River Avenue Blues

River Ave. Blues » Spring Training

Update: Boone Logan fine after being hit by line drive

by 9 Comments

3:04pm: Logan told reporters that he’s fine and the ball hit him “in the left fat.” He expects to pitch tomorrow.

2:40pm: Via Mark Feinsand & Bryan Hoch: Boone Logan left this afternoon’s Grapefruit League finale against the Pirates after being hit by a Jose Tabata line drive near his hip. He left the game immediately but was able to walk off the field under his own power. Could be precautionary, so stay tuned for an update. With Clay Rapada scheduled to start the season on the DL, losing Logan for any length of time would leave the Yankees lefty-less in the bullpen.

Hughes doing fine after latest throwing session

by 36 Comments

Via George King: Phil Hughes made 50 throws from 60-feet on flat ground yesterday as he works his way back from the bulging disk that sidelined him for roughly two weeks. “We amped up the intensity a bit and doubled the throws,” he said. “I didn’t feel anything (in my back). I felt like I lost a tick of arm strength. Hopefully that comes back quick, it’s only been two weeks. Hopefully I get that back and go from there.”

Hughes, 26, said he has been pain free for five days and expects to begin a long-toss program to rebuild that arm strength soon. The trainers and coaches have yet to tell him when that will happen though, and they don’t have any throwing planned for today or tomorrow. If Hughes doesn’t get back on a mound and in game conditions within the next 10-14 days or so, it’s unlikely he’ll be stretched out in time for what would have been his first start of the regular season.

Spring Training Game Thread: Twins vs. Yankees, in progress

by 324 Comments

We were a little delayed in getting up the game thread this afternoon as Joe, Mike and I were enjoying lunch and didn’t realize YES had picked up today’s game. So we’ll join this ALDS rematch between the Yanks and Twins now in progress.

Phil Hughes, the fifth starter, is facing the Twins, and he had a rocky first inning. He allowed a pair of runs on two hits and a walk but still struck out two. While batting, Denard Span took out his mother with a foul ball, but she seemed to be okay. I don’t have the pitchers scheduled to follow Phil, but Hughes is set for a good long outing. This is his final tune-up of the spring, but the Yanks have not yet announced when he will start in April.

Jeter SS
Thames DH
Posada C
Rodriguez 3B
Swisher RF
Granderson CF
Gardner LF
Pena 2B
Miranda 1B

Hughes P

Roundup: World Series shares, Grapefruit League action, drafting Holliday, Caray fired

by 17 Comments

To end the workday, a lot of small stories with nothing quite worth its own post. We’ll have a site announcement coming up in the Open Thread at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the news from around baseball:

Average MLB salary just under $3 million

Despite a nationwide recession, MLB salaries went up again in 2009. Although the 2.4 percent increase was the lowest since 2004, baseball players are still doing quite well for themselves as the average MLB salary is $2.93 million a year. The Yanks were far and away the most generous team as the average Yankee earns $7.66 million a season. This year marked the 11th straight season in which the Yanks led that list. Six of the top eight teams — New York, Boston, St. Louis, the Dodgers, the Angels and the Phillies — made the playoffs with only the Mets and Tigers missing a post in the October dance.

Yanks take home $365K each in World Series share

A few months ago, I speculated that the Yankees, if they won the World Series, would earn the highest per-player share in postseason history, and that reality has come to pass. MLB unveiled the Yanks’ World Series shares today, and each person who earns a full share will take home a bonus of $365,052.73. According to the press release, the Yanks have awarded 46 full shares, 12.25 partial shares and 2 cash awards, and for some of those young kids who made the league minimum this year, their salaries just doubled. Postseason shares are awarded from 60 percent of the gate from the first three games of the Division Series and 60 percent of the gate receipts from Games 1-4 of the AL and NLCS and the World Series.

The Yankees aren’t the only players enjoying a rich and lucrative postseason. The Phillies, World Series runners-up, will earn $265,357.50 per full share, and even the chokers get some money. The Red Sox will each earn $28,263.28 for getting swept by Los Angeles. The Angels, in a very classy move, voted to give Nick Adenhart’s family a full playoff share totaling $138,000.

Yanks announce 2010 Grapefruit League schedule

With pitchers and catchers just 79 days away, the Yankees have unveiled their 2010 Spring Training schedule. Pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 17, and games begin with an afternoon affair against the Pirates on March 3. The Yankees will match up against the Phillies five times during the Grapefruit League and will play all AL East teams except the Red Sox. As a Spring Training finale on April 3, the Big League club will take on a roster of Minor League prospects. If you have a chance to get to some Spring Training games, check out the action. It’s always a lot of fun. Tickets go on sale next month.

For some reason, MLB.com doesn’t yet have the full schedule up on the Yanks’ official site. But Marc Carig has it as his blog. So just head on over for a full list of the games.

TBS fists Chip Caray out of a job

With more than a little glee, Richard Sandomir of The Times reports that TBS and Chip Caray will part ways prior to the 2010 baseball season. Caray came under fire from, well, just about anyone who watched baseball this October for his terrible announcing and play-by-play job. Sandomir highlights a particularly egregious example. While calling what Sandomir termed “an obvious lineout,” Caray announced it as such: “Line drive. Base hit. Caught out there. The runner tags. Throw to the plate. On target. And in time! A double play!” He won’t be missed.

Yanks ‘considered’ drafting Holliday in 1998

In a piece yesterday, Anthony McCarron noted that the Yanks thought about drafting Matt Holliday in 1998. They opted against making such a move due to Holliday’s football commitment to Oklahoma State. McCarron notes that the Yanks went with Drew Henson, another football/baseball high school star, but the comparison isn’t really apt. Holliday fell to the seventh round due to signability concerns, the Yanks drafted Henson in the third round that year. What the Yanks should not do, however, is rectify a 11-year-old mistake by signing Holliday this winter.

Joba, offense struggle against Canada

by 24 Comments

On a day filled with some bad and not-as-bad news about Alex Rodriguez, the Yanks and their fans could have used a good game. Instead, they got a nine-inning bullpen effort after Joba Chamberlain couldn’t get out of the first inning.

Of course, it’s Spring Training, and results do not matter. Apparently, the Yanks’ youngster had some mechanical troubles today but felt fine. Early on in March, pitchers are apt to be out of sync. That said, the line — 0 IP, 1 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 0 K — is ugly, and Jonathan Albaladejo didn’t help by allowing all of his inherited runners to score.

In the end, though, Albaladejo, Kei Igawa, Brian Bruney, Christian Garcia and J.B. Cox acquitted themselves well. The group went 9 innings and allowed just one earned run and five hits. Albaladejo went two innings and gave up a run on three hits and two walks. Bruney, the only sure-thing Major Leaguer in the bunch, struck out two in one inning of work.

On the other side of the ball, the punchless Yanks’ offense managed just four hits and no runs. The highlight — if you can call it that of the day was Nick Swisher’s drawing two walks. Thrilling.

The Yanks, still winless in March, will face the Braves tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. The game is not to be televised, but CC Sabathia will be making his pinstriped debut.

Some Yanks lose to Atlanta

by 30 Comments

When the Braves and the Yankees who bothered to travel to Orlando started playing today, the Yanks’ lineup featured Johnny Damon, Brett Gardner, Xavier Nady and, um, Jose Molina. The team has to send four starters, and well, that’s the crowd they put together.

Unsurprisingly, by the time the ninth inning rolled around and Doug Bernier and Todd Linden were in the lineup, the Yanks were facing a one-run deficit. They never closed the gap and despite decently strong pitching, fell 3-2 to Atlanta. The team hasn’t won a game since Feb. 26. It matters little.

For the Yanks, Ian Kennedy started and didn’t have his breaking pitches going early on. He gave up a pair of runs in the first, and the Yanks would never recover. He settled down and allowed no more runs while giving up three total hits and a walk. He struck out nary a batter. Dan Giese relieved, going three strong and surrendering a run. He struck out three and walked one in a very solid outing. Andrew Brackman and Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless inning each. Melancon has now made three spring appearances without surrendering a run. He’ll get some early game action soon to face some big league hitters.

Offensively, the Yanks went 5 for 31 against the Braves, and no one had more than one hit. Johnny Damon tripled, and Dan Giese picked up a hit. That was about all.

This is of course the problem with spring road games during the WBC. The Yanks’ big guns are away from the team, and they don’t have to take too many other players with them. The pitchers got in the work they needed; the hitters got their swings. The outcome just doesn’t matter.

Things will start to heat up tomorrow when Joba takes on Team Canada at 1:15 p.m. After him come the rest of the the starting five for the first time this spring. Mariano Rivera is also primed to throw a bullpen on Thursday as the Yanks while away the lazy days of March. Just 33 more days until Opening Day.

Offense excels but pitching doesn’t in 13-11 loss

by 33 Comments

It was an offensive day down in Florida today as the Yanks and Reds hammered out 33 hits and 24 runs. While three home runs paced the Yanks’ offensive, two unearned runs emerged as the difference as Cincinnati eked out a sloppy 13-11 win over New York in Sarasota.

For the Yanks, the game had two story lines: bad pitching and good hitting. Staked to a 2-0 lead, Al Aceves gave up three runs in the first. Jonathan Albaladejo, J.B. Cox, Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney, Christian Garcia and Mark Melancon followed, and every pitcher gave up at least a run. Melancon’s was unearned, and the darkhorse candidate for the ever-important 8th inning role racked up another two spring K’s.

Offensively, the Yanks blasted four doubles and three home runs as the team’s 19-hit onslaught led to 11 runs. Brett Gardner homered for the second time this Spring. He really wants that center field job. Robinson Cano, who had a hot spring in 2008 also, added four RBI on a double, a home run and a single. A-Rod also doubled twice, and Jeter had a three-single day.

In the end though, players who, Mo willing, won’t see the Bronx this year decided this game. An error by Eduardo Nuñez led to one earned run and a passed ball by Jesus Montero led to another. At this early point in the Spring, the Yanks’ bats are doing all we hoped, and while Damaso Marte’s surrendering two home runs isn’t a good sign, I like the results I’m seeing from Melancon.

Mike will have updates on some minor injuries to Albaladejo and Jesus Montero later this evening. The Yanks’ next game is set for tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m., and the Yanks will now be sans A-Rod, Jeter and Cano as those three are off to the WBC. We’ll keep an eye on their Classic results.