The LoHud Yankees Blog

YANKEES (9-11-2)
Brett Gardner LF
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Eric Chavez 1B
Eduardo Nunez 2B
Ronnie Belliard 3B
Ramiro Pena SS

RHP A.J. Burnett (1-0, 2.00)
Burnett vs. Blue Jays

BLUE JAYS (10-9)
Corey Patterson CF
John McDonald SS
Jose Bautista 3B
Adam Lind 1B
Juan Rivera RF
Travis Snider LF
Jose Molina C
Eric Thames DH
Mike McCoy 2B

RHP Brandon Morrow (1-0, 1.29)
Morrow vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 1:05 p.m., not on television

WEATHER: It’s unbelievably sunny in Dunedin today. One of those days that leaves you squinting constantly. Not much wind today, just a lot of sunshine.

UMPIRES: HP David Rackley, 1B Marty Foster, 2B Dan Iassogna, 3B Vic Carapazza

ON THE LINE: Sergio Mitre is making his return after dealing with a mild oblique issue. He’s under the radar in this rotation competition, but he’s actually pitched pretty well. Otherwise, the only players really competing for a job today are Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena.

OUT OF THE BULLPEN FOR THE YANKEES: Burnett and Mitre might have enough pitches to get through all nine innings. If not, the Yankees have Andrew Brackman behind them.

BULLPEN FOR THE BLUE JAYS: RHP Jon Rauch, LHP David Purcey and LHP Mike Hinckley

REGULAR SECOND SCENARIO: Just an observation, but a game against Morrow might be exactly the kind of day that Eric Chavez will be in the Yankees lineup this season. Girardi likes to give Alex Rodriguez some days off on that Toronto turf, and Rodriguez has never hit Morrow especially well.

DO IT AGAIN: The Yankees and Blue Jays are playing back-to-back games against one another. The Jays are coming to Tampa tomorrow, Brett Cecil vs. Freddy Garcia.

UPDATE, 1:28 p.m.: Burnett was just hit by a comebacker, but the consensus seems to be that it got him in the glove. There’s no replay here in Dunedin, so I can’t be certain. Either way, he’s staying in the game after being checked on the mound.

Not that Burnett is really rolling along here. He’s allowed three hits this inning — including the one off himself. The Blue Jays have also stolen two bases and scored two runs. It’s a 2-0 game with two outs in the bottom of the first.

UPDATE, 1:41 p.m.: Don’t get to write this very often: Jose Molina just hit a no-doubt home run. It was a solo shot off A.J. Burnett, pushing the Blue Jays lead to 3-0 in the second inning.

UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: Back-to-back two-out walks and a single by Curtis Granderson nearly put the Yankees on the board, but Gardner was thrown out at the plate.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: A strikeout of Travis Snider should have stranded a runner in the third inning, but strike three was a wild pitch that got past Russell Martin, who had to rush to try to get the out at first base and ultimately threw the ball away, letting the run score. Now Martin’s allowed a passed ball and another stolen base. Not his best day.

UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: Burnett’s rocky start lasted four innings. Mitre came in to start and fifth and has already rolled through the 2 through 5 hitters, striking out Bautista and Rivera on either side of plunking Adam Lind.

Just got to Dunedin where the Blue Jays are starting former Yankees catcher Jose Molina and former Yankees prospect Juan Rivera. Speaking of guys who used to play in New York, the Mets finally released Luis Castillo.

BLUE JAYS (10-9)
Corey Patterson CF
John McDonald SS
Jose Bautista 3B
Adam Lind 1B
Juan Rivera RF
Travis Snider LF
Jose Molina C
Eric Thames DH
Mike McCoy 2B

RHP Brandon Morrow

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

A.J. Burnett has the start and Sergio Mitre is pitching in relief this afternoon. They’ll have the regular outfield behind them.

Brett Gardner LF
Russell Martin C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Eric Chavez 1B
Eduardo Nunez 2B
Ronnie Belliard 3B
Ramiro Pena SS

Phil Hughes said this start was a lot like his previous start. The home run he allowed was on a flat cutter, his fastball command took another step forward and his changeup was inconsistent but effective. He called the outing a step in the right direction.

“The changeup was not great tonight,” he said. “But I threw a couple of quality ones and I just have to be sure that I continue to use it and not fall into that pattern that I did last year.”

For Hughes, the changeup is old news, but it’s also an ongoing situation. Hughes was happy with the changeup when he left camp last spring, then he neglected to use it through the first half of the regular season. This spring he hasn’t been quite as thrilled with the pitch, but he said he’s more committed to using it. He’s seen enough results to know it can be effective.

“I’m going to (throw it) just because I’m going to force myself to,” Hughes said. “Last year I didn’t do that. It might not have been outstanding today, but I’ll have days when it’s good. I saw some results tonight on it. The few I did throw to neutralize those bats that really got to me last year, Joyce and Johnson stand out, those are two guys that really hurt me because they were sitting on fastballs.”

Oddly enough, Joe Girardi singled out the changeup as one of the things he liked about Hughes outing.

“I know people harp on that changeup a lot,” Girardi said. “But he had it at the end of last year and it’s just a continuation.”

• Joe Torre said his return to Steinbrenner Field was a trip he’d been looking forward to making, and it was made more comfortable by the fact he returned to Yankee Stadium last season. “I don’t think the emotion will ever go out of it because of what these 12 years meant to me that I spent here,” he said. “But it’s not sad by any stretch of the imagination; it was a great run. You cant appreciate the good times unless there were some bumps along the way. I wouldn’t change a thing. The last three years were stressful, but that’s all part of it.”

• Torre has been invited to Old Timers’ Day and he plans to attend, which means he’ll be back in pinstripes this year. “Whatever (uniform) they give me,” he said. “As long as they don’t ask me to play, it’s okay. I never did that in a Yankee uniform.”

• I didn’t see it, but the word around the stadium was that Yogi Berra tripped again today, only this time he was caught by Rays manager Joe Maddon. Berra is fine.

• Alex Rodriguez has a home run in three straight games, and he has a hit in each of his 11 games this spring. He’s batting .406.

• Nick Swisher’s go-ahead home run in the seventh inning was only his second extra-base hit of the spring. He’s had more at-bats than anyone else in Yankees camp. The Yankees got the win, 3-2.

• Hughes said he wasn’t too down on himself for the first-inning run. He jammed Johnny Damon, who fought off a single, then Hughes thought he struck out Evan Longoria on a 2-2 fastball but he didn’t get the call. “That run I can get out of my head a little easier than a cutter that was flat and just a bad pitch 0-2,” he said.

• Appearing in a game for the first time since March 4, left-handed reliever Boone Logan allowed two hits but ultimately pitched a scoreless seventh inning. The Yankees had his velocity up to 92-93 mph, a nice step forward from his earlier spring outings. “Sometimes that little extra rest in this period is good for guys,” Girardi said.

• Speaking of Logan: He faced four lefties, striking out Matt Joyce and John Jaso, getting Dan Johnson to fly out and getting Reid Brignac to hit a ground ball to second that went for an infield single.

• The Yankees had only three hits tonight, but two were home runs. The third was a triple by Curtis Granderson, who was left stranded. Of the Yankees five base runners — Robinson Cano walked twice — three scored.

• Joba Chamberlain came through this morning’s throwing just fine and will likely throw a bullpen this weekend. That’s the plan right now, anyway. “See how he feels tomorrow, but today was good,” Girardi said.

• Everything is still on track for Sergio Mitre to pitch tomorrow. He felt fine after yesterday’s bullpen. “It feels like it’s been a long time,” Mitre said.

• Romulo Sanchez has hard-to-hit stuff, but his command is erratic. Tonight he walked three in two-thirds of an inning, but Steve Garrison bailed him out with the final out of the eighth. Luis Ayala pitched the ninth for the save.

Associated Press photos, the one in the middle is of Berra and Girardi with Don Zimmer, at the top is Swisher signing autographs. That’s Hughes at the bottom. And I have no idea why I labeled them in that order, but I’m sticking with it.

YANKEES (8-11-2)
Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Jesus Montero C

RHP Phil Hughes (0-0, 5.00)
Hughes vs. Rays

RAYS (8-9-1)
Ben Zobrist 2B
Johnny Damon LF
Evan Longoria 3B
Manny Ramirez DH
Matt Joyce RF
B.J. Upton CF
Dan Johnson 1B
Reid Brignac SS
John Jason C

RHP Chris Bootcheck (0-2, 10.80)
Bootcheck vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m., not on television

WEATHER: Mid 70s dropping into the high 60s in the later innings. Very light breeze blowing out to center field. Another cloudless day here at Steinbrenner Field.

UMPIRES: HP Dan Iassogna, 1B Marty Foster, 2B Mark Wegner, 3B Mark Carlson

ON THE LINE: The Yankees are testing a lineup with Brett Gardner at the top. The Yankees pretty much know what they have in their nine starters, it’s just a matter of Joe Girardi deciding which lineup he likes the best. Jesus Montero is also getting another start in his bid to lock up the backup catcher job.

OUT OF THE BULLPEN FOR THE YANKEES: Boone Logan will finally get in another game. Romulo Sanchez and Luis Ayala are also scheduled to pitch.

BULLPEN FOR THE RAYS: RHP Mike Ekstrom, RHP Adam Russell, LHP Cesar Ramos and LHP Jake McGee

WELCOME BACK JOHNNY: Johnny Damon is back in Tampa, batting second and playing left field for the Rays. A less welcome sight is probably utility man Elliot Johnson, who made the trip. He’s the same guy who broke Francisco Cervelli’s wrist a few years ago during a spring training collision.

AWARDS ON THE WAY: Before Saturday’s game here in Tampa, Eduardo Nunez and David Phelps will be presented with the 2010 Kevin Lawn Awards as the Yankees minor league Player and Pitcher of the Year.

UPDATE, 6:58 p.m.: Joe Torre is at the stadium today and spent some time talking to the coaching staff after batting practice. Torre said he’s been invited to Old Timers’ Day — he plans to attend — and said he felt comfortable being here. There was nothing unexpected that came out of his meeting with the beat writers, but he said he and Brian Cashman have spoken recently and those wounds seem to be at least somewhat healed.

UPDATE, 7:24 p.m.: After one full inning, the Rays are leading 1-0 on two hits and a sac fly. Hughes gave up a pair of singles in the top of the inning, then Manny Ramirez drove in the run with a fly ball to right.

UPDATE, 7:28 p.m.: Alex Rodriguez continues his strong spring training with his fourth home run. He’s homered in his past three games.

UPDATE, 7:39 p.m.: There was a Huuuuuuughes! chant at the end of the third inning as Hughes struck out Evan Longoria. Of course, the inning started with a solo home run by John Jaso, and Hughes was helped out by Jesus Montero, who threw out Johnny Damon trying to steal second.

UPDATE, 8:25 p.m.: Hughes settled in after the Jaso home run and a two-out single int he third. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced — the only exception was a walk — and he’s now through six innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts. My guess is his night is finished, still a 2-1 Rays lead.

UPDATE, 8:55 p.m.: Nick Swisher just clobbered his first spring home run, a two-run shot on a 3-0 pitch to put the Yankees in front 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.

Brett Gardner is not trying to lead all of baseball in pitches per plate appearance. He did it last year but said that was partially because his injured wrist left him reluctant to swing through the second half of the season.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing,” he said. “If you told me I could lead off all year or hit ninth or wherever, see five pitches per plate appearance and still get on 38 percent of the time, I’d sign up for it. I don’t think that’s something that’s easy to do. If I had 500 at-bats last year, probably 400-something of those I hit behind in the count. It’s like you’re always uphill. That’s something I want to try to improve on.”

Tonight, the Yankees will take a look at Gardner in the leadoff spot. Joe Girardi said he’ll probably have his everyday guys in the same lineup another eight or nine times this spring, and he’ll continue to play with different batting orders.

Girardi said he has no plans of dropping Derek Jeter out of the top two spots. He also liked Nick Swisher in the No. 2 spot last season, “and we’re not sure we want to upset that,” Girardi said. Based on last year’s numbers, though, Gardner is a prototypical leadoff man, and the Yankees like the fact that his speed opens some holes on the right side of the infield for Jeter.

“We’re trying it because of what he did last year, and the problems that he causes for other teams,” Girardi said. “He puts pressure on the pitcher, and a lot of times pressure leads to mistakes. You get to the guys in the middle of the order, and those mistakes become bigger mistakes. That’s what we want our hitters to be able to do.”

Gardner led the Yankees in on-base percentage last season, and the ability to draw a walk became his greatest weapon in the second half of last season. In the first half, though, he proved he could both take his walks and get his hits. The Yankees have talked to him about bringing back some of that early aggressiveness.

“That’s something we talk about a lot, something I feel I’ve done a little better job of working on this spring,” Gardner said. “I’ve swung at some 2-0 pitches, some 3-1 pitches, 1-0 pitches. Maybe even an 0-0 pitch. I think I’ve been more aggressive this spring at certain times. I know it’s something I need to improve on and I plan to do that this year.”

• For the record, even hitting in front of the 3-4-5 hitters, Girardi said he wants Gardner to run when he gets on base. “I want him to get a bag any time he can get it,” Girardi said. “I don’t want it to take away from his aggressiveness.”

• Sergio Mitre came through yesterday’s bullpen just fine and will pitch tomorrow, probably around 65 pitches, but Girardi wasn’t sure of the number.

• Rafael Soriano pitched at the minor league complex today and said he walked a guy and gave up a double. He said his command wasn’t great, but he also seemed unconcerned. Girardi said he didn’t find it all that unusual that Soriano didn’t want to face an AL East team yesterday.

• Joba Chamberlain is doing long toss and throwing a flat side today. “We’ll make an evaluation with him after today,” Girardi said.

• Phil Hughes is set for 75 to 80 pitches tonight.

• These are the factors Girardi said he thinks about when deciding which lineup is best: “You look at the consistency of your lineup. You look at how easy it is to bring up situational guys to face your guys, how that’s setup. You look at how hitters work together, if it changes a guy’s approach or not (to have someone else hitting in front or behind).”

• Pat Venditte is up from minor league camp for tonight’s game, but he probably won’t pitch. He’s a backup, and Girardi said he would be more likely to give Ryan Pope or Eric Wordekemper a batter or two. RHP Josh Schmidt also up from minor league camp as a backup.

• Today’s outfield off the bench is made entirely of guys who were optioned down last night: Brandon Laird, Melky Mesa and Kevin Russo.

• Greg Golson is able to run and do defensive drills and could begin swinging a bat again in the next day or two.

• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Jorge Vazquez, 2B Ramiro Pena, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Eduardo Nunez, LF Brandon Laird, CF Melky Mesa, RF Kevin Russo, DH Jordan Parraz

• Out of the bullpen: Boone Logan, Romulo Sanchez, Luis Ayala, Eric Wordekemper, Steve Garrison, Ryan Pope, Pat Venditte and Josh Schmidt.

• Tomorrow’s travelers today: The Yankees regular outfielders are going on the road tomorrow to play the Blue Jays.

Pitchers who will be making the trip: A.J. Burnett, Sergio Mitre, Andrew Brackman, Steve Garrison, Ryan Pope, Eric Wordekemper, Amaury Sanit and Kevin Whelan.

Players who will not be making the trip: Austin Romine, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Greg Golson, Francisco Cervelli and Colin Curtis. Walter Ibarra is scheduled to come up from minor league camp to provide infield depth.

RAYS (8-9-1)
Ben Zobrist 2B
Johnny Damon LF
Evan Longoria 3B
Manny Ramirez DH
Matt Joyce RF
B.J. Upton CF
Dan Johnson 1B
Reid Brignac SS
John Jason C

RHP Chris Bootcheck

Associated Press photos

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

Hughes RHP

Brett Gardner knows he’s fast, and he knows the bunt is a good way to use that speed. He regularly lays down bunts during pregame work, but this spring he’s bunted in a game maybe three or four times, including a failed attempt last night against the Orioles.

“A lot of times, guys want to feel like their swing is set before they start doing other things,” Joe Girardi said. “That’s why you don’t see us hit-and-run a lot. I don’t give at-bats away. You give guys 3-0 swings that you wouldn’t necessarily do during the regular season. You want them to get their at-bats in and get their swings in and feel good about that before they start doing something different.”

Gardner told me once that he used to bunt a lot in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but as he climbed through the system, he felt the need to make sure his swing was getting better. He didn’t like burning an at-bat on a bunt, and he gradually did it less and less in the upper levels.

Now he’s making an effort to get better at it, and although the bunt will never be Gardner’s primary offensive weapon, we’ve seen him show bunt in two of his past three starts.

“I still have to find chances to bunt,” he said. “I have plenty of opportunities to do it.”

Associated Press photo

Andrew Brackman played in two NCAA tournaments at North Carolina State. In the Yankees clubhouse, he’s as much of a college basketball expert as anyone.

His pick to win this year? Ohio State.

And it drives him crazy.

Brackman was born in Cincinnati, but he was never an Ohio State fan. He didn’t want to admit it, but Brackman said he likes what he’s seen from the Buckeyes.

“I feel like they’re going to be the one to win it,” he said. “They play with a lot of energy. They play together. They have everything they need to win.”

Showed a little NC State bias, Brackman said it seems Duke gets an easy draw every year, but then he shook his head and agreed that bit of expert analysis was probably tainted.

“I don’t want Carolina or Duke to win it,” he said. “That’s all I care about.”