The LoHud Yankees Blog

Two key decisions this spring: Who to bat fifth and who to start fifth.

It was the fifth starter decision that generated the most buzz — and on Thursday Phil Hughes looked like the right choice — but the No. 5 spot in the lineup was not a given. Curtis Granderson and his 30-home run power might have worked in that role, but Joe Girardi had other ideas.

Robinson Cano, the guy who struggled with runners in scoring position last year, got the job and has been terrific.

“He can hit a lot of pitches, even when they’re not strikes,” Derek Jeter said. “He seems to get better each and every year, and he knows he can hit, so I didn’t have any concerns about him.”

That picture on the right is the Associated Press shot of Cano’s fifth-inning home run last night, one of two Cano homers in the game. He leads the Yankees in home runs, RBI and total bases. If you don’t count Marcus Thames’ seven at-bats, Cano also leads in batting average.

Here’s Cano talking after last night’s win.

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The Yankees once again took two of three games in a series, beating the Angels 6-2 last night at Yankee Stadium. Robinson Cano had two home runs, but the night belonged to Phil Hughes who made his season debut with five-plus innings, allowing three hits and striking out six.

During the game, Chan Ho Park was forced to stop throwing in the bullpen when he felt discomfort in his hamstring. He’ll be reevaluated today. The notebook also has items on Randy Winn and two more rings being distributed. Before the game, the Yankees honored Jackie Robinson and everyone wore his number 42 throughout the night.

All spring, the buzz around Phil Hughes centered on the development of his changeup. It was the pitch that seemed to put him over the top in the competition to be the Yankees fifth starter, and it was the pitch that was supposed to make all the difference in his return to the rotation.

Then he made his first start of the regular season against a team that has a lot of success against changeups.

By Hughes’ count he threw only five changeups tonight, all but one of them to Hideki Matsui. Hughes said the Yankees scouting reports said even the Angels left-handed hitters have success against right-handed changeups, so he stayed away from the pitch much of the night. He worked mostly fastball-curveball the first time through the lineup, then mixed in more cutters the second time through.

“There were some points where maybe I could have thrown one (changeup),” Hughes said. “But I just didn’t feel like it was the proper pitch.”

It wasn’t so much the five walks that bothered him, it was the pitches leading up to the walks that he called disappointing. He kept getting into 3-2 counts, feeling like he should have put a hitter away before it got to that point. Here’s the Hughes audio.

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• Robinson Cano was named after Jackie Robinson, and on the night the Yankees honored Robinson’s memory, Cano hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season. “If it wasn’t for him, who knows where I would be,” Cano said.

• It’s hard to overstate how good Cano has been through these first nine games of the season. He’s easily the team’s biggest offensive weapon right now. ”I always put in my mind that I want to hit with men on base,” Cano said.

• Hughes was at 97 pitches when Joe Girardi sent him back out for the sixth inning. “I like the way he was still throwing the baseball,” Girardi said. “We talked about that we would let him get up to 110.”

• The Yankees have a day off on Monday, and Girardi said all of the starters will stay on their normal turn with an extra day of rest. That includes Hughes. His turn will not be skipped.

• When Joba Chamberlain got the double play that ended the eighth inning, it came on three straight sliders. “Short one, big one, short one,” he said.

• Speaking of relievers, Dave Robertson rebounded in a big way from that grand slam he allowed two days ago. “I felt good,” Robertson said. “I felt the same as I did last time, I just wasn’t as fine with my pitches.”

That’s an Associated Press photo of Cano with Alex Rodriguez after the game.

Chan Ho Park was getting loose in the bullpen tonight when he felt something in his right hamstring. He stopped throwing and saw the team doctor, who will reevaluate Park tomorrow before determining whether an MRI is necessary.

“A hamstring problem last year almost ended the season for me,” Park said. “But this is a different spot.”

Phil Hughes returned to the Yankees rotation tonight and got a well-earned win. He allowed three hits and struck out six through five-plus innings. He walked five, four of which came on full counts and none of which came around to score. Robinson Cano went deep twice, Curtis Granderson tripled twice and Derek Jeter had two RBI in a 6-2 Yankees win.

Associated Press photo.

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Marcus Thames DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Randy Winn LF

RHP Phil Hughes (first start)
Career vs. Angels

ANGELS
Erick Aybar SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Mike Napoli 2B
Brandon Wood 3B
Reggie Willits LF

LHP Scott Kazmir (first start)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m./MY9 and MLB Network

WEATHER: Some clouds in the sky, but it doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about.

UMPIRES: HP Jerry Layne, 1B Mike Winters, 2B Hunter Wendelstedt, 3B Dan Bellino

COMFORT ZONE: Three Yankees have more than 25 career at-bats against Scott Kazmir. Derek Jeter has a .111 average, Nick Swisher has a .185 average and Robinson Cano has a .154 average in those at-bats.

CELEBRATING JACKIE: Everyone will be wearing No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. Mariano Rivera is the only player still wearing 42 regularly, having been grandfathered into the number when it was retired throughout the major leagues in 1997.

ERROR-FREE: This could jinx he whole thing but… The Yankees have not committed an error in their past four games. They made four errors in their first two games.

UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: Phil Hughes takes the mound to King Nothing by Metallica, then strikes out Erick Aybar to start the game.

UPDATE, 7:30 p.m.: I would say roughly half of the Yankee Stadium crowd gave Hideki Matsui a standing ovation after his home run off Hughes.

UPDATE, 7:35 p.m.: Hughes never showed much of a curveball this spring, but it’s back in force tonight. He used it on both strikeouts in the second inning.

UPDATE, 7:39 p.m.: Robinson Cano is crushing the ball this season. That’s his third homer of the year.

UPDATE, 7:43 p.m.: Happy with the double, obviously, but not so great that Thames spent most of his run to second base doing his home run trot.

UPDATE, 8:08 p.m.: Hughes’ stuff looks good, but he’s just missing on a few pitches and the Angels have put together some good at-bats against him. Pitch count might be his biggest problem tonight.

UPDATE, 8:11 p.m.: Number 42. Derek Jeter. Number 42. That’s his second homer of the season and the series.

UPDATE, 8:27 p.m.: Every time I see a balk I have a split-second reaction of, “what just happened?” I know something isn’t quite right, but in that exact moment I’m never sure what it is.

UPDATE, 8:29 p.m.: Nice job by Granderson. By the way, the temperature seems to have dropped 10 degrees and it’s been raining lightly off and on.

UPDATE, 8:31 p.m.: Marcus Thames, 2-for-2.

UPDATE, 8:36 p.m.: By the way, when Jeter bats, the stadium is still playing the Bob Sheppard No. 2 recording.

UPDATE, 8:41 p.m.: Cool AP shot of Rodriguez, Jeter and Cano.

UPDATE, 9:00 p.m.: Hughes is at 97 pitches. Right now there’s no one getting loose in the bullpen, but Dave Robertson was getting ready last inning.

UPDATE, 9:02 p.m.: There was a runner in scoring position that time. That’s a two-run shot for Cano, and this is his fifth career multi-homer game.

UPDATE, 9:14 p.m.: Hughes is out there to start the sixth, but Robertson is getting loose again in the pen.

UPDATE, 9:34 p.m.: For Hughes, 108 pitches, a career-high.

UPDATE, 9:53 p.m.: Nice bounce-back outing for Robertson.

UPDATE, 10:23 p.m.: Gotta like that from Joba Chamberlain. By the way, this is the major league debut for Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez (a different Francisco Rodriguez).

UPDATE, 10:29 p.m.: I have no idea how they did this, but I was just told that the Sheppard recording for Derek Jeter is actually saying “Number Forty Two” tonight. It’ s a minor difference that’s tough to notice, but this is why the good folks here at Yankee Stadium know what they’re doing. Very cool touch on this night.

UPDATE, 10:34 p.m.: Apparently, if you say nice things about the stadium scoreboard staff in your blog, you get put on the big screen in center field. I wasn’t expecting that one at all. Hi Mom!

Ninth game of the season and we finally have our first major lineup change. For the most part, the Yankees have kept the same batting order this season, making minor tweaks depending on whether they’re facing a left-handed or a right-handed starting pitcher. Today, with lefty Scott Kazmir pitching for the Angels, Brett Gardner and Nick Johnson are out of the lineup and Randy Winn is making his first start.

“You want to keep all of your players active, and I thought today was a good way to do it,” Girardi said. “(Kazmir) can be tough on lefties, though. There’s no doubt about that.”

Winn is used to being an everyday player, but he’s moved into a bench role with the Yankees. He said the most difficult thing about taking so much time off is getting used to the timing and the speed of the game. It’s been eight-plus years since he played a bench role, but Winn said he remembers how to keep himself sharp.

He also said not to expect much when he gets his first Roll Call this afternoon.

“Probably in line with my personality, it’s going to be nothing spectacular,” he said. “It will not be anything like Swish does. I can assure you that.”

Here’s Girardi’s pregame media session

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• That’s an AP shot of Derek Jeter with Matt Ryan, Wayne Gretzky and Landon Donovan at a Gillette event yesterday.

• Every Yankee will be wearing No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson tonight. The Yankees clubhouse seemed to be lined with nothing but Mariano Rivera jerseys. Rivera himself said the number he always wore as a kid was No. 5, though he has no idea why. As for Rivera’s thoughts on Robinson: “What he went through and what he did,” Rivera said. “I don’t think I would have done it.”

• Girardi said Phil Hughes is not on any different pitch count than any of the Yankees other starters. He can got a little over 100 pitches at this point.

• Girardi also said Hughes’ next start does not depend on this one. He’s the fifth starter for the foreseeable future. “It’s not like we’re going to push the panic button if tonight doesn’t go OK,” Girardi said.

• After Alfredo Aceves pitched an inning and two-thirds yesterday, Girardi said he would rather not use Aceves tonight.

• As for bullpen roles, Girardi said he’s a little closer to having some defined spots, but “there are still some things we have to see.”

• To make room on the roster for Kazmir to come off the DL, the Angels designated OF Terry Evans for assignment.

The Angels also made some changes to their lineup for this series finale.

Erick Aybar SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Mike Napoli 2B
Brandon Wood 3B
Reggie Willits LF

LHP Scott Kazmir

Before the game, Ramiro Pena and Francisco Cervelli took extra batting practice. Between the two of them, they’ve had one start this season. Brett Gardner was also out there getting some early swings, and Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano eventually joined.

New look to the lineup tonight.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Marcus Thames DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Randy Winn LF

RHP Phil Hughes

I’m heading for the stadium in about five minutes. For now, here’s Mark Teixeira’s postgame interview from yesterday. As you’re well aware, Teixeira has typically struggled in the month of April and so far it’s the same old story this season.

“I don’t know why it is, but I can’t change anything that’s happened the first eight games,” he said. “I’m going to go out (Thursday), get here early and try to get some hits.”

Teixeira is 3-for-31, with all three hits coming in one game.

“Whatever struggles come early on, it turns around and turns around really well,” he said. “I’m just going to stick with my plan and try to go out there and do the job.”

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Three quick links…

• Eric Hinske and Melky Cabrera got their World Series rings yesterday. Turns out, Jerry Hairston Jr. picked them up and brought them to his old teammates.

• Former Yankees reliever Jose Veras has been designated for assignment by the Marlins. Veras made the team out of spring training but was brutal through four outings.

• An army medic came to the rescue of a fan who was choking at Yankees Stadium yesterday. John Stone rushed to provide assistance behind home plate, then had his seat upgraded as a thank you.

Here’s the press release from the league.

Major League Baseball today announced that all MLB players, coaches and umpires will once again wear Number 42 to honor the 63rd Anniversary and enduring impact of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier. Continuing last season’s inaugural effort, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig has again invited all on-field personnel wear the number as a sign of unified, League-wide support of Jackie Robinson Day. Commissioner Selig and Major League Baseball have celebrated Robinson’s longstanding legacy as the first African-American to break the color barrier by retiring Robinson’s number throughout the League in 1997 and, since 2004, dedicating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day in his memory. Robinson played his first Major League game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 as a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“Jackie Robinson’s incredible legacy continues to impact our society today,” said Baseball Commissioner Selig. “Baseball’s proudest moment was when Jackie took the field in 1947, so it is important to always remember him and his achievements. It is a privilege to pay tribute to the effect he had on baseball and our country by continuing to honor his Number 42.”

All Clubs will commemorate Jackie Robinson Day. The Robinson family will join MLB in a special Jackie Robinson Day celebration at Yankee Stadium, prior to their 7:05 p.m. (ET) game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a nationally televised game carried live by MLB Network. The on-field ceremony will include Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s wife and Founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation; their daughter Sharon Robinson, Vice Chair of the Foundation; and Jesse Simms, son of Sharon and Jackie’s grandson, who will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The game will be called by Bob Costas and Jim Kaat.

“When Jack stepped onto Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, he set a new course for American history both in the game and in society,” said Rachel Robinson. “I am grateful that Major League Baseball continues to honor his enduring impact, along with the values he lived by, both on and off the baseball field.”

Major League Baseball will be airing “42: Beyond a Number”, a 30-second television ad that illustrates the significance of Robinson breaking the color barrier and mixes imagery of Robinson with that of today’s players and on-field personnel wearing Number 42. The spot, which is the latest in the “This is Beyond Baseball” campaign, can be viewed here.

In recognition of Jackie Robinson Day, one Number 42 jersey from every Club will be signed and auctioned off on MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball, with the proceeds benefitting the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Foundation, established in 1973, provides, four-year college scholarships, graduate school grants and extensive mentoring to academically distinguished minority students with leadership capacity. MLB and the 30 Clubs sponsor more than 60 Jackie Robinson Scholars.

Clubs playing at home on Thursday, April 15 will recognize Jackie Robinson Day with special pregame ceremonies in their ballparks. To ensure that all Clubs have an opportunity to participate and celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, any Club that is not playing at home on April 15 will hold Jackie Robinson Day celebrations at their ballparks either on Friday, April 16 or during another homestand in April. All Clubs will use ceremonial home plates and lineup cards that will include the Jackie Robinson Day logo.