Pregame notes: Platoon in left field
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Apr 20, 2012 
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While Brett Gardner is shutdown with a sore elbow, the Yankees will essentially platoon in left field, with Raul Ibanez playing the outfield against right-handers and Andruw Jones going out there against lefties. Joe Girardi said that, for now, he’s comfortable with a 13-man pitching staff and a three-man bench.
“Without Gardy being here, the one guy that we probably have to pay the closest attention to is Granderson, because we don’t necessarily have a true center fielder besides Curtis,” Girardi said. “We’re going to have to check with him as much as we can.”
The backup center fielder is either Jones or Eduardo Nunez. Girardi has told Nunez to take fly balls in center field, but Girardi also said Jones is still physically capable of playing center field. Obviously he’s not the defensive player he used to be, but the Yankees believe he could go out there if Granderson were unable to play. As for giving Nunez a start in the outfield, Girardi said it’s possible, but for now he’s happy with the Ibanez/Jones platoon in left field.
Girardi said he might keep a 13-man pitching staff through Texas, and might even keep it until Gardner comes off the DL.
“I’m pretty comfortable right now with it, but my mood could change in a day or two,” Girardi said. “When I talked to Brian (Cashman), my thought was that we needed a 13th pitcher more than another outfielder.”
• Michael Pineda is ready to get in a game. He’s scheduled to pitch two innings in extended spring training tomorrow.
• Andy Pettitte’s minor league start has been moved to extended spring training because of rain in Daytona. Pettitte went four innings last time.
• Nunez made yet another error yesterday, and Girardi said it was all because he didn’t get his feet set properly. The Yankees have no plans of pulling Nunez out of his semi-regular role. Girardi said Nunez has done a better job correcting and adjusting this season. “At times, we would see one turn into two (last year), and we have not seen that this year,” Girardi said. “So you could say, he’s made a couple of errors but at times we would see one turn into two and it would turn into a couple of days in a row and that was a concern but we seemed to get him through that and we’ll get him through this other thing, I believe.”
• Girardi on what might lead him to put Nunez in center field ahead of Jones: “Let’s say Andruw’s DH-ing, you know? You don’t necessarily want to lose your DH in a sense, so you have to pick what you’re going to do.”
• Russell Martin’s slash line through 30 at-bats is .133/.395/.133, obviously an indication that he’s staying patient but not hitting. Girardi said today that Martin’s stride has been too long, but the Yankees believe they’ve corrected the problem the past few days. “Mechanically I think he was a little off for about the first 10 games,” Girardi said. “We seem to have cleaned it up a little bit the last day or so. I thought his at-bats were better yesterday even though he hasn’t gotten the base hits.”
• Off to an unthinkably bad start, former Yankees reliever Mark Melancon has been optioned to Triple-A by the Red Sox.
• As you probably know, the Red Sox have planned a pregame ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first game ever played at Fenway. Composer John Williams will conduct the Boston Pops for a composition Williams wrote for the occasion, all living former Red Sox have been invited and the 3:15 start time is the exact same as the start time for the first game ever player here. “I don’t think you can really pick one (Fenway memory),” Derek Jeter said. “We’ve had regular season games, postseason games, All-Star Game. There’s a lot of special moments. It’s kind of tough just to narrow it down to one individual game. But I’ve always enjoyed coming here.”
Associated Press photos
I think Hughes’ start yesterday did something unique for him. The Nunez error–something he is going to have to deal with during the season, as fielders DO make errors–almost gives Hughes a pass on this outing. You look at the shift that Girardi had on and the ball trickling through, too. All of a sudden, Hughes has had an improved start, gotten a win, lowered his ERA all while pitching terribly overall. He did make some strides and I do believe he’s closer to turning things about. The bonus is that the Nunez error has served as a mulligan, an ‘extra life’ in video game-speak. Hughes was going to get another chance to show he’s got the stuff, anyways, but this gives him an extra chance. The coaches see him turning things around, now. Perhaps that helps his confidence and makes him attack hitters. He needs that predator instinct–attack and attack with conviction. All our starters do (besides Freddy. he should NEVER be a predator! lol). CC remembered it in his last outing and Nova is MADE of the stuff.
I suppose Cody Ross is going to be the next in line to be a Yankee Killer from these pukes. With that said, this lineup that the Sux have has a lot of holes in it.
Nova should be able to cut right through them. 6 innings 5 hits 3 runs. Something like that is what I am looking for him to do. Finish it with SOROMO. Yanks 5 – 3. Tex with another bomb today.
Cano loves hitting here, so look for him to finally get hot.
“Well – it is a lot better than these fan boys “pretending” to be scouts –”
The Stoneburner obsession continues….
“I’m pretty comfortable right now with it, but my mood could change in a day or two,? Girardi said. ?When I talked to Brian (Cashman), my thought was that we needed a 13th pitcher more than another outfielder.”
Girardi is an idiot if he really thinks that
TGM: Bingo
“Girardi is an idiot if he really thinks that”
if the starting pitchers keep averaging about 4 or 5 innings an outing then they probably do need another pitcher…..burning up the bullpen would have more lasting effects than having to play Ibanez in the outfield for a few games.
Full house at the green sardine can today. Nothing would make the day better than a complete and utter beat down by the Yanks.
Plus, if the Yanks blow them out I can sneak into a seat behind the Yanks dugout by the 6th…
Have BD. Represent Lohud buddy.
A sweep and Bobby V could be unemployed Monday morning. That would be awesome.
danny burawa?@dannyburawa
Goin to watch some guy we just signed named andy pettite throw at the gcl complex
Francesa is a party pooper
Unknown, the longer Bobby V is around, the better for anyone not named the Red Sox.
I have a friend (Italian) who is pals with Lucchino. Don’t think Bobby V being Italian had nothing to do with his hiring – not all but has to be part of it.
Is everything that Jones offers THAT much more valuable than Maxwell, Colin Curtis, Dickerson?
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Girardi/Cashman love those veteran players over the young guys.
austinmac, no one who has been following him pitch thinks Betances is ready to be brought up. Please read more conscientiously.
except for Kay, YES is generally great…but why o why won;t they show the full RS ceremony…do we really need to see more grainy commercials for local Toyota dealers?
blake April 20th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
?Girardi is an idiot if he really thinks that?
if the starting pitchers keep averaging about 4 or 5 innings an outing then they probably do need another pitcher?..burning up the bullpen would have more lasting effects than having to play Ibanez in the outfield for a few games.
****
of course we saw the impact when a defender extends the inning last night so having a better defender can protect a pitcher. Plus, I would take my chances our starters do better
They don’t even show Yankee ceremonies, except for OTD, so why would they show RS ones…? In fact, I am surprised they have shown as much as they have.
Also, as bad as they have been…Phelps is totally rested, Rivera, Robertson and Soriano are fine. Logan may need a day and Rapada maybe needs one more day, but he can get a lefty if needed. They are not taxed right now…Ibanez in left is a disaster waiting to happen
Look at the entire Yankees team cheering this ceremony. What class by the Yankees organization.
I hate the YES studio stuff.
I love when they’ll win a clincher or even a championship and they’ll cut from the locker room party to Bob Lorenz.
My guests are Sux fans and so are watching the 100 year beantown ceremony. I think the music in the background is Fanfare for the Common Man. It definitely sounds like Copland. I am loathe to admit this but it’s actually quite moving. They have all of their old timers there. I did get a little choked up when Pedro came out. They aren’t announcing anyone’s names, but the players all have their names on the uniforms. It was also really cool when Tito came out.
They showed the Yanks in the dugout. They’re in old-time unis also and also seem to be pretty impressed by the ceremony.
Damn the music. I’m sure that’s what’s making it so emotion-evoking.
I’ll be back to hating them as soon as the game starts.
Oh yeah – I’m forced into NESN so this has been on a while.
The whole ceremony is on MLB Network. Watching it now.
AnthonyMcCarron Who got the biggest cheers today? Francona. @RogRubeNYDN and I agree
One of the guys here actually has tears in his eyes. It’s hard for me to watch him. (I cry easily…)
Reminds me of the 2008 All Star game at OYS and OD at NYS 2009.
trisha,
The score is an original, composed for this occasion by John Williams
Every Sox to ever play for the team is out there now. I think it’s as good a time as any for me to streak, right?
…..burning up the bullpen would have more lasting effects than having to play Ibanez in the outfield for a few games.
———————————
As in Boston collapse circa 2011.
tomingeorgia – the entire thing or just this part?
I’m liking the Highlander uni’s…
The beginning may have been Copland and this is from Williams. If not, he sounds like he appropriated Copland’s music.
So am I
Highlanders – there can be only one
trisha,
Supposedly it’s called “Fanfare for Fenway” so maybe it owes more than a bit to Copland….
Imagine the butcher Nunez in cf??? Oh man
MarcCarig Hal Chase strikes out too much! #TweetsFrom1912
Hi trisha. How are you?
Trisha – its the music and seeing old men in uniforms
The Boston Pops are jokes. And the ceremony was a joke. Youve got all these old bags that never won anything with a bunch of young guys that got 1 or 2 World Series. Nothing makes me happier than the fact that Yaz nor Ted nor Rice nor any of those fools got a ring.
Welcome back Chad!!
Ace April 20th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Imagine the butcher Nunez in cf??? Oh man
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Not CF but it wouldn’t shock me if he got some reps in LF or RF
New York Highlanders Baseball c’mon Kay smh
trisha,
read somewhere that the whole thing was by Williams
IMO, the highlander uniforms are better than the original Yankees uniforms
Coming up after the two plane flyover and gaining fast was another flyover. This one.
http://roofdoggy.files.wordpre.....snoopy.gif
Damned Red sox fan tried to shoot down a Yankee fan.
“Trisha – its the music and seeing old men in uniforms”
G. Love, I think that’s exactly it. I think I would have been affected the same way with the music and any team’s old timers. It’s the history of the amazing game that we love so much.
GM,
yea I don’t disagree….I just don’t have a huge issue with them calling up another arm the way the starters have been going…..especially with the 3 series coming up against really good offenses where there could be some high scoring and long games.
yanks by the end of this next 9 games with high powered offenses will need more than one more pitcher. Look for the Scranton team to hold DJ Mitchell back from his next start.
No Boggs or Clemens.
Ex-Yankees not invited?
My wife saw Kevin Millar screaming on the dugout and said “who’s that Kenny Powers?”
How is Boggs not there?
They should put Nunez in LF while Gardner is on the DL.
Nunez has shown so far that he is not an infielder. But the Yankees think he can hit, and so far this year, he has. They think maybe he can play the outfield? Now’s the time to find out. Put him out there for the next two weeks and let’s see if we got a player worth keeping.
Neither was Mike Torrez or Bob Watson.
No Ted Williams?
Zimmer?
Manny?