By GEORGE A. KING III
Last updated: 7:32 am
July 24, 2008
Posted: 3:22 am
July 24, 2008
When Yankees brass huddles today in Tampa awkwardness might fill the room. And it would have nothing to do with the wide range of personalities at the table.
The sit-down was planned to find ways to improve the club before next Thursday's trade deadline. Now, the Yankees are riding a six-game winning streak into Fenway Park for three colossal games against the Red Sox this weekend.
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Seattle left-hander Jarrod Washburn, is the Yankees' top target, even if he hasn't pitched great and there is a lot of money left on his deal next year. The Yankees also have an interest in the Reds' right-hander Bronson Arroyo, but the price is high at the moment.
Pittsburgh's duo of lefty reliever Damaso Marte and right-handed hitting outfielder Xavier Nady are on the radar. With Jorge Posada finished catching this season, they will kick the tires to find help behind the plate.
Washburn will make $10.35 million next year. The talent price on Marte and Nady is exorbitant today but expected to drop and the Pirates like Ross Ohlendorf. San Francisco may move catcher Bengie Molina, Jose's brother, but he is owed $6 million next season. The Dodgers' Derek Lowe could be had for a bat the Yankees don't have.
Though the Yankees may make a trade deadline deal - when Hal and Hank Steinbrenner welcome general manager Brian Cashman, president Randy Levine and a bevy of scouts to George M. Steinbrenner III Field - the product has never looked better. Despite having needs to fill, there may be some in the organization that will be concerned about fixing something that isn't broke.
Currently, the surging Yankees aren't broke. Because of Mike Mussina's eight shutout innings, a killer mental mistake by Twins second baseman Alexis Casilla and two-run doubles by Justin Christian and Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees swept a three-game series with a 5-1 victory yesterday at Yankee Stadium in front of 54,114 fans.
The sweep followed three straight wins over the A's and moved the Yankees to a season-high 11 games over .500 at 56-45, keeping them 3½ games behind the AL East-leading Rays.
"Without Moose I don't know where we would be," manager Joe Girardi said, referring to the veteran right-hander who improved to 13-6, notched his third straight victory and recorded his 12th win in the past 15 decisions. "Every start he seems to get better and better."
Mussina, who has 263 career victories, is 22-6 against the Twins.
Twins starter Glen Perkins (7-3) shouldn't have been facing Christian in the fifth with two on and two out if Casilla hadn't forgotten there was one out instead of two when he took third baseman Brendan Harris' throw at second. With the heavy-legged Jose Molina running, Casilla had an inning-ending double play lined up. But instead, he fielded the throw, stepped on the bag and headed for the dugout, and Molina was safe at first.
Perkins verbally chewed out Casilla and promptly gave up a double to Christian that scored Robinson Cano (2-for-4; 14-for-27 since the All-Star break) from third and Molina from first for a 2-0 Yankees lead.
"It's just not excusable what just happened and that kind of blew our game apart today," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, whose club has dropped 19 of the last 22 games at the Stadium during his tenure. "Perkins never recovered from that, and Alexi just lost count of the outs."
A three-run sixth inning was highlighted by Rodriguez's two-run double that scored Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, who raced through third base coach Bobby Meacham's stop sign. Richie Sexson, who started two sharp double plays at first, added the final run with a sacrifice fly.
As the Yankees brass gathers it is faced with this question: "Are we as good as we have looked since the All Star break?"
If it is smart, the answer will be "No" and a deal to upgrade the team will be made.
