As Thursday’s game unfolded and it became clear that Alfredo Aceves wouldn’t make it through the 4th inning on his 65-70 pitch limit, I wondered about the decision to start him. Perhaps the Yankees should have made a move to bring up a pitcher who could have thrown 100+ pitchers. They have some 40-man flexibility right now, and they could have summoned Sergio Mitre.

A few fellow Yankee fans noted that the start-by-bullpen would probably be more effective than Mitre or Josh Towers, but I thought that was a short-term outlook. After all, while Aceves and the pen would make for a better outing on Thursday, it would handicap the team heading into a key weekend series against a Wild Card competitor that has a history of success against the Yankees. Short-term gains outweighed the long-term benefits, and Aceves it was.

When the game was over, it was clear that the Yankees needed help. Aceves is out until after the break; The Phils and Mariano had pitched in back-to-back games; and Jonathan Albaladejo and David Robertson had throw 28 and 23 pitches respectively. The Yankees were facing the real possibility of heading to Anaheim with just Brett Tomko and Brian Bruney available for long stints. So Mark Melancon was summoned. The question now because who will stay and who will the go. The answers could be intriguing.

First up are the obvious candidates. David Robertson or Jonathan Albaladejo are probably the ones most likely to go. Neither is available to pitch on Friday, and both have ridden the Scranton shuttle this year. Robertson managed to walk in two runs with the bases loaded on Thursday and can’t find consistency. He is brilliant or all over the place. Albaladejo is expendable and could be up shortly after the All Star break.

The Yankees could also choose to DFA Brett Tomko, but for now, they won’t. It would in fact be anathema to their goal. Melancon is up to add an available arm to the pen. By DFAing Tomko, they would be eliminating an available arm. As much as we want to happen, it won’t. Our best hope is for Melancon to throw strikes and get outs so that the Yanks can jettison Tomko in 10 days.

Finally, we arrive at the intriguing names. Either Phil Hughes or Al Aceves could get sent down for a short time. Right now, the Yankees don’t need a 5th starter until July 21, and neither Aceves nor Hughes are stretched out. If the Yanks send Aceves down, he could start for Tampa or Staten Island on Tuesday or Wednesday to get his pitch count up. He would then be ready for a full start of around 100 pitches on the 21.

Sending Hughes down would put him out of commission for a few more days. If the Yanks want to get Hughes ready, he could pitch on Saturday and then again on the 16th before getting ready for a July 21 start. He’d probably be up to around 85 pitches that day, and the Yanks could opt to have him use those pitches against the Orioles.

Just yesterday, Fack Youk expressed dismay over Joe Girardi’s comments on Hughes. The Yanks’ skipper seemed to indicate that Hughes would be in the pen for much of this year because he’s been so dominant. That, however, impacts his innings limit next year. It’s quite easy for the Yanks to change their mind.

In the end, much of this depends upon Chien-Ming Wang. If the Yanks are concerned about his shoulder and if it doesn’t seem as though Wang will be back any time soon, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aceves or Hughes join the rotation for a while. No matter who it is though, the Yankees have a lot of choices. It is a testament to roster flexibility indeed.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Triple-A Scranton (6-3 loss to Lehigh Valley) the field is still a mess, so they played this game in Lehigh Valley even though SWB was technically the home team
Kevin Russo: 0 for 5, 1 K
Ramiro Pena & Austin Jackson: both 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 K - Pena swiped bag
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Juan Miranda & Doug Bernier: both 0 for 3, 1 BB - Miranda K’ed twice
Frankie Cervelli: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 PB - picked off first
Colin Curtis: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Yurendell DeCaster: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Josh Towers: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HB, 8-5 GB/FB - 45 of 75 pitches were strikes (60%)
Amaury Sanit: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 2-3 GB/FB - 15 of 29 pitches were strikes (51.7%) … Cuban vet already worked his way up from Hi-A this season … he’s on the Aceves track
Edwar Ramirez: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2-3 GB/FB - 24 of 39 pitches were strikes (61.5%)

Double-A Trenton (7-3 win over New Hamsphire)
Austin Krum: 1 for 4, 2 RBI, 1 K
Reegie Corona, Edwar Gonzalez & Justin Snyder: all 0 for 3 - Corona drew a walk & scored a run … Edwar drove in a run & K’ed … Snyder drew a walk & drove in a run
Noah Hall: 4 for 4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI - 11 for his last 25 (.440)
Jorge Vazquez: 2 for 4, 2 R - .332-.363-.584
Jesus Montero: 1 for 4, 1 K - just his second hit in the last six games
Chris Malec: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Kyle Anson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Ryan Pope: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 10-3 GB/FB - gotta love the 1.74 BB/9
Josh Schmidt: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 3-0 GB/FB
Wilkins Arias: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 3-1 GB/FB

High-A Tampa had their doubleheader with Daytona postponed due to rain. Not sure when they’re going to make these games up, but they have tomorrow and another series in mid-August available for doubleheaders.

Low-A Charleston (9-5 win over Bowling Green)
Jose Pirela: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 K
Ray Kruml: 0 for 1 - left the game in the third with some kind of hand/wrist injury
Neall French & Chase Weems: both 0 for 4 - Weems drew a walk, scored a run, allowed a passed ball & K’ed
Melky Mesa: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 CS
Corban Joseph: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 BB
Taylor Grote: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 BB
Abe Almonte: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 4 RBI - had been 5 for his last 33 (.152)
Garrison Lassiter: 3 for 4, 2 RBI, 1 BB - 12 for his last 29 (.414)
Manny Banuelos: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 5-5 GB/FB - 5 ER allowed in his last 40.1 IP (1.12 ERA)
Edwin Walker: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-3 GB/FB
Dan Kapala: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HB, 1 WP, 3-2 GB/FB
Jon Ortiz: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 2-0 GB/FB

Short Season Staten Island (7-3 loss to Hudson Valley)
Jimmy Paredes: 1 for 5, 2 K
Carmen Angelini: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB - 7 for his last 12 (.583)
Zoilo Almonte & Neil Medchill: both 0 for 4, 2 K - Almonte drew a walk & scored a run
Kyle Higashioka: 2 for 5
Kelvin Castro: 1 for 4, 2 RBI, 1 E
DeAngelo Mack: 2 for 4, 1 E (throwing)
Luke Murton: 0 for 3, 1 HBP, 1 E (fielding) - 7 for his last 36 (.194)
RJ Baker: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Kelvin Perez: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 4-4 GB/FB, 1 E (pickoff) - picked a runner off second
Paul Patterson: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2-1 GB/FB, 1 E (throwing)
Ben Watkins: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2-3 GB/FB
Griffin Bailey: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 1-1 GB/FB

Rookie GCL Phillies (5-2 loss to GCL Phillies) it started raining with one out in the bottom of the ninth, so they just completed this one a tad early
Ramon Flores: 2 for 5, 1 K, 1 CS - 4 for his last 23 (.174)
Jose Toussen: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Kevin Mahoney & Kelvin DeLeon: both 1 for 4 - Mahoney doubled & K’ed … DeLeon K’ed twice
Eduardo Sosa, Francisco Arcia & Justin Milo: all 1 for 3 - Sosa drew a walk, stole a bag, scored a run & K’ed … Milo walked & K’ed
Jose Mojica: 2 for 4, 2 RBI, 1 E (throwing) - fourth error in just 11 games
Nik Turley: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 7-4 GB/FB - 14 K in 15 IP
Sam Elam: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 2 HB, 1-1 GB/FB - just down from SI … lowered his BB/9 to 32.43 from 37.08 with this outing
Dickie Marquez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1-3 GB/FB
Paul Heidler: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0-2 GB/FB

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Al Aceves, making his first big league start since September of last year, didn’t pitch as well as many had hoped. He wasn’t terrible, especially for a guy making his first start since April. Trouble in the second inning upped his pitch count, and trouble in the fourth spelled his exit. He had allowed just one earned run at the time — an inexcusable down the middle fastball to Jason Kubel on an 0-2 pitch — but David Robertson walked in two more, leaving Ace with a line of 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Even the unearned run was partially his fault.

The Yankees executed a series of follies in the second inning which really led to both runs. The first was the aforementioned 0-2 pitch to Kubel. I’m sure Ace wasn’t trying to groove a fastball there, but he did and a hitter like Kubel is going to be all over that. It went out to dead center and cut the Yankees lead to 3-1. Folly No. 1. The second came two batters later. After a five-pitch walk of Mike Cuddyer, Ace threw over to first. He missed by a mile, moving Cuddyer to second. Folly No. 2.

While Folly No. 1 was frustrating and Folly No. 2 was annoying, Folly No. 3 was downright infuriating. The best you can say about Mike Redmond’s running is that he’s faster than Jose Molina. Yeah. He hit one hard to third, and the ball hit the seam. Cody Ransom stayed with it, though, corralling it with plenty of time to make an accurate throw. He pulled it, though, sending it wide of Teixeira at first and allowing Cuddyer to score. Despite missing two months, it was Ransom’s fourth error this season.

David Robertson committed Follies Nos. 4 and 5, which were even more infuriating than No. 3. He came into the game with the bases loaded, never an enviable task for any reliever, let alone a rookie. After avoiding the walk of Nick Punto, an affliction from which many Yankees pitchers have suffered this series, he put Span on first with four straight balls. 5-3 Yanks. Five pitches later, Matt Tolbert would take his base. Not only did this plate the fourth Twins run, but it brought up Joe Mauer with the bases loaded. How Robertson got him to ground out after being behind 2-0 is beyond me. I tried not to think about it too much, opting to wipe my brow and send thanks to the baseball gods.

Meanwhile, with the bullpen responsible for the remaining five innings, the Yanks could have used some more runs. A 5-4 lead just didn’t feel safe, not with Albaladejo in the pen in place of Aceves. Mark Teixeira was the only one who could deliver, sending a solo blast into the left field seats, ending his drought and the annoying comments about it being X at bats since he last homered. As of this writing, it has been one at bat since Mark Teixeira homered. Who’s counting with me?

Oddly enough, Girardi opted to stick with Robertson for the fifth. It seemed a curious move, sending out Robertson, who had just walked in two runs, to face the number four, five, and six hitters in the Twins’ order. He surprised by striking out Justin Morneau on three pitches, but got back to his inaccurate ways by walking Kubel on five. Finally Girardi had seen enough and called on Jon Albaladejo to get the last two in the fifth, and presumably all of the sixth. He delivered, striking out Cuddyer and Redmond, and then sitting down the Twins 1-2-3 in the sixth. With Coke and Hughes up and ready, the prospects of the bullpen finishing the game got a bit better.

They got a ton better when Coke shook off a leadoff bunt single by Joe Mauer to get Justin Morneau to ground out on the first pitch. He then struck out Kubel on just three. That’s five pitches, five strikes for Coke. He might have struggled with his command early on, but lately Coke has done nothing but work quickly and throw strikes. Coke’s last five appearances: 3 pitches, 2 strikes; 24 pitches, 16 strikes; 6 pitches, 4 strikes; 7 pitches, 4 strikes; 5 pitches, 5 strikes. He has allowed just one hit in that span and has walked none.

Phil Hughes again was Phil Hughes. He continued attacking hitters, a lesson we can only hope he takes with him when he eventually returns to the rotation. That was one of the frustrating things about watching him last year and even parts of this year. He’d try to hit corners, and when he didn’t he looked lost. From the bullpen he’s constantly getting ahead of guys, throwing strikes and letting them take hacks if they want. Most of the time their efforts are futile. In the eighth (after a gift out by Justin Morneau, gift-wrapped by Jorge Posada) he got ahead of all three hitters he faced, striking out the last two. The only semi-blip was against Jose Morales, but after going up 0-2 I think it was more Hughes trying to get out an inexperienced hitter with some junk pitches. In the end Hughes got him with ol’ number one, a 95 mph fastball up that Morales had no chance of reaching.

On the offensive side, the Yankees again got production from the bottom of the order. Cody Ransom walked with the bases loaded and drove in a run with a single. Brett Gardner bounced into a fielder’s choice that allowed a run to score and singled on a poorly placed Liriano changeup. The only other runs came on a Derek Jeter single to center, a bloop on the first pitch during Liriano’s long second inning, and the aforementioned Teixeira bomb. Those six runs ended up being enough for the staff, and the Twins’ four runs meant yet another save for Mariano Rivera.

The Yanks will now fly out to Anaheim to wrap up the first half of the season. Don’t be scared, though. While the Yankees haven’t fared well against the Angels in years past, this is just not the same team. They’re good, no doubt, but they’re just not as intimidating as even last year. They’ll face Jered Weaver, the only consistently good pitcher in the Angels rotation, sandwiched between struggling pitchers Joe Saunders and John Lackey. Taking two out of three would be a wonderful way to finish up before the break.

No action until 10:00 tomorrow night, so it’s time to relax. And you know what that means: A glass of wine, your favorite easy chair, and of course this open thread playing on your home Internet machine. So go on, indulge yourself. That’s right. Kick off your shoes, put your feet up, lean back and just enjoy the comments. After all, baseball soothes even the savage beast.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Austin Jackson was included in the “Next 25″ section, but we’re not quite sure where he’d exactly rank. Either way, it’s tremendous honor for both players.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Today, we get a guest start. Alfredo Aceves, yesterday’s man of the hour, gets the ball in place of the injured Chien-Ming Wang. Aceves is on something of a pitch count, but based on his recent track record, he should be a-OK.

On the season, Ace is 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA over 21 appearances. He has issued just seven free passes while striking out 34, and opponents are hitting .208/.252/.354 against him. Ahead of today’s start, Tyler Kepman profiled the quirky Aceves. Check that one out.

The Twins counter with the once-great Francisco Liriano. Seemingly stolen from the Giants a few years ago, Liriano was the third-place runner up in the 2006 Rookie of the Year voting. He missed all of 2007 and hasn’t been the same since his arm surgery. On the season, he is 4-8 with a 5.49 ERA. When he faced the Yanks on May 15, he gave up six walks and four hits, but the Yanks plated just one run.

Offensively, the Yanks are resting a sore Johnny Damon. Posada catches a day game after a night game, and A-Rod will DH. On the injury front, word out of Yankee camp is that Damaso Marte is set to throw batting practice in Tampa this weekend. Remember him?

Jeter SS,
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera LF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

And pitching, wearing number 91 in honor of Dennis Rodman, the Mexicano Gangster himself Alfredo Aceves.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

Bruney apparently had an epiphany that off-season and came into camp much slimmer in 2008. On top of that, he seemed to have chilled out — something that, I can say from experience, tends to happen when one progresses through one’s 20s. It started to show in his results. He pitched very well in April, allowing runs in only one of nine appearances. He was striking guys out at a good clip, and his walks, while still a bit high, were down for him. It looked like the Yankees decision to tender Bruney a contract over the winter was paying off.

Then came April 22. Bruney slipped while rushing to cover first base against the White Sox, and came up hobbling. The Yankees initially called it a sprain in his foot, but it ended up being an injury to the Lisfranc joint. Early word was that he’d need surgery and would miss the season. Not wanting to let his newfound persona — and relative accuracy — go to waste, Bruney opted for rest and rehab. He made it back on August 2, a month and a half after another Yankee suffered a similar injury.

His comeback was a smashing success. He allowed runs in just four of his 23 appearances, and none at all in September. His walks were still a bit high, but everything else seemed to be working. Bruney had so impressed the Yankees staff that the idea heading into the off-season was to anoint Bruney the eighth inning setup man for the 2009 season.

That, too, started off well. After a rocky appearance on Opening Day in Baltimore, Bruney was as dominant as can be. He pitched 7.2 innings in eight appearances, allowing just one run, striking out 12, and walking none. This is the same Brian Bruney who seemed to walk a batter an inning two years ago, and who still had some control issues in 2008. Yet only two walks in the month of April — both coming on Opening Day.

We all know what happened from there. Bruney had elbow discomfort which landed him on the DL. He came back for one game, pitched well, and hit the DL again. In his latest stint he’s pitched okay, not great, but not like the Bruney we’ve seen. While he’s allowed runs in three of his eight appearances, the seven walks he’s issued is a bit more of a concern. The Yankees seem concerned, too, as they’ve moved him out of the coveted eighth inning role in favor of Phil Hughes.

Bruney isn’t flipping chairs this time or denying reporters comment. To the contrary, he’s particularly zen-like, talking to reporters with confidence. Pete Caldera has some quotes from the reliever.

“I have lost the eighth inning job,” Bruney said before the game. “But I think the true character of a man comes out when things aren’t going well. I take it as a challenge upon myself…to be the guy people expect me to be.”
…
Bruney says he’s not concerned with being the 8th inning guy when there are big outs to get in the sixth and seventh, too. “I wouldn’t say losing the eighth was tough,” he said. “Winning games is all that matters.”

There are plenty of big outs to get in the seventh. Bruney’s been working to get back to form, and Caldera has word that he’s optimistic about a recent bullpen session. This is a complete 180 from where we saw Bruney just two years ago. That, and his early season dominance, have moved many fans into his corner.

There’s a good chance, with Al Aceves taking the mound today after having not started since he was at Scranton in April, that Bruney could face a few batters today. If he pitches poorly, I’d expect he’d get back to work trying to figure himself out. If he pitches well, I expect he’d get back to work and try to continue it. That’s what Brian Bruney makes me think these days. At this point, it’s hard not to pull for the guy.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

During the 2005-2006 off-season, Ryan was one of the most highly-regarded free agents. He, Kyle Farnsworth, and Billy Wagner represented the top of the pack. The Yankees, who were about to lose setup man Tom Gordon, were heavy into the relief market. While Wagner was right out — he was too perfect a fit for the Mets at the time — the Yanks thought they had a shot with Ryan.

A 6′6″ lefty from Louisiana, Ryan was poised to cash in. The Orioles moved him into the closer role at the end of 2004, and in 2005 it was his alone. He took advantage, pitching to a 2.43 ERA and amassing 36 saves (on the 74-win Orioles) in 70.1 innings. In terms of hits, walks, home runs, and strikeouts, it was a mirror of his 2004 campaign. Now that he’d established his place as an elite closer, demand for his services was high.

Perhaps as a ploy to up the bidding for his services, Ryan “expressed interest” in playing for New York. Keep the Yankees in the running and you can pump up your value for another team. It was unclear at the time whether Ryan’s interest was sincere, but the Yankees weren’t making any other moves until his situation was settled. As a left-hander and a viable replacement for the departing Tom Gordon, he was clearly the Yanks’ top target.

In late November, the fantasy came to an end. Ryan had signed his five-year deal with the Blue Jays. The Yankees, still in need of a setup man, turned to Kyle Farnsworth after Billy Wagner signed with the Mets and Tom Gordon headed to Philly. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, the Yankees were wise to stay away.

Then again, even at the time there were a few reasons for the Yankees to pursue other paths. Ben Shpigel, in the above-linked Times article, reminds us of a previous incident of signing a closer to set up:

Cashman was burned once before on this route, in 2001 when he signed Steve Karsay to a four-year, $22.25 million contract to be Rivera’s setup man. Karsay battled injuries and inconsistency and spent only one healthy season with the Yankees.

In the end, Ryan had only one healthy season with the Jays. It’s easy to say that Ryan might not have suffered the torn UCL which sidelined him for a year had he signed with the Yankees, but many thought surgery was inevitable. As Keith Law said in a chat: “Ryan was destined to blow out his elbow.” Will Carroll heard the same thing: “Then again, a pitcher with Ryan’s mechanics, and one that several scouts have told me was rushed through the minors to get as much value out of his arm as possible before it blew up, always represents a risk.” So there were definitely indicators beforehand.

(Yet, upon signing Ryan, Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said: “He stands among the few pitchers in baseball worthy of a five-year contract.” Yeah, not so much, J.P.)

Finally, there was a rumor that Ryan doesn’t want to deal with the stress of playing in New York. This originally appeared in Newsday, but they’ve since taken down the article. I know it existed, though, because I linked to it from my old blog. Yes, I said you have to be a gamer in New York. How novice of me.

One can only imagine what life would have been had Ryan signed with the Yankees. While Farnsworth was busy blowing games and racking up a 4.36 ERA, Ryan was decimating opponents, pitching to a 1.37 ERA and holding a 0.86 WHIP. Unfortunately, after that it’s tough to tell. Would the Yankees have allowed Ryan to rush back from Tommy John surgery? He pitched his last game in 2007 on April 14, and returned to the majors on April 13, 2008. Rushing back didn’t seem to affect him: he didn’t allow a run until May 18 and pitched generally well all year (though I’ll always remember Giambi’s walk-off to the upper deck off him).

Ryan entered this season as the Jays closer, but quickly lost the job after going blowing two games and amassing a 11.12 ERA in six appearances. He then hit the DL with a sore trapezius, which manager Cito Gaston thought could be the reason for his lost velocity. That might have been the case, but Ryan still struggled after returning. In 15 innings over 19 games he’s allowed eight runs, walking 12 to just nine strikeouts. The three runs he gave up in a losing effort to the Yanks was apparently the last straw.

At the time, it was easy to fall in love with the prospect of Ryan setting up for Mo. He was the best option available who had a chance of coming to New York, and the allure of adding a power lefty setup man was there. It appears, though, that even at the time there was plenty working against Ryan. Much of it came to fruition, culminating with his release yesterday. He’ll catch on somewhere, probably on a minor league deal so he can work out his problems in games that don’t count (or he could just sign with the Nationals). All we as Yanks fans can do is wonder what could have been.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog

To start the game, Burnett was sharp. Through two innings, he had thrown 17 of 25 pitches for strikes, but the zone slipped away after that. He uncorked two wild pitches in the third, and the Twins plated a run on one of them. Joe Mauer brought home the second with a bomb off the left field wall. Just 10 of his 19 pitches that inning went for strikes.

Over the next few innings, Burnett would pitch into and out of trouble. He put runners on base in every inning but never caved. He recorded just two strike outs today, his lowest one-game total since his short appearance against Boston, but they came at opportune times. He struck out Michael Cuddyer with the bases loaded and two outs in the 5th and then K’d Denard Span with two on and two out in the 6th. He would finish in the 7th with a fly out, and it would be enough for his 8th win of the year.

Meanwhile, the Yanks were efficient with their runs, and they scored quietly. They plated three in the third on a Nick Swisher ground out and a two-run Brett Gardner single. They added another in the 5th on an Alex Rodriguez single. It was enough.

After Burnett left, the Yanks’ pen took over. First up was Phil the Lefty. On to face, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, we all just had a feeling that he wouldn’t emerge unscathed. After falling behind 3-0 on Mauer, Coke gave up a 3-1 blast to right field. It’s fast becoming impossible to get Mauer out at home. Coke struck out Morneau for the second time this year, and Phil the Righty came in.

Hughes, clearly the Yanks’ new 8th Inning Guy, breezed through his first three outs. He ran into a slight hiccup when Brian Buscher singled with two outs in the 8th. The Twins sent up Jose Morales, a decent average/OBP guy with no power who serves as the team’s third-string catcher, and Joe Girardi countered with Mariano Rivera. Four outs and 11 pitches later, the Yankees would have their sixth win of the season against the Twins.

When Girardi went to Rivera, a few fans objected. Why not let Hughes throw to Morales? The answer though is simple. Even though Hughes has thrown lights out baseball from the pen, even though Morales isn’t that much of a threat, Mariano Rivera is Mariano Rivera. He’s the guy with whom the Yanks will live and die, and as the Red Sox had already won by then and the Rays were nearly there, the Yanks had to win. Rivera hardly had to work for his 22nd save.

Wild Pitch Notes: Jesse Spector at Touching the Bases has a short post up with some interesting if useless trivia about Burnett’s start. According to Spector, pitchers have made six starts with at least three wild pitches this year, and three of those belong to Burnett. He is also the first AL pitcher since September 27, 2004 to throw three wild pitches and win.

Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blog