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.

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Yanks "Hot In Cleveland"

The Associated Press

There must be something in the air in Cleveland, because the Yankees have flat-out assaulted the Indians in the first two games of their 4-game series. Their 14-1 romp makes 25 runs that they've scored in the past two meetings. It also marks their first time with a .500 record since Opening Day. The Yankees are now in second place in the AL East at 4-4.

The big bats had a huge night again, led by Robinson Cano whose home run in the fourth inning and two doubles in the second and eighth innings put 5 runs on the board. Ichiro started the 5 home run barrage, however, slapping a line drive into the visitor bullpen in right. More home runs would come from Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay and Brennan Boesch. Brett Gardner broke out of his slump last night, going 4-for-5 on 2 singles and 2 doubles with 2 RBIs. Overbay also had a good night offensively, going 3-for-5.

Last week Yankee fans were frustrated with Cano's production and rightfully so. We all expect a slow start from Robbie; that's his signature. But with so many of the Yankees power hitters missing from the lineup, it was important for Cano to show that he could step up and be a major offensive threat. In these last two outings, Robbie is reassuring fans that he can put this team on his shoulders until reinforcements arrive.

But Cano is not without help. The production of Youkilis and Vernon Wells has been outstanding. They've given this ball club everything they need to survive all the injuries. Wells, who went 1-for-4 last night, has had 9 hits in these first 8 games; Youkilis has 11, and has a hit in every game played.



The Associated Press

And, it would be Youkilis to be in the middle of the first controversial call of the Yankees' season. In the fourth inning, following Cano's homer, Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco took his frustration out on Youk, throwing a pitch up and in and hitting him near his left shoulder blade. You could see the anger in Youk's face after the pitch, and the home plate umpire tossed Carrasco from the game with no warning.

Andy Pettitte had another excellent pitching performance. He would throw 97 pitches over 7 solid
innings, allowing the one run--a homer by Asdrubal Cabrera--and striking out 4. Andy's record stands at 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA.

Tonight, Ivan Nova gets his second start and a chance to prove that he still belongs in the rotation. No pitcher for Cleveland has yet been announced. Game time is 7:05 pm.

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Yankees Lineup for 4/9/13

Francisco Cervelli will catch Andy Pettitte tonight. Here is the lineup:

Brett Gardner CF - .167/.242/.267
Robinson Cano 2B - .222/.300/.481
Kevin Youkilis 3B - .370/.433/.630
Travis Hafner DH - .391/.481/.652
Vernon Wells LF - .381/.500/.762
Ichiro Suzuki RF - .182/.240/.182
Eduardo Nunez SS - .267/.333/.333
Lyle Overbay 1B - .174/.208/.217
Francisco Cervelli C - .308/.438/.615

Andy Pettitte LHP - 1-0, 1.13 ERA

Yankees Lineup for 4/8/13

Eduardo Nunez rejoins the lineup. Here are this afternoon's starters:

Brett Gardner CF - .160/.250/.280
Robinson Cano 2B - .130/.200/.130
Kevin Youkilis 3B - .409/.480/.727
Travis Hafner DH - .350/.409/.500
Vernon Wells LF - .294/.429/.706
Ichiro Suzuki RF - .111/.190/.111
Eduardo Nunez SS - .364/.462/.455
Lyle Overbay 1B - .211/.250/.263
Chris Stewart C - .167/.167/.167

Hiroki Kuroda RHP - 0-1, 13.50 ERA

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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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Change That: A Two-Year Deal for Ichiro

Via wikipedia.org

So while we were all gasping at the Josh Hamilton to the Angels deal yesterday, a new development in the Yankees-Ichiro signing was announced, and I must say that I have no problem with this. Instead of signing Ichiro to a one-year deal, the two sides are now working on a contract that will keep Ichy in the Bronx for the next two years; this, according to a report from mlb.com. The Associated Press believes that the deal will fall in the range of $12-$13 million.

Why do I like this move? Because Ichiro still has plenty of game left in him; anyone that doesn't believe he can produce, was obviously not paying attention to how he closed the 2012 season, or to how he played in the 2012 postseason. Yes, numbers-wise, Ichiro has been on a steady decline in the past few years in terms of runs and hits, but he maintains his average in doubles, home runs and RBIs. Yes, the hits are the biggest part of his game, but to produce 178 of them at the age of 38 is still pretty damn impressive. And to end a season of transition with a .283 average is nothing to cough at either. Also, Ichiro still has one of the most lethal outfield arms in the game. His defense has not changed much from where it's always been.

And, by the way, the 38-year old played in all 162 games last year between Seattle and New York. He continues to maintain an average of 159 games per season. That's production. For those of you begging to understand why Alex Rodriguez can no longer produce a season of at least 140 games anymore, this should be much appreciated.

We tend to frown upon what we perceive as lengthy contracts for older players. But at the end of the day, greatness is what greatness is. Sometimes you have to look at the overall picture with some players; not every player can simply be deduced to stats. There is some decline, but with Ichiro, you're still getting a productive player with solid numbers who remains a defensive threat. Not to mention his reputation for being a true teammate. Something about playing in the pinstripes tends to bring the best out players, and it's not too late for Ichiro to give us his best and make this impending deal worth while.

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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.

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No Structural Damage to Tex's Wrist

Getty Images

So if you're like me, you've been holding your breathe since Mark Teixeira left last night's game with a wrist "injury." At this point, it seems as though a new injury seems to "pop up" within the Yankee roster every week now. If Tex has seriously injured his wrist, what would this mean for an already compromised team that's been making it more of a habit of losing lately than winning? Well, Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez would platoon first base for Tex. On the days that Swish is at first, Ichiro would remain in right field. When Chavez plays first, Jayson Nix and Ramiro Pena would platoon third base. And while Swish and Ichy play first and right, respectively, Andrew Jones and Raul Ibanez would continue to platoon left. Whenever Swish moves back to right and Ichy is placed in left, Ibanez and Jones could take their turns as the DH. Confusing enough for ya?

Well thankfully, we may not have to worry about Joe Girardi re-shuffling the contents of his binder to consider such moves. Yankees.com reported today that an MRI on Tex's hand showed no structural damage, only inflammation. So while he'll most like be out for another game or so, we shouldn't expect to see Tex placed on the DL. Good thing, because another one of our superstars being forced to watch the game from home, would have been more than I could bear. And I'm sure that Girardi is happy to not have to face the "How are you going to manage?," or "How bad is this for the team?" questions by the media once again.

On another note, the Yankees have been on a terrible run since being swept by the Oakland A's two weeks ago (although, they shouldn't feel too bad because Oakland is beating EVERYBODY!). They've lost eight of their last eleven games; the majority of which were decided by a run. Yes, the team remains atop all of baseball, but with the injuries mounting, this no time for our boys to fall backward. I'm expecting a strong start tonight from Ivan Nova, who bodes very well against the Orioles. He goes up against Chris Tillman tonight. Game time is 7:05 pm.

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper