Posts Tagged ‘Brett Gardner’

The rocky Yankee career of Randy Winn ended today when he was designated for assignment to make way for the return of Curtis Granderson. There’s that old phrase that goes if you don’t have anything nice to say about somebody, don’t say anything at all. Let’s make one quick exemption for Winn, though. When a team decides to keep a 25-year-old infielder who’s been playing the outfield of late opposed to the 13-year outfield veteran, the guy who once made an All-Star game, uh, things probably didn’t go so well.

Anyway, tonight will be Granderson’s first game since May 1 against the White Sox. He’s batting .225 with two homeruns and seven RBIs, and stole four bases. His return also probably ends Brett Gardner’s time in center, as Granderson will play there and Gardner will move back to left. Granderson is also slated to bat second, a spot where he hasn’t batted all year.

The Yankees come into the four-game series at home 28-19, 4.5 games behind the first-place Rays. The Cleveland Indians stand at 17-28, good enough for last in the AL Central. This is the first series between the two teams this season.

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For a team that has lost five of its last seven games, going on the road to face an opponent in first place might not be such a welcome road trip. But for the Yankees, three games in Minnesota might be just what they need to break out of their recent funk.

The Yankees (26-18, 2nd in AL East) took two of three from the Twins (26-18, 1st in AL Central) at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago, and went 10-0 against them last year, including a sweep in the ALDS. The last time to two teams tied in a season series was 2006, when they went 3-3 against each other. To find the last time the Twins won a season series outright against the Yankees you’d have to go back to 2001, when Minnesota took four of six.

The Twins come into the series also on a bit of slide, dropping four of their last six. The Yankees will get their first look at the new Target Field, where the Twins are 14-7 in the stadium’s inaugural season.  The Yankees are 13-12 away outside of the always pleasant Bronx so far this year.

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The Yankees’ win over the Orioles Tuesday night has earned them the series win and that means they have won eight of their first nine series in 2010. It all starts with solid starting pitching, and even though Javy Vazquez has struggled, the other four starters have been phenomenal. Sabathia (4-1), Burnett (4-0), Pettitte (3-0), and Hughes (3-0) have a combined record of 14-1 and all of their ERAs are under 3.00. In fact, Burnett and Hughes’ ERAs are under 2.00. With dominating pitching from four starters, it makes the black sheep, Javy Vazquez, look worse because every other starter is contributing but him. But having four dominating starters can also work in Javy’s favor as he will be able to stay in the rotation, although be moved around a little, and work out his problems during games, not on the side. When 80% of your pitching staff gives you a great chance to win, you can afford to do that.

This article wasn’t supposed to be about starting pitching. It was supposed to be about how the Yankees are getting offensive contributions from different and sometimes unexpected guys each night. Going on a tangent about starting pitching shows you just how important it is. Yankee fans don’t need to be reminded of that, however, because they learned the importance of starting pitching throughout the years and saw it at it’s peak in the playoffs last year. Read the rest of this entry »

After a nine year drought, the Yankees won the 2009 World Series and would like to build on it in 2010. Complacency is not in the cards for this team. CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira didn’t sign with the Yankees last winter with one championship in mind. They came seeking multiple championships. Winning in 2009 was a relief of sorts for the Yankees, a team that is expected to win every year, and now that they’ve done it, they will feel some weight being lifted off of their shoulders, but being that they are the Yankees, the team will still feel pressure to repeat in 2010.

The Yankees are a year older, but that’s what was said last year when they were coming off a year in which they didn’t make the post-season. The “Core Four” is growing old together, but there is a great mix of young players and multiple championship-winning veterans that will make up the 25 man roster to start the season.

I hear a lot of talk about the Yankees’ 7-8-9 hitters, of Granderson, Swisher and Gardner, being weak. That may be “weak” when considering it to Yankee standards, but that bottom three is still one of the best in the majors. How many teams can say that they have a guy coming off a 30 home run season batting 7th and a guy coming off a 29 home runs and a .371 OBP season batting 8th? I know Granderson is stymied by lefties and that concerns a lot of people, but I’m willing to deal with him being an automatic out most of the time against lefties if he can tear the cover off of the ball against righties. That becomes a different story in the playoffs, but I’m optimistic that Granderson’s average against lefties won’t be sub-.200 (.183 vs. lefties in ’09).

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The Yankees have signed free agent outfielder Randy Winn to a one-year, $2 million deal. The signing officially ends Johnny Damon’s run as a Yankee. Winn will be the team’s fourth outfielder and will be able to spell either Gardner or Granderson at left field.

Versatility is key for the Yankees in the outfield. Gardner and Granderson can each play left or center. This gives the Yankees options. When Winn plays in left, either Gardner or Granderson can play center field.

Most people will yawn at this signing, but the Yankees brought in Winn as a veteran insurance policy if one of their outfielders gets injured and he will be an experienced player to use to give Gardner and Granderson days off.

I would have liked to see the Yankees go with a young player as their fourth outfielder, but I understand their need for a veteran outfielder. This means youngsters like rule 5 draft pick Jamie Hoffman and recently acquired Greg Golson won’t make the 25-man roster.

When Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he wouldn’t be adding a “big piece” to play left field for the Yankees after they traded Melky Cabrera and some minor league players to the Braves for Javier Vazquez, I didn’t believe him. As time goes by and free agents are being swooped up off the market, I’m starting to believe that Cashman and the Yankees are ready to have Brett Gardner or a different “smaller piece” be their everyday left fielder.

The left field free agent market is dwindling. Jason Bay signed with the Mets, Marlon Byrd signed with the Cubs, Mike Cameron signed with the Red Sox and Mark DeRosa signed with the Giants. Matt Holliday and Johnny Damon have ridiculous high price tags.  An addition of a “big piece” for left field is becoming increasingly less likely.

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Johnny Damon still believes he fits on the Yankees even though they have acquired center fielder Curtis Granderson.

“I don’t think it affects what I can still do. Either they come out and pursue me or they don’t,” Damon told the New York Post. “I still know how to play baseball and will make any team better.”

The Yankees could figure out a way to make it work if they bring back Damon (although I don’t like the idea of having Damon and Granderson in the same lineup), but not on a four-year deal. Two years is the maximum I see the Yankees going. If Damon and the Yankees come to terms, either Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner become expendable. Finding potential trade suitors for Cabrera of Gardner shouldn’t be hard since some teams have already expressed interest in the young outfielders. 

Nothing but silence has come out of Matsui’s camp meaning they are weighing their options and realistically evaluating the market for slugger. Matsui has to be the Yankees priority over Damon for the mere fact that signing Damon gives the team excess outfielders and without Matsui, the Yankees don’t have a defined DH. The fact that Damon is a better option in left field than Cabrera and Gardner takes a back seat to the Yankees’ unwillingness to give Damon a four-year contract. If Damon’s asking price doesn’t come down to where the Yankees want it, they’ll be content with putting Cabrera in left field and having Gardner as their fourth outfielder.

If Damon lowers his contract standards to two years and Matsui accepts a one-year deal, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that both guys are back with the team next year. The Yankees should be more concerned with brining back the World Series MVP before Damon. 

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The Yankees and Phillies have boarded the Amtrak to Philadelphia both having one won game each in the Bronx. Both managers have some decisions to make for the upcoming games in the NL stadium.

With no DH, Girardi loses Matsui’s bat in the lineup. Matsui hasn’t played the field at all this season and his only appearances during regular season interleague play came as a pinch hitter late in games. Don’t expect to see Matsui in the outfield for any of the games at Citizens Bank Park. He will be a nice bat off the bench for Girardi.

Beyond game three, neither team has confirmed their starting pitchers. CC Sabathia will most likely go for the Yankees in game four and the Phillies have to choose between Joe Blanton and Cliff Lee. If Charlie Manuel goes with Lee, it would be on three days rest, the same amount of rest Sabathia would be pitching on.

Girardi also has a decision to make on who plays right field. Jerry Hairston Jr. went 1-3 in game two as the Yankees right fielder. Girardi can stick with Hairston, go back to Swisher, or go to the bench. Eric Hinske is a possibility. Brett Gardner could play center field and Melky Cabrera could move to right field. Girardi would rather keep Gardner on the bench and use him as a pinch runner late in games. It worked in game two when he went from first to third on a single and scored the Yankees third run on a single.

Girardi and Manuel will have their hands full answered the media based on their managerial decisions the rest of the series. Both managers will hope they make the right decisions. The only way the series doesn’t go back to the Bronx is if one team wins all the games in Philly. These teams are so good that this series may go the full seven games.

Several sources are indicating the Yankees will put speedster Freddy Guzman on their ALCS roster in place of Eric Hinske. This gives the Yankees the ability to put Brett Gardner in the outfield as a defensive replacement late in games and still have a speedy pinch runner on the bench. Hinske will go to Tampa and remain ready in case he is needed.