With the New York Yankees out of town on the road to Chicago, I decided to catch some minor league baseball in the gap and so we went to catch the opening day of class-A Staten Island Yankees’ season – a home game against the Brooklyn Cyclones of the Mets organisation.
In my last article I argued that Joe Girardi had shown the paucity of the Yankees bullpen and that it was now time for Brian Cashman to deliver if the Yankees were at all serious about catching Boston in the regular season.
(I’m posting this slightly out of sequence as the May baseball updates aren’t up on this site yet!)
Yesterday, Joe Girardi looked hesitant and under-managed the Yankees as they allowed Boston to sweep the series at the Stadium. Sabathia faded quickly in a game that he had largely dominated and Girardi allowed him to wilt and die and a small lead became a huge deficit. Girardi’s indecision showed all the traits that would have cost him his job in a different era under a different Steinbrenner.
And so the pitchers:
Sorry these are so late but I’ve only just returned from the U.S..
The Yankees rotation coming out of Spring Training looked like a disaster waiting to happen. The old hands (Freddy Garcia as a starter with Bartolo Colon in relief), the under-achievers (AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes), and the unknowns (Ivan Nova). So given that April was such a success it bodes well for the rest of the season. Or as May plays out, was this just beginners’ luck? Anyway, here’s what happened:
It hasn’t been mentioned much but Yankees’ reliever, Romulo Sanchez, looks likely to be heading out of the Bronx with Japan a likely destination. It means that most of the pieces of the Yankees’ bullpen might have fallen into place.
ESPN reports: Joe Girardi said the Yankees’ newly-acquired No. 1 catcher had “a little stiffness” in his left hamstring. Girardi said Martin’s injury had nothing to do with his surgically-repaired right knee and that Martin would be able to catch again on Monday.
Well, the tardiness of this column finally caught up with me and I end up writing about the Yankees’ starting rotation AFTER they have announced what THEY expect their rotation to look like.
The Yankees beat Houston 6-4 in their Spring Training game. Andruw Jones went 0-for-2 to bring his average for the Spring down to .189. This tendency to persist with senior players shows their anxiety about the youthful tryouts. The front office is suddenly talking up Gustavo Molina as a meaningful candidate for the backup catcher – despite the fact he has batted only .071 during the Grapefruit League games. His advantage over the other candidates? He has major league experience. Also still around is utility infielder, Ronnie Belliard, who plays the corners well but is only batting .158. And yesterday the Yankees also completed the signing of veteran starting pitcher, Kevin Millwood, who led the American League in losses in 2010. He has been signed to a minor league contract but has insurance written all over him.
More on that starting rotation later……..
