Yankees may catch a break
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- July
- 9
The Blue Jays put Dustin McGowan on the DL today with a shoulder issue. Their starter for Sunday is now the ever-popular TBA. The Yankees also will miss A.J. Burnett and Roy Halladay.
Here’s now the rest of the week shapes up:
Thursday at Pittsburgh: Mussina vs. Maholm
Friday at Toronto: Chamberlain vs. Litsch
Saturday at Toronto: Rasner vs. Parrish
Sunday at Toronto: Pettitte vs. TBA
Is 3-1 too much to ask? That would put the Yankees at 52-43 at the break with 67 games to go.
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On another subject, here’s an interesting story regarding second-round pick Scott Bittle out of Ole Miss. Seems the Yankees have a question about the soundness of his shoulder and contract talks have stalled.
The player says his shoulder his fine, but the Yankees seem to want to cut down on his bonus. This kind of thing happens from time to time (with the Mets and Billy Traber, for instance). In this case, Bittle has some leverage in that he can go back to school for a year. But if there is actually something wrong with his shoulder, he risks injury and the possibility of not getting drafted. His best move might be to take whatever the Yankees offer.
Shoulders are also different for teams than elbows. Doctors can generally a fix an elbow but there are worse odds for shoulders. For a young player, a bum shoulder is a bad sign.
UPDATE, 9:40 p.m.: In talking to a few people, it sounds like the Yankees could try to sign Bittle to contract that would pay him shorter money up front (say, $250,000) and pay off the rest of his bonus over a period of time contingent on his ability to pitch.
That kind of money could be hard to turn down given the risk.
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on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
3-1?? P-shaw - 4-0 baby.
Who would the one loss be against? Litsch?
I dunno. We seem to do better against the aces.
Breaking news: Aceves starts tonight
By cjennings
Finally. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees activated Alfredo Aceves from the disabled list this afternoon. I just got off the phone with manager Dave Miley who said Aceves will start tonight’s game in Toledo, with Kei Igawa backing him up out of the bullpen.
No word yet on how this affects the rotation — Aceves gives the Yankees six starters — but I doubt the team will announce any major changes until after the all-star break.
I like Aceves as a prospect, but is he any more a part of the rotation than McCutchen or Jeff Karstens right now?
My twin brother just woke up from a two-week coma. He’s confused. Reading LoHud commenters, he thought the Yankees were done.
I would think that if Rasner continues to struggle, we might see Aceves sooner than we think.
I agree with sunny. 4-0 is a fairly reasonable expectation based on the matchups, with the Rasner start being the lone concern in my mind. Of course, that means the bats have to get hot and stay hot. Our pitching has done a great job lately of keeping us in the games otherwise.
Absolutely 4-0 for the eight game winning streak!
Sure, yeah right, 3-1
And all of you predicted a sweep of the Rangers, too. LOL
Blue Jays will sweep
not complaining, happy about the win, but IF Gardner is going to contribute with his legs he needs to put the ball in play. He whiffed 4 X today, and I think twice??? yesterday?
Can you guys confirm whether or not Joba’s shaking off catchers? Does he shake off Molina more than Posada?
so I can’t get the page to load anymore - gotta start texting online - what are the numbers to vote for Giambi??
ER is such a downer.
mel, the Yanks have been designing a Joba bobblehead (it will be called a Jobblehead) doll, and Joba thought he was helping by shaking off his catchers. They have quietly told him that they don’t need him to do that and he’s promised to stop.
I just read the article on ESPN about starting Rivera in the all-star game - I decided I’m fine with it, but he can’t take the mound from the dugout - he has to come in with the team already on the field with Enter Sandman blasting!!
i red on lohud that joba shook molina off before he gave up the hit that gave boston the lead.molina i believe wanted a fastball,joba shook him off,end of story except everybody seems to think that if joba threw the 99 mph fastball that molina wanted his numbers in that game would have been a lot better.joba is going to be a fantastic pitcher.
That TBA guy gets a lot of work. He must be good. He plays for a lot of teams though, so maybe he’s clubhouse cancer?
There’s more than one TBA. I think they’re all brothers — like the Molina catching family.
Hey guys, I got a confession to make.
I went to the game today. And they won! I am now 1-5 on the season!
After all, I can’t break the slump by not going to games…
Wow, trying to break the slump with a Ponson start. That’s so Ponsane it had to work! Good job.
Thanks Nick, that explains it! Big family, every team has one of them.
Unusual name though — it must be Asian or African.
i was officially diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome today after placing too many votes for The Stache.
Nick: I didn’t realize who was pitching till this morning! Still though, a 2-1 game where Ponson and Jackson are pitching?
Do we have some kind of a live vote count on mlb.com?
“Typical A-Rod…he always let’s someone else get the big hit.”
what was he supposed to do , yell ha!! from the on deck circle?
I don’t think MLB wants people to know what the count actually is, if a certain player were in the lead with too many votes to catch, it would dry up the voting.
Anyway, I’ve been doing my part. I figure I have well over 1000 votes in for the Big G, and more to come.
If you text from your phone you can keep hitting “resend” your original text. Go Big G!
TBA’s are inning eaters.
If Giambi continues to refer to himself in the 3rd person, I may have to purchase his jersey.
Nick in SF –
You are TOO funny!!!! The Jobblehead! That’s priceless!
Rebecca -
But by not telling anyone you were going to the game, you broke the spell!
The golden opportunity not to limp into the All Star break is ripe for the taking.
No letdown in Pittsburgh tomorrow and no worse than 2 of 3 in Toronto.
Randy l -
Do you think that might work???? I say, why not???
Bad Shoulders = Brien Taylor
Talking about Jobbleheads (good one Nick), I have yet to see a great Joba Chamberlain bobblehead. There’s one crappy one on the market that looks nothing like him. I want a cool one. I Joba bobble head would be awesome.
doreen-
nothing like a 4 game win streak to put us all in a good mood.
Randy l -
Ain’t it the truth!
It was a good day all around. The ’staches set the tone. We’re watching the replay and i’m cracking up at all the ’staches! What fun for a change.
“If Giambi continues to refer to himself in the 3rd person, I may have to purchase his jersey.”
LOL. It’s usually a very annoying thing to hear people do that, but I’ve really enjoyed Jason doing it. Probably because you know he isn’t serious and is having fun just like everyone else.
By the way, Chuck Norris’ mustache is afraid of “The ‘Stache”.
Pete’s reference to Billy Traber not getting the agreed to bonus from the Mets is one case, but, the most unusual is RA Dickey of Seattle. When Dickey was drafted by Texas in 1996, they agreed on an $800,000 bonus as a great young college pitcher. He went for his physical to close the deal and they discovered that he was born without a ulnar collateral ligament in his right (pitching) arm. Texas told him the deal was off, but, offered him a $75,000 bonus, which he took. Doctors are still unsure how he could pitch. They said that he shouldn’t be able to turn a door knob without intense pain.
When do the Yankees care about injuries the farm is littered with high risk high ceiling prospects.
I have seen Bittle in person and thought he was drafted way too high… he has an incredibly nasty slider but his fast ball is average (college average not MLB avergae) and I think he is a cut below JB Cox as a prospect.
Brien Taylor hurt his shoulder and ruined his career in a bar fight, not the same thing at all.
Joba shakes off his catchers way too much. He has to show respect and trust the veterans back there. Once in a while is fine, but it seems like every batter to me.
4-0 is the only acceptable goal… never aim short!
Anyone notice this is one of the best four game win streaks in a long time? Love the pitching in these games, because the offense hasn’t done much.
Maybe I’m wrong, but didn’t Joba have a bit of a bum shoulder coming out of Nebraska?
“Their starter for Sunday is now the ever-popular TBA.”
Its funny that you bring up a guy that sometimes pitches 2 or 3 games a day in different towns, followed up by a piece on shoulder injuries.
86w, Taylor was not in a bar fight. His brother was. His brother went home to get a gun, and Brien followed him to the outside of the bar where there brother pulled the gun and Brien got in the scuffle with the brother and other two guys, trying to get the gun away from him. When all four fell, they all landed on his shoulder. Brien Taylor was not in the bar…just trying to save his brother from stupidity. The people in the Beaufort/Charleston area still say he’s the same guy he always was….hard working, family oriented and a nice guy. He’s a brick layer in Beaufort.
Did you guys hear that Toronto switched Halliday to Friday. J.P. Riccardi admitted that they did it do he would pitch against the Yankees and not Baltimore.
Looks like it will be Halladay against the Yankees on Friday. Not so fast Pete.
GreenBeret7—-
I never said he was a bad guy or that he started it. I wrote that he was hurt in a bar fight… should I have written he was hurt in an “outside the bar” fight? that’s just silly.. most “bar fights” occur when the morons involved “take it outside”.
I saw him pitch in the minors and he was something special.. too bad he ruined his career in an outside the bar fight… is that better?
take a laxative
3-1 or 4-0, Pete…take your pick…52-43 or 53-42 …sa-weeeeeeeeeeeeeeet !
The Blue Jays website confirms it is Holiday on Friday. They adjusted their rotation to have him pitch against the Yanks.