The LoHud Yankees Blog

I saw about 15 minutes of yesterday’s game. I watched two or three minutes of the early innings, then I got home from Barnes and Noble — had to finally buy the new Ra Ra Riot album — just in time for the ninth inning, the walk-off homer and the whipped cream pie that seemed to get more of Kim Jones than Nick Swisher. Sorry Kim, but I laughed quite a bit.

This off day would feel a lot different if not for that moment.

I believe it was actually Kim who I was talking to before the first game of the home stand. I said at the time the Yankees needed to win seven of 10, and that’s exactly what they did. It left the Yankees with a 2.5-game lead in the division, a little bit of breathing room before they begin a tough last three weeks of the season.

Joe Girardi called that a home run “a big swing,” and it certainly was.

Now the Yankees can head to Texas with reason to be upbeat. Four days ago they had won eight straight, but when they hit a three-game slide, it nearly disrupted everything. Even CC Sabathia no longer looked unbeatable. Yesterday’s first eight innings must have been brutal — one inning away from being swept by the Orioles at home? really? – but the Yankees ultimately walked off with a win and a pie.

The season is going to be decided in these final weeks, something we probably could have predicted in April. Much better to start this stretch on a high note rather than a deafening thud.

Associated Press photo

The postgame talk had more to do with Jorge Posada’s concussion symptoms than Nick Swisher’s two-run walk-off homer, which came one year to the day of his last walk-off homer. Joe Girardi was asked about life potentially without Posada, and he didn’t like the thought.

“You’re talking about a guy that’s playoff-tested, World Series-tested, September-down-the-stretch-tested, a switch-hitter in the middle part of our lineup,” Girardi said. “It’s an impact.”

But everything turned out OK with the test results. Posada is day to day and cleared to play.

Girardi thought Swisher’s homer changed the complexion of the 10-game homestand. It started with six straight wins and could’ve ended with four straight losses and being swept by the Orioles in the Bronx for the first time since 1986. So 7-3 sounded a lot better than 6-4.

“I think it was a big swing,” Girardi said about Swisher’s drive.

Alex Rodriguez said: “For us, it’s unacceptable to be swept at home.” …

Ivan Nova was impressive, allowing just two runs and six hits over six.

“It was good,” the rookie said. “I gave my team a chance to win.”

“The way Super Nova pitched for us, you definitely wanted to get him a win,” Swisher said. …

This was the Yankees’ fourth walk-off win and major-league-leading 44th comeback win. …

Alex Rodriguez is hitting .412 (5 for 17) since returning from the DL. …  

Yankees relievers fired three hitless innings. They have combined to give up one run over the last eight games, spanning 23 1/3 innings. …

After the off day, the Yankees begin their nine-game trip in Texas on Friday night. That’s it for tonight.

Just got this email from the Yankees…

Tests performed this afternoon by a neurology specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital were negative. Physicians have cleared Posada for competitive play and he is listed as day-to-day.

Joe Girardi revealed after the game that Jorge Posada took a foul tip Tuesday night and was unavailable for this game because of concussion symptoms. He left during the game to be examined by a neurologist at New York Presbyterian. There’s no word on the findings yet.

Jason Bay and Justin Morneau have had extended absences this season because of concussions. Girardi couldn’t say whether Posada would fly to Texas tomorrow night, although it probably wouldn’t be the wisest thing. Right now, the catching is in the hands of Francisco Cervelli, who  has three RBI in his last 108 at-bats, and Chad Moeller, just back from the minors.

The injury may have happened on a Nick Markakis at-bat. Posada alerted the Yankees after Tuesday night’s game that something was wrong, and then he didn’t sleep well.  

“Georgie is a huge part of our team,” Alex Rodriguez said. “We’ll just hope for the best right now.”

Update, 1:37: Finally a hit for the Orioles off Ivan Nova with two outs in the third, Josh Bell’s single to center. Nova is a rather an intriguing prospect. Wonder if he will fit into the rotation next season.

Update, 1:48: Finally a run off Brad Bergesen. Brett Gardner was out stretching for an RBI triple, although he may have been safe. So it’s 1-0 after three. Derek Jeter had a weak swing on the inning-ending grounder. The Captain is 0 for 2 and approaching .260. Wonder how many years the Yankees will offer him after this season at age 36. What do you think?

Update, 2:03: Nova has five strikeouts in four innings and has allowed just two singles, riding this 1-0 lead.

Update, 2:13: Brad Bergesen is also pitching an effective game for the Orioles, allowing one run and three hits through four. It’s amazing the way the O’s have responded to Buck Showalter, seems like he has put a little fear into them. They’re 21-13 since he took over.

Update, 2:20: Nova got a fastball up to Matt Wieters and he sent it the other way to the left-field seats for a two-run homer — 2-1 here in the fifth.

Update, 2:36: It’s not easy to double up Gardner, but that 4-6-3 double-ball play shortcircuited the fifth.

Update, 2:38: Nova starts the sixth with 73 pitches, 49 for strikes.

Update, 2:44: First and second, two outs. David Robertson is warming up.

Update, 2:47: Nova gets out of the jam. I believe he’s at 91 pitches. Can’t complain with two runs and six hits allowed over six. We’ll see if the Yankees can get something going against Bergesen. He had an 0-2 record with a 10.38 ERA in two career starts against them.

Update, 2:53: Well, it’s now one run and three hits for the Yankees through six. Nova is done. Robertson is on for the seventh.

Update, 3:09: Bergesen is done. So far he has given up one run and four hits over 6 1/3. There’s a runner on first, but now the ball is being handed to former New Jersey Nets forward Mark Hendrickson.

Update, 3:13: Joe Girardi is pulling Curtis Granderson against the lefty. Marcus Thames will pinch hit with two outs. So Showalter will counter with righty Jim Johnson.

Update, 3:19: Good job by Thames with the single to right-center. So it’s first and third for Francisco Cervelli.

Update, 3:20: Bad job by Cervelli, first pitch, grounds to third. Has he driven in a run since May?

Update, 3:23: By the way, the last time the Orioles swept three in the Bronx was 1986. The Yankees are also the only major-league team not to lose four straight this season. But there are two innings to go.

Update, 3:26: Boone Logan is coming in to pitch with one out and none on in the eighth.

Update, 3:57: Nick Swisher two-run walk-off in the ninth. Yankees win, 3-2.

Brian Heyman here for Chad today at Yankee Stadium. So Phil Hughes is having his turn skipped. Dustin Moseley will start Sunday in Texas and Hughes will go again next Wednesday at Tampa Bay. It’s all about the innings limit. Hughes is at 155.1.  The speculation all along has been a limit in the 170-175 range. So he’s hopeful that he will be able to make his final three starts after this. Hughes didn’t fight it when Joe Girardi told him.

“There was nothing I could say,” Hughes said. “It’s not worth the fight. They have a plan in mind.”

The last time this happened, Hughes came back and struggled in the next start. Since he has been a little off of late, he’s hopeful this break will help get him back into rhythm. Actually, he will also be available for an inning out of the pen  his weekend. …

Girardi said Alfredo Aceves will not be back this season. He’s being evaluated by a doctor again for this back problem that has sidelined him since May. Girardi said Aceves didn’t feel good after his last rehab outing, and that surgery could be an option.

Girardi also said Damaso Marte probably won’t be back this season. The lefty was very useful out of the pen in the postseason last year. But his shoulder is still problematic. Marte hasn’t given up on October, but he said it’s some sort of a labrum issue and that he feels he’s just at 40 percent.

“It’s very hard for me,” Marte said. “I don’t know what I have in my shoulder. I feel sore.” …

Andy Pettitte is excited to get out and pitch tomorrow for Trenton vs. New Hamphire in Game 2 of the Eastern League playoffs. He’s still not sure if it will do another rehab start. He also isn’t sure if there will be any minor league games left for one, either. …

Girardi plans to mostly platoon Marcus Thames and Lance Berkman at DH. Berkman was originally down as the DH for this game, but then Girardi put him at first and made Mark Teixeira the DH.

Here’s the Orioles’ lineup:

1. Brian Roberts 2B

2. Nick Markakis RF

3. Ty Wigginton 1B

4. Luke Scott DH

5. Felix Pie LF

6. Adam Jones CF

7. Matt Wieters C

8. Cesar Izturis SS

9. Josh Bell 3B

Brad Bergesen P

I’ve been running errands on the day before flying out for a long road trip. Just now got to check twitter for the lineup. Sounds like bad news, but not entirely surprising news, on Alfredo Aceves and Damaso Marte who are expected to be out for the year.

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

The postseason in minor league baseball is kind of a strange thing. The best teams lose their best players to call-ups, and the rosters that earned spots in the postseason take on a completely different look for the most important games of the year.

To be honest, I liked that about covering Triple-A. Things change, often suddenly, and that’s part of the experience. Everyone understands and accepts what’s going on. I don’t like the phrase “it is what it is,” but it is what it is.

The Yankees top three affiliates all advanced to the postseason this year. High-A Tampa got started with a win last night. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Trenton get started tonight.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre opens the International League playoffs against Columbus. The first two pitchers they’ll face should be familiar: David Huff was hit in the head by an Alex Rodriguez line drive earlier this season, and Zach McAllister was traded by the Yankees to complete the Austin Kearns deal.

Even after September call-ups, the Triple-A Yankees still have some familiar names on the roster. Kevin Russo and Chad Huffman are both there after spending some time in the big leagues this season, George Kontos is there in his first year back from Tommy John surgery and Justin Christian is with Scranton after making his big league debut with the Yankees a few years ago. Of course, the roster also includes top position prospect Jesus Montero and third baseman Brandon Laird, who had a real breakout year down in Double-A.  

Here are their pitching matchups.

Tonight: Columbus LHP David Huff (8-2., 4.36) vs. Yankees RHP D.J. Mitchell (2-0, 3.57)
Thursday: Columbus RHP Zach McAllister (9-12, 5.29) vs. Yankees RHP David Phelps (4-2, 3.07)
Friday: Columbus RHP Yohan Pino (10-9, 5.75) vs. Yankees LHP Kei Igawa (3-4, 4.32)
Saturday: Columbus RHP Paolo Espino (3-3, 5.62) vs. Yankees RHP Hector Noesi (1-1, 4.82)
Sunday: Columbus RHP Corey Kluber (1-1, 3.27) vs. Yankees RHP Lance Pendleton (2-1, 4.24)

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Down in Trenton, the Double-A Thunder are opening against New Hampshire and facing top Blue Jays pitching prospect Kyle Drabek in Game 1. Of course, all eyes will be on Game 2, when Andy Pettitte makes a rehab start for Trenton.

Trenton has lost some key players to injuries and call-ups this season — most recently, Corban Joseph went on the DL – but the roster still has Austin Romine, Dan Brewer, recently promoted Pat Venditte and an impressive rotation that includes three of the top arms in the organization in Betances, Banuelos and Brackman.

The Double-A pitching matchups:

Tonight: Trenton RHP Dellin Betances (0-0, 3.37) vs. New Hampshire RHP Kyle Drabek (14-9, 2.94)
Thursday: Trenton LHP Andy Pettitte (rehab) vs New Hampshire LHP Zach Stewart (8-3, 3.63)
Friday: Trenton LHP Manny Banuelos (0-1, 3.52) vs. New Hampshire RHP Randy Boone (5-10, 3.98)
Saturday: Trenton RHP Andrew Brackman (5-7, 3.01) vs. New Hampshire RHP B.J. LaMura (5-6, 3.73
Sunday: Trenton RHP Cory Arbiso (5-5, 4.38) vs. New Hampshire TBA

Those are headshots of Montero and Romine

The first five Orioles reached base tonight. Aside from one walk — when Felix Pie swung at two of the first three pitches — none of those at-bats lasted more than three pitches.

“They were just aggressive, swinging early and it kind of took my aggressiveness away,” CC Sabathia said. “(I was) trying to be aggressive in the strike zone, and they were swinging early. They put some good swings on some balls.”

Of course, there’s a way to adjust to that aggressiveness, but Sabathia had trouble making the change.

“Just try to get them to chase a little bit more,” he said. “Throw some offspeed pitches early in the count. I pitch off my fastball, and I just wasn’t able to get offspeed pitches over for strikes early in the count.”

Most of the early hits were pretty weak, but as Sabathia said, the Orioles hit some balls hard off him too. Bottom line, Sabathia didn’t have it tonight. You don’t expect it from a guy like him, but it happens. No. 20 will have to wait.

“Sometimes when you give some hits off the end of the bat, it can be just not quite exactly where you want it,” Joe Girardi said. “I didn’t think he threw terrible, I didn’t feel that. I just felt it wasn’t quite down in the zone as much as we’re used to seeing.”

Here’s Sabathia.

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• Sabathia had not lost a game at Yankee Stadium since July 2 of last year, a streak of 21 undefeated starts. He remains tied with Whitey Ford for the longest undefeated streak of starts by a Yankee at any stadium.

• This was Sabathia’s second career loss against the Orioles.

• Lance Berkman matched his season high with three hits. He reached base to leads off three innings but scored only once. He’s 8-for-16 since coming off the disabled list. “We liked the way he was swinging the bat right before he got hurt, too,” Girardi said. “I think he just started to get comfortable before he got hurt, it was unfortunate that he got hurt and I think he’s just kind of carried it over.”

• Alex Rodriguez is hitless in 11 career pinch hit appearances.

• Girardi on the decision to not let Rodriguez play the field: “I hadn’t planned on putting him in the field. I just wanted to make sure he was OK after he came out. I had talked about him pinch hitting and that would be it tonight. I didn’t pinch run for him just in case his spot comes up again in the inning. He’s not the tying run. At that point, we still have some runs to get.”

• Girardi on the goofy seventh inning that saw a 6-4 force out and a 5-6-4 force out: “I don’t fault our base-runners. I think you have to be smart about it. You get a popup that’s probably going to be caught most of the time and it’s not caught. You can’t have Curtis (Granderson) being doubled up the other way. You have to play it somewhat cautious. Then you get Alex hitting a line drive to the third baseman that he doesn’t catch. It’s just some bad luck on our part.”

• Girardi and Derek Jeter were both actually happy with the way the Yankees hit against Jake Arrieta. Girardi said the Yankees hit into some bad luck. “Early on we hit a lot of balls hard, but a lot of balls right to some people,” Jeter said. “After that, he seemed to settle down. He worked quick, threw strikes and we couldn’t get much going.”

• Curtis Granderson is the Yankees nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for sportsmanship and community involvement.

• As you’d expect, Sabathia said the idea of reaching 20 wins never entered his mind today.

• Kerry Wood. Still really, really good since coming to the Yankees. He’s allowed one earned run and struck out 20 in 16.2 innings.

• Two more hitless innings from Chad Gaudin. The guy who was cut in spring training has been pretty good in that long role.

• The Yankees are the only team in the Majors that has not lost four straight games this season.

• Jeter on the Yankees three-game losing streak: “We’re right back here in a couple of hours. There’s ups and downs and you ride them out. Hope that the highs last a while and the lows are over quick. We don’t have much time to think about this one.”

Associated Press photos of Sabathia and Berkman

CC Sabathia had a chance to become the major’s first 20-game winner. Instead, he had his worst Yankee Stadium start in more than a year. Sabathia matched his season-high with six runs allowed, and took a 6-2 loss that was his first Yankee Stadium loss since July 2 of last season. He was facing an Orioles team he’d beaten four times this season, but he struggled from the very beginning, when the first five batters reached base. The offense wasn’t much better, scoring two runs and losing to rookie Jake Arrieta for the second time this season.

Associated Press photo