Time for a Trade?

It’s not so much about the positions the Yankees need to fill, but rather about the players that need to go, and soon.

Melky Cabrera is battling for the starting center field spot with Brett Gardner. Right now, Gardner is hitting a bit better than he has in the past and his speed on the bases is making him the early favorite. Scouts seem to think that Cabrera has a higher ceiling, but last year he didn’t deliver. The problem is, Melky is out of options. If he doesn’t make the squad, he’ll likely be picked up on waivers. Is it worth a spot on the roster to keep him around as a back up outfielder? With Swisher, Nady, Damon, Gardner and Matsui there as well, probably not. So if the Yankees give the starting job to Gardner, Melky could be gone. Now might be the time to try and trade him for a prospect.

Ian Kennedy is candidate number two to be traded. He looked good at the end of the year in the minors and in the fall leagues but early results this spring have been poor. My instinct is that the kid could be a number five starter somewhere,  just not in New York. The Yankees might be able to trade Kennedy to a small market team in return for a prospect or possibly pair him with Cabrera in a package for something a little more substantial.

Other than center field, I don’t see a big hole for the Yankees right now and a trade would be more about moving players out than needing to bring someone in. For the record, Cody Ransom will be just fine at third until A-Rod gets back. There is no reason to trade anything of value to get a short term replacement third baseman. In all likelihood, Ransom is just about as good as anyone out there.

Kennedy OK With Abysmal Outing

Ian Kennedy had another horrible outing last night. After the game in the press conference, he said that he wasn't all that worried about the way he pitched. I guess that means he's now getting used to only lasting two full innings. That's great. A starter who lasts two innings and considers it a quality outing. Really, is anyone out there still convinced that there is any hope of Ike being a big league pitcher?

I'm sure some team somewhere will have a modicum of interest in him, so go ahead and trade him away Brian. The Yankees were trying to hold onto Hughes and Kennedy, thinking those two were the future of the franchise. The jury is still out on Hughes but I think we can now close the book on Kennedy.

Rasner and Bruney weren't all that spectacular either, and the loss puts the Yankees 6.5 games out of first. Playing .500 baseball, they aren't going to get any closer. Despite the offensive additions to the team, the Yankees still aren't going anywhere.

There hasn't been much reaction by Girardi to Kennedy's performance and words, we'll see if something pops up over the next day or two.

Yankees Split Series With Mussina's Help

Mike Mussina continued to shine last night, propelling the Yankees to a victory over the Texas Rangers. Moose threw seven shutout innings against the highest scoring team in baseball, earning the Yankees a split over the four game series. With Tampa losing the Bombers are now 5.5 games out of first place and still have two other teams in front of them for the wild card spot.

It looks like Ike is back. Ian Kennedy will get the start tonight against the Angels and Giese will start tomorrow. Kennedy has been alright in the minor leagues so we'll have to see what happens when he faces big league hitters again. At the beginning of the season, I was very pro-Kennedy but after his performances early on, I lost faith. At the time he looked like he had no confidence in his stuff and was afraid of the hitters. Ian needs to throw strikes early and challenge hitters. If he starts painting the corners again, teams just sit back and watch him struggle as he gets worked deep into counts and his pitch count soars. I was hoping a prolonged stay in the minors would help his confidence a bit. Perhaps he'll have a chip on his shoulders when he returns to the big leagues tonight and will use that to motivate himself. Sure, and maybe Carl Pavano will be healthy again soon.

Yankee Hitters Can't Handle Perez

Darrel Rasner got saddled with another loss, but he didn't pitch all that badly. Sure, giving up 8 hits over 5.0 innings is a lot, but he only allowed 2 runs. Oliver Perez had no problems manhandling the Bomber bats and only gave up 1 run on 3 hits over 7.0 innings.

Justin Christian filling in over in right field didn't do much and David Robertson didn't inspire too much confidence in his relief appearance.

Joe Girardi has said that Ian Kennedy, who was activated off the disabled list, has his work cut out for him. Kennedy has been optioned (to Tampa) and isn't scheduled to return to the big leagues any time soon. Girardi has said that he likes the way the guys he has are throwing at the moment. It's an interesting statement from Girardi. Obviously he thinks Rasner, Giese and possibly even Ponson are doing a decent job.

Pete Abraham reports today that the Yankees have called up Brett Gardner. He seems to be an internet favorite, getting lots of blog fans clamoring for his call to the big leagues. Well, we'll finally get a chance to see what he can do. Also, it will be interesting to see who gets sent down in his place. Gardner's speed could be useful to the Yanks, who need to play a little more small ball and start manufacturing runs. Losing low scoring games gets tough to take after a while.

Chamberlain Continues to Stretch Out

Andy Pettitte was pitching at a high enough level last night that the Yankees didn't bring Joba in until midway through the bottom of the 7th inning.  Chamberlain pitched 1.1 innings, threw 28 pitches and faced 6 batters. With a 2 run lead, Joe Girardi went with Mariano Rivera in the 9th and Joba continued to throw in the bullpen afterward.

Jason Giambi went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and a home run. His average is now up to .244 and he continues to have a hot bat. You've gotta respect the 'stache. Melky Cabrera has been struggling at the plate a bit lately and had a nice outing hitting in the 9th spot and going 2 for 4. Matsui also had 2 and Damon went 3 for 5.

It's good to see Pettitte deliver a quality outing, going 6.2 innings. The bullpen is looking rather vulnerable at the moment and the Yankees absolutely aren't equipped to handle an early exit by too many of their pitchers. Ian Kennedy has a strained Latissimus muscle and some shoulder bursitis. Apparently he is expected back in 15 days and shouldn't miss an extended period. He probably deserves an extended stay down in the minors, and might need to be joined by Ohlendorf for a while.

There has been no official word yet on what will happen for Ian's next scheduled start. Pettitte may move up a day or Joba may get his first start. I doubt we'll be seeing Igawa back in New York. Chris Britton was called back up to fill Ike's spot on the roster temporarily, but the Yankees like moving him back and forth too much to let him linger long in the Big Apple.

Easy Come, Easy Go

The Yankees big wins over Seattle seem like a thing of the long past, having now lost two straight to Baltimore.

Darrel Rasner looked good on Memorial day, giving up only one run in his six inning outing. Because his teammates failed to provide any run support during that time, Rasner got saddled with the loss. So far this season, I think Darrel has proven to be the biggest surprise and the best performing  fresh face.

Ian Kennedy left last night's game after pitching three innings and giving up four runs. Ike had a muscle strain near his ribcage. The number of Yankee injuries this season has been absolutely staggering.

Relief pitching proved to be the Yankees weak spot in Tuesday's late night game. Ross Ohlendorf gave up 4 hits and 4 ER in 2.1 inninngs to blow an early 4 run lead and later, Latroy Hawkins gave up 2 ER on 3 hits in the 11th to end the game. The night before Hawkins gave up 3 ER in 0.2 innings and Jose Veras gave up 2 ER over 1.1 innings.

The other big factor in last night's game was 3 errors by the Yankees and a baserunning mistake by Jeter. The errors really come back to haunt you in close games. Also, Jeter, who got thrown out taking too big of a lead at second (after successfully stealing) cost the team a potential game winning run with A-Rod coming to the plate.

Tonigh Joba Chamberlain is scheduled to pitch another extended outing. He may get a chance to start soon if Kennedy is out for an extended period of time.

It's hard to find too many silver linings in the clouds of the last two games. The Yankees had some offense but still left 8 and 9 runners on base. Darrel looked sharp in his start but the bullpen is coming undone. While I've been very high on Ohlendorf, he's really showing a lack of consistency. Latroy Hawkins is just plain bad. Veras had a bad outing and Farnsworth is completely unpredictable. Edwar Ramirez is looking like the only dependable bullpen guy right now, but that observation is based on very few appearances and doesn't account for much.

Just when you think these Yankees might be digging themselves out of a hole, Baltimore sends them sliding right back in.

Some Bright Spots for Yankee Fans

The Yankees got a much needed win last night and the bad news is the offense still stinks. There were three positives that jumped out at me while watching the game.

Ian Kennedy pitched his best big league game of 2008. When you look a little more closely at the numbers, and those 4 walks to go along with the 4 strikeouts and 4 hits, and if you saw him get into some tight spots with bases loaded and only 1 out, he wasn't exactly in total control. Last night Kennedy pitched about as well as you would expect a number 5 guy to pitch. It was an improvement from every other outing he's given us, but he still needs a little work. In the first two innings he seemed to be more aggressive on the mound, but as the game wore on he seemed to be slipping more and more into his old self. In the end, it was a solid performance and something to build on. Kennedy is going to have to keep elevating his game quickly as soon Phil Hughes will be back and after that Joba will be moving in. Rasner has all but locked down his spot in the rotation and it's looking like Kennedy will be the odd man out.

Next up is Mariano Rivera. Flashback to the beginning of last year and I'll admit that Mo's struggles had me worried. I was fairly certain that the end game spiral of age had finally caught up with Rivera and his career was winding down. Mariano turned his season around and had a very respectable year. This year, he's playing the best baseball I've ever seen him play in his career. His ERA is down to .47 and his WHIP is .53. He's only allowed 1 run all year, has struck out 15 and hasn't walked a single batter. It's safe to say Rivera is the greatest closer in the history of the game and we're fortunate to be able to watch him continue to pitch at a masterful level. Last night it really struck home with me as I sat back and just said "Wow."

The biggest positive I saw last night and the thing that gave me the most hope for this team was Joe Girardi. Joe has been way too complacent lately and largely devoid of emotion. It was very encouraging to see him finally blow his stack and argue a call with an umpire, getting thrown out of the game. It was a long overdue move. Joe needs to occasionally show emotion, show his players that he's behind them, that he's got their backs. He also needs to show a little emotion toward his players too, but that's another story. Joe's antics (and I jumped out of my chair and hooted when he started kicking dirt) provided an emotional spark that the team needed and provided an immediate catalyst for the game winning hits later. I'm not saying Joe should do this all the time, but every once in a while it's a necessary evil. This was a very important move from Joe.

Kennedy Returns - Results Are the Same

Final Score: 5-2 Rays

Ian Kennedy returned to the major leagues today to pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays and had similar results as before. 5.0 innings pitched, 5 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Granted, Kennedy has pitched worse at times and did make it through 5 whole innings this time, but he certainly didn't impress on the mound. He was dominant in his last start in the minor leagues but little of that showed today. In fairness, he did go at hitters a bit more than he has in the past and that's an improvement. Unfortunately for Ian and the rest of the team, it wasn't enough.

The bullpen did look good, however. Hawkins, Veras and Ramirez pitched 3 perfect innings.

Once again the offense was pitiful. There were opportunities, however. Jason Giambi brought the tying run to the plate late in the game but could only muster a line drive out to left field.

Right now, you have to be happy Kennedy made it five innings. The Yanks don't have many other options for the number 5 spot and honestly there aren't any guys in the Yankee minor leagues that I can confidently say would have an ERA less than 9 if they started in New York. Maybee a guy like McCutchen after he gets some starts at AAA and maybe Karstens when he comes off the DL, but right now, Kennedy is as good as it gets.

Garza Shuts Down Yanks

Matt Garza went 7 innings and didn't allow any runs to score on 5 hits. Andy Pettite gave up 8 hits and 5 runs over 4 innings. The bullpen wasn't as bad for the Yankees, but did help Tampa tack on a few extra runs. Chris Britton gave up 1 hit and 1 run in 2.0 innings while Jose Veras gave up 4 hits and 1 run over 1.2 innings. Edwar Ramirez got the final out of the game.

Alberto Gonzalez is hitting .310 and went 2 for 3. Hopefully he can continue to do well at the plate and open Girardi's eyes to that fact that he's a much better all around player than Betemit.

As a team, the Yankees left 11 runners on base, and won't win many games if they can't drive in those runs.

Ian Kennedy only pitched one inning in his minor league game today and likely will get the start on Friday, in place of the inept Igawa.

I really think Kennedy could have used the benefit of another full start in the minors to help him get his head screwed on straight, but the Yankees don't have many other options when it comes to starting pitchers right now. Kennedy has looked very sharp in AAA and if he can continue to pitch that way up in NY, he'll be a fine pitcher at the back end of the rotation.

What worries me is that Kennedy will get scared again when he returns, won't throw strikes and will revert to trying to paint the corners. When he does this, hitters work him deep in counts and start taking advantage of him. If Ian can come out and throw strikes and challenge the hitters, he should be fine.

Alex Rodriguez's quadriceps hasn't fully healed yet and he'll be out another week.

Thankfully for Yankee fans the Red Sox lost again tonight and so the Bombers remain 4 games back.

Tigers Sweep Yanks at Home

Ian Kennedy only looked horrible for one inning, the third, and looked sharp for a few innings. Unfortunately in the fifth he started struggling again and was pulled by Girardi. If your starter doesn't make it at least six innings, your chances of winning are pretty small. Kennedy is second to last in the league for average innings per game for starters. The bottom of the list is occupied by Phil Hughes. That should tell you something about the Yankees chances of winning.

Jonathan Albaladejo came in and got out of one jam, but then started allowing a few runs in the next two innings he pitched in, eventually being replaced by Chris Britton. The one ray of hope was that despite all his shuttling back and forth between NY and Scranton, Britton was sharp and pitched 2.2 hitless and scoreless innings.

The Yankees had a nice start to the game offensively, with a walk a hit and then a three run homer by Bobby Abreu. The Yankees had a few other hits during the night and Shelley Duncan picked up an RBI single, but the Yankees once again couldn't score enough to save their struggling pitchers. The team LOB was 11, once again showing us the Yanks are having trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.

I can't see Kennedy spending too much more time in the rotation here. I think he needs to spend the rest of the year in Scranton. The problem is the only replacement available at the moment other than Joba is Kei Igawa and no one wants to see him in NY.

So Much for Ohlendorf as a Closer

Ross Ohlendorf gave up the winning run in a 4-3 loss to Cleveland. Billy Traber has been sent down and I see Ross' stock slipping in Girardi's eyes. Ian Kennedy looked awful early on and got hit hard for 3 runs in the second inning. After that he settled down and played well, but had thrown 105 pitches by the end of the fifth. Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins pitched fairly well, combining for 3 scoreless innings, but Hawkins needed some help from his defense to get it done.

The Yankees weren't hitting today as a team. Damon and Jeter were cranking out the hits but the Yanks couldn't string together enough offense to put more than 3 runs on the board.

This was a tough game to watch, given everything else that has happened lately. Girardi continues to make lots of ineffectual moves with both his hitters and bullpen pitchers.

Kennedy's lines weren't bad but watching him pitch that second inning was painful. Once again, a Yankee starter couldn't make it past the fifth inning. The Bombers need their starters to go at least 6, preferably 7 or 8 innings.

Giambi continues to cost his team runs by playing first, and struggled at the plate. Robinson Cano and his .152 batting average were brought in to hit for Morgan Ensberg, who has been hitting much better than Cano.

Farnsworth has been decent in his last few outings. That's about the only bright spot I'm seeing right now, which is a sad reflection on the state of this team.

Tensions are going to start running even higher before long if this continues.

Time to Panic?

The buzz on the Yankee blog scene lately has been consisting mostly of people telling their readers not to panic, that the season is still young, these pitchers will settle down and the offense will come to life.

I'm panicking.

Ian Kennedy couldn't get out of the 3rd inning. It's especially worrisome given Phil Hughes and Mike Mussina's performances of late.

This team can't carry three pitchers who won't make it more than 3 innings per start. Mussina, Hughes, and Kennedy can't be in the same starting rotation with the way they are currently playing. I don't doubt that Hughes and Kennedy could both turn into reliable, quality starting pitchers, but bringing them both along at the same time is not a roadmap for success this year.

Mike Mussina looks like he's just about done. When he comes out to pitch if he doesn't have his stuff he's going to get lit up. If he does have his stuff, he's only good for about 4-5 innings. Maybe the Yankees could use him as a long reliever, but his starter days are numbered.

It remains to be seen what will happen with Joba. He was back in the lineup tonight and closed out the 9th inning in style. I'm glad that Joba's dad is doing better and relieved (no pun intended) to see Chamberlain back in the bullpen. Ross Ohlendorf gave up a couple of runs but is performing reasonably well in his defacto role of long reliever. Billy Traber is working out well and will be valuable as more than just a situational guy who gets called in to face left handed batters.

I like the move of Posada to 1st base. While his shoulder is sore that's a great use for him, putting the struggling Giambi on the bench and allowing others a chance at the DH spot.

It's hard not to sound like a broken record, but the Bombers need to right the ship when it comes to starting pitching, and the offense needs to wake up. I think they've got the talent with the bats, but am keeping a close eye on the transaction reports, expecting to see a move to acquire pitching soon.

The Yankees left 8 men on base tonight, had 6 hits but were unable to score a run. I keep thinking in the back of my head that it's only a matter of time before they start gelling a bit more, getting hits at the right time and stringing together their offense so as to start driving in more runs.

Yanks Win a Wild One

The Yankees beat the Rays 8-7 in a high scoring game. There were a lot of positives for Yankee fans to take away from this one. Ian Kennedy threw 94 pitches in 6 innings of work, giving up 8 hits and 3 runs. Kennedy came back out to pitch the seventh inning but was hit by a line drive in the hip and came out of the game.

It was reassuring watching Kennedy pitch well. He challenged hitters right from the beginning and threw plenty of strikes. He struck out 4 and walked 2. This is the Ian Kennedy the Bombers hope to see more of this season.

Andy Sonnanstine gave up 7 runs in 3.1 innings for the Rays.

The bullpen showed that it was human today as Billy Traber had some trouble and both he and Brian Bruney gave up two runs. Interestingly enough, Bruney gets credit for a blown save and the win. Rivera got the final four batters out.

The Yankees had some nice offensive performances tonight. A-Rod went 4 for 5 and hit his 521st career home run, tying Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th on the all-time list. A very impressive game for Alex as he edges ever closer to the all time home run record.

Morgan Ensberg filled in for Giambi and went 2 for 5, scoring his first home run. Robinson Cano was called on to pinch hit for Gonalez and came through in the clutch with a home run.

Chad Moeller made his 2008 big league catching debut and went 1 for 4. Most importantly he threw out BJ Upton trying to steal 3rd.

Bruney and Traber had a little trouble, but it's hard to fault them too much given the earlier success they've had. Yankee fans have to be pleased that the offense came alive and that Kennedy delivered a quality start.

Happy Birthday to Kyle Farnsworth who turned 32 today.

Yanks Shut Out In Kansas City

Zack Greinke pitched 8 scoreless innings, giving up 6 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2.

Worried about the game getting rained out, Joe Girardi decided at the last minute to start Brian Bruney, saving Ian Kennedy to come in later or be fresh to start tomorrow. The rain was steady most of the game. Bruney pitched an impressive scoreless 2 innings with 4 Ks, 1 walk and 1 hit. Girardi's strategy was looking fairly smart when Billy Traber came in to pitch a scoreless 3rd inning (1H, 1 SO, 1 BB). Unfortunately Girardi had Kyle Farnsworth factored into his master plan. Farnsworth got through the 4th but then gave up 2 runs in the 5th inning, including a leadoff home run.

Ian Kennedy came in the game in the bottom of the 6th and had trouble right off the bat, giving up 2 runs before getting out of the inning. After the 6th, Kennedy settled down a bit and was scoreless in the 7th and the 8th. In 3 innings of work Kennedy gave up 2 runs on 2 hits with 2 walks and 3 strike outs.

Kennedy looked miserable in his very first outing. Tonight in the 6th it looked like we were going to see more of the same. Kennedy's last two innings were better and he appeared to have settled down a bit. Despite an impressive spring, Ike is struggling in the regular season. Yankee fans just have to hope that he'll straighten himself out before too long. I hate to make decisions on just two outings, but I'm a little worried.

Newsflash: Kyle Farnsworth gives up runs in relief appearances. He's only useful in garbage innings with big leads or huge deficits that you don't expect to overcome. The majority of the bullpen is rock solid. Traber, Bruney, Chamberlain and Rivera are doing amazing out of the gate.

Collectively the Yankees had 8 hits, but the offense was pretty feeble. There were no strike outs for A-rod tonight, who ended up getting two hits. The bomber bats couldn't string together enough consecutive hits to put any runs on board.

Melky Cabrera cost the Yanks a run with some poor baserunning. A ground was hit by Alberto Gonzalez toward the second baseman Grudzielanek. Melky should have stopped in his tracks, forcing Grudz to throw either chase and tag, throw to 2nd for the force or throw to 1st. Instead Melky decided to trot right into the tag, giving Grudzielanek plenty of time to also throw to 1st to complete the double play. Damon's hit afterward could have driven in a runner on 2nd or could have advanced a runner on 1st to 3rd.

It's going to be a long season if the Yankees bats don't start heating up. The inconsistent starting pitching needs lots of runs to back it up and so far the Pinstripers aren't giving enough run support.

Jose Molina went 1 for 4 and made a nice thow to third to catch Gathright attempting to steal. That was the first time the speedy Gathright has been caught all year. Molina also threw out Alex Gordon trying to steal second.

Alberto Gonzalez went 1 for 3 in his first major league appearance of 2008, hitting a nice stand up double.

Bruney Gets Bad Weather Start

Ian Kennedy was scheduled to start tonight's game, but come time to throw out the opening pitch, Brian Bruney is announced as the starter.

Apparently there was rain in the forecast and Joe Girardi did not want to start Ian Kennedy only to have the game get rained out early. Instead, he is starting Bruney who will pitch the opening innings. If the rain passes, Ian will be available to pitch. If the game is postponed, Ian will be ready for the next start. Using Bruney for a few innings doesn't have a big effect on the rotation at all.

Currently in the bottom of the 2nd inning it is raining fairly heavily. There has been no indication that the game will be called or delayed. Many of the fans have left their seats to seek shelter inside.

This is a very unique strategy that we're seeing out of Girardi. There's a certain logic to it. We'll see what the end result is.

Bombers Shelled by Rays

A very disappointing outing for some Yankee pitchers. Ian Kennedy got behind in the count on a majority of batters and paid the price. He was unable to challenge the hitters and throw effective strikes. Kennedy lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up 6 runs on 4 hits with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts. He threw 70 pitches for 32 strikes.

I had high hopes for Kennedy this season, hopefully this outing was just a fluke, but I think this is going to be the way Yankee pitching goes this year. You'll get some quality starts and some we'd all rather forget.

The next three relievers performed admirably. Albaladejo, Ohlendorf and Traber combined for 4.2 (2.2, 1, and 1 respectively) innings of 2 hit ball. What I don't understand is why Thompson didn't leave one or two of them in for another inning.

Instead we were left with Hawkins coming in to pitch the 8th. Hawkins looked good on paper and did well in the spring but hasn't delivered the goods early on in the regular season. He only got 2 outs tonight giving up 6 runs on 6 hits. Maybe the fans are getting to him with their booing him for wearing the number 21.

To cap things off Farnsworth came in with 2 outs in the 8th inning and pitched the rest of the game. By the numbers he pitched 1.1 innings, gave up 3 hits, 1 run, no walks and struck out 3. The very first batter he faced hit a 3 run home run. Fortunately for Farnsworth the official stats don't credit him with 2 of those runs, but a manager can't rely on a guy who comes into a game in relief and gives up home runs.

Yankee hitting was pretty sparse and they're going to have to step it up a notch to keep this pitching staff afloat.

Quite a frustrating game all in all. Giving up 7 runs in the 8th inning isn't going to produce too many wins. A starter who is having a bad outing can be replaced with a long reliever, but you need to be able to rely on your bullpen to get batters out.