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Yankees – Back to the the start..ing pitchers

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At the start of 2008, the Yankees weren’t sure about their number 5 starter and were hoping against hope that Mike Mussina could overcome the years and do better than he did in 2007. Well, that prayer was answered but all the things that they took for granted….. that Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes could handle a full season in the top bracket, that Chien-Ming Wang would deliver again and that Andy Pettitte would give them 18-20 wins…. turned to dust in their hands.
And so the "go with youth" policy was broken into pieces and much money has been spent to put C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett into the rotation for next year. So what went wrong?

Mike Mussina (34 games) 34 starts and an indian summer to match them all. 20 wins. 3.37 ERA and .278 OBA. 200.1 innings pitched. Mussina had looked like he had popped his cork in 2007 and I had very slim hopes of him returning to form. In 2008, he looked like a different pitcher and he ceased to rely on the game that had carried him through when he was a younger man. He looked canny and crafty and he suffered only 9 losses on the year. In short, he was a tour-de-force………… But now he’s retired and the surprise package of 2008 needs to be replaced and so the Yankees had to spend money.

Andy Pettitte (33 games) 33 starts and rather mediocre. When Pettitte won he quite often did so because the bats delivered and gave him substantial run support. When the bats didn’t deliver (and that wasn’t infrequent), he invariably lost. He ended the year at 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA. Consequently, the Yankees are still pondering whether they need Pettitte for next year. To be true if it wasn’t for his history with the club, they probably wouldn’t be asking those questions. To be true, if it wasn’t for his history with the club, he would already have signed with the Dodgers and Joe Torre. I think he should swallow deeply, remember last winter and all the damage that did to his reputation and take the $10 million that the Yankees have on the table. He would be a good no. 4 or no. 5 starter.

Darrell Rasner (24 games). 20 starts. Somehow or other, Rasner managed to come out of the year as the no. 3 starter. Somehow or other, the Yankees let his slender potential die on the vine and left him out there in some games when his demeanour told everyone he needed to be back in the dugout and to be assured that the Yankees coaching staff cared enough to protect his slender confidence. They didn’t and they sold his contract and he was on the first plane to Japan almost as soon as the season was over. He only managed 5 wins and his ERA ballooned to 5.40 although his OBA was almost identical to Pettitte’s.

Sidney Ponson (16 games). 15 starts. In 2006, Sidney Ponson got a break and wound up playing for the Yankees. He delivered a 10.47 ERA in 3 starts and 2 relief appearances. By 2008, the Yankees were so confused about their pitching that they went back to Ponson who had been cut lose by the Rangers for causing disruption in his own clubhouse. Given all this background, Ponson delivered a surprisingly competent spell with the Yankees and ended with a thoroughly workmanlike 4-4 season. His ERA was an awful 5.85 by the end but given that history that was hardly disappointing. He will struggle to find a spot in 2009 with anybody.

Chien-Ming Wang (16 games). 15 starts. 8 wins until his injury in June. Rumoured returns in August and September didn’t materialise and in the new season, we wait and see how his recovery has left him and whether he will be his old self. All of these questions, again, ensured that the Yankees would spend and spend big. In the first half of the year, he looked like it could be another great year. He should be back as a number 2 starter but we’ll have to wait and see.

Joba Chamberlain (42 games). Whatever his role in 2009, Chamberlain saw more time as a reliever in 2008, so we’ll deal with him in that category.

Ian Kennedy (10 games). 9 starts. In 2007, he had 1 win and a 1.89 ERA. In 2008, he had 0 wins and a 8.17 ERA. What’s wrong with this picture? Well, the Yankees talked him up into believing that he was the next big thing and really they only had that one win and some other strong innings to base it on. They (and he) started to believe the publicity when everyone came and tried to persuade the Yankees to part with him in the off-season. But they still had little to base this confidence on and they should have been still talking to him about "potential". By mid-season, there was talk of attitude problems and a post-game interview that showed it for all to see. Unless something stunning happens in Spring Training, Kennedy will begin the season at Triple-AAA and unless the whole thing falls apart during 2009, he will have gone away quietly by the end of the season. At best long relief, but really I don’t see it.

Phil Hughes (8 games) 8 starts. If anything, Hughes was an even brighter hope than Kennedy, if you believed the hype at the end of 2007. In reality, he has a better chance of being nurtured by the Yankees in the days that lie ahead. No wins and a 6.62 ERA is not encouraging but he did well when reassigned to Scranton and has had some good innings in winter ball. He could battle it out with Alfredo Aceves for the 5th starter spot.

Carl Pavano (7 games) 7 starts. Before they put all their confidence in the farm system, it was big signings like Pavano who didn’t deliver and didn’t seem to care that they hadn’t delivered that had made the Yankees wary of the free agent market. Lessons quickly learnt and quickly forgotten. Pavano, probably, had his most dependable season for the Yankees in 2008 but conversely he also delivered up his highest ERA. But then nothing makes sense about this guy’s four year contract. In 4 seasons, he appeared in 26 games and the only good thing that can be said about that was that he was competent (no better) when the Yankees needed to find ANY pitching in late 2008 and he was finally ready to steer clear of the disabled list. He certainly won’t be in New York in March and will be lucky to find a spot anywhere else.

Alfredo Aceves (6 games) 4 starts. Now here’s an interesting one. During his short stint in the Bronx in late 2008, we saw a couple of different Aceves. At his best, he looked excellent, other days he looked ordinary. If this was the beginning of last season, we would be setting up Aceves to be a major part of the starting rotation based on that. This year, that is about good enough to be overlooked. The currency has changed and lots of it is on the table. He had a 2.40 ERA in 2008 with 1 win which come to think of it is not very far adrift from what Kennedy produced in 2007. In these money spending days, he will be lucky to make the number 5 slot. Let’s hope he does.

Dan Giese (20 games) 3 starts. Again, as that was his principal role, we’ll look at him on our relievers report.

Brian Bruney (32 games) 1 start. We’ll see more of him as a reliever.

So where are we now?

The contenders seem to be: Sabathia – Wang – Burnett – Chamberlain – Hughes – Pettitte (unsigned) – Kennedy – Aceves

The odds are on a rotation of: Sabathia – Wang – Burnett – Chamberlain – Hughes

I’d like to see: Sabathia – Wang – Burnett – Pettitte – Aceves.

Let’s see what happens in the Spring.

Yankees – Catching as catch can…..

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Jorge Posada’s injury dramatically effected the Yankees season …. and only time will tell whether he can return to his pre-injury form and what the Yankees will do if he doesn’t. Anyway his injury unsettled things at the catching position in 2008 and the Yankees end up utilising five other players in the postion. Here’s how it went:

Jose Molina (100 games). 97 games at catcher. Molina had a very impressive year in 2007 and had been established as someone who could more than easily adapt to being the Yankees no. 2 catcher and Posada’s back-up. The problem was that in most of the year in 2008, he was left exposed, no longer backup but the first-string catcher and this left him vulnerable and his offensive figures fell away rapidly. His 2008 figures were .216 (BA), .313 (SLG) and .263 (OBP). This compared unfavourably to his .318 (BA), .439 (SLG) and .333 (OBP) during the time he spent on the Yankees roster in 2007. A substantial fall indeed. After this, he is still a very capable defensive player and there is no reason why his offensive figures shouldn’t rebound if the Yankees can take the weight of starting from him.

Chad Moeller (41 games). 33 games at catcher. At one point in the season, Moeller was on waivers with Molina and Posada set to hold the roles for the rest of the year. Injury intervened once more and the Yankees were able to breathe a sigh of relief when he wasn’t claimed and they could restore him to the roster. He became a surprising and vital cog at moments during the season, simply because he gave them a capable player at a position where they were running out of options. He batted .231 in 91 at bats which sounds unspectacular until you notice that it was higher than both Pudge and Molina. He also saw a little time at 1b, 3b and DH and proved a valuable man to have upon the bench. His 9th season in the majors and this was his best. His time at the Yankees is probably over but we were glad he was there at the time.

Jorge Posada (51 games). Injuries and lingering problems meant that only 30 of these games came behind the plate. He still managed to produce .268 BA but this is now largely irrelevant. The questions are all about 2009 and not about 2008. The hope is that the injury accounts for all the decline of the year and that the surgery will restore him and that age does not come into this at all. Only time will tell.

Ivan Rodriguez (33 games). 30 of these games included time as catcher. Now if the Yankees had signed Pudge in the second half of the year to cover for an injured catcher a few seasons ago, it would have been regarded as a major coup. But that was then and this is now…. Age and time meant that the best that Rodriguez could muster whilst in pinstripes was a batting average of .219 with 2 home runs. This from a guy who was capable of .332 and 25 home runs a decade ago, and .330 with 13 home runs just two years ago, meant that he never became more than second choice for the Yankees and his presence didn’t really benefit Molina’s plight. Consequently, the Yankees have no interest in re-signing him and he might be looking at retirement.

Francisco Cervelli (3 games) All his games came at catcher and were in September as the Yankees widened their roster to give those who had had good seasons at Triple-A Scranton a taste of the majors. In 5 at-bats, he didn’t manage a hit and he managed to strike out three times. But he served 13.2 innings behind the plate without an error and he looked more than serviceable there. Chances are he will be back at Scranton during the first half of 2009 but there will be questions about Posada well into spring training and, who knows, he could give Molina and new signing, Kevin Cash a run for a roster spot, if he has a good spring.

Chris Stewart (1 game). Posada and Molina were unavailable because of injury, Moeller had been placed on waivers and hadn’t yet cleared or being claimed and someone needed to catch. Journeyman, Chris Stewart, was making up the roster at Scranton and was called up for the day, making it three MLB clubs he has seen limited service on in 3 years. He got three at-bats and no-hits and a few days later he was gone. Next year, he looks likely to have a chance back at his first club, Chicago White Sox but for one day he was our only option.

Next year? Well, if injury doesn’t again rear its ugly head then it should be Posada – Molina, one-two but if Posada is ruled out or can’t manage too long behind the plate then Cervelli may get his chance. New signing, Kevin Cash, will only come into the mix, if they decide to carry three catchers. The optimist in me says look for Posada as catcher come opening day. 

Yankees – Did the Yankees get it right in rightfield in 2008?

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The Yankees were pretty much set in rightfield during 2008. . Whilst they used five other players in walk-on roles, the rightfield pretty much belonged to Bobby Abreu. Since the season finished the Yankees seem to have show little interest in the out-of-contract Mr Abreu. So what the story?

Bobby Abreu (156 games). Of those a massive 150 games saw Abreu spend time in rightfield. And it has to be said that Bobby was a very consistent presence in an uncertain year for the Bronx Bombers. He finished the season with a .296 batting average. He endured a slower start in April, going .269 on the month but he soon picked up the pace. He batted .330 with a .570 slugging average and 4 home runs the following month. June was a slower month but in July he hung around a .300 average all month before closing it out at .299. He also managed 20 RBIs in July, second only to A-Rod. In August, he had a quieter month for power but leapt to a season-high .342 batting average, only topped by the resurgent Derek Jeter. He finished the season with a quiet .276 which meant that he dropped below the .300 line for the season. His 100 RBIs and 100 runs and 20 homers made him a stand-out player for the Yankees in most every category, so why the lack of interest?
Well, the headline is that Abreu wants a multi-year deal and the Yankees would only be interested in having him back for 1 year initially. This would make sense on the cautious-build-from-within-2008 Yankees but makes no sense for the 2009 Yankees who having just rid themselves of 1 under-performing long-contract first-baseman have just signed Mark Teixeira to a mere eight years. For some reason, Abreu’s face doesn’t fit but whatever that is about it seems to have little to do with his on-field play. Go figure. It’s not likely that 1 year contract is even on the table for him to refuse. I’m more likely to be playing in the outfield than Abreu is – and that makes absolutely no sense.

Xavier Nady (59 games). Nady played only 7 games in rightfield. See my leftfield analysis for some thoughts on his season.

Melky Cabrera (129 games). 5 of those included time in rightfield. See my analysis of the centrefielders for a look at his troubled season.

Justin Christian (24 games). 5 in rightfield. Most in leftfield. And you’ll find my thoughts on him on the leftfield page.

Shelley Duncan (23 games). He played in rightfield in 4 games. See my first base analysis for my thoughts on his year.

Hideki Matsui (93 games). Only 3 of those came in rightfield. I’ll get to him when I get to the designated hitters.

And for 2009? Well, there’s Nady, Damon, Swisher (well, they have to find somewhere to put him now they’ve got Teixeira) and my money’s on Nady. The fact that he only played 7 games there in 2008 should worry the Yankees. Should worry them a lot……..

Yankees – Back to the centre (field) of everything

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Centrefield seems to have been clearly identified as a major problem for the Yankees last season (second only to starting pitching). Consequently, come spring training it will be an area that is closely watched – that is unless the Yankees make a trade before then which settles the matter. It is somewhat surprising then to realise that they only used four men in that role in the whole of 2008 and that they didn’t spend the whole year casting around for a suitable occupant. Here’s the runners and riders:

Melky Cabrera (129 games). Of those 129, a 115 were spent in the centre of the outfield. He batted .249 during 2008 which was a 24 point drop off on his performance in the preceding year. Whilst this is a worrying development, it is significantly ahead of Brett Gardner (see below) who would be Cabrera’s nearest rival if there was no trade made before the season started (this seems far more likely than chasing a free agent). This wasn’t a season where Cabrera’s fortune rose and fell frequently as the months passed. Whilst he hit .299 in April, there was little to smile about after that. His average fell to .234 in May and then to a lowpoint .206 in June. He rose again to .272 in July but by August was out of favour and headed for the minors. Interestingly, he performed well at Scranton-Wilkes Barre and when he returned to the Bronx in September, he batted .462 over the 12 games in which he appeared. It does seem though that he has lost the confidence of the management of the New York team and that is a notoriously difficult thing to regain. Expect him to be gone before opening day.

Johnny Damon (143 games). Only 34 of Damon’s games saw him occupy centrefield at some stage in the ballgame. See my analysis of the leftfielders for some comments on his campaign as a whole.

Brett Gardner (42 games) Gardner spent time in centrefield in 22 of his appearances. The Yankees showed more and more enthusiasm for Gardner as the season progressed in 2008. It seems likely though that this enthusiasm was created by their lack of confidence in Cabrera (see above) than by anything in Gardner’s ability to fill this role in the long term. A reality check is required when we realise that Cabrera topped him not only in batting average but in slugging and on-base percentage too. Gardner has better speed on the base paths, not least shown in his 13 stolen bases to Cabrera’s 9, which were delivered in far fewer appearances. He also is the better fielder and his throwing arm has a greater range. The fact remains, however, that it is more likely that Cabrera might regain lost ground offensively than Gardner deliver something that just doesn’t seem to have ever been there. Expect Gardner to be the back-up outfield on opening day. For my money he is the third most likely player to occupy centrefield on a regular basis for the Yankees in 2009.

Justin Christian (24 games). Christian played in centrefield for only 3 games in 2008. For some thoughts on his season, please see my leftfield analysis. Since that was written, the Yankees have decided not to tender Christian a contract for 2009 which makes him a free agent. This is no surprise and falls into line with my prediction.

So where to for centrefield? Well, the big money remains on Mike Cameron arriving from the Brewers and becoming the resident in that role. If that doesn’t happen look for Cabrera and Gardner to run-off for that spot during Spring training with Cabrera an unlikely winner.

Yankees – one out of leftfield

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In 2008, the Yankees used 6 players at left-field. Here’s a summary of how it all went:

Johnny Damon (143 games) . Of those 143 games, 86 included time in leftfield. On the whole, injuries aside, this was a good year for Damon and a distinct improvement over 2007.

 

 

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

TB

BB

SO

SB

CS

OBP

SLG

AVG

2007

141

533

93

144

27

2

12

63

211

66

79

27

3

.351

.396

.270

2008

143

555

95

168

27

5

17

71

256

62

82

29

8

.375

.461

.303

This can be seen in the way that almost every column on the comparison, above, shows an increase for 2008. However, he had some months when he was well off the pace. He opened the season with an April average of only .276 and it seemed like he was going to struggle to improve on his 2007 standard. But May was a step up (.306) and June proved a high month of the season for him, batting .363 albeit mainly hitting singles. He missed a dozen games in July and the enforced mid-season rest set him back a little. July and August were months when he set his benchmark for the season showing .304 and .306 averages respectively. September proved to be his worst month offensively and his season rather tailed off just as the rest of the team were putting together a winning sequence.
So a successful but uneven season for Damon offensively. In the field, he made few errors and continues to show amongst the best ranges of the everyday leftfielders.
It seems 95% certain that Damon will be one of the starting Yankees on opening day. Despite being an ex-Red Sox, he has been accepted by the fans and that would not be many ways to replace him and improve. A good 2009 for him will definitely help the team.

Xavier Nady (59 games). He played in leftfield in 46 of his games after arriving in mid-season. 2008 was pretty much a career year for the X-Man albeit that his better figures were put up before he left Pittsburgh. Nady previously had had a short tenure with the Mets but moved on after only 75 for the other New York team. At the moment, the Yankees seem to like him a lot and it seems likely that he will last much longer in this part of town. He batted .305 and slugged .510 across the season. It was .268 and .474 whilst wearing the Bronx pinstripes. At the moment the inclination seems to let Abreu depart and make Nady a fixture. Nady played only 7 games in rightfield and Damon played none. It will be interesting to see how one of them works out playing the whole season in that corner which seems likely as things stand. Look for Nady to be in the line-up on opening day but not necessarily in leftfield.

Hideki Matsui (93 games). Injury meant that Matsui played only 21 games in a position where earlier in his career, he had been a fixture. I’ll say more about his season when we get to the designated hitters which is where we are likely to see him in 2009.

Brett Gardner (42 games). This young outfielder played 17 games in leftfield. I’ll say more about him in the discussion of centrefielders.

Justin Christian (24 games). He played 9 of those games in leftfield which was his most appearances at any one position. There were times in the season when the Yankees hierarchy seemed to regard Gardner and Christian evenly in terms of their becoming a fixture on the Bronx Bombers. At one point Christian seemed to have edged ahead. By the end of the season, it seemed like Gardner was a firm choice and Christian was all but forgotten. Defensively, he did well. Like Gardner, he has speed and can steal bases. His .250 average included very little power hitting but Gardner is weak in that area too. I’m guessing that the difference between the two players is in those legendary indefinables that baseball experts sometimes talk about because otherwise I can see little to choose. Gardner looks likely to be on the opening day roster and has a shot of the centrefield job, Christian must be wondering where his future lies. I don’t get the feeling it will be in the Bronx.

Melky Cabrera (129 games) Played only eight of those in leftfield. I’ll say more about his "difficult season" when we get to the centrefielders.

So my feeling is that Damon is likely to the starting leftfielder come April but there is time for that to change. We’ll see how things shape up in Spring training but I expect that’s how it will be.

Yankees…. A short stop at Shortstop

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The Yankees only used 4 players at shortstop during 2008. This was pretty much as expected. Derek Jeter OWNS this position and its pretty much guaranteed that he will continue to do so for the rest of his career. Here’s a survey of the performances at that position.

Derek Jeter (150 games). Jeter played 148 games at ss and 2 at DH. By his own standards this was a quieter year offensively.

 

Year

Team

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

TB

BB

SO

SB

CS

OBP

SLG

AVG

2006

NYY

154

623

118

214

39

3

14

97

301

69

102

34

5

.417

.483

.343

2007

NYY

156

639

102

206

39

4

12

73

289

56

100

15

8

.388

.452

.322

2008

NYY

150

596

88

179

25

3

11

69

243

52

85

11

5

.363

.408

.300

Career

 

8025

8025

1467

2535

411

57

206

1002

3678

813

1376

275

75

.387

.458

.316

In fact, it was more an inconsistent year than anything else. By September, he was batting .378 with a .425 OBP. The fact that his stats improved throughout the year bodes well for 2009. He is a certainty to be in the starting lineup on opening day.

Wilson Betemit (87 games). Betemit played 14 games at shortstop. The White Sox will have a good player in 2009. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season.

Alberto Gonzalez (28 games). Gonzalez played 14 of his games at shortstop. In both 2007 and 2008, he was a solid defensive player for the Bronx Bombers but he was a lightweight with the bat. By July 2008, his average had dropped to .173 and there were several other good defensive players available to back-up Jeter so the Yankees allowed him to depart for the Washington Nationals. Whether it was something to do with the drop in pressure in being away from New York or something else, his batting performance picked up in the limited time he saw at the plate for the Nationals. He collected his first major league home run and batted .347 in 49 at bats. He looks likely to continue with the Washington team in 2009.

Cody Ransom (33 games).  Ransom played just 9 games at shortstop. See my first base analysis for some comments on his season.

Jeter is, injuries aside, certain to be the mainstay at shortstop during  2009. Predicting his back-up is more problematic. Betemit and Gonzalez are gone and Ransom looked more confident in other fielding positions. Hopefully all will become obvious in spring training.

To Ell and Back

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I’ve spent the last two weekends in Leeds so now seems as good a time as any to update on the fortunes of my football (soccer, I don’t understand American Football) club, Leeds United. On Saturday, we played Huddersfield Town in Football League One (old third division) in a game which because of the geographical nearness of the two opposing teams drew over 32,000 fans, making it the 5th best attended game in England on the day and 6th best attended in the whole of the UK. Only 4 premiership games , none in the Championship and only Glasgow Rangers’ home game in Scotland, had a larger crowd. Football, then, is very much alive and kicking in Leeds but the team is not what they once were. But the hard times seem to be lifting. Prior to the game, we were third in the division, compared to Huddersfield’s standing in 16th. Despite this apparent advantage and the promise that a win, in this early kick-off, would take Leeds to the top of the division (at least until later in the day), we managed to lose 2-1 as Huddersfield scored in the last minute. Leeds had taken the lead through Snodgrass in the 4th minute but couldn’t hold on to the lead despite having the lion’s share of the quality individual performances.

What did this game reveal about the team?

Goalkeeper

1. Casper Ankergren. Ankergren has been sharing ownership of the goalkeeper’s jersey with David Lucas despite being the hot favourite to be the regular between the posts at the start of the season. His momentous error which led to the first Huddersfield goal undid an otherwise reasonably solid performance and did nothing to guarantee he will be in the side in a week’s time.

Defence

2. Frazer Richardson. Long serving captain, Richardson, looked more confident pressing forward than in his defensive duties. He provided a good overlapping presence on the right side with winger, Robert Snodgrass and the two gave the Huddersfield full-back a torrid time in the first half.

19. Ben Parker. Left back is a problem position for Leeds and Parker is the current incumbent. Again, better going forward than anything else and the Huddersfield attackers could have made more of the Leeds’ lack of enthusiasm to work on the left, particularly in the first half.

6. Lubo Michalik. The Slovakian central defender is good in the air and clears his lines well but doesn’t contribute much more than that. He will do at this level but it is hard to see him continuing in the team if they were promoted to the Championship.

26. Paul Telfer. The 37 year old central defender looked out-paced and wobbly on Saturday. There are more capable defenders in the squad and it is hard to see why McAllister is favouring him.

Midfield.

4. Jonathan Douglas. Douglas looked a class apart from most of the others on the field for most of the game. The manager replaced him and Delph just at the point when we seemed to have Huddersfield pinned in their own half. His maturity and vision were outstanding but he is let down by a suspect temperament. Our hopes of winning disappeared when he was removed.

15. Fabian Delph. Delph has silky skills and is fast developing into a great young player. I’m not sure who was meant to be playing on the leftside of midfield on Saturday but nobody seemed to fancy that role. Delph, particularly, had a tendency to cut inside when he received the ball rather than being tempted to explore the left side of the pitch. Good game otherwise, if a little too easily knocked off the ball and another regrettable substitution in the late stages.

8. Neil Kilkenny. I spent most of half time trying to remember who was the 11th player on the Leeds side (there is no scoreboard at Elland Road at the moment!). Kilkenny was that invisible presence and, thankfully, he was removed early in the second half, having contributed nothing I could remember.

Forwards

18. Andy Robinson. Robinson played wide on the left side of the forward line. He suffered from lack of support and got himself needlessly cautioned. He has a tendency to appear a little lazy when disposessed and didn’t chase back well on Saturday. Having said that going forward, he appeared to be one of the more solid Leeds players and can shoot from distance.

23. Robert Snograss. Wide on the right, Snodgrass was Leeds’ best player on the day. He scored Leeds’ only goal. Skilful, with a good touch and willing to run at opponents with vigour, he was our brightest hope – particularly in the first half.

10. Luciano Becchio. A lone central forward for most of the game, Becchio was persistent and solid. When Beckford was brought on, Becchio had more freedom, showed more flair and might have scored.

Substitutes

9. Jermaine Beckford. Top scorer, Beckford, entered the game very positively, early in the second half. In truth, he might have scored within minutes of his arrival. However, his contribution lessened after a couple of heavy challenges knocked him to the ground and the midfield line behind him was rearranged. The sooner he is fully match-fit and can start every game, the better.

7. David Prutton. Suffered by comparison with the players that he and Howson were required to replace, but in truth did well and looked sparky and bright. A poor free kick from him was our last scoring chance.

14. Jonathan Howson. Like Prutton, he was solid but not spectacular. Tried in difficult circumstances.

Unused substitutes: 12. David Lucas. 21 Enoch Showunmi

So a disappointing result before a large crowd. Danny Cadamarteri had something to prove when he came on as Huddersfield’s last substitute and he was responsible for single-handedly creating the chance which led to the second goal but the changes in midfield ended Leeds’ dominance and it wasn’t only the players on the field who had reason to blush.

This looks like another season when we will make the playoffs – and then anything can happen.

Maybe this lad could do a job for us – Lucas the Kop Kat turns away having slammed in a penalty during the warm-up

Darren & the late Billy Bremner

End of the Innocence – The End of August – Part 1

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So the likelihood of the New York Yankees reaching the post-season gets slimmer and slimmer. August wasn’t the month of finally finding their way that Mr. Girardi had hoped for but it was a month with some bright spots and some hope for the future

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – August 



Name                   AB  R  H  RBI 2B  3B HR BB SO SH SF SB  BA   SLG   
Ransom, Cody            5  3  3   5   1  0  2  1  1  0  0  0  .600 2.000 
Jeter, Derek          113 12 39  11   1  0  2  7 21  2  2  3  .345 .407 
Abreu, Bobby          114 16 39  10   6  0  1 12 19  0  0  2  .342 .421 
Gardner, Brett         15  1  5   2   1  1  0  1  2  0  0  2  .333 .533 
Nady, Xavier          107  9 33  19   5  0  6  5 28  0  0  0  .308 .523 
Damon, Johnny         115 22 35  11   2  1  4 14 22  0  0  9  .304 .443 
Betemit, Wilson        34  4 10   5   1  0  1  1  9  0  0  0  .294 .412 
Cano, Robinson        100 14 29  10   3  2  4  7 18  0  0  0  .290 .480 
Rodriguez, Alex       103 23 25  16   8  0  6 13 30  0  1  1  .243 .495 
Giambi, Jason          82  9 19  22   0  0  8 10 25  0  3  0  .232 .524 
Molina, Jose           45  8 10   4   2  0  2  1  7  1  0  0  .222 .400 
Christian, Justin      15  2  3   1   1  0  0  0  3  0  0  2  .200 .267 
Rodriguez, Ivan        56  6  11  2   1  0  2  3  9  0  0  1  .196 .321 
Matsui, Hideki         43  4  8   6   2  0  2  5  6  0  0  0  .186 .372 
Sexson, Richie         13  1  2   4   1  0  1  2  5  0  0  0  .154 .462 
Cabrera, Melky         26  1  3   1   0  0  0  0  3  0  0  1  .115 .115 

Pluses

Bobby Abreu. Abreu has been our most consistent hitter and outfielder and that continued in August. Hitting .342 on the month, he is not hitting for power but he is a singles-and-doubles hitter par excellence and is lively on the bases.

Derek Jeter. Jeter had to have a good month at some point and August seems to have been it. He has never been awful but has never lived up to his performance of previous years. Again, the power wasn’t there but .345 on the month is more like it.

Xavier Nady. Nady hasn’t slowed since he came to the Bronx and this month he hit .308 and was second in homers. He looks a key part of the outfield for 2009.

Minuses

Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod has been consistently good if not great so far this year but the second half of August was a real let-down. Again and again, he would be in a clutch hitting spot with runners on base and again and again, particularly in late innings, he would come up with nothing. This meant hearty booing from the bleachers which livened up some dreary defeats but, like A-Rod, really achieved nothing.

Melky Cabrera. And the cupboard was bare….. Melky is back in the Bronx in September but doesn’t look likely to feature much. It has been an awful year for this guy.

Ivan Rodriguez. Sharing the catching equally with Jose Molina (and hitting less than him) and batting .196 on the month with no power to speak of, it has been a bad trade which saw Farnsworth go to Detroit for this guy whose glory days are behind him.

Surprises

Brett Gardner. Gardner has finally begun to hit for average as well as being a base-running threat. Best month of a limited season.

Cody Ransom. We all smiled when Ransom had two-at-bats and two home runs. It had to end but he has acquitted himself very well in his very limited role.

Wilson Betemit. Betemit has continued to impress me with his commitment and hitting / fielding off the bench. He has become a very serviceable player in the second half of the season.

Sometimes…..

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Earlier I said:

“Personally, I’d rest Rasner and give him a moment to catch his breath and allow Giese to take his next start.”

Then the Yankees said:

“The Yankees announced Monday that Dan Giese will take over as the team’s fifth starter, while Rasner will settle into a long relief role. Giese’s first start will come Friday in Anaheim after a string of successful relief performances earned him a promotion.”

Got that one right

July review – New York Yankee pitchers

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On the whole, July has been a good month for pitching for the Yankees with few exceptions. Even those who didn’t do so well managed the odd good outing:

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – July

Name                  GP   IP  H RA ER BB SO W L Sv    ERA   OBA

Ramirez, Edwar        10 11.1  0  0  0  3 16 1 0  0   0.00  .000

Giese, Dan             6 10.1  8  2  2  2  5 0 0  0   1.74  .211

Farnsworth, Kyle      10  8.1  4  2  2  4  9 0 0  0   2.16  .133

Chamberlain, Joba      6 35.2 30 11 10 10 43 2 1  0   2.52  .227

Mussina, Mike          5 31.0 36  9  9  2 27 3 1  0   2.61  .300

Veras, Jose           11 10.1  8  3  3  5 13 0 1  0   2.61  .211

Rivera, Mariano        9 11.0 11  4  4  1 15 2 1  4   3.27  .262

Hawkins, LaTroy        6  6.2  6  3  3  1  5 0 0  0   4.05  .240

Pettitte, Andy         6 38.0 41 23 20 10 33 3 3  0   4.74  .281

Robertson, David      12 12.2  8  7  7  7 16 2 0  0   4.97  .174

Rasner, Darrell        4 21.2 29 16 15 11 11 1 2  0   6.23  .333

Britton, Chris         1  3.2  7  3  3  0  1 0 0  0   7.36  .438

Traber, Billy          2  2.1  2  2  2  1  1 0 0  0   7.71  .222

Marte, Damaso          3  2.1  4  2  2  1  4 0 0  0   7.71  .364

Ponson, Sidney         4 20.2 33 18 18  8  8 1 1  0   7.84  .379

Pluses

Edwar Ramirez. In 10 appearances in July, Ramirez didn’t give up a run and achieved 11 1/3 innings on the mound. He’s already experienced a wobble in August but in July he was as good as it gets

Joba Chamberlain. Joba is finally settling into this starting business. In July, he achieved two wins and was solid in every other statistical category.

Mike Mussina. Moose continues to enjoy his indian summer. With solid support from the offence and some canny pitching, he continues to succeed despite allowing two many runners.

Minuses

Sidney Ponson. Despite the occasional good start this has not been a good month for Sidney. 7.84 ERA and only 5 innings (on average) per start.

Darrell Rasner. Rasner and Ponson give us two games in every five where we’re lucky to be level when the starter leaves. Personally, I’d rest Rasner and give him a moment to catch his breath and allow Giese to take his next start.

David Robertson. After beginning well, he appears to be fading fast. His ERA was a whisker under 5 for the month.

Surprises

Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth was finally in his stride. An OBA of .133 on the month was positively miserly resulting in a 2.16 ERA for that period. It must have hurt Girardi to see him go.

Dan Giese. Giese continues to be successful. Soon I’m going to stop being surprised by this. Proportionally, he gave up a lot of hits but very few of those passed home plate.

Mariano Rivera. Rivera is struggling when he comes into a game level or behind and generally it is the first batter he faces who hurts him. Maybe this is psychological at the moment but it is a mar on an otherwise great season.