The LoHud Yankees Blog

The Yankees showed just how good they can be, and they showed just how hard replacing Joba Chamberlain might be in an 11-7 win against the first-place Indians. Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez homered, Ivan Nova pitched seven strong innings and Jorge Posada had three hits, but the real highlight came when Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch in the second inning. He slammed his helmet on the ground, yelled at Indians starter Fausto Carmona, and setoff a benches-clearing argument that had managers Joe Girardi and Manny Acta in a toe-to-two shouting match. Three rookie relievers tried to close out the win, but the Yankees ultimately went to Mariano Rivera to close out what had been a blowout.

Associated Press photo

YANKEES (33-27)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Brett Gardner LF
Francisco Cervelli C

RHP Ivan Nova (4-4, 4.50)
Nova vs. Indians

INDIANS (34-26)
Michael Brantley LF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Grady Sizemore CF
Carlos Santana C
Shin-Soo Choo RF
Matt LaPorta 1B
Cord Phelps DH
Orlando Cabrera 2B
Jack Hannahan 3B

RHP Fausto Carmona (3-7, 5.33)
Carmona vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m., YES Network

WEATHER: Not nearly as hot as the past three days. Actually feels pretty nice out here.

UMPIRES: HP Dale Scott, 1B Dan Iassogna, 2B CB Bucknor, 3B Mike Muchlinski

FIRST HIT: Cleveland pitching coach Tim Belcher gave up Derek Jeter’s first career hit on May 30, 1995 in Seattle. Jeter was a career .360 hitter against Belcher (9-for-25) and is now 10 hits away from No. 3,000.

FIRST PLACE: The Yankees current home stand feature three three-game series against teams currently in first place in their division. First Boston, now Cleveland, then Texas. They have a combined winning percentage of .565.

FIRST INNING: Jeter is hitting .357 with four doubles, two home runs and seven walks when leading off innings this season. When leading off the first inning he has reached in 23 of 49 appearances (17 hits, four walks and two HBPs).

UPDATE, 7:31 p.m.: What team is this? Situational hitting? Two-out RBI singles? Patient at-bats? The Yankees have a quick 3-0 lead and they’re not even through the bottom of the first.

UPDATE, 7:49 p.m.: Can you tell this team’s a little fired up? Teixeira obviously wasn’t happy and he let Carmona know about it, but of all people it was Joe Girardi and Manny Acta who went toe-to-toe and face-to-face in the scrum.

UPDATE, 8:04 p.m.: Gardner tripled to center, but he was held to a double because he was about to run right past Jorge Posada who was in front of him on the bases. It’s 5-0 Yankees in the third.

UPDATE, 8:23 p.m.: Career homer No. 625 for Rodriguez — No. 12 for the season — has given the Yankees a 6-0 lead in the fourth.

UPDATE, 9:22 p.m.: Nova’s shown some cracks the past two innings, but he’s opened the seventh inning with a strikeout, then got a ground out and he’s already matched the second-longest outing of his career. It’s 7-2 Yankees in the top of the seventh.

UPDATE, 9:38 p.m.: Teixeira’s three-run double in the seventh makes it a 10-2 Yankees lead, and now Rodriguez has followed with an RBI double to make it 11-2.

UPDATE, 9:59 p.m.: Maybe those control problems haven’t gone away completely. Whelan’s walked three of the first five big league batters he’s faced. He had six walks in 27 innings in Triple-A.

UPDATE, 10:08 p.m.: Rough debut for Whelan. Four walks in two-thirds of an inning. Here’s Sanit.

Sounds like Kevin Whelan arrived.

Whelan has been officially added to the roster. Chris Dickerson optioned to AAA.

Joe Girardi said he wasn’t holding out much hope. The Yankees doctors had seen Joba Chamberlain’s MRI results, and the Yankees manager was sure that their diagnosis was correct.

“I was pretty convinced that he was going to have surgery,” Girardi said.

Dr. James Andrews confirmed the diagnosis today, and Chamberlain will have surgery on Thursday. He’s likely lost for a year or so, certainly through the rest of this season and probably well into next season.

A Yankees bullpen that was seen as an overwhelming strength at the start of the spring training schedule now includes only three relievers who were projected to make the team when camp opened — Mariano Rivera, Dave Robertson and Boone Logan — and two of those three have been thrust into more significant roles than expected. Now it’s Luis Ayala who seems poised to take a larger-than-expected role. The Yankees will try some young guys, but Ayala’s experience essentially makes him the new Robertson, while Robertson becomes the new Chamberlain (who was already the new Rafael Soriano).

“(Ayala)’s become real important,” Girardi said. “He’d kind of taken Robby’s spot in the sixth, and now he’s going to be moved up to Robby’s spot in the seventh, so he’s become real important for us. He is a guy that has experience. He’s pitched in the back end of games, which I think is important. What we’ve seen from him is he has his good sinker, he comes in and throws strikes and he has a slider. He’s not afraid. He’s been through this before.”

The Yankees are expected to make a move before tonight’s game. We already know Kevin Whelan is on his way from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Once he arrives, he’ll be the first of what could be several internal options the Yankees look at in the late innings, trying to see who else might fit.

“You could see some guys that are going to get an opportunity, and we’re going to see what they can do,” Girardi said. “Obviously, when you start talking about pitching in the back end of games, a lot of times you prefer power arms or a lot of deception, and there’s some young kids down there — and some young kids in Double-A, and you probably even go down further — that have that, and they don’t have the experience. Some of them might get it.”

—

• Russell Martin texted Girardi this morning to say his back was feeling better, but the Yankees coaching staff told Girardi that Martin’s still not ready to play. Girardi said it’s just tightness. “We are going in the right direction,” Girardi said. “Maybe tomorrow is feasible. Maybe on Sunday. I’m hoping by this weekend we can play him.”

• Without Martin, the Yankees have leaned on Francisco Cervelli, who’s been throwing the ball into center field more often than the throws it to second base. Girardi and Tony Pena have been working with him to fix a mechanical flaw. “It’s similar to with a pitcher,” Girardi said. “If that front shoulder flies a little bit early, that ball’s taking off. And that’s what’s happening with him.”

• Girardi said Martin’s injury do not have him thinking about making a move to call up a catcher. “I think we’re OK for a while just because we do have Jorge in case of emergency,” Girardi said. “It would be different if we didn’t have Jorge.”

• Speaking of Posada, his son is feeling better two days after surgery. “He’s doing good,” Posada said. “He’s doing better.”

• Talked to Damaso Marte for a little while this afternoon. He’s playing catch, but only from about 20 feet. Much beyond that, his shoulder still feels sore. Playing light catch, though, the ball comes out “nice and easy” and Marte is still hopeful that he’ll be able to get himself back at some point after the all-star break.

• On Wednesday, the Indians optioned Shelley Duncan to Triple-A. It goes without saying that I was hoping to see him this weekend. He’s an easy guy to like, and an easy guy to root for.

• The Indians are one of the biggest surprises in baseball, a first-place team expected to finish at the bottom of the AL Central. “They’ve played well,” Girardi said. “They’ve pitched. Offensively, a lot of left-handed hitters. A lot of those guys are switch-hitters as well. They’re a young team that’s played well and they’ve gotten Grady Sizemore back. They’ve gotten huge contributions from Asdrubal Cabrera and there’s some experience there in bringing in Orlando Cabrera which I’m sure has helped out a lot and has helped out these young kids. Hafner, even though he’s been hurt, has had a pretty good year. I mean, this is a pretty good club, and they have some guys that have struggled but they’re still winning.”

• Tony Gwynn is one of the few players who would know, and he says the last 10 hits are the hardest to get on the way to 3,000. Derek Jeter is 10 away right now. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to get 3,000 hits,” Girardi said. “But I would imagine if I was at 2,990 it would be on my mind. But sometimes things just have a way of working out where it looks like it’s on your mind but it’s really not, or it’s on your mind and it looks like it’s not. I don’t think he’s ever going to let us know, but I’m sure it’s possible.”

Associated Press photos

Joba Chamberlain is leaving the Yankees on Wednesday and will have Tommy John surgery on Thursday with Dr. James Andrews.

The Yankees have not officially made a move today, but Kevin Whelan is on his way from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Joe Girardi said he might have a move to announce later today. Sounds like the team is just waiting to make sure Whelan gets here in time. Obviously no corresponding move has been announced, either on the 40-man or the active roster.

UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.: As Tom pointed out in the comments, MLB.com’s transactions page says Whelan has been called up, Chris Dickerson optioned and Chamberlain placed on the 60-day. That may be correct, but the Yankees haven’t officially announced any sort of move and Dickerson is definitely here for batting practice. Hard to imagine the Yankees official site, though, being incorrect with that sort of move. I doubt MLB.com just took a wild guess at who’s being sent down.

Kevin Whelan’s name is not listed as an available reliever. It’s the same listed bullpen as last night.

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

No lineup posted, but Donnie Collins texted me on my way into the stadium to say that reliever Kevin Whelan has been called up from Triple-A. Had terrific numbers as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s closer.

Tonight
RHP Ivan Nova (4-4, 4.50)
vs.
RHP Fausto Carmona (3-7, 5.33)
7:05 p.m., YES Network

Saturday
RHP Bartolo Colon (4-3, 3.39)
vs.
RHP Mitch Talbot (2-2, 4.18)
1:05 p.m., YES Network

Sunday
RHP Freddy Garcia (4-5, 3.86)
vs.
RHP Josh Tomlin (7-3, 3.71)
1:05 p.m., YES Network / TBS

Monday
RHP A.J. Burnett (6-4, 4.37)
vs.
RHP Carlos Carrasco (5-3, 4.52)
7:05 p.m., YES Network / ESPN

As they’ve done a few times when the weather has been bad this season, the Yankees announced that tickets for last night’s game can be used to get free tickets to a future game. Here are the details from a Yankees press release. It was sent last night, so “tonight” refers to Thursday night.

Recognizing tonight’s inclement weather conditions, the New York Yankees announced that they are rewarding all fans with valid tickets for tonight’s game against the Boston Red Sox with a free ticket offer.

Fans may redeem their valid June 9, 2011, tickets — regardless of whether they were used to attend tonight’s game — for a free Grandstand Level or Terrace Level ticket at Yankee Stadium for another game this season, subject to availability.

Alternatively, fans may choose to use tonight’s valid tickets as a coupon for 50 percent off the purchase price of a ticket in any other non-Suite or Club seating location to another game this season, subject to availability.

This free ticket and coupon offer does not include remaining premium games (the Old-Timers’ Day game and all home games played against the Boston Red Sox).

Please note that the Yankees can only accept tickets with valid bar codes for the June 9, 2011, game.

Tickets can be redeemed or presented as a coupon at Yankee Stadium Ticket Windows only starting Friday, June 10, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. (open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and until two (2) hours after the scheduled start time of any regularly scheduled home game).

Associated Press photo

The Yankees will find out for certain in a few days, but right now it seems likely that they’ll be without Joba Chamberlain for the rest of this season and part of next season.

“It’s a big blow,” Brian Cashman said. “Obviously, it’s a tough thing. We’ll look from within first. We made some moves yesterday, and we’ll continue to evaluate the options we have in-house and shuffle the deck.”

The Yankees greatest spring training strength has become a glaring weakness. There are essentially two proven relievers in the Yankees bullpen. The rest of the relievers carry questions either because of inexperience, inconsistency or both.

“It’s my job to figure that out and make sure Joe has weapons to match up with late in games,” Cashman said. “Whether that comes from promotions or acquisitions remains to be seen, but that’s my responsibility.”

Often using one name to represent a group of pitchers, here’s a list of options for the Yankees bullpen moving forward.

—

Luis Ayala
The Yankees could stick with what they have. They could slide Dave Robertson into the eighth inning and trust that Ayala can fill a late-inning role. He’s been solid so far this season in a bigger-than-expected role, and he has late inning experience as a setup man and occasional closer a few years ago.

“I think those guys have done a great job,” Cashman said. “But we need more, so it’ll be an opportunity for some other people to step up, and I will have to continue to look obviously first from within and from the outside at the same time.”

Beyond Robertson and Ayala, the current Yankees bullpen consists of a closer, a left-hander and three rookie long relievers. Hard to imagine that setup lasting very long.

—

Kevin Whelan
Cashman confirmed yesterday that Whelan would be a consideration, and the numbers make it easy to see why. Long touted as a pitcher with good stuff but lousy control, Whelan has been able to command the baseball this season. As the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre closer, he has 30 strikeouts and only six walks through 27 innings. He’s been very effective against lefties.

But Whelan’s not the only minor league reliever who could fit in a big league role. George Kontos has also been terrific, and would give the Yankees another guy who can pitch more than one inning when necessary.

The Yankees also just promoted hard-throwing 28-year-old Tim Norton from Double-A to Triple-A. He’s always been one of those if-he-could-only-stay-healthy kind of prospects, and this year he’s been healthy and dominant. He struck out two in his one and only Triple-A inning, and he had 44 strikeouts with only 12 hits in 29 innings with Double-A Trenton.

—

Adam Warren
Promoting from within doesn’t have to mean a minor league reliever. The Yankees could try to find another Chamberlain-type minor league starter who’s stuff might play up out of the bullpen. Cashman said the Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos will not be considered (Brackman has been ineffective, Betances and Banuelos aren’t ready).

Warren or David Phelps, though, might fit the profile. Both are usually in the low-90s with their fastballs — Warren probably a little higher than Phelps, though I haven’t seen them this season — but that velocity might jump in short stints. They’re both coming off good starts, including a complete game for Warren last night.

D.J. Mitchell has also been very good in the Triple-A rotation, but he’s more of a sinkerballer and doesn’t necessarily fit the typical late-inning profile. Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work, just means he’s not the type of pitcher who jumps to mind. That’s kind of true for Hector Noesi as well, but again, you never know.

—

Rafael Soriano
Best-case scenario would be for Chamberlain to be replaced by the guy he replaced, but Soriano still hasn’t started a throwing program.

“It’s too early to even say how he’s progressing,” Cashman said. “He was shut down, and hopefully he’s going to start tossing in a week, and we’ll go from there. I think it’s way too early to even assess where he’s at.”

Pedro Feliciano is throwing, but he doesn’t seem especially close either. It goes without saying that Damaso Marte isn’t close. The Yankees have valuable relievers on the disabled list, and those options might help down the road, but right now they don’t seem to be viable options.

—

Phil Hughes
Cashman made it clear that Hughes will be stretched out as a starter. The Yankees aren’t going to move him back into the bullpen just because Chamberlain is on the disabled list. But Hughes’ return could open the door for someone else to step out of the rotation and into the bullpen.

Maybe Ivan Nova could find some added fastball velocity in short stints? Or maybe Bartolo Colon could remain healthy and effective in one-inning, late-inning bursts? It’s still probably a month or so away, but Hughes could give the Yankees bullpen options without being the bullpen solution.

“Let’s hope everybody’s healthy so we have decisions to make,” Cashman said.

—

Kerry Wood
Maybe not Wood himself, but someone like him could certainly help the situation. It’s worth remembering that Wood had a 6.30 ERA and was coming off injury when the Yankees traded for him last season. It might require a similar leap of faith to land a late-inning reliever without paying a top-prospect price.

As for Wood himself, he’s playing for a bad Cubs team, but he also seemed to sign there specifically to play in Chicago. More viable options might be guys like Matt Capps, Heath Bell and Francisco Rodriguez. Those three are playing for bad teams and might be traded, but they might cost a lot without being necessary if Soriano comes back and returns to form.

Cashman said that, right now, a good relief trade market has yet to develop.