The LoHud Yankees Blog

Here are how the starters are set up for this week:

Monday at Phillies: Tomko (Wang in the minors)

Tuesday vs. Boston: Burnett

Wednesday: Team off; Pettitte in minors

Thursday at Phillies: Chamberlain

Friday vs. Reds: Sabathia

Saturday vs. Braves: Tomko (Wang in the minors)

Sunday vs. Pirates: Burnett

Stunning news from Port Charlotte as the Yankees were beaten 5-0 by the Rays.

In equally stunning news, Kei Igawa finally gave up a run. The Yankees made three errors and grounded into two double-plays. Robbie Cano had two of the five hits.

The Yankees have obtained catcher Chris Stewart from the White Sox for a player to be named later. Stewart played in one game for the Yankees last season. He has been with three organizations since 2002.

According to Brian Cashman, Stewart will be in Major League camp.

UPDATE, 6:07 p.m.: Chad Jennings, the hard-working Scranton beat writer, spoke to Stewart after the trade and sent us these comments:

“I’m going to big league camp, and then most likely heading to Scranton,” he said. “I talked to Cash and he told me that when my name popped up they pounced on it, so it’s good to know they wanted me back.

“I’m excited. I don’t know what they’re going to do, but they brought me in for something. It will be good to get playing again and see what happens.”

UPDATE, 6:10 p.m.: If you’re seeking something positive out of today’s game in Port Charlotte, Damaso Marte did pitch a scoreless inning, allowing only a walk. It was the first action for the lefty set-up man since he returned from the WBC with a sore shoulder.

“I felt good out there today. I felt I had good command,” he told Mike Margolis of the media relations staff.

Thanks to Mike for helping out from the game.

YANKEES
Gardner CF
Cabrera LF
Nady RF
Swisher 1B
Cano DH
Ransom 2B
Berroa 3B
Pena SS
Cash C

Pitching today: Alfredo Aceves followed by Kei Igawa, Damaso Marte and Steven Jackson.

Notes: The Yankees have won nine straight and 11 of their last 12. … Swisher is back after missing two days with a bruised left calf, the result of a foul ball.

CC Sabathia will pitch in a minor-league game at 1 p.m. against players from the Pittsburgh organization. I’m going to stay in Tampa and watch that instead of driving down to Port Charlotte. Check back later for reports on how CC looks.

That’s it for now. It’s a quiet Sunday morning in Tampa.

UPDATE, 8:42 a.m.: Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui have the day off and do not need to report. … Phil Coke will pitch tomorrow. … Damaso Marte will pitch an inning today and then get two days off … Joba is set up for an intrasquad game back back in Tampa on the morning of April 5 so he can stay in his routine.

UPDATE, 9:15 a.m.: In news from under the big top, a former call-girl madam claims she dated A-Rod and provided him with hookers. The Daily News has all the gory details.

Whether this latest tale is true or not isn’t really the point. All of this nonsense is just background noise anyway as everybody knows what a clown Alex is. Whether he’s kissing himself, talking steroids, lying to Katie Couric, apologizing to Katie Couric, getting hookers or whatever else, A-Rod is signed for nine more years (atta boy, Hank) and all the Yankees can do is deal with it. What other choice do they have?

UPDATE, 9:25 a.m.: The Rays are pitching David Price, Grant Balfour, Brian Shouse and Jason Isringhausen.

UPDATE, 12:58 p.m.: Here we are at the minor-league complex. CC will face a linuep that includes Lance Broadway and Ruben Gotay.

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: CC had a 1-2-3 first. 18 pitches. Former first-round pick Neil Walker fouled off four 3-2 pitches before going down swinging.

UPDATE, 1:22 p.m.: CC allowed a double by Jonel Pacheco. But when Broadway flied to center, Pacheco left early when he tagged up and was called out on appeal. 28 pitches after two innings.

UPDATE, 1:37 p.m.: CC allowed a two-out single in the third. No damage done. 39 pitches after three, 27 of them strikes. His wife and three kids are here. CC III is decked out in Yankees gear.

UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: CC left the bases loaded in the fourth. He’s at 67 pitches so that could be it.

His line: 4 5 0 0 1 2.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: CC going back out there.

UPDATE, 3:06 p.m.: Sorry for the delay but had to conduct some interviews. CC allowed a run in the fifth inning on a double and a bad-hop single.

His final line: 5 innings, 7 hits, 1 one, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts. 81 pitches / 51 strikes.

The bigger news: Four runners tried to steal second on Jorge Posada and he threw out three of them. He said his shoulder feels 100 percent now and that those throws have given him great confidence.

Posada said he needed to slow down his throwing mechanics after starting the game with a poor throw. This is obviously excellent news for the Yankees.

Posada also praised how Sabathia holds runners by using a slide step delivery and being quick to the plate. CC said he will be conscious of doing all be can to help his catcher.

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: Here are the interviews we did with Jorge Posada:

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And CC Sabathia:

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I think you’ll find it interesting to hear Jorge talk about the mechanics of throwing and how the pitcher helps that process. Good inside baseball sort of stuff.

The Yankees can survive the loss of Alex Rodriguez for a few weeks. Back in 2003, Erick Almonte filled in adequately for Derek Jeter. We caught up with Almonte, who offers advice to Cody Ransom.

Joba Chamberlain looked good yesterday but needs to get deeper into games. This notebook also has updates on Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, some player moves, Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia.

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If you have not seen it already, please take a look at the reader Q&A with Joba Chamberlain that was posted yesterday.

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An update on the blog outing to a Scranton game on July 5. This from Ron:

There are approximately 15 tickets remaining for the Second-Annuel SWB Yankees LoHud Yankees Blog Outing on Sunday, July 5 at PNC Field, just off I-81 in Moosic, PA. Last year we had numerous blog readers, family and friends (including Pete Abraham) attend and all had a great time.

For those who are unfamiliar, PNC Field is about 60 miles from Binghamton, 100 miles from Newark, 110 miles from Philadelphia and 130 miles from State College. The outing will take place in the Right Field Bullpen Field Box, a nice field-level area that is under cover, has numerous tables and chairs and several large TVs.

The cost will be $32 per person with children under two free. This includes the game ticket, program, hat, all you can eat food (hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, pasta salad, cole slaw, baked beans, watermelon, cookies) and unlimited soda and water. The bullpen field box will also have a dedicated bartender servicing a cash bar.

If you’re interested in attending the outing, please e-mail me at yankslifer@yahoo.com and indicate the number of tickets you’d like to purchase. I’ll then send you an invoice through PayPal for the total amount due.

If you’re coming from out of town and need directions and information on hotels, attractions, etc. please let me know and I’ll provide it to you. Reservations have been going fairly quickly and will be done on a first-come, first-served basis once you confirm the number of tickets you’d like.

Also, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions you may have.

The Yankees beat the Tigers 4-3 today. They have now won nine straight and 11 of their last 12. At this rate, they will take a 190-game streak into the World Series.

The nine straight is the longest in spring training since the 2002 Yankees also won nine in a row. If it mattered, I’d try and look up when they last won 10 straight. But it doesn’t matter.

Joba Chamberlain said in the clubhouse that while he feels good and is happy with his arm strength and command of four pitches, he needs to stop nibbling.

“I have to throw to halves instead of thirds,” he said, referencing how much of the plate he should try and get with his pitches.

In other news …

· Mariano Rivera will take two days off. He said he feels great and wants only another five or six one-inning outings before Opening Day. “Every time out, I feel stronger,” he said.

· Girardi praised the work Phil Hughes did in camp. “He had a very good spring,” the manger said. “He attacked the strike zone. The thing is we ran out of innings for him here and we need to get him stretched out.”

· Francisco Cervelli was optioned to Double-A Trenton after the game.

YANKEES
Cabrera CF
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Nady RF
Cano 2B
Ransom 3B
Molina C
Berroa SS

Pitching today: Joba Chamberlain followed by Mariano Rivera, Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras.

TIGERS
Inge 3B
Polanco 2B
Sheffield DH
Thames LF
Larish 1B
Laird C
Clevlen RF
Raburn CF
Everett SS

Pitching today: Rick Porcello followed by Zach Miner, Clay Rapada and Fernando Rodney.

Notes: Now this is a fun game. Porcello is the 20-year-old former Seton Hall Prep star who was a Top 3 talent in the 2007 draft but fell to No. 27 because of signability issues. The Tigers snapped him up there and signed him with a $7.29 million deal. He was 8-6, 2.66 for Single-A Lakeland last season and could be in the major league rotation this season.

Joba is coming off two solid starts and should be able to go about four or five innings depending on his efficiency with his pitches.

The game is on WCBS but not on YES. Back with much more later on. The Yankees have won eight straight.

UPDATE, 9:58 a.m.: Looks like Phil Hughes, Jason Johnson and Humberto Sanchez are headed out.

UPDATE, 10:33 p.m.: Crazy Nick Swisher was limping around but took some BP this morning and said he felt OK.

UPDATE, 10:40 p.m.: Here’s a little breakdown on Joba’s spring training:

First two starts: 1 4 7 7 4 1. 49 pitches / 22 strikes (.448)

Last two starts: 6 5 1 1 1 6. 77 pitches / 47 strikes (.610)

Today should be interesting. He threw 48 pitches in his last outing, so he will be cleared to throw 60-65 today. Now is also the time you would expect his velocity to pick up and gain some consistency.

UPDATE, 10:52 a.m.: Here are the moves made today:

Optioned to Scranton: Anthony Claggett, Steven Jackson and Phil Hughes.

Optioned to Trenton: Humberto Sanchez.

Reassigned to the minor-league camp: Jason Johnson and Sergio Mitre.

Players left in camp: 43.

UPDATE, 11:06 p.m.: Hughes had a very positive spring. Counting his appearance against Team USA, he had a 3.00 ERA over 15 innings and allowed only eight hits. He walked seven and struck out 10.

Assuming he continues to pitch well, he’ll be first in line when the Yankees need a starter during the season. Hughes showed a much sharper curveball and more confidence in his change-up. I’ve written this a million times, but he’s 22. You’re seeing him take the steps to become a complete pitcher and it’s a good bet that he will help the Yankees this season.

UPDATE, 11:35 a.m.: Watching some BP on Field 2. Cody Ransom has power than you might think. That’s my observation of the day.

UPDATE, 11:50 a.m.: Now I’m watching Tony Pena use a pitching machine to shoot bouncing balls at Jorge Posada. It looks painful. Joe Girardi is watching and seems to be having fun.

The catchers stick together.

UPDATE, 1:02 p.m.: Talked to Swisher again. He took BP on the field and did some running. “I’m playing tomorrow,” he said. We’ll see what Girardi says about that later on.

UPDATE, 1:20 p.m.: General David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, threw out the first pitch. He was accompanied by Goose Gossage and Ron Guidry. Jorge Posada caught the ball.

UPDATE, 1:22 p.m.: We’re underway here in Tampa. Hope you’re somewhere where you can listen to Suzyn and John on the radio.

UPDATE, 1:28 p.m.: 1-2-3 inning for Joba. Inge struck out swinging, Polando flew to left and Sheffield lined to left, a ball Johnny Damon made a nice sliding catch on.

Joba fell behind 3-0 on Sheff, came back to 3-2 before Sheff fouled a few pitches off. Then he hit one of his trademark liners to left field but Johnny had him played well.

UPDATE, 1:35 p.m.: Young Porcello seems lost somewhere in the swamps of Jersey at the moment. Melky had a little dink double over the third-base bag. Damon advanced him with a grounder to second. Teixeira then walked.

UPDATE, 1:37 p.m.: Well, he’s a top prospect for a reason. Porcello struck out Matsui with a breaking pitch then got Nady to ground meekly to first base.

UPDATE, 1:46 p.m.: 1-0 Tigers. After striking out Thames with a wicked curveball, Joba allowed three straight singles. The first one (by Larish) was a grounder than got past Cano in the hole. Then Laird and Clevlen had solid shots to center. Raburn delivered a sac fly to right.

UPDATE, 1:56 p.m.: Joba fanned Everett to end the inning. 1-0 Tigers.

UPDATE, 2:08 p.m.: Joba struck out two more in the third inning He has really great stuff today, especially his secondary pitches.

I have him at 55 pitches after three innings, however. 38 of them have been strikes. If he goes back out there, it won’t be for long.

UPDATE, 2:16 p.m.: Angel Berroa singled, went to second on Melky’s groundout and just scored on Johnny Damon’s double to right. 1-1.

Angel was telling us some great stories before the game about playing with Rabbit Maranville back in the day.

UPDATE, 2:17 p.m.: Glory days, they’ve passed Porcello by as Tex doubles and it’s 2-1 Yankees. Porcello has been lifted and Clay Rapada is pitching.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: Joba retired the first batter he faced in the fourth inning and was pulled. I have him for 60 pitches but I could be off by a couple.

His last three starts: 9.1 innings, 9 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts.

You’d like to see him have some shorter innings but that will come with experience. Joba gives up a lot of foul balls, a sign he needs to finish hitters off.

UPDATE, 2:37 p.m.: Johnny Damon (yes, Johnny Damon) threw out Laird at the plate to end the fourth inning. Solid throw by Johnny and a great block of the plate by Molina.

UPDATE, 2:39 p.m.: Joba threw 61 pitches in his 3.1 innings, 41 strikes. His last three starts: 138 pitches, 88 strikes.

UPDATE, 3:05 p.m.: Mariano Rivera in to pitch the sixth inning. It’s weird seeing him to come in while they’re playing YMCA.

Speaking of which, I have a bad feeling that the lame YMCA bit will be taken over to the new Stadium. They really need to change the script.

UPDATE, 3:09 p.m.: Mo gave up a hit. Stop the presses. He had retired eight in a row before then.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: Rivera needed a stunning 12 pitches (10 strikes) to get four outs. His line this spring: 3 1 0 0 0 4. 28 pitches / 21 strikes.

UPDATE, 3:22 p.m.: Edwar Ramirez in to pitch now.

UPDATE, 3:24 p.m.: The Yankees subbed out the entire lineup. Now we have Gardner, Cervelli, Miranda, Bernier, Nunez, Leone, Linden and Rodriguez in. The crowd is fleeing for the early-bird special.

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: Detroit has tied the score at 2-2 against Ramirez. I’ll be headed down to the clubhouse soon, so this could be it for updates.

Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada went and got some work in at the minor league complex yesterday. Both were pleased.

If you have not seen it already, please take a look at the reader Q&A with Joba Chamberlain posted earlier today.

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Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports has a good column on how Derek Jeter has helped promote the WBC.

Like Derek Jeter, Brian Cashman, Mariano Rivera, Jason Giambi and Phil Hughes in previous years, Joba Chamberlain was gracious enough to answer questions submitted by readers of this blog.

There were nearly 500 questions e-mailed in. I told Joba I would narrow it down to 10, but I managed to squeeze in 15 questions. If your question was not selected, please do not be offended. It was hard picking out the best ones. I tried to do a mix of baseball and off-field topics.

I avoided questions about his role on the pitching staff, midges, A-Rod’s use of steroids and Joe Torre’s book. Those topics have been beaten into the ground, right?

There was one question I forgot to ask. That was “Who would win a cage match between you, CC Sabathia and a bear?” I will try and ask him that today and get back to you on that.

We recorded the interview in the hallway outside the clubhouse on Thursday afternoon. It was pretty quiet until — of course — Nick Swisher walked by yelling about something.

Here’s the audio of the interview:

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The transcript follows:

John asks: I was wondering if you had any special superstitions or specific things you do before a game or before coming into a game?

Joba Chamberlain: “I try and do the same thing over and over. Like try and eat the same thing before and get dressed the same way.”

Follow-up question: Is there something you specifically eat?

Joba: “I usually have a steak and potato before the game. And for a night game I’ll usually have a big bowl of pasta like about 1 o’clock before I get going or maybe eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before I start. But usually I don’t eat anything before a night game.”

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Ken asks: Any advice for a nervous seventh grader getting ready for tryouts?

Joba: “Just to have fun. Everybody puts so much pressure on trying out because you want to be on the team. But as long as you have fun and understand that it’s a game and you can have fun, that’s the biggest thing.”

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Many people asked: Now that you’ll be a starter full-time, are you going to try to throw your change-up more than you did when you were a reliever?

Joba: “If the situation calls for it. It’s probably my fourth-best pitch. I’m still continuing to get better with it. But I think if it’s not called for, then there is no need to. Just look at A.J., he only throws two pitches and he doesn’t necessarily need to throw his change-up.”

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Adam asks: Why do you wear the brim of your Yankees cap flat?

Joba: “I always have. I always have. I don’t know, it’s just one of those things where I get it out of the box and put it on.”

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Patrick asks: There must be days when you’re warming up in the bullpen that you find a certain pitch just isn’t working. Do you toy with that pitch anyway during the game until it comes back or do you shelve it for the rest of the day?

Joba: “You try to go to what’s working. In the bullpen you usually have a feel for what’s working and what’s not. Sometimes you do have to put it in the shelf because you don’t feel right with it or you try and throw it once in a game and then you know you’re definitely going to scratch it.”

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Tom writes: Who is your best friend on the team?

Joba: “Ooh … I don’t know. I mean they’re all kind of. CC probably, I mean he’s my locker partner and A.J. I think just because he and CC are kind of the same individual. And A.J. and me were the same pitcher growing up. I think it’s probably surprisingly those two guys. Just because with the older guys you have that relationship. You ask me in the middle of the season and it’s probably going to be different. Those guys are coming in and you try to make them feel comfortable.”

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Kirsten writes:: Your career has moved at a much faster pace, more so than that of most younger players. If you could go back and give advice to your 2007 self, what would you say?

Joba: “Slow things down. They’re so … especially in New York, things are going so fast. I did a terrible job my first year of slowing things down. Not so much on the field but probably off the field. You’ve just got to be happy for the situation but slow a lot of things down.”

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Mike writes: You’re from the Cornhusker state, the home to some of the most rabid and knowlegable college football fans in America. Can you compare Yankee fans to Nebraska football fans?

Joba: “Wow. They’re probably exactly the same. I mean, it’s funny. The Bronx area kind of shuts down on game day and the state of Nebraska shuts down on a football Saturday. It becomes the third-largest city in Nebraska on a football Saturday. So the passion for football is very, very similar.”

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Marc writes: If you were starting a band on Rock Band or Guitar Hero World Tour what teammates would you choose, who would play what instruments and who would sing?

Joba: “Who would sing? I would probably go with Nick Swisher singing. Probably me on the bass. Hughes on the guitar and on the drums … it would probably be Johnny Damon. That would be awesome to see.”

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Jill writes: Who is your favorite musician?

Joba: “Favorite musician? Group or singer? Oh, man. Shoot. Group would have to be Rascal Flatts and singer would have to be Jay-Z.”

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John writes: What’s the best piece of advice your dad ever gave you?

Joba: “Have fun. His motto always is you don’t have to be the best, you have to try your best. There are always going to be people who are more naturally gifted. But if you give everything you’ve got, that’s all you can ask for.”

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A lot of people asked: What is the most important thing you’ve learned from CC and A.J. this spring?

Joba: “Wow. Just try to relax. Those guys come in with a lot of pressure Just try to relax and have fun and just go about your business in a daily fashion.”

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Lance: Who do consider to be the toughest out in the league?

Joba: “Toughest out in the league? Probably Manny or Pujols. I’ve never faced Pujols; I’ve never faced Manny. But I’ve seen Manny a lot more than I’ve seen Pujols. Right now I’d have to say those two.”

Follow-up question: Right now they’re not in the league any more.

Joba: “Yeah, they’re not in my league. In my league? Wow. I always have trouble with Mike Lowell.”

(He was right on the mark, by the way. Lowell is 3 for 7 against Joba with a homer and only one strike out.)

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Erik writes: As a young guy in New York, do you worry about the media spotlight? Does it keep you from having any fun?

Joba: “No. You definitely have to pick your spots, obviously. There’s a time to go have fun and a time to shut it down. That’s part of the thing about growing up in New York. Literally, I’m growing up. I was 20, 21 coming up here. You’ve just got to pick your times to have fun. You have to enjoy yourself, you have to. But there’s certain times when you don’t and you’ve got to be careful.”

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Ruthie writes: Are there any TV shows you watch religiously?

Joba: “TV shows I watch religiously? Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

Me: “That’s not on any more.”

Joba: “Yes it is. Its re-runs. But I don’t care, I’ve seen them all. And Man V. Food on the Travel Channel. That’s dude’s from New York. All the time. I love it.”

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Thanks again to everybody who sent in questions. It was a lot of fun doing the interview. After I recorded the interview, Joba told me he appreciated people having so much interest and he thanked everybody for their good wishes.

Thanks also to Joba for taking the time to help out the blog.

The plan is to conduct several more of these reader Q&As over the course of the season. Keep an eye out for the next call for questions.

This sign makes me laugh every time I drive by, so I finally stopped to take a photo. I swear, I only went in to talk about baseball.

So it seems that Derek Jeter is building a big house.

No, a really big house. A gigantic house.

According to the Tampa Tribune, Jeter is building a seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom waterfront mansion on Davis Island in Tampa that will be 30,875 square feet. It will be the largest private home in Hillsborough County.

How big is that? The average Best Buy is 39,700 square feet. The captain dropped $7.7 million on the property alone.

In other news, A-Rod announced plans to build a house that is 30,876 square feet.