The LoHud Yankees Blog

Just finished talking to Joe Girardi. Phil Hughes is the Yankees fifth starter. More when I get to the press box…

UPDATE, 11:59 a.m.: Still on the field, but here’s the short version of Girardi’s comments.

The development of the changeup was key in the Yankees decision to go with Hughes. They expect his innings limit to be slightly higher than Chamberlain’s was last year. Probably around 170. Still no decision on when Hughes will make his first regular-season start, but tomorrow’s spring start is an attempt to get him lined up behind Vazquez.

Girardi said everyone else has to “earn” their role in the bullpen. Chamberlain isn’t automatically going into the eighth inning. Girardi didn’t even rule out the idea of keeping Chamberlain stretched out in Triple-A, but that seems unlikely.

Still no decision on whether they’ll carry a second lefty.

UPDATE, 12:24 p.m.: Here’s the Girardi audio. He gets into some bullpen decisions and other roster issues, but it’s mostly about Phil Hughes and the impact on the rest of the pitching staff.

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Brian Cashman said this morning that explored trade opportunities before releasing Chad Gaudin, but he found no match. Gaudin had clearly fallen out of the roster picture, and so the Yankees had little choice but to let him and his $2.95 million deal go.

“There isn’t another card for me to play,” Cashman said.

Because Gaudin’s contract wasn’t guaranteed, the Yankees will only pay  fraction of his salary — one-fourth, I believe — but they could have sent him to Triple-A if they were willing to pay the full amount.

“I’d like to have insurance like that,” Cashman said. “But it’s not realistic.”

Here’s Gaudin talking about being released. This session came literally minutes after he found out.

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• Another sign that Phil Hughes appears to be the Yankees fifth starter: He will start Friday’s game against the Phillies on short rest. Considering Joe Girardi has said he wants to transition his starters-turned-relievers into their bullpen roles, it would seem odd that Hughes would make another start if he hadn’t won the job.

• That said, Hughes said he still hasn’t been told that he’s the fifth starter. “I’m the wrong guy to be asking,” he said.

• Cashman said the Yankees would have to “make some real tough choices” in order to carry a second lefty this season. He also said the Yankees aren’t setup to carry two situational lefties, and he considers Damaso Marte a situational lefty on this team.

• A lot of the guys who were cut yesterday were brought back to big league camp today to play off the bench.

• Pitchers making today’s trip to Sarasota: Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre, Chan Ho Park, Dave Robertson, Boone Logan, Jonathan Albaladejo, Amaury Sanit and Zack Segovia.

• Scheduled to play off the bench: C P.J. Pilittere, 1B Jose Gil, 2B Justin Snyder, SS Kevin Russo, 3B Ramiro Pena, LF Jon Weber, CF Greg Golson, RF David Winfree.

• C Neall French, INF Walter Ibarra and OF Edwar Gonzalez were also brought up from minor league camp to serve as just-in-case bench players.

Chad Gaudin just called the beat writers to his locker so that he could announce that he’s been released by the Yankees.

“Unfortunately our roads are going different ways,” he said.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Marcus Thames LF
Randy Winn CF
Francisco Cervelli C

RHP Alfredo Aceves

At 34 years old, and with a surgically repaired hip, Alex Rodriguez has cut his baseball workouts in half. He fields fewer ground balls and takes fewer swings in the cage, all in the name of staying healthy. “Every swing, you have to make it count,” he said.

Also off the field, the Yankees have made a decision about their fifth starter but Joe Girardi wasn’t ready to announceit last night. The notebook also has items on Rodriguez’s meeting with federal investigators, Javier Vazquez’s strong start, a change to the postseason schedule and five more cuts in big league camp.

The theme of Joe Girardi’s postgame session with the media was, “Tune in tomorrow.”

Aside from five more cuts — Greg Golson, Kevin Russo, Juan Miranda, Mark Melancon and Jonathan Albaladejo — the Girardi was not ready to make any sort of announcement. The Yankees have made their decision about a fifth starter.

“We’re just not quite ready to announce it,” Girardi said.

Alfredo Aceves and Sergio Mitre are each pitching tomorrow, but Girardi said the team’s decision will not change based on how they do.

The Yankees also are not ready to announce their starting pitcher for Friday’s game against the Phillies. “I’m not quite ready to give you that,” Girardi said.

We should know the answer to both questions tomorrow, probably after the game against the Orioles, but for now we’ll have to wait. Here’s Girardi’s pregame session with the media, which actually included more information than the postgame session.

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• Girardi didn’t go into detail about why those five were cut, but with Russo out of camp, the utility job has officially gone to Ramiro Pena.

• Non-roster position players still in camp: Marcus Thames, Jon Weber, David Winfree, Mike Rivera and P.J. Pilittere. Non-roster pitchers still in camp: Amaury Sanit, Zack Segovia and Royce Ring.

• Chad Gaudin is still in camp, but he’s not scheduled to pitch tomorrow. He had been always pitching the same day as Mitre.

• Javier Vazquez seemed happy with all of his pitches except his changeup. He said he’s only trying to iron out a minor mechanical issue. “I drift a little bit and my arm stays back,” he said.

• Vazquez is scheduled to start that last game of spring training, the one against players from the minor league system.

• Francisco Cervelli made a solid play at third base, and Girardi said he wants Cervelli to continue taking groundballs at third just in case he needs him to play there in a game. “We only have one (bench) guy who can play on the left side and that’s Pena,” Girardi said.

• Cervelli said he’s gotten used to the oversized helmet, and his teammates have stopped giving him a hard time about it. “It’s just the fans,” Cervelli said. “Gazoooo!”

• Someone asked Girardi if he ever had to play third base like Cervelli did today: “I was real close at Shea Stadium,” Girardi said. “They made a double switch and if we tied the game I was going to third. Probably, for the sake of baseball, it was good that we didn’t tie the game.”

• Rodriguez is definitely traveling to Sarasota tomorrow. “From what I read and understand, we might not have him on Friday,” Girardi said.

• Random link: Sounds like Jose Veras has almost locked up a spot in the Marlins bullpen, and another spot might go to former Scranton/WB closer Scott Strickland, who’s had back-to-back terrific seasons in Triple-A but hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2005.

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF

RHP Javier Vazquez

NATIONALS
Roger Bernadina LF
Christian Guzman SS
Willie Harris 3B
Josh Whitesell 1B
Justin Maxwell CF
Adam Kennedy 2B
Ian Desmond DH
Wil Nieves C
Willy Tavaras RF

RHP Livan Hernandez

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m./None (apparently it is on MASN in the DC area)

WEATHER: Right now it’s 77 degrees with light clouds and a light breeze. The weather is pretty much perfect today.

UMPIRES: HP Marty Foster, 1B Eric Cooper, 30 Vic Carapazza

ON THE LINE: Not much. There is one report that the Yankees have already decided to use Curtis Granderson in center field, but Joe Girardi said this afternoon that he has yet to decide whether it will be Granderson or Brett Gardner in center. Granderson is there tonight.

UPDATE, 7:05 p.m.: A few notes from Joe Girardi’s session with the media.

• Girardi said the team still has not reached a decision on the fifth starter, and he’s not sure they’ll be ready to announce a decision tomorrow either. He’s meeting with the staff tonight. “I think everyone probably in the room that we’re going to enter and probably right here has a feeling,” he said. “But you want to listen to all of the opinions before you really formulate your answer. I think that’s the proper thing to do.”

• I don’t doubt Joel Sherman when he writes that a source has told him Granderson will be the Opening Day center fielder, but Girardi said the decision has not yet been made. “He’s played very well in center,” Girardi said. “He’s played very well in left. And so has Gardy. That decision probably has not been on the forefront, because that’s not a decision that we need to make (immediately).”

• Aside from a fifth starter and who starts in center, Girardi said the only decisions left to make are who to carry as a right-handed bat off the bench and whether to carry a second lefty in the pen.

• Why Cervelli at third? “Cervi has played the infield (in the past) and takes ground balls every day,” Girardi said. “There might come a situation when we might need it.” Girardi played Jose Molina at third base one game last season. Cervelli keeps a third-base glove with him. “I’m going to try,” he said.

• Girardi responded to Doc Gooden’s arrest: “Your heart goes out to him,” Girardi said. “I don’t have any details, that’s the first I’ve heard of it, but your heart goes out to him. He was a great teammate. Doc and I will always be linked because we played on a championship team and had a no-hitter together. I loved playing with Doc, he was great to be around and a great teammate. You hope that everything’s OK.”

• Brian Bruney is here with a full beard: “I think he’s still in his deer hunter mode,” Girardi said.

UPDATE, 7:18 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves is starting tomorrow against the Orioles, with Sergio Mitre, Chan Ho Park, Dave Robertson, Amaury Sanit and Zack Segovia also scheduled to to make the trip.

Almost every position player — including Alex Rodriguez — is making the trip. The only position players not going to Sarasota are: Mike Rivera, Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson.

UPDATE, 8:15 p.m.: Another night game with early newspaper deadlines so I haven’t been able to do much with the blog, but Vazquez looks terrific. His offspeed stuff has led to some terrible swings.

And, as I was typing this, Robinson Cano just caught a line drive and threw to first base to get a double play here in the top of the fifth. Vazquez is cruising and the Yankees are leading 1-0 on an RBI triple by Alex Rodriguez. I guess the hip feels fine.

UPDATE, 8:28 p.m.: Nice running catch by Granderson. Made the grab at the wall.

UPDATE, 8:43 p.m.: Look at that, Robinson Cano just hit a ball hard with a runner in scoring position. It’s now 3-0 Yankees.

UPDATE, 8:55 p.m.: Nice round of applause for Vazquez as he exits the game after a lead-off single here in the seventh. Damaso Marte is in to pitch for the Yankees. Vazquez was terrific.

UPDATE, 9:03 p.m.: The line for Vazquez: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. He threw 77 pitches, 55 for strikes.

UPDATE, 9:11 p.m.: Mariano Rivera is in to pitched the eighth. Clubhouse opening now, so I’m heading downstairs.

After yesterday’s New York Times report that Alex Rodriguez will meet with federal investigators on Friday, Rodriguez said he would answer “just baseball questions” this afternoon.

He wouldn’t say whether he’ll be in the lineup on Friday, but he did say, “I’m definitely playing tomorrow.”

• Pitchers available tonight: Javier Vazquez, Mariano Rivera, Mark Melancon, Zack Segovia, Boone Logan, Damaso Marte.

• Scheduled to play off the bench: C P.J. Pilittere, 1B Juan Miranda, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Ramiro Pena, 3B Francisco Cervelli, LF Jon Weber, CF Greg Golson, RF David Winfree

• Cervelli played some first base way back in 2003, but he’s never played third during a minor league game. He does routinely take ground balls there, and the Yankees like to have all of their catchers get some reps at the corners.

• INF Luis Nunez and C Ryan Baker are up from minor league camp as backups.

• SS Alberto Gonzalez, RHP Brian Bruney, RHP Tyler Clippard and C Wil Nieves are on the Nationals travel roster for tonight’s game.

Nationals lineup
Roger Bernadina LF
Christian Guzman SS
Willie Harris 3B
Josh Whitesell 1B
Justin Maxwell CF
Adam Kennedy 2B
Ian Desmond DH
Wil Nieves C
Willy Tavaras RF

RHP Livan Hernandez

Quick question. Which lineup is more difficult, this group of Nationals or the group of Yankees bench players and minor leaguers who batted during Monday’s intrasquad game?

UPDATE, 3:12 p.m.: Edwar Ramirez is on the move again. He’s been traded to Oakland for infielder Gregorio Petit, a good defensive infielder who hit just .244/.292/.336 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season. I guess you could argue that the Yankees should have been the ones to get Petit for Ramirez, but the Yankees are well stocked in upper-level, utility infield types. Whatever cash considerations they got from Texas will probably be more useful.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m.: Just for fun, here’s a proposed batting order of the players who hit in Monday’s intrasquad game. Is this lineup — granted, positions don’t work out — better than the Nationals lineup for tonight? Probably not, but it’s close. I’d definitely take the middle of this lineup.

1. Greg Golson
2. Jon Weber
3. Randy Winn
4. Marcus Thames
5. Juan Miranda
6. Jamie Hoffman
7. Reid Gorecki
8. Austin Romine
9. Mike Rivera

Another look at the likely Opening Day lineup.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF

RHP Javier Vazquez

Here’s the press release from Major League Baseball.

Major League Baseball has condensed the scheduling format for the 2010 League Championship Series by eliminating the off-day in between Games Four and Five of each series, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today. An off-day had preceded Game Five of both League Championship Series from 2007-2009.

The elimination of the off-day during the middle portion of the League Championship Series is the first implementation of change based on a recommendation from the Special Committee for On-Field Matters, which was formed by Commissioner Selig in December.

Since the parameters for the 2010 postseason schedule had already been established, the elimination of the off-day during the League Championship Series represents the first step that can be taken at this time. Additional suggestions from the Committee will be considered, beginning for the 2011 season, in an effort to make the postseason schedule more closely resemble the scheduling that takes place during the regular season.

“The Special Committee for On-Field Matters is examining a wide variety of topics and issues and additional announcements will be forthcoming,” said Commissioner Selig. “Scheduling is a key area in which the members have expressed many interesting ideas and opinions. The removal of the off-day during both League Championship Series marks the first step in a process that will ultimately result in an improved postseason format for our game.”

Major League Baseball’s 2010 postseason is scheduled to start with three Division Series games in play on Wednesday, October 6th. The League Championship Series will begin on Friday, October 15th with Game One of the ALCS, while Saturday, October 16th will feature Game One of the NLCS and Game Two of the ALCS. Game One of the 2010 World Series is slated to begin on Wednesday, October 27th.