Lineup Adjustments

The good news..The Yanks took two out of three games in Seattle and Ichiro Suzuki got comfortable with his new team. The bad news.. A-Rod’s broken hand.   He was hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez during Tuesday’s game against Seattle. What does this mean for the Yankees? It really couldn’t have come at a worse time. They have a day off today and are getting ready for a three game series against the Red Sox. The Yanks were talking about potential trades before the deadline to replace A-Rod, but Brian Cashman announced that they had found their answer shortly after trade discussions occurred. “Eric Chavez is the solution”, Cashman said. He explained that he is very comfortable with Eric Chavez filling in for A-Rod and that Jayson Nix, who has started to contribute for the Yanks is also a big help. They also called up Ramiro Pena to take a place on the bench in his absence. I don’t think they had a chance with Eduardo Nunez. When he has played third base in the past he has made several errors and during the second half, the most important time in baseball is not the time to test him.

The third baseman expected to be available to the Yankees by the trade deadline are Chone Figgins of the Mariners, Chase Headley of the Padres, Ty Wigginton and Placido Polanco from the Phillies but Cashman is doubtful that the Yanks will need to go there with Chavez, back up Nix, and Ramiro Pena. The Yankees are confident in their farm system which is why Cashman will most likely not take part in a trade deal. He would most likely not be able to strike a deal like he did for Ichiro Suzuki. That was very rare.

As a veteran, Chavez has been injury prone but Cashman expects him to play third every day and to handle it well. He is batting .269 with eight home runs and 20 RBI’s in 64 games this season. 

A-Rod is expected to be out for six-eight weeks. With their hot hitting, and stable pitching I think the Yankees will be able to hold on and remain at the top of both the AL and NL. Let’s go Yanks!

Ichiro Acquisition

After being swept by the Oakland A’s in a four game series, the Yankees were off to Seattle to face the Mariners in their last series of the west coast before returning home. They weren’t just playing Seattle, they were acquiring a Mariner. The Yanks announced the trade of Ichiro just hours before their first game in Seattle on Monday. Before we all knew it, Ichiro appeared in pinstripes on the field and got a very warm welcome from the Mariners fans. What sparked this trade? 

The Yankees were in a bind. They realized Brett Gardner might be out for the remaining season with an elbow injury and although Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones have been great additions to the teams outfield, the staff had concerns about their speed and ages as it got closer to the end of the season. What better timing! Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners asked to be traded to a contender – well, of course the Yanks are a contender so it seemed to be a perfect fit. The Mariners are in last place in the AL West with a 43-56 record while the Yankees are in first place in the AL East with a 58-39 record. WOW! What a contender for Ichiro to be traded to. The Yanks traded two minor league pitchers, DJ Mitchell and Danny Farquhar for Suzuki. He is currently in his last year of a five year, $90 million contract with the Mariners, but the Yankees will only pay $2.5 million of the remaining. Suzuki has been such a wonderful influence and a great player for the Mariners since he joined the team in 2001, “He deserves a chance to play for a contending team before the end of his magnificent career.”  “The Mariners should certainly not stand in his way,” Chief executive of the Mariners, Howard Lincoln said. Joe Girardi, manager of the NYY was thrilled with the news, stating “It’s a big day for us.”

Suzuki batted eighth in the Yankee lineup for his first two games as a Yankee. On Monday night the Yankees won 4-1 with Ichiro claiming his first base hit with the Yanks. That must have been extra special for him, especially at Safeco field against the Mariners. Tuesday the Yankees lost to the Mariners 4-2. The two teams are battling off in the rubber game this afternoon. Let’s see if the Yankees can remain at the top of the AL, with Texas trailing one win behind them.

The Ichiro trade seems like a no brainer, but the Yankees mentioned the age of Raul Ibanez, 40 and Andruw Jones, 35 as a possible issue towards the end of the season. Suzuki is 38 and although he is fast and has had much success, is his age a concern for the Yanks? Weigh in and let me know your thoughts!

Second Half Surprises

The second half of the season is really bringing a lot of surprises.

The Pirates have probably been the most surprising. They are in second place in the NL East, and they have their pitchers to thank for that, especially AJ Burnett. Do you think the Yankees are kicking themselves? I think it all has to do with the environment. Burnett wasn't doing well with the Yanks last year and it was a gamble to keep him. They did what they thought was best and gave him up and the Pirates are benefiting. Oh well, thats part of the game, you have to take chances. Pittsburgh is 54-40 having won five games in a row. Burnett has remained undefeated at home, most recently with his 5-1 win against the Marlins.

The Nationals are still dominating the NL East with a record of 55-39, the third best in the MLB. It's been a pretty tight race in the NL East with the Braves and the Mets taking turns in the second and third spots. The Phillies finally broke their losing streak, but are still in last place. This is quite a surprise, considering their record in years past.

No surprises in the AL West. Texas has been dominating all season. They have a record of 56-37, right behind the Yankees. Even though Oakland is in third place they have been very good as of late, winning three of their four game set with the Yankees.

Right now the Yankees have the best record. That could change very quickly. Texas is one game behind them and the Nationals are two games behind Texas. It's a very close race at this point in the second half. The Yankees, Rangers, Nationals, Pirates, and the Braves have really shown what they're capable of and it takes one team losing a couple of games to drop down in the rankings. The Yankees must hold on and keep the A's from the sweep or else they could start to dwindle. They're pretty well set in the AL East considering Baltimore is seven games behind and the Red Sox are ten full games behind, at the bottom of the division.

There are lots of promising teams arising in the second half. It'll be an interesting one! What team do you think is the most dominant right now in baseball?

Sweeeep!

The Blue Jays arrived in the Bronx hopeful, but they left discouraged after the Yanks swept the series. They won Monday, 6-3, yesterday, 6-1, and closed out the series today with a 6-0 win.

Phil Hughes got the start on Monday against the Jays. He had a very productive outing, considering he had a one out walk to Bautista in the sixth inning, but the Yankee offense was too much for the Blue Jays to handle. Raul Ibanez, who had been struggling for some time hit his tenth career grand slam in the eighth inning to tie the game. Ibanez has assisted the Yanks to win for the seventh time in nine games, according to ESPN. He has received much more playing time in left field since Brett Gardner was placed on the DL, which has most likely helped his numbers. Robinson Cano increased his hitting streak to 19. Way to go Robbie!

The first inning was crucial for the Yanks. It really set the tone for the entire game. It started out when Swisher singled to right, allowing Jeter to score, making it 1-0. Teixeira homered to left center and Swisher scored making it 3-0. But wait! The Yanks weren't done.. Andruw Jones came up to the plate and singled to right, and scoring was Robbie Cano. 4-0 Yanks and it was only the first inning? You got it! What an inning! The Blue Jays just couldn't catch a break. It started again for the Yankees in the bottom of the fourth. Jayson Nix started the offense off with a double, Russell Martin walked, Dewayne Wise hit a ground rule double to right and Nix scored making it 5-0. In the 6th inning Wise singled to center and Nix scored for the final time, making it 6-0. The game was cut short due to rain after the sixth inning.

The Yankees offense was unstoppable during the whole series but they couldn't have won without their pitchers. CC. Sabathia had just come off the DL and he had an amazing game. Kudos to CC for pitching on a 95 degree night too! Kuroda and Hughes also had very productive outings as well. Cano also ended the series with his career high 23 game hitting streak!

Other news: David Ortiz headed to the DL for injured right achilles tendon. The Red Sox will call Mauro Gomez up to fill his spot.

Tension is Building

The second half is well underway, go time! Injuries could not come at a worse time. Unfortunately, three teams got some bad news on Monday and injuries are hindering some teams' success. David Ortiz suffered a minor heel injury on Monday during the Red Sox game against the White Sox while circling the bases on Adrian Gonzalez's home run. Good news though! The MRI showed no sign of a rupture or tear. Ortiz has not been placed on the DL but will be out for a week and will get a second opinion in Miami this week.

It might be good news for the Red Sox, but the Blue Jays saw Jose Bautista, their leading home run hitter, take one of his huge swings against the Yankees, immediately clutching his wrist after and crouching down in pain. Blue Jays staff said x-rays showed no fracture, which they have further classified as a 'tendon injury' until an MRI is done. Bautista was initially placed on the 15 day DL and would be re-evaluated after the MRI results come back. News just came in that Bautista's MRI didn't show anything except irritation around the wrist. Right now he will take it day by day and the Blue Jays will keep a careful eye on him to evaluate his condition.

First baseman of the Reds, Joey Votto injured his knee while sliding into base and is undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Reds will be without him for three to four weeks.

Looks like this trifecta of injuries that all happened very close to each other are turning out to be minor injuries, good news to all the teams involved.