The LoHud Yankees Blog

Joba Chamberlain struck out 12 but the Yankees lost (again) to the Red Sox.

Rick Carpiniello writes in his column that Joba looked every bit a starter last night.

Jorge Posada is on the DL with a hamstring tear. This notebook also has updates on Alex Rodriguez, Alfredo Aceves and Chien-Ming Wang.

After issues with some upset fans on Monday, the Yankees said they would improve communication during delays.

The Yankees are 0-5 against Boston getting outscored 38-23 against their rivals. They are 8 of 54 (.148) with runners in scoring position over those five games.

Joe Girardi talked after the game about his team needing to come out tomorrow with a chip on their shoulder. That’s all well and good. But Boston is headed home to play Cleveland. The Rays are here tomorrow.

The Yankees have 25 players on their roster and you can make a case that 11 of them (Berroa, Pena, Cervelli, Gardner, Robertson, Ramirez, Melancon, Veras, Albaladejo, Hughes and Aceves) may or may not belong in the big leagues at this point. That’s 44 percent of your team.

The Yankees have too many injuries to expect them to be better than 13-13. It’s somewhat of a miracle they’re .500, actually. This isn’t about being tougher, it’s about being better.

As Tyler Kepner and I were walking back to the press box, he made an interesting point. It’s not so much that the Yankees lose games, it’s how they lose games. They’ve lost five to Boston. They’ve had losses when they’ve allowed 10 (twice), 15, 22 and 16 runs. Their losses are hideous.

I don’t think it would be fair to pin it on Joe Girardi. But the manager is lucky that reasonable Hal Steinbrenner is running the team and not his impetuous father.

Thanks for reading today. Back at it tomorrow.

YANKEES (13-12)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Pena 3B
Molina C

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (1-0, 3.13).

Chamberlain vs. the Boston hitters.

RED SOX (16-10)
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Bay LF
Lowell 3B
Drew RF
Bailey 1B
Varitek C
Green SS

Pitching: RHP Josh Beckett (2-2, 7.22).

Beckett vs. the New York hitters.

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m., YES, NESN.

WEATHER: The iPhone weather application says it’ll be sporadic rain and in the mid 50s tonight. If they played last night, they’ll probably figure out a way to play tonight. The tarp is down at the moment so don’t rush here to watch batting practice.

THE RIVALRY: The Yankees are 0-4 against Boston this season, getting outscored 31-20. The Yankees very easily could have won three of the games.”That doesn’t matter,” Derek Jeter said last night. “Bottom line is we lost and we need to get it going.”

BAD BLOOD? Joe Girardi got into a shouting match with Boston 1B coach Tom Bogar last night. Bogar was trying to steal signs and Girardi didn’t much like it. Bogar said a new uncharitable words in return. Girardi was steamed after the game last night. Steamed. It’ll be very, very interesting to see what happens tonight with Chamberlain and Beckett on the mound. Those guys are certainly not afraid to throw at somebody.

STRANGE STAT: Mark Teixeira joined Melky Cabrera (April 22) and Nick Swisher (April 29) as Yankees to home from both sides of the plate this season. In the prior history of the franchise, only eight other players had done that.

According to Elias, the Yankees are the first team since going back to at least 1969 to have three hitters homer from each side in the same season. Now before we get too carried away, Mickey Mantle used to do it in his sleep. But it is quite a quirk that three guys did it in 25 games.

BREAKOUT: Teixeira’s homer in the fifth inning broke a 2-for-29 slump. He homered again in the eighth inning but struck out with two runners on in the ninth.

PAPELBON NOT AVAILABLE? Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon threw 32 pitches last night, getting five outs. He could be unavailable this evening.

BUT MO IS: Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera hasn’t pitched since April 30.

A-ROD UPDATE: Alex is scheduled to play seven innings in the field today in Florida. In response to e-mails, there are NO plans for him to play for any of the minor-league affiliates. He’s going to stay in Florida extended spring. Check this post later on for updates.

TICKETS: I keep hearing from e-mailers and readers that the secondary market (StubHub.com, etc.) is flush with tickets at reasonable prices. In most cases, you can download these tickets and print them yourself. So if you’re looking to go to the game, you might want to check it out.

ON THE SOX: Remember, for news from the other side, visit WEEI.com and the Full Count Blog.

Back with much more later on.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: Francisco Cervelli was called up from Double-A Trenton.

UPDATE, 4:06 p.m.: The Yankees are saying officially that Posada will be out 2-3 weeks. But within the clubhouse, the fear us that it could be more like 3-5 weeks.

UPDATE, 4:09 p.m.: A-Rod was 3 for 6 with two homers, a single and a lineout. He also had to make several plays in the field.

Sounds like a Friday return.

UPDATE, 5:28 p.m.: Just spoke to Jorge Posada He has a Grade 2 hamstring strain. That means it is highly unlikely he will be back in 2-3 weeks. He literally had trouble sitting in the chair in front of his locker when he spoke to us and winced when he straightened out his right leg.

Posada seemed pretty down.

“It’s disappointing, but I know I can come back,” he said. “But it’s tough on me, it’s tough on me because I worked really hard to come back. I did everything I could with my body to be back. It’s one of those things you can’t control. You try to stay positive but it’s not easy right now.”

If you’re keeping track the Yankees now have Posada, A-Rod, Xavier Nady, Chien-Ming Wang, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte and Cody Ransom on the DL.

If you take any team in the game and remove the catcher, third baseman, right fielder, No. 2 starter and top two set-up men, that’s trouble.

Look at it this way, there are roughly 16 important players on the team. Eight position players, five starters, three top relievers. The Yankees are down six of them. That’s nearly 40 percent of their core players.

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.: The tarp is down, the gates are open and it’s not raining. As far as I know, we’re looking at an on-time start.

UPDATE, 6:04 p.m.: Here is Joe Girardi’s pre-game press conference. Using my fancy editing program, I even deleted the dead spots in the beginning and the end. I’m quite the tech wizard.

At any rate, here is the manager talking about all the assorted issues:

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Oh, and they’re starting to pull the tarp. So if you’re wondering whether to come to the park, come to the park.

UPDATE, 6:22 p.m.: Via the AP, here is what A-Rod had to say after his game today:

“I have no idea about Friday. I feel good.”

He otherwise refused to take questions.

UPDATE, 6:44 p.m.: After the ruckus last night (see previous post), the Yankees today met with their security and staff people about improving communication with fans.

“We have about 5,000 game-day event staff,” spokesman Jason Zillo said. “Today we’re being proactive. We’ve met with supervisors and with all ranges of guest services people.”

Zillo said the team woukd make more announcements and post more scoreboard updates during delays.

“There should be once voice coming from the Yankees during any rain delay situation via either the PA announcer or scoreboard messages,” he said. “We recognize that we can give fans information more repetitively during a rain delay situation.”

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think once a fan is in the park, they should have enough common sense not to leave unless you hear an announcement. Trusting the word of some minimum-wage kid is not the best idea.

UPDATE, 6:48 p.m.: Via Chad Jennings and Mike Ashmore (thanks, guys), word is that the Yankees have re-signed RHP Humberto Sanchez. Makes sense. He’ll be rehabbing (as always) in Tampa and they’ll what they can get out of him. At least he’s not taking up space on the 40-man roster.

UPDATE, 6:59 p.m.: Baseball at 7:05 p.m. Field is ready, lineups being announced.

Oh, forgot to mention this before, Boston 1B Kevin Youkilis is out with a bad bruise on his side. It was the result of getting drilled by A.J. Burnett back in April and then again in the same spot last week Jeff Bailey is playing first.

UPDATE, 7:14 p.m.: Single, stolen base, single, single. Not the start Joba was looking for. He looks very uncomfortable on the mound and throwing a lot of breaking pitches.

UPDATE, 7:16 p.m.: Joba just hung a pitch and Bay hammered it into the left-field stands. 4-0 Boston after four hitters.

Bay owns the Yankees. He is 10 for 16 against them this season with three homers and 10 RBI.

UPDATE, 7:32 p.m.: Cano is 0 for his last 9.

UPDATE, 7:40 p.m.: Joba looked good in the second inning. Unfortunately that’s a little late to the party. … Meanwhile there are entire rows behind the plate that are empty. I realize it’s cold. But when the Yankees are playing the Red Sox, the the fourth, sixth and seventh row directly behind the plate should not be completely empty. That is a farce.

UPDATE, 7:56 p.m.: Strange game for Jobamania. He gives up five straight hits in the first inning and has since retired eight of the nine hitters he has faced, four by strikeout. It looks like it took him an inning to get started.

UPDATE, 8:03 p.m.: You have to give it up to Johnny Damon, he shows up against his old squad. That home run to the Pony League porch in right field makes it 4-3 Red Sox.

UPDATE, 8:08 p.m.: Thanks to Dave Pinto’s awesome Day By Day Database, I looked up Johnny against the Red Sox.

He is hitting only .266 as a Yankee while playing the Red Sox. But he has 11 homers and 37 RBI in 55 games. That’s not bad.

UPDATE, 8:20 p.m.: I’m sure the put-Joba-in-the-bullpen chuckleheads enjoyed the first inning. Meanwhile, he has struck out seven of the last 11 batters he has faced. This just in: He’s not going to be Bob Gibson every inning. He’s 23 and in his first full year as a big league starter. He’s figuring it all out. Give him a chance. He could be great. Not good, great.

Meanwhile, Ellsbury is out with a tight right hamstring. Jonathan Van Every replaced him.

UPDATE, 8:25 p.m.: Bad base-running mistake there by Melky as he was thrown out going to third. Nice throw by Pedroia. That’s on Rob Thomson to some degree.

I think if the Yankees tie this game, they will go on to win it.

UPDATE, 8:40 p.m.: Witness and behold Joba Chamberlain, who is filthy as filthy can be these last four innings. He has fanned 10 of the last 16 batters he has faced, eight of them looking.

Word around the league was that Chamberlain could not throw his slider for a strike and to lay off it. That is no longer the case.

Anybody who wants to waste this kid in the bullpen is clinically stupid.

UPDATE, 8:48 p.m.: Beckett might hit somebody this inning after Joba hit Bay.

UPDATE, 8:59 p.m.: Joba going back out for the sixth inning at 97 pitches. Jose Veras — shudder — is warming up.

UPDATE, 9:02 p.m.: Joba is finito after 108 pitches. Girardi got booed when he came to the mound. But you cant blame the manager for being cautious.

Joba’s line: 5.2 innings, 6 hits 4 runs, 4 earned, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts.

Now it’s raining. Uh, oh.

UPDATE, 9:06 p.m.: Joba had this place in the palm of his hand. The crowd was living and dying with every pitch.

UPDATE, 9:08 p.m: The last time a Yankee fanned 12 was Mike Mussina on May 7, 2007 at Seattle. The last Yankee to K 12 in the Boogie Down was Moose on Sept. 24, 2002.

But by all means, let’s use him in the eighth inning. That way he can strike out three guys.

UPDATE, 9:14 p.m.: Bad hop there for the Yankees as Swisher would have scored on that ball. Now it’s up to young Ramiro Pena.

The bench is Cervelli, Berroa and Gardner, what other choice do they have? This is where not having Nady hurts.

They really need to at least tie this. Because it’s an official game and if it’s called, they lose.

UPDATE, 9:31 p.m.: Looked this up on Baseball-Reference.com:

Chamberlain is the youngest Yankee to strike out 12 since Al Downing struck out 13 against the White Sox on June 21, 1964.

UPDATE, 9:40 p.m.: OK, enough of Jobamania for now. Yanks trail 4-3 and have Jeter on first. Okajima in to face Damon. Light rain here.

UPDATE, 9:49 p.m.: Albaladejo in to start the eighth inning. Maybe Melancon is out getting coffee for everybody.

UPDATE, 10:02 p.m.: It’s getting ugly here. Boston just scored an unearned run and there are fights breaking out in the bleachers. There are maybe — maybe — 50 people sitting the premium seats. The bleachers and upper deck are still pretty full, I’d say 70 percent.

UPDATE, 10:06 p.m.: Edwar with runners on base? It’s 6-3 and it won’t be for long.

That error by Pena opened the door up to this mess. As exciting as it was to watch Joba, they’re in trouble.

UPDATE, 10:11 p.m.: Well, Edwar ended the inning. 6-3 with two shots to get something done.

UPDATE, 10:21 p.m.: Hate to be mean, but I just laughed out loud. A guy in the premium seats was in his cell not paying attention to the game when a foul ball got him in the mid-section. His umbrella went flying. I do think he got the ball, however.

Hey, Mark Melancon is in.

UPDATE, 10:33 p.m.: My faith in Melancon is proving to be unfounded as he walks Pedroia and Ortiz.

The Yankees were last 0-5 to start the season against Boston in 1985. That led to Yogi Berra getting fired after 16 games. Meanwhile, Melancon has walked the bases loaded and the crowd is getting ugly. Girardi just pulled him.

Sweeny Murti of WFAN is reporting that Jorge Posada will be placed on the disabled list with a hamstring strain.

No word yet on who will be replacing him. Obviously this is a big blow to the Yankees. After never being on the disabled list in his career, this will be the third stint for Posada in about a year. Frankly, this is what happens when you have a 37-year-old catcher.

The question now becomes whether this keeps him out a few weeks or a few months. We should know more later.

————

Lots of e-mails today from fans who were part of a ruckus outside the Stadium when apparently some team employees told people the game was called. When folks left and tried to get back in, they were denied entrance.

Some people were arrested and from I understand, it was very tense.

I was in the press box, so my knowledge about this is limited to what people have communicated via e-mail. Unfortunately, it’s not a surprise. I know from dealing with them on a daily basis that the Yankees have some security people who are very aggressive.

I would say this, however. When there is a rain delay, do not believe anything you’re told by anybody until you see an announcement on the scoreboard or hear an announcement over the public address system. That is the only valid information.

A PR rep from Playboy magazine e-mailed me this Q&A they did with Scott Boras for the upcoming issue. It touches on the Yankees a little, so I thought I would pass it along.

(Full disclosure: In the interest of keeping my job, I edited out two salacious questions. If you’re that interested, buy the magazine.)

PLAYBOY: Fans say you’re greedy. Are they right?

BORAS: The last time I looked, fan was short for fanatic. Fans are fanatical about their favorite team. But athletes have choices. They don’t want to be 50 years old, saying, “I turned down $70?million. I could have done more for my family, my community, my church.” A player’s life span in the game is short; his agent is there to help him. In the end it’s not about the fans. I’m not here to win a popularity contest.

————

PLAYBOY: You have three of baseball’s five best-paid players in your stable — Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez—all of whom make more than $20 million a year. Their multiyear contracts add up to half a billion dollars. With the economy tanking, have salaries topped out?

BORAS: I don’t see that. Baseball has had record revenues for years. I expect we’ll see a ballplayer making $35 million to $40?million a year in the next decade.

————-

PLAYBOY: Did you know A-Rod used steroids? If not, should you have known?

BORAS: I’m not answering questions like that. You need to ask the player.

————

PLAYBOY: You and A-Rod almost split up in 2007 after he opted out of his Yankees contract, upstaging the World Series. What happened?

BORAS: The purpose of the opt out was to get the Yankees to say, “Wait a minute. Don’t opt out. Maybe we’ll increase his compensation.” But we didn’t want the public to know—that was clearly not in our best interests. As for upstaging the Series, what about Fox? If they thought it damaged the integrity of the game, they didn’t have to cut in with the news during a World Series game. In 1985 Major League Baseball announced its drug policy after Game Three, a move that was wholly intended to get attention during the Series. Still, I have to be accountable. I could have handled that better.

————

PLAYBOY: Your former client Barry Bonds was indicted for perjury in a steroids case. Bonds still wants to play, but no team will sign him, even at the minimum salary of $390,000. Does that smack of collusion?

BORAS: There’s some potential litigation about that. I don’t have all the facts. I will say I was very surprised he wasn’t playing last year. Anybody with that much talent whose name isn’t Barry Bonds would have been offered a contract.

————

PLAYBOY: We have to talk roids. How should the Hall of Fame deal with players of the steroids era?

BORAS: Look, the Hall of Fame is for players who distinguished themselves in their day. Each era has distinctive features—from equipment and rules to pharmacology, surgical advancements, labor agreements, federal and state laws—that impact performance. The game is always changing. The Hall’s scroll of admission must be drafted with a fluid and broad pen. Only then can it recognize excellence from every era.

————

PLAYBOY: Manny Ramirez made himself such a distraction for the Red Sox last year that they traded him to L.A., where he led the Dodgers to the playoffs. Why did he want out of Boston?

BORAS: Manny enjoyed his Red Sox teammates and loved the organization, but he did not enjoy living in Boston. It wore him out. He wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t like Cleveland.

————-

PLAYBOY: He wanted out because Boston isn’t like Cleveland?

BORAS: [Nodding] For Manny, environment is important. He had liked living in the Cleveland suburbs. I said, “Manny, I want you to play in L.A. They’ve got some really good young hitters, but they need a slugger, and Pasadena’s a lot like those Cleveland suburbs.” He had been to L.A. only three times in his life, but once we got him there he said, “This is the spot for me.”

————

PLAYBOY: Do you advise young players to watch out for baseball groupies?

BORAS: That’s a huge issue because you have high school boys making millions. We have a booklet for young players that tells them about paternity suits. It says, “If a woman has your child, it can cost you $2 million over the course of 18 years to raise that child.” We talk about using protection and having safe sex.

————-

PLAYBOY: Rubbers for rookies?

BORAS: Players can also follow a ritual: If you meet a girl at the ballpark, ask her if she knows any players from last year’s team and from the year before that. A girl who hangs around the ballpark year after year may be looking for something other than what you’re looking for. She may see you as her ticket out of town. So we tell young players, “An interaction with the wrong type of girl can wreck your career.”

————

PLAYBOY: You grew up on a farm near Sacramento, California. What were your chores?

BORAS: Milking cows, cleaning the barn. I wrecked a tractor, too. My dad didn’t tell me that listening to Giants games on the radio would distract me from my chores, so I got an oversize baseball cap and taped a transistor radio to the inside of it. I was driving the tractor, listening to a ball game, when one wheel went into a hole. The axle broke, the tractor tipped over, and I got knocked out. I remember waking up and hearing the radio—Russ Hodges and Lon
Simmons announcing the game. Then I saw my father, who had these big Mickey Mantle forearms, crushing my radio with his bare hands.

————

PLAYBOY: You went to graduate school while playing minor league ball. How did you study?

BORAS: We had 14-hour bus rides in double-A ball. Most of the players were right out of high school, so they read comic books or adult material on the bus. If you read a textbook, it was not well received. I’d stick a pharmacology book inside a playboy so they’d think I was one of the guys.

————

PLAYBOY: You hit well in the minors, but you quit and went to law school. Why?

BORAS: I had a knee operation. I was getting my knee drained every 10 days. I could hit .280, .290, but I really wanted to be the best at something, so I changed paths. Baseball can be heartbreaking. I never forgot my first spring training. On cut-down day at the minor league complex, they post a list. If your name is on it, you continue. Everybody crowded around the list, and I was on it. Phew. Then I saw guys who weren’t. First-round picks. They were done. I watched a guy go to a rusted-out van and tell his wife, “Honey, I’ve been released.” His kids were crying. I’d always thought of baseball as all good, but too many young men take a big risk to play pro ball and then go home with nothing. That’s why I think baseball should stop drafting high school kids. Other sports don’t do that. Maybe you let each team take one exceptional high school player a year and pay him a substantial bonus, but that’s all.

———–

PLAYBOY: Do you have a favorite minor league memory?

BORAS: I loved old George Kissell, the Cardinals’ coordinator of minor league development. George would give you the intel. He said fielding a grounder is like dating a girl: “You don’t go up and grab her. You gotta foster the ball.” Let it come to you. He’d knock on my door at 5:30 in the morning and say, “Boras, get up! Time for church!” I’d go, “Church? It’s Tuesday.” He said, “I saw ya play last night, and we got a lot to pray about.”

————

PLAYBOY: How would you change the World Series?

BORAS: I’d modernize it, make it five out of nine games, with the first two in a neutral city. Announce the MVP and Cy Young awards at a gala held between the playoffs and a new World Series weekend. Move the home-run contest from the All-Star Game to that week, too. The gala and home-run derby would lead to game one of the Series on Saturday, with game two on Sunday. Then the Series would go on with the final seven games in the Series teams’ cities. This way, different places get part of the Series. I want the World Series in Pittsburgh, Texas, Seattle. Teams in those markets would sell more season tickets. World Series weekend would be a major stage for corporate events; it could advance the game to the next level.

————

PLAYBOY: Have you ever taken less than top dollar for a player?

BORAS: Many times. Alex Fernandez had a big contract with Cleveland but wanted to play in Florida, his home state. We took less from the Marlins. Kyle Lohse liked St. Louis; he just re-signed without even becoming a free agent. Jason Varitek took a lot less to stay with the Red Sox in 2005. Jason said, “Get me a fair contract, but don’t negotiate with other teams. Just Boston.” I said, “That could cost you 20 percent of your value,” and he said fine. Greg Maddux loved pitching for the Cubs, but in 1993 he told me, “I want to play for a team that can win.” I said, “Greg, that won’t happen in Chicago.” We agreed that, with the Braves’ pitching and the prospects, Atlanta was a great destination. Later on Greg gave up about $30 million because he didn’t want to go to the Yankees. His pitching style suited the National League.

————

PLAYBOY: What will happen on the field in 2009?

BORAS: The Yankees should win 95 games and make the playoffs. Teixeira, with his .400 on-base percentage and Gold Glove defense, was a huge signing for them. The National League races could be very different this year. The Mets probably would have won in 2008 with the bullpen they have now. The Marlins have an up-and-coming superstar in Hanley Ramirez. Manny’s in shape for a great season with the Dodgers, and I won’t be surprised if the Cubs have a great year.

————

PLAYBOY: You’ve been heckled at ballparks. Does it hurt?

BORAS: Yeah, people come up to me and say, “You’re wrecking the game.” All I say is “I’m glad you’re a baseball fan.” Because the fans care. They love the game, and so do I. The difference is that my appreciation for the players’ skills is much higher than a fan’s because I know how hard the game is. I never wanted anything more than to play pro ball. Even the job I have, as much as I enjoy it, there’s no comparison. There is just nothing like waking up and thinking, I’m playin’ ball today.

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Interesting story on ESPN.com yesterday by Jorge Arangure Jr. He reports that former Yankees Dominican scout Ramon Valdivia is suing the team for having fired him last year. Valdivia already successfully sued prospect Kelvin DeLeon for falsely claiming he skimmed money from the player’s signing bonus.

If you’re an ESPN Insider member, check out Jorge’s new La Esquina blog. It’s about Latino players and there are a lot of interesting tidbits and stories.

The Yankees have battled but the Red Sox have their number this season and beat them again last night.

Alex Rodriguez moved closer to the big leagues. This notebook also has word on a roster move and updates on Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher.

Lots going on …

Joe Girardi thought Boston 1B coach Tim Bogar was stealing signs or location. Girardi yelled out, “You’re going to get somebody hurt,” to Bogar, indicating that the Yankees would drill a hitter.

Bogar responded with a few choice words of his own. I can’t write those words here. J.D. Drew got hit with a pitch in the seventh inning. Coincidence?

“I’m not going to comment on that. It’s baseball men being baseball men,” Girardi said. “It’s just something I thought I saw and just leave it at that.”

Not to get all WWE about it, but it’s good to see some actual bad blood. The rivalry has been a little too namby pamby the last few years.

Meanwhile, Girardi and the Yankees were furious with the strike zone of Jerry Meals.

“It was the calls for the whole night,” Girardi said.

Said Derek Jeter: “Obviously I didn’t agree with it. But that’s part of the game. I didn’t agree with some of the pitches but there’s much you can say about that.”

Jeter has never been ejected in his career and almost never argues. For him to even talk about the umpires is a sign of how mad he was

The most composed guy in the clubhouse afterward was Phil Hughes. He said that while he would have liked to get some of the pitches, he didn’t want to use it as an excuse.

The bad news for the Yankees is that Jorge Posada appears to have a serious hamstring injury. This strain is located above the last one that kept him out of the lineup for two days last week. He told the Yankees he felt something grab.

Posada will get an MRI today. The only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Francisco Cervelli, who is in AA. I would guess that the Yankees would call up one of the catchers from AAA and make a 40-man move.

The loss of Posada for an extended period, as we saw last season, would be a huge blow. We’ll find out more tomorrow.

Thanks to everybody for reading tonight. Back at it tomorrow — I mean later today.

Jorge Posada has a hamstring strain and will have an MRI tomorrow

Joe Girardi said he felt it “grab.”