The LoHud Yankees Blog

Derek Jeter isn’t the only Yankee making a small but noticeable change to his swing.

This spring, Brett Gardner has been hitting with both hands. Instead of finishing with only his right hand on the bat, he’s been gripping with both hands throughout the swing.

“It’s something I’ve never done before as far back as I can remember, because I’ve been too worried about getting out of the box,” he said. “Trying to drop the bat and get out of the box, sometimes I would take both hands off the bat too early, and my bat would fly around and hit the catcher. I’ve had to apologize to catchers and umpires. This could slow me down by a tenth of a second getting out of the box, but ultimately, if it leads to me being more consistent at the plate, that’s what I’m shooting for.”

Kind of like Jeter and his new no-stride mechanics, Gardner had talked to Kevin Long about becoming a two-handed hitter in the past, but just decided to put that plan into action this winter. He eliminated his own stride in the minor leagues, making him quicker to the ball, and he thinks keeping both hands on the bat will make him more consistent. The early results are pretty promising.

“It’s something I’ve talked about with K-Long before, something I’ve thought about for a long time,” Gardner said. “This offseason, after I had my surgery, I was kind of miserable because I couldn’t hit for six or seven weeks until the end of January. Christmas rolled around, New Year’s rolled around, and I still wasn’t able to hit and work on the things I wanted to work on. I wasn’t able to bunt or work on my swing, so I just started thinking about things — things I’ve talked to K-Long about in the past.

“I just started playing with it. I didn’t have a bat in my hands, but I started playing with it and decided to try and switch it up like that. I thought it would help me be more consistent, so we’ll see.”

Associated Press photo

A lot of balls got some help from the wind this afternoon. Alex Rodriguez’s home run in the fifth inning did not. Off to a strong start this spring, Rodriguez’s first home run was legitimate, continuing his strong start this spring.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rodriguez said. “It feels good to be getting my work in.”

Rodriguez is hitting .462 with four doubles and today’s home run. Only Jorge Vazquez, who homered in his first two games, has better spring numbers for the Yankees.

“I did take notice, I thought (Rodriguez) was pretty locked in from day one,” Joe Girardi said. “He’s a talented player. His offseason workouts, he works out extremely hard, and that’s the only thing I can really say. He’s a pretty good player.”

Rodriguez said this is the result of a winter spent training instead of rehabbing. He’s a little bit lighter, said he feels a little more flexible, and Hitting coach Kevin Long met with him more than once this offseason.

“(Spring training is) just a continuation of what we started in November,” Rodriguez said.

• Rodriguez has talked about being more relaxed than in the past. Today’s home run came maybe an inning after Cameron Diaz took a seat behind home plate, and when Rodriguez nearly hustled out of the clubhouse without talking to reporters, one writer joked with him, “What, do you have a date?” Upset him? Not this time. Rodriguez just laughed. “Behave yourself,” he said.

• Russell Martin had his first two hits this afternoon. He also stole a base, suggesting his knee is feeling pretty good. The Yankees will have him catch tomorrow’s home game, giving him back-to-back starts behind the plate.

• And how is Martin behind the plate? “He’s got a good idea back there,” Phil Hughes said. “He’s a good receiver, catches the ball well, frames pitches well and gets some (calls) you might not get with a guy that doesn’t stick as well as he does.”

• Derek Jeter had two more hits today and has his spring batting average up to .357. It’s still too early to know much of anything, but he’s looked a little better at the plate day by day.

• Five Yankees, aside from Martin and Jeter, had two hits today: Eduardo Nunez, Robinson Cano, Andruw Jones, Jordan Parraz and Justin Maxwell. Mark Teixeira and Eric Chavez had a hit apiece, continuing their strong springs. Greg Golson homered.

• Steve Garrison continues to be stretched out in big league camp. He went three innings today, a pretty clear indication that the Yankees are looking at him as a starter instead of a reliever (he’ll open in the minor leagues). On a day like this, giving up one run on three hits was awfully good.

• Converted outfielder Brian Anderson had a tough day on the mound. He faced seven batters, and five of them had a hit.

• Dan Brewer had a stolen base and a double, and Colin Curtis made two nice catches and threw a runner out at the plate, but both left the game with injuries. Right field was apparently not the place to be today.

• I never saw him, but apparently Roger Clemens was here to see his son Koby, who plays for the Astros.

• As you can tell from the picture above, Yogi Berra made the trip to Kissimmee.

Associated Press photos of Berra with Cano; Rodriguez after the home run; Jeter looking back at Jones

Phil Hughes didn’t realize it until after the game, but he did not face a single left-handed hitter this afternoon. He knew he hadn’t thrown as many changeups as he would have liked, but it wasn’t until he was talking in the clubhouse that he finally realized the entire Houston lineup was made of right-handed hitters.

Hughes rarely throws his changeup to righties. The fact he threw even one this afternoon — Hughes said it wasn’t a good one, and Carlos Lee hit it for a home run — was partially because new catcher Russell Martin wanted to try some new things to get a feel for his pitcher.

“I was talking to Russell (before the game) and he was like, let’s just gather some information,” Hughes said.

So he threw one not-so-good changeup in an unusual situation, and it was hit hard. Overall, Hughes didn’t seem too upset about his three innings, five hits and three earned runs. One of those hits was a routine fly ball that was lost in the sun, and another was a double that was carried to the wall by the strong wind here in Kissimmee. That double, “really had no business being out there, but the two homers were hit well,” Hughes said.

This was an offensive day — the teams combined for 38 hits, the Yankees won 10-8 — and Hughes said he took some good and some bad from his second spring start.

“I thought that command-wise I was better today,” he said. “I was locating my fastball a little better. I didn’t throw as many changeups as I would have liked. The homer probably got me away from that. Curveball was inconsistent, but my cutter was pretty good today. I took some good things and some bad things away, and hopefully next time is a little bit better.”

Associated Press photo

Colin Curtis jammed his right shoulder making a diving catch in right field this afternoon. He left the park with his arm in a sling, and Joe Girardi said Curtis will get an MRI tomorrow.

“I just landed on it funny,” Curtis said.

Without tests, the Yankees aren’t sure right now how severe the injury might be. Curtis seemed hopeful that it won’t be anything that causes him to miss significant time.

One other minor injury: Daniel Brewer left the game with some pain in his leg, but Girardi said the Yankees believe it was only a charley horse.

YANKEES (2-5-1)
Derek Jeter SS
Russell Martin C
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones LF
Eric Chavez DH
Colin Curtis RF
Greg Golson CF

RHP Phil Hughes (0-0, 0.00)
Hughes vs. Astros

ASTROS (2-6)
Jason Bourgeois CF
Clint Barmes SS
Hunter Pence RF
Carlos Lee LF
Bill Hall 2B
Jason Michaels DH
Matt Downs 3B
Brian Dopirak 1B
Humberto Quintero C

RHP Brett Myers (0-0, 0.00)
Myers vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 1:05 p.m., not televised

WEATHER: Still a chance of mid-game showers, but right now we’re in good shape for first pitch. Wind is blowing out to right-center.

UMPIRES: HP Laz Diaz, 1B Larry Vanover, 2B Jeff Nelson, 3B Greg Gibson

ON THE LINE: After Hughes, the Yankees are using a series of pitchers almost certainly on their way to minor league camp eventually. They’re just trying to make an impression. Eric Chavez is getting a DH start with a chance to keep hitting. If he does that — and stays healthy — he seems to be a heavy favorite to make the roster.

DAY OFF: Former Yankees reliever Mark Melancon, former Yankees minor league Jose Valdez and Rule 5 pick Lance Pendleton (taken out of the Yankees organization) are all in camp with the Astros, but none is scheduled to pitch today. Not sure whether infielder Jimmy Paredes, sent to Houston as part of the Lance Berkman trade, will get in the game off the bench.

OUT OF THE BULLPEN FOR THE YANKEES: Steve Garrison, Brian Anderson, Eric Wordekemper, David Phelps, Hector Noesi are the first names listed. At the very least Garrison and Anderson seem guaranteed an inning or two.

BULLPEN FOR THE ASTROS: RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Jeff Fulchino, LHP Fernando Abad, LHP Gustavo Chacin, RHP Fernando Rodriguez, LHP Wesley Wright and RHP Henry Villar.

BIRTHDAY ON CRUTCHES: Today is Francisco Cervelli’s 25th birthday.

HONORING HEROES: Before tomorrow’s home game, the Yankees will honor nine law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the past year and a half. Family members of seven of the officers will be on hand.

UPDATE, 1:11 p.m.: Leadoff single by Jeter, but the base runner was left stranded. Teixeira would have singled sharply up the middle, but Barmes made a nice diving stop.

UPDATE, 1:25 p.m.: Back-to-back doubles — Cano and Jones — gave the Yankees their first run of the second inning, and a sacrifice fly by Curtis — a ball hit on the screws but right to Pence — gave them their second run. It’s now 2-0 Yankees after an inning and a half.

UPDATE, 1:32 p.m.: The Astros have come back to tie the game on a home run and back-to-back doubles. The RBI double was a routine fly to left, but Andruw Jones never saw it in the sun. He shielded his eyes, but the ball was so lost that it very nearly hit him on the head. He seemed to never see it until it crashed to the ground inches away from him.

UPDATE, 1:37 p.m.: Jones saw that ball just fine. Nice diving catch in left field to end the second inning, still tied at 2.

UPDATE, 1:50 p.m.: Curtis is one of Hughes’ closest friends in the Yankees clubhouse, and Hughes owes him one this afternoon. On a ball being carried by the wind, Curtis made a nice running catch before slamming into the wall in right field. Of course, that was only the second out of the third inning. The next batter was Carlos Lee, and Lee went deep to left field for a 3-2 Astros lead.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: Hughes is finished after 3 innings, 5 hit, 3 runs, 3 earned, 0 walks and 2 strikeouts. Steve Garrison is now pitching.

UPDATE, 2:16 p.m.: Guess the knee is alright. Russell Martin just stole a bag.

UPDATE, 2:19 p.m.: With Cameron Diaz in the crowd, Rodriguez just went deep to center field for a 4-3 Yankees lead in the fifth.

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: Colin Curtis has a “jammed” right shoulder, suffered trying to make a play in the outfield. He’s heading back to Tampa, hoping to see a doctor today. Not sure how bad it is.

UPDATE, 3:22 p.m.: Curtis has his arm in a sling. He said he’s not too worried, but obviously it’s not an ideal situation. “I caught it,” he said. “That’s one good thing, I guess.”

Last time the Yankees played the Astros, Houston was playing without their usual Nos. 3 and 4 hitters. This afternoon, Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee are in the lineup to face Phil Hughes. Mark Melancon is not scheduled to pitch for Houston.

Clouds are starting to clear and the tarp is off the field. Looks like the game will start on time.

ASTROS
Jason Bourgeois CF
Clint Barmes SS
Hunter Pence RF
Carlos Lee LF
Bill Hall 2B
Jason Michaels DH
Matt Downs 3B
Brian Dopirak 1B
Humberto Quintero C

RHP Brett Myers

Early bus to Kissimmee this morning, early enough that the schedule in the Yankees clubhouse had this note in all capital letters: NO CONDITIONING TODAY. Players who are staying behind to take BP and throw in the bullpen will stretch here, but most of the guys showed up, grabbed some stuff out of their lockers and hit the road.

Today it’s the regular infielders making the trip while the regular outfielders stay behind. Joe Girardi has kept his infielders and outfielders together all spring, alternating game by game.

“It seemed like the best way to do it,” Girardi said. “Eventually they’re going to overlap.”

Obviously Girardi wants his infielders to get used to turning double plays together, and he wants his outfielders to get a feel for who can cover the gaps, and which fly balls belong to which player.

• After taking a foul tip, Jesus Montero iced his hand yesterday, and Girardi said there’s still no concern about an injury. “He’s fine,” Girardi said.

• It’s pretty cloudy and looks like rain here in Tampa. Apparently it’s the same on the other side of the state. Apparently Phil Hughes has taken over for Andy Pettitte as the starter who pitches on the rainy days in spring training.

• Girardi wasn’t positive, but it seems there’s a chance Andrew Brackman will throw one more sim game before getting into an actual game. Girardi said Brackman wasn’t on the list of scheduled pitchers for the next few games. It’s all Larry Rothschild’s call.

• Girardi said he’s trying to make sure Russell Martin gets a chance to catch the guys who will definitely be on the big league roster in April. “It’s a two-way street,” Girardi said. “But I always feel it’s a catcher’s responsibility to get to know his pitching staff.”

• Kyle Higashioka got out of today’s road trip. He’s staying behind to catch side sessions from Bartolo Colon, Manny Banuelos and Mariano Rivera.

• Ronnie Belliard is listed as one of the hitters who will stay in Tampa and take batting practice this morning.

• Upcoming rotation:

Monday: A.J. Burnett (home), Sergio Mitre (road)
Tuesday: Freddy Garcia
Wednesday: Bartolo Colon
Thursday: CC Sabathia
Friday: Phil Hughes (home), Ivan Nova (road)
Saturday: A.J. Burnett
Sunday: Sergio Mitre
Monday: Freddy Garcia
Tuesday: CC Sabathia (sim game on an off day)

• Today’s available pitchers: Phil Hughes, Steve Garrison, Brian Anderson, Eric Wordekemper, David Phelps, Hector Noesi, Andy Sisco, D.J. Mitchell and Adam Warren.

• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Jose Gil, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Eduardo Nunez, 3B Brad Suttle, LF Jordan Parraz, CF Austin Krum, RF Daniel Brewer, DH Justin Maxwell

• Tomorrow’s travelers today: With a split double header tomorrow, the Yankees regular outfielders will stay home for the afternoon game and the regular infielders will travel to Sarasota for the night game.

These are the players who will be on the road tomorrow
Pitchers: Sergio Mitre, Dellin Betances, Robert Fish, D.J. Mitchell, Ryan Pope, Andy Sisco, Adam Warren and Eric Wordekemper
Players: Jose Gil, Kyle Higashioka, Austin Romine, Doug Bernier, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Russo, Mark Teixeira, Daniel Brewer, Colin Curtis, Andruw Jones, Austin Krum, Justin Maxwell and Melky Mesa

The regular Yankees infielders are playing today’s game in Kissimmee and they’re making tomorrow’s trip to Sarasota.

Derek Jeter SS
Russell Martin C
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones LF
Eric Chavez DH
Colin Curtis RF
Greg Golson CF

Let’s just jump straight into the notes this time.

• CC Sabathia allowed five earned runs through 2.2 innings this afternoon. The Yankees other starters — including all four back-of-the-rotation candidates — have combined to allow one earned run through 18 innings.

• To line him up properly, Sabathia will get an extra day of rest at some point this spring, but it won’t come on the scheduled off day March 15. That will be Sabathia’s day to pitch, and rather than have him take a day off to pitch the 16th, Sabathia will throw a simulated game that morning. Joe Girardi actually apologized to the beat writers for making us come to the stadium that day.

• One last Sabathia note: Just in case you were concerned, Sabathia had reached his pitch limit, which is why he came out of the game in the third. He’s not hurt. Probably goes without saying, but had to make sure.

• Rafael Soriano will throw another simulated game on Monday. He could be in a game a few days after.

• Still no set-in-stone plan for Mariano Rivera. “He’s still a little ways away,” Girardi said. “He’s further away than Soriano.”

• Next time Andrew Brackman pitches, it will likely come in an actual game. “We were really pleased with his BP slash simulated game (this morning),” Girardi said. “He threw like 10 pitches of BP, then got three outs pretty quickly.”

• Nice game from Brett Gardner who had a double and a triple as part of that eight-run fourth inning. Both hits were legitimately driven into the corners, one to left field and the other to right. Gardner has three hits this spring, all for extra bases.

• Two more hits, two more RBI and one more double for Jorge Vazquez. It would be an upset if he made the roster — Eric Chavez’s left-handed bat is a better fit on the bench — but he’s forcing the Yankees coaching staff to take notice. “He’s definitely opening eyes,” Girardi said.

• Speaking of which, Chavez had his fourth hit of the spring and is hitting .364. “He’s swung the bat really well,” Girardi said.

• Dave Robertson and Robert Fish were the only Yankees starters to not give up a hit today — Fish went two innings without a hit — and Ryan Pope closed the game with one of the few scoreless innings. “When we made a mistake in the middle of the plate, they hammered it,” Girardi said. “We didn’t get away with anything today.”

• Those pitching problems started with Sabathia, but Joba Chamberlain didn’t do much to help. After cleaning up Sabathia’s mess in the third, Chamberlain was charged with two runs of his own in the fourth. “He threw the ball OK, and then it looked like he made a couple of mistakes with his fastball,” Girardi said. As far as I know, Chamberlain didn’t speak to anyone after the game. It’s not unusual for the big league guys — all but the starting pitcher — to get out of the park quickly as soon as they’re finished.

• The Nationals top overall draft pick Bryce Harper had two at-bats in the game. He grounded to first against Daniel Turpen, then single to right against Romulo Sanchez. “It’s pretty amazing to be 18 years old and be doing what he’s doing,” Girardi said.

• Looking back through Cervelli’s history of spring injuries I found this post from almost exactly one year ago. Funny that, at this time last year, Cervelli was hurt and Girardi immediately dismissed the idea of Jesus Montero making the team. Veteran Mike Rivera was next in line. This year, Montero has become the favorite, and the veteran Gustavo Molina is strictly emergency insurance.

Associated Press photos of Sabathia, Gardner and Montero with Girardi

CC Sabathia’s fastball command was off. His changeup was flat. He allowed six hits and five runs to the lowly Washington Nationals, who were playing without Jayson Werth.

“I just called my wife and she started laughing,” Sabathia said.

It’s March 5, and it’s not the first time Sabathia has been knocked around in spring training.

“I’m glad (a camera crew) didn’t come down to the minor league complex last year and saw what I did,” he said. “It was way worse than today.”

Today, Sabathia said his arm felt like it was dragging. His fastball command, which had been so good in his first spring outing, was unreliable this tim. His changeup was ineffective. He couldn’t get into strikeout counts. In his words: “I just didn’t have it.”

Two years ago, when Sabathia was new to New York, an outing like this would have been tossed under the microscope. Today, the big picture is far more significant. Sabathia’s been too good the past two years to be legitimately concerned about one spring outing.

“As a competitor you don’t want to go out and give up five runs in 2.2 innings, but what can I do but keep working?” Sabathia said. “I’m not going to lose no sleep.”

By the way, you might have noticed that, since he came to the Yankees, the second spring start has never been good for Sabathia. He was roughed up by the Tigers in 2009, by the Pirates in 2010 and by the Nationals this year.

“It seems to have a pattern, doesn’t it,” Joe Girardi said. “Just have him do a simulated game in the cage (for his second start next year).”

Here’s Sabathia’s audio. The laughter at the beginning is because of the first question, a somewhat sarcastic, “So, how’d that go?”

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.

Associated Press photo of Sabathia with Jesus Montero