New York Yankees

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The Yankees are trying to line up an opponent for two exhibition games to open the new Yankee Stadium after spring training ends next year.

It would presumably be a National League opponent. The Yankees would return to New York from Tampa, Fla., for the two games before opening the season in Baltimore.

The Associated Press had previously reported that the first regular-season game at the new Yankee Stadium is scheduled for April 16 against Cleveland.

Joba Chamberlain will throw batting practice Saturday, which could put him back on the active roster by the series at Tampa Bay that opens Tuesday.

"We'll make a decision after (Saturday)," general manager Brian Cashman said. "When you're in the batting practice arena, then you're extrememly close. The next step is getting in games."

Chamberlain, who has not pitched since Aug. 4 because of rotator-cuff tendinitis, hopes that he can come off the disabled list without a minor-league rehabilitation assignment and assumes he will used in relief, at least initially.

Before today's game, Chamberlain threw 35 pitches -- a set of 20, a rest and then 15 more.

He is scheduled to throw 45 in a couple of "innings" before tomorrow's game. (It will be batting practice rather than a simulated game because he will tell the hitters what pitch is coming.)

Dave Robertson, who had allowed 16 runs on 20 hits in his past 13 1/3 innings, was sent down so Alfredo Aceves could come up from Scranton. Manager Joe Girardi said there are no plans to start Aceves but that the Yankees just needed a fresh arm after using the bullpen 27 1/3 innings over the previous six games.

Aceves will wear No. 91, the second highest number ever issued by the Yankees. He wanted it because he grew up rooting for the Chicago Bulls and Dennis Rodman. (Charlie Keller wore No. 99 for one of his two games in 1952.)

Signed out of the Mexican League in March, Aceves was 8-6 with a 2.62 ERA for Class A Tampa, Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Jason Giambi sits vs. lefty Jon Lester.

The lineup:
Damon cf
Jeter ss
Abreu rf
A.Rodriguez 3b
Nady lf
Cano 2b
Matsui dh
Ransom 1b
Molina c
Mussina p

Alex Rodriguez has gone eight games without a homer, matching his longest streak of the year (April 17-28).

The Yankees bullpen this month has a 5.91 ERA, with 36 walks in 80 2/3 innings.

Boston is 10-for-21 (.476) in this series with runners in scoring position. For the year, the Red Sox have hit .333 against Yankees pitching with RISP (43-for-129).

The Yankees are 18-9 when Mike Mussina starts and 52-53 in all other games.

Giambi is August is 4-for-24 (.167) with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees have lost four of their past five games against lefty starters.

Rodriguez has 31 doubles, matching his highest season total as a Yankee.

No corresponding roster move yet, and no lineup posted.

Aceves, a right-hander, was signed out of the Mexican League last winter and this season had progressed from Class A to Triple-A.

With Boston up 4-2 heading into the eighth inning, the New York Yankees' hopes of pulling out a win seemed like a distinct possibility. But after the Red Sox tallied seven runs, including a Dustin Pedroia grand slam, the hopes of a victory when from slim to none. Continue reading "New York Yankees morning after: Yanks' playoff hopes dismal after 11-3 pounding from Boston Red Sox" »

NOTEBOOK

NEW YORK -- On July 31, Xavier Nady was calling Jason Bay for hourly updates.

"Any news?" Nady would ask Bay. "Any news?"

It was the day of the major-league nonwaiver trade deadline, and the Pittsburgh Pirates had already dealt Nady to the Yankees five days earlier.

"He definitely had a rooting interest," said Bay, who was on the block and eventually wound up going to the Boston Red Sox.

Which meant that the close pals -- Bay once spent six weeks living on Nady's couch -- were now on opposite sides of baseball's sharpest feud.

So do they have to hate each other now?

"Oh, we do," Nady joked.

Continue reading "Former Pirates Jason Bay and Xavier Nady now foes in Yankees -- Red Sox rivalry" »

NEW YORK -- Here is the Yankees' best hope: That the 2008 Boston Red Sox mimic the 2007 Mets.

That is about the Yankees' only hope to extend their streak of postseason appearances. And how often does that happen?

"What we saw across town last year gives us hope," Johnny Damon said Wednesday night after the Yankees lost the series they declared must-win, getting clobbered, 11-3, by the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

"We just dug ourselves a bigger hole. ... All of us just need to be really good."

Continue reading "New York Yankees' season needs miracle finish after 11-3 loss to Red Sox" »

NEW YORK -- You know what makes this even worse for the Yankees?

Not that it needs to be worse, of course. The prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993 is surely sitting poorly enough with the Yankees, their front office and their fans. But what makes this even worse is watching the Red Sox, and realizing how much better they are right now.

At everything.

The Red Sox took the AL East away from the Yankees last year. Right now, they're leading a wild-card race in which the Yankees are drowning. But it's not just in wins and losses where they outclass the Yankees these days.

Continue reading "Graziano: Red Sox beat Yankees in every way possible" »

NEW YORK -- With Wednesday night's 11-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have won just two of their past nine series (five losses, two splits). They are only eight games over .500 -- one under .500 if one takes away the Yankees' 9-0 record against the two worst teams on their schedule, Seattle and San Diego.

Boston on Thursday goes for its first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium since April 2004 -- back when the Curse was alive and no one had yet heard of the Idiots, the Bloody Sock or Dustin Pedroia.

With Yankees co-chairpersons Hank and Hal Steinbrenner on hand, Jason Bay, Boston's replacement for the traded Manny Ramirez in left field, drove in four runs with a double, triple and sacrifice fly to give him six RBI in the series.

Another Boston newcomer, Paul Byrd, held the Yankees to two runs in six innings. Byrd -- who the Yankees hammered twice earlier this season, when he was with Cleveland, and who had never won at Yankee Stadium despite pitching more than five seasons in the American League -- gave up just five hits and struck out five.

Continue reading "Yankees lose to Red Sox, 11-3, as the struggle to win series continues" »

NEW YORK -- On July 31, Xavier Nady was calling Jason Bay for hourly updates.

"Any news?" Nady would ask. "Any news?"

It was the day of the major-league nonwaiver trade deadline, and the Pittsburgh Pirates had already dealt Nady to the Yankees five days earlier.

"He definitely had a rooting interest," said Bay, who was on the block and eventually wound up going to the Boston Red Sox.

Which meant that the close pals -- Bay once spent six weeks living on Nady's couch -- were now on opposite sides of baseball's sharpest feud.

Continue reading "Yankees-Sox series turns pals into rivals" »

NEW YORK -- He was at the park early, as always, in the batting cage in the wee hours of Wednesday afternoon for the first of the three rounds of batting practice he takes every day. Coming off his (and maybe anybody's) worst game of the season, Alex Rodriguez saw no reason to change his routine.

"Nothing I can do about it now," he said as he buzzed between clubhouse and cage. "It was terrible, but it's in the past."

Rodriguez's past came for an unwelcome visit in Tuesday night's opener of the Yankees' last-gasp series against the Red Sox. The highest- paid player in baseball had as bad a game as he could possibly have had, grounding into two double plays, making a throwing error, striking out to end the game. He came to bat with a total of seven runners on base and failed to advance even one of them. He got booed, the way he did in 2004 and 2006, by the home fans, who were mad. When it was over, he said they were right to be mad, and that he was too.

Continue reading "Graziano: A-Rod struggling in clutch for New York Yankees? Get used to it" »

Did you know you weren't supposed to move around excessively while they play 'God Bless America' during the 7th-inning stretch at Yankee Stadium? I didn't know and that's why I found this post on Deadspin so puzzling. Continue reading "New York Yankee fan tells blog how he was roughed up during 'God Bless America'" »

Tonight's lineup:
Damon cf
Jeter ss
Abreu rf
A.Rodriguez 3b
Giambi 1b
Nady lf
Matsui dh
Cano 2b
I.Rodriguez c

Jason Giambi this year is 3-fir-5 with three homers against Paul Byrd.

David Ortiz has hit .462 against Sidney Ponson in his career, with three homers in 39 at-bats.

Bobby Abreu has reached base safely in 19 straight home games, batting .373 with 18 RBI.

The Yankees have gone five straight games without a quality start (six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs) for the first time this year.

Fans on the New York Yankees Forum here on NJ.com are discussing the season and the dismal hopes of playoff contention. Does it all fall on the shoulders of Alex Rodriguez, or do the fingers get pointed elsewhere? Continue reading "New York Yankees fans play the blame game" »

Alex Rodriguez's 0-for-5 night was not exactly what Yankee fans were looking for as New York began a crucial series with Boston Tuesday.

Continue reading "New York Yankees morning after: A-Rod comes up small again in big game" »

NEW YORK -- Tonight's game is the Yankees' biggest of the year.

It's simple logic, really. If the Yankees meant it when they said this week's series against the Boston Red Sox was a must-win, then they know that Tuesday night's 7-3 loss means they have to win Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.

As it stands, the Yankees, who went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position, are six games behind Boston in the wild-card race with 31 to play.

Continue reading "New York Yankees stumble in first game of crucial series, lose 7-3 to Boston Red Sox" »

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez was bad Tuesday night.

To say he struggled would be putting it mildly.

He was terrible, awful.

And he was the first one to say it.

Rodriguez's dismal performance contributed in a big way to the Yankees' 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox, a game that had American League wild-card implications written all over it.

Continue reading "New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez fails at the plate and in the field in crucial series opener vs. Boston Red Sox" »

NOTEBOOK

NEW YORK -- Trying to explain his poor outing Tuesday night frustrated Andy Pettitte almost as much as the outing itself.

"I wish I could say I felt terrible, but I felt decent," he said after allowing the Boston Red Sox six runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The Yankees seemed upset with some calls by home-plate umpire Jim Reynolds, but Pettitte and manager Joe Girardi wouldn't say much about it.

Continue reading "Andy Pettitte frustrated by poor outing for New York Yankees" »

The Yankees went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position and fell six games back of the Red Sox in the wild-card race with 31 to play (and four back of the second-place Minnesota Twins, pending Minnesota's late game at Seattle).

The Yankee Stadium fans are getting restless, especially with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod -- who hit into two double plays, made a throwing error and struck out to end the game -- was booed even as he cleanly fielded a grounder in the top of the eighth.

Andy Pettitte (13-10) allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Continue reading "Red Sox 7, Yankees 3" »

Interesting story in the Memphis Commercial Appeal in which C.J. Henry, the Yankees' first-round draft pick in 2004, says he is going to play basketball at Memphis.

Henry, who says he will continue to play baseball, was traded to Philadelphia in the Bobby Abreu deal and returned to the Yankees after the Phillies released him.

Major League Baseball and its players union announced yesterday that MLB would implement the use of instant replay for home run calls beginning tomorrow in three ballparks (Oakland, Anaheim and Chicago¹s Wrigley Field) and Friday elsewhere. Here¹s a look at some of the ins and outs of one of baseball¹s biggest rule changes in years: Continue reading "A look at MLB replay, starts Thursday" »

NEW YORK -- The Yankees will play host to Boston tonight in a game that has major implications in the race for the American League East wild card.

And that means Sidney Ponson is going to have to be a whole lot better on the mound for the Yankees than he was the last time he faced the Red Sox.

Indeed, he needs to be a whole lot better than he's been against the Red Sox his whole career.

Continue reading "New York Yankees' Sidney Ponson hopes for better outing against Red Sox" »

Damon lf
Jeter ss
Abreu rf
A.Rodriguez 3b
Giambi 1b
Nady lf
Matsui dh
Cano 2b
Molina c
Pettitte p

David Ortiz this season is 6-for-29 (.207) against the Yankees, with one homer, no walks and six strikeouts.

Boston's Jason Varitek has a career .340 average against Andy Pettitte. Kevin Youkilis is 8-for-18 (.444) against Pettitte.

Jason Giambi this month is 4-for-21 (.190) with men in scoring position.

Alex Rodriguez has seven homers in 73 career at-bats against Tim Wakefield. Rodriguez this year has hit .348 against the Red Sox.

The New York Yankees' push for the playoffs will face the ultimate test in a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. Continue reading "Is this the New York Yankees' last stand?" »

Barring an unlikely ALCS matchup, the Red Sox will take the field at Yankee Stadium for the last time in this three-game series. We look back at some classic Yankees/Red Sox memories at the Stadium.

Lose two of the next three games against the Red Sox, and the Yankees will be six games out of the wild card with 29 to play.

The conclusion: the Yankees must win the three-game series that opens Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

"I think so," Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon said. "That's the only way we can honestly go in an look at it."

Continue reading "New York Yankees brace for must-win series vs. Red Sox" »

Joba Chamberlain today threw a 35-pitch bullpen session, using all his pitches, according to the Yankees. He is scheduled for another session Thursday.

Chamberlain has been out since leaving his Aug. 4 start with what has been called "rotator-cuff tendinitis." He returned to a mound Saturday, but threw only fastballs and changeups.

Chamberlain said over the weekend he hopes to be in about two weeks. As for his role, manager Joe Girardi said the team will have to be "creative."

Also today, the Yankees extended their agreement with Class A Charleston for another four years.

Contrary to comments made by Hank Steinbrenner, SI.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that members of the Yankees' front office recognize the team's troubles have a lot to do with inconsistent offense. And the players who aren't producing are some of the team's biggest stars. Continue reading "New York Yankee brass blame stars for problems on offense, report says" »

Yeah, I have some Pavano thoughts. Who doesn't?

Lots of mine are tied to quotes that come out of Ed Price's game story from Saturday night. To wit:

"This is obviously a contract year for him, but I don't think that has anything to do with it." -- Brian Bruney.

Other things Brian Bruney doesn't think are true: The Earth is round, Santa Claus is made-up and the Yankees' playoff hopes are on thin ice.

Continue reading "New York Yankees' Pavano no feel-good story" »

The New York Yankees completed a sweep in Baltimore and now have a day off before a crucial series vs. Boston begins Tuesday. Fans, media, bloggers, everybody declared the Yankees dead more than a week ago, but the standings say the Yankees are 5 games behind Boston in the wild card standings and 1 game behind Minnesota. Yankee fans, do you still believe? Continue reading "In search of New York Yankees optimism following sweep of Baltimore" »

BALTIMORE -- The Yankees will go into this week's series against the Boston Red Sox needing two things: some rest and some offensive momentum.

The Yankees Sunday scratched out a draining, 8-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles for their first three-game winning streak in four weeks.

"It was a tough game today," manager Joe Girardi said. "Extremely tough."

After a rest Monday -- much needed after the Yankees bullpen threw 12 2/3 innings in the Orioles series -- the Yankees play host to the Red Sox, who lead them by five games in the wild-card race.

Continue reading "Cano, Rivera help New York Yankees sweep Orioles, 8-7" »

YANKEES NOTEBOOK

BALTIMORE -- Damaso Marte yesterday revealed he had been battling a sore elbow.

"The last week I had a little bit of inflammation in my arm," Marte said Sunday after getting four key outs for the Yankees. "I feel better."

Marte did not pitch for five days before coming in for two-thirds of an inning on Friday. He had been struggling, with eight hits and six walks allowed in six innings over eight appearances.

Before Sunday's game, Girardi was asked about Marte and said, "Physically, he's okay."

Continue reading "New York Yankees' Damaso Marte OK after dealing with sore left elbow" »

Robinson Cano's second homer of the series (12th of the year) broke a seventh-inning tie as the Yankees overcame squandering a five-run lead and leaving 11 runners on base, six of them in scoring position.

The Yankees are five games behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race, and the teams open a three-game series Tuesday in New York.

Cano's shot to center field, off lefty Jamie Walker, was estimated at 425 feet, the same as his blast to right field on Friday.

The first five Yankees pitchers allowed 14 hits, three homers and four walks before Mariano Rivera got the final four outs for his third save of the series and 31st of the season.

Continue reading "Yankees 8, Orioles 7" »

The lineup:
Damon cf
Jeter ss
Abreu rf
A.Rodriguez 3b
Giambi 1b
Nady lf
Matsui dh
Cano 2b
I.Rodriguez c
Rasner p

The Yankees are going for their first series sweep in Baltimore since May 2004. The Yankees bullpen has pitched seven scoreless innings in this series.

Derek Jeter has a nine-game hitting streak. With a hit today, it would give him four separate hitting streaks this year of 10 games or longer.

Since coming off the disabled list, Hideki Matsui is 3-for-18 (.167) but all three hits are for extra bases (one double, two homers) and he has four RBI in five games.

Ivan Rodriguez had not started two straight games since Aug. 3-4.