Our featured bloggers that provided us with the in depth Report Card series that has just concluded are back to give everyone an in depth look at what the off season holds for the major league teams they cover.  A look at what each team needs, what each team has already gained and lost, and some of the youth in each team’s system will be examined in these articles.  You can find all of the author’s information at the bottom of the article.

For the New York Yankees, winning the World Series is the only palatable result. As such, their off season has become almost as anticipated as the season itself. The difference now seems to be that Brian Cashman has much more control than he did in the past and wild and wholesale changes don’t happen as much as they did in the early part of the second millennium. Cashman is more apt to hold on to his prospects than Yankee teams in the past and free agent hoards will be limited to one or two major purchases. In this piece, we’ll try to look at the overall picture of the Yankees’ off season considering who they already have on the roster, arbitration eligible players, free agents and if any impact is expected from their farm system. We’ll start with the free agents.

2011 Yankees now free agents: Bartolo Colon, Freddie Garcia, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Andruw Jones and Luis Ayala. Former Number One pick, Andrew Brackman was left off the 40-man roster and was granted free agency. Damaso Marte will likely be non-tendered and thus become a free agent as well.

Of those free agents, the Yankees might maintain an interest in resigning Chavez, Jones, Ayala and perhaps Freddie Garcia. Jorge Posada has already announced that his days as a Yankee are over and his only decision remains on whether to retire or play one more season elsewhere. Bartolo Colon saved the Yankees in the first half of 2011 but faded in the second half and probably will not be in the Yankees’ plans. Andruw Jones was effective against left-handed pitching which is helpful with lefty-swinging regulars like Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner as every day outfielders. Eric Chavez faded badly in the second half but is a capable backup for Alex Rodriguez at third and Mark Teixeira at first. Luis Ayala had a terrific year in the bullpen for the Yankees and with Joba Chamberlain due to miss the first third of the 2012 season with Tommy John surgery, Ayala should get an offer to return.

Freddie Garcia’s status will depend on what off seasons moves the Yankees make for pitching. They appear to be players in the C.J. Wilson/Mark Buehrle sweepstakes and if they land one of those free agents, the need for Garcia will be mitigated.

Arbitration eligible players in 2012 include: Russell Martin, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, Brett Gardner and David Robertston. This writer expects that all of these players will remain with the Yankees in 2012. The Yankees were very pleased with Russell Martin behind the plate in 2011. It would be highly surprising if he wasn’t their starting catcher in 2012. Expect the Yankees to offer him a two or three year contract in the coming weeks.

Players under Yankee control in pre-arbitration situations: Ivan Nova, Cory Wade, Francisco Cervelli, Eduardo Nunez, Gustavo Molina, Colin Curtis and Kei Igawa. Nova, of course, will be a featured member of the Yankees’ rotation. Nunez had a brutal 2011 and could be trade bait for the Yankees. But they do need a backup infielder and Nunez is the best of the lot in their system. Molina and Curtis are minor league filler types who are doubtful to have any major league impact. Francisco Cervelli is an interesting case. He’s been the backup catcher the last two seasons. Two years ago he was brutal on offense and decent on defense. Last year, he was better offensively but brutal on defense. It would be highly surprising if Cervelli maintained his role heading into 2011 with the young options the Yankees have. We’ll get to those in a minute. Kei Igawa, of course, is the Japanese import that bombed in the majors and though he remains in the system with a major league contract, he is forever buried in the minors.

The Yankees are set in the infield and the outfield. The only wildcard is Cuban defector, Yeonis Cespedes. Cespedes has been scouted by the Yankees and seems to be an incredible talent that will soon lead to a bidding war for his services. It is possible for the Yankees to be a suitor for Cespedes and then would be in a situation where they could trade Nick Swisher. But if that doesn’t happen, expect to see a lot of the likes of Jeter, Rodriguez, Cano, Teixeira, Granderson, Gardner and Swisher.

The bullpen also appears pretty well set. Rivera might be pitching his last season and has remained brilliant. David Robertson has become a star. Rafael Soriano has an opt-out clause, but the odds of that happening are astronomical. Boone Logan is reliable and Cory Wade was  quite the steal and was terrific. Joba Chamberlain won’t be available to start the year and it’s doubtful the Yankees have any realistic expectation for a contribution from him this season. Another left-handed arm would be useful to support Logan.

The starting rotation can go one of three ways for the Yankees. Behind C.C. Sabathia (who avoided his opt-out situation with an extension), Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett, the Yankees could either sign one of the big fish on the market or go with youngsters like Adam Warren, David Phelps, Hector Noesi or long shots like Shaeffer Hall and D.J. Mitchell. Last spring, the excitement built for Dillin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman (the new Killer B’s). Brackman is now gone and Betances and Banuelos could not throw strikes often enough to show they are close to being ready. The third option is to go to the second-level free agents like Freddie Garcia, Erik Bedard, Chris Capuano and others. This observer really believes they need a second lefty in the rotation.

If you happen to be a position player in the Yankees’ minor league system, good luck to you. There are no openings to be had. The aforementioned pitchers have at least a shot. The only other openings for the Yankees appear to be as a backup infielder, backup catcher and DH. Jesus Montero, the Yankees top prospect could handle two of those positions. He’s already shown he can hit big league pitching. The question remains if the Yankees see him as a catcher (which doesn’t appear to be the case). Montero could be a top Designated Hitter in the American League if the Yankees choose to go that way. They could then use Austin Romine as the backup catcher and Jesus Montero as the emergency third catcher.

The ideal situation for the Yankees would be to save a roster spot with Montero catching twice a week and the DH the other five days. But again, they lack faith in Montero as a catcher, so the question won’t be answered until Spring Training.

It sounds kind of boring, but the only real intrigue for the Yankees this off season is what they do about the starting rotation, if they can unload A.J. Burnett and if they are players in the Cespedes sweepstakes. Yeah, life is tough at the top.

William J. Tasker has written as the Flagrant Fan on his own site since 2003. A proud member of Yardbarker and the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, Tasker’s work has been featured often on Foxsports.com/MLB in that site’s Best of Yardbarker category. Tasker can be found daily on Twitter @FlagrantFan and irregularly on his FlagrantFan Facebook page. Tasker currently serves as the president of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance General Chapter.

2010 Season record: 51-31

The Yankees opened the week with the last place Mariners, but unfortunately ran up against two of the best pitchers in the game.  The opener was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel between potential All-Stars Phil Hughes and Cliff Lee.  The Mariners left-hander did his part, pitching his third straight complete game.  But the M’s tagged Hughes for six earned runs in 5.2 innings and went on to a 7-4 win.

The Yankees bats were even more anemic the next night when Felix Hernandez tossed a brilliant complete game.  Seattle’s “King” allowed just two hits and struck out 11 Yankees in the 7-0 victory.  Javier Vazquez gave the Yankees a quality start, but the M’s put the game away against Damaso Marte and Chad Gaudin in the late innings.

The Yankees avoided a three game sweep thanks to a great performance by their ace, CC Sabathia.  CC pitched eight strong innings, allowing only one earned run and beat the Mariners 4-2.  Alex Rodriguez  helped him out with a 2-4 night, including a home run and 2 RBI.

The Yanks licked their wounds and welcomed Toronto to the Stadium for the second half of the homestand.  But the Jays picked up right where the Mariners left off.

Starter Brett Cecil worked out of a number of jams and the Blue Jays bullpen shut the Yankees down as Toronto took game 1, 6-1 in 11 innings.  The Yankees did get a great pitching performance from A.J. Burnett, however Joba Chamberlain couldn’t hold the lead in the 8th inning and David Robertson and Chan Ho Park were miserable in the extra frames.

The Bomber’s bats came out with a vengeance in game 2, scoring 11 runs in the third inning.  The Yankee sent 15 men to the plate, including Brett Gardner who started the rally with a single and then broke the game open with a grand slam off of Ricky Romero.  As a result of the offensive explosion and another quality start from Andy Pettitte the Bombers cruised to an easy 11-3 victory.

In the final game of the series the Yankees and Jays got into a heavyweight fight, going back and forth, exchanging blows and scoring runs.  Both starting pitchers allowed five earned runs but in the end it was Marcus Thames who landed the knockout punch.  On the day he was activated from the DL, Thames stepped up to the plate in the 10^th and hit a walk off RBI single that sent everyone home happy.

Even though the Yanks had an off week they did manage to stay on top of the AL East, with less than three games separating them from the Rays and Red Sox.

Pinstriped Positives:

Mark Teixiera’s bat finally seems to have awoken from it’s slumber.  Over his last 10 games the slugger is hitting .342 with 2 HR and 9 RBI.

A.J. Burnett had his first quality start since May 30^th.   The return of pitching coach Dave Eiland seemed to do the trick.

Negatives:

Jorge Posada’s struggles have continued.  The Yankees catcher is hitting an even .200 in his last 10 games with no homers and 2 RBI.   He also had to leave Sunday’s game early with a sprained ring finger on his catching hand and was listed as day-to-day.

The bullpen continues to be a matter of concern for Joe Girardi.  Outside of Mariano Rivera, and even Damaso Marte, none of the Yankees relievers have been consistent.  Dustin Moseley was added to the mix over the weekend to shake things up.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are now out on West Coast for the rest of the first half of the season.  They are going to take on the Athletics for three games and then will have a rematch against the Mariners.

The Yankees are sending Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez to the All-Star game next week in Anaheim.  Yankees fans can go online and vote to send Nick Swisher to the game as well in the final vote.

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Joe Girardi and the Yankees fans got a good look at the future in players like Jesus Montero and Slade Heathcott and ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte in the unique intrasquad game.  The Yankees, whose lineup featured minor leaguers on both sides by the time the game concluded, topped their future (hey, at least they didn’t destroy their future) 9-6.

With the regular season starting Sunday night, that also means it was time for the Yankees to pare down the roster.  The 25-man roster to start the season looks like this:

Pitchers:

CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Javier Vazquez
Phil Hughes
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
Sergio Mitre
Damaso Marte
Alfredo Aceves
David Robertson
Chan Ho Park

Catchers

Jorge Posada
Francisco Cervelli

Infielders

Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Robinson Cano
Mark Teixeira
Ramiro Pena
Nick Johnson

Outfielders

Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Brett Gardner
Randy Winn
Marcus Thames

Manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman opted to go with Sergio Mitre as a long man in the pen rather than keep either Royce Ring or Boone Logan as a second left-hander in the bullpen.  Either could still be called up quicky if Damaso Marte’s cranky shoulder proves detrimental to the team as it did last season.

There was a big change in the team’s catching depth as well.  With Jorge Posada bothered by a stiff neck and Francisco Cervelli slowed by a sore hamstring, there was speculation that veteran catcher Mike Rivera might make the squad out of Tampa.

Not only didn’t Rivera make the team, he was on the verge of being released.  Rivera became expendable after former Yankee Chad Moeller was released by the Baltimore Orioles.  The Yankees quickly scooped him up as well former Diamondbacks catcher Robbie Hammock, and signed the pair to minor league deals.  Meanwhile Cervelli’s hamstring felt good enough for him to travel with the big squad.

* * *

Drew Sarver covers the Yankees for BaseballDigest.com and blogs at My Pinstripes.  He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

As these 35 days drag on, I keep reflecting on the magical 2009 season and World Championship. The Yankees didn’t just sneak into the playoffs and surprise everyone, they jumped in feet first and dominated.  A-Rod finally delivered what Yankee fans have been expecting since 2004. The Captain did what he always does, and that’s win. The most underrated hit of this entire postseason was Jeter’s bomb in game one of the ALDS versus the Twins. The Yankees got behind early in that game and the energy in the stadium was nowhere to be found, until Jeter pulled one deep over the left field wall and woke up the fans and his teammates.

The offense didn’t disappoint and neither did the rotation.  Girardi knew the Yankees best chance of winning was to go with a three man rotation and left the world championship in the hands of CC, AJ, and Andy.  He took some undue criticism from fans and media alike following AJ’s second World Series start. In my opinion, there were no three better pitchers to start those games than the aforementioned men.

Nearly every time Girardi made a call to the bullpen, the relief was delivered.  Mariano Rivera did exactly what New York fans have come to expect from him, Damaso Marte pulled a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde act, not impressing anyone for months but becoming a whole different pitcher when it truly mattered, and David Robertson, the unsung hero of these games, took the ball and shut down the best of the best.

David Robertson  quietly put together a fine 2009 regular season:

2-1, 3.30 ERA,  1 Save,  45 Games, 43.2 Innings pitched, 36 Hits, 16 ER, 4 HR, 23 BB and held opposing batter to .216 average.

Not too shabby for a guy who was relatively unknown to the baseball world prior to last season, a fact proven by the opposing teams.  

Robertson dazzled in the playoffs and went about his job like a ten year veteran with fingers full of rings.   

2009 Post Season Stats:  

Division Series: 1-0, 0.00 ERA,  1.0 IP,  1 H, 1 Game

Game 2 –“The Houdini Act”

Robertson entered the game with the bases load, no outs, and left all three runners stranded. Mark Teixeria later won the game with a walk-off bomb.  Game 2 sunk the Twins and made Yankees fans believe that the magic of late 1990’s playoff  games was back in the Bronx.

“Sometimes, I still can’t believe I got out of that jam and won that game. When Mark hit that home run, the momentum just seemed to push us and shove us right through that round,”  Robertson said.

American League Championship Series: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 Games

World Series: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 Games

Game 5–2 shut out innings

In his first World Series appearance at Citizens Bank park, Robertson entered the game following a shaky performance from AJ Burnett who gave up six runs early. He inherited runners on first and third with nobody out, but got Pedro Felix to pop out to Teixeria, and later struck out Jimmy Rollins looking.  In the bottom of the fourth he saw ground outs from Shane Victorino and Chase Utley, and then sent Ryan Howard back to the dugout without a run.

Am I over-hyping Robertson’s performance?  If you think so, let’s re-examine the performances of the rest of the Yankees pen over the course of these playoff games.  

Phil Hughes pitched to a 8.53 in post season play due to the fact that opposing batters were hitting .379 off of him. Girardi gave Hughes the opportunity to straighten himself out, reaching for the bullpen phone nine times during the post season for him with no success.

Joba Chamberlain pitched well. In ten games he recorded a 2.84 ERA, while batters hit .333 against him.  The World Series had a shift in balance when Pedro Felix deposited a Joba fastball into the seats at the Bank.

Alfredo Aceves  success in the regular season didn’t follow him into the playoffs. In four games, Aceves was 0-1, with a 4.15 ERA,  and opposing batters hitting  .313. Regardless, he was the Yankees workhorse all year going 10-1 out of the pen.

Mariano Rivera: 0.56 ERA,  12 Games, 5 Saves,  16 IP,  .175. Do I really need to make a case for Mo?  He is the foundation of all of the Yankees success since 1996. Once he retires, the closer position on the Yankees, and frankly all of baseball, will never be the same.  It scares me to think of a day when I won’t hear the first few notes of Enter Sandman and look up to see number forty-two trotting to the mound.

Damaso Marte makes a case to secure my anointed “Unsung Hero” tag.  In eight games he pitched to a  0.00 ERA in 4.0 innings and held opposing batters to .154. The reason I chose Robertson over Marte is largely because of the aforementioned ‘Houdini Act’ of  game two that sent the Yankees hurtling towards their 27^th ring.   Marte flat out stunk during the regular season and on Opening Day 2009, as the Yankees christened their new digs, he was booed off the mound. Opening Day 2010 he will get a standing ovation.

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also a columnist for Baseball Digest ,Baseballdigest.com, and Gothambaseball.com. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter here and add him on Facebook here.

Down 3-0, Alex Rodriguez, hitless to that point, got the Yankees on the board in the 4th when he lined a 2-run home run off a televsion camera near the right field corner.  Originally ruled as being in play, the umpires conferred and went to replay to confirm the call (Fox’s Joe Buck continued to call rhe replay inconclusive the rest of the night).

Pettitte helped out his own cause with a game tying single an inning later and Johnny Damon put the Yankees ahead for a good with a 2-run double in the same frame.

Nick Swisher, who snapped out of a 4-35 skid with a double, added a solo home run in the 6th and Hideki Matsui added some insurance with a pinch-hit solo shot in the 8th inning.

Pettitte started out shaky and the Phillies took advantage.  Jayson Werth hit the first of two home runs  in the 2nd inning and the Phillies added two more when Pettitte walked Jimmy Rollins with the bases loaded and Shane Victorino followed with a sac fly.

But Pettitte settled down through the middle innings.  He dominated the dangerous left-handed trio of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez.  Howard, in fact, has gone 0-8 with seven strikeouts in the last two games.

Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte, of all people, retired all six batters they faced to build the bridge to the 9th.  Joe Girardi decided to go with Phil Hughes, but after retiring the first batter, Hughes gave up a solo shot to Carlos Ruiz to make it a 3-run deficit.  On came Mariano Rivera, who needed just five pitches to close the ball game out and give the Yankees their first series lead.

Series Notes

Pettitte’s RBI was the first game tying RBI by a Yankee pitcher since Jim Bouton during the 1964 series.  Pettitte, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera became the first trio to play in a World Series together 13 years apart.  Pretty cool.

Hideki Matsui’s home run was ironic in that it was the first one he hit to the opposite field all season.

People are still marveling over the performance by A.J. Burnett in Game 2.  Burnett has heard all the praise – plus fastball, wicked movement on breaking pitches, among the bestcurveballs in the game.  He’s also heard all the negative- no heart, empty head, bad attitude.  Burnett shook off the latter and a slow start and dominated thePhillies hitters for seven innings.  It was actually surprising that Girardi didn’t send him out for the 8th inning so that Rivera wouldn’t have to go for a six out save.

CC Sabathia faces Joe Blanton tonight in Game 4.  Sabathia will be working on three days rest for the second time in the post-season.  Burnett is scheduled to face Game 1 winner Cliff Lee in Monday night’s Game 5.

The Yankees also had to be encouraged by the second straight good start by A.J. Burnett. Though he lasted just 5 2/3 innings in 95 degree heat, Burnett struck out 11 and limited the Angels lineup to two runs.  He ran out of gas in the 6th, allowing an RBI double to Gary Matthews Jr., followed by a walk to Mike Napoli.  Girardi sent for Damaso Marte to flip Chone Figgins around to the right side.  The dangerous switch-hitter already had three hits, but Marte retired him on a fly to right to preserve the lead.

After that it was all mix and match and keeping one’s fingers crossed.  The biggest surprise, to the pitcher himself, was when Girardi called on Ian Kennedy in the 8th.  It was Kennedy’s first major league appearance this season after missing most of the year due to surgery for an aneurysm in his shoulder.  It wasn’t pretty, butIPK got the job done.  He loaded the bases loaded with a pair of walks and a hit batter, but got Erick Aybar on a fly to Melky Cabrera in left to set things up for Rivera.

With a lineup that was missing Alex Rodriguez (rest), Jorge Posada (foul ball off his foot), and Nick Swisher (foul ball off his knee), the Yankees knew they would have to scratch and claw for runs.  Mark Teixeira stroked a one out double off Scott Kazmir in the 4th and tried to score two batters later when Shelley Duncan ripped a single to left off the glove of Figgins at third.  Despite the fact Teixeira had started to head back to 2nd base, 3rd base coach Rob Thomson waved Teixeira home, hoping to break the scoreless tie.  Unfortunately for Thomson, Juan Rivera made a perfect throw to nail Teixeira at the plate.

Hideki Matsui, who had drawn a walk, and Duncan both into scoring position on the play.  That’s when the guy you would least expect to deliver in the clutch, did just that. Robinson Cano came into the game barely hitting over .200 with runners in scoring position, but ripped a single to right to plate both runners.  WhenNapoli couldn’t handle the throw home, Cano moved to 2nd base.  The play would prove important when Melky Cabrera followed with a double to easily score his buddy for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

So perhaps the Yankees finally have some confidence in the home of the Halos.  What they definitely have is a six game lead over Boston in the AL East and a six game homestand ahead with the Sox and Kansas City Royals.

Game Notes

The Yankees have Thursday off before starting that 3-game set with the Red Sox.  Joe Girardi has shuffled his starting rotation, moving CC Sabathia to Saturday to give him an extra day’s rest.  Joba Chamberlain will go Friday night against Jon Lester.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, A.J. Burnett is just the third Yankee pitcher to record double digit strikeouts in less than six innings.  Chamberlain did it earlier this season (12 K’s) and David Cone performed the feat in 1998 (11 K’s).

Jerry Hairston Jr. left the game with a wrist injury when he checked his swing in the 7th inning.  Hairston hurt a popping sound and will go for tests today.

The Trenton Thunder host tonight’s Eastern League All-Star game.  Thunder team members, and Yankees prospects, Jesus Montero, Zach McAllister, Mike Dunn, Josh Schmidt, Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez, and Jorge Vazquez will represent the Northern squad.   Trenton manager Tony Franklin will be at the helm of the North along with his coaching staff.

The Yankees begin a 10-game homestand beginning Thursday night with Detroit.  After 3 games with the Tigers, the Orioles come to town for 3 before the A’s finish the homestand with a 4-game set.  The Tigers series includes Old-Timer’s Day on Sunday, July 19.

When the Chien-Ming Wang’s spot in the rotation comes up, the Yankees will probably go with Sergio Mitre and move Al Aceves back to the pen.

The Yankees will also look elsewhere for a starting pitcher.  According to the NY Post, Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell is among those who have piqued the Yankees interest.  The Bombers are also looking into Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman.

When Damaso Marte returned from the WBC, he complained of pain behind his throwing shoulder. He then confessed to pitching through the pain in order to represent his country.  To say Marte was awful the first month of the regular season, would be like saying a hurricane is a little drizzle.  The Yankees finally placed the lefty, who signed a three year free agent deal in the off-season, on the 15-day DL with shoulder tendinitis.  Anthony Claggett has been recalled from Scranton to take his place on the roster.

The Yankees also discovered that Chien-Ming Wang’s hip abductor issue was caused by a weakness in his right foot.  Wang hadn’t fully recovered the strength in the foot after last season’s Lysfranc injury, and as a result, strained his hip.  Physical therapy, rather than throwing, will now be Wang’s main focus.

Alex Rodriguez played third base over the weekend as he continued his rehab in Tampa.  It’s possible that A-Rod could get into some Tampa Yankees games before being activated from the disabled list this week or next.

Timing is everything and it’s no shock that writer Selena Roberts’ unauthorized bio of A-Rod hits the stores today.  Very convenient.  One person who is not happy about it is Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who questioned the timing as well as the need for the book at all.  Girardi talked to reporters prior to yesterday’s scheduled game with the Angels, and gave an unsolicited opinion of the book.   Girardi felt that what one does in his or her own personal life does not need to be shared wit the public, especially when that person’s children could be exposed to harmful/hurtful information.

The biggest issues that come out in the book are, of course, non-personal.  Accusations of pitch tipping while a member of the Texas Rangers, and steroid use in high school and with the Yankees are the hot items that has caused MLB to further investigate A-Rod’s statements.  It’s understandable though that Girardi would lash out.  He’s under tremendous pressure to win and he doesn’t need his best player or the rest of his team hurt by distractions.

Two years ago pitcher Alan Horne was near the top of the Yankees‘ prospect rankings.  Then came shoulder problems that led to off-season surgery.  Horne is back from extended spring training and made his season debut for the Trenton Thunder on Saturday.  He struggled his way through a 3 inning, 3 run, 4 walk effort.

Right-hander George Kontos has been promoted from Trenton to Scranton after going 1-1, 2.66 in four starts.  He struck out 24 batters in 20.1 innings pitched.  I did a Q & A with Kontos prior to this season that you may find interesting.

The Yankees would be lucky if that’s all their fans yell when they return to the Bronx on Thursday.  The Yankees’ pitching was supposed to be the strength of the team this year, but so far it has been a miserable failure.  The latest case in point was a blown 6-0 lead on Saturday and then an eventual 16-11 loss to the Boston Red Sox.  The victory extended the Red Sox’ winning streak to nine games.

A.J. Burnett has been outstanding this season, but was extremely fallible on Saturday.  The bullpen, on the other hand, has been horrible all season and continued their dismal performance yesterday afternoon into the evening.

The Yankees jumped on Red Sox starter Josh Beckett for a pair of runs in the first inning, added two more on a Robinson Cano home run in the third, and another two on a Cano double in the fourth.  But after he breezed through the first three innings, things unraveled for Burnett in the home half of the fifth.  The Red Sox scored five times, highlighted by a grand slam from their captain Jason Varitek, to cut the lead to 6-5.  An inning later, the Red Sox took their first lead of the day, and sent Burnett to the showers, when Jacoby Ellsbury hit a game-tying home run and Jason Bay followed with a 2-run double.

The Red Sox did their best to help the Yankees out.  Terry Francona left Beckett in too long and the Yankees sent him packing in the sixth on a game-tying 2-run home run by Johnny Damon, and an inning later Dustin Pedroia committed a 2-run error to put the Yankees back on top 10-8, but New York proved way too hospitable to their hosts.

Mike Lowell, who had been hitless up to that point, took Jonathan Albaladejo deep with two men aboard in the Boston half of the seventh to put the Red Sox back on top 12-10.  Cano homered again to cut the lead in half in the top of the eighth.  But the Red Sox put the game away, with the help of a blown call by second base ump Brian O’Nora, in their half of the inning.

Ellsbury reached on catcher’s interference to start the inning, and with Pedroia batting, took off for second.  Jorge Posada’s throw tailed to the first base side of the bag, but Cano grabbed it and in one motion tagged Ellsbury on the ankles before the Red Sox center fielder could reach second base.  Ellsbury was clearly out, but O’Nora called him safe.

Pedroia capitalized on the situation with an RBI single to center that ended Edwar Ramirez’s night.  Damaso Marte, who looked pretty good (other than allowing the game-winning home run to Kevin Youkilis) on Friday night, showed more improvement on Saturday.  He got David Ortiz to fly out, and after he wisely issued an intentional walk to Youkilis, struck out J.D. Drew.  But Girardi decided, unwisely, to mix and match again.

With two right-handers coming up, Girardi sent for David Robertson, recalled earlier in the day from Scranton.  Robertson walked Bay to load the bases and then gave up a bases-clearing, back breaking double to Lowell for the 16-11 finale.

Game Notes

Andy Pettitte, a long time stopper for the Yankees, will try to salvage the series finale tonight in another nationally televised game (8:05 ET ESPN).  Justin Masterson starts for Boston.

The Elias Sports Bureau has come up with lots of “good” negative stuff on the 2009 Yankees.  Only four other teams have ever allowed 15 or more runs on three or more occasions in the their first 20 games.  It was also the fourth time in franchise history the Yankees led by as much as six and lost by as much as five.  While he didn’t figure in Saturday’s decision, A.J. Burnett nearly ruined his 32-0 mark when handed a lead of at least five runs.

Bullpen ERA’s other than Mariano Rivera and Brian Bruney:

Robertson 3.86
Coke 4.70
Albaladejo 5.23
Veras 6.30
Ramirez 7.36
Marte 15.19
Claggett 43.20

WP: Ramirez (2-0)  LP: Marte (0-1)

The Bombers dropped a tough one last night at Fenway Park.  Boston gets the first laugh on Joe Girardi’s ’09 squad and takes a series lead 1-0.

Although Derek Jeter led the game off with a lined single to right center, Boston put the first run on the scoreboard.  Joba Chamberlain, who would finish his 91-pitch outing with only one earned run charged against him, walked the leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury.  Home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth then called a balk, which was notable because it was called by the home plate umpire and because the hands-must-come-to-a-stop rule is rarely invoked these days.  In any case, with no out and a runner in scoring position, catcher Jose Molina rushed a throw to third base on a steal attempt and Joba’s curveball dove under his mitt to the backstop.  The fleet-footed Ellsbury came around to score.  The Sox had not even hit the ball yet, but were up 1-0.

The game was a tense matchup from there, with Joba and his opponent Jon Lester both displaying poise and fortitude beyond their years.  The final box score shows the Yanks and Sox combining for seven GIDPs, 7-for-33 with RISP, and 28 runners left-on-base.  Lester would end his day with seven strikeouts, but Joba, who did not seem to have his stuff, relied on his defense and the ground ball to keep the Sox at bay.  Joba was in and out of trouble all evening, barely touching the low nineties with his infamous fastball.

The Sox threatened in the third inning.  Nick Green led off with a single.  Ellsbury popped out, but Dustin Pedroia smacked a double to leave runners on second and third with one out and the heart of the order stepping up.  Chamberlain struck down David Ortiz, one of four times Big Papi would strike out.  After issuing an intentional walk to hot-hitting Kevin Youkilis, Joba induced a flyout from J.D. Drew to leave the bases loaded and the threat extinguished.

The Yanks came up in the fourth with some spunk.  Melky Cabrera singled and Jose Molina walked.  Cody Ransom stepped up to the plate with first and second and one out, then doubled down the left field line, kicking out into shallow left and kicking in Cabrera for a run.  Jeter then grounded out to short, scoring Molina and notching a Yankee lead at 2-1.

The Sox would try to even it up in the bottom of that inning, but again, Joba escaped.  Jason Bay led off with a double, but Mike Lowell didn’t advance him and flew out.  Chamberlain hit Jason Varitek with a glancing slider inside.  Joba induced a weak grounder from Green, but flubbed the throw, leaving the bases loaded with one out.  On an 0-1 count, Joba got the speedy Ellsbury to ground into a double play and preserve the lead.

Boston tied it up in the fifth, driving Joba from the game.  Chamberlain gave up three consecutive one-out hits to Mike Lowell, Varitek, and Green, handing the ball off to Phil Coke with the score tied 2-2 and one out.  Coke got two flyouts to strand a runner in scoring position and preserve the lead.

The Yanks would strike again in the seventh, getting two runs in what could have been a much bigger rally.  Reliever Hideki Okajima gave up four consecutive hits to the top of the Yankee lineup, yielding a run and leaving the bases loaded with no out.  Manny Delcarmen relieved Okajima, quickly inducing a shallow fly ball from Nick Swisher that got the critical first out and kept Johnny Damon from scoring.  Robbie Cano then laced a liner to left center, which was snagged by a diving Jason Bay but was deep enough to score Damon on a heads-up tag-up.  Cabrera grounded out to stunt the rally at two runs, but the Yankees led 4-2.

The Yankees bullpen defended the lead until the ninth inning.  Mariano Rivera was inexplicably brought in relieve Jonathan Albaladejo with two outs in the ninth and the count already run 0-1 on the batter.  Although manager Joe Girardi is on record as saying that Mo would not be brought in for more than a three-out save, Albaladejo was relieved with two outs and a man on first.  Mo gave up a single to Ellsbury before striking out Pedroia looking.  Coming back to the mound for the ninth, the Red Sox lineup zeroed in on Mo’s cutter.  Ortiz struck out again, but Youkilis singled back through the box on a scorcher that had Mo ducking.  J.D. Drew grounded out.  Mo laid a 1-0 pitch out over the plate and Bay punished him for it, launching a towering no-doubter to deep center that tied the game.  Rivera would give up a single to Lowell before striking out Varitek and mercifully ending the ninth inning having thrown 30 pitches.

Two more Boston relievers (Boston used six bullpen arms in total) held the Yanks scoreless as the innings passed, leaving runners stranded in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings as the Yanks waited for a big hit that would not be surrendered.

Damaso Marte held the Sox in check in the tenth with a fiery effort, but Youkilis would nail down the victory off the lefty in the eleventh.  After Ortiz, who has been striking out at an alarming rate, struck out, Kevin skied 2-2 fastball over the Green Monster for a walk-off to squash the Yanks and win the game 5-4.

Game Notes

The Yanks have injury troubles.  Word came after the game that third baseman Cody Ransom, who left the game after stealing second and advancing to third, will hit the disabled list with a right quad injury.  Chien-Ming Wang will serve a stint on the DL with complications from the same foot that was injured last year, possibly necessitating a call-up for Phil Hughes.  Setup man Brian Bruney is getting a bum elbow checked out after not appearing since an abnormally difficult outing earlier in the week.  Alex Rodriguez has been progressing well in his rehab in Tampa.

What started out as a spectacular opening day at the brand new Yankee Stadium turned into a disastrous one as the Yankees bullpen completely let down the fans in attendance.  The Cleveland Indians scored nine runs off of Jose Veras and Damaso Marte in the seventh inning and blew away the Yankees 10-2.

The last two American League CY Young winners, CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee battled to a 1-1 tie through six innings before turning things over to the bullpen.  Veras got himself in immediate trouble by walking the lead off hitter, Mark DeRosa, to start the seventh.   Back to back doubles by Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta put the Indians ahead 3-1 and knocked Veras out of the ball game.

Damaso Marte came on and hit Shin-Soo Choo, then threw late to third on Ben Franicsco’s sacrifice bunt attempt.  Kelly Shoppach delivered an RBI single for a 4-1 lead and the bases remained loaded. Marte retired Tony Graffanino on a pop up, but walked Trevor Crowe to force in a run.  That led to the back breaker, a grand slam by Grady Sizemore for a 9-1 Indians lead.  The Indians weren’t done though as Martinez also homered for a 10-1 advantage before Marte finally ended the inning to a chorus of boos.

CC Sabathia was was wild in his first home start, walking five, but only gave up an RBI double to Shoppach in the fourth inning. Lee was in trouble numerous times in the early innings, but the Yankees continually left men on base.  Jorge Posada became the answer to a trivia question, when he hit the first stadium home run off of Lee to tie the game 1-1 in the fifth inning.

Game Notes

Jorge Posada’s home run was his 223rd as a Yankee, moving him one ahead of Don Mattingly and into eighth place on the all-time team list.

Xavier Nady was placed on the 15-day DL; the Yankees recalled pitcher David Robertson to take his spot on the roster.  Robertson threw two scoreless innings in relief.

Robinson Cano went 3-4 and is now hitting .421.

Yankees fan got a special treat during the pre-game ceremonies when Bernie Williams played his version of “Take me out to the ball game” while standing in center field.

The series continues on Friday at 1:05 pm EDT with Anthony Reyes (1-0, 6.00) facing Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 1.50).

But my biggest issue with the WBC came to light when Robinson Cano and Damaso Marte returned to Yankees camp after the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the tourney.

We knew yesterday (Friday) that Robinson Cano experiencing tightness behind his right shoulder.  I was under the assumption that the Yankees knew about the issue that Cano said he had since the start of spring training.  Well guess what? The Yankees didn’t know, because Cano kept his mouth shut.  In all likelihood it was because he knew the Yankees wouldn’t permit him to play in the tournament if he had told them.  Meantime, Cano played all nine innings in three games.

Marte came back with soreness in a pec muscle.  He said it happened after he lifted 25 pound weights prior to going out and throwing one inning in the tournament.   He claims it doesn’t hurt when he pitches, only when he moves.  Huh???

These two incidences prove how wrong ESPN’s Steve Phillips is when he says these are just like spring training games.  Guys can get the same injuries in spring training games too, is Phillips’ theory.  Well he is wrong.

Had they known about the injury, the Yankees would have had Cano examined and would have shut him down until they were convinced he was feeling all right.  And Cano put his country above his team.  While they may sound noble, his country isn’t paying him millions of dollars to play baseball.

Had Marte hurt himself lifting in Yankees camp, he would have been shut down until the muscle felt better.  He wouldn’t have gone out and thrown in a game right after injuring himself, as he did in the tournament.

The WBC is not a “classic” and has no purpose, other than giving players the opportunity to play for their country, and in some cases, even that is distorted. (A-Rod playing for two different teams; an American playing for Italy because that’s where their grandfather was from.)

MLB doesn’t need to market baseball to China or Cuba, or the Netherlands.  The world series doesn’t truly encompass the world, and it never will.

Damaso Marte, the hard throwing left-hander, didn’t have the expected impact in the pen when the Yankees acquired him at the trade deadline. They’ll need him to revert to his pre-trade dominance, especially since he’s tabbed as the closer if Rivera can’t start the season on time.

Brian Bruney continued the weight loss program he started prior to the 2008 season, when he emerged as a solid middle and set up man out of the pen. A Lisfranc injury shortened his season, though he was able to return late in the year. The Yankees will use him as a 6th-7th inning reliever, and occasionally mix him in with Marte in the 8th.

The remaining 4 spots are in contention:

Not much was thought of the Jose Veras signing prior to the 2006 season, but he emerged last season in his first real shot at the major leagues. A better than strikeout per inning ratio makes him a candidate for setup as well as a fill in at closer when Rivera is unavailable. Veras must cut down on his walks though.

Edwar Ramirez couldn’t get his game together as a member of the Angels organization, but blew hitters away in independent league ball and then in the Yankees organization. His wicked slider is a great out pitch against left-handed hitters, but like Veras, has a tendency to walk too many hitters. He’s already suffered a set back this spring with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.

Dan Giese was the feel good story of the past season, just his second in the bigs, at age 31. An off-season free agent pick up, he held International League hitters to a 1.98 ERA before making 20 appearances, 3 of them starts, for the Yankees. Has the inside track for the long man role entering spring training.

Like Ramirez, Al Aceves came out of nowhere, in this case the Mexican League, to impress in his first season in the Yankees organization. He dominated at Tampa and Trenton, before struggling a bit to the transition at Triple-A Scranton. But he got into 6 games, 4 of them starts, for the Yankees and posted a 2.40 ERA. He’s a candidate for the long man role out of the pen.

The acquisition of Jonathan Albaladejo seemed like a steal when the Yankees picked up him from the Nationals for Tyler Clippard in December, ’07, but elbow ligament damage ended his ’08 season in May. Albaladejo could be back in the mix this season, after striking out 18 hitters in 20 innings of winter ball.

Brett Tomko was a last minute addition to the Yankees camp, signing a minor league deal on February 13. The 12 year veteran would give the Yankees a long reliever who could also spot start. But the soon-to-be 35 year old is going to really have to stand out after back to back poor seasons with the Dodgers and Royals.

Lefty Phil Coke was having a decent season as a starter for the Trenton Thunder, when he was nearly included in the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal. Instead he ended up in the Yankees bullpen, allowing just 1 run in 14.2 innings. Word was that the Yankees wanted him to work as a starter in Scranton this season, but it appears they have already strayed from that path. Coke will have a chance to be a second left-hander in the pen.

Anthony Claggett may very well be the best pitcher the Yankees received (along with Kevin Whelan and Humberto Sanchez) from the Tigers for Gary Sheffield. Claggett can be your set up, middle man, or closer. He posted a 2.15 ERA in 29 appearances with 55 strikeouts in 58.2 innings last season and is a good bet to see the Bronx this season.

After sitting out the 2007 season, recovering from Tommy John surgery, Mark Melancon began to show what the Yankees expected when they selected him out of the University of Arizona in the 2006 draft. Splitting time between Trenton and Scranton, Melancon posted a 7-1 mark with 3 saves and 69 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched. He issued just 16 walks while putting together a combined 2.06 ERA. Could be the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera.

That said, Joba Chamberlain is the X-Factor. Everyone knows Joba is dominant out of the pen and despite protestations to the contrary, that will always weigh in minds of the Yankees brass. Should Joba experience any arm issues or reach his innings limit as a starter, he could see time in the pen setting up for Rivera.