was said or done.
	 
“We talked about it, for sure,” he said.
	 
Torre’s contract expires after this season but both he and McCourt said they are working on a one-year extension. Mattingly would then take over the Dodgers in 2012.
	 
“Obviously with Joe, everything is off of him,” Mattingly said. “(After) the first interview with Cleveland, talking to the Dodgers I felt like I was part of their future and they liked me. I like it here. I’ll keep working toward that.”
	 
Mattingly, who turns 49 on April 20, has no managerial experience. He was the Yankees’ bench coach in 2007, taking over games twice when Torre was ejected. He said the Yankees went 1-1 in those games.
	 
Torre also turned over the first four spring games to Mattingly with the Dodgers going 1-3 in those contests.
	 
“I’ve been pretty much managing every day down here,” Mattingly said. “I’m not doing too good at it.”
	 
Mattingly has no family ties to Los Angeles, but has always had an affinity for the area.
	 
“I liked California the first time I came out to play in Anaheim,” he said. “We were always coming out from the East Coast where it was hot and you get out here and it was cool at night. It was good playing weather. But more than anything it fits my personality as much as anything.”
	 
Mattingly described himself as laid back and joked that his quotes as manager would be boring.
	 
Still, with his duties as hitting coach to tend to, Mattingly plans to lean on bench coach Bob Schaefer for help over the next few days.
	 
“I have to keep my priorities straight,” Mattingly said. “I know where I want to go but I also know what my job is and I’ll keep my mind on that. I’ll soak up as much as I can with all the other areas as we go.”

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Damon doesn't play for Tigers against Yankees

March 10, 2010 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Detroit Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon sat out against his former team because of a sore toe. Damon was scratched for what would have been his first spring training game against the... Read on

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Date for A-Rod talk with feds in works

March 10, 2010 , ι By GEORGE A. KING III

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Just because Alex Rodriguez’s lawyer huddled with the Feds on Wednesday, and the Yankees third baseman continues to believe the investigation is about Dr. Anthony Galea, that doesn’t mean the fog surrounding his involvement with the Toronto doctor has lifted.
	 
After a week of saying there was nothing new, Rodriguez said his mouthpieces were talking to the Feds.
	 
“My attorneys are working with the authorities as we speak about scheduling issues,’’ Rodriguez said before a morning workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “I intend to cooperate.’’
	 
A-ROD GIVES SKEPTICS SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
	 
After the workout Rodriguez said he hadn’t been updated by his lawyers about a date or location.
	 
“We don’t know if it’s going to be up north or here, I am hoping it’s here,’’ said Rodriguez, who with every other Yankees player has Monday completely off. “The idea is to schedule something that allows me to cooperate and also get my work in. Obviously, doing it here would be fantastic. I would say sooner than later but I can’t tell you exactly when. They are having healthy talks and we are going to address this.’’
	 
Rodriguez’s lawyers talking to the Feds, who are moving slower than Carl Pavano heals, doesn’t do a thing to clearly understand Galea’s relationship with Rodriguez.
	 
Monday, the Toronto sports medicine guru who is known for a blood spinning process that supposedly speeds the healing process, said he treated Rodriguez with anti-inflammatory drugs last year when Rodriguez was rebounding from hip surgery.
	 
Galea has admitted to using HGH, something an assistant of his was busted for in upstate New York, and was arrested on Oct. 15 for selling Actovegin, conspiracy to import a unapproved drug and smuggling goods into Canada.
	 
Did Galea tell the truth about never giving athletes HGH? Could he have given Rodriguez a performance enhancing drug to aid the healing process without telling him?
	 
When Rodriguez says “it’s about somebody else’’ is that because he is hearing that from his lawyers? Or is he taking it for granted?
	 
The pace of the Feds getting to him hasn’t gotten to Rodriguez.
	 
“I am not frustrated; again, it’s not about me,’’ Rodriguez insisted. “I am looking to help and get my work in.’’
	 
Rodriguez says the Yankees haven’t spoken to him. Yet, when the Feds are done with Rodriguez, the Yankees will be in front of him with questions. And MLB is monitoring the situation.
	 
Why did Rodriguez go outside the Yankees' medical department to be treated by a doctor who wasn’t approved by Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the hip surgery?
	 
Rodriguez, who likely met Galea through chiropractor Mark Lindsay, says his mind isn’t being dominated by what will come out of his talk with the Feds.
	 
“I am really focused on our team and Boston on Opening Day and we have a good healthy attitude about this,’’ Rodriguez said. “Again, the thing to remember is that the investigation is about somebody else and I am here to cooperate.’’
	 
Rodriguez says he is being respectful of the Feds by not talking about it.
	 
“You have to be sensitive, there is an investigation going on,’’ Rodriguez said. “It’s not my place to step in.’’
	 
As for the hip surgery that started the process of Rodriguez meeting Gaela, Rodriguez is encouraged he is strong.
	 
“It feels good to be back to the flexibility and freedom of movement and to have a regular camp,’’ Rodriguez said. “At some point I am going to have to see Philippon and take pictures, maybe at the All Star break or when we go west. But the last time it was good.’’

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Yankees' Cervelli says he's fine after beaning; Park throws

March 09, 2010 , ι By GEORGE A. KING III

Francisco Cervelli came through several activities Tuesday and declared himself fully recovered from a concussion suffered Saturday.“I caught in the bullpen, hit in the cage, did agility running and... Read on

Francisco Cervelli came through several activities Tuesday and declared himself fully recovered from a concussion suffered Saturday.
	 
“I caught in the bullpen, hit in the cage, did agility running and worked with a medicine ball,’’ the Yankees’ back up catcher said. “It was a little weird but nothing bad. (Today) I will do a full workout. Everything is OK, I feel normal, 100 percent.’’
	 
Joe Girardi said he plans on playing Cervelli Friday against the Nationals and that is fine with the catcher.
	 
“He is the boss,’’ Cervelli said.
	 
Cervelli, 24, estimated he has been hit in the head with a pitched ball or a bat on the backswing 10 times in his brief career. He said four of those were by pitched balls. He suffered a concussion in November when he was hit in the head with a bat. Before that, it was 2005 in the Gulf Coast League when he was involved in a collision at home plate.
	 
Asked if he would consider using a new helmet with more protection, Cervelli said he would talk to the medical staff.
	 
“I don’t know, I will talk to the trainers. I will use the same helmet. If they tell me something different … but I don’t hear anything.’’ Cervelli said. “It happens all the time to every hitter. I hope this thing never happens again. But when things happen, that’s it. I have to stand up and play baseball.’’
	 
Cervelli vowed he won’t be gun shy at the plate.
	 
“I have had a lot of (hit by pitches) in my life, I am not going to feel different,’’ Cervelli said. “I come to the plate just to hit the ball.’’
	 
*
	 
Chan Ho Park threw 35 pitches in a batting practice session, his first of the spring.
	 
“The leg is fine,’’ said Park, who was pushed back a day because of a gluteus muscle problem that surfaced Sunday while running. “Everything is regular and it feels good.’’
	 
Park said he hasn’t been informed when he will pitch in a game.