Cervelli Made A Game of It, But...

In the 9th inning of last night's game against the Diamondbacks, Francisco Cervelli gave the Yankees and the home crowd a reason to believe that, once again, a late-inning rally would precede another comeback win. But in extra innings, the Yankees would fall to Arizona and lose the game, 6-2.

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin pitched a brilliant game, tagging the Yankees lineup with fast ball after fastball. He would pitch only one mistake--a 78 mph slider--to Robinson Cano who launched it into right center field on a line drive. he would keep the Yankees at bay from there until the 7th inning.

Then with JJ. Putz in for Arizona to close in the 9th, Cervelli launched a monster home run to left field, tying the game at 2-2. Brennan Boesch had already committed an out, so groundouts by Ichiro and Lyle Overbay sent the game into overtime.

And it would be all Arizona from there. David Robertson and David Phelps were able to keep the D-backs of the board through the 10th and 11th innings. But Phelps got touched up in the 12th. His first batter, Gerardo Parra, smacked a double to left. Two walks came from Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero, on an interference call and hit by pitch, respectively. Then, Cody Ross singled to left scoring Parra. And finally, Eric Chavez, who I felt the whole series would get a big hit in somewhere, launched a double to center clearing the bases. Overbay, Brett Gardner and Vernon Wells would go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

But one bright spot to last night's game was the pitching performance of Phil Hughes. Although he

Getty Images / Elsa

gave up two home runs last in the 3rd and 6th innings, Hughes pitched a good game, getting his fastball up to 93 mph and having good location on both his fastball and changeup. His demeanor on the mound was also markedly different from his last start when he got hammered in Baltimore. Hughes pitched with an intensity suggesting that his first two starts were needed warm-ups following his injury, and that perhaps he's good to go now. He couldn't get the win, but he didn't lose either. And being able to stay in the game and pitch 7 innings was key in the Yankees having a chance to comeback and win the game.

Tonight, Andy Pettitte is back on the mound to open the series against Toronto. He faces RHP Brandon Morrow. I'll be paying close to attention to Andy's face looking for any signs of a grimace, possibly indicating tightness in his back. Game time is 7:07 pm.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: ra_cooper

Formula Works Against Verlander In Yanks Win

AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

It would take solid pitching and early runs to keep Detroit's Justin Verlander from dominating today's game. Fortunately, the Yankees were able to do both and secure their second win of the season, shutting out the Tigers 7-0.

CC Sabathia was not entirely on top of his game this afternoon, but he he gave the Yankees a strong outing, giving up only 4 hits and walking three in 7 shutout innings. CC mixed up his pitches today throwing more changeups than usual and putting more velocity on his fastball. He was only able to induce 4 strikeouts which is a low mark for him, but he managed to keep the bats of Detroit's lineup to grounders and fly balls; it proved to be enough to prevent the Tigers from scoring any runs.

But most notably, CC completely shut down the "meat" of the Tigers' lineup. Two of his 4 strikeouts came against Prince Fielder who struck out swinging in the first and fourth innings. All three of Miguel Cabrera's at-bats against CC ended in groundball plays. For the afternoon, Cabrera would never get on base.

David Robertson came in to pitch the 8th inning and would pick up where CC left off. Although he gave up singles to Torii Hunter and Fielder for his first hit of the afternoon, he struck out Cabrera and Matt Tuiasosopo swinging and induced a pop-up from Victor Martinez.

And although it was not a save situation, Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth inning. He too gave up 2 singles to Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago, but induced a groundout and flyout from Brayan Pena and Austin Jackson, respectively. He closed the game with a strikeout that caught Hunter swinging.

The offense got to work right away against Verlander. Although there were no runs produced in the first inning, Kevin Youkilis doubled on a fly ball to center field. In the second, Francisco Cervelli doubled on a flyball to left scoring Ichiro Suzuki, who was on first base after a force out. After Lyle Overbay flied out to left, Jayson Nix hit a monster home run to left. The Yankees were up 3-0 and never looked back.



AP Photo

Two more runs came in the third as Eduardo Nunez scored on a sacfly from Ichiro, and Vernon Wells scored on single from Cervelli. Nunez came in to pinch run for Travis Hafner on third base. Before the game, Nunez told Girardi that he could not go, as the pain and inflammation in his bicep muscle continues to prevent him from swinging a bat. He is however, available to pinch run.

In the ninth, after singles to centerfield, both Nix and Brett Gardner scored on another single from Youkilis.

And the Yankees are getting all that they've needed from Youkilis, Hafner and Wells. In place of Alex Rodriguez at third, Youkilis is batting .409 with 9 hits, 4 runs and 4 RBIs in his first 22 at-bats. Hafner is hitting to a .350 clip, having gotten a hit in all 6 games thus far. Wells is hitting .294 with 5 hits and 4 RBIs on two solo home runs.

Tomorrow, Hiroki Kuroda will keep his place in the lineup following his fnger injury, to face the Cleveland Indians against former phenom Ubaldo Jimenez. What I'm looking forward to, as I'm sure many of you are, is to see what Nick Swisher will do against his former team. Needless to say I'm hoping this won't be a good series for him. Game time is 4 pm.

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Do or Die Time In Yankeeland

AP Photo / Alex Brandon

What's happening in Yankeeland right now seems both unimaginable yet, at the same time, predictable. I don't know how you fanatics felt last night, but I went into the game feeling that a loss was on the horizon. Sorry, but this is where the Yankees have left me, and other fans like me, at this point. With very little hope. And that's what's so unimaginable: that Yankees' fans have literally been left with no hope; something that we've always had. On the flip-side, the predictability of the loss comes because the offense has shown no "substantial" signs of improving from game to game.

Getty Images / Leon Halip

But will I say it is over entirely, folks? No. If any team can build momentum from having their backs pushed all the way to wall, it's the Yankees. But the only way this will happen is for the offense to do what it does. Where are the homeruns?? Where are the stolen bases?? Where are the good at-bats?? What's happened to making pitchers work and running up pitch counts??? These are the fundamentals of what make the Yankees such a deadly team, and it's all been lost somehow. Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson look absolutely dead at the plate; no good pitch recognition, allowing way too many "cookies" to pass their bats in the zone. Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano have lacked the control and patience that allows them to see as many pitches as they do, and get better opportunities for pitches they can hit. At least twice in this series, Ichiro has had an opporunity for a stolen base in a crucial situation, and has passed. And with the exception of Raul Ibanez, no one in the entire lineup has the power stroke. And I won't even bother to question hitting with runners in scoring position, because the Yankees haven't done that all season. But on all other fronts, it's as though everything that makes this team pop has just completely disappeared in the postseason. Definitely the worst time possible.

AP Photo / Kathy Willens

And speaking of A-Rod, with the exception of a close childhood friend of mine that I've been going back-and-forth with on this, I have kept relatively quiet on Girardi's decision to bench him. So I will say this: A-Rod is playing the worst baseball of his career right now. He is a shell of the hero we saw 3 years ago. Girardi's decision to play Eric Chavez was both warranted and necessary, in the beginning. But right now, Girardi can no longer justify sitting A-Rod out. Why? Because Chavez has done absolutely nothing in A-Rod's place. Nothing. Chavy is now 0-for-14 with 6 strikeouts, and he committed a costly error last night. If Chavez' struggles are just as bad as the guy who lead you to a World Series just 3 seasons ago, you must now give that guy the chance to come in and make something happen. If Chavez were hitting, I might not like it personally, but I would be alright with him playing for A-Rod. But that's not the case. Fanatics and Yankee haters who can't stand A-Rod can think whatever they want to think about him personally. But as I've stated to many people before, the Yankees do not win a WS Championship without his bat. He proved this in 2009 and he's proving it by default now. No, it's not all about A-Rod, but it's largely about him and how he can turn any game around at any time. Let's face it, none of the superstars on this team except Mark Teixeira are doing anything. So if Girardi continues to put Cano, Grandy and Swish out there in hopes of something happening, he has to afford the same to Alex. At this point, what do the Yankees have to lose by putting him in? But, I'd be surprised if gets to play tonight. He's 1-for-12 against Tigers' Max Scherzer with 4 strikeouts. Could be that leaving him out of last night's lineup was a missed opportunity for this team. But we'll never know.

But all is not lost, fanatics. We saw some good signs in the game last night. Eduardo Nunez looked damn good defensively showcasing his diving play up the middle, and the homerun off of  Justin Verlander in the ninth inning was a sight for sore eyes.  The bullpen has been lights out this entire postseason really, and last night only allowed one run in 5 innings without the help of David Robertson or Rafael Soriano. And Brett Gardner, although hitless, took some good swings last night. I think he has to continue to play and get at-bats while either Swish or Grandy sit games out.  

AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

So tonight, CC Sabathis gets the start. Bottom line is, CC has to be CC and the offense has to dig deep and score runs. Right now, the Yankees' approach has to be that of a 12-step program: just take each remaining game (because I do believe they will win tonight) one at-bat at a time. If the Yankees can pull it together in the next two in Detroit, we'll be looking at a different series. They still have a chance, but the bats have to come alive.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Is This A Joke???

The Associated Press

Before last night's Yankee game against the Royals, Mariano Rivera, shagging flyballs in the outfield, appeared to have tripped on the warning track and hurt his knee. While the sight of seeing Mo buckle to the ground wincing in pain--and Alex Rodriguez scream, "Oh my God, oh my God"--was scary and unsettling at first, the "unofficial" reports that he sprained his knee, didn't seem so bad. If you're like me, you were thinking, "Okay, he'll be out for a bit. No problem."

But reports from every news outlet this morning, are far worse. Apparently, Mo has a torn ACL and meniscus in the injured knee; two problems which mean he's probably out for the season.

It's a cruel world, folks. Freak accidents happen all the time, especially in sports, where the rigor of games and workouts make the possiblity of accidents much more likely. The problem here is, this accident happened to Mariano Rivera.

Is this some sort of sick joke? How could this be the thing to end the career of not only the greatest closer of all time, but one of the greatest Yankees of all time? Again, if you're like me, you had to have the mistaken belief that Mo would walk away from the game on his own terms. If age didn't stop him, what would? An injury? Never. In no time during his career has Mo ever suffered any injury that has caused him to take significant time away from the game. No way would the baseball Gods allow him to injure himself like this during what has already been speculated at being his last year playing baseball. It would be the equivalent of being tackled for the win in a football game at the one yard line.

But this has happened. Mo has suffered the worst injury of his career, at the most inopertune time. And now he, the Yankee fans who love him and the baseball world as a whole, are faced with the fact that April 30 may have been the last time he would ever closed a baseball game.

Now for those of you questioning what he was doing shagging flyballs in the first place, stop!! This is something that he has been doing for pretty much his entire career and without incident. It was part of his routine--and we know how having a routine plays with athletes, particularly baseball players. This was also what he did to exercise before games, and as good and healthy as he's been, no one should argue that this would have eventually been to his detriment.

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So while the question remains who will be his replacement, I think the bigger question is, what will baseball do without him? He is probably the most revered player in Major League Baseball, definitely the most respected. Not just for his accomplishments--all-time saves record with 608; most seasons with at least 30 saves:14; most seasons with a sub 2.00 ERA: 11; lowest post-season career ERA: 0.70; most career post-season saves: 42; lowest ERA in Divison Series history: 0.32--but also for the class of which he has always possessed. With all his success, he could have been the most arrogant, self-serving and narcissistic player ever. But that's not Mo. He is humble, appreciative and extremely aware of all his blessings. How many times have we heard him thank God for all his achievements? For the success and hard work of his teammates? For being able to play the game of baseball? For his fans? That's who Mo is and that's why this is so unfair.

But getting down to the business of closing, who should replace Mo? The question may not be as simple to answer as you may think. My personal choice, without a second thought, would be David Robertson. To date this season, he's pitched to a 0.00 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 11 innings, making this the best start of his career thus far. This continues his All-Star season from last year, where he posted a 1.08 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 66.2 innings, the best in the majors. He's certainly in the right position to take over closing duties for Mo. But what about Rafael Soriano?

Yes, Soriano has been "okay" as a Yankee so far. But he was "lights out" as a closer in Tampa Bay, which is why the Yankees acquired him in the first place. In 2010 with the Rays, he saved 45 of 48 games (which was the best for all closers that year), had a 1.73 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP and had only allowed 12 runs the entire season. Those are excellent numbers, fanatics. So if Soriano is given the opportunity to close, and shines again, maybe his less-than-stellar showing with the Yankees was just the mental effect of losing his duties as a closer. It would also ease some of Brian Cashman's tension, as he would finally be paying Soriano "closer money" for closing games.

Either way, this is the biggest disappointment that the Yankee organization and its fans have had to deal with in a very long time. Is it just me, or is this worse than losing a World Series? Maybe it feels that way because, we've been through our team losing the Series before but we've never dealt with losing Mo. And if the Yankees were to win it all this year, without Mo, wouldn't the win feel bittersweet? If we're honest with ourselves, we know that he's been the main force behind all of the last five WS wins; how would another one feel with him watching from home, unable to have had any part of it due to some freak injury? Not too gravy.

The Associated Press

I have to believe in my gut that at some point, Mo will be back. He would never leave the game or his fans this way. Maybe this will work in our favor; if he does sit out the remainder of the season, it might make him want to come back next year. It would certainly give him something to prove: that, at his age, he could come back from a season-ending injury and remain a force on the mound. It would also allow him to walk away from the game with a proper good-bye.

So, until everything is decided, I will be praying for Mo to make a speedy recovery. We get caught up in what he means to us as baseball fans, but a knee injury can be life-altering for anyone, and it's more important that he gets well for himself. He should be able to enjoy life in good physical health, even if it's away from the game. I'll also pray for all the Yankee fans out there; this is big, and I hope that you all keep cool and stay positive until the final word on this has been said.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Bleeding Yankee Blue Needs Our Support

One of my favorite Yankee blogs on the web is Bleeding Yankee Blue. Like Bomber Boulevard, BYB gives its readers a look at all things happening in Yankeeland from their perspective. Owner and Founder, The Mighty Casey, has brought together a group of insightful writers that are true Yankee fans, and it shows in every post on BYB. Not only are these guys big on Yankees baseball, they are also big on supporting worthy charities.

In their latest effort, BYB is teaming up with High Socks for Hope: The David and Erin Robertson Foundation, to continue their support of victims of the the tornadoes which hit D-Rob's home of Tuscaloosa, AL last April. Casey & Co. are selling Bleeding Yankee Blue t-shirts, and will donate $1 from each sale to HSH. Also, BYB will donate $1 of its own money to the foundation for every strikeout D-Rob collects during the 2012 season.

For the Yankee faithful out there, who may have been wondering how they could involve themselves with a worthy cause in support of the team's players, this is the way to go. David and Erin's charity will help victims get their lives back on track from what is a very lengthy process of healing and regaining self-sufficiency. The Mighty Casey & Co. have made this easy: buy a t-shirt and join the Robinson's in the fight to help these families. And by the way, the t-shirts are pretty damn cool!

For more information on BYB's efforts and to order your t-shirts, click here.

David and Erin Robertson Courtesy of Bleeding Yankee Blue

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Wild First Loss for Yankees

Brian Blanco/EPA

In what was one of the oddest Opening Day games that I believe I've ever seen, the Yankees had their first loss of the season, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6. Questionable managing, bad pitching , and a shocking ending all conspired to give fans of both teams an opener they probably won't forget for some time.

What went wrong:

The Micro-Manager Is Girardi - If what we saw yesterday was any indication of what we can expect to see this season from Joe Girardi, well, we won't be witnessing anything new. In classic overthinking Girardi-style, the manager had CC Sabathia walk infielder Sean Rodriguez, loading the bases for Carlos Pena in the first inning. The first inning. Girardi, acting on Pena's 4-for-35 numbers against CC, gambled that he would not be able to turn on CC's fastball, but he did, hitting a grand slam and putting the Rays up 4-0. We know that Girardi is a smart baseball guy, and his numbers as a manager with the Yankees are the best of any manager in the past four years. But moments like that are what make fans cringe, and cry for the burning of "Girardi's Binder." The move made no sense, particularly since CC had not been in the game long enough at that point to correct the poor movement on his fastball, which was obvious from early on.

Associated Press

Sabathia Not Ace-Like - Again, Sabathia struggled with the command of his fastball yesterday, and the Rays took full advanatage early on. He walked his first batter--Desmond Jennings--on a full count. Two batters later, he gave up a single to Evan Longoria. Next came the walk to S. Rodriguez, followed by the grand slam from Pena. In the third inning, he would give up another home run to Longoria. CC settled down somewhat after that, not allowing any more runs for the next four innings, but he gave up four more hits and another walk to Jose Molina. CC's best pitch seemed to be his breaking ball, which he used to get outs yesterday. He was able to use his slider in some spots, most notably in the fifth inning when he struck out Pena with men on second and third. But CC's ace pitch is his fastball. He struggled with it during Spring Training, and needs to get it going now.

Mad Maddon - Joe Maddon can thank a shaky Mariano for saving his hide yesterday. The Rays manager made two horrible moves late in the game with his team down 6-5, first sending newbie Jack Vogt up to pinch-hit against David Robertson in his first major league at-bat. Strikeout. Maddon followed this by having catcher Jose Molina "squeeze" with two strikes. Molina bunted foul, and the Yankees headed into the ninth inning still up by a run.

Associated Press

Really, Mo? - In a career first, Mariano Rivera not only blew the save in his first opportunity on Opening Day, but he blew the game. He gave up a single to Jennings, followed by a triple to Ben Zobrist, which tied the game at 6-6. Girardi then had Mo walk Longoria and Luke Scott to load the bases with no outs. Mo managed to strikeout S. Rodriguez, but would give up the winning single to Pena. He had no command of his cutter, pitching high in the zone and missing the corners. We know that this won't be a regular problem for our closer, but it was still a bit scary to see Mo fold the way he did.

What went right

A-Rod Being A-Rod - Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-3 yesterday, hitting a double to center in his first at-bat, and singling to center in the third inning against James Shields. A-Rod scored two runs and played excellent defense at third, saving a run in the fifth by catching a hard line drive from Elliott Johnson which stranded Longoria at third.

Brian Blanco/EPA

Ibanez Making History - Raul Ibanez got his first RBI of the season by grounding out to second base and scoring A-Rod in the second inning. He followed that with a monster 3-run home run in the third, again scoring A-Rod and Ribinson Cano. The four RBIs made Ibanez only the second Yankee to achieve that in his first game wth the team. Roger Maris was the first to do it.

The Great Houdini - In typical fashion, David Robinson managed to get himself into trouble, only to strike his way out of it. In the eighth inning, he walked S. Rodriguez and gave up a single to Pena which put both players on the corners. Robertson then dug in, striking out all of the next three batters. Classic.

Next Up - The Yankees and Rays have a 7:05pm start for tonight's game. It will be a matchup of   Hiroki Kuroda vs. David Price.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

The Rollercoaster

The past week in Yankeeland has had more peaks and valleys than any we've seen in a very long time. Great news was later overshadowed by not-so great news, and vice versa. The season is almost upon us, and I just want for everything to be on course when the Yankees take the field in their first, official game. Here are some of the big headlines from the past week.

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Joba could pitch - News of Joba Chamberlain's ankle injury spread like a wildfire, leaving some folks feeling sympathetic, and some outraged that he would put himself in a position to be hurt. Amidst talk of Joba possibly being out for the season, Joe Girardi "lightened things up" a bit with his assessment that Joba could possibly pitch come July or later. Because the open dislocation of Joba's ankle left no microfractures, Girardi believes Joba could pitch this year, barring any infection of the ankle area. Joba was released from the hospital Sunday, and will be in a cast for six weeks.

Andy still grooving - Andy Pettitte's comeback has seen much success thus far. He was so impressive in his first bullpen session last week, that he's already thrown one live batting practice and is expected to throw his second today. It's common for pitchers to throw in a game after a second LBP, so it will be interesting to see if Andy sneaks one in before the season starts. Girardi has already been vocal in saying that he believes he will.

Ibanez' coming out party - It's been a ghastly Spring Training so far for Raul Ibanez. Heading into Saturday's game against Detroit, Ibanez was hitting to an .054 AVG with a .103 OBP. But he managed to finally show some power, and connected on a 2-run shot in the Yankees' 4-2 win. Don't get excited yet; it was Ibanez' only hit of the game. He went 1-for-3, and boosted his AVG to a mere .075

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A-Rod gets plunked - As usual, there's not a month during the baseball season where Alex Rodriguez won't feel the back-end of a fastball pitch inside. It would amaze me more if Alex were to escape getting hit, than him actually playing 162 games this year. Seriously. He was drilled on Sunday by a 95 mph pitch from Detroit's Bryan Villareal, but is okay, and is expected to play in tonight's game.

Garcia makes his mark after trade rumor - The battle for a rotation spot won't be easily decided if Freddy Garcia has anything to say about it. Reports of the Yankees actively trying to trade The Chief came out Friday, and Garcia answered with a stellar performance in Saturday's win against Detroit. In 4.1 innings, Garcia allowed only one hit. no runs and struck out four. Yes, if you were betting on who would be pushed out of the rotation, the easy money would be placed on Garcia. But he's giving the Yankees reason to maybe reconsider making any moves until Pettitte's return forces a decision.

Associated Press

The Captain returns - Derek Jeter returned to play on Friday against the Minnesota Twins after rehabbing from a calf injury.  He went 1-for-2 against the Twins, then went 2-for-3 on Sunday against Detroit. Looks like The Capatian is doing just fine. David Robertson also made only his second appearance of the Spring on Sunday, after missing three weeks following a foot injury. He pitched one inning, striking out one and allowing no runs.

Player dealings - The Yankees made several moves last week, optioning players back to Triple-A and reassigning others to minor league camp. Among the notables were Dellin Betances, David Phelps, Ramiro Pena and Brandon Laird; all optioned to Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The New York Post's George King III reported Sunday that the Phillies are interested in acquiring Pena, who would fill in for the ailing Chase Utley at second base.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Best of the Yankee Weekend Blogosphere

Associated Press

Good morning, fanatics! The Yankees split results this weekend with a 6-3 win against the Houston Astros on Saturday, and a 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles last night. Robinson Cano left last night's game in the sixth inning after taking a hit on his left hand while swinging at a pitch from Baltimore's Troy Patton. X-rays on Cano's hand were negative, and the injury was ruled a contusion.

Besides the injury, Cano made more news this weekend by hitting his first home run of the Spring Saturday; a 3-run blast that would be the Yankees game winner. If you missed any Yankees action or news from the weekend, here is some of the best coverage from around the blogosphere:

 Over at Bleeding Yankee Blue, The Mighty Casey discusses why Andy Pettitte provides stability and experience to the Yankees pitch staff.


Brad V. of An A-Blog for A-Rod discusses David Robertson's successful bullpen session as he rehabs from the bone bruise in his foot.


At Bronx Baseball Daily, Rob Abruzzese breaks down which players have been cut from the Yankees roster thus far; most notably Manny Banuelos.

Brien Jackson of It's About the Money, Stupid, looks at how the signing of Andy Pettitte will affect Freddy Garcia.

The Yankee Analysts' Mike Jaggers-Radolf, challenges you to a "blind test," to choose whether you would pick Player A or Player B. (Players are of course revealed toward the end of the post; be sure not to look ahead!).

Andrew GM of Pinstripe Alley recounts David Cone's comeback at age 40 with the Mets in response to Andy Pettitte coming out of retirement.

River Avenue Blues' Mike Axisa gives a brief injury update on Yankees prospect Slade Heathcott.

At Yankee Fans Unite, Brian D. gives his take on why the old Yankee Stadium should still be the Yankees' home.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

And the Awards Go To...

...David Robertson, Robimson Cano and Derek Jeter!

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Yes fanatics, the awesome threesome were winners of 2011 Greatness In Baseball Yearly (GIBBY) Awards, which aired on MLB Network yesterday. The GIBBYs are awarded in 19 categories and are calculated based on votes from fans who vote at MLB.com, media, front office personnel and MLB alumni. Each group receives 25% of the vote.

Robertson took home the Set-Up Man of the Year award for his outstanding season as the bridge to Mariano Rivera. Robertson posted a 4-0 record this year with a 1.08 ERA.

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Cano won the Wow Factor of the Year award after another all-star season and solidifying himself as the most feared hitter in the Yankees lineup; I dare say one of the best hitters in baseball, period. Robbie hit his way to a .533 slugging percentage with 28 home runs and 118 RBIs.

Nick Laham/Getty Images

And the Captain was recognized for his historic 3,000th hit day when he became the first Yankee to reach the milestone and the second player behind Wade Boggs to get it via the home run. Jeter also went 5-for-5 that day and drove in the winning run. He walked away with the Performance of the Year award.

Here is a list of some of the other categories awarded and where the Yankees ranked:

Curtis Granderson - Player of the Year (6th)
CC Sabathia - Pitcher of the Year (3rd)
Mariano Rivera - Closer of the Year (4th)
Ivan Nova - Rookie of the Year (4th)
Brett Gardner- Defensive Player of the Year (4th)
Russell Martin - Comeback Player of the Year (5th)
Joe Girardi - Manager of the Year (7th)
Brian Cashman - Executive of the Year (8th)

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

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Yankees Tender Contracts to Eligible Players

Today, the Yankees tendered contracts to all eligible players on their roster, including notables who were up for arbitration.

David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Russell Martin, Brett Gradner, Boone Logan and Phil Hughes, all arbitration eligible, were retained by the Yankees almost a week before next Monday's midnight deadline according to a report on yankees.com. No word yet on the amounts, which are most likely still being worked out.

Each of these players have been a huge part of the Yankees success in the past few years, and that is expected to continue for some time to come. There were rumors earlier this year of the Yankees considering trading Chamberlain in a package deal for a starting pitcher; that never happened as no starters were available for a trade, and Joba ended up missing most of the season following Tommy John surgery. Also, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon came up big for the Yankees in their starting rotation, so a trade really wasn't necessary. Word is that Joba has recovered from surgery expeditiously and could possibly be ready for opening day. If the surgery was a success, Joba should be back to hurling fastballs at 95 mph.

Of all the players mentioned here, I'm expecting nice raises for Robertson, Gardner and Martin. Robertson has solidified himself as the heir-apparent to Mariano Rivera, who may be retiring after this season. Gardy finally worked out his issues at the plate and came up big in key situations this season, although his batting average, RBIs and runs were slightly down from last year. Martin was a huge offensive threat in the beginning of the season and started to wind down around May, but his defense behind the plate was stellar; he ranked 6th amongst all catchers with a caught stealing average at 30%.

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Bartolo, Cano Shine In Yankees Win

Before last night's 3-1 Yankee win over the White Sox, I tweeted to my fellow fanatics that we would see if Bartolo Colon was the real deal. I've given him much praise for what he's done so far, but there was still a part of me that was not ready to believe that he is as good as he looked in his start before last night. Bartolo proved me wrong, again.

His performance last night at the stadium was an even better showing than the start in Toronto. The biggest difference was that he pitched a brilliant 8 innings without any signs of fatigue or wear. He allowed only one run and struck out 6 batters. Again, he had all four of his pitches working last night--fastball, curveball, changeup and slider--and he dialed his fastball up to 96 mph. This is amazing when you consider that before this season, he hadn't pitched in the majors since '09.

But besides the performance, Colon is showing a cool confidence on the mound right now, that I believe is the reason why Joe Girardi opted to keep him in the game for 8 innings. We knew before the game that Rafael Soriano, who's clearly in a battle with himself right now, would probably not be available for the 8th inning, but I don't believe that to be the reason why Colon was stretched. David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan were all available. I think Girardi saw what I did: a guy in a good pitch count that was in complete domination mode. Colon simply dominated the White Sox last night. He now sports an ERA of 2.77. Dare I say that Bartolo may be moving back to his 2005, Cy-Young form? It certainly looks that way right now.

And let's give it up for Robinson Cano, who is on his way to another standout season. With singles from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Robbie clubbed a sharp line drive to the right field seats for a 3-run home run that would prove to be all the Yankees needed last night. He now has 4 homers and 10 RBIs on the season.

Overall, the Yankees offense didn't do much, but the home run was just enough for Bartolo to keep them in line for the win. Tonight, the ace, CC Sabathia, gets the start against Edwin Jackson. Could be another good night for Robbie, as lefties are hitting .329 against Jackson so far.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Nova's Lack of Adjustment Will Be Problem Down the Stretch

My dad believes that Joe Girardi has a "problem" with Ivan Nova.

"Until I see otherwise, no one can convince me that Girardi doesn't like this kid," my dad said last Saturday. "He pulls this kid out the moment he makes a mistake. Nova will never build confidence that way."

Kudos for me for being wise enough to write this down when my dad said it as we spoke over the phone. I "somewhat" agreed with his take on Nova, but I also defended Girardi's quick pull of the trigger on this kid, and I sensed that in a game that Nova would fall apart, I'd be able to use this quote of my dad's as part of my defense.

In last night's 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, Nova was terrible. He lacked location on his pitches, pitching low fastballs and sliders into the dirt. He also threw wild pitches and more balls than strikes. In 4.1 innings, he walked 5 batters and earned all 5 of the Rangers' runs. Just not a good start at all, and you have to wonder if this kid is going to be able to give the Yankees needed innings down the stretch.

Now, last night's meltdown was different from what my dad was referring to. His argument was that in Nova's starts where he pitches really well in the beginning and falls flat later, Girardi doesn't give him a chance to pull himself out like he would if say, AJ Burnett were struggling. Well, last night, Nova was terrible from beginning to end, and I'm sure that as my dad watched this game, he too probably cheered when Nova was pulled in the 5th.

But what was apparent in last night's game, and all of his other starts where he's fared better, is Nova's lack of adjustment. And by adjustment, I'm talking on 2 fronts: 1) the lack of adjustment in his pitches, and 2) the lack of adjustment in his attitude. Is it just me or does anyone else see that Nova completely shuts himself down mentally when he's struggling? You see it in his body language and it's pretty much written all over his face. This kid can pitch, and for me, there's no reason why he can't rebound when he struggles. But he fails to pull himself together and settle down enough to execute the pitch he wants. And this is why I defend Girardi, because I think he sees this and does what he has to do to minimize the damage. You, like my dad, can argue that Nova will never build confidence if he's not allowed to battle through his struggles. I'd argue that Nova's confidence is his problem to deal with, not Girardi's.

And not to blame last night's loss completely on Nova, because the Yankee batters were not much better. They hit into 6 double plays. Six double plays. Seriously? Last night was the night of ground balls for this lineup. It was really no fun to watch.

On a brighter note, the bullpen did a pretty good job. David Robertson pitched a decent 5th in relief of Nova, although two wild pitches allowed Texas' Elvus Andrus to score. Boon Logan finally made it through an inning without giving up a run. And Lance Pendleton, who was brought up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill in the roster spot for Phil Hughes, pitched a spotless 7 through 9 with 2 strikeouts.

I like Ivan Nova. I said that he would be part of the starting rotation back in February. He's that good. But he has to learn to make adjustments when he's struggling. Freddy Garcia will pitch his first start today, weather permitting. He has yet to prove what he'll bring to the table in 2011. Bartolo Colon seems like a pitcher reinvented, and has now taken Hughes' slot in the rotation as he is on the DL with a "dead" arm. If Garcia bodes as well as Colon has, and if the two give the Yankees strong starts down the stretch, it will be Nova heading back to the minors if the Yankees do indeed make a trade for a starting pitcher.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Girardi Slips, Yankees Lose

Last night's 5-4 loss to Minnesota never had to happen. Matter-of-fact, it never should have happened. The collapse in yesterday's game is a clear example of the how Joe Girardi over-manages his bullpen. I make no bones about touting Joe as one of the best managers in the game, who never gets any credit for managing a team of superstars which isn't as easy as most may think it is. But perhaps last night justifies the argument of many that Joe seems to have moved away from the brilliance of how he managed his bullpen in '08 and '09.

With the Yankees heading into the 8th inning leading the Twins 4-0, Girardi opted to bring in Rafael Soriano in relief of CC Sabathia. It was surprising on two fronts: 1) he had David Robertson warming up to come in and Robertson had only pitched one inning three days before against Detroit; 2) Soriano had pitched the day before. Now granted, before coming into last night's game, RaSo had only pitched twice, but looking ahead, you've got the Boston series coming up and, you've got Freddy Garcia facing Carl Pavano in tonight's game. As my blogging buddy J-Boogie pointed out, what if Garcia can only go 5-6 innings? You'll need Soriano to come in but now with 50+ pitches under his belt, he may not be available.

So Soriano comes in, walks Danny Valencia and Jim Thome, then gives up a single to Denard Span to load the bases. He strikes out Tsuyoshi Nishioka looking on a 92 mph fastball and it seems like he might be catching his stride, but he loses the zone again and gives up another walk to Joe Mauer which puts the Twins on the board for the first time at 4-1.

Girardi then decides to bring in Robertson, who gives up a double to Delmon Young thath cleared the bases and the game was tied at 4-4. You can say well, Robertson gave up the big hit that allowed the Twins to come back and win, but that double would have seemed a whole lot different had it been at the top of the 8th with no men on. Again, agreeing with J-Boogie, if Robertson could have gotten through at least 2/3 of the 8th but continued to struggle, that would have been the time to bring RaSo in for possible damage control. Hell, as good as Mo's been, and was, following Robertson in the 9th, I would have brought him in to finish out the 8th inning.

I can't really be mad at Girardi's next move, but it proved to support the classic phrase "hindsight is 20/20." With the game tied in extra innings, Boone Logan gets the call. He walks Span, then allows singles to Nishioka and Mauer and the Twins go up 5-4, which is all they would need. Had Girardi called in Luis Ayala instead, who pitched an excellent 10th inning relief of Boone, the game may have stayed tied and the Yankees would have had another chance in the 11th for a comeback.

What hurt most is that the win was blown for CC. He pitched an incredible game; throwing for strikes with his changeup, slider and fastball. This makes the second no-decision for the ace and you gotta believe that he must have felt really disappointed last night in the bullpen's performance, although you'll never hear him say that. After getting into trouble in the 2nd with singles to Jason Kubel and Valencia, CC was lights out, pitching 1-2-3 innings from the 3rd to the 7th. He gave up only the 2 singles, walked 1 and struck out 6.

And why couldn't CC pitch at least 2/3 into the 8th? If the argument is that you don't want to over-stretch him so early in the season, consider this: during CC's second start last year against the Rays, he pitched into the 8th in the now infamous "almost a no-hitter" game. In his second start. And last year, CC had more pitches going into the 8th of that game than he had last night, but Girardi had no problem stretching him. Hmmm.....

Fanatics, we know that Joe is a play-by-the-setup type of manager who obviously isn't comfortable with taking many chances. Last night was definitely an opportunity for him to take a chance on giving the 8th inning to Robertson, but, he made what he believed was the right call; the best we can hope for is that tonight's game is not more of the same.


And...

The Yankees 4 runs came on a 3-run homer by Mark Teixeira and a solo shot from Andruw Jones. Alex Rodriguez continued his hit streak with a single in the 6th to right field.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper

Enter Sandman??

So we've reached the crossroads, fanatics. The Yankees have lost their third straight game in this ALCS; a 10-3 rout by the Rangers, and are now down 3-1.

For the second straight night in a row at Yankee Stadium, the New York faithful exited the park early; unwilling to further watch the Bombers sink deeper into the dark abyss, aka early winter.

If there is anything positive that can be taken away from last night's game 4 debacle, it's that AJ Burnett pitched a quality game. The AJ of old was in full force for the first couple of innings of a game, that many fanatics--myself included--believed would go their way. He retired the first six batters he faced, with a fierce fastball that averaged 95 on the radar gun. Things got a little shaky for Burnett in the third inning when he walked Rangers left fielder David Murphy after being ahead in the count, 0-2, and then followed that with a hit to catcher Bengie Molina's left elbow. Shortstop Elvis Andrus scored Murphy on a ground-out, and third baseman Michael Young scored Molina on a tapper that Alex Rodriguez couldn't handle. But AJ recovered well and allowed the game to remain close until he gave up a 3-run moon shot by Molina in the 6th inning, which put Texas up 5-3. The Bombers would never recover.

I for one was proud of Burnett. I thought he was aggressive, confident and unnerved by the obvious pressure of a big game that would probably make-or-break the Yankees in this series. He did his job, albeit the mistake to Molina cost them the game, but he did his job nonetheless.

With that said, however, there are some questions that have to be answered about the sequence that lead to Molina's 2-run homer, and they need to be answered by Joe Girardi.

Why was Burnett kept in the game after allowing a lead-off single to Vladimir Guerrero in the sixth inning? At that point the Yankees were leading 3-2; Burnett had already given the Yankees what they needed from him, so why not pull him and perhaps bring in Dustin Moseley, who pitched a two-inning masterpiece in game 1 and hasn't seen action since?


Rangers top Yankees in Game 4
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Why in the world would you have Burnett walk Murphy to pitch to Molina, essentially putting the go-ahead run on base that late in the game? Typical Girardi wanting to play the "numbers" game; realizing that Murphy hit well against Burnett. Instead of a walk, wouldn't this have been the right time to call in a reliever? YOU DO NOT WALK THE GO-AHEAD RUN IN A POTENTIAL DO-OR-DIE GAME IN LATE INNINGS. Can anyone say baseball management 101?

And, why was David Robertson, who had excellent command of his fastball, pulled in the seventh after quickly taking care of the only two batters he faced, Andrus and Young? Was it absolutely necessary to bring in Boone Logan for a lefty-to-lefty match up with Josh Hamilton, who has become what A-Rod was to the the Yankees last year?



This kid's face says it all.

 Let's talk about A-Rod and Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher who are 2-for-15, 0-for-14 and 1-for-15, respectively. People talk about how good pitching and defense wins games. Well, what good is good pitching without good hitting to back it up?  When it's all said and done, this ALCS will probably be most remembered for the silent bats of one of the best offenses in baseball.

Can the Yankees stage a comeback? Of course they can. Has it been done before? Absolutely. Will fanatics be sitting on the edge of their seats for this afternoon's do-or-die game 5? No question.

Game Notes:
AJ Burnett: 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 runs, 1 HR (Molina), 4 strikeouts
Tommy Hunter: 3.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 HR (Cano), 5 strikeouts
Cano: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 1 BB
Jeter: 2-for-5, 1 run
Rangers scored 8 runs innings 6 through 9