Pregame notes: “It’s time for him to catch a little bit”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Sep 11, 2011 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Jorge Posada has some of the same curiosity when it comes to Jesus Montero.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him back there,” Posada said. “I think it’s a kid that, no question about it, has a lot riding on his shoulders. He’s doing a helluva job hitting, so now it’s time for him to catch a little bit.”
Posada remembers his first start behind the plate. It was September 25, 1996, the second game of a doubleheader against Milwaukee.
“I think it was Kenny Rogers,” Posada said. “I caught a doubleheader, and he’s telling me he’s going to add and subtract (signs). If I call a fastball, he’s going to add and subtract (to signal a different pitch). I didn’t know what in the hell he was talking about. I’m glad he didn’t do it. I think Jimmy Key was there, and Jimmy Key said, ‘Don’t try it. Don’t do it because that kid is already nervous.’ So thank God for that.”
Today, Montero will be catching his own veteran starter. As luck would have it — “It was not my master plan,” Joe Girardi said — Montero first act as a big leaguer was to catch Freddy Garcia’s bullpen in Boston. Montero also caught Garcia’s rehab starter earlier this season in Scranton.
“I’m not going to make too much of today,” Girardi said. “You think about the situation he’s playing in, he’s shown he can relax at this level as a hitter. I’m not going to make too much of today. He’s got Freddy who’s a veteran. I think that should be helpful because Freddy knows what he wants to do, and they speak the same language, so that should be helpful. I thought he had improved (when watching video of Montero catching in Triple-A), and we’re going to get a chance to watch him.”
• The Yankees will stick with a six-man rotation, letting Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova start this week in Seattle. “It’s still something we could possibly change,” Girardi said. “But now we’ve got that doubleheader coming up. Do you want a guy to sit for two weeks? I don’t know.”
• Another factor in sticking with six starters is that the Yankees don’t need another pitcher in the bullpen right now. “Our bullpen, right now, is OK,” Girardi said. “We’ve kind of caught up a little bit with the guys in the back end.”
• No update on Nick Swisher or Alex Rodriguez, but Girardi said he is hopeful that Swisher will be able to play tomorrow. Rodriguez is still going to miss a few days.
• Austin Romine is traveling here from Scranton. Not sure why he was still there, but apparently he was. Girardi said he hopes to have Romine at the stadium by the start of the game.
• When Romine gets here, he’ll be the No. 2 catcher. Posada is still considered an emergency-only option.
• On Russell Martin: “Russell is probably day-to-day,” Girardi said. “I don’t know if we’ll have him tomorrow. My hope is that we’ll have him on Tuesday. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
• As part of a September 11 pregame ceremony, members of the military and some first responders will throw a series of ceremonial first pitches. Members of the Angels will catch some of them, but the Angels also asked Posada, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera to catch three of the pitches.
“I think everybody came together during 9-11,” Posada said. “I think that’s what we’re doing again… I wish we were home, though. I wish we were home and with people in New York, but we’re here and I’m happy for the first pitches today.”
ANGELS
Erick Aybar SS
Howie Kendrick 2B
Bobby Abreu DH
Torii Hunter RF
Mark Trumbo 1B
Peter Bourjos CF
Mike Trout LF
Bobby Wilson C
Alberto Callaspo 3B
Associated Press photos
I didn’t know what in the hell he was talking about.
—–
Hilarious.
Hopefully the Venezuelan baseball gods are watching today.
• Another factor in sticking with six starters is that the Yankees don’t need another pitcher in the bullpen right now. “Our bullpen, right now, is OK,” Girardi said. “We’ve kind of caught up a little bit with the guys in the back end.”
————————————————————
The bullpen right now is not OK
West Coast Yankee Fan September 11th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
jacksquat September 11th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
West Coast Yankee Fan September 11th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Jones has had that knee tear all season, as a matter of fact, the Yankees knew about it and signed him anyway. It obviously isn’t a major hindrance.
—
There is no reason to play Jones today, you don’t play him if you don’t have to. Jones DH, Cano 2B, Dickerson RF.
I’m going on the assumption that Dickerson can play since Joe hasn’t told us otherwise.
*************
The reason to pay Jones is that he is ten times the player that Dickerson is – even at this point in his career.
—
Maybe you should concentrate on what is written instead of being bombastic.
I said Jones at DH, Dickerson in RF, Cano at 2B. Jones still plays. Dickerson hits instead of Nunez. Better defense at 2B and RF.
Jorge is awesome. Go Yanks.
What you see is what you got as far as BP. All 19 of them.
repost:
1. no matter what Montero does today, he gets a pass IMO. He’s in the game of necessity.
2. It doesn’t matter how many people wanted him up well before this. Almost an entire forum wanted Melancon up, so much so that that you could almost feel the keyboards burning up with indignation. Until he was up and ineffective and then you could almost feel the same keyboards burning with disgust.
3. It is not unusual for fans to want prospects up well before they are ready or well before the organization is ready for them. That proves nothing more than what it is. It certainly doesn’t prove they should have been up!
4. Kudos to Randy for giving me kudos last night. I know it had to nearly kill him to do it!
Lester already at 100 pitches in the 4th.
Enjoy the game folks.