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Breaking news: Nady injured

Peter Abraham
April
14

Xavier Nady had a “sharp pain” in his right elbow in the seventh inning and was taken out of the game.

He previously had elbow surgery.

MRI tomorrow.

UPDATE, 10:58 p.m.: Nady had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 29, 2001. He was injured tonight in the seventh inning when Carlos Pena singled and he threw the ball back to the infield.

“I’m definitely kind of nervous,” Nady said. “But I have to be optimistic. Hopefully it’s scar tissue breaking off. … It was very painful.”

If Nady is injured, the Yankees have a ready replacement in Superman Nick Swisher. But this greatly cuts down on their depth. Now you have to use Hideki Matsui and it’s harder to give Jorge Posada a day off and so on.

There are several options in AAA starting with Shelley Duncan and John Rodriguez. I would be shocked if they promoted Austin Jackson to be a bench player. He needs to play every day at this stage of his career.

Nady will have an MRI tomorrow morning and we should know more by the early afternoon. But it certainly sounds like bad news. For X’s sake, hopefully not.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 10:24 pm by Peter Abraham.
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314 Responses to “Breaking news: Nady injured”

  1. jennifer

    Oh wow, I was wondering why he was taken out.

  2. adam

    well that sucks

  3. Perry

    Not good but…I guess we wouldnt have to worry about fitting in Swisher anymore.

  4. Rishi

    not good….wishing him all the best

  5. bodhisattva

    Which elbow is it?

  6. Russell NY

    Not good – now you can’t just slide Swisher in when you want to sit guys =(

  7. Tomer

    Thats not good news but we can play Swisher as much as we want now. I guarantee Swisher will go back to his 08 form and cool off with Nady out. That is just the Yankees’ luck!

  8. SCRANTON

    Retired

  9. THU

    I’m praying it nothing, Nady is a pretty part of the team and I’d hate to have him miss even a few games.

  10. Al from BK

    Good news Swisher gets ALOT of at bats Bad news Poor Nady :(

  11. Jeter in LF

    We cannot afford injuries. Feel better, Nady.

  12. joe

    shelly duncan time as back up

  13. S.A.--It's a marathon, not a sprint

    Oh Damn. :(

  14. bodhisattva

    Tomer
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
    Thats not good news but we can play Swisher as much as we want now. I guarantee Swisher will go back to his 08 form and cool off with Nady out. That is just the Yankees’ luck!
    ==========
    But that’s why we have the depth.

  15. pat

    Bad way to end off a good night. :sad:

  16. Boston Dave

    that is not good. as great as swisher has been, the yankees had room for error and could keep guys fresh because of their depth. now there is no room for error and their bench takes a big hit if he’s out for a while.

  17. jennifer

    No- Shelley won’t be up. Shelley is not on the 40 man.

  18. eric

    the bad news about swisher starting off so hot is that his expectations (especially in light of the nady injury) have now grown exponentially… there’s gonna be a lot of pissed off fans when he regresses to .240BA, and tons of K’s.

  19. jint51

    damn that really weakens our bench

  20. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    Well how the hell did that happen ! :x

  21. Boston Dave

    at least wait until ARod is back to get hurt

  22. Carl

    SWISH!!!!!!

  23. james

    its not good at all what happens after the next injury melkey shelly

  24. jennifer

    Same elbow he had TJ surgery on. When he threw the ball into second he felt a sharp pain. He hopes it is just scar tissue. Had surgery on it in 2001.

  25. Joe from Long Island

    Depending on how serious it is, we may see how much they trust Melky. We’ll know the answer if Cash goes and trades an arm or two for an OF. (Lastings Milledge just got sent down to AAA by the Nats. If he’s got anything, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as a low cost pickup.)

  26. Russell NY

    It seems like the Yankees are ALWAYS decimated by the injury bug.

  27. jennifer

    Good to see everyone crawled out of their holes.

  28. Russell NY

    Joe – good pointing out Milledge. I’d take a flyer.

  29. Jeff NJ

    Thank god Cashman didn’t listen to all those who said to trade Swisher or Nady. Depth is so so so important. Melky is hitting, start him. Of course start Swisher either for Matsui or Damon if he is still sick.

  30. Jeter in LF

    Milledge isn’t free.

  31. joe

    no position players on the 40 man except juan miranda (and francisco cervelli). I guess they could bring up miranda and go with cabrera as the only back up outfield (plus Matsui as emergency)

  32. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    I’d trade IPK+Melky for Milledge right now sign me up.

  33. andrew

    well they just found where to put swisher in to get some AB’s

  34. Jeter in LF

    Actually, if Nady is hurt, it would have been fortunate if Cash had traded him.

  35. Betsy

    And the balloon has been punctured………god, we can’t even enjoy the game before this news has to come down. I hope X is ok, but it doesn’t sound good at all.

  36. MikeEff

    dice K is getting tattooed by the A’s…

    lets just hope that Nady is OK

  37. Russell NY

    3-2 Boston now.

  38. Al from BK

    I guess Swish is everyday RF? Gard/Melk in LF and CF with Damon mixed in? Hopefully we are only 2 weeks away from an A-Rod.

  39. Phil

    I hope he feels better soon. He’ll be a righty DH if he doesn’t. I hope Damon can get back tomorrow.

  40. jennifer

    Betsy- He is just hoping it is scar tissue breaking up. That would be the best news right now.

  41. Russell NY

    Brandon – me too. You put Milledge in RF, Gardner in CF, Damon in LF and keep Swisher in the role he is in.

  42. Rebecca-Optimist Prime...Staying to Write the Story

    Wow, Nady hasn’t even had his MRI yet, we don’t know how bad he’s hurt.

    We have so much depth, though, that while I wish for Nady to get healthy ASAP, I’m not freaking out.

    I mean, we have scored 4+ runs every game, and we’ve done that WITHOUT A-Rod.

  43. Freddy K

    Great, now our only depth is Melky

  44. jennifer

    6 ip 8 hits 4 runs for Pavano.

  45. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    Cashman get on it rob Lastings from Washington, you can do it !

  46. Free Booze

    Matsui in the OF? Have you seen him try to run the bases? This really hurts our bench but at least we have good depth there. Melk will be getting more consistent playing time if this is anything serious.

  47. you gotta have faith (bronx zoo 2009)

    first lets figure out how serious this is before you start getting into panic mode and discussing trades, sheesh

    great game tonight, everyone who was moaning and whining about gardner being in the lineup look stupid right now.

  48. Rishi

    boston/oakland tied

  49. Russell NY

    Tie game for Boston. Sox need DiceK to step up with Fecket out.

  50. Jeter in LF

    Freddy K

    Great, now our only depth is Melky
    __

    Rebecca-Optimist Prime…Staying to Write the Story

    Wow, Nady hasn’t even had his MRI yet

  51. pat

    Milledge? Really? The Nationals sent him to AAA.

  52. MikeEff

    Brandon–seriously…do you think they might trade him to us? he’d fit in perfectly

  53. Tseng- Rename "Cy Young Award" the "Swisher" award.

    Figures it’s nady and not the guy who was pumping 75mph heat the other day.

  54. Free Booze

    What’s all this Milledge talk? It sounds like this board is expecting him on a bus tomorrow and we don’t even know the extent of the injury haha. Pete is gonna need to break out the Panic button again.

  55. Russell NY

    4 pitch walk for DiceK. Suddenly I’m not so upset about Wang.

  56. joe

    noo! this sucks.

  57. BGNYY

    Don’t panic yet, he could be perfectly fine

  58. Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)

    The Red Sox beat reporter “reporting” on all things Red Sox right now…

  59. Phil

    Austin Jackson would probably get a call before they’d make a trade for Lasting Milledge or any other marginal major leaguer.

  60. Yank1

    Guys… we’re fine with a Damon-Gardner-Swisher OF

    This kills our depth though, and when a guy needs a rest, the lineup is going to be ugly. But we’re fine for now. Hope Nady recovers soon though

  61. Giuseppe Franco

    Austin Jackson would probably get a call before they’d make a trade for Lasting Milledge or any other marginal major leaguer.

    ———

    No way. Jackson is not ready for prime time yet.

    Wait until at least September when he has a full season of Triple-A at-bats under his belt.

  62. AROD fan

    convenient given swisher the new true yankee’s arrival.

  63. Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)

    According to Gammons, Frodo Baggins Pedroia hasn’t been able to hit this week due to a local person in his hometown making death threats against his family.

    Also according to Gammons, Pedroia also prefers boxer-briefs.

  64. pat

    AJ on Baseball Tonight

  65. vikram

    This will hurt the depth, but hopefully melky will step up.
    And we need matsui to start turning it on.

  66. MikeEff

    ok dice k is really being trounced now

  67. Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)

    Wow. Ravech and the Red Sox beat reporter Gammons look absolutely disgusted while interviewing AJ.

  68. Free Booze

    vikram were you watching the office before?

  69. jennifer

    Did I already miss AJ?

  70. randy l.

    injuries are going to happen. that’s why you have depth. the yankees won without damon tonight . they can win without nady if it comes to that, but it’s to soon to panic.

    something may have just come loose and is in a bad spot. there’s lots of possibilities.

  71. bodhisattva

    Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
    Wow. Ravech and the Red Sox beat reporter Gammons look absolutely disgusted while interviewing AJ.
    ========
    Are you serious? These people are an embarrassment to their profession.

  72. jennifer

    Dice K getting pounded becuase of me. He is on my fantasy baseball team. :)

  73. joe

    dice-k is pulling a wang.

  74. CW

    @ Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)

    Haha… Well, if the Pedroias weren’t getting all R. Kelly with the locals, there wouldn’t have been a problem.

  75. Free Booze

    Burnett looks real good going into his showdown with Pavano ha ha.

  76. Trevor

    Burnett on MLB channel.

  77. Bo knows

    The Big Matsu, five runs in the first inning, 43 pitches.

  78. bodhisattva

    Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
    According to Gammons, Frodo Baggins Pedroia hasn’t been able to hit this week due to a local person in his hometown making death threats against his family.
    Also according to Gammons, Pedroia also prefers boxer-briefs.
    ======================================

    That’s revolting.

  79. Jeter in LF

    jennifer

    Dice K getting pounded becuase of me. He is on my fantasy baseball team.
    __

    Sweet!

  80. MikeEff

    i missed aj too dang it. i would have loved watching gammons fight back the tears

  81. bodhisattva

    CW
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
    @ Zach in Melbourrne, AUS (formerly Zach in Port Jeff)
    Haha… Well, if the Pedroias weren’t getting all R. Kelly with the locals, there wouldn’t have been a problem.
    =========
    ???

  82. kill.schill(ing)

    Hey, if we’re going to indulge in pure wish-fulfillment: Bring Bobby Back.

  83. Jeter in LF

    joe

    dice-k is pulling a wang.
    ___

    It’s a family oriented blog!

  84. bodhisattva

    MikeEff
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
    i missed aj too dang it. i would have loved watching gammons fight back the tears
    =======
    he’s on MLB Network right now

  85. Phil

    Giusseppe Franco,

    He’s hitting .480 and second in the IL in walks. He’s better and more worthy of a spot on the 40 than most of the crap that’s available. And you rush hitters and take your time with pitchers.

  86. Betsy

    AJ on MLB now……they asked him to identify himself and he’s like “it’s me………tattoos everywhere”, lol

    I love his sense of humor

  87. joe

    how about bernie?

  88. bodhisattva

    kill.schill(ing)
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
    Hey, if we’re going to indulge in pure wish-fulfillment: Bring Bobby Back.
    ============================================
    He’s been awesome. What a great, professional hitter he is.

  89. jennifer

    I can’t believe the free preview of the baseball games is over. :( I wanted to watch the sox game.

  90. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    ‘Brandon—seriously…do you think they might trade him to us? he’d fit in perfectly’

    Reports are Acta just doesn’t like him. He still has potential and is more a COF than CF, I’d try to steal him because it’s clear Washington doesn’t want him like Chicago gave up on Swish.

  91. MikeEff

    bodhisattva

    thanks!!

  92. CW

    … it was a Brett Pedroia reference.

    To quote GOB, “Come on!”

  93. m

    Just got in. Hope nothing’s seriously wrong with Nady.

    What a game, huh? Tim Montemayor was hating on the Yankees. Saying Ransom’s (huh?) going to make an error and AJ would lose the game 3-2. He said that Girardi possibly had no business managing the majors. And that they would be stupid to send AJ back out for the 8th. Well, glad he was wrong on every account. He did say, “what do I know?” when AJ sat down the order in the bottom of the 8th.

    Was the game thread happy hour? Thoughts on the game?

  94. AROD fan

    kill.schill(ing)
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
    Hey, if we’re going to indulge in pure wish-fulfillment: Bring Bobby Back.
    ========================================
    He’s been awesome. What a great, professional hitter he is.

    —-
    totally

  95. Rishi

    Toronto loses in extras

  96. MikeEff

    wow i just saw a web gem on mlb network of abreu making great play–at THE WALL no less!!

  97. Bronx Jeers

    OMG did you guys see Abreu’s catch?

    on the Wall? What the!

  98. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    AJ Burnett had a curveball that dropped 11.5 inches on Navarro, biggest drop on a pitch by any pitcher this season.

  99. pat

    I just saw Abreu dive into the wall to make a catch. :shock:

    Did he not like the blue color of the wall in the Bronx?

  100. Rebecca-Optimist Prime...Staying to Write the Story

    Got this from my brother:

    “burnett had a 11.6 inch drop off in his curveball tonight in his strikeout against navarro”

  101. GreenBeret7

    In Charleston, Brett Marshall was outstanding. 6 innings, 2 hits 1 run (unearned), 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 1 WP, 1 Hit batter.

    Venditte was outstanding in relief to get the win. 2 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks 5 strikeouts.

    Bad news, Angelini was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and another error at shortstop (5th of the year). 2 left handed bats (one a switch hitter), 5 right handed bats.

  102. kill.schill(ing)

    Yep, Buddah, he has been. And did you see Abreu’s catch in RF robbing a home run.

    Once Abreu’s price dropped, I thought Cashman was foolish not to re-sign him for a year and/or to think Nady was a commesurate replacement.

    Ironically, Abreu would have cost less than Nady.

  103. jennifer

    Tim Montemayor

    Who is that?

  104. Russell NY

    DiceK is out of the game haha

  105. MikeEff

    hey Dice K is out of the game already
    masterson in

  106. GreenBeret7

    The pitching line on Venditte was as follows: 2 left handed bats (one a switch hitter), 5 right handed bats.

  107. Bernard

    Can everyone go to Schilling’s blog (painful I know) and vote against him in his own greatest pitcher ever bracket poll? He’s such an ass…

    http://38pitches.weei.com/spor.....6s-vs-11s/

  108. jake

    Aww man this isnt good…i know people are saying, “yes!, we have swisher!”. but i would rather have nady and swish, then nady and melk/gardner..I say Bring up Ajax for a shot, if this injury lingers on and has to be put on the DL.

  109. Jeter in LF

    m

    …Thoughts on the game?
    ___

    My primary take is that this team has guts. They shook off any letdown from AJ losing his no hitter and came right back and scored a run, and then tacked on more runs later while not giving the Rays any more.

    Gardner broke out, Jeter was great at the bat, and Swish was tough. Throw at his head and he’ll take you deep.

    And btw, Pena > Ransom

  110. Betsy

    I’m so on cloud 9 now that I’m going to stay positive about Nady – it could be scar tissue from his TJ surgery (but wasn’t that in 2001)? In any case, I don’t feel like getting upset just now………it sucks, though.

  111. stuart

    Abreu play was OK he was 5 feet from the wall. Ajax played LF tonight and is on fire so far.

    The yanks have plenty of depth.. Melancon on fire in SWB.

    The Yanks are loaded guys.. should be 5 and 3(the Joba start) but on 4 and 4 all on the road without Arod and Tex missed 3 game already. Gardner playing just fine…..

    The best news is Jorge is playing well and getting some games of behind the plate…Looking good….

  112. MikeEff

    halladay is beating schill 67% to 33 %

  113. bodhisattva

    MikeEff
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
    wow i just saw a web gem on mlb network of abreu making great play—at THE WALL no less!!
    ==========
    Have to credit Girardi with addressing this with him. There was some improvement with us. I’m glad for him. The poor guy suffered a bad injury and had an issue. I wish him well.

  114. pat

    Thoughts on the game?

    It’s all about the pitching.

  115. Al from BK

    Halladay is a great pitcher sadly he spent all of his career in Toronto.

  116. Russell NY

    My fantasy team so far:

    Lackey – DL
    Webb – DL
    Soto – near DL
    Ichiro – DL
    Carpenter – DL

    God what a terrible start for me!

    And I have Haren who dominates but his team cant score runs so he loses and I lose a ton of points

  117. Betsy

    M, Jeter in LF is right – the team fights.

    AJ was brilliant tonight – he’s got game, he really does. To walk into the Rays turf and just dominate them, after an embarrassing loss the night before where the pen was decimated, shows what he is made of. I know that will make you happy!

  118. bodhisattva

    jake
    April 14th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
    Aww man this isnt good…i know people are saying, “yes!, we have swisher!”. but i would rather have nady and swish, then nady and melk/gardner..I say Bring up Ajax for a shot, if this injury lingers on and has to be put on the DL.
    ==================================================
    AJax is getting nowhere near the Bronx until September. He’s just turned a corner. They are not going to risk ruining his progress by asking him to jump yet another level up here.

  119. AROD fan

    Jeter in LF
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
    jennifer
    Dice K getting pounded becuase of me. He is on my fantasy baseball team.
    __
    Sweet!

    ———————–
    Hey, thanks for the advice, Jeter in LF. The draft for my fantasy team is Sat. Now I know who to pick :)

  120. m

    Thanks guys. In the sac fly at-bat in the 8th, Montemayor (bitter Cubs fan) intimated that there were 2 pitches that should’ve been called strike 3. What do you guys think? Was the ump generous? I’m a little doubtful myself about an ump giving us anything!

  121. Boston Dave

    Daisuke was seen grabbing his hip early in the 1st inning.

    Who knows?

    Of course their rotation was voted the deepest by ESPN so they can afford an injury.

  122. Patrick

    This is really bad news and if the injury is serious then I feel really bad for Nady. He is a free agent after this year and with another good season he could have cashed in big time. I am hoping for the best, Nady is important to the team.

  123. m

    Oops. That was supposed to say Tex’s at-bat.

    Daisuke out early. Chris Carpenter taken out early even though he gave up nothing.

    Knock on wood guys, we need all our starters to stay healthy.

  124. GreenBeret7

    They aren’t going to start another rookie in the outfield and they aren’t bringing Jackson up to sit on the bench.

  125. bodhisattva

    kill.schill(ing)
    April 14th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
    Yep, Buddah, he has been. And did you see Abreu’s catch in RF robbing a home run.
    Once Abreu’s price dropped, I thought Cashman was foolish not to re-sign him for a year and/or to think Nady was a commesurate replacement.
    Ironically, Abreu would have cost less than Nady.
    =================================================
    No, but I saw him make a nice catch in left vs. Boston. (They had Matthews playing RF that night).

    Cashman wanted us to get younger and more athletic (although I don’t know how Nady qualifies for the latter; and he’s got no arm at all out there). Also, people kept harping on his “decline”. All I know is, the guy’s a guarantee to work the count to 3-and-2.

  126. Joe Mama

    Losing Nady would be terrible. Swisher is on fire right now but I don’t see him putting up these numbers all year. I hope it’s just scar tissue and nothing more serious

  127. stuart

    Nady is important to the team but they absolutely can win without him.. WIth Arod back they are loaded…

    Matsui DH…damon, gardner, and swisher in the OF is not great but good. the difference is there rotation is very very good… they have a great rotation and hughes in reserves in case of an injury..if any of the pen arms fail they have legit options below; melancon, robertson, and others..

    THEY ARE LOADED SPORTS FANS….

  128. Boston Dave

    GB7,

    you’ll never be able to quell all the calls for AJax to be rushed to the majors. some people don’t really understand or haven’t been reading your posts.

  129. stuart

    And yes fail sorry for Nady but the guy is making over $3 mill. this year…Not bad for playing a game….

    He will get a nice contract next yr. but nothing earthshattering he is not a game changer….

  130. Boston Dave

    “Ironically, Abreu would have cost less than Nady.”

    You are assuming Abreu would have gone back to the Yanks at the same discount that he gave the Angels.

    That’s a big assumption IMO.

  131. m

    5/9 of the Sox lineup is under the Mendoza line. Well, technically, Pedroia’s right on the line, but that’s after 1/2 so far in the game. There’s an article on mlb.com saying they’re confident they’re going to break out soon.

  132. Vader

    Boston Dave…and nobody remembers how Phil could have used a full season in AAA either.

  133. hardwired

    How on Earth can the Yanks ever replace a .280 hitter w/occasional pop?

  134. GreenBeret7

    Boston Dave
    April 14th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
    GB7,

    you’ll never be able to quell all the calls for AJax to be rushed to the majors. some people don’t really understand or haven’t been reading your posts.

    ————————————————————

    Unless they’re in dire straits and can’t make a reasonable trade, the worst mistake would be bringing Jackson up too soon. The pitchers will eat him alive with breaking pitches.

  135. Joe Mama

    Baltimore vs texas game is getting close
    texas down by 3 bases loaded nobody out

  136. Boston Dave

    “How on Earth can the Yanks ever replace a .280 hitter w/occasional pop?”

    It’s a question of depth and flexibility.

    It wouldn’t be a crippling injury if it’s serious but that doesn’t mean he’s not an important part of the team.

  137. Giuseppe Franco

    Giusseppe Franco,

    He’s hitting .480 and second in the IL in walks. He’s better and more worthy of a spot on the 40 than most of the crap that’s available. And you rush hitters and take your time with pitchers.

    —————

    He’s been in Triple-A for just over a week. Talk about a small sample.

    I’m excited over this kid too. But he’s not ready to hit regularly against major league pitchers.

    He needs a full season of Triple-A ball. They are not going to rush this kid.

  138. Russell NY

    “Of course their rotation was voted the deepest by ESPN so they can afford an injury.”

    I disagree though. With Smoltz not back for a little while, Penny an injury risk, and Beckett out for 6 games I don’t know if the Sox can afford an injury to DiceK.

    That would leave them with: Lester, Penny, Bucholz, Masterson, Wakefield.

    Take into consideration they have no Manny to come up with clutch hit after clutch hit.

  139. Patrick

    All of you knocking Nady are stupid. Even if you have Swisher starting in RF you lose a lot of depth if Nady is gone. I like how Girardi has been moving Swisher around and letting Nady DH when Matsui needs a day off. Both of these guys are useful players.

    The Yanks can win without Nady but it will be more difficult than winning with him.

  140. pat

    Youk complaining that Giambi pushed him off 1B to double him off.

    Jason’s not a dirty player, just clumsy. :smile:

  141. MikeEff

    Carpenter went on the DL?

  142. m

    pat,

    Maybe Giambi’s drunk?

  143. YankeeDiva

    And yes fail sorry for Nady but the guy is making over $3 mill. this year…Not bad for playing a game….
    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    It’s okay to feel for someone (regardless of how big their wallets are), steep pockets don’t make people immune to the disappointments and set backs of life.

    I hope Nady is okay.

  144. Vader

    Is is me or does it seem that most media/journalist types, went to school in Boston and are now transplanted Sawx fans that are trying to recapture their youth.

  145. Russell NY

    I’m starting to like this MLB Network. I like how they show you all games around the league at the end of the games.

  146. miggs

    Anyone know if Dice -K was taken out due to ineffectiveness or injury?

    He only pitched one inning then Masterson came in.

  147. pat

    Yankees left 15 on base tonight. They need to work on that this year.

  148. Boston Dave

    Russell NY,

    I agree. I was being facetious.

    The Sox do have some depth in the rotation thanks to Buchholz but I personally don’t think Penny is going to survive and and injury to the rotation still hurts.

  149. m

    no, Carpenter exited in the fourth inning in a game he was winning 3-0.

  150. Spiced Ham

    FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. Hope it’s nothing and he’s ok :(

  151. Boston Dave

    miggs,

    I’m watching the game and didn’t hear them say anything.

    He did grab his hip early in the 1st.

    He was most likely pulled because his pitches looked awful. His velocity was down and he couldn’t control anything.

  152. Patrick

    pat, They were facing one of the top pitchers in the league. Yeah they need to drive more runs in but come on, it was versus Garza.

  153. m

    Someone here mentioned Daisuke grabbed at his hip? Jesse Litsch (Jays) to the DL with forearm issue.

  154. Boston Dave

    If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the Red Sox were cursed so far.

    Last inning, a lazy fly ball was hit to Holliday but the wind knocked it down. Holliday had to come racing in the make a diving catch, which he may have actually dropped.

    He makes the catch and guns it to first to try and double up Youkilis. Youk gets back just in time but then trips over his own feet and falls off the bag. Giambino tags him for the out.

    Youk looked up and kinda complained that Giambi tripped him but it was as clear as day that he just fell on his own.

  155. Boston Dave

    m,

    he kinda grabbed his hip but I didn’t see any grimace and the trainers didn’t come out.

    his pitches looked off tonight and that’s hard to say about Daisuke because his pitches are always all over the place.

    his fastball was sitting around 88-89 and he had no control of it… walking guys on 4 pitches or throwing it right down the middle.

  156. Russell NY

    Is it just a rumor Boston Dave or are they really discussing a DiceK injury? Will need to know for fantasy lol

  157. miggs

    Just seems like even if he let up 5 runs in the first they would let him try to continue. No one wants to have to pitch 8 innings out of the pen unless its absolutely necessary.

  158. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    ESPN dissed Brett Gardner they keep showing Jeter’s hit as the clutch hit it was Gardner’s hit that won us this game, that plus Swish and AJ’s pitching. Jete just made sure AJ and Mo didn’t have to pitch.

  159. Late Night with WHO??

    If it’s serious then we may be in trouble b/c Matsui hasn’t been hitting anything this season and now he’ll have to play everyday unless we call up a J-Rod or Duncan(both of whom are not on the 40)

  160. pat

    Patrick

    Understood Garza pitched well tonight but they have the same issue against guys who don’t pitch as well.

    Looking a little better this year so far but innings like the first tonight are too common.

  161. br

    baseball rocks!

  162. PittsburghYankeeFan

    Hope X is OK. If he goes down, makes you wonder a bit about last year’s trade with the Pirates.

    We had to get rid of a lot of pitching clogging in Scranton and Trenton, but to give up Tabata for what they got back…hmmmmm.

  163. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    Let’s hope the MRI is negative…

  164. AeroFANatic

    Great win tonight. Gritty performance after getting shellacked last night.

    I think Bruney has won himself the 8th inning setup role. Marte and for now Coke are the situational lefties only.

    Veras, Ramierez, Alabaldejo are all just arms who will be interchanged during the season for Robertson, Claggett, Jackson, Melancon (after May 15), etc.

  165. A.l.i.a.s.

    Carl Pavano outpitching Chien-Ming Wang this season!

  166. Buddy Biancalana

    Carpenter isn’t on the DL yet, but he was taken out of the game due to an injury.

  167. GreenBeret7

    PittsburghYankeeFan
    April 14th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
    ***Hope X is OK. If he goes down, makes you wonder a bit about last year’s trade with the Pirates*** .

    We had to get rid of a lot of pitching clogging in Scranton and Trenton, but to give up Tabata for what they got back…hmmmmm.

    ————————————————————

    If teams thought like that, they’d never make a trade.

  168. m

    Technically Team LOB was only 5. But yeah, individually they left a lot on the table.

  169. KO

    Who knew getting Swisher would be so important for the Yanks? The guy is getting more valuable by the second and this news about Nady is only adding to Nick’s worth. If the Nady injury is serious, it definitely cuts down on their depth but it would be far from a mortal blow. To be entirely honest, aside from one big hot streak last season the guy has been pretty average since we got him. He’s looked mediocre at the plate, doesn’t have a good eye in general, and is a borderline liability in the outfield. Plus he is painfully slow. Personally I will not miss Nady after ‘09. There is no chance they resign him

  170. pat

    From Newsday:
    “Damon……is battling a respiratory infection, which has been made worse by a lack of sleep as his mom, Yome, was hospitalized with a lung infection and a cyst on her lung on Saturday. She was released today though and is doing much better.”

    Get well soon Johnny and Mommy Damon.

  171. KO

    by the way did anyone see that Abreu catch tonight where he sort of jumped up against the wall? There is no chance in hell he even ATTEMPTS to make that catch w the Yanks. When he had our uniform on it was like he thought the fence was made out of electrified barb wire.

  172. m

    KO,

    I’m going to toot my own horn here. While I could never have predicted Swish would be pitching and playing this well, I did say at the time is that he was a great pickup. Contact hitter, good on-base guy, and we would soon learn, versatile.

    Strain in left ribcage. Swinging in his last at-bat. Can you imagine if Johan Santana got hurt swinging the bat? They’d implement the DH in the NL.

  173. m

    Update on Chris Carpenter:

    Strain in left ribcage. Swinging in his last at-bat. Can you imagine if Johan Santana got hurt swinging the bat? They’d implement the DH in the NL.

  174. miggs

    As Big Papi goes 0-3 so far tonight bringing his average to a stellar .185 on the year, it brings me great pleasure to notice that FIVE of Boston’s regulars are batting under .200 so far this year.

    Dice K’s era stands at a staggering 12.79, to go along with Okajima’s 13.50 era and lester’s 9.00 era.

  175. Backbench

    Really like this RS starting rotation.

    Lester has enrolled in the IPK School of Public Relations.

    “I’m sure you guys are getting tired of me saying this, but I don’t think I pitched as bad as the line score says,” Lester said.

    http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....cs_at_bay/

  176. miggs

    Watching the Yankees rerplay on YES and just saw this across the bottom of the screen…

    “Dice K leaves game with apparent hip injury after 1st inning.”

    Never want to wish harm on anybody but it wouldn’t be terrible if he missed a few starts.

  177. Al from BK

    Assuming A-Rod is back in 2 weeks and Nady isn’t here is the line-up:

    Jeter-SS
    Damon-LF
    Tex-1B
    A-Rod-3B
    Matsui-DH
    Swisher-RF
    Cano-2B
    Posada-C
    Gardner-CF

  178. vin

    Tie game in Oakland. Boo.

  179. Coach6423

    Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !) April 14th, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    I’d trade IPK+Melky for Milledge right now sign me up.

    IPK and Melky for an OF that the winless Washington Nationals just sent to AAA…..what kind of drugs are you on???

  180. m

    Lester’s correct, he didn’t pitch that badly. But jeez. Bite the bullet once in a while.

    No celebration yet, Boston cuts the lead to 1.

  181. Boston Dave

    Russell NY,

    No clue on a Daisuke injury. It was not being discussed.

    I just saw him grab his hip and his pitching was horrible. He had no velocity and couldn’t locate at all.

  182. Boston Dave

    they were talking more about the WBC and that maybe Daisuke was tired from that

  183. Boston Dave

    Giambi has made two really nice plays at 1st to scoop throws and save runs.

    where was that when he was in NY???

  184. tampayank

    Hopefully it’s not serious for X but the Yanks can lose him and be ok, A-ROD may be back in a few weeks so hopefully all goes well and it’s not a season ending injury for X. I was at the game tonight, AJ really stepped it up, got nervous after 6 innings, had the feeling of a possible no hitter so was a bit crushed when Crawford got that first hit but great outing by AJ to save the beat up bullpen & Swish is just on fire right now!

  185. m

    Yikes 5-5. Eveland @ 108 pitches through 4.2 innings.

  186. vin

    Al,

    Posada needs to hit higher than 8th.

    Jeter
    Damon
    Tex
    Alex
    Posada
    Matsui
    Swisher
    Cano
    Gardner

    I can live with two lefties at the end of the lineup… especially if that means a guy with decent speed hits in front of Gardner. No point in slowing down our fastest baserunner.

  187. tampayank

    another reason not to have the WBC in March

  188. DT

    Giambi actually has decent hands and can scoop throws.

    His problem was his throwing arm and lack of range.

  189. Boston Dave

    “but to give up Tabata for what they got back…hmmmmm.”

    ————-

    The shenanigans that went on with Tabata recently have only enforced the reasons for trading him away.

    If he was still in NY he’d have been eaten alive even if he had nothing to do with his wife’s allegations.

    You know what? Sometimes a players character matters. In this case, it did.

  190. eric in queens

    Dave Letterman just mentioned Ross Ohlendorf in his top ten!?

  191. pat

    Girardi said that Matsui is not an outfield option even in an emergency. Let’s hope Alex’s hip rehab works out better than Hideki’s knees.

  192. Boston Dave

    m,

    still, if Oakland wins this game, it’s bad news for the Sox (which is good news for everyone else).

    they look flat and even though they have 5 runs, in the past these were games where they would have eaten Oakland alive.

    It’s early and the Sox will win their share of games but there are more questions with that team now than there were a week ago.

  193. Boston Dave

    though Masterson looks pretty good

  194. vin

    We’ll see what news comes out tomorrow on Nady… but if he’s out for an extended period of time, I think Cashman makes a trade for an OF. The minor league options just aren’t good enough.

  195. m

    pat,

    Didn’t Dr. Phillpon swear on his mother’s life that everything was a-ok?

    Boston Dave,

    I’m trying to decide which child I’m willing to give up for an Oakland win tonight.

  196. Boston Dave

    I believe this a career high in pitches for Masterson as a reliever with a whopping 60 (I don’t believe they really stretched him out in the spring for this many pitches)

    The Sox are going through what hte Yanks did yesterday with their pen.

    If they don’t get an AJ like performance from Wakefield tomorrow, their pen is going to get worn out a bit.

  197. A.l.i.a.s.

    F*ck you J*son Bay!

    Is there a more clutch hitter than J*son Bay?

  198. Boston Dave

    lol m,

    If Oakland even takes the series I’ll be happy.

    The Sox get back home and have 4 games against the suddenly hot Baltimore offense.

    If they wear out their pen in this series, they could be in real trouble when Baltimore gets to town.

    It may not be realized until later in the season (and this is premature but wishful thinking) but if their pen needs to be used often early on they could be toast by August.

  199. AeroFANatic

    Get ready for those Melky/Kennedy for Cameron and cash rumors again!

  200. miggs

    No way do I see Cashman making a trade. Why would you make a trade?

    Damon, Gardner, Swisher with Melky as the 4th. You also have Matsui.

    You’re going to trade valuable players for an outfielder they don’t need? Come on now.

    This is why you have depth. For a situation like this. No reason to panic and make a trade when its not necessary at all.

  201. A.l.i.a.s.

    I hope D*ce-K has career-ending injury.

  202. Boston Dave

    NESN says still no word on Daisuke (for those who have him on their fantasy team)

  203. Stop.

    Don’t wish injury on anybody. Gross.

  204. A.l.i.a.s.

    … but best wishes to him with regard to all non-baseball-related stuff.

  205. m

    You guys are not going to want to hear this, but if Nady (heaven forbid) is out for any significant amount of time, you won’t see any moves immediately. Cashman will start Swish in right, with Melky as the 4th OF. He’ll let the market develop and if you like our prospects, you better pray that Oakland plays well.

  206. jint51

    jason giambi is looking real thin on oakland… nomar too.

  207. tampa yankee from long island

    AeroFANatic

    it was melky and igawa and cash for mike c….kennedy alone brings more than him back

  208. Betsy

    Alias, please……..that’s just wrong. How can you wish injury on anyone, nevermind career-ending? sheesh.

  209. DT

    NESN says Dice-K left with “arm fatigue”

  210. tampa yankee from long island

    m

    explain please

  211. Boston Dave

    report:

    Daisuke left the game with “arm fatigue”

  212. vin

    “Damon, Gardner, Swisher with Melky as the 4th. You also have Matsui.”

    Have you been watching Matsui hobble on the bases? His days as an outfielder are done. Girardi would be better suited using Pena in a pinch than Matsui.

    Besides, my speculation was based on Nady missing significant time. This is the Yankees… they will make a move if it benefits the team. The last thing Cashman wants to do is let the final years of Posada, Mo and Jeter go to waste because he thinks Damon, Gardner/Melky, and Swisher might constitute a WS caliber outfield.

  213. miggs

    A’s 2 on 2 out against Delcarmen. Cabrera up.

  214. miggs

    Ok so you want to trade for a 5th OF?

    Seriously? Because if you want to trade for a starter then you’re saying Damon, Gardner, Swisher isn’t good enough. So one of them needs to sit. Makes no sense.

  215. DT

    If Nady is DL bound – it will be interesting to see what the Yanks do.

    The OF was crowded already (if Melky had options, he might not have made the team previously) – so bringing up an outfielder isn’t a necessity.

    Rodriguez and Duncan would require a 40 man roster move.
    Duncan makes more sense since he’s a righty, Rodriquez bats left – as does Miranda.

  216. vin

    The “great” Manny Delcarmen walked a bit of tight rope there, but got out of it.

  217. m

    tampa,

    Matt Holliday

  218. AROD fan

    report:

    Daisuke left the game with “oops, can’t pitch today”

  219. vin

    “Seriously? Because if you want to trade for a starter then you’re saying Damon, Gardner, Swisher isn’t good enough. So one of them needs to sit. Makes no sense.”

    That IS what I’m saying. I think Cash would look to get a known commodity for either CF or RF, depending on who’s available and which guy falls off. You have more faith in Gardner/Melky than I do. I hope you’re right, but I just think this team would be better with reliable ML centerfielder.

    I’d love to see Gardner or Melky continue to hit, but I’d be more surprised if they do than if they don’t. Cashman wouldn’t make a trade for 5th OF (who would?), he would restructure the roster instead.

    Everytime I think Cashman will stand pat, he ends up making a move. We’ve seen him do it too many times (Justice, Abreu, Pudge).

  220. miggs

    Giambi letting Drew get on with that error. Bad, bad play there. That’s the Giambi we know and love.

  221. vin

    Nice play, Giambi (cringing).

  222. Boston Dave

    even if Nady is out, the Yankees have 4 OF and ARod coming back soon.

    they are fine

  223. tampa yankee from long island

    m

    that’s what i thought.but why would oakland playing well trade there best player with a shot for a playoff run.if there out of it he’ll be dealt for sure.

  224. Boston Dave

    miggs,

    Giambi has actually made quite a few nice plays so far in the game. I’ll let that one slide if they get out of the inning.

    2 on though

  225. miggs

    Vin you don’t need a reliable OF, that’s what I’m saying.

    They didn’t need a replacement for Gardner/Cabrera before, why would they now?

    Swisher is arguably better than nady so I don’t see your point here at all. There’s no sense making a move just to get someone “reliable”.

  226. Boston Dave

    tampa,

    that’s what m said. if they play well, they wont trade him.

  227. miggs

    “Everytime I think Cashman will stand pat, he ends up making a move. We’ve seen him do it too many times (Justice, Abreu, Pudge).”

    Ok Cash traded for Abreu because Matsui AND Sheffield were out with long term injuries. They had no one.

    Pudge was acquired because they were playing Molina 5-6 times a week and he was a black hole in the lineup.

    These situations aren’t even in the same league.

  228. tampa yankee from long island

    boston dave,

    thanks i read it wrong,i’m tired.

  229. Jeter in LF

    You can’t make a trade of consequence in April anyway.

  230. vin

    “They didn’t need a replacement for Gardner/Cabrera before, why would they now?”

    Here’s our fundamental impasse. I’ve always felt they did need a replacement. But if I had to, I could live with Cabrera/Melky being the 5th OF, but now the lack of depth has made them the 4th OF which is significant on a team with an achy LF, an unproven CF and a RF who may or may not have to make spot starts at 1B.

    I see your point, I just have the feeling that Cash will use this injury (if it ends up being serious) as an opportunity to bolster the OF. We don’t call him stealth for nothing.

  231. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    ‘even if Nady is out, the Yankees have 4 OF and ARod coming back soon.

    they are fine’

    Yup and no offense to Shelley but John Rodriguez would be my first choice.

  232. miggs

    Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nady is fine. Its not common for a player who went through TJ surgery to have a tear again in the same area. They use a stronger tendon to replace the one that tore and pitchers usually don’t have further problems in that area.

    Its one reason they went after Burnett so hard… he had TJ already. Players rarely need it twice, especially position players.

    Its probably the blog going overboard with anxiety. I bet he’s fine.

  233. tampa yankee from long island

    if we need a right handed bat until a-rod gets back i wan’t shelly.but he’s not on the 40 man.

  234. miggs

    Come on Holliday.

  235. PAT M

    I agree with you Boston Dave, this is a very good and balanced ballteam…And for the first time they have depth…I was surprised that Berroa was sent down..But unlike many here calling for trading Swisher or Nady, there was several bloggers here responding to the trade talk by pointing out the need for a strong bench which has been lacking since 04……I think this is the deepest club across the board that we’ve had in the Bronx since 03

  236. Boston Dave

    ump screwed over Delcarmen and gave Giambi a leadoff walk

    (there were 2 pitches that were strikes and called balls)

    oh well :)

  237. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    J.Rodriguez >>> Shelly

  238. m

    miggs,

    not over-anxious. just talking contingency plans. :)

  239. myrtlebeachfan

    This may sound ridiculous, but now Melky can get some consistent playing time. Believe it or not, if Melky knows that he is going to be starting consistently, he will probably play a lot better. His mistakes and sloppy at-bats seem to be a result of his discouraging situation as our former starting CF.

    If we can put him consistently out on the field, maybe he can rebound from his difficult last season and early 2009.

    It wouldn’t hurt to DH Damon while Matsui rides the pine.

    Nady getting hurt is not a good thing, but it certainly doesn’t do too much damage to the team. Not having A-Rod is the big thing right now. Replacing Nady with full time Swish is nothing major. It actually makes us better.

    But for the sake of depth, let’s hope he’s ok.

  240. miggs

    I hear ya Mel.

    Just thinking positive. Or trying to.

    I guess we’ll know tomorrow.

  241. true facts

    Can someone tell me if his love for Gardner is serious or making fun of Brett’s crazy fans?

    When Gardner does anything, he gets an update in this blog but when he plays poorly or Melky plays well, there are no updates.

    Melky is hitting and can play when needed. No reason to get Austin or Shelley. I don’t understand your obvious dislike for him!

  242. rconn23

    Bobby Crosby got a hit. Someone alert the press.

  243. Boston Dave

    ok, the ump is just horrible (this time against oakland)

    very inconsistent

  244. tampayank

    Longoria out for Wednesday’s Yanks-Rays game b/c of a family matter

  245. Boston Dave

    true facts,

    what is wrong with Pete having players he likes?

    I don’t think he’s said anything bad about Melky. He just happens to like the high energy guys like Swisher and Gardner.

    I don’t see any issue there.

  246. Boston Dave

    tampayank,

    hope its nothing too serious but that is a huge plus for Pettitte.

  247. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    ‘Longoria out for Wednesday’s Yanks-Rays game b/c of a family matter’

    hope it’s not serious

  248. vin

    Was that an 89 mph change-up from Ramirez?!

  249. true facts

    There’s absolutely nothing wrong, it just seems so apparent. I can understand liking (or loving) someone, but don’t allow that to skew the facts about a player. Brett Gardner is hardly as amazing as some posts here would make you believe.

  250. Nick in SF

    Who is this ‘Melky’ you speak of…?

  251. Buddy Biancalana

    m-

    Just read there was a 5.0 earthquake on the Big Island. Did you feel it?

  252. vin

    I think someone is missing out on a little sarcasm.

  253. m

    true facts,

    Melky had plenty of updates over the last two years.

    But, yes, I think Pete’s playing up the GGBG (Gritty, gutty Brett Gardner) thing.

  254. tampayank

    I remember Pettitte having a great start against the Rays late last season(maybe in September), hopefully he repeats that tommorow afternoon

  255. m

    OMG, Buddy. Didn’t feel or hear anything about it. Thanks for the heads up.

  256. Boston Dave

    true facts,

    I’ll grant you that. People tend to get excited about guys and Melky was forgotten about.

    I don’t think Pete is saying that Duncan or Rodriguez would start over Melky though.

    Gardner earned the CF spot from Melky fair and square. If he struggles well into the season, they’d prob make a change. Until then, I think any suggestion that he can’t hack it is premature.

    He adds a presence on the bases that nobody else can provide. We better hope Gardner plays well enough.

  257. true facts

    I had no problem with Brett Gardner, his psychotic fans made him a bit annoying.

    I just wanted to know if his Brett Gardner praise was serious or sarcastic and I got two different answers.

  258. Casual33

    I love the GGBG thing but is “Gutty” even a word. Don’t we mean “Gutsy”?

  259. Bo knows

    What, did everyone flunk grade two spelling, what’s a there player, is he one that’s not here. You’re sending him away, your mind is porridge and ignore all your comments. Which is correct? Okay, maybe it’s “I can’t communicate” It’s painful trying to read this chit.

  260. m

    Wow. That was like 6 hours ago. The only shaking I felt was the Rays in the batter’s box.

  261. vin

    tampayank,

    He dominated the Rays on July 19:
    8ip 0runs 0bb 5k

    Didn’t face them after that, but I’ll take a repeat of that performance.

    http://www.baseball-reference......;year=2008

  262. Boston Dave

    big AB for Pedroia here

  263. true facts

    Calm down Bo. Those are grammatical errors, not spelling errors.

  264. Boston Dave

    Bo Knows,

    Before criticizing the spelling, you might want to work on your own grammar. Your content is still horrible but at least you wouldn’t be a hypocrite.

  265. Boston Dave

    Oakland needs to get to Ramirez here…

  266. Boston Dave

    April 17th

    Carmona vs Wang

    the battle of two 0-2 struggling sinker-ballers

  267. Boston Dave

    18th

  268. PAT M

    Bo Knows is in the house…..What did you think of AJ’s outing tonight ?????

  269. Christina

    Pavano looked good again today.

  270. m

    Hey, hey. Get along now. Nady’s pain notwithstanding (sp?), today was a great day.

  271. vin

    true facts,

    To me, Pete’s infatuation with Gardner started in spring training last year, when Girardi kept referring to him as a “very intriguing” player (or something to that effect). Pete then started to acknowledge what it is that Gardner does that makes him unique compared to Melky, and its continued from there. Some of the fans here took it to mean he would be our version of Ellsbury. Unfortunately, when he came up in the 1st half and struggled everyone’s hopes and dreams were crushed. His improvement during the second call-up rekindled our aspirations. Also, his performance this spring, coupled with our growing frustration of Melky, got everyone excited about a player who could provide something this team hasn’t had in awhile – Grittiness and Guttiness.

    That’s the short-form version of the story – I don’t have the energy to get into the Melkyisgod vs. Brettisgod story. We’ll save that for another day.

  272. m

    An Oakland win in extra innings would not be entirely undesirable.

  273. Boston Dave

    A’s really need to get a walk-off win here to deflate Boston even more

    5-5 going to the 9th

  274. Nick in SF

    Good seats still available at the Tightwad Associates Coliseum…

  275. Boston Dave

    As of this moment, the Sox have just 3 of the 11 guys who’ve played tonight hitting over .200

  276. Boston Dave

    sorry, meant to type .210

  277. Boston Dave

    ump in the Sox game is just awful (numerous bad calls on both sides at least)

  278. Giuseppe Franco

    Very interesting piece regarding Mark Melancon.

    Believe it or not, he has even more bite on his curve ball than he did last season with some tweaks.

    I guess this explains his sharp increase in strikeouts so far.

    ———————

    Mark Melancon spent his first full professional season last year building up his arm strength, pitching more to location, and developing his changeup into another plus pitch. But now he’s made improvements to his out-pitch, and even though it’s just one week into the new season, it seems his game is coming together already.

    It wasn’t all that long ago that Mark Melancon posted a 7.69 ERA in six appearances for the Yankees in big league Spring Training and allowing nine hits in a little more than five innings.

    “I guess I didn’t put that much thought into Spring Training,” he said. “I felt I had an idea that I’d be in Scranton. Mainly I just wanted to get my arm going and get all of pitches to where they needed to be by the beginning of the season.

    “It wasn’t that I was stressing about how many runs or how many hits I gave up, although obviously every time you go out that’s your goal, for me it was just day by day getting closer to being ready for Opening Day.”

    Fast forward to the first week of the baseball season and Melancon has quickly righted the proverbial ship, tossing three straight scoreless relief appearances for the Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees and not allowing a hit until his third game.

    “I feel really good,” he said after picking up the win over Buffalo on Monday. “My curveball last year I didn’t think was as strong as it could be.

    “So in Spring Training, in the last few days of big league camp, Scotty Aldred – he’s always trying to help me in any way, shape, or form – the curveball was the main thing I was targeting.”

    “We decided to change grips a little bit. I went to a knuckle-curve and right away when I started throwing it there was more depth to it.

    “I just kept playing with it and working on it, and it’s really improved. It’s kind of what I had in college, so that’s been a big help for me so far.”

    He didn’t actually throw a knuckle-curveball in college, but he admits the break he has been getting on his new and improved curveball this season is similar to the one he had in college, as is its effectiveness as a strikeout weapon.

    “Anytime you have a solid out-pitch, strikeouts come with that,” Melancon said. “And good location – all of those things have to come together – first pitch strikes, and then a solid out-pitch. And then deception comes into play too. I think this curveball has really helped my strikeouts.”

    While he has piled up eleven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings so far this season, Melancon says it’s not due to any designed plan but rather the culmination of the hard work he put in during Spring Training.

    “Even though I was throwing the knuckle-curve in Spring Training, I didn’t have a great feel for it,” he revealed. “It’s really funny, in the opening game against Lehigh Valley it just kind of showed up. It was almost surprising how good it was. Now I realize what I’ve done to make it like that.

    “It’s just a shorter, quicker arm, which is what Nardi [Contreras], Scotty [Aldred], and everybody has told me, but sometimes you just have to feel that and realize exactly what it is you’re doing to cause that to happen. It’s hit me. Anytime now I have that checkpoint; do I have that short, quick arm? Am I staying on-top?”

    Just like last year when he put his numbers on the back-burner so he could master his changeup, he once again put development at the forefront of his Spring Training goals this season over piling up statistics.

    The end result has been a much more effective out-pitch so far this season, taking his already plus curveball to an entirely different level.

    “I would say so,” he opined. “Another thing that I’m starting to catch on to better than I had [last year] is getting a feel for hitters during at-bats and knowing what to go to next as the at-bat goes along.”

    Posting less than a strikeout per inning last season had some pundits questioning whether or not he had closer-stuff, but Melancon feels he can be the same pitcher he has been thus far this season in the big leagues someday.

    “It’s still me pitching out there. It’s not like I’m having an out-of-body experience or anything. Just because my strikeouts have gone up in the last three games, it’s not like I can go celebrate.

    “I think I’ve found something with the curveball, but I still have to go out, compete, and I realize these [hitters] are putting in a day’s work just like I am, so I can’t lose concentration,” he concluded.

  279. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    ^^

    June

  280. Nick in SF

    Brandon, when did you become a narcissist?

  281. Boston Dave

    GF,

    interesting stuff.

  282. Boston Dave

    Is anyone else watching the A’s vs Sox game?

    worst home plate ump I’ve seen in a while. just gave Okajima 2 strikes to Holliday that were way off the plate even though he’s been calling everything a ball even if it’s on the corner all game.

    should have been a walk, instead it’s a K

  283. Nick in SF

    Watching. Giambi was wise not to try to throw that to 2nd. I mean, Tex could have done it, no problem…

  284. Bo knows

    I believe maybe it was in Grade one. Jack and Jill went up the hill, both fell down and broke there? crown (points away and laughs)no, their crown. We have kindergarten graduates posting here. Challenged at the grade one level. English is a funny language, some words sound the same, so we use context. Can anyone spell context, well most of you can.

  285. Boston Dave

    Nick,

    Agreed.

    big AB here… bases juiced

  286. Nick in SF

    Hahaha, Big Pop-Up.

  287. Joe Mama

    Yeah watching that Red Sox game the ump is just awful
    Seems like he’s randomly calling strikes and balls

  288. IrishCarBomb

    this ump is pretty awful.

    you wonder how umps can be this bad?

  289. Bo knows

    Hey Pat

    Gotta love that tatooed man. Step right up and strut your stuff. Here is what I’ve got, now go ahead and hit it. Crumbled a bit after the hit but got himself together. Didn’t do it in Toronto until maybe last year. I think we lucked out and got keepers in both he and Swisher. Have to mention a soft spot named Bruney. Top gas. Fun to watch. But those two in the Tampa OF are also a pleasure to see. Wow!

  290. Bo knows

    m

    It’s simple “If you don’t condemn, you condone. I was just ranging myself on the side on apple pie, motherhood and GB7. I even did poetic licence re plural, singular.

  291. Boston Dave

    Sox pen is at 202 pitches and counting…

  292. Boston Dave

    sorry, 160 and counting

  293. PAT M

    Bo Knows, Just think that there was large contigent here that wanted Derek Lowe over AJ….He’s going to be a 20 game winner and a Cy Young contender…….Love that arm

  294. Swisher Brandon (I LOVE ME SOME ME !)

    ‘Brandon, when did you become a narcissist?’

    A quarter to nine :lol:

  295. Bo knows

    Well I was strongly in the AJ camp. Don’t like the length of the contract, but you pays your money –. I’m impressed by his maturing to this new level. As I said even last year he would have crumbled. I suspect Molina had something to do with it, great catcher. At one time he called for 4 curveballs in a row and then the high heat. Or that Langoria at bat, classics.

    Lowe would be toast with the Yankees, that left side defense would mortalize him.

  296. Boston Dave

    A’s win!!

    Travis the Buck stops here!

    Boston pen throws more than 180 pitches and they lose.

  297. RalphieD

    good job A’s

  298. Bo knows

    Boston loses, Okay now it’s pumpkin time.

  299. Jay

    Joe Mama,

    What did you say MLB Extra Innings showed Bruney’s pitches as clocking in at?

    P.S. I rewatched the My9 coverage (by rewinding my DVR). And the fastest speed shown for any Bruney pitch according to them was 92 — with two or three clocking in at 91 and one at 90, as I recall.

    In the game thread, Ro-bin-son (jonR) says that the YES speeds shown have been funky — with some fastballs being clocked at 60, so he wouldn’t be surprised if the My9 radars were iffy, too.

    That theory would seem to be bolstered, too, by the way that the Tampa Bay hitters were being blown away. Not what you expect from a 91-92 mph fastball.

    But again, what exactly did the MLB Extra Innings gun suggest for Bruney’s pitch speeds?

  300. Joe Mama

    Jay
    he threw 9 fastballs 6 were at 95 2 were 94 and one at 93.
    you can check out gameday too, they show pitch speeds

  301. Giuseppe Franco

    Bruney was hitting 95 MPH on the gun consistently according to GameDay.

  302. G. Love

    Just want to say something and this is directed purely at raymagnetic and that bodi-whatever poster who felt it okay to call posters in here who criticize Cano and Melky “racist”.

    You two are absolute complete morons. Morons. MORONS.

    I’m quite certain that “racist” remark was intended for me and other posters because I had the audacity to post what a great change of chemistry Swisher has brought to the club.

    You two MORONS are the racists because you are threatened by people who post in here who praise Swisher and Gardner thinking we do so because we’re racist.

    My favorite player on the Yankees is Mo. My other favorite Yankees have been Bernie, Reggie, Tino and Posada at times.

    You know why I love those players and don’t have the patience for a guy like Cano and Melky?

    Because those players play with heart.

    Cano was gutless last season.

    Gutless.

    The team had to bench him.

    I read Torre’s book and there’s a section dedicated to Cano about how he came to a game one day and told Bowa he wasn’t going to take ground balls and was just going to hit because that’s what he felt like doing.

    This was in his first season.

    Apparently that took Bowa and Torre by surprise and they made Cano take fielding practice even though he didn’t believe he needed it.

    That’s not the kind of player I love.

    I love Mo and by the way he’s latino if you two MORONS hadn’t noticed.

    Mo doesn’t make excuses. Mo doesn’t dog it. Mo doesn’t get distracted. Mo plays not for himself, but for the team.

    Cano and Melky have both been immature at times. Last season they both contributed greatly to sinking the season. It wasn’t all their fault, but they had a big role in the bottom of the order being a joke last season.

    You want to throw the racist card around you two MORONS, go somewhere else.

    I like Yankee players who give a damn about the team and not just themselves. That’s what I and many other fans spark to.

    You two are so transparent because you are so threatened when anyone on this board comes out in favor of someone that threatens Melky and/or Cano.

    You two should look in the mirror before you start calling out other fans in here.

    MORONS.

  303. Jay

    G. Love,

    I completely agree with you about Melky and Cano. Unless they’re threatened with being benched or sent down to the minors, they don’t do anything at all to improve, or even maintain, their game. If you watch Melky run the bases, he’s a spectator watching the play in the field when he turns the corner at 3rd base instead of running all out. And both of them eat garbage fast food instead of paying attention to what they put in their body.

    Then again, Jeter apparently sees nothing wrong with going out frequently during the season and partying — unlike Manny Ramirez who arrives at the batting cage every day before anyone else and stays there longer. But I guess that’s just Jeter being Jeter.

    I heard on one of the SNY shows last night that Jeter doesn’t even bother subscribing to MLB Extra Innings or even watching games when he’s home. I guess that would interfere with his night life.

  304. Jay

    Joe Mama and Giuseppe Franco,

    Thank you very much for those reports on Bruney’s pitch speed. That’s super news. I guess I’ll just stop caring what YES or My9 shows for pitch speed in the future.

    Giuseppe Franco,

    With apologies in advance for my ignorance, what is GameDay? And how do I access it?

  305. Al from BK

    I noticed that as well the YES gun must be 4-5 mph slow because it had AJ throwing 90-91 when he was obviously throwing gas, and Bruney was coming in at 92-93 when he was throwing high 90’s.

  306. SwisherRocks

    Best comment I’ve seen on here G. Love.

  307. IrishCarBomb

    I was watching the Rays feed, and AJ was getting up to 97 at some points.

  308. Jay

    IrishCarBomb,

    Thank you for that info on what the Rays feed showed for AJ’s speed. It’s much appreciated.

  309. Jay

    IrishCarBomb,

    Did you notice what pitch speed was for Bruney (on the Rays feed)?

  310. AROD fan

    Just want to say something and this is directed purely at raymagnetic and that bodi-whatever poster who felt it okay to call posters in here who criticize Cano and Melky “racist”.

    ==========================================

    he he, raymagnetic and bodi-whatever are the only intelligent people on this blog. the thought of a blog full of G Love’s and without any bodi-whatever/raymagnetic relief makes me laugh!!

  311. NYYanksFan

    G Love

    You raise some valid points but when you resort to name calling it lessens the intelligence of them.

  312. Jay

    Giuseppe Franco,

    Never mind. I found GameDay (using Google). It’s awesome! Wow. Thanks.

  313. Joe Mama

    Jay,

    Gameday gives you live updates on the game if you can’t watch it on tv.

    go to mlb.com there on the left are all the scores for the day, scroll over to where it says wrap and click it, then click on the gameday tab in the upper left hand corner. That should get you to Gameday you’ll figure it out from there.

    During the game next to the scores there will be a baseball diamond just click on it and you will be taken to gameday live

    here is the link for today’s game
    http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday.....;mode=wrap

  314. Joe Mama

    nevermind

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Thoughts and discussion on the 27-time World Champion Yankees.

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About the authors
Chad JenningsChad Jennings joined the The Journal News in October 2009, having spent the better part of seven years covering baseball in Scranton, PA. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and an award-winning beat reporter and features writer. E-mail me at cjennings@lohud.com
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Sam BordenSam Borden is an award-winning journalist who joined The Journal News and LoHud.com in January 2008. He covered the Yankees for the New York Daily News from 2004-06, and has also worked as a columnist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. E-mail me at sborden@lohud.com
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Sam BordenJosh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. E-mail me at jthomson@lohud.com
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