The LoHud Yankees Blog

Monday
RHP Sergio Mitre (0-0, 2.79)
vs.
LHP Dontrelle Willis (1-1, 3.99)
7:05 p.m., YES Network and ESPN

Tuesday
RHP Javier Vazquez (1-3, 9.78)
vs.
RHP Rick Porcello (2-3, 7.50)
7:05 p.m., MY9

Wednesday
RHP Phil Hughes (4-0, 1.69)
vs.
RHP Jeremy Bonderman (1-1, 7.14)
7:05 p.m., YES Network and ESPN

Thursday
LHP CC Sabathia (4-1, 3.04)
vs.
RHP Justin Verlander (3-2, 4.50)
1:05 p.m., YES Network

Looks like Johnny Damon brought a little bit of New York with him to Detroit. The picture above is from his walk-off home run against the Angels on May 1. It’s Damon’s only home run of the season, but he also has 10 doubles, a .294 batting average and more walks than strikeouts. He’ll meet his old  teammates when the Yankees and Tigers begin a four-game series tonight.

“I think it’s always good to see guys that you play with, guys that you manage,” Joe Girardi said. “That’s always a good thing. The Tigers have been playing pretty well, so we have four tough games there, but it will be good to see Johnny. I’m sure there will be some laughs.”

The Yankees will also see their former left-handed reliever Phil Coke, who’s 3-0 with a 1.76 ERA through 16 games out of the Tigers bullpen. And they’ll be facing former top prospect Austin Jackson, who’s hitting .371, getting enough hits to more than make up for his 37 strikeouts.

“We always thought he was a talented player and I had seen a lot of progress in the two spring trainings that I had seen him, 2008 and 2009,” Girardi said. “I don’t think you ever predict that someone is going to hit .370. It just doesn’t happen, but he’s played great for Detroit.”

The series will be a homecoming for Yankees left fielder Marcus Thames, but Curtis Granderson isn’t on this road trip, having stayed in New York because of his strained groin.

Good morning from Boston’s Logan Airport. I stayed at my sister’s place last night and got to bed just in time for about three and a half hours of sleep before this morning’s flight to Detroit. I’m sitting at the gate with Ben Shpigel, Sweeny Murti and Pete Caldera, all of whom have the same blank look that I’m sure is on my face. Some of our colleagues lost their minds and caught a 6 a.m. flight that connects through Newark. At least the four of us were smart enough to avoid that one.

This was kind of a weird series against the Red Sox, only because the Yankees were so very dominant the first two games and never had a chance in the finale. Next up, a bunch of familiar faces in Detroit Rock City.

A.J. Burnett was a dominant Fenway Park pitcher before he signed with the Yankees, but he’s done nothing but struggle in Boston ever since. Burnett was on a roll this season before falling apart in last night’s series finale against the Red Sox. It was Burnett’s first loss of the season and it ended a six-game winning streak for the Yankees.

Now the team will head to Detroit where they’ll begin a four-game series against their former teammates Johnny Damon, Phil Coke and Austin Jackson. The notebook also has items on Andy Pettitte’s schedule, Francisco Cervelli’s move back to the bench and Chan Ho Park’s progress from a hamstring injury.

As Sam wrote in today’s column, baseball remains a uniquely unpredictable game. For proof, look no further than yesterday’s perfect game by Dallas Braden, a milestone that was of course framed by his bizarre back-and-forth with Alex Rodriguez.

During this blistering start to the season, A.J. Burnett’s curveball has come and gone, but his fastball has been reliable. He’s been throwing it with power and accuracy, and it helped carry him to a 4-0 record with a 1.99 ERA heading into tonight’s game in Boston.

“I had a good hook tonight, but I didn’t have a good heater,” he said. “I had a good fastball early but after that, everything was up. The ball to Ortiz leaked over. The one to Beltre was up. They all went where they weren’t supposed to go.”

Before coming to the Yankees, Burnett had been a dominant pitcher in this ballpark. He’d never lost against the Red Sox, and he had allowed just one earned run through 22.2 innings in Boston.

Last year, he went 0-2 with a 14.21 ERA at Fenway. This year he’s 0-1 with a 10.61 (4-0 with a 1.51 in every other stadium).

“His first start here wasn’t too bad this year,” manager Joe Girardi said. “But tonight he struggled with his command… I hope he doesn’t make too much of this one start, and I told him not to.”

Here’s Burnett talking about his rough outing.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

• Pregame Girardi said he didn’t expect to make a player move before tomorrow’s series opener in Detroit. After the game, Girardi said it’s possible they’ll have to make a move to add a long reliever. They’ll probably want one behind Sergio Mitre, who will be limited to 65-75 pitches.

• Let there be no doubt, Marcus Thames has looked bad in left field, including a damaging error tonight. “He’s got to be able to play out there for us,” Girardi said. “That’s the bottom line.”

• Nick Swisher is on some kind of roll. He was 2-for-4 tonight with his fifth home run of the month, his seven home run of the season.

• Alex Rodriguez hit his first home run in 61 at-bats, a homer-less streak that stretched to April 20. Rodriguez said he hasn’t been concerned about the power numbers. He’s been trusting that the home runs will come, and in the meantime, he’s been willing to take his walks and pass the baton to Robinson Cano. “I never look at that as a big issue,” Rodriguez said. “I want to think small.”

• The Rodriguez homer tied him with Frank Robinson for seventh on the all-time home run list. His 15 games between home runs tied for the fourth longest stretch of his career.

‘• Asked about his ejection Girardi said, “I’m protecting my player and that’s all I want to say about it.” Sweeny Murti asked if he gave the ump just cause to toss him from the game. “You could write that,” Girardi said.

• It might be a one-and-done call-up for Romulo Sanchez if the Yankees decide to add another long reliever tomorrow, but he was terrific in his Yankees debut. The radar here at Fenway had his fastball consistently at 95-96 mph — I’ve seen him hit 97 consistently in Scranton — and he pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.

• Nice diving stop by Kevin Russo at third base and Brett Gardner made some plays that showed his range in center.

• Gardner extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Associated Press photos.

YANKEES (21-8)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Marcus Thames LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner CF

RHP A.J. Burnett (4-0, 1.99)
Career vs. Red Sox

RED SOX (15-16)
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Victor Martinez C
Kevin Youkilis 1B
J.D. Drew RF
David Ortiz DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jeremy Hermida LF
Darnell McDonald CF

LHP Jon Lester (2-2, 3.93)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 8:05 p.m./ESPN

UMPIRES: HP Tim McClelland, 1B Mike Everitt, 2B Andy Fletcher, 3B Adrian Johnson

WEATHER: Bundle up everyone. It’s going to be a little chilly here in Boston. Only a 10 percent chance of rain — a delay would be brutal for a group of sports writers trying to catch an early flight to Detroit — so hopefully we won’t have a repeat of yesterday’s game.

SWISH AT THE DISH: Nick Swisher has driven in at least one run in six of the Yankees seven games this month. His four home runs in May are the most in the majors and he’s raised his season average from .250 to .298.

JUST WINS BABY: This comes straight from the Yankees media notes, including the title, which is absolutely perfect. Alfredo Aceves improved to 3-0 last night and he’s now 14-1 in his career. It’s the best start for any major leaguer through 15 career decisions since Bob Wickman went 14-1 with the Yankees from 1992 through June of 1993. According to Elias, no other major leaguers have started their careers 14-1 since 1961.

REAL MEN SWING PINK: As you can see in the picture above, Robinson Cano will be one of several Yankees and Red Sox using pink bats today to promote breast cancer awareness. In the clubhouse before the game A.J. Burnett was also wearing pink sweatbands on his arms and a lot of Yankees — Brett Gardner, Kevin Russo, Francisco Cervelli, David Robertson, etc. — were wearing pink necklaces.

UPDATE, 8:45 p.m.: That’s an error on Thames and a 1-0 lead for the Red Sox.

UPDATE, 9:22 p.m.: Well that wasn’t good. Nine Red Sox batters came to the plate. Five of them scored. It’s now 6-0 Red Sox and Burnett doesn’t look great.

UPDATE, 9:26 p.m.: Nick Swisher’s huge month of May continues with a massive home run to left.

UPDATE, 9:27 p.m.: And now Alex Rodriguez has gone deep — Stick It! — to snap a 61-at-bat homer-less streak. It’s now 6-2 Red Sox.

UPDATE, 9:34 p.m.: There goes Girardi. He was just tossed for arguing on Thames’ behalf. Thames started to have a conversation with home plate umpire Tim McClelland, then Girardi came out after the conversation got animated. Girardi argued for a while and was walking away when he was tossed. It was Girardi’s 12th career ejection and his first this year.

UPDATE, 9:45 p.m.: Two-out RBI double makes it 7-2 Red Sox. Still no action in the Yankees bullpen.

UPDATE, 9:52 p.m.: Associated Press photographic evidence of the Girardi ejection.

UPDATE, 10:01 p.m.: Romulo Sanchez getting loose in the Yankees bullpen. This will be his Yankees debut, but not his major league debut. He pitched out of the Pirates bullpen a few years ago.

UPDATE, 10:06 p.m.: Two-run home run by Hermida and here comes Romulo. Big time fastball. Changeup is his second best pitch.

UPDATE, 10:45 p.m.: Kevin Russo is in to play third, Ramiro Pena is in to play short. Sanchez has been good so far.

UPDATE, 11:06 p.m.: At least Robinson Cano is still hitting. His second hit of the game has scored Ramiro Pena and made it a 9-3 game.

Obviously Dallas Braden has become one of the more notorious names in the Yankees clubhouse, but the final outs of his perfect game were on the clubhouse TV here in Boston tonight. Most of the Yankees were on the field for stretch, but A.J. Burnett was watching as Braden hugged a woman assumed to be his grandmother. “Grandma, I love you, but don’t cross my mound!” Burnett said.

As for the events here in Boston, Girardi suggested he’s going to have to start filling out an injury report like a football coach.

Chan Ho park would be out. Alfredo Aceves would be doubtful. Mariano Rivera would be probable.

“I’m going to have to start doing what the NFL does,” Girardi said.

Most of the health news is good today. Rivera hasn’t pitched in a while, but he’s absolutely available. Park is throwing a bullpen tomorrow, which could lead to a rehab outing. Aceves and his bad back are much better today and Girardi is hopeful that Aceves will be available tomorrow.

“If not, we’ll shoot for the next day,” Girardi said.

• Apparently Dallas Braden’s grandmother actually said, “Stick it, A-Rod,” during a postgame interview in Oakland. You can’t make this stuff up.

• Andy Pettitte will return to the rotation on Saturday. He’s scheduled to play catch tomorrow, throw long toss on Tuesday and throw a bullpen Wednesday.

• Girardi said Aceves is not available tonight, but he’s not worried about his bullpen because Romulo Sanchez is available for 100 pitches if necessary.

• You could see Rivera get in tonight’s game, but Girardi’s not worried about the lack of recent work for his closer. “He’ll get plenty of work in the course of the season,” Girardi said.

• Sounds like Park could get in a rehab game as early as this week, but Girardi said he’s not sure how many rehab inning Park would need before rejoining the team.

• Don’t expect any roster moves before the Detroit series. With Robinson Cano back at second base, the Yankees no longer need to carry a second utility infielder, but Girardi said he doesn’t expect to make a move between now and Monday. “Not really anticipating anything right now,” Girardi said. Russo has experience in the outfield and could go out there if necessary.

• Girardi once again said the production from Francisco Cervelli has not changed his plans at catcher. He entered the season planning to have Cervelli catch one out of three or one out of four games, and that’s still the plan. “I don’t see that changing a whole lot,” Girardi said.

• Braden’s perfect game was going on during Girardi’s press conference. “I hope he gets it,” Girardi said. “A perfect game’s an amazing feat.”

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Marcus Thames LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner CF

RHP A.J. Burnett

As far as I know, my mother has never been to a Yankees game in her life. I’m also pretty sure no one reads this blog more often than she does.

To my wonderful mother and to all of you mothers out there — including my great friend Brooke who had twins on Friday — Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

To celebrate Mother’s Day, several Major League Baseball players will be swinging pink bats today. Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira are two of the players who will be using the bats, which are meant to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer.

Game used bats will be auctioned off on MLB.com at a later date to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.

If you couldn’t guess, that’s me with my parents. I assume the picture is from 1981 because my mom is pregnant with my little sister. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Sam says: Let me also take a moment to jump in and wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, particularly my own, my mother-in-law and Mrs. Jennings, who I’ve never met but is surely a wonderful woman because she gave us Chad, who is doing a truly fantastic job with the beat and the blog.

In addition to the pink bats, I was told that some of the players may be wearing pink necklaces – many Yankees regularly wear magnetic necklaces that are supposed to aid with circulation – and that Joba Chamberlain is one of the Yankees who may be doing that. Anyone who supports Komen for the Cure (in any way) is all good in my book.

Hope everyone has a great day celebrating all the moms — we wouldn’t be here with you!

Following Chad’s lead, that’s a shot of my wife and my folks enjoying the view from the dugout at (I believe) the 2008 media game at old Yankee Stadium.

Brett Gardner has had a fantastic start to the season, quickly proving that he can handle the rigors of being an everyday player. Yesterday was a typically strong game for him, too, as Gardner went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a picked up a stolen base (his 14th).

What will he remember though? You can bet it will be his last at-bat, in which he struck out against Red Sox outfielder – yes, outfielder – Jonathan Van Every. Striking out against a position player (and looking, no less) is something that Gardner will hear about from teammates for a long, long, long time.

“He’s never going to live that down,” said Mark Teixeira, who would homer off Van Every not long after Gardner’s whiff. Teixeira shook his head and laughed.

“I’m going to see him at Old Timer’s Day in 40 years and we’re going to be talking about that at-bat,” Teixeira said. “Don’t you even worry about it.”

Jorge Posada should be back in the lineup tonight and back behind the plate on Monday, but in the four games since his calf started bothering him, the Yankees have had a more-than-productive substitute in Francisco Cervelli.

“He comes up (last year) and everyone talks about his defense. He’s going to catch, he’s going to throw, he’s going to be great behind the plate,” Mark Teixeira said. “This guy is impressing me more and more every day. He stepped up for a future Hall of Famer. He’s stepping up and doing a great job for Jorge.”

Cervelli has nine hits in the past four games. Yesterday he had five RBI, which he couldn’t remember ever doing in his life.

“Do the best I can,” Cervelli said. “That’s it. Play like it’s the last game of my life. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow so I’ve got to give to my teammates what I have.”

And his teammates have noticed.

“He really communicates well,” CC Sabathia said. “He’s not afraid to talk to us, be emotional. To have a guy behind the plate like that helps a lot.”