Friday morning notes: Minor concern in the bullpen
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Mar 18, 2011 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
We’ve reached the point in spring training when nagging injuries have the potential to become Opening Day problems.
The Yankees are encouraged by Sergio Mitre, who’s scheduled for three or four innings this afternoon. Joba Chamberlain’s strained oblique was healthy enough for long toss yesterday, and he’ll throw a bullpen tomorrow. Pedro Feliciano has a little soreness in his upper arm, and he’ll also throw a bullpen tomorrow.
“If the bullpen goes well, then it’s minor,” Joe Girardi said.
Girardi also acknowledged that, at this point, one or more of these injuries could impact the roster. The Yankees don’t expect any of the injuries to be long-lasting, but Opening Day is less than two weeks away, and the Yankees need to keep these small problems from becoming significant setbacks.
Boone Logan, for example, seemed to be past a little bit of a dead arm period when he pitched a scoreless inning last night, but he now has back spasms.
“As long as they’re just back spasms, it’s usually four or five days,” Girardi said. “They’re no fun, I know that.”
• Girardi promised that he’ll announce a No. 2 starter tomorrow. He wants to let A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes know first.
• Girardi downplayed the Feliciano injury, saying he’s just getting “extra rest” similar to what Logan needed earlier this month.
• Spring results don’t mean much, but Girardi said he can’t help but think about how good Alex Rodriguez could be this season when he sees the way Rodriguez is hitting this spring (three home runs in the past three days, yesterday’s was hit to Orlando). “You do take notice of the way he’s swinging the bat in spring training,” Girardi said.
• Eric Chavez is getting another turn at first base this afternoon. “I really haven’t thought much about his health because of the way he’s moving on a daily basis,” Girardi said.
• A.J. Burnett gets the start this afternoon against the Blue Jays, his former team.
• After the latest round of cuts — Steve Garrison, Andrew Brackman, Ryan Pope, Kevin Russo, Brandon Laird and Melky Mesa — none of the six players cleared their lockers in the Yankees clubhouse. All six are making today’s road trip, and their assignment to minor league camp has been little more than a paper move.
• Out of the bullpen: Sergio Mitre, Andrew Brackman, Steve Garrison, Eric Wordekemper, Ryan Pope, Amaury Sanit and Kevin Whelan. Sanit and Whelan are up from minor league.
• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Jorge Vazquez, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Brandon Laird, LF Andruw Jones, CF Justin Maxwell, RF Jordan Parraz, DH Jose Gil
• Melky Mesa, Jesus Montero and minor league infielder Walter Ibarra will also make the trip as backups.
Associated Press photo of Mitre
Who do they kick off the 40 man to give Jesus a roster spot?
reegie corona
It seems to me if the Yankees were seriously considering Romine or anyone else for the back up catching position then they would be getting more playing time. Romine just really hasn’t played that much and Montero is making the trip again today after playing virtually the whole game last night. If that’s what they are going to do then why not just announce it so he can relax and play?……
yeah, its obvious romine is not being seriously considered.
btw i saw reegie come through with some big hits in trenton. i dont want to see him cut but he is the most likely since he’s injured. good luck to him if he is the one cut.
Yeah, if the EXACT pitchers everyone anticipated to go north pre-ST actually went, all %100 healthy, it would be an upset.
Good morning, all.
If Alex really dropped one onto Dale Mabry, then, wow. Nothing more to say.
Better that Feliciano have his dead arm now, and not two weeks from now. Backs have the potential to act up anytime. I’m sure Logan’s getting whatever treatment he needs, to treat now and to prevent down the road. I think Joba will be fine, and start the season. I know I’m not down there, seeing these guys, just my feeling based on what I’m reading.
I’ve thought for a couple of weeks that Montero was pressing a bit. He needs some counselling. He’ll be ok.
They could move Marte to the 60 day DL as well to make room for Je-Zeus.
Blake
I agree, Romine has not played that much at all this spring except coming in the game later on. Apparently right now he is dealing with a family matter so is gone for a few days but even before that he was barely out there. Montero has been either in the linuep or off the bench or even as a backup on trips pretty much every day. I too think they should let him know if he has the job(of course he does) or not because he seems to be trying too hard.
blake -
I just read that Romine left camp yesterday for personal reasons. (On ESPN)
http://games.espn.go.com/flb/resources/playernews
Doreen,
yea I know but even before that Montero was getting the bulk of the back up play……
MTU -
Lee had his 2nd bad ST game yesterday, really stunk it up, as did King Felix. I don’t think Felix will have a problem, but, I’m hoping with Lee that this is how his season goes, from start to finish.
Chad,
any quotes or reports on how Montero did behind the plate yesterday? I know he threw out Damon….
Granderson is quietly killin’ it. 3 3B 3HR hitting .324 and OB is .378. Did I mention great jumps and outruns in the OF? Grandy Man deserves some love. Gonna monster it this season!
Oh, I uploaded my pictures from Wednesday night to my flickr. Some of them are blurry because my camera doesnt take the best pictures at night but there are some good ones in there.
Heres the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58208470@N04/
Established starting pitchers really do work on things in ST….they don’t always pitch the way they normally would. I remember Maddux getting bombed every spring with the Braves. Now if they suck that last outing before the season starts then you wonder a little but otherwise its meaningless.
J. Alfred,
Grandy does look great on both sides of the ball….I agree with you. Big year in store for him….difference making year.
blake -
Is Damon still able to run, I thought he was using a walker.
Ys Guy,
Catching is pretty deep this year.
I would much rather take Santana in the 6th or 7th round then Martinez in the third
Al,
yea I mean he can still run a little…..he’s faster than Jorge anyway.
“Now if they suck that last outing before the season starts then you wonder a little but otherwise its meaningless.”
Nah, that’s pretty much meaningless too..
“Nah, that’s pretty much meaningless too..”
doesn’t count obviously but that last outing starters like to pretty much do things as they would in the regular season….so you’d expect the results to be similar as well.
Blake, if he could levitate that OBP all yr, that would put him at a new level. We already know he brings that rare speed/power package (hence 3 3B/3 HR). Yea we’re goin to enjoy this guy in 2011! (he has put up this line even though he has appeared awkward at times against LHP this spring. the great news is, that’s probably just the rust of ST and that he has a technique against lefties to fall back in that has already rendered results).
Castillo cut by Mets. I hated that he became the whipping boy for all the Mets ills and hope he finds more peace of mind with another team.
tyanks-great pictures
triple, it is deep but this league will have at least 28 catchers, which is way more than the actual number of usable catchers. the question is always, ‘should i take a mediocre catcher here (say, 11th round for napoli) or pick up an extra big bat (konerko?) who might even go to the bench (but i know i will need him at some point.)
im not going to divulge what my strategy is.
Thanks Erin
Blake, understand I’m saying all starting pitchers are going to suck sometime during the year, even if they have great-good-average years.
The timing of sucking your start before opening day (or you first regular season start for that matter) is really mostly meaningless.
Burnett’s whole April 2010 was mostly meaningless, much less any one start during it.
pat – Castillo finally cut by Mets. Not surprising. Newsday, today, had a column on him, about the end being near. I think I agree with the article, that it was a bad signing by the Mets, of a player coming off an injury, starting the downside of his career. Not a great move by Omar.
tyyanks, good job, girl! But no pics of my long lost son, Dealin’ Dellin?
Stuckey,
true. My point was just that usually in that last spring start pitchers start using their normal sequences and try to get guys out as they normally would. Obviously if Roy Halladay gets bombed next week then that has very little bearing on his opening day outing.
Oh I see tyyanks that was from Wed. only, my bad.
If I counted correctly the Yankees currently have 38 on the 40 man roster. I think Marte is a lock for the 60 day DL. A decision on R Sanchez will also have to be made.it would seem they have plenty of room for Garcia , Colon, and Jesus. What am I missing?
In the interest of “the benefit of doubt” and “give the guy a break” I hope everyone can stop talking about Chavez’s health until there’s actually something to talk about.
Ys Guy,
Is this a 5X5 or points league? if its 5×5 I agree you can’t sit on catchers. If it is a points league which is odd to have 2 catchers you would need one decent one and the second one you can take one real late
Jane Heller sums up how I feel about the Torre/Yankee situation better than I could.
http://janeheller.com/confessi.....rre-redux/
Ahh Chavez. Thats another spot. Thanks m
Re bullpen snags we do have ABrack on the 40. yanks aren’t exactly shy about interrupting development to bolster the pen
.
Ugh, Feliciano has a sore arm?
I’m sure AJ will be the #2 guy………..
Good morning, Yankee people! Thanks for sharing pics, tyf. I look forward to your Tampa pics once milb starts.
I note we are not only not on TV, but not on radio this afternoon. I really wanted to see Brackman pitch.
I don’t mind AJ being the #2 guy. And then reassessing it if we’re fortunate enough to be in the postseason n
forgiveness is a 2-way gift so I don’t see sense in hanging onto resentment toward Joe. Half-hearted forgiveness isn’ true forgiveness. Welcome back, Joe T. hey if Winfield could forgive GMS… Torre said he regretted some of the things he said. That’s enough for me.
pat March 18th, 2011 at 11:14 am
Jane Heller sums up how I feel about the Torre/Yankee situation better than I could.
http://janeheller.com/confessi…..rre-redux/
********************
pat-thanks for the link. That’s exactly how I feel about it too.
yankfem – good morning to you. the scent of (Trenton) baseball is in the air!
So does Feliciano have a dead arm or a sore arm? They’re completely different.
JAP
There is one of Betances. He is in the dugout with Laird, Banuelos and Brackman. If he is at the minor league complex on Sunday then ill get a picture of him for you.
Feliciano has a sore arm, terrific…
does it really matter if Aj is number 2 or if Hughes is? They will both pitch 35 games hopefully, then a bunch more in the playoffs.
I’m more a forgive but not forget person. An apology, time and good acts is needed to get me to true forgiveness.
No, I guess it doesn’t – but it’s still kind of an honor to be the #2. Going into ST, I thought Phil was for sure, simply because he was the better pitcher last year, but AJ has had a fantastic spring and also I think Joe wants to reward him.
J. Alfred Prufrock,
Saying you regretted something that was said in the heat of the moment or in an interview is one thing but putting something in a book that you thought long and hard about is another.
tyanksfan36 March 18th, 2011 at 11:23 am
JAP
There is one of Betances. He is in the dugout with Laird, Banuelos and Brackman. If he is at the minor league complex on Sunday then ill get a picture of him for you.
///
thanks, ty. nice job all around. DB is supposed to get another look. I think the yanks want to let the 3Bs see the more regular lineups as a parting gift/challenge they can take with them into their season. hitters are now getting in stride & tougher to face.
pat -
I read that Castillo asked for his release.
Im fine with AJ pitching behind CC for reasons explained the other day
J. Alfred Prufrock March 18th, 2011 at 11:22 am
yankfem – good morning to you. the scent of (Trenton) baseball is in the air!
_____
Good morning, Prufrock. I was actually in Princeton yesterday, longing to go a little further south to Waterfront Park, but soon… Still waiting on who will start when. Somewhat tempted to go to the first practice in Trenton on the 5th.
Ditto who’s pitching in what order for SWB. I am hoping Brackman pitches one of the two games in Lehigh Valley. I forget if you have made trips there, but easy drive, with Blue Sky Cafe’s great breakfasts and Lehigh’s gorgeous campus right beckoning before first pitch.
AJ was signed to be the #2. It’s more his responsibility than an honor.
J/k. Being #2 is a big deal to the actual #2. And it’s not like there’s no pressure or responsibility or accountability that goes with the honor.
Blake, but that would not be the reason for AJ being the #2…………..and frankly, I think the #2 should always be the better pitcher. If the Yankees think AJ is better, that’s fine, but if the think Phil is, then he should be the #2.
pat -
100% agree on Jane Heller’s remarks.
Triple Short of a Cycle March 18th, 2011 at 11:26 am
J. Alfred Prufrock,
Saying you regretted something that was said in the heat of the moment or in an interview is one thing but putting something in a book that you thought long and hard about is another.
///
it left a bad taste,sure but what do you want to do? Turn your nose up at this guy forever?Look,he’s got a bit of an ego & he over-estimated his value to the yanks.He got caught up in nursing his own resentment and seeing himself as a martyr.I think now he sees that bitterness isn’t helping anyone,so why hang onto it. I applaud that. What GMS did to Winfield wasn’t exactly unpremeditated, it was actually pretty nuts. Winfield forgave him. I mean, he REALLy forgave him. Yogi forgave George, too.Speaking strictly for myself,I forgive Joe & will give him a warm hand on OTD.
M, but that signing was 3 years ago – if the Yankees make AJ the #2 based on what they thought they were getting when they signed him, that’s pretty stupid. There are sound reasons for making AJ the #2, such as last year was too horrendous to be believed and he’ll be better this year or that the Yankees think AJ has simply outpitched Phil this spring or whatever, but if he’s made the #2 just because…………well, again pretty stupid.
blake,
You’re right about Romine not seeing a lot of playing time.
pat -
I wish I could say I was forgive and forget, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m the same as you – I can forgive and it’s fairly easy to do; but forget? Not likely. Sometimes I wish I could.
Al-
Lee just keeps shooting his mouth off and he isn’t a Yankee so I could care less what happens to him going forward.
He seems to to suffer from foot in mouth disease and some of the stuff he says just doesn’t make any sense at all.
Given how AJ has made real adjustments, I feel he deserves the benefit of the doubt for now.
But I wouldn’t be surprised or displeased if they gave it to AJ. That there’s even any suspense is a good thing. That means we have some purdy darn good pitching.
yankeefeminista March 18th, 2011 at 11:28 am
J. Alfred Prufrock March 18th, 2011 at 11:22 am
yankfem – good morning to you. the scent of (Trenton) baseball is in the air!
_____
Good morning, Prufrock. I was actually in Princeton yesterday, longing to go a little further south to Waterfront Park, but soon… Still waiting on who will start when. Somewhat tempted to go to the first practice in Trenton on the 5th.
Ditto who’s pitching in what order for SWB. I am hoping Brackman pitches one of the two games in Lehigh Valley. I forget if you have made trips there, but easy drive, with Blue Sky Cafe’s great breakfasts and Lehigh’s gorgeous campus right beckoning before first pitch.
///
No haven’t been out there.Just finished a long-term project which now has to be promoted so the Trenton games are very convenient.Lehigh sounds nice though,maybe a road trip for the future.I wouldn’t mind slippin off to that practice myself but will have to see what schedule permits.
Please don’t tell me Lee trashed the Yankees again…………….. and MTU, I couldn’t care less either (though I admit that if I hear he’s struggling in the regular season, I will have a cheshire grin on my face)
Betsy
IMO, you get too caught up in “aces” and number 1, 2 and 3′s.
surprised nor displeased if they gave it to *Hughes.
I don’t see how this “suspense” means that, M………
Pat, ok, welll it’s just another thing that we disagree on. I don’t even get that comment. First of all, I said it’s probably no big deal – but yes, I think any pitcher would rather be the #2 man, with the responsibility that puts on him, instead of the #3. Also, maybe you don’t do this, but every baseball fan I know and other fans tend to like to talk about their pitchers in terms of how good they are or how good they will be – especially their young pitchers.
Lee just keeps shooting his mouth off and he isn’t a Yankee so I could care less what happens to him going forward.
He seems to to suffer from foot in mouth disease and some of the stuff he says just doesn’t make any sense at all.
___
this the age comments again? he looks like a fool here because the phillies are older than the yankees…. ask the braves how having four pitchers and an ok offense got them all these world titles?
sorry but with utley out for who knows how long, howard unable to hit lefties and offspeed, and a lineup with no RH power or protection for RH, that offense is going to need the starters to go 9 every night. pen sucks too !
In terms of this particular “competition”, what it tells me is that whoever is the #2 pitcher is the better pitcher…….which is fine. I don’t have a horse in this race – whoever gets it is fine. I just want the reasoning to be sound.
I’d love to know why a pitchers spot in the rotation makes any difference. I don’t think it matters at all.
Does anyone want to share a good scratch recipe for pancakes? Im not too picky. i just want them light and fluffy. And I don’t have buttermilk in the house. Thanks in advance
Oh Big Al, if you’re around, thanks for posting that stuff abuot patella tendonitis; that sounds like a very painful condition. Poor Utley.
Betsy,
The number really doesn’t matter. Pettite was better than AJ last year and he wasn’t the #2. They wanted to split up the lefties.
J. Alfred Prufrock,
Everyone is different I guess. No way in he ll I would I have forgave George if I was Winfield. Yogi I can see but not Winfield.
I am grateful for the time he was here up until 2004
Blake, but no one knew that coming into the season; Joe wasn’t going to change the rotation around mid-season
Betsy,
Numbers 1 or 2 or 3 starters rarely matchup with other 1,2, or 3 starters throughout the year. It matters more in the postseason then the regular season
Triple as I said, it’s not a big deal, but I do think being the #2 is an honor……..
Being the #2 vs. being the #3 pitcher is a matter of practicality and is fluid. I wouldn’t put too much weight on the categorization as an indictment of AJ or Phil. I am fine with either order.
Who was higher in the pecking order the last time a game that mattered was played, Hughes or Burnett..?
pat – i think her larger issue is saying “it’s not that big of a deal” and then talking about it for 3 hours.
M
I like Tylers ultimate. I don’t think you have to use buttermilk
http://www.tv.com/tylers-ultim.....recap.html
It’s a matter of status. Please don’t try to convince us that it doesn’t matter to the players, those two would rather be #2 than #3. They’ll pretend it doesn’t matter, but human nature especially amongst competitive players is to be higher on the depth chart.
But other than THAT, no it doesn’t matter. Unless the #2 fails miserably. Then we all gotta hear about how they made the wrong choice.
WTH is your problem, ID? You want me to ignore people that are responding? That would be rude, but then you would know from rude, lol
Betsy – it’s merely an observation. prove me wrong by not talking about who the number 2 is for a week.
M, I don’t know who you’re speaking to when you say “please don’t try to convince us”…………….It can’t be me, since I’ve said that being #2 is an honor. Of course it is – it means the team thinks you’re the better pitcher. It’s not a big deal in terms of how the season plays out because the SP is always the biggest factor (even the #5) in any game played, but for status on the team, yes it is a point of pride.
It’s a dumb observation… I made one comment and people are responding. I’m not going to ignore them. I really have no interest in proving you wrong or right about anything.
It’s also an obnoxious observation, but that’s no surprise coming from you.
Tar,
Thanks for that. I have some lemon juice, to make a substitute for buttermilk. And I have two very ripe bananas I might mash in.
Mmm. Going to get crackin’. Thanks!
Current 40-man roster :
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....p?c_id=nyy
add Chavez, Montero, and either Garcia or Colon.
Marte and Corona to the 60-day DL
Cervelli and Curtis to the 15-day DL
Sanchez designated for assignment or dealt for a useful minor league position player
Who was higher in the pecking order the last time a game that mattered was played, Hughes or Burnett..?
Who was higher in the pecking order the last time a game that mattered was played, Hughes or Burnett..?
Who was higher in the pecking order the last time a game that mattered was played, Hughes or Burnett..?
Who was higher in the pecking order the last time a game that mattered was played, Hughes or Burnett..?
riple Short of a Cycle March 18th, 2011 at 11:47 am
J. Alfred Prufrock,
Everyone is different I guess. No way in he ll I would I have forgave George if I was Winfield. Yogi I can see but not Winfield.
I am grateful for the time he was here up until 2004
///
yea we’re all different. the way I remember the winnie thing, he said GMS sought him out & asked him to be his guest for lunch. Over the meal, George openly apologized & asked for WF’s forgiveness. WF said ‘yea, you forgive a person who is obviously sincere & (genuinely remorseful) who is asking person-to-person for your forgiveness.’ Somethin like that.sure that was a lot to forgive,much more than a tell-all book. what Torre did byn that book is bring himself down because he lost that saintly status.Goes to show when you try to bring someone down,you tend to go down with ‘em. JMO.
The Braves are starting Lowe opening day. Does that mean he is better then Hudson or even Hanson?
Don’t think that’s going to catch on as Internet meme, stuckey.
But don’t give up.
J. Alfred Prufrock,
Good points. I think it is safe to say I don’t see Jeter writing a book where he takes shots at anybody
Triple,
Haha. Highly unlikely.
Betsy – watching you run around in circles in conversations is just as obnoxious.
“I think this”
Someone tells you otherwise
“I don’t actually care, but I disregard your opinion and still think this”
Someone continues to explain it to you
“Look I don’t care, and now I’m not talking to you”
… 24 hours later
“I still think this”
Does that sound familiar?
Just a sense of fate tells me Phil might be #2 so he can match up against Buckholz and AJ can match up against Beckett….just seems like karma
The Red Sox rotation is Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Beckett and Dice-K. Accordingly, Lackey would open the Yankee series.
m March 18th, 2011 at 11:45 am
Does anyone want to share a good scotch recipe for pancakes? Im not too picky. i just want them light and fluffy. And I don’t have buttermilk in the house. Thanks in advance
______________
Ingrediants:
6 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 cups skim milk
1 bottle scotch
Directions:
Pour flour sugar, milk and whole eggs 9shell and all) in bowl.
Throw contents in garbage can
Drink scotch directly from bottle.
Enjoy!
“No, I guess it doesn’t – but it’s still kind of an honor to be the #2. Going into ST, I thought Phil was for sure, simply because he was the better pitcher last year, but AJ has had a fantastic spring and also I think Joe wants to reward him.”
Note to Betsy. The order of the rotation (after opening day) has very little to do with the better pitcher. They will project out the early part of the schedule and match starters as best they can against teams they have the best success against. This works for about three series and then it’s a grab bag on how it works out. It might be addresed again after the ASG and then obviously again going into the playoffs. Much talk about nothing. I assumed you (Betsy) would be right in the middle of it since Hughes’ name is in the conversation.