The LoHud Yankees Blog

Just spoke to Brian Cashman. Chad Gaudin is scheduled to join the team on Sunday. He’ll make only the prorated minimum for the rest of the season. He has a $2 million deal for this season, but the Cubs are on the hook for that beyond the minimum.

Cashman was talking to Kevin Towers about a deal before the deadline. But the Padres prioritized trading Jake Peavy and ran out of time. But once Gaudin cleared waivers, a deal was swiftly made.

“He gets his fastball up to 94, he has a good slider, he’s stretched out and can give us innings,” Cashman said. “This gives Joe (Girardi) more choices.”

Cashman said Sergio Mitre will stay in the rotation. But Gaudin is clearly here to offer an alternative.

This is a LHYB first, we need to start a new thread because there are 1,300 comments on the first one in the fourth inning.

So here you go. Updates will be posted here now.

UPDATE, 8:53 p.m.: Smoltz done, LHP Billy Traber in. This could get ugly.

UPDATE, 8:59 p.m.: Like I said, ugly. Still hatin’ on Posada? 3 for 3 with a double, a homer and two runs scored.

UPDATE, 9:05 p.m.: Muhammad Ali just stood up and said, “Stop the fight! Stop the fight!”

UPDATE, 9:14 p.m.: Um, Joba. You’re up by six. Throw strikes.

You want to control his innings? Get him out after five tonight. Robertson, Melancon, etc.

UPDATE, 9:23 p.m.: Joba has to be done after that mess.

UPDATE, 9:27 p.m.: 5 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs, a career-high 7 walks, 5 stikeouts, 2 home runs, 2 doubles. Pull the plug and see you on Tuesday.

UPDATE, 9:42 p.m.: Crowd is announced at 49,005. That’s a record. Second sellout of the season, first since Opening Day.

UPDATE, 9:59 p.m.: The Yankees have acquired Chad Gaudin from the Padres for a player to be named later. That could be it for Sergio Mitre.

UPDATE, 10:23 p.m.: OK, need to work on my newspaper story. Yanks up 13-4 and the streak will finally end.

Waiting on John Henry’s next Tweet. Back later with reaction.

YANKEES (65-42)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (7-2, 3.58).

RED SOX (62-44)
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez C
Youkilis LF
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Lowell 3B
Kotchman 1B
Lowrie SS

Pitching: RHP John Smoltz (2-4, 7.12).

TIME/TV: 7:05, 7:05 / My9, MLB.

STATE OF THE ‘STRIPES: The Yankees have won three straight and are coming off a 5-4 road trip to Tampa Bay, Chicago and Toronto. They lead Boston by 2.5 games in the American League.

AS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, THERE’S A STREAK: Boston is 8-0 against New York this season, outscoring the Yankees 55-31. The Red Sox have won nine straight in the series dating back to the final game of last season.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PITCHING: Why the eight losses? The Yankees have a 6.06 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP in the games against Boston this season. They’ve allowed 78 hits and a ridiculous 48 walks in 68.1 innings.

JOBAMANIA: Joba Chamberlain is 3-0 with an 0.83 ERA since the All-Star break. He has allowed only eight hits over 21.2 innings while walking eight and striking out 19.

JOBABOSTONMANIA: Chamberlain is 2-1, 3.49 in his career against the Red Sox in four starts and four relief appearances.

JOBA THE STARTER: Remember that debate about whether he belonged in the bullpen? That was cute. He is 10-3, 3.27 as a starter.

ON A ROLL: The Yankees have won 14 of their last 19 games and 25 of their last 35.

NOT ON A ROLL: The Red Sox are 7-10 since July 17 and a modest 24-20 since June 13.

MARIANO REMINDER: The greatest closer of all time has gone 19.1 innings without allowing a run. He has struck out 18 in that that stretch.

SWISHALICIOUS: Nick Swisher is 11 of his last 34 with six extra-base hits.

DAMONIC: Johnny Damon in 10 of his last 22 with to homers and six RBI.

A-ROD OVERDUE: Alex Rodriguez has gone 61 at-bats since his last home run, which came on July 19.

ON THE iPOD RIGHT NOW: Once Upon A Time in the West by Ennio Morricone.

Back with much more later on.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: Yankees will stick with the extra reliever for another day. But expect Ramiro Pena soon. … Brett Gardner will get his cast off early next week and have another X-Ray to determine how he is. … Jason Bay (hamstring) out at least two days it sounds like. … Yankees expect a sellout or close to it. Ridiculous that’s it’s uncertain.

UPDATE, 5:05 p.m.: NBA players Al Harrington and Chris Duhon watching BP.

UPDATE, 5:19 p.m.: David Ortiz came out for BP just now. No signs, no boos, no nothing. Kid in a Cano jersey asked him for an autograph.

UPDATE, 6:51 p.m.: Muhammad Ali now being driven around the warning track on a golf cart. He stopped to shake hands with Jorge Posada. Most of the Yankees in the dugout applauding him.

For my money, Ali is the most famous guy in the world. Who doesn’t know who he is?

UPDATE, 6:59 p.m.: The Yankees received some award for stadium hospitality services that Ali “presented.” The whole team came out at the end around him.

Meanwhile — get this — Ali is wearing a credential. Security at the Stadium is so blindingly stupid that Muhammad Ali had to wear a credential. That makes perfect sense. He could have been trying to sneak in.

UPDATE, 7:02 p.m.: The Red Sox placed outfielder Rocco Baldelli on the DL with a bruised ankle/foot. Baldelli fouled a ball off his left leg during batting practice on Wednesday in Tampa. The Sox recalled Josh Reddick, who wasn’t expected to arrive until around game time. Reddick, an outfielder, made his major league debut on July 31 and played four games before he was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday in favor of left-handed pitcher Billy Traber.

UPDATE, 7:09 p.m.: The first pitch is about to be thrown and there are literally hundreds of empty seats in the Legends section. Not a few, hundreds.

Red Sox-Yankees, perfect night, two of the best teams in baseball, Joba pitching and those “fans” don’t actually care to watch the game. It’s a disgrace. The Yankees have removed the home-field advantage with their ridiculous ticket prices and exclusionary design.

UPDATE, 7:09 p.m.: We’re underway in the Bronx. Enjoy the game, should be a fun one.

UPDATE, 7:17 p.m.: David Ortiz getting roundly booed by the crowd. No chants, however.

UPDATE, 7:28 p.m.: Wow, John Hughes died. There’s another piece of my youth gone.

In honor of Mr Hughes: Hey batter batter batter hey batter batter batter SWING batter!

UPDATE, 7:36 p.m.: The Yankees removed the netting above Monument Cave in center field. You can sort of see the tops of the monuments now. A safety net was in place during batting practice. … Meanwhile the bad pre-game All-Star break Joba has showed up tonight. Two hits and two walks and he has yet to get an out in the second inning.

UPDATE, 7:44 p.m.: Joba comes roaring back with strikeouts of Lowrie and Ellsbury to end the inning.

UPDATE, 7:56 p.m.: Posada is safe if he slides. But he didn’t and that could be because Melky didn’t tell him too. Can’t tell on the replay. But something went wrong there. Yankees blow a big chance.

Great relay throw by Pedroia. Yankees threaten but do not score. Story of the game for both teams so far.

UPDATE, 8:01 p.m.: Yankee Stadium special there for Pedroia. That’s an out across the street. 1-0 Red Sox.

UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: You would think Joba would learn. He’s up 0-2 on Pedroa and he shakes off Posada then serves up an opposite-field home run. Here’s a thought, throw what they tell you to throw. That worked well the last three starts.

UPDATE, 8:14 p.m.: Going to e-mail me again and tell me Ellsbury isn’t a good CF? That’s a terrific catch. Defensive metrics are fundamentally flawed and only somewhat telling.

UPDATE, 8:16 p.m.: Another cheapie, this one for the Yankees. It’s 1-1. This joint was built for JD.

UPDATE, 8:27 p.m.: Muhammad Ali will be back tomorrow to give Randy Levine and Lonn Trost the award for biggest joke of a stadium in the major leagues. That should not be a home run in a big-league game. But it is here. 3-1 Red Sox.

UPDATE, 8:39 p.m.: There goes Posada, killing the Yankees again by doubling and scoring a run. Terrible player.

UPDATE, 8:44 p.m.: Melky with a legit blast into the second deck. Yankees 5-3. Eight runs on 12 hits and four homers and it’s the fourth inning. Buckle in, folks.

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the series.

CENTER FIELD
Yankees: The two-headed monster is down to one as Melky Cabrera mans the position alone while Gritty Gutty Brett Gardner heals. Melky has emerged as a hitter but still enjoys trying to throw the ball out of the stadium instead of to the cutoff man.

Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury has had a consistently solid season. Not great, just solid. His defensive skills are top-notch.

Edge: Even.

RIGHT FIELD
Yankees: Nutball Nick Swisher is doing his thing, getting on base (.371), hitting for power (18 homers) and butchering balls in the OF on occasion.

Red Sox: J.D. Drew hasn’t been worth the money for Boston. He is down to .248 with only 12 homers.

Edge: Yankees. A random rain drop could bruise Drew en route to the game and knock him out for a week.

LEFT FIELD
Yankees: Damon chases after fly balls like Helen Keller but he has a .877 OPS and finds right field at the Stadium on a regular basis.

Red Sox: Jason Bay has faded away and how has a sore hammy. That MVP talk has quieted down, hasn’t it?

Edge: Yankees. Johnny had a good road trip and would love to heat up against his old teammates.

CATCHER
Yankees: Jorge Posada has overcome shoulder surgery and is having a fairly typical season, which is to say he’s one of the better offensive catchers in the game.

Red Sox: Jason Varitek is much better than he was last season, which isn’t really saying much.

Edge: Slight edge to Posada. He’s a better hitter and Varitek is better behind the dish. Both are old cranks at this point.

FIRST BASE
Yankees: Mark Teixeira is the MVP of the team and maybe the MVP of the league if the Yankees win the division.

Red Sox: Looks like newcomer Victor Martinez will get most of his playing time here. He’s a valuable addition, but he’s no Texeira.

Edge: Decidedly to the Yankees.

SECOND BASE:
Yankees: Robinson Cano — and I sincerely believe this — is playing Gold Glove-level defense this season. But he’s terrified whenever runners are in scoring position.

Red Sox: Reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia won’t repeat. But he’s still one of the elite players at this position.

Edge: Slight edge to Boston.

SHORTSTOP
Yankees: Derek Jeter is one of the five greatest living Americans. He is the defender of all that is good and right.

Red Sox: Nick Green or Jed Lowrie look like they should parking Jeter’s new Ford Edge.

Edge: C’mon on now.

THIRD BASE
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez is having a weird year. He’s not hitting (.261) but he’s getting on base (.379) and hitting home runs, although not lately. He has lost a step and a half in the field.

Boston: Kevin Youkilis, like him or not, is a terrific player. Plays first base well, plays third base well, hits all the time (an insane OPS+ of 153) and plays hurt.

Edge: Boston.

DESIGNATED HITTER
Yankees: People will miss Hideki Matsui when he’s not around next season. He scored from first last weekend and is still recovering. But if you need an RBI, he’s still the man.

Red Sox: David Ortiz is a cheating goon. The Yankees would never have such players in their midst. Never. (By the way, if you chant “steroids” at Ortiz this weekend, you’re a huge hypocrite. Leave that to Fenway Park).

Edge: Yankees. It going to be a long, long weekend for Big Papi.

BENCH
Yankees: The crew of Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Jose Molina has proven adequate. Ramiro Pena could be on the way.

Red Sox: Mike Lowell will get in the mix at third and DH. New guy Josh Reddick has played four games.

Edge: Boston, only because Lowell is essentially a starting player. He’s the best bat either team can bring off the pine.

BULLPEN
Yankees: Mariano Rivera is having one of the best seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Phil Hughes is a beast as a set-up man. It gets chancy after that. Phil Coke is better when he faces fewer hitters and Alfredo Aceves may or may not have a sore shoulder.

Red Sox: He still makes that really, really mean face. But Jonathan Papelbon isn’t scaring anybody with that 1.3 WHIP. Ramon Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima have been strong all year and Daniel Bard throws wicked hard.

Edge: I’ll call it even. Yanks have a better closer, Sox have more depth.

ROTATION
Yankees: They have Joba Chamberlain, A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte lined up. Joba is the hottest starter in the league right now and the three veterans all have second-half histories on their side.

Boston: John Smoltz has a 7.12 ERA and should have retired. Josh Beckett is a Cy Young candidate and Jon Lester has fanned 158 in 140 innings. Clay Buchholz is showing why he was in the minors.

Edge: Yankees have their best four on the mound. Plus they know how to pitch at Homer Haven in the Bronx.

MANAGER
Yankees: Joe Girardi: He has loosened up since last year, which is good because he was about to explode. Still prone to occasional lineup wackiness. But greatly improved from 2008.

Red Sox: Terry Francona is Joe Torre Lite at this point. He wins, he gets respect, players listen to him, he puts out the fires efficiently.

Edge: Boston. Can’t ignore the rings.

So there you have it. Prediction: Yankees take three games.

Looking to kill time at work? We have just the solution. Plug in your headphones and watch the live video chat we had from Toronto yesterday.

Go to our ProTalkLive page and you can watch the video on demand.

Here’s how you know the power of baseball …

Took a 6:30 a.m. flight from Toronto. People on the plane were talking about the Sox-Yanks series. Get to LaGuardia and the newspaper headlines were all about the showdown. Get home and two people in the lobby asked how many games I thought the Yankees would win this weekend.

(Three, by the way).

Pop open the laptop and there are two e-mails about TV and radio interviews and two more from friends seeking tickets. All this before 11 a.m.

Nothing better then a big series in the summer. Can’t wait for first pitch.

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Meanwhile, it seems Twitter blew up and Facebook is all loopy. Feel free to socially network on this blog. We welcome all.

Nicole Auerbach is a sports intern for the Cape Cod Times and a student at the University of Michigan, where she is the sports editor of The Michigan Daily.

She also reads this blog and volunteered to give a little breakdown on some Yankees draft picks who played in the Cape Cod League this summer. Here is her report:

5. Caleb Cotham: Short but sweet could be the perfect way to sum up Cotham’s summer on the Cape. He showed up late this summer after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in June (the day before the MLB Draft), but once Cotham arrived, he made the most of each outing. He had a couple of short 3-4 inning starts (due to pitch count limitations) and a couple of really dominant performances out of the bullpen for Brewster. Cotham pitched just 14 innings on the Cape, but in them, he struck out 15, walked one, gave up seven hits and allowed no runs.

His 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame gives him power and a strong low-90s fastball. He also has a good breaking ball and changeup. I’ve been hearing that Cotham could have easily been a higher-round draft pick before news of the knee surgery got out, but he’s still expected to sign with the Yankees soon — and maybe for better than fifth-round slot money.

10. Tyler Lyons: Lyons was been one of the most consistent pitchers on the Cape this summer. His 2-4 record was misleading – his two recent losses were due to six unearned runs and then a 1-0 heartbreaker. Throw in a no-decision after seven scoreless innings, and, well, you get my point. Lyons’ most impressive pitch is a jaw-dropping curveball, usually in the 75-mph range. He has a four-seam and two-seam fastball (high 80s, low 90s), a solid slider and a change-up to fill out his repertoire. His velocity increased as the summer went on, according to Chatham’s pitching coach.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Lyons was named the Cape League’s pitcher of the week in late July, Chatham’s most outstanding pitcher overall and has posted an impressive 1.77 ERA in 45.2 innings of work. He was Oklahoma State’s workhorse in the spring and has been Chatham’s this summer. He’s shown he’s more than capable of handling that kind of responsibility – and he’ll find success in that role.

On July 20, Lyons was a part of the best pitchers’ duel I’ve seen all summer. He tossed a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits while walking none. His control was impeccable, his breaking pitches baffling and his game management was excellent. He definitely fed off the speed of the game, as Texas right-hander Cole Green almost went the distance in the 1-0 contest, too. Lyons said he just sat quietly in the dugout drinking water between innings, retaining his focus. It certainly paid off. People around the Chatham organization are very surprised that Lyons has stuck around the Cape this long. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t sign.

20. Tom Keeling: If Lyons was the definition of consistency this summer, his antithesis was Keeling. At times, Keeling has been lights-out. He pitched quite well recently out of the bullpen, actually. But on June 29, he walked four Orleans batters and allowed two runs to score from five wild pitches — and that was just first inning. In 12.1 innings of work for Chatham, Keeling struck out 15. But the wild pitches (7) and walks (13) raise concerns.

Chatham’s pitching coach said Keeling’s biggest problem early this season was that he couldn’t repeat fastball locations. Since adjusting his approach to batters – going with two-seam fastballs away from righties and four-seamers away from lefties – Keeling has found success and limited walks in recent outings. Still, the silver lining on Keeling’s inconsistency is that he’s got good stuff. His slider is an especially deadly two-strike pitch. Keeling’s ability is there – it seems like it might be a mental block preventing him from pitching well all the time. He’s very flexible, too. He has been a starter, a middle reliever and even a closer for Chatham this summer, so that’s also a good sign. It doesn’t seem likely that Keeling will sign with the Yankees.

28. Aaron Meade: It can be difficult for good pitchers to get noticed in the Cape League — because there are so many of them. But Meade reached the level of recognition some dominant starters missed. He was selected to the Eastern Division All-Star squad. He didn’t get to throw his inning at Fenway on July 23 because of the rain-shortened game, but the selection still puts him among the best on the Cape. Meade, a hard-throwing 6-foot-3, 185-pound lefty from Missouri State, was one of Harwich’s top starting pitchers all summer. He has thrown 42.1 innings, walking 17 and striking out 47. His ERA of 1.91 shows how well he’s shut down the Cape’s best hitters.

Harwich’s manager said Meade has given the team outstanding performances deep into games every start.In the final week of the season, Meade faced off against Lyons in a battle of Yankees’ draft picks and Cape aces. Meade won the duel 1-0 with seven shutout innings and five strikeouts. Meade’s motion is smooth, and his fastball can touch 90. His changeup is his go-to strikeout pitch, but a solid slider helps keep batters off-balance, too.

I don’t have any indication whether Meade is ready to sign or not – but his impressive summer certainly provides a bargaining chip.

Note: 29th-rounder Scott Maytas spent a week on the Cape in the beginning of the season before returning home. He’ll likely return to school in the fall.

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Great stuff, Nicole. Thanks. It’s a treat for Yankees fans to get a first-hand account of these players.

Tonight: RHP John Smoltz (2-4, 7.12) vs. RHP Joba Chamberlain (7-2, 3.58), 7:05, My9, MLB

Friday: RHP Josh Beckett (13-4, 3.27) vs. A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.89), 7:05, YES

Saturday: RHP Clay Buchholz (1-1, 6.05) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (11-7, 3.95), 4:10, FOX

Sunday: LHP Jon Lester (9-7, 3.79) vs. LHP Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.35), 8:05, ESPN

Good morning from the Vince Carter International Airport here in Toronto. We are here for an awfully early flight back home.

It is standard practice for the beat writers to take a few days off after a road trip. But with the Red Sox in town, most of us will be at the Stadium this afternoon. These next four days will reveal a lot about the Yankees, I think. Whether they care to admit it or not — and they don’t — losing every game against Boston so far this season has to eat at their pride a little.

Derek Jeter gave us the standard rap about every game being important. But when I asked him whether the Stadium would sound differently tonight, he smiled. “Oh yeah, the fans will tell you this is a big game,” he said. “You can feel it.”

To me, there is nothing better than Yankees-Red Sox games in the heat of the pennant race. Millions of people hang on every pitch, either at home or watching on television. Call me parochial, but I don’t think the level of emotion exists in other rivalries.

Anyway, they’re calling the flight. Keep tabs on the blog today, we’re going to hit this series hard all weekend.

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays to finish off a good road trip. Now come the Red Sox.

Alfredo Aceves got some big outs last night. This notebook also has updates on a roster move, Russ Ortiz, Muhammad Ali and Alex Rodriguez.