The LoHud Yankees Blog

Joba Chamberlain said about 100 times yesterday that he feels fine and is ready to start tonight.

Two points of interest:

• Joba has not pitched well against Texas in his brief career. 8.2 innings, 13 hits, 7 runs, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts. The Rangers have hit .333 against him.

• It was here last year when he left the game with a shoulder injury that put him on the DL.

Good test for him tonight as the Yankees try and win for the 12th time in their last 14 games.

Back later with the lineups and more.

According to the Yankees daily notes package, the team has set a franchise record by going 12 consecutive games without an error.

Twelve games? That’s it? Given how long the Yankees have been playing baseball, wouldn’t you think the record would be at least 20 games?

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President Obama today selected Sonia Sotomayor, a federal appeals court judge in New York, as his nominee for the Supreme Court.

Astute baseball fans will recall that it was Judge Sotomayor in 1995 who ended the strike by preventing MLB from unilaterally implementing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and using replacement players.

Perhaps on the high court she can rule that Joba should be a starter.

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There’s a Facebook page calling for the end of “YMCA” at the Stadium.

We wish them nothing but the best.

Welcome back from the holiday weekend. You and I both know you have no interest in actually working. So here are a few links to help you kill some time:

My pal Mark Hale of the Post has a new blog that looks interesting. He’ll be sparking discussion with various sports lists. Mark is a smart guy and a fine writer, so check out what he’s up to.

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Joe at River Ave. Blues has a good post on some trade options if the Yankees decide they need bullpen help.

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Baseball Reference.com has acquired the rights to the Tattersall/McConnell Home Run Encyclopedia. The database contains info on every home run hit since 1876. Now BR has home run logs for every hitter and pitcher. Lots of good data. Who did A-Rod hit his first jack against? Tom Gordon.

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The new Demolition of Yankee Stadium blog is interesting to keep tabs on. There are many photos of the old Stadium as they take it apart.

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Dan Le Betard of the Miami Herald wrote an excellent feature on Jim Leyritz and his struggles in life. As he waits to stand trial for killing a woman while driving drunk, Leyritz contends that he is not to blame.

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The author of the Al Leiter’s Bullpen Catcher blog has been on the road lately, traveling to Toronto and Cooperstown. There are some good photos.

With plenty of help from A-Rod, Phil Hughes dominated the Rangers yesterday. Now it’s Chien-Ming Wang who has to wait.

Brian Bruney is back on the DL. This notebook also has updates on the rehab gang in Florida.

As the injured players return, the Yankees will be making some roster moves. You have to figure this is what we’ll see soon enough:

Jorge Posada in for Kevin Cash.

Xavier Nady in for Angel Berroa

Then it gets tricky. Do you keep Francisco Cervelli around when Jose Molina comes back? Given that Nady won’t be able to play the outfield for a while, you need to keep Brett Gardner around. It might be hard to keep a third catcher.

Here it is, the epicenter of evil. The new home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The new stadium is just a few blocks away from Rangers Ballpark and it pretty much blots out the sky. Saying the place is big doesn’t do it justice. It makes the new Yankee Stadium look like a popsicle stand. It’s like a giant alien craft touched down.

The place holds 80,000 for football and can expand to 100,000 for other events. There are 200 suites and 15,000 club seats. The video board will be 180 feet in length and 50 feet high.

So next time somebody complains that the Yankees built a ridiculously large stadium, tell them about this place. The Yankees built a cozy little place by comparison.

I started looking at some numbers assuming that the return Alex Rodriguez must have had a significant impact on the offense. Not so much. Check it out:

FIRST 28 GAMES

Record: 13-15

Runs: 158 (5.64)

Team batting: .275/.356/.463.

LAST 17 GAMES

Record: 13-4

Runs: 96 (5.64)

Batting: .277/.341/.515.

Who would have guessed that? But what has changed is that the Yankees are a more confident team offensively. That flurry of walk-off wins is evidence. I realize, of course, that there are dozens of variables including the pitchers they faced, the opponents, the ballparks, injuries, etc. But it surprised me that the offense stats were basically the same. The pitching obviously has improved, that’s why they’re winning.

I would bet the averages with RISP has changed. I need to crunch those numbers when I get a chance.

What counts is the record and the Yankees have been on a tear since getting their third baseman back. Plus he’s turned Mark Teixeira back into Mark Teixeira.

UPDATE, 9:38 p.m.: A ha!

RISP without Alex: 66 of 268 (.246).

RISP with Alex: 46 of 136 (.338).

Alex’s RISP: 7 of 19 (.368).

While Alex has hit in the clutch, the rest of the team is 39 of 117 (.333). His presence clearly has made a big difference. The lineup is settled, Teixeira is so much better, etc.

Phil Hughes did his post-game interviews with the WWE belt slung over his left shoulder. Sure, Alex Rodriguez went 5 for 5 with four RBI. But it was Hughes who was the baddest man in the room today.

Texas had won eight straight at home, hitting a collective.305 in the process. Hughes came in and locked them down, throwing eight shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and fanned six.

Hughes was at 101 pitches and had retired nine straight going into the ninth inning. But the ever-protective Yankees wouldn’t let him finish his gem. That’s too bad, but it’s fairly inconsequential. What’s important is that you saw a young pitcher unafraid to throw his breaking ball on 2-1 and 3-2 counts.

Here’s Hughes discussing his outing:

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And Joe Girardi:

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It’s not on the tape, but Girardi made it clear that he’s not thrilled with Brian Bruney for hiding the extent of his injury.

“You have to let us know exactly how you feel,” Girardi said. “Everybody has that competitive edge and no one ever wants to come out. I understand that. The thing is, you have to be smart about it. You have to be more forthright.”

A professional athlete has a responsibility to play when hurt but also a responsibility to admit when he is injured. Bruney is no longer a garbage-dump FA signing. He’s an important piece of what they’ve assembled. If he injured himself more last week by being stubborn and needs surgery, that doesn’t help anybody.

That all said, the Yankees have won 11 of 13 and have a night off in Texas with a night game tomorrow. Times are good.

RHP Dave Robertson is en route from Syracuse. Brian Bruney will see Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.

No, that’s not a good sign. Not at all.

YANKEES (25-19)
Jeter DH
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Swisher RF
Pena SS
Cash C

Pitching: RHP Phil Hughes (2-2, 7.06).

RANGERS (26-17)
Kinsler 2B
Young 3B
Hamilton CF
Cruz RF
Blalock DH
Byrd LF
Davis 1B
Teagarden C
Andrus SS

Pitching: LHP Matt Harrison (4-3, 4.71).

TIME/TV: 2:05 p.m. (ET), YES.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: After a stellar 8-2 homestand that got them back near the top of the division, the Yankees open a seven-game road trip with a Memorial Day afternoon game before a sellout crowd at Rangers Ballpark.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: The Rangers lead the AL West at 26-17. They have won 12 of their 21 including eight straight at home, their longest streak since 2005.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: The last time Phil Hughes pitched in Texas, he no-hit the Rangers for 6.1 innings then left the game with a hamstring tear. That was May 1, 2007.

CLEAN PLAY: The Yankees have not made an error in 11 straight games, which seems to be a franchise record. They are 22-6 when they don’t make an error.

HOWDY, TEX: Mark Teixeira was 18 of 39 (.462) on the homestand with six homers and 16 RBI. His batting average went from .203 to .268.

ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL: Alex Rodriguez is 10 of 53 since returning, but seven of those hits have been home runs.

WELCOME BACK: Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez played significant parts of their careers in Texas. Tex was here from 2003-07 and A-Rod from 2001-03. Teixeira figures to receive a warm welcome from the fans. But the hatred for Alex is thick here and figures to be increased given that he admitted using steroids while a member of the Rangers. This could be a long three days for him. But A-Rod mashes (.329/.411/.643) at Rangers Ballpark.

HOME ON THE RANGE: The Yankees are 13-3 in Texas since 2005.

REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS GOOD? Nick Swisher is 7 of 61 (.115) with three extra-base and five RBI since May 1 when he was hit in his right elbow. He has fanned 24 times.

PATIENCE, BOYS: The Yankees drew two walks against the Phillies and whiffed 24 times.

HEADS UP, MR. OCTOBER: A-Rod has 560 homers, 12th all-time. He needs three to catch Reggie Jackson for 11th place. Mr. October, one would think, will have plenty to say about that.

UM, GODZILLA? Hideki Matsui is 3 for 22 with one RBI in his last six games, was 5 for 31 on the homestand and is 6 of his last 42 overall.

REHAB CREW: Jorge Posada, Xavier Nady, Jose Molina, Cody Ransom and a partridge in a pear tree are among those reporting for rehab duty in Tampa today. Some (or all) of them could get in extended spring training games today or tomorrow.

SHAMELESS PLUG: I’m scheduled to do a few minutes on SportsCenter at 1:45 p.m.

Back with much more later on.

UPDATE, 11:25 a.m.: Brian Bruney is going on the DL. They’ll get a pitcher here for tomorrow.

UPDATE, 1:33 p.m.: Bruney said his elbow was hurting him when he came off the DL and he didn’t tell the team. “I thought I could pitch through it,” he said.

He said the plan is to get a second opinion. “We need to figure out what it is,” he said.

They can’t get a pitcher here today. But somebody (Ramirez, Albaledejo, Melancon or Robertson) will be here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Girardi indicated he’s willing to use Aceves in late-inning situations as Wang is available as a long man. Wang is in the bullpen at this point until they need a starter. There is no timetable for him to return to the rotation.

The Yankees will be wearing red caps today with a stars-and-stripes NY on the front. It was mandated by MLB for Memorial Day. Personally, I think teams like the Yankees and Dodgers should not mess with their uniforms whatsoever. But nobody asked me. The Yankees wearing a red hat is a travesty. The stars-and-stripes NY is fine. But a red hat?

U. of Texas QB Colt McCoy was watching BP. He already has a NFL-caliber girlfriend.

SportsCenter at 1:45. Check it out.

UPDATE, 2:08 p.m.: We’re underway here in Texas. Somebody with the Rangers has a good sense of humor. They were playing The Kids Are All Right by The Who. When A-Rod left here, he made a dismissive remark about playing with a bunch of kids. They never forgot that.

That’s a nine-game hit streak for Jeter.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: Nice start for the Yankees as they tattoo Harrison early.

Meanwhile, interesting start for Hughes as he returns to where he was once dominant. If he no hits Texas for 2.2 innings, does he get to celebrate a no-hitter? I guess not. Be kind of neat if he did.

UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: Nice work by Mr. Hughes there as he wiggles out of trouble in the inning with some well-located breaking pitches.

Much like Joba, only a rockhead would want this kid in the bullpen. The Yankees have to give him ever chance in the world to be a starter because he has that sort of talent.

UPDATE, 2:59 p.m.: Nice inning by Hughes, who has tossed 37 pitches through three innings. His breaking stuff has been good and his fastball has late life.

UPDATE, 3:12 p.m.: Gotta love plate umpire Tom Hallion and his emphatic strikeout calls. If you’re going to do that impossible job, you need to have conviction.

Meanwhile, Hughes (or “Hughsie” if you’re Joe Girardi) is dealing. 4 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts and only 47 pitches.

UPDATE, 3:33 p.m.: Here is what has impressed me about Hughes. He has put a runner in scoring position with less than two outs in three of the five innings he has pitched and not allowed them to score. That’s pitching. It’s great to see Hughes doing what he is capable of doing.

UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: Kris Benson on to pitch for Texas. I’m sure by now his attention-seeking wife has started calling New York tabloids to try and get her photo in.

UPDATE, 3:47 p.m.: Think A-Rod likes hitting here? He’s 4 for 4 with two doubles and four RBI. Yankees now rolling, 10-0. They should let Hughes go as far as he can. He needs innings and they need to rest that bullpen up for the rest of the series.

UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.: It’s 10-0 and we’re in the seventh inning. Time to watch and make sure A-Rod isn’t tipping pitches to Michael Young. Hmm, he just adjusted his hat. Maybe that’s a sign.

UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: I’m just kidding, calm down.

UPDATE, 4:14 p.m.: Hughes rolls through another inning. Not a creature is stirring in the bullpen. Hughes thrown 13.1 scoreless innings in this ballpark. That’s impressive.

UPDATE, 4:37 p.m.: The Yankees have scored 11 runs despite leaving 10 runners on base. They finish with 19 hits.

Meanwhile, Hughes will not get the chance to finish his shutout. That’s too bad.

His final line: 8 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 1 HPB. He threw 101 pitches, 65 strikes.

UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves? Girardi said before the game that Aceves is a guy who me might use in late innings with Bruney out. OK, that makes sense. So why use him to mop up in an 11-0 game?

With Joba going tomorrow, they’ll need the bullpen given his propensity for throwing a lot of pitches. It doesn’t make sense.

Regardless, 11-1. Yankees win. Check back later for more.

Today: RHP Phil Hughes (2-2, 7.06) vs. LHP Matt Harrison (4-3, 4.71), 2:05 p.m., YES

Tuesday: RHP Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.70) vs. RHP Kevin Millwood (4-4, 3.12), 8:05 p.m., MY9

Wednesday: RHP A.J. Burnett (2-2, 5.28) vs. LHP Derek Holland (1-1, 4.82), 8:05 p.m., YES