The LoHud Yankees Blog

CC Sabathia finally seems to be getting in gear. This 4-0 win over the Mets meant he has now won four straight starts. The lefty allowed four hits and struck out six over eight innings. The Yankees were briefly debating whether to let him to try to finish off the shutout himself, but a 22-minute rain delay after the top of the eighth took care of that decision for them.

 The Mets had whacked Sabathia around for six runs and 10 hits over five on May 23 when Johan Santana beat him 6-4. Now Sabathia has beaten the Phillies/Roy Halladay and the Mets/Santana back to back, improving to 8-3 despite an uneven first half that includes a 4-0 record against the Orioles.

“I think it’s global warming,” Joe Girardi joked. “In April, he had a great month and he’s usually a slow starter, and in May, he struggled. So I don’t know. They seem to chalk up so many things to global warming.”

Girardi also said Sabathia hadn’t been far off, and Sabathia agreed.

“I think this year was just a matter of being (a little) off, making bad pitch selection, making bad pitches,” Sabathia said. “Most of the time, that’s pretty easy to correct.”

Mark Teixeira’s third-inning grand slam provided all the cushion the Yankees needed in today’s 4-0 win. It was the fifth of his career and his first in pinstripes (or Yankee road grays) — just not his first in the Bronx. He burned Edwar Ramirez for a grand slam as a member of the Angels on Aug. 3, 2008.

The Yankees lead the bigs with seven grand slams (Alex Rodriguez, 2; Jorge Posada, 2; Teixeira; Curtis Granderson; Robinson Cano) after belting three this homestand alone. But check out these stats: the club is batting .420 with 37 hits and 103 RBI with the bags juiced this season.

The production already dwarfs last season when the team hit just three slams all year. Even the club record is in jeopardy this season; it sits at 10, which was accomplished in 1987 (thank Don Mattingly for that).

The man who provided today’s grand slam, Teixeira, hopes the big home runs he hit the last two days are the sign his struggles are over.

“It’s a daily grind. It’s never easy. You’re always working, especially both ways,” Teixeira said. “It’s tough for me sometimes. But when I can hit a home run left-handed yesterday, a home run right-handed today, hopefully that’ll get some things rolling for me personally.”

• Alex Rodriguez was replaced by Ramiro Pena at third base following the rain delay, but it was only for precautionary reasons. “I felt really good,” Rodriguez said. “I think we had a little bit of a delay and Joe just felt like it was a good idea.”

Despite his manager’s caution, Rodriguez plans to play every game this week. “In a perfect world, I hope to get to play all six,” he said. “Right now, that’s the plan.”

• Today was the club’s 9,500th victory since its inception in 1903. The Yankees are 9,500-7,167 overall and are one of two teams with more than 9,000 wins in that span, joined only by the Giants (9,008).

• The Yankees are now 9-3 all-time in rubber games against the Mets, and a meaty 8-0 all-time in the Bronx.

• Those of you who noted Francisco Cervelli’s penchant for triples? You were on to something. Today Cervelli hit his third of the season. It is the most by a Yankee catcher since Joe Girardi hit four in 1998.

• Batters are now 0-for-their-last-22 against Mariano Rivera. Righties are in an 0-for-20 skid.

• As I mentioned on Twitter, the Mets optioned Jenrry Mejia to the minors after the game. The 20-year old was the youngest pitcher in baseball but had been used sparingly, pitching just four times since back-to-back appearances on June 5 and 6.

Mejia has not been charged with a run in 23 of his 30 outings, but the club believes he must work in the minors to further his development. He will head to Class AA Binghamton (partially at his request; “Triple-A is too cold,” Mejia told us) and start on Wednesday. The Mets have not announced a corresponding roster move, but will likely promote reliever Bobby Parnell from Buffalo.

Mejia understood the decision, and could even be described as excited. “I’m happy that I”m going to be a starter again,” Mejia said. “I want to be a starter in the major leagues. I’m going down, I’m going to continue to work hard. I don’t have to put my head down. I’d have to work hard anyway.

The Yankees’ 4-0 today against the Mets returns them to first place in the AL East for just the third day this season. The Rays lost 4-1 in Florida to Marlins ace Josh Johnson.

This is the first time the Yankees have held sole possession of first place in the division since the end of play on April 21.

“We like being in first place. We really do. There’s something about this division and having a chance to be at the top of this division,” said Mark Teixeira, who provided all the scoring with his third-inning grand slam off Johan Santana. “We’re not halfway there. But at the same time, we’ve put in a lot of work. We’ve had a lot of injuries and we’ve fought through. The work we’ve put in has paid off so far. But we have a long way to go because everyone knows how tough our division is.”

No doubt about that. The Rays (42-27) trail the Yankees (43-26) by a full game. The Red Sox (42-28) can remain in a tie for second if they defeat the Dodgers tonight on Sunday Night Baseball, so the race is awfully tight.

Here’s a complete look at the standings. If Boston wins tonight, the three teams will lay claim to the three-best records in baseball. The Braves are the next-best at 42-28 and, at +67, have the third-best run differential behind the Yankees (+101) and Rays (+92).

YANKEES (42-26)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner LF

LHP CC Sabathia (7-3, 4.00)
Mets vs. Sabathia

METS (39-29)
Jose Reyes SS
Angel Pagan CF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Rod Barajas C
Fernando Tatis DH
Jeff Francoeur RF
Ruben Tejada 2B

LHP Johan Santana (5-3, 3.13)
Santana vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 1:05 p.m. / YES Network

UMPIRES: HP Eric Cooper, 1B Bill Miller, 2B Mike Reilly (crew chief), 3B Chad Fairchild

WEATHER: Hot with highs in the lower 90s. Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Southwest winds around 5 mph becoming west 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. Heat index values in the mid 90s, aka stifling.

BIG AND EASY: Super Bowl champ Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints delivered a supersized $10,000 check made out to the Yankees Foundation. He just passed it to Teixeira on the field, with son Baylen, the Super Bowl baby, in tow.

REMATCH: Sabathia and Santana met on May 23 at Citi Field. The Mets beat the Yankees 6-4 and Sabathia was rocked for six runs on 10 hits in just five innings. Santana allowed just a run on six hits over 7.2 innings. Still, the Yankees are 5-2 all-time against Santana. His 4.02 ERA in 12 games is one of the six-worst for Santana against opponent, although it is skewed by last June’s nine-run, three-inning thrashing here.

CAPTAIN LIKES TO MESS WITH THE JOHAN: Jeter is batting a robust .433 in his career against Santana. He is 13 for 30 with a homer and five RBI. Cano is also batting .400 (8 for 20). Conversely, Granderson is 0 for 12 with six strikeouts.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY: And Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. Enjoy the game!

Update, 1:23 p.m.: A quick first inning, 0-0. As someone said in the comments, Santana’s stuff is shorter than it used to be, but his changeup is still a great pitch, as Teixeira just learned.

Update, 1:29 p.m.: For those following along in the car or at the game, Sabathia’s fastball has been between 90-94 and Santana’s 89-90 so far. CC just struck out Barajas on a wicked breaking ball.

Update, 1:32 p.m.: Sabathia strikes out Tatis looking to end the top of the second. Was that pitch low? It was close.

Update, 1:49 p.m.: No blood for Yanks, but they did a good job working the count that inning, especially after A-Rod’s leadoff, check-swing squibber. Santana’s already at 40 pitches through two innings of play. Still 0-0.

Update, 2:09 p.m.: That’s a grand slam for Teixeira to give the Yanks a 4-0 lead. It’s his first grand slam since Aug. 2008, which was hit at the old Yankee Stadium off Edwar Ramirez. It’s Tex’s fifth grand slam and the seventh of the season for the Yanks, who lead baseball.

The Mets were really hurt by bad luck and poor defense there. Jeter reached on a squibber to third to put two on. Then they really botched Swisher’s bunt attempt, although credit Swisher to pushing a bunt into no-man’s land between first and the pitcher’s mound.

Update, 2:12 p.m.: Yankees lead 4-0. Posada struck out looking to end the third inning and did not like the call. He chirped at home plate umpire Eric Cooper. Girardi put his hand over Jorge’s mouth to prevent him from going to far. But as Posada was pulled back to the dugout, Cooper started to move his hand as if he was going to toss him before stopping. It looked very close.

Update, 2:22 p.m.: That is Granderson’s first hit vs. Santana. He had been 0 for 13 with six strikeouts in his career.

Update, 2:28 p.m.: We’re through four innings. Yankees still lead 4-0. Santana got a quick inning there thanks to a great double play started by Wright, who has really matured into an outstanding third baseman. Still, the Yanks will have a chance to strike in the fifth with the top of the order due to bat.

Update, 2:36 p.m.: Gardner nearly pulled the chair out from under himself there by jumping so far from the wall. That just shows you what kind of athlete he is. There was no wall to lean against and he still kept his balance after catching Barajas’ fly ball. Yanks lead 4-0, middle of the fifth. Just 66 pitches for CC, who should pitch deep into this game.

Update, 2:46 p.m.: Quick reaction: Some people will tell you A-Rod, slumping, should swing 3-and-0 to get going. Maybe in a different lineup that would be true. But not with Robinson Cano on deck. Sorry. (For those who don’t know, A-Rod just popped out to the catcher in foul ground on a 3-0 pitch with two on and one out.)

Update, 2:52 p.m.: With Santana at 93 pitches after five, the Yankees should be done with him after the sixth. This is a big inning for Sabathia, who will need to keep the Met speedsters off base.

Update, 2:57 p.m.: Yanks still lead 4-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Does that diving stop by A-Rod make anyone feel better about his health?

Update, 3:09 p.m.: If that’s it, not a good start at all for Santana: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HP. He did allow a pair of infield hits in the third that could’ve been avoided. That said, A-Rod bailed him out of a jam in the fifth when he popped out on a 3-and-0 pitch.

Sabathia heads to the seventh working on a three-hitter, up 4-0.

Update, 3:14 p.m.: CC will need to be careful here with two on and nobody out. Barajas is not a good hitter but he has tremendous power and could easily turn a sleeper into a one-run game.

Update, 3:21 p.m.: CC squirmed out of the jam pretty easily, getting Barajas on a called strike three (that missed its location by three feet but was definitely a strike) and a double play. He’s at just 92 pitches through seven and could go the distance. Yanks up 4-0.

Update, 3:30 p.m.: Why is Jenrry Mejia in the major leagues? He pumps sinkers at 96-97 mph at 20 years old yet is relegated to mop-up duty, pitching the seventh down 4-0. Obviously, he has a lot to work on, but isn’t it worth waiting for? Does this make sense at all to anyone?

Update, 3:37 p.m.: Rain delay. Once Mejia took the mound the sky grew very gray. It didn’t take long for it to open up.

Update, 3:42 p.m.: The Rays lost to the Marlins, 4-1. If the Yankees hold on here (or if the game is called), they will move into first place in the AL East.

Update, 3:53 p.m.: The tarp is being folded up. We should start here in a little while. No one is throwing in the Yankee pen.

Update, 3:59 p.m.: Looks like we’re going to get started. The delay lasted 22 minutes. Fernando Nieve vs. Rodriguez to lead off the bottom of the eighth. There is movement in the Yankee pen but no one is warming.

Update, 4:00 p.m.: Mariano Rivera and David Robertson are now both warming in the pen.

Update, 4:06 p.m.: Rivera on to pitch the ninth. Ramiro Pena is in at third for Rodriguez.

Update, 4:12 p.m.: The line for CC: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Update, 4:13 p.m.: Yankees win, 4-0. They wrap it up in 2:41 thanks to a 1-2-3 inning by Rivera. They are now in first place, one game clear of the Rays. The Red Sox can remain one game back with a win tonight over the Dodgers.

More from the clubhouse in a bit.

After today’s rubber game with the Mets, the Yankees are headed out west for six games in National League parks — three in Arizona and three in L.A. The six-game swing will leave the Yankees without a DH and may force Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to take a seat for a game or two.

Joe Girardi has used the DH spot to give Rodriguez (groin, hip) and Posada (foot) at-bats while limiting the stress as they continue to recover from injuries. He said Posada could possibly catch two out of three in each series, but said how Rodriguez and Posada feel when they arrive to the ballpark will determine if they play or not.

“We’ll go day by day just to see how each one of them is feeling. I think that’s the only thing that we can do,” Girardi said. “You want to play them as much as you possibly can, but you have to go day by day. That’s the situation we’re in now.”

Girardi hopes Rodriguez will become more of a given in the everyday lineup before long, although he still plans to either rest or DH A-Rod once a week.

“Ideally, we’d like to DH him once a week or rest him once a week anyway. I don’t think we’re necessarily going to get away from that. I do think we’re going to get to the point where we won’t worry about his hip flexor,” Girardi said.

• Two of the top lefties in the last decade face one another today in CC Sabathia and Johan Santana. It’s another matchup against one of baseball’s best for Sabathia, who beat Roy Halladay on Tuesday.

“CC seems to run into a lot of that. I mean, he had Halladay the other day and now he has Santana,” Girardi said. “These are two premier pitchers who have been doing it for a long time. You don’t always get two lefties, but today we get two lefties. Santana threw a great game against us last time, so I expect a good matchup today.”

Santana tossed 7.2 innings of one-run ball on May 23 to beat the Yankees 6-4 at Citi Field. However, the last time he pitched at Yankee Stadium, June 14, 2009, Santana allowed nine runs in three innings.

Jerry Manuel believed Santana would be anxious to erase that memory today. He has been inconsistent after a strong start, but the Mets hope Santana heats up, as he has done in the second half of the season throughout the course of his career.

“The second half he takes off,” Manuel said. “That is his history. We’re hoping it’s the same way this year.”

• Girardi was asked about the possibility of a roster move before the series in Arizona. He answered the question without answering it, saying, “We don’t have to, but it’s possible we might.”

• Manuel said if 20-year-old Jenrry Mejia continues to be underused, the organization will have to discuss what to do with him. “I was hoping that at this time he would’ve taken control of that eighth inning role,” Manuel said.

Although Manuel believes Mejia has held his own, the team’s runs the risk of stunting his development.

“He’s possibly a guy at some point that I’m sure if he continues to have inactivity that there’ll be some discussion about him,” Manuel said.

Derek Jeter wore that bemused look before as he was peppered with questions about the heel injury that forced him out of yesterday’s game. He said it occurred as he tried to leg out and infield single.

Jeter said the heel felt “great” and that he wasn’t the one who decided he sat Saturday. “It’s entirely on him,” Jeter said, speaking about Joe Girardi.

Jeter was to be evaluated by the trainers this morning. Unless he hears something unusual from them, Girardi expects Jeter will be fine.

“I asked him how he felt (today) and he said he felt good,” Girardi said. “So he’s in there.”

Jerry Manuel will turn to his group of regulars for the 2010 Subway Series finale. The only real change from Friday is Fernando Tatis, who will DH rather the left-handed hitting Chris Carter against CC Sabathia.

Reyes SS
Pagan CF
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Barajas C
Tatis DH
Francoeur RF
Tejada 2B
Santana LHP

I guess it was true: All Derek Jeter needed was a day.

The Captain returns for today’s Subway Series rubber game with the Mets. Here’s a complete look at today’s lineup:

Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada DH
Granderson CF
Cervelli C
Gardner LF
Sabathia LHP

Also of note: Granderson earns the start vs. Johan Santana after sitting Friday vs. Hisanori Takahashi.

Brian Heyman and I are in for Chad today. I’ll have much more later.

Just got this message from Ron, who’s still working to organize this year’s blog outing to PNC Field in Scranton.

If people are still interested, I’d like to try to organize the third LoHud Yankees Blog group outing for a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees game later this summer at PNC Field, just off I-81 in Moosic, PA. I tried a few months ago but it didn’t work out and unfortunately haven’t been able to get back to it. Last year we had over 80 blog readers, family and friends attend the outing. I think everyone would agree it was a great time!

For those who are unfamiliar, PNC Field is about 60 miles from Binghamton, 100 miles from Newark, 110 miles from Philadelphia, 120 miles from NYC and 130 miles from State College.
The group outing venues this year at PNC Field are much more limited than in the past which contributed to the difficulty earlier this year.

Unfortunately, the weekend group outing spots are sold out for the season, but there are weekend, home game dates at which we can get a block of seats along with the all you can eat food plan. The good news is the cost would be only $18 to $20 per person rather than the $30 we’ve paid in the past. The all you can eat food plan includes hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, soda, water and an SWB Yankees cap and program. Adult beverages are also available at extra cost.

Group seating requires at least 20 people but is basically unlimited beyond that. The available dates are as follows:

Saturday, 7/17, 7:05, Toledo Mud Hens (Promotion Night)
Sunday, 7/18, 1:05, Toledo Mud Hens
Saturday, 7/31, 7:05 Syracuse Chiefs (Promotion Night)
Sunday, 8/1, 5:05, Syracuse Chiefs
Saturday, 8/28, 7:05, Buffalo Bisons (Promotion Night)
Sunday, 8/29, 5:05, Buffalo Bisons
Saturday, 9/4, 7:05, Pawtucket Red Sox (Promotion Night)

At this point I don’t know if Chad Jennings and/or Sam Borden would be able to attend.

I’d ask anyone interested to e-mail me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE at yankslifer@yahoo.com with the date(s) best for them and number of tickets they would want. Once I seem to have a consensus I’ll e-mail those interested before I reserve a date and direct everyone how payment can be made. The past two years I sent those attending an invoice through PayPal and that seemed to work well for everyone.

In the past, a number of people from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and even Virginia came to the outing. Later I’ll provide driving directions and links to hotels and restaurants in the area for those attending.

Thanks to Chad and Sam for posting this.

Ron

Phil Hughes had good reason to be concerned. Jose Reyes had just hit his second home run of the game for a 3-1 Mets lead. Most days, a two-run lead in the third inning would feel tiny, but the Yankees hadn’t scored more than three runs since Tuesday.

“After I gave up the two-run homer I was really mad at myself because we’ve been struggling to swing the bats a little bit,” Hughes said. “And Pelfrey has been really good this year. We had tied it at 1, and to give it back again was bad. But we responded.”

That was the difference. A half inning later, Mark Teixeira — who’s stayed in the No. 3 spot despite his struggles — hit a game-tying home run into the Yankees bullpen. An inning later, Curtis Granderson hit a game winner into the right-field seats.

“The one thing you talk about during the season and in spring training is shutdown inning,” Joe Girardi said. “The importance of when you score, you don’t let your opponent score. Tex answering right back I thought was extremely important.”

Granderson’s home run was the first time Pelfrey had lost a lead all season. It was also the first time he had allowed two home runs in a game.

“Homers help,” Teixeira said. “I’ve always been a big proponent of strikeout pitchers and home run hitters because when you have a good pitcher out there, you’re not going to get 15 hits off Mike Pelfrey. You’re just not going to, so you have to put the ball out of the park and hope for the best.”

Here’s Girardi’s postgame.

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• Girardi found out late this morning that Derek Jeter was getting treatment on his right foot. Jeter had not asked out of the game, but Girardi decided to play it safe and hopes it’s only a one-day issue. “His heel’s sore,” Girardi said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow. I’m hoping we can put him back in the lineup.”

• Girardi on keeping Teixeira in the No. 3 spot: “We all know that Tex is going to hit. Sometimes it can be frustrating for people when you’re struggling. People want to see our guys do well every day, so I think that people get anxious, but it’s a long year. Tex is the kind of guy that can carry you.”

• Asked if today could get him going, Teixeira said more or less the same thing he’s been saying all year: “Today has no bearing on tomorrow or the next day,” he said.

• No word on whether Granderson will play against the lefty Johan Santana tomorrow. He sat out against a lefty on Friday. “Come in ready to play no matter what,” Granderson said.

• Pretty good line from Hughes when asked if he made an adjustment to strike out Jose Reyes in his third at-bat after Reyes homered in his first two ABs. “I didn’t give him a fastball right down the middle,” Hughes said. “I guess if you want to call that an adjustment.”

• Of course, Hughes was asked again about the possibility of pitching in the all-star game: “I think about it,” he said. “I don’t bank on anything. A lot can change between now and then. It would be nice, but I try to take the same approach every day and get better on my side days and not really think about it. If it happens, great. If not, not big deal. Just try to do what we did last year. Those things are nice, but we have one goal here.”

• Before Joba Chamberlain pitched out of his own trouble in the eighth inning, Girardi had Mariano Rivera already getting loose in the bullpen. Girardi ultimately stuck with Chamberlain, who got a strikeout to end the inning. “You don’t want to be caught off guard,” Girardi said. “Mo hadn’t thrown in five days, so he had plenty of rest. You always want to be prepared.”

Associated Press photos of the Yankees outfielders and Jeter on the bench.