Game 39: Yankees at Rays
-
- May
- 12
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Molina C
Gonzalez 3B
Pettitte LHP
Andy Pettitte against the Tampa Bay hitters.
Matt Garza against the New York hitters.
Notes: Nothing new to tell you at this point. We’re expecting to get the results of A-Rod’s MRI today and possibily the pitcher for Thursday. … The Yankees hand out a list of upcoming milestones every day. Jason Giambi needs two home runs to pass Paul O’Neill for 15th place in franchise history. Obviously No. 25 can never be worn again once he does that. … Ian Kennedy starts today for Scranton against Indianapolis. Game time is at 6. Steven White twirls in the nightcap.
* * * * BREAKING A-ROD NEWS * * * *
UPDATE, 6:01 p.m.: The MRI taken today on Alex Rodriguez revealed progress but not enough to start playing in rehab games. Joe Girardi just told the media that Rodriguez will not be activated this week, meaning he’s out for the Mets series.
“We can’t afford to have him come back for two days then lose him for six weeks,” Girardi said. “We want to have him fully healed.”
* * * * ROTATION NEWS * * * *
6:05 p.m.: The Yankees have not officially announced a starter for Thursday. But it will be Ian Kennedy. He will throw 1 or 2 innings tonight.
Darrell Rasner will get the Mets on Friday.
Kei Igawa is in the bullpen, probably only until Kennedy comes back.
UPDATE, 6:43 p.m.: Ian Kennedy pitched one inning for Scranton against Indianapolis.
Infield single, batter then caught stealing
F-7
5-3
12 pitches / 7 strikes. Scott Strickland replaced him.
Kennedy has thrown 8.1 innings for Scranton. 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts. He’ll be here to face the Rays on Thursday.
Personally, I’d think you want him to show a little more down there. But you can’t run Kei Igawa out there.
UPDATE, 8:30 p.m.: Teams always look bad when they’re losing. But as you watch the Yankees play the Rays, you can’t help but be struck by how athletic and energetic Tampa Bay looks when compared to the Yankees.
That’s the case for most teams against Tampa Bay lately. The Rays have won 13 of their last 18 and nine straight at home.
UPDATE, 8:45 p.m.: That’s it for Andy Pettitte. 4 8 5 5 2 5.
Jose Molina has 2 hits in his last 36 at-bats.
UPDATE, 10:05 p.m.: You know what’s amazing? For all their issues the Yankees are only four games out of first place in the AL East. The improvement of the division has kept the Red Sox well within hailing distance.
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I guess if Jeter hits tonight a home run he bats cleanup tomorrow Lol, by the way the only spot in the lineup Jeter never hit in his career is 5th.
great lineup…..9-4 Yankees WIN !
thanks for the update!by the way A.B.K. where do you get your line up so fast????
Does somebody know what the yankees bullpen era is???
Finally get to watch this one!
Al arodien- leave it to the pros.
if ipk has another outing like the last i dont know how you can’t bring him up for igawa….
Ooooo. Can’t wait until Giambi passes O’neill. You know that Kay will go on and on about it.
Go Yanks!
what are the chances we get a rain out tonight?
Melky,
From another thread:
No more weak underbelly of a bullpen as they [Rays} led the AL in ERA a couple of weeks ago. They’re #2 right now. Guess who’s #3 (3.34) and who’s #12 (4.56)? If you said your favorite team and your most hated team respectively, you win the prize. Cerveza or thin mints, depending on what’s in your fridge.
Their overall pitching is good as well. The Rays team ERA is 5th (3.90), Boston is 6th (4.08), and the Yankees are 9th (4.30).
Is it wrong that I’d like O’Neill to be in the booth when Giambi does it?
Would love to see if he would handle it more gracefully than the 21 issue.
Yanks bullpen ERA is 3.34 according to ESPN. 6th best in MLB an 3rd best in the AL behind Oakland and Tampa Bay.
J-Boogie
http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com
A.B.K. - i think you just exposed that your 2nd name is Melky28.. OH OH!!
bphill,
Maybe a dinger sets off the sprinkler system?
Game time is at 6??
When will the Yanks start issuing triple digit numbers? How about information age numbers using numbers and letters? “Now pitching, #123b, CC Sabbathia” (his back would be big enough for the number too).
@wood is good:
Yes, for the AAA game…
Let this be the last time Paul O’Neil and Jason Giambi are mentioned in the same sentence.
oscar gamble wore ‘O’ for oscar !(his second stint)
we could give 00 to igawa!
M&MD reporting that Kennedy is pitching Friday against the Mutts.
WFAN saying they hear Kennedy pitches Friday instead of Igawa. Waiting for confirmation from Sweeney.
Kennedy pitching Friday in place of Igawa per the FAN.
Let’s hope this works out because IPK need to show some toughness when we need him!
you didn’t say that one of our AAA pitcher “twirls” ???…did ya, Pete ?
Thank god we will probably never see Igawa again.
so Rasner on regular rest on Thursday,,,then IPK after a whole ONE good outing back at the “farm” on Friday in the Bronx ?…I’ll have to say, I would rather have seen Giese, but as long as it’s now IGAWASchmank,,,I am in heaven !
pat! i just read it on nypost.com ! HE IS BACK! Kennedy will start on friday aganst the Mets!
bphill:
ZerO chance.! THey’re playing in a dome.
If and when Giambi passes O’neil. Does that mean we should hide Giambi’s number next year,so noone can wear it as well?
Will he be booed at the park when he does? How will Paul react to be #16?
i assume they will push back the #5 starter to next saturday night, so whichever pitches better this time probly gets the wednesday start and the other gets next saturday.
kennedy’s lucky, horne and karstens, who probably both would have passed him on the depth chart, are both injured, so he gets a 2nd chance. as the season goes on, more and more guys become viable options, joba moves to the rotation, hughes comes back and the competition for mlb starts will be much stronger
http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/yankees/archives/2008/05/kennedy_not_iga.html
.
” YankeesNew York Yankees ’ fans will not see Kei IgawaKei Igawa the sequel, at least not any time soon.”
.
doesn’t that just want to make you cry tears of joy ???
Well, that’s kind of a surprise about IPK. I was kind of hoping that they’d wait a bit to bring him back up. I like IPK and I want him to succeed, but I’m nervous about this. It’s at the Stadium, though, and not Shea?
Would rather see Kennedy than Igawa!
who’s pitching Sunday? Wang?
kennedy’s lucky; horne and karstens, who probably both would have passed him on the depth chart, are both injured, so he gets a 2nd chance. as the season goes on, more and more guys become viable options, joba moves to the rotation, hughes comes back and the competition for mlb starts will be much stronger.
i assume they will push back the #5 starter to next saturday night, so whichever pitches better this time probly gets the wednesday start and the other gets next saturday.
I don’t like that IPK decision at all.
WFAN source is the NY Post so probably should wait to see if it’s true before you get too excited.
friday- kennedy
sat-pettite
sun-wang
“doesn’t that just want to make you cry tears of joy ???”
I will hold them till he gets traded. This hasnt worked out and its time to turn the page.
pat- but george king is a pretty good source!
Doreen, it’s at the Stadium.
I would prefer IPK to get two good starts at SWB, but they must figure that Ian got it figured out, at least better than Igawa did. Got to trust Dave Eiland and Co.
Mon, May 12 @ Tampa Bay….Pettitte (3-3)
Tue, May 13 @ Tampa Bay….Wang (6-1)
Wed, May 14 @ Tampa Bay….Mussina (5-3)
Thu, May 15 @ Tampa Bay….Rasner (2-0)
Fri, May 16 NY Mets….IPK STARTS !!!
Sat, May 17 NY Mets….Pettitte (3-3)
Sun, May 18 NY Mets….Wang (6-1)
Doreen,
I agree. If Kennedy comes back as the pitcher we saw last season, I say it’s fine. But if he continues to struggle to get guys out, then it may have been too soon.
Regardless, we need the good Kennedy, not the bad one.
Freddy Kruger DA by the soxs.
IPK is a much better choice than Igawa. Just hope the Muts aren’t rained out tonight as that could mean Santana pitches Friday. I was listening to the WFAN this morning and Mut fans were calling in saying that today’s game should be called by the Muts for threat of rain…losers!
seems like pete doesnt buy kings stuff! im sure he will confirm it soon! you gotta love peter! he does his reporting with so much coution!
kennedy’s lucky; horne and karstens, who probably both would have passed him on the depth chart, are both injured, so he gets a 2nd chance. as the season goes on, more and more guys become viable options, joba moves to the rotation, hughes comes back and the competition for mlb starts will be much stronger.
wrong decision on Kennedy.
Okay, so, it must be specified by the Yankees that they are calling up the good Kennedy. (The evil twin Kennedy has to stay away!!!)
From gameday preview:
Tidbits
Yankees relievers have not allowed a run in 14 innings pitched over their past four games, and over the last 15 games, they own a 1.78 combined ERA, dating back to April 25. … Johnny Damon leads the Yankees with a .511 slugging percentage, and he’s batting .357 (25-for-70) with four homers and 11 RBIs since April 20. … The Yankees and Angels are the only teams in the big leagues who still have not played an extra-inning game.
(how sad it it that we haven’t been able to force extra inning? on the flip side, how great is it that we haven’t had any blown games to force extra innings.)
Now, the next question - what to do with Igawa?
He’s not going to learn anything new at Scranton (if that was it, he would have learned it already). He will only clog a roster spot and keep someone else from being promoted. He’s left-handed, so, maybe a trade. But who could be interested?
Oh, if IPK has to face Santana that would just stink, wouldn’t it?????
I’ll give 25 to anyone else right now.
I guess Kennedy will be limited to about 3 innings tonight then? Hope they are good ones for his sake.
Doreen,
Don’t want to wish harm on anyone, but how wild would that be if Santana went on the DL and faced Hughes in a rehab assignment?
It would be a mistake bringing Kennedy back already. If he comes back and stinks in his first start, what purpose did it serve sending him down. Let him make 4 or 5 starts down there.
if kennedy has to face Santana the kid would be a total head case
Jennifer, did I read that right? Boston has DFA’d Tavares?
Then they might have a roster spot open. Maybe they’re interested in Kei?
trade igawa for anything you can or cut him, move mc cutchen up to scranton
Kennedy will only pitch 1 inning tonight.
Mel -
I’ve thought about that extra innings thing, too. And while it’s not great that Yankees haven’t forced extras, that’s a good thing right now, because the bullpen has been stretched a bit. Until the starting 5 are in a nice rhythm, going 6 or 7 innings consistently, no extras, please!
Mike and Dog said this afternoon that Santana is likely to be pushed back to Friday. Don’t know if it was speculation or someone told them that as true.
they said Kennedy will pitch 1 inning tonight!!!!!!
56Bomber…they are reporting Kennedy will only pitch one inning tonight
Mel, you’ve got too much time on your hands
I would bring Kennedy back on Thurs and let Razz go on Friday.
Pat..as of now Santana is scheduled to start on Thursday but could change if it is rained out tongiht. if they do change him to Friday without a rainout tonight then they are just grandstanding.
Mel -
No! No Hughes v. Santana! Ever!!!!! (Not until next season anyway.)
Jax -
Is that true? Doesn’t seem like that makes sense. Three innings, I could see or a pitch count of some sort without regard to number of innings.
“kennedy’s lucky; horne and karstens, who probably both would have passed him on the depth chart, are both injured, so he gets a 2nd chance.”
Considering that he passed both of them on the depth chart last year, his first in the system, I would imagine he would be getting the start regardless if they were healthy.
IPK beats Santana on Friday ???…that would ROCK !!!
as bad as the Mets are right now in hitting they are going to crush Kennedy. He was sent down to work on his consistancy in throwing strikes and to improve his secondary and third pitches, this is not good at all, it dismisses the purpose he was sent down. Just imagine Moises Alou, Beltran, Church and Wright working the count on him sitting on the breaking ball.
He hasn’t pitched more than 1 game in AAA and now because Igawa is that bad we have to throw a SP and stop his progress, they couldn’t reward Cutch or Wright, they chose to throw Ian in the hot pan. Here we go again.
Don Vito A. Ballamo
May 12th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
IPK beats Santana on Friday ???…that would ROCK !!!
Now, that’s the right attitude!!!!
Sara - thanks.
If for some reason Santana is the starter on Friday, I would be very hesitant to start IPK against him for a variety of reasons: Santana’s record at the stadium and IPK’s comments about the media spotlight for starters. I’d almost rather throw Igawa out there and let IPK pitch another start in AAA.
Doreen that’s whats being reported it’s only 1 inning tonight. but if he is only going 1 inning why can’t he pitch Thursday? I would have Rasner go Friday instead.
Jax -
Maybe they’re waiting to see what happens with the Mets?
brandon mayve he has done some work while down there that has helped with that just not in games ie side sessions etc etc. At this point Kennedy canot be any worse than Igawa and maybe he has worked on some stuff, gotten the message loud and clear and will come to compete
It’s ridiculous to have Kennedy go against the Mets after working 1 inning in about 2 weeks.
I’ll go on the record as I went on the record w/ Igawa’s promotion this move to put Kennedy vs the Mets is a bad one and he’ll be lucky if he gets past the 4th inning.
Drew he pitched 7 innings last week in the minors
Drew,
LOL. Thanks for reminding me of my “To Do’s” that I put off.
On that note, I bid you a fond adieu!
Stay positive, everyone! Otherwise you’ll be jaded like Michael Kay.
mike and the mad dog said kennedy is facing santana friday and sween murti is coming on to confirm it.
I know Gayle, but when was that? 5 days ago? By the time Friday rolls around, he won’t be sharp.
whichever guy (ipk or raz) pitches better this time out gets the start next wednesday, effectivly becoming the #4 and the other guy becomes #5 and waits till next saturday.
“gayle
May 12th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
brandon mayve he has done some work while down there that has helped with that just not in games ie side sessions etc etc. At this point Kennedy canot be any worse than Igawa and maybe he has worked on some stuff, gotten the message loud and clear and will come to compete”
gayle he’s done nothing in AAA, Chaves hasn’t worked on anything w/ him, he made one start w/ the same principals he had while he was up here. He’s on a high right now, pitched one great game in AAA and thinks he got it. This is a model of consistancy right now.
Maybe they’re going to have him pitch one inning and then work in the pen?
(Grasping for logic here.)
doreen- how about in the WS?
I hope that Kennedy does well Friday night. He was talking about the pressure of NY and there is extra pressure for the “subway series”. And he may even face Santana which would multiply the pressure immensely. It’s the kind of game that could make him or really set him back.
This isn’t a model of consistancy right now. *
GOOD…Bring on the lousy Mets and SantScrubba….IPK and the Yankees will put a Bronx Beatin’ down on ‘em !
rasner is going thursday and kennedy fri b/c girardi plans to use him on 5 days rest (off day mon.). kennedy will have to wait until next saturday for the next start.
i guess that makes raser #4 and kennedy #5.
I hope its Santana on friday. Then Brandon can up the (J.Santana HR allowed count: 8 )to 11, Kennedy beats the man everyone wanted to trade him for. All the we should have gotten Santana talk would finally be over.Bring it on!!
they better match up Wang vs Santana
al arodien -
I don’t know!!!!! Maybe? But it’s doubtful; it would probably be Santana v. Wang in a WS.
“gayle he’s done nothing in AAA, Chaves hasn’t worked on anything w/ him, he made one start w/ the same principals he had while he was up here. He’s on a high right now, pitched one great game in AAA and thinks he got it. This is a model of consistancy right now.”
How do you know what Chaves has or hasn’t worked on him with? He’s been down there nearly 10 days already, are you telling me that Chavez has done nothing at all on the side with Kennedy?
“Obviously No. 25 can never be worn again once he does that.”
And yet it was the fans and not the media that couldn’t let the #21 story die….
brandon you may be right but do you know for sure he hasnt worked on anything during his sides??
All I know if that I would rather see Kennedy than Igawa. Kennedy has a better track record that is for sure. I saw him pitch a 1 hitter last year in Toronto he certainly has the stuff maybe all he needed was some head working and not some pitch working. I dont know I am no expert but you cant tell me that Kennedy is any worse than Igawa
“they better match up Wang vs Santana”
On 2 days rest? Or just sit Wang out until Friday? Or just have Wang pitch today and then again on 3 days rest? That’ll teach the Mets.
too bad about kennedy’s psyche, its time for him to put up or shut up. with the guys coming up behind him, he could get buried in the system pretty fast if he blows it this time. however, he’s been a winner at every level before and i think he’s about to blossom at the major league level.
btw. the metsies are playing much better of late, reyes, beltran and delgado have started
DOREEN! you never know in baseball maybe a game 6 after wang pitched game 1 and game 5 and santana only piched game 1 . you never know!
guys one thing you should know no manager will screw up his rotaition because a SUBWAY SERIES!!!
No one cares Julian Travers (sp) was designated for assignment?
I don’t want Igawa anywhere near the mound ever again, but I wouldn’t have brought Kennedy back already. They could have put Hughes on the 60-day DL to open up a spot on the 40-man for McCutchen or Jones, or even Giese.
“Obviously No. 25 can never be worn again once he does that…”
He he he he he.
About Kennedy starting Friday. Definitely wouldn’t have been my preference. Of course it will be even more interesting if he wets the bed tonight.
Since I am rooting for him to succeed in the bigs, I would have hoped that they gave him a lot of time to sort things out down below.
I guess desperate times call for desperate measures!
GO YANKEES!!!
GO TWINKIES!!!
“too bad about kennedy’s psyche, its time for him to put up or shut up. ”
It’s a good thing GM’s aren’t this impatient with young players. Kennedy has what, 9 ML starts if he has that many.
jennifer where did you see that have not been able to find that.Suprised he was and not Timlin
I feel bad for Tavarez since I’ve always heard he’s a nice guy, but beyond that I don’t really care.
side sessions emphasizing to do the same thing that brought him here raymagnetic doesn’t exactly involve working on things, 10 days also is not enough time to switch your decision on why he was sent down in the first place. Even Girardi said he still had alot to work on for Rasner it took nearly a month of side sessions to get him going consistant. This Kennedy decision doesn’t make sense.
I heard it all day on WEEI.
Lets Yanks # 1
In fact the guys on EEI feel pretty convinced that some trade has already been worked out since they don’t think they would have outrighted him without some deal in the background.
Michael Kay said it.
Boston Herald reported that Tavarez was DFA’ed..they’re trying to deal him to the Rockies.
And Gayle, I can’t imagine that Timlin will be too far behind him.
i see no reason not to release igawa. he will never be a major league pitcher and there is no point of wasting a 40-man spot and a scranton rotation spot on him. with karstens and horne coming back and mccutchen and geise, melacon and whomever else ready to be promoted, there is no place to put him.
as we say in golf, take your medicine.
does anyone even know for sure if the twins would’ve have taken IPK (instead of Hughes) for Santana.
i thought that the twins denied this, as well as cashman (for whatever thats worth).
i dont think its fair for either IPK or Santana to have this billed as a “what could have been” matchup.
Drew - for whatever reason Timlin is their boy. I doubt they’ll get rid of him.
trisha, they will if he keeps pitching to a 10 ERA
“side sessions emphasizing to do the same thing that brought him here raymagnetic doesn’t exactly involve working on things, 10 days also is not enough time to switch your decision on why he was sent down in the first place.”
Maybe the plan was to have Kennedy pitch once in the minors all along. Maybe the organization just wanted to give Kennedy some time off to gain proper perspective about things and then call him back up.
I however can’t say whether or not it’s a mistake to call him back up until I see how he pitches. Judging from the way he was talking he’s realizing he’s much better than he’s shown thus far and he’ll be more willing to attack the strike zone.
“does anyone even know for sure if the twins would’ve have taken IPK (instead of Hughes) for Santana.”
No…you’re never going to get the whole truth behind that.
Drew - they’ve protected Timlin for a long time. Maybe the worst you’d see is him get some time in PAWtucket. They always have an excuse for him. Just came off the DL. Hasn’t worked in a while. Missed by just a little.
Timlin is their fair-haired boy.
ray, i meant at the ml level. obviously you dont give up on a guy that young, but if he fails this time, they have to turn to someone else and he likely doesnt come back to ny till september. hes already dropped behind rasner and both phil and joba will be in the rotation in the 2nd half.
Hopefully they keep Timlin so Giambi can get a few more dingers off him
They think he fixed his problems in one start? I don’t agree with this call at all. He was sent down to throw strikes consistantly one start in AAA plus one inning does not illustrate that. The fact that Kennedy’s coming back up so quick just show’s how little they trust Igawa and how desperate they are for a SP w/ ML innings to his resume, but in this case it’s a bad decision they are passing up guys who actually worked to improve in Wright and McCutchen, it’s a horrible decision, this kid mark it down Kennedy is going to get tattooed vs the Mets.
JMO, I pointed out exactly that same thing to one of our IPK lovers on another forum. It would be disastrous for him to come up and pitch poorly. It would have been better for him to get a good amount of time down there.
I cannot imagine that if Igawa had pitched well Kennedy would be up after a few games down below. I don’t understand it and I guess it doesn’t much matter that I do or don’t. Connecting the dots in my book shows that Girardi does not want a revolving door of AAA pitchers. So Kennedy is the only other one I guess he believes in seeing, especially because Kennedy is slotted to be in the rotation at some point. Maybe he’s feeling good enough with the starting four that he is willing to give Kennedy the room to work things out up here since we no longer have Hughes and Kennedy both killing the bullpen.
So Ian is coming back vs. the Mets. Good luck to him…
Brandon,
If the problem was simply in his head then yes, maybe they do feel the time off has helped him.
Take Tabata for example, he was struggling mightily in AA. After his suspension he came back and was on fire. Seems like the time off allowed him to clear his head and just concentrate on doing what he does best.
If they feel like Kennedy’s problem was mostly in his head, perhaps his time away from the bigs has also helped him.
Who knows what’s going to happen on Friday? You think he’s going to get hammered. I’ll wait until I see him pitch before I jump to any conclusions.
“Connecting the dots in my book shows that Girardi does not want a revolving door of AAA pitchers. So Kennedy is the only other one I guess he believes in seeing, especially because Kennedy is slotted to be in the rotation at some point.”
The decision on who comes and goes in not solely up to Girardi. Cashman/Eiland Et cetera also give their inputs and I have to think Cashman’s word holds a lot more weight then whatever Girardi would think.
In case no one has said it yet, Happy 83rd Birthday to Yogi!
jennifer,
I care that Tavarez was DFA’ed, that means their bullpen just got a little stronger.
ray,
Hopefully, Kennedy watched Rasner’s starts. Stay around the zone and work quickly.
Happy B-Day Yogi
horrible decision to bring up Ian Kennedy here by the Yankees, he gets crushed vs the Mets be prepared to hear it all month. He has not worked on consistant innings in AAA this year, bad move, bad timing, bad FO decision.
see you later people. Go Yankees.
it doesnt matter if he’s worked anything out in his one aaa start, he’s simply the best choice for friday’s start.
I have a great feeling about this start for kennedy. he’s risen to the challenge at every level and pitching against santana is huge challenge to him (and his friend phil.)
He had it all going in his aaa start and just remembering what that feels like could kick start him. we’ve all seen him on his game at the mlb level and i think we’re gonna see him do it to the mets on Friday.
Tavarez did have some rough outings but he also had some good games. Last year he beat the Yankees twice before June 1st with both games being at New York with Wang pitching one of those games.
Two things: 1) Our favorite punching bag Farnsworth, has an ERA of 3.0 and ERA+ of 124, a K/BB rate of 3.6/ and hasn’t allowed a run in his last 5 appearances.
2) I think the Kennedy thing is not a wise move, but after hearing him sound so cocky after that SWB start last week, let’s see if he can take that kind of sauciness to the mound with him against the Mets, instead of his, “scared of the strikezone” routine.
Lol…Pete, perhaps you can pull up a bunch of random Paul O’Neil stats (such as most hits in a game, greatest number of outfield assists in a season, number of sacrifice flies, etc) and, once any player passes those numbers, begin a concerted campaign to 1) retire that player’s number or 2) boo that player for having the audacity to break the sacred O’Neil’s “record” in that area.
Maybe Red Sox fans will have an equal amount of irrational exuberance towards Kevin Youklis when he retires. The similarities between the two are great- overrated cry babies that smash crap in the dugout.
I believe there is an article in a competitor’s paper today about Brosius and his enjoyment of retirement. Night and day between those two personalities.
If I were Hawkins and O’Neil were in the stadium I’d let one loose ala’ Nuke Laloosh hitting the bull and aim for O’Neil.
In some ways it’s a high pressure start for IPK because he’ll feel like he needs to show that they were right to bring him back this fast. In another way, however, it’s an interleague game with little or no impact on the AL East standings, so maybe it’s a safe enough opportunity to test him in an MLB setting instead of another AAA match.
If he flops this time, however, I can’t see how he suddenly becomes reliable anytime soon. His next demotion might be a long one.
I think the same people who were so adament about defending O’Neil are also in the Jim “The Killer” Leyritz fan club. These are people who called up Knobloch’s home when he had his throwing problems and threatened his family but for some reason can excuse things like being a conceited jerk (O’Neil) or little minor violations of the law (like homicide).
The post says Kennedy will go Thursday and I can’t find another credible source saying otherwise. Thursday makes more sense.
http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/yankees/archives/2008/05/kennedy_not_iga.html
Yep, Kennedy will pitch Thursday instead. I guess that’s the lesser of two evils, and Rasner’s ice veins will be better served pitching against the Mets.
Sweeny is now saying Kennedy will pitch Thursday.
much better, that means rasner will be on his regular rest for the wednesday start.
JMO, no…..Rasner would have been on regular rest for Thursday. Wednesday would have been 3 days’ rest (Sunday-Monday-Tuesday). So he’s pitching on Friday on extra rest.
See how it all works out if we just wait for all the information to come in???
Makes more sense for Thursday, especially if the 1-inning limit for IPK is also true for tonight.
ANYONE but Igawa filling this need right now is a total blessing…JMHO…
teixeira left game early with back spasms. anybody know about his injury history? is it an ongoing problem?
A couple of points:
*This is not a “desperate times for desperate measures” situation. We’re talking about a mid-May start.
*Igawa is not getting DFA’d. Stop the nonsense. There are a few teams out there that would take him right now because of the Yanks history with guys like Vasquez and Contreras. The thinking is that he can’t handle NY but would succeed in another environment…and he’s a lefty. The worst thing the Yanks would do to him is trade him…but he’s not getting DFA’d. They will want to get some value for him and can get a little something in return.
*IPK has been working with both the AAA pitching coach and Nardi extensively during his time in Scranton. They have been working both mental things and mechanical things.
Breaking A-Rod news just posted
Aw man, A-Rod’s out for the Mets? Big blow.
What’s this about Kennedy pitching on Friday? Has it been confirmed?
Thursday for Kennedy? Cool beans.
Better safe than sorry. We can handle these games !!! GET WELL, ALEX !
No Alex for the Mets.
Well, that sucks, but I want the man to be ok. Not come back and get hurt again. We will survive.
“Kei Igawa is in the bullpen, probably only until Kennedy comes back.”
.
and he can strap himself to a seat, ‘cuz he’ll only enter a game that we are up by 20 in !!!
It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry, but I miss not seeing him at third. Last thing the Yanks need is for A-Rod to have to go out for even more time than he has already lost.
damn i was looking foward to seeing alex play damn
Doreen,
I don’t know. Aren’t you mad that Pete didn’t give us the scoop. That he didn’t post before talking to the manager?
I want first information, not best information. lol.
So there’s probably no chance of seeing Arod on the 22nd right? That’s my next game (taking my mom to see her first game in a long time, too)
JMO,
It seems to be contagious. Tex is the 3rd player in the last week to get back spasms.
He’s pitching Tursday not Friday. I don’t know where people saw he was pitching Friday.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
ESPN released thier nfl power rankings and named the videographers #1.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
go ahead and wear that on your finger!
Obviously the Yankees are better with A-Rod and Posada, but I don’t know why everyone is so down about A-Rod being out, acting as though we are fielding a AA team right now. You look at teams like Oakland (23-16) and Minnesota (19-17) and they don’t have an A-Rod or an Abreu or a Matsui or even a Giambi for that matter. If the Yankees can keep getting starts like Rasner gave them on Sunday, then there is no reason they can’t get on a roll. Pitching is going to get them to first place not A-Rod’s bat.
BUMP for PETE from Fatso on the fan
Neil -
Have you seen Morgan Ensberg at the plate? Not pretty.
Scoop Abraham!
Tank Francesa with a shout out for Pete
cited by Mike and the Doggie. Cha ching
Burnett’s still in a game they’re losing 3-0. 8th inning @ 117 pitches. A lot of managers would’ve taken him out after the four pitch walk.
Followed by another walk.
Oh, wait, manager just woke up. Taking him out now. I know you want to save your bullpen for the night game, but really?
Kennedy only 12 pitches? 7 were strikes tonight.
Kennedy’s not ready. He gave up a hit. j/k
Are the Yanks going to use the pink bats tonight since yesterday was a rainout?
NY Fan,
Good point haha. I doubt it.
Though it did seem that many players who used those bats yesterday were fairly lucky.
This is kind of odd–I saw Rasner pitch for Scranton like two weeks ago, and now I’ll get to see him pitch in person on Friday.
Life is good.
Why did they send Kennedy down, only to bring him back after one start?
Has he recovered his nerve? That was all that was missing.
IPK gave up a hit? Send him to TRENTON!!!
“This is not a ‘desperate times for desperate measures’ situation. We’re talking about a mid-May start.”
Interesting point and all the more reason Kennedy coming up after a week and a half is pretty surprising to me. It’s being treated as a desperate situation.
Or let’s look it at it another way. Despite all of the votes on this forum for different pitchers from down below, it doesn’t appear that the Yankee organization sees it the same way.
I still believe that Joe Girardi does not want the revolving door pitching that the Yankees had over past seasons and especially last season. It ends up hurting both the Yanks and the teams below. He’s gone with AAA starters who have had major league experience thus far. Looks like that isn’t changing soon.
All I can say here is thank God that Igawa is being sent back to the minors. My suggestion is have him stay down in Tampa and have a special pitching instructor work with him on his deficiencies (may end up being a large task, but at least it won’t use up any Minor League roster space).
How is SWB third in their league in runs with such a seemingly bad lineup???
LOL, can’t believe M&MD quoted this blog.
Are they finally getting more internet savvy?
They are smart to quote sources, all day they quoted Geroge King and un-surprisingly King was wrong on the days, he’s usually wrong.
“Has he recovered his nerve?”
The answer to that question will come on Thursday
Before we get ahead of ourselves- lets make sure Yanks win this series since its a 4 game series. Pettitte should get a good outing today and then hopefully good against the Mets. Last one was good, the two before not so good. But, he’s gonna get it done. Plus, great numbers in Trop Field.
as long as kennedy doesnt walk anyone
question - wasn’t listening to MMD - what did they say about the blog?
They just credited Pete Abraham’s blog.
As for Kennedy, I don’t think they were ever serious about sending him down, especially after Hughes got hurt. Truth is, if Rasner contributes, they can deal with one pitcher in IPK who is a work in progress. I said at the time, they would send him down for one start, didn’t anticipate the rainout, but that’s how it played out. Kennedy will be a fine 5th starter now that the schedule is easing up.
Rayblay,
Because they have some major leaguers + the pesky Gardner!
For those who miss the old Gameday, they’re using it @ milb.com
Did something happen to Pete? His update dropped off.
hope the game goes great, once again I don’t get to watch it
I was just looking at their lineup today and was seeing bad BA after bad BA…
12 pitches…
i assume kennedy will get more pitches in - in the bullpen - to tune up for thurs
I don’t understand jerking Kennedy around. The point of sending him down was to get his head screwed on straight and get his “groove” back. Having him throw with unusual rest against a very hot team (the Rays) is just going to make it harder for him to get things going at the major-league level. The Yankees would’ve been better up calling another farmhand to pitch Thursday, then having Kennedy pitch on regular rest after throwing a good game tonight.
Rayblay,
You’re right. No one in the 300’s, although someone’s hitting .435
In my opinion, I totally agree with Pete & think that they’re bringing back Kennedy way too fast, but hey, they’re the ones in charge, hopefully they know what they’re doing.
phillips just said that the yankees are not going to contend and that the jays and rays are better.
Wow lots of talk on one of my favorite people of all time….. Joe Morgan. Randy I’m not sure what games you watch or what you consider a “knowledgable” announcer but Morgan is awful. He’s a hall of famer… that’s great. That entitles him to have a microphone and spit his nonsense on national TV? I don’t think so.
He’s the worst. Its painful to listen to him. He’s consistently wrong and I completely disagree that his analysis goes over the average fan’s head. Its not true. The guy is an idiot and needs to be replaced. The fact that you bring up his race is just silly and not even worthy of a response.
I feel like lots of other people in that I think I know more about the game than he does. I find myself telling him to shut up out loud when I watch games he announces. If there was a way to mute him and listen to Jon Miller I would.
On to other things…..
Dan Giese should get the start on Thurs./Fri. I said this yesterday. Not only does he give us the best chance to win, he has more experience. People sleep on him because he’s old and typically the experts say his ceiling isn’t very high. So what. I want a guy who’s going to throw strikes and keep us in the game. Giese has been great in AAA this year. Look at the stats. He’s been stretched out as a starter and has gotten better and better as the year has gone on.
McCutchen isn’t ready, no matter what anyone says. Chase Wright has average stuff at best and got shelled when called up last year. Steven White has been inconsistent/bad this year, as has Marquez. And I don’t think we’re seeing Kennedy for awhile. His problems need a lot more than one start to fix, and anyone who has watched him pitch this year should find that pretty obvious. I think the earliest you see him is July.
Igawa is a totally different case. I actually think he could be decent as a long reliever. He’s durable and I think a lot of his problems are between his ears. Maybe if he doesn’t know when he’s going to pitch that will help him from overthinking things. I remember him doing well in relief in a game or 2 last year. Its so frustrating because the guy actually has very good stuff.
Ensberg is probably on his way out when A Rod comes back. When I saw AG in the lineup today and seeing Ensberg ride the pine the 2 previous games when he should have been used, the writing is on the wall. Its too bad, I think he could have contributed a little this year.
this just in, steve phillips doesnt believe the yankees will be a playoff contender. should i book my tickets for the playoffs now?
steve phillips is the worst baseball analyst ever. go back and ruin the mets, steve.
I didn’t read the blog for a few days, so if this has been talked about before I apologize. I wonder about the injury to Albaladejo.
Think about that game. Igawa gave up 4 hits in 6 pitches (and was subsequently removed for Alby). Now I think its pretty unlikely Alby was warming up before the inning started, so how in the world did he get ready in 6 pitches? How was he ready to enter the game throwing maximum effort in such a short period of time? Now I know Eiland wentout to talk to him after the 3rd hit, so that adds a few minutes, But that still seems awful quick. Then his elbow feels like he’s getting a needle pushed through it. Not good.
So who’s fault is it?
Girardi for rushing him in?
the bullpen coach for saying he was ready?
Alby for saying he was warm?
Either way its a shame. That guy was pitching well. I thinklosing him and Bruney is going to hurt alot more than people think. Wait until the bullpen blows a few games.
I’m glad the Yankees did the second MRI, because I’m sure if it was up to ARod he’d be in there this weekend. This way, he couldn’t just say he feels good enough to play. Can’t take the risk of re-injury.
Okay. Now that it’s a done deal regarding Kennedy - time to get on board and hope he has a great start, or at least a good one!!!
Mel — Scoops are great - but accuracy trumps a false “scoop” every time!
Well I guess I should have read the posts before making my comments about Kennedy….
That’s really interesting, I thought they would leave him down there for awhile.
I hope the Yanks give a pitcher from the minors a chance to pitch.
“Personally, I’d think you want him to show a little more down there. But you can’t run Kei Igawa out there.”
Pete, I agree with your thinking and it makes me believe that the Yankee organization is not ready to look at anyone else. Also, it is easier for them to let Kennedy try to work out his kinks when they have 4 pretty solid starters in terms of innings in. To have the bullpen potentially overextended once every five starts is a lot more doable than when we had Huges AND Kennedy killing them two times every week!
Steve Phillips thinks we won’t make the playoffs?
Save up money folks for playoff tickets…we are in
In a best-case scenario, the Yanks would leave Kennedy in Scranton for a few more starts, but with Igawa as the alternative, you have to go with IK now. Too bad. I think a longer stint in AAA would have helped IK more in the long-term.
Could someone ask Steve Phillips to say that the Yankees are the worst team in baseball? I’d certainly like to hear the upside of that. Or maybe he should talk about some of their slumpers…it’d work like a charm.
Miggs, the intelligent thing to do would have been to leave Kennedy down there. All indications were that the plan was to do jsut that. Unfortunately two things intervened with the effect of one seemingly nullifying the effect of the other: Rasner showed up looking like a major league pitcher, and Kei Igawa did not.
That gives the Yankees 4 solid and less worries about Kennedy imploding, if he should.
One thing is clear. They were not interested in looking at any of the others down below to find a solution. As long as Kennedy as part of their plans anyway, they probably felt they could afford a potential train wreck as long as it was only when a 5th pitcher was needed…
Game time.
Let’s go Yankees!
Feinsand reported that the Yanks usually trust the player to say “when” or if they’re healed enough to play. Unforunately, they found they couldn’t trust Arod’s judgment, so are relying more on the MRI than they normally would.
If getting sent down wasn’t the full wake-up call that Kennedy needed, watching them consider giving Igawa a second start rather than him might do the trick. He pitched well enough to win against the Rays last time so lets hope for the best on Thursday.
Too bad about Alex. Better an extra week rest than coming back and re-injuring it again. He must have a high pain tolerance if he is running and the quad is still strained.
he didnt just say they wouldnt make the PS, he said they wont even contend and that the rays and jays are better.
Can someone please explain to me why the Yankees are always screwed with the schedule? Boston couldn’t possibly have been given an easier schedule and we have to play all of the top teams without any days off, except for rain which doesn’t really count. Now we have to play Tampa when they’re hot and the Sawx & Jays will get them when they have cooled off.
I can’t believe how few people there are at the game …the stands look empty
Blah! Sox up 3-0. Come on Twinkies!
ARod still hurt. Kennedy will be back soon. And now, maybe a loss to the Rays. Overall a very, very bad day.
Nice start by Livan Hernandez for the Twinkies. He has held Boston to 3 runs so far through one third of an inning.
Wasn’t there someone on the blog who brought LH up as someone the Yanks should have considered?
Ken is a much play by play broadcaster then micheal in my opinion
ok rob, u make the schedule for next year and be sure to set up the yankees with the rays when they will be playing thier worst ball of the season.
Mama mia. Well let’s hope that the Twinkies stomp all over Chucky Doll Bucholz. I thought Livan was billed as a much improved product.
GO LIVAN!
give me singleton and murcer and send the rest of them home.
With the exception of interleague play, the Yankees and the Sox essentially play the same teams. The days that they get off are a different matter, but it’s a bit fruitless to argue the teams they play.
“Unforunately, they found they couldn’t trust Arod’s judgment, so are relying more on the MRI than they normally would.”
I think it might also have something to do with the $300 million invested in A-Quad. If this was Ensberg they would tell him to rub dirt on it and play.
Agree you cant throw Igawa out there EVER again. But is 8 innings enough to get your confidence up? Wasnt that the point of sending Kennedy down. If we need a starter give someone else a chance and let Kennedy get some more innings. It just seems inconsistent.
As crazy as the schedule has been, there really is no way to predict precisely how teams are going to perform several months ahead of time.
kennedy, u have a questions about his confidence? i think he said he was going to “make those guys look stupid” before his last start. if he had a confidence problem, he sure didnt have it that day.
Boy, Pettitte doesn’t like to waste time.
I’m actually happy that Rasner will be starting against the Rays. He’ll at least give us a chance. Let those kids get on base and it is all over. We don’t want someone with an ERA of 10 pitching against the Rays!
kennedy’s pitching against the rays, rasner is getting the mets.
great first inning by pettite, velocity looks up too, consistently hitting 91 on the gun in that inning, good to see
Kennedy - it IS inconsistent. I think we all agree on that front.
But to quote a very brilliant scholar, it is what it is.
nice efficient start by Pettite
JMO -
Oops. Well I guess I now know which games have the more cachet…
The Sox have played two more games than the Yankees (and one more road game). And they started the season with that Japan to Oakland to Toronto sojourn.
Both teams have had busy, and tough, opening schedules.
Nice Andy.
Brian:
I dont think any team in baseball has the right to complain about their schedule after what the Red Sox went through this season.
Sadly - IPK has been very consistent this year so far. (Consistently bad)
We need the IPK of last fall to resurface. Hopefully he has his mojo back and can get the job done.
i dont think it was so much the santana thing as much as it was a better idea to have ian pitch on the road. it could get ugly if he starts out badly in new york
I think the Mets game have more cachet and are seen as a lot more “important” in terms of bragging rights. I wasn’t thinking Santana. I was thinking Mets.
the mets are apparently moving santana back to pitch friday night, and thier rotation is weak, so you know what the mets think about the series.
Nice job by the Suxers to allow the Twinkies to get 2 runs already!
Looks like a good game.
Does these Rays know how NOT to steal bases? Geeze it seems as soon as they get on, they’re off and running!
Is anyone from Canada on here now? I am going to Toronto in July and want to visit Niagara before a night game.
#1 is that possible? Do I have enough time, and if anyone can point me in the direction of a good tour that would be great.
Pettitte allows more two out runs and rallies than anyone.
I guess these young Yanks down believe in laying out.
good sign.
back to work bats
and stop using my screename.
Wow.
Great play by Longoria.
I heard someone (Singleton? Kim Jones?) saying that the Rays had won their last 6 series and had swept three of them.
The thing I both love and hate about those kids is that they run like the wind. You almost figure that if someone gets on base with less than two out, at least one run is going to score!
Way to take that bunt off with the slowest runner at the planet batting.
Put the bunt down!
Can someone please pull up a stat of how many DP’s we have hit into? If we arent #1 in the MLB then we must be top 3.
Kennedy coming back up is the right move.
He needs to work it out here. Everyone calling for his head should look around that a lot of other better pitchers struggle and they need to learn to work it out.
We are getting ridiculous with the tiny margins we are giving our yankees, we are paranoid and reactionary and need to chill out. Ian and Phil have barely cleared 20 innings so far.
Look at some other “stellar performers” who are not on their game yet 6 weeks into the season
C.C. Sabathia 2-5 6.55
Nate Robertson 1-4 6.64
Jared Weaver 2-5 5.59
Bronson Arroyo 2-4 7.14
Justin Verlander 1-6 6.43
Gil Meche 2-5 6.31
Roy Oswalt 3-3 5.33
Mark Buerhle 1-4 5.31
Ted Lilly 3-4 5.24
A.J. Burnett 3-4 5.19
This team needs more speed. They’re not a slugging team and their not a speedy team. Get on first base and they stay there.
Where’s the bunt at with Molina up there?
welcome back alberto
Alright Gonzo
Pete please go out of the booth take one of the bells and smash it over the persons head!
go to mlb.com and vote for all your yankees to play in the all star game this year at yankee stadium
gonzalez should have never been sent down and he shows us why again
Tampa fans actually think they can like baseball because of where the Drays stand on the standings.
for real it sounds like this game is being played in japan
Is it really so hard to clap your hands together?
im afraid ARod may not be a allstar this year
if this is any indication of how the rays fans behave when they start to win a little i certainly wouldnt mind to see them revert back to their losing ways asap
“Ian and Phil have barely cleared 20 innings so far.”
Yeah, see that was the problem. They barely cleared 20 innings. As a result our bullpen had turned into starting pitchers…
By the way, all of the other pitchers you’ve mentioned have more than paid their major league dues. Not so with Kennedy and Hughes.
Apples and organges.
geO, i was thinking the same thing, but once he gets back he’ll be ok, nobody should really challenge him at third maybe miguel cabrera but he’s not off to a good start, so i think a rod will start despite the injury
omg is that old lady insane sticking her hand in that devil ray tank!
Happy Birthday Lawrence Peter Berra!
and many more…
Rays are harmless to humans. She won’t get hurt.
Black Dragon:
Cabrera isnt even playing 3rd anymore, so that wouldnt factor in. I could see Lowell and maybe, POSSIBLY Longoria or Crede.
Didn’t Steve Irvin died cause of one?
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