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The Yanks open up a 4 games series in Minnesota tonight. 3 out of 4 against a good Twins would be nice.

Moose is going tonight. He is 7-4 and having a pretty good year for a guy who is supposed to be all washed up. A rotation of Wang, Pettite, Moose, Rasner and Joba I think will be solid. Not the best in the league but definitely the top 10.

Word is Jorgie may be back later next week. I am sure he will be eased in as the DH so that should make the Damon, Matsui, Giambi, Cabrera rotation interesting. I guess it will depend a lot on matchups and who is hitting the ball well. Who would ever have thought Giambi would be playing such a good 1st base. Gotta love those contract years. There is no way the Yanks pick up his $20 million option. Even if he gets his average up to .300 and hits 40 HR’s.

Anyone who follows the Yanks minor league system must be frustrated with Jose Tabata. Word is he was removed from last nights game due to a defensive lapse. He has a ton of talnet but may end up like Ruben Rivera if he does not get his act together. At least Curtis and Jackson are playing as advertised. Gardner is also playing well and may get a call up ig Melky continues to fade with his batting.

I have tickets for the Rock Cats vs. Thunder game tomorrw night. Pray the rain stays aways. I really want to see some Yankee prospects.

Anyone who is a diehard Yankees fan will know who I am referring to. He hopes to return July 1st and announce the 1st game at the new Yankee Stadium. It has not been the same without him and I hope for a continued return to good health.

Good win by the Yanks last night. Good teams know how to bounce back from a very tough loss. I would have thrown Joba in the 9th and rested Mo.

The Twinkies are a good team so hopefully the Yankees can take 2 out of 3 in the Metrodome. Minnesotians have to be excited that they will have a new open air stadium in 2011. Lots of great new ballparks built tha last 10 years with more on their way. Pac Bell (or whatever it is called now) is a great place to see a baseball game as well as PNC park in Pittsburgh. The Jake in Cleveland and Camden Yards are also great parks.

Some people are saying that with Joba unavailable the next 4 games the bullpen will be shorthanded. They replaced Kennedy with Britton so they have a full bullpen. The debate is how good is the pen. Besides Mo, there are no lights out guys like Joba. I am still rooting for Ohlendorf, Ramirez and Farnsworth to step up. They need to get rid of Hawkins and bring up a kid. Britton is servicable but is not a lights out guy. Melancon in AA may be the answer in July. Until then, someone will have to step up in the 7th and 8th. I really like Ohlendorfs stuff but he needs to locate better. He is still young and will hopefully grown into a nasty bullpen guy. It looks like Ramirez has learned to establish his fastball to setup his nasty changeup. maybe Mo will teach him a little cutter?

Off night tonight. Guess I will have to watch Greys Anatomy.

The Yankees are about 1/3 of the way done and are 25-27. I have to admit I am getting a little nervous. Fortunately there is not a lot of competition for the wild card and there are still over 100 games to go. I just fear this team thinks they can just turn it on. As I learned in my glory years of little league you cannot just turn it on and expect things to go your way.

Last night was a tough game all around. Jeter played awful which was suprising. Getting picked off 2nd and striking out with Damon on 2nd????

Ohlendorf has such good stuff but it goes to show you pitching is more than just stuff. He could not locate anything last night. I still think he is a better choice than Farnsworth or Hawkins.

Does the team need a shakeup? With Kennedy heading to the DL and Joba most likely ready to start next Tuesday, things should get interesting.

I say DFA Ensberg and bring up someone fresh from AAA. Gardner, Lane, E. Duncan?

Get rid of Hawkins and bring up a young power arm from AAA. White?

This team just cannot get on track. Hopefully with Joba settling in as a starter (do not expect him to got 9-0 with a 2 ERA right off the bat) and Jorgie getting healthy hopefully June will be kind.

The Yanks need to hit the all-star break 5-10 games over .500.

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I was away the last couple days soaking in the sun. Great weather here in the Northeast for the weekend.

The Yankees proved me wrong and swept the walking zombie Mariners. It was good to get to .500 but unfortunately the bullpen imploded yesterday and the Yanks are back in the cellar. I am hoping and rooting for guys like Farnsworth, Veras, Hawkins, Ramirez, Ohlendorf to be able to be reliable 7th-8th inning guys but it is shacky right now. I have read elsewhere and agree that the real help for the 7th-8th inning will probably come from the minors. Cox? Melancon? Robertson? Remember those names because they may be playing a big part in the Yankees pen come July.

I know Ramirez and Ohlendorf are young but I think they need to get more chances in bigger spots. Farnsworth, Veras and Hawkins throw hard but the ball is straight. Movement is what gets guys out, not 98 MPH heaters.

I am a little suprised Ensberg was not DFA’d and Gonzalez was sent to AAA. Ensberg does not have much left. The Yanks said Alberto needs to play every day. I believe he is 25 y/o and you know what he is (a super utility guy that can hit a little). Playing everyday in AAA is not going to make him an all star and I rather have a young super utility guy than a 31 y/o veteran that does not have much left. Not a huge decision but leaves me scratching my head a little.

Hopefully Betemit can stay healthy and Ensberg isn’t needed much. I like Betemit and think he can be a real good bench guy now that his eyes have been fixed and if he can stay healthy.

Kennedy needs to build on his last start and get the Yanks back in the W column. The forecast is for rain in Baltimore (crappy weather for most of this year hasn’t helped) but hopefully they will get the game in.

If you ever have a chance to see a game at Camden Yards, do it. Very nice ballpark.

Make that 4 in a row. Not a great start by Moose but he got the job done. He has a very good chance of winning 15 this year.

Looks like Giambino and Cano are finally hitting the ball. The Yanks need these guys to hit for their whole lineup to click. They balance the back end of the lineup and will not allow pitchers to get a breather facing the lineup.

Is it me or is Shelley Duncan just not that good. That was an aweful play calling off Molina in the 9th. Maybe they need to try the other Duncan, Eric Duncan? He is 23, is having a decent year at AAA. Although he was rushed to AAA so maybe he shouldn’t be called up just yet. Maybe he needs a good year at AAA first? Can Lane play first?

Wow, are the Mariners a lost team. They have absolutely no life. And to think many (including me) had them making a run at the West before the season started. I guess that is why they play the games.

Would be real nice to start the road trip at .500. I am a little worried the Wangers calf may lead to arm trouble. Hopefully he is at 100%.

The Bombers have won 3 in a row. Moose goes against Silva today. A lot of Yankees hitters have good numbers against Silva so hopefully it will be an easy win today. Moose goes 5 strong, Joba shuts them down for 3 and Mo closes it out.

The Wangers calf is ok and he will be finishing up the homestand tomorrow against Wasgburn.

Posada looks to be on target for a mid-June return. Next Saturday I will be going to a Thunder game and hope to see him in a rehab start. I am also looking forward to seeing the future OF of Tabata, Curtis and Jackson. All under the age of 23 and all with great tools. YES just had a piece on the cancer survivor Colin Curtis. All 3 will not be all stars but all 3 have a good chance of seeing the majors next year. Hopefully I will also be able to see Melancon pitch.

When Betemit comes back they have the DFA Ensberg. With Betemit and Gonzalez on the roster there is no spot for a finished veteran that will not contribute much. Word is he is a great clubhouse guy but he just cannot produce on the major league level anymore.

Hopefully in 2-3 weeks the Yanks will have a healthy lineup. Betemit, Duncan and Gonzalez coming off the bench with Molina as the backup is a much better bench than they have n ow.

With the “King” Hernandez getting scratched today, hopefully the Yanks will prove me wrong and sweep the M’s this weekend.

MOmentum?

The Yankees are on a 2 game winning streak, wooohooo. Kennedy’s 6 innings last night may not be categorized as strong but they were effective. Much better than his previous starts. I will take 6 innings of 2-3 runs from Ian all year. If the rotation can consistently got 6 and give up 3 runs the Yanks should be in real good shape. The problem is consistency. Between injuries and mostly ineffective starting pitching, this team has been searching.

2 out of 3 this weekend will help keep the momentum going. I would love a sweep but the Mariners are going to be hungry for a W with the way they have been playing.

Farnsworth, Veras and MO all looked good last night. Only time will tell but I like the Joba move. Word is he is going to have a 45 pitch limit tonight. Pettite goes 5-6 strong, Joba goes 2-3 strong and Mo closes it. A nice 5-2 win would be nice tonight.

I forgot a kid named Robertson from the last post. He is at AAA, devastating curve, a little wild, but could help the bullpen this year. The Yanks have some real good arms at AA and AAA this year. Doesn’t mean they will all be the next Joba but it is a much better scenario than having to scrape other teams leftovers for pitching help.

Now that Joba is officially moving to the starting rotation, I decided to get this blog rolling again.

OK, not really. If anyone can tell me why I started this blog back up, you win a shiny new quarter.

The Joba switch is a hotly debated topic on sports radio. Should he or should he not be a starter? That is the question… Forget the Democratic primary race, the Joba debate is much more interesting.

My 2 cents. I like the idea. The Yankees need a power arm in their rotation. Rasner, Kennedy, Moose all throw basically the same stuff. A rotation that breaks up Wang, Pettite, Rasner and Moose will make it more effective. Wang (power sinker), Pettite (lefty), Rasner (control guy), Joba (power arm), Moose (control guy) is a nice balance.

As for the 7th - 8th inning I think the Yankees have guys that can get it done. Ohlendorf is better suited as a 1 inning guy and is being overused right now. Ramirez is a decent setup guy. Hawkins and Farnsworth, when used wisely, can contribute. The Yanks also has this kid Melancon at AA who scouts love and could be this years Joba. The major difference with Melancon is he has been groomed as a closer so there will not be any chatter of him ever becoming a starter. They also have a kid named JB Cox that could be a good setup guy too.
Whether you like it or not, the Yanks are developing talent. It is not always pretty but in the long run it pays major dividends. I am glad the organization is moving away from buying guys and is focusing more on developing talent, especially pitching talent. Guys like Horne, Betances, White, Nova, Wright, Marquez, Kontos, Dunn may not all be #1 starters one day but even if only 2 of these guys develop they could be just as good as a #1-2 starter and not cost 20 million a year.

Yanks throw Kennedy out their tonight and this is one Yankees fan that is rooting for him to go 6-7 strong.