Texeira was honored along with Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, Mets ace R.A. Dickey, Mets infielder Daniel Murphy, Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin and collegiate and NBA star Dikembe Mutombo at the 32nd annual dinner benefiting AHRC, a not-for-profit organization that supports programs enabling children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City.

Question: At what point does the off-season turn off and you start to get ready for the year?
Mark Teixeira: I do get antsy once February hits, so this is the last day I can relax.

Q: We understand that you work out at Bobby Valentine’s facility in Connecticut.  Has he changed the locks or anything?
MT: He didn’t change the locks, but it’s funny I had been hiting there for two years, I had bought a machine for the facility, so when I am around there I can use the pitching machine.  It’s been throwing great, and everything was fine, I was getting all my work in.  As soon as he gets the Red Sox job, I go in the next morning, the first ball out of the machine — right at my head.  I don’t know if it was a bad ball, I don’t know if the gears jammed, whatever happened we had to get a technician in there to fix it.

Q: Other than that, how has the offseason gone?
MT: It’s been great, you know, just recharging the batteries, and looking forward to a great season.  We basically have the same team back, got a couple of key additions on the pitching staff, which is going to be great, and so we’re excited.

Q: Were you surprised about the trade of Jesus Montero?
MT: Never surprised in baseball, this business, I’ve been traded twice, a lot of great players have been traded, and Montero might be really, really good.  He’s got a chance to be special.  But so does [Michael] Pineda, and I think that’s what we’re banking on. We’re banking on Pineda being a top tier starter and someone that can really be a force for a long time.

BBD: You only faced him in, I believe, three at bats, and you have a home run and, I think, a strikeout. From that small sample size, what do u remember
MT: Explosive fastball.  Really good slider.  He’s so big — any pitcher that is that big, that can throw that hard, his margin of error is going to be a lot bigger than everyone else’s.  He can not have his best stuff, but when you’re 6-7 and thrown 97, you’re going to get outs.

BBD: Curtis Granderson has said that Pineda didn’t seem intimidated by the Yankees lineup.  Do you see that in him?
MT: Yes, it’s mound presence and you see it with the best pitchers in baseball.  They have that presence on the mound. And as a young guy, to be able to go out there and have no fear and go after everybody — I think I hit a 3-1 fastball or 3-2 fastball.  I get a lot of sliders or changeups on 3-2.  He went right after me. I got lucky on that pitch, but it just shows his confidence that he’s going to go after people.

BBD: You tweeted that you lost 14 pounds in the offseason.  Why did you feel like you needed to?
MT: I didn’t feel like I needed to, but I’m always trying to get better.  I know that the older I get, the more important nutrition is, and any chance I get to make myself lighter, faster, more energy, its going to be better for my game.  It just kind of happened.  I started changing my diet a little bit, started drinking a lot of raw juice and it really helped.

BBD: C.C. Sabathia talked about eliminating Cap’n Crunch last year; did you do anything like that?
MT: I can’t say I eat a lot of Cap’n Crunch.  I’ve really eaten pretty well the last few years, but this year I think really fine-tuning. I’m always trying to find that little edge to help myself physically, mentally, energy-wise, and I think those little things can help me over a long season and hopefully a long career.

BBD: There has been talk of the Yankees picking up another bat in a trade with some of their surplus pitching.  What do you think of the Yankees lineup as it stands now?
MT: We basically have the lineup we had last year.  Rotating a DH wouldn’t be bad, but if you can pick up a guy who can come in and give some pop off the bench or be a DH every now and then, we’re  not going to say no to that because we can use all the help we can get.

BBD: One of the areas you said you would like to improve is getting on base. Do you and hitting coach Kevin Long have a plan in place for that?
MT: I do. One thing I really noticed is that my average with no men on base was really, really good, and with men on base it wasn’t.  When no one is on base, and they’re playing a big shift, I might lay down some bunts this year.  I’ve been so against it my entire career, but I may lay down a few bunts.  If I can beat the shift that way, that’s important.  And also, not trying to hook the ball so much left handed. So when you have a 1-2 pitch, instead of trying to drive the ball in the gap and drive in the runs, you know take that single to left.  It’s [harder] than it sounds, but one hit a week really adds up.

Thurman Munson plaque at Monument Park at old Yankee Stadium. Photo credit: The Guy With The Glasses

BBD: What does Thurman Munson and the Munson Award mean to you?
MT: A Yankee legend.  Someone who did the right things on and off the field, someone whose legacy has continued to grow, because of the great things he’s done in the community, with the foundation, his family and his wife Diana have done so many great things in the community, so the Munson name is very special to the Yankees.

BBD: How did you get started working with Harlem RBI?
MT: Harlem RBI is an organization I started working with two years ago.  I knew the great work they were doing with kids in Harlem, with education.  Education has always been very important to me, and so to be able to work with those kids, you know it serves over 1000 kids, was just a natural fit for me.

Diana Munson, Thurman’s widow, will attend her 32nd straight benefit, having been involved since its inception, raising nearly $10 million to assist children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Thurman Munson Awards are presented for success on the fields of play and philanthropic works off the field

The AHRC New York City Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports programs enabling children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City.  AHRC New York City is one of the largest organizations of its kind, serving 11,000 children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.

photo courtesy Yogi Berra Museum

The  list of notable athletes to previously receive the Munson Award reads like a sports “Who’s Who,” and includes: Yankees – Yogi Berra, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera, Willie Randolph, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Robbie Cano, Bernie Williams, Bobby Murcer, Joe Torre, Joe Girardi and Nick Swisher; Mets – Tom Seaver, John Franco, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Ron Darling, David Wright, Carlos Beltran,  Keith Hernandez, Rusty Staub and Gary Carter;  Basketball – Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, Dave DeBusschere,  Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, “Dr. J”  Julius Erving, Sen. Bill Bradley, Mark Jackson, Charles Oakley, Allan Houston and John Starks.

The Legend Award has been presented periodically and its previous recipients have included: Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson (2001) in celebration of the 50th anniversary of “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”; former Mets ace relief pitcher and native New Yorker John Franco (2004) in recognition of his community service in his hometown; and former Yankee and Thurman teammate Lou Piniella (2010) upon the 30th Anniversary of the Munson Dinner.

Pujols reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Angels on a reported, 10-yr, $250MM contract earlier today. The defending champion Cardinals had already lost their manager, Tony LaRussa, who retired after the Cardinals won the World Series, and now have lost their best player as well. 

Pujols was said to be seeking an average salary that would put him above the deal that Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees after the 2007 season. At the very least, Pujols wanted to top the cash earned by Mark Teixeira, the highest paid 1st baseman in baseball. While he didn’t reach A-Rod numbers, Pujols easily surpassed the $22.5MM Teixeira earns per season.

Pujols has put up monster numbers ever since he hit 37 home runs and drove in 130 runs in his 2001 debut season. He was the NL Rookie of the Year that season and made the first of nine All-Star appearances. In 11 seasons in St. Louis, Pujols slugged 445 home runs, averaged 121 RBI, and posted a 1.037 career OPS. He also won a pair of championship rings (2006 in addition to this past season) and won three NL MVP Awards.

The overwhelming feeling was that Pujols would return to St. Louis, especially after the Miami Marlins were told they were out of the running.  Angels’ owner Arte Moreno and new GM Jerry DiPoto played things quietly though and seized the opening. They weren’t done for the day either.

Shortly after the Pujols agreement, it was learned the Angels had come to terms with starting pitcher C.J. Wilson on a five year, $75MM free agent contract. Wilson was thought to be either returning to Texas or signing with their division rivals. Opting for the latter, Wilson joins a rotation that already boasts Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana, though there have been rumors that Santana could be moved.

Wilson began his career as a reliever before bouncing back and forth between starting and relieving roles. He became a full-time starter in 2010 and was 31-15, 3.14 over the past two seasons. Wilson was the number one starter on the Rangers, but is considered a number two or three starter by most observers.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

“We are proud to once again dedicate the 2011 Fall Classic to several extraordinary causes,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “As a social institution with important social responsibilities, Major League Baseball is privileged to have the opportunity to raise awareness for these essential issues and highlight the efforts of the heroes throughout our society. We are thrilled to use the global reach of the World Series to support these outstanding initiatives.”

Game One – Veterans and Military Families: Welcome Back Veterans
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will attend Game One of the 2011 World Series as part of Major League Baseball’s Welcome Back Veterans program (www.WelcomeBackVeterans.org) and the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative (www.JoiningForces.gov). Prior to Game One, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden will join representatives from Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals including Hall of Famer and Army veteran Red Schoendienst at the St. Louis VA Medical Center for a military family appreciation event.

Additionally, there will be a special pre-game ceremony featuring Mrs. Obama, Dr. Biden, veterans and military families and a new Joining Forces and MLB Public Service Announcement (PSA) will premiere at the ballpark featuring Mrs. Obama as well as New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Johnny Damon, both of whom come from military families.

Welcome Back Veterans (www.WelcomeBackVeterans.org) has awarded more than $11 million in grants to non-profit agencies targeting veterans’ and their families’ greatest needs, focusing on treatment and research of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Game Two -Community Service: Roberto Clemente Legacy
The winner of the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet will be announced and recognized on-field prior to Game Two. Bestowed annually, the award recognizes the Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field. The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet is named for the 12-time All-Star and Baseball Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, and pays tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. MLB Network analyst and recipient of the 2000 Roberto Clemente Award Al Leiter will serve as emcee of the press conference announcing the winner at Busch Stadium.

MLB Goodwill Ambassador Vera Clemente, wife of the late Roberto Clemente, will join Players, Legends and MLB Executives at the Loyola Academy of St. Louis to speak to the young students about Roberto’s legacy and his dedication to giving back to others. They also will spend time with some of the young patients at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital and will present them with a Starlight Fun Center mobile entertainment unit, featuring a Nintendo WiiTM, DVD player and flat-screen TV.

Game Three – Youth: Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities /Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Game Three will be dedicated to youth in underserved communities through MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program and the League’s partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Local young people from both programs will attend a “Wanna Play?” event and clinic at the Youth Field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on the day of Game Three. “Wanna Play?” is a multi-faceted initiative dedicated to youth fitness, encouraging boys and girls ages 6 to 12 to increase their overall fitness and nutrition education through physical activity while learning the fundamental skills of baseball and softball through fun and engaging activities. Hundreds of children from local RBI programs and Boys & Girls Clubs will be participating in the event and clinic. MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds will emcee the event.

During an on-field presentation prior to Game Three, representatives of the 2011 RBI World Series championship teams (Softball Division, Junior Baseball Division and Senior Baseball Division) will be recognized. The RBI World Series is the international baseball and softball championship tournament of the RBI program, which is the Major League Baseball youth initiative designed to provide underserved youth with the opportunity to play baseball and softball, encourage academic success and teach the value of teamwork.

Additionally, Major League Baseball will recognize Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s President Roxanne Spillett and National Youth of the Year Nicholas Foley from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life Grand Prize Essay Winner Meggie Zahneis from West Chester Township, Ohio. In Game Three and throughout all of the 2011 World Series, a youth from a local Boys & Girls Club will deliver the game ball to the mound.

Game Four – Cancer Research: Stand Up To Cancer
Game Four of the 2011 World Series will highlight Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), as MLB will promote the importance of advancing the fight against cancer. In 2008, Major League Baseball became the founding donor to Stand Up To Cancer, which focuses on getting innovative therapies to patients faster. In support of Stand Up To Cancer, Major League Baseball will dedicate an in-game moment to the cause by asking fans to stand in unison in honor of someone they know affected by cancer.

Prior to the game, MLB, SU2C and representatives from the Texas Rangers will spend time with some of the young patients at the Medical City Children’s Hospital in Arlington and will present them with a Starlight Fun Center mobile entertainment unit.

Since its launch, Stand Up To Cancer has grown significantly with support from players, fans and all 30 MLB Clubs. Major League Baseball has donated more than $30 million to the groundbreaking research organization since its inception.

Other Community Initiatives
Major League Baseball and TEAM Coalition have supported the designated driver programs at all MLB ballparks during the 2011 championship season with a special incentive: fans who registered as a designated driver were entered into a drawing to be the Club’s official “Designated Driver.” The “Designated Drivers” from the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers will each receive two tickets and will be honored during Games One and Three, respectively. A record-setting 450,000 fans registered as “Designated Drivers” during the 2011 championship season.

Major League Baseball and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) will incorporate a wide variety of environmentally-sensitive efforts that include: “MLB Green Teams” during all World Series games collecting refuse for recycling and supplementing existing recycling programs; raising public awareness to educate fans about how to become more environmentally sensitive via online materials and PSAs; prioritizing bio-based products and recycled content materials at events throughout the World Series; and addressing energy usage through efficiency measures and by investing in renewable energy offsets. Visit MLBCommunity.org for more information on each of these programs and all of MLB’s community initiatives.

Todd Helton

Although Helton fought through injuries in the past few seasons, he is still a very productive hitter.  Since 1998, Helton played in less than 140 games twice:  83 games in 2008 and 118 games in 2010.  In 2009 at the age of 35, Helton appeared in 151 games and hit .325 with 15 home runs and 86 RBIs.  At his current pace, Helton is projected to hit 21 home runs and 79 RBIs.

Although his power is not what it once was, Helton is still a dependable hitter.  Also keep in mind that this ageless Colorado Rockies first baseman plays his home games at Coors Field, which has a great reputation of being a hitter’s park.  Helton is currently owned in 54% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues.

Ty Wigginton

Wigginton’s 2011 season started slowly as his AVG and his power could not seem to find one another.  Through 20 games in April/March, Wigginton hit only .233 but posted 10 RBIs.  Through 16 games in May, Wigginton hit a solid .291; however, he had only three home runs and six RBIs to show for it.

Wigginton is currently in good form in the month of June, as he is hitting .294 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs through 23 games.  Over the past 30 days, Wigginton is hitting .313 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs.  During those 30 days, only Paul Konerko (11) and Prince Fielder (10) hit more home runs than Wigginton among fantasy first basemen.

Wigginton is currently owned in 47% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues.  Wigginton would be a good addition to your lineup, not only for his recent hitting but also for his position flexibility.  In addition to first base, Wigginton can play second base, third base and outfield.  Wigginton’s versatility provides your team with more options.

Freddie Freeman

Potential 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Freeman started slowly with a .217 AVG through his first 28 games.  Since then, Freeman is hitting .295 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 47 games.

Over the past 30 days, Freeman hit .313 with four home runs and 16 RBIs.  With a healthy Jason Heyward back in the Atlanta Braves lineup and Dan Uggla showing signs of breaking out of his season-long slump, the potential for Freeman to produce bigger numbers is there.  Look for Freeman to resume batting anywhere in the 4-5-6 section of the batting order and have more RBI opportunities.

Freeman is currently owned in only 28% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues and should be added in many more.

Justin Smoak

Seattle Mariners first baseman Justin Smoak appears to be an underrated and overlooked player in fantasy baseball.  Smoak is within striking distance of catching Albert Pujols, Michael Morse, Gaby Sanchez and Victor Martinez in RBIs; however, he is currently owned in only 50% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues.

Unlike Freeman, Smoak started hot with a .284 AVG, four home runs and 17 RBIs in his first 22 games.  Since then, Smoak hit only .243 (.229 in May and .259 in June) with eight home runs and 23 RBIs in 49 games.  Although Smoak has cooled off, I believe he will heat back up again soon.  With prized prospect Dustin Ackley now in the majors and Ichiro Suzuki back to Ichiro-like form, there is plenty of excitement for Mariners fans.  The Mariners will improve their offense as Chone Figgins and Smoak snap out of their slumps.

The Mariners’ pitching staff will get much of the credit; however, if they contend for the AL West crown, Smoak will play a big part in that success.

Casey Kotchman

I never thought I would recommend a career .266 hitter with virtually no power for a first base add in fantasy baseball; however, here he is:  Casey Kotchman.

Playing with the Tampa Bay Rays, Kotchman appears to be a new hitter in his eighth MLB season.  Kotchman is currently hitting .343 on the season.  Although his three home runs and 22 RBIs are nothing special, it should be noted that 10 of his RBIs were in the past 30 days; Kotchman hit .330 with an OPS of .845 during that span.

Although I do not foresee a power surge in Kotchman’s future, he may continue to be a steady hitter.  Kotchman hit .341 in April/March, .373 in May and is currently hitting .317 in June.

Kotchman is currently owned in only five percent of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues.  If you already have a productive first baseman, you could still add Kotchman and insert him into your utility slot to help your batting average.

Christopher Wenrich is a senior fantasy baseball contributor for BaseballDigest.com and can be reached at philliesmuse@yahoo.com.  You can follow him on Twitter @DuggerSports.

First reported by USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale on Jim Bowden’s radio show, Brian Cashman reportedly contacted Twins’ GM Bill Smith about Liriano’s availability. Later reports had a rumored Yankees offer of pitching prospect Ivan Nova and light hitting/good glove infielder Ramiro Pena. Needless to say, rumored or real, the Twins would not ship Liriano for that minor of a package.

Both teams should be wary of how they proceed. Liriano underwent Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of 2007 and limited him to 76 innings in 2008. Liriano struggled mightily in 2009 as he tried to regain his form- he pitched to a nearly 6 ERA and allowed 21 home runs. Last season, Liriano finally started to look like the 2006 version of himself. He averaged over nine strikeouts per nine innings, recorded a 3.62 ERA, and allowed less than a hit per inning.

But there are some details that should be pointed out. First, Liriano threw a career-high 191-2/3 innings (nearly 55 innings more than his prior top innings count) and seemed to wear out in September. His post-season performance against the Yankees was nothing to write home about either (5.2 IP 4 ER 6 H 3 BB 7 K). And his regular season ERA was more than a full point higher on the road than in his spacious home ballpark (Target Field).

Liriano complained of shoulder soreness and a tired arm shortly after reporting to spring training a few weeks ago and his initial bullpen sessions were cancelled. Manager Ron Gardenhire downplayed it as tendinitis, but the Twins have to be concerned about their pitcher with the nastiest selection of pitches. Part of the reason for the early spring issues was that Liriano did not consistently do his off-season strengthening exercises. As Scott Miller of CBS Sports pointed out, that showed a lack of maturity.

There is talk that Minnesota will wait until the July trade deadline gets closer to have a better gauge of the market (Minnesota has Liriano under control for another season, so they may not be in a rush to do anything as well), but if the Twins do move Liriano, they are better off moving him sooner rather than later.  Shoulder injuries and any necessary surgeries are much trickier and take longer to come back from than elbow injuries. Liriano’s shoulder may not be a serious issue at all, but buyers should beware of what they may be purchasing/giving up prospects for in return for the 27-yr old.

The Washington Nationals should finally get a look at Chien-Ming Wang on a mound. The Taiwanese hero and two-time 19 game winner with the New York Yankees is scheduled to pitch in a minor league intrasquad game on Friday. Not so good news for his teammate Cla Meredith who will have to undergo Tommy John surgery today.

Twins beat writer Joe Christensen tweeted this morning that Justin Morneau is making progress in his recovery from concussion symptoms, but was still not cleared by doctors on Tuesday to participate in any exhibition games.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett who took a baseball to the head and suffered a mild concussion on Monday has been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Scott Boras has one less big name client- Mark Teixeira. There was no reason given for the dismissal.

Indians GM Chris Antonetti told the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes that he does not expect outfielder Grady Sizemore to be ready for opening day (April 1). “It’s still a possibility,” said Antonetti. “But I’d say it’s less likely than more likely that he’ll be ready for the start of the season. We’re hopeful it will still be near the start of the season. Whether that’s a few days or a few weeks, we just don’t know yet.”

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos assured fans that GM Andy MacPhail is “…not going anywhere.”  MacPhail’s contract expires at the end of the 2011 season. “Andy and Buck [Showalter] are a great combination,” Angelos told the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

First there was Ramirez’s dispicable behavior that led to his outster in Boston.  Then came a 50 game suspension for a failed PED test. Followed up by a lackluster 2010 season with the Dodgers that culiminated in another deal, this time to the Chicago White Sox. His time in Chicago was limited to just 24 games, but he produced only a single home run and 2 RBI in 88 plate appearances.  Throw in a bunch of injuries, real or imagined and you can see why Manny won’t be raking in the big bucks this winter.

Ramirez will turn 39 two months into the 2011 season and is looked at as strictly a DH at this point. Despite playing in just 66 games with the Dodgers last season, he still showed he could produce- a .915 OPS, eight home runs, and 40 RBI. But you never know when his desire will wane and whether or not he’ll give up 100% all of the time or only when he feels like it. It’s the reason the season may begin without Ramirez. And maybe that will actually be a good thing for him. (Remember the BD Hot Stove motto: “Let the buyer beware.”)

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Blue Jays and Octavio Dotel finally made things official last night on a one year, $3.5M contract.

If text messages are any indications, Andy Pettitte may indeed be retiring.  That’s the impression that Mark Teixeira got after exchanging texts with the veteran left-hander this off-season. The Yankees 1st baseman was in the Big Apple for a personal appearance and spoke with reporters.

Fox’s Ken Rosenthal was on WFAN in New York this morning and reported that the Angels are still the front-runners to land free agent 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre. Rosenthal also reported in his online column that the Orioles are making a push for 1st baseman Derrek Lee.

MASN.com’s Roch Kubatko hears that the Orioles are very much interested in free agent reliever Grant Balfour.

Royals closer Joakim Soria told a Venezuelan newspaper that he would not block a trade to the Yankees. Soria told Vanguard that his agent, not he, requested a trade clause in his last contract as a strategy going forward. If the Royals were to make a deal with the Yankees, Soria said he would gladly go. Perhaps he’s trying to get something moving ala Zack Greinke.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Gonzalez and the Red Sox couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract when given a window to negotiate before the trade with San Diego became official. It was reported that Gonzalez wanted, and deservedly so, Mark Teixeira type money. An eight year deal in the neighborhood of $20M per season.  Theo Epstein and company weren’t too keen on that and the Red Sox decided to gamble, figuring they would compromise eventually on a deal with Gonzalez, likely during spring training.

But that was before Werth’s signing. Now the Red Sox may be up against it. Boston clearly does have quite a bit of money despite their small market claims. However, if they fork over such a tidy sum to Gonzalez they could hurt themselves in the long run when it comes to having money available for other free agents. In Gonzalez’s case, it’s a matter of “you can pay me now or someone else will be pay me later”.

What’s really remarkable about Adrian Gonzalez is that he’s now with his fourth organization and he’s still only 28 years old. This is the first time he was dealt as an established major leaguer. While in the Florida Marlins farm system the comparisons to Rafael Palmiero had already begun. A guy who could hit 35-40 home runs a season (And hopefully untainted) and play steller defense at 1st base. But the Marlins were in a pennant race in 2003 and knew they wouldn’t have the team together much longer due to several big pay days on the horizon.  So Gonzalez was shipped in a deal with the Texas Rangers for Ugi Urbina, who helped the Marlins win the 2003 World Series before he started wielding a machete.

He averaged 15 home runs in two seasons in the Texas organization and got a chance to play in 59 games in the bigs. And then the Rangers made a rather large mistake.  Prior to the 2006 season they shipped him as part of a package to San Diego for starter Adam Eaton and closer Akinori Otsuka. The deal was a disaster.

Eaton lasted just one season in Texas, putting up a 5.12 ERA and a 1.569 WHIP. He made just 13 starts due to a strained tendon in his index finger. Otsuka saved 32 games in his first season in Texas, but the Rangers finished in third place 13 games behind the A’s. The following season Otsuka served as a set up man for Eric Gagne and C.J. Wilson, but his season was done on July 1 with ligament damage in his elbow. And Texas finished in last place, 19 games behind the Angels. Otsuka was non-tendered after the season and required Tommy John surgery. He never played in the majors or Japan again.

This time around the Padres got the Red Sox top pitching prospect, Casey Kelly, plus two other prospects (1st baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Reymond Fuentes) and a PTBNL. This may be the first time any team gets real return for Gonzalez, who averaged 34 HR and 104 RBI the last four years in San Diego.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Pirates have signed right-handed starter Kevin Correia to a two year, $8M contract.

Talks between the A’s and Japanese standout Hisashi Iwakuma are officially dead.  The A’s will get back their $17M posting fee. A’s GM Billy Beane is meeting today with another former Japanese standout- one Hideki Matsui.

Fox’s Ken Rosenthal reported last night that a mystery team has supposedly offered Cliff Lee a seven year deal. That should make things interesting for the non-mystery teams involved. Rumors swirled all morning that the team was the Washington Nationals, but the Nats firmly denied that they had made any such offer. The NY Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees will go no more than six years or top the $161M they are paying CC Sabathia.

The Yankees and Red Sox appear to be the front-runners for the services of catcher Russell Martin.

Fox’s Jon Morosi reports that the Mariners are interested in the very talented/often injured Rich Harden for their starting rotation. Morosi has also heard that Paul Konerko has an offer on the table from a team other than the White Sox.

The Diamondbacks signed Melvin Mora to a one year, $2M contract. He and Geoff Blum will combine to replace Mark Reynolds at 3rd base.

The Rockies have signed infielder Ty Wiggington to a two year deal worth $8M.

Last night I mentioned that the Braves were looking to dump Kenshin Kawakami even if it meant eating most of his salary. Well, their neighbors to the north, the Baltimore Orioles, are apparently very interested.

In their continued effort to look for inexpensive pitching, the Mets have talked to Freddy Garcia’s people.

The Cubs have set up a meeting for this afternoon with Brandon Webb’s agent.

Update 10 p.m.

The Yankees introduced their newest free agent signing today. Yes, it was Derek Jeter.  The Yankees felt they needed to have a press conference to show their one big happy family.  You can read about it at My Pinstripes.

Everything old is new again. ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes has heard word that Tom Gordon would like to pitch again.  Something he hasn’t done in the majors since 2009.

The Cubs are marketing starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny. The Tigers are among those teams interested.

The Arizona Republic has reported that Matt Diaz has turned down an offer from the Diamondbacks.

The Mets have inked middle reliever D.J. Carrasco in attempt to bolster their bullpen

Johnny Damon is at the winter meetings in search of employment; he told reporters he’s received no firm offers as of yet.

The Cardinals avoided arbitration with Ryan Theriot by signing the infielder to a one year, $3.3M contract.

Jon Heyman has learned that Cliff Lee has received two offers of seven years in length.

The Padres are close to signing right-hander Dustin Moseley, recently non-tendered by the Yankees.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Ignore Morales at your own risk in your 2011 fantasy drafts.  Morales will bounce back and have a strong season to make fantasy managers everywhere forget about the dismal ending to his 2010 season.  Morales had a promising 2009 season in which he hit .306 with 43 doubles, 34 home runs and 108 RBIs.  The Angels were 89-63 with Morales in the lineup that year.  Through 51 games of the 2010 season, Morales hit .290 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs; his 162-game projections called for 34 home runs and 123 RBIs.

2010 Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball 1B Average Draft Position (ADP)
Albert Pujols (1.2)
Mark Teixeira (10.2)
Ryan Howard (10.9)
Prince Fielder (12.1)
Miguel Cabrera (14.3)
Adrian Gonzalez (24.7)
Joey Votto (28.2)
Kevin Youkilis (30.1)
Victor Martinez (32.0)
Pablo Sandoval (32.7)
Kendry Morales (40.6)

Despite having a higher ADP than Morales, the 2010 fantasy season saw disappointing numbers from Fielder and Sandoval.

Morales is capable of hitting 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs in a given season.  In 2010, nine fantasy first basemen posted 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs:  Cabrera, Pujols, Votto, Paul Konerko, Teixeira, Howard, Adam Dunn, David Ortiz and Gonzalez.

Health permitting, you can expect MVP numbers from Pujols, Cabrera, Votto and Gonzalez (especially if Gonzalez leaves the Padres to join a more potent lineup).  Despite his annual tradition of starting slow in the opening months, Teixeira will have no problems finishing with strong numbers, especially with the help of the mighty Yankees lineup.  Konerko and Ortiz will be 35 next season and will see a decline in their abilities at some point (Ortiz has already shown signs of declining).  Howard will be 31 but has seen his power numbers slowly dip each season until finally taking a sharp nosedive in 2010.  In addition to his decreasing SLG and OPS, Howard has needed more and more at-bats each season to hit a home run.

Morales, on the other hand, will be 28 next season.  Unlike Konerko and Ortiz (who are nearing the end of their careers), Morales is entering the prime of his career.  Say no to the players in the twilight of their careers and those who are already declining.  Don’t reach too high for Fielder when you could be selecting a fantasy stud at pitcher or any other position.  For your first base needs, place your faith in a young player on the rise like Morales in 2011.

Christopher Wenrich is a fantasy baseball contributor to BaseballDigest.com.  You can reach him at philliesmuse@yahoo.com.

Joe Mauer:  although Mauer produced 19 fewer home runs and 21 fewer RBIs in 2010 than he did in 2009, he had another stellar fantasy season this year.  I do not view Mauer’s 2010 season as a decline; rather, I view Mauer’s 2009 season as an abnormality.

In 2009, Mauer hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs.  Mauer’s 2009 season is an abnormality because no hitter will hit .365 on a regular basis.  The Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki and St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols are both hitting .331 for their careers.

Mauer’s 2010 numbers (.327 AVG, nine home runs and 75 RBIs) are very similar to his 2008 numbers (.328 AVG, nine home runs and 85 RBIs).  Although I do not expect Mauer to hit .360 with 20 home runs every season, he is certainly capable of posting such numbers.  In the 2010 season, Mauer was hitting .293 with four home runs and 35 RBIs in 77 games at the All-Star break; after the break, Mauer hit .373 with five home runs and 40 RBIs in 60 games.

Mauer will be an elite fantasy catcher again in the 2011 season.  Do not be surprised to see a .330 AVG, 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Justin Morneau:  while many fantasy managers were frustrated with the typical slow starts of the New York Yankees’ Mark Teixeira, many others were thrilled with Morneau’s numbers.  Unfortunately for Morneau and his fantasy owners, concussion issues brought his season to an abrupt end after 81 games.  In those 81 games, Morneau looked like a favorite for the AL MVP.  Morneau hit .345 with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, a .437 OBP and 1.055 OPS.

Projected over 162 games, Morneau was on pace to hit 36 home runs and 112 RBIs.  From 2005 to 2009, Morneau averaged 150 games played, 28 home runs and 110 RBIs per season.  Barring any lingering concussion issues in 2011, look for Morneau to again put up MVP-caliber numbers.

Jim Thome passed Mark McGwire in career home runs in 2010.

Jim Thome:  despite appearing in only 108 games, Thome proved he still packs plenty of power in his bat, as he hit .283 with 25 home runs and 59 RBIs.  His 25 home runs led the Twins this season.  He passed Mark McGwire on the career home run list and finished the 2010 season at 589 career home runs.

The last time Thome hit .280 or higher was during the 2006 season (his first with the Chicago White Sox).  That season, Thome hit .288 with 42 home runs and 109 RBIs in 143 games.  His .412 OBP this season was also his highest since 2006.  His .627 slugging percentage in 2010 is the second-highest in his 20-year career.  His 1.039 OPS in 2010 was the fourth-highest of his 20-year career.

If Thome does not retire this offseason, look to draft him in your 2011 leagues to fulfill your power needs at the bottom of your lineup.  Due to his age and history with injury, you should not trust him to stay healthy throughout the course of a season; however, he can be very productive while healthy.

Delmon Young:  for years, Young was best remembered for his rocket arm, his temper and his foolish act of throwing a bat at an umpire.  In 2010, Young gave fantasy managers new reasons to remember him.

Young hit .298 this season and set new career highs in home runs (21), RBIs (112), doubles (46), slugging percentage (.493) and OPS (.826).  In addition to setting new career marks, Young displayed strong consistency this season.  Before the All-Star break, Young hit .305 with 25 doubles, 10 home runs and 58 RBIs in 81 games.  After the break, Young hit .292 with 21 doubles, 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in 72 games.

Young appears to finally be maturing and playing with the potential many thought he had when Tampa Bay drafted him.  Look for similar numbers from Young in 2011.  A healthy Morneau in the lineup could lead to more RBIs for Young.

Francisco Liriano:  after years of arm injuries and a poorly-pitched 2009 season, I thought Liriano was dead to me in fantasy baseball leagues.  Nevertheless, I drafted Liriano in leagues again in 2010.

For the second season in a row, Liriano started at least 20 games.  In 31 starts this season, Liriano was 14-10 with a respectable 3.62 ERA and 201 strikeouts.  Liriano’s 14 wins, 191 2/3 innings and 201 strikeouts are new career highs.  Although this was the best season of Liriano’s young career, it was an up-and-down season for him.

After four starts in April, Liriano was 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA.  He struggled mightily in May but continued to pitch well from June through August before struggling again in September.  Before the All-Star break, Liriano was 6-7 in 17 starts with a 3.86 ERA.  After the break, Liriano was 8-3 in 14 starts with a 3.31 ERA.

Due to his history with injuries, I advise you not to expect similar numbers from Liriano in 2011.  Solidify your pitching first before you select Liriano in your 2011 drafts.

Carl Pavano:  Thome was the old Twin some managers still wanted to take a chance on.  Liriano was the young Twin some managers still wanted to take a chance on.  Pavano was the injury-plagued pitcher virtually nobody wanted to take a chance on in fantasy leagues.

Pavano went 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA, seven complete games and two shutouts in 2010.  This season marked the first time since 2004 that the 34 year-old Pavano had an ERA under 4.00 and pitched at least 200 innings.

Although Pavano had a respectable season with the Twins, I would not expect similar numbers from him in 2011.  Teams hit .243 off Pavano before the All-Star break in 2010; after the break, they hit .294 off Pavano.  An injury-plagued pitcher who stays healthy for two consecutive season will not make me forget about his struggles throughout his career and his injuries throughout his career.  Draft Pavano at your own risk in 2011.

Brian Duensing:  Duensing finished the 2010 season with a 10-3 record and 2.62 ERA.  The Texas Rangers had a pleasant surprise in C.J. Wilson this season as Wilson converted from relief pitching to starting and he pitched well.  Interestingly, the Twins may also have a similar surprise in store with Duensing.

Duensing appeared in 40 games as a relief pitcher and 13 games as a starter.  Although successful as a reliever, Duensing was also successful as a starter in the rotation.  Through 13 starts, Duensing was 7-2 with a 3.05 ERA.  Duensing averaged 6.59 innings per start.

Pay attention to news updates on Duensing in the offseason.  He could be a valuable late sleeper pick in your 2011 drafts.

Chicago White Sox

Paul Konerko:  Konerko may have been the fantasy baseball MVP (Most Valuable Pick) in 2010 drafts.  Much like the Twins’ Thome, Konerko proved that his career and fantasy impact are not yet dead.

Although selected nowhere nearly as high as Pujols in fantasy drafts, Konerko put up Pujols-like numbers this season.  He hit .312 with 39 home runs, 111 RBIs and a .393 OBP.  Konerko hit .299 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs in 80 games before the All-Star break; after the break, Konerko hit .327 with 19 home runs and 48 RBIs in 69 games.  This season was the first time since 2006 in which Konerko hit 35 or more home runs and 100 or more RBIs.  His .393 OBP this season was a new career high, as well as his .977 OPS.

Although he has been known to play with pain, the 34 year-old Konerko has been a very durable player throughout his career.  You can reasonably expect strong numbers from him again in 2011.

Juan Pierre:  .366

No, the above number is not Pierre’s AVG you are reading, nor is it Ichiro’s AVG.  It is Pierre’s career slugging percentage.  Pierre could play 162 games at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and his slugging percentage likely still would not increase by much.  All kidding aside, slugging has never been Pierre’s game.  Pierre’s primary fantasy value is in his steals.  He is a good contact hitter who will not hesitate to swipe a base.

Pierre hit .275 this season with one home run (probably in-the-park), 47 RBIs, 96 runs and 68 stolen bases.  From 2005 through 2007, Pierre averaged 59 steals per season.  During those three seasons, he also averaged 674 at-bats per season.  In 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pierre stole 40 bases (despite having only 375 at-bats).  He also had limited at-bats in 2009 with the Dodgers, swiping 30 bases in only 380 at-bats.  Pierre had 651 at-bats to go with his 68 steals in 2010.

Look for Pierre to steal plenty of bases again next season.  White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen loves small-ball players like Pierre.  Pierre is likely to score more runs next season if Carlos Quentin and Gordon Beckham can find any consistency in their hitting.

Gordon Beckham:  after a promising 2009 rookie season in which he hit .270 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs in 103 games, Beckham was a big fantasy baseball flop in 2010.  Beckham hit .252 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs in 131 games this season.

While many fantasy managers were disappointed in 2010, they made the mistake of projecting suddenly dramatic improvements from a second-year player.  The now 24-year old Beckham likely was not used to the rigors of a 162-game season yet, as he had nagging shoulder injuries in 2010.

While I do find the expectations many had for Beckham in 2010 to be unrealistic, I do believe Beckham will show significant improvement in 2011.  During the 2010 season, Beckham hit .216, slugged .304 and had a .581 OPS before the All-Star break.  After the break, Beckham hit .310, slugged .497 and had an .877 OPS.  It would be prudent that you not expect Utley-like numbers or any other unrealistic numbers for such a young player; however, Beckham will likely show significant improvement next season.

Detroit Tigers

Miguel Cabrera:  Cabrera had another MVP-caliber season in 2010, hitting .328 with 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and 111 runs.

Despite his incredible numbers and as strange as it may sound, Cabrera is underrated in some fantasy circles.  I have participated in fantasy leagues over the past few years in which Prince Fielder was drafted before Cabrera.  I find this surprising because Cabrera puts up excellent power numbers on a yearly basis and is a much better contact hitter than Fielder (.313 career AVG).

There is one overlooked statistic that makes Cabrera all the more valuable in fantasy leagues:  games played.  A player can only produce as long as he is healthy.  Since 2004, Cabrera has averaged 157 games, 33 home runs and 116 RBIs per season.  If not second on your draft board, Cabrera should be among at least the top three or four first basemen on your board in 2011.

Austin Jackson:  Jackson had a superb rookie season in 2010, hitting .293 with 34 doubles, 10 triples, 103 runs and 27 stolen bases.

Jackson started his career as a hitting machine, batting .364 through 23 games in the month of April.  He cooled off afterward; however, he had been a solid hitter all season.  Prior to the All-Star break, Jackson hit .300 and scored 52 runs in 78 games.  After the break, he hit .285 and scored 51 runs in 73 games.

Look for Jackson to bat first or second in the Tigers’ lineup in 2011 and post similar – if not better – numbers.

Justin Verlander:  Verlander was once again one of the top pitchers in the AL in 2010.  Verlander went 18-9 with a career-best 3.37 ERA and 219 strikeouts.  In 18 starts before the All-Star break, Verlander was 11-5 with a 3.82 ERA.  After the break, Verlander pitched lights-out baseball, going 7-4 in 15 starts with a 2.89 ERA.

Look for Verlander to again be one of the best pitchers in the AL in 2011.  I believe Verlander can improve upon his numbers again and win a Cy Young Award.  The 27 year-old righty is entering the prime of his career.

Max Scherzer:  the 2010 season was the best of Scherzer’s young career.  Scherzer went 12-11 with a 3.50 ERA in 31 starts.

Scherzer’s numbers are all the more impressive when you disregard his slow start in the first half of the season.  Prior to the All-Star break, Scherzer was 6-6 in 16 starts with a 4.61 ERA.  After the break, Scherzer went 6-5 in 15 starts with a 2.47 ERA.  Opponents hit .268 off Scherzer before the break and .222 after the break.

If Scherzer can develop consistency and avoid a slow start, he may be one of the biggest draft steals in 2011.

Cleveland Indians

Shin-Soo Choo:  although he may not quite be regarded as an elite fantasy outfielder, Choo is certainly one of the better outfielders in fantasy baseball.

While playing for the lowly Indians, Choo led the team with a .300 AVG and hit 31 doubles, 22 home runs, 90 RBIs and a .401 OBP.  He also stole 22 bases.  In the past three seasons, Choo’s AVG has been in the .300 to .309 range while his OBP has been in the .394 to .401 range.

Choo is a consistent hitter with some pop in his bat and the ability to swipe bases.  Think of him as a poor man’s Jayson Werth.  Look for Choo to hit at least .290 next season with 20-25 home runs and 15-25 steals.  His numbers could potentially be greater if Grady Sizemore could ever stay healthy.

Carlos Santana:  if not for season-ending surgery on his knee, Santana could have been a contender for the 2010 AL Rookie of the Year.  In only 46 games, Santana hit .260 with 13 doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs and a .401 OBP.  Over 162 games, these numbers project to 45 doubles, 21 home runs and 77 RBIs.

Former Phillies prospect Lou Marson was a fantasy dud, hitting .195 in 87 games with the Indians.  It is logical to expect Santana to be the everyday starter in 2011.

Grady Sizemore:  when I watch the Colorado Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez, I think about Sizemore.  I think to myself, “Gonzalez is what Sizemore was supposed to be.”  After a great 2008 season in which Sizemore hit .268 with 33 home runs, 90 RBIs and 98 walks, fantasy managers everywhere had sky-high expectations for Sizemore.  It was believed his AVG would improve significantly and his power would slightly improve as well.

Unfortunately, Sizemore disappointed in 2009 as he struggled with injuries.  Those who were optimistic about a bounce-back season in 2010 were left greatly disappointed, as Sizemore played only 33 games this season.  Sizemore hit a career-worst .211 this season.  From 2005 through 2008, Sizemore played no less than 157 games; therefore, his back-to-back seasons with injuries are worrisome.

Draft Sizemore at your own risk in 2011.  If he falls late into the draft, you should take him as a potential sleeper.

Kansas City Royals

Butler's 78 RBIs were a team-high in the weak Royals lineup.

Billy Butler:  the 24 year-old Butler continues to improve as he set career highs in AVG (.318) and OBP (.388) in 2010.

Despite Butler’s .318 AVG, 45 doubles, 15 home runs and .388 OBP, some fantasy managers may have felt disappointed by Butler’s 78 RBIs in 2010.  Although his 78 RBIs are much less than the 93 RBIs he posted in 2009, Butler’s RBI totals are down through no fault of his own.  Believe it or not, his 78 RBIs were the most by any Royal in 2010.

Butler’s numbers should be similar in 2011, but with more RBIs.  His RBI totals will especially improve if the Royals’ top prospects shine in 2011.

Joakim Soria:  Soria ranks among the best closers in the game today.  He is on par with the likes of Neftali Feliz, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera in fantasy baseball.

Soria finished the 2010 season 1-2 with 43 saves, a 1.78 ERA, 71 strikeouts and 16 walks in 65 2/3 innings.  In his four-year career, Soria has a 2.01 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, .197 AVG against and 281 strikeouts in 255 innings.

The Royals do not have a high-scoring offense; therefore, you can expect Soria to have plenty of save situations again in 2011.

Zack Greinke:  Greinke was perhaps the biggest fantasy baseball letdown in 2010.

After dominating and winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2009 with a 16-8 record and 2.16 ERA, Greinke went 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA in 2010.  Greinke’s 2009 dominance prompted managers in some leagues to draft him ahead of the likes of Roy Halladay and Adam Wainwright.  I believe no healthy player failed to live up to fantasy expectations more than Greinke in 2010.

Christopher Wenrich is a Fantasy Sports contributor for BaseballDigest.com and GothamGridiron.com.  He can be reached at philliesmuse@yahoo.com

Twins starter Francisco Liriano started out Wednesday night’s game like the ace of the Twins staff he has become.  But just as he faltered down the stretch of the regular season, Liriano wore out as his pitch count rose in the 6th inning.

The Dominican born left-hander was dominant early, making Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Jorge Posada look silly for three of his seven strikeouts.  He had retired nine straight and cruised into the 6th inning up 3-0.  After Nick Swisher was Liriano’s 10th straight victim, Teixeira ripped a double into the left field corner and the tide began to turn.  Alex Rodriguez fought his way to a full count walk and  Robinson Cano showed why he’s a top AL MVP contender when he delivered an RBI single to right to get the Yankees on the board.  Liriano bounced back to strike out Marcus Thames for the second out, but Jorge Posada roped a single to right to cut the deficit to one.  Curtis Granderson, who had been criticized all season for his at-bats against left-handers, drove a 94-mph fastball  off the wall in deep right-center for a 2-run triple that put the Yankees on top for the first time, 4-3.  It also ended Liriano’s night.

Minnesota’s offense had given Liriano support early when Michael Cuddyer hit a 2-run bomb off CC Sabathia for a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning.  A frame later, aggressive base running by Orlando Hudson helped manufacture a third run. The O-Dog  singled through the left side and a batter later advanced all the way to third base when Teixeira had to dive to beat Joe Mauer to first base to record the out on Mauer’s tapper.  The O-Dog’s hustle paid off when Posada mishandled a Sabathia sinker for a run producing passed ball.

Sabathia couldn’t maintain the lead in the home half of the 6th after he retired the first two hitters.  The Twins loaded the bases and Sabathia, showing a rare lack of control, walked rookie Danny Valencia to force in the tying run.

Teixeira’s mammoth go-ahead blast off of Jesse Crain stayed just inside the right field foul pole and allowed Girardi to begin mixing and matching with his bullpen.  Boone Logan, David Robertson, Kerry Wood, and Mariano Rivera shut down the Twins the rest of the way and guaranteed the Yankees at least a split when they head home for Game 3 on Friday in New York.  Rivera recorded a four out, four broken bat save, getting Denard Span to ground out with the tying runs on base to end the 8th inning and Jim Thome to pop out as the tying run in the 9th.

From Joe Girardi’s press conference,

On Sabathia: “..it’s odd that he walked that many guys, but I threw the ball decent.”

On Granderson: “Grandy’s been a different guy since August in Texas.  He made that little adjustment..he’s a different guy.”

From Ron Gardenhire’s press conference:

On leaving Liriano in to face Granderson: “Granderson was hitting like .188 against him.  We wanted to let Liriano try to work his way out of it.”

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

After wasting a golden opportunity in the 9th inning to win it, the Yankees loaded the bases with no one out in the 10th against Hideki Okajima.  Curtis Granderson lined a lead off single and Brett Gardner followed with a sacrifice bunt. When catcher Victor Martinez’s throw ricocheted off Gardner and into shallow right field, Granderson raced to third.  Terry Francona elected to walk Derek Jeter to load the bases to set up the force at any base.

Okajima got pinch-hitter Marcus Thames to bounce into a force out at the plate, but Juan Miranda drew a walk to force in the game winning run.  A celebration worthy of ending a four game losing streak and lackluster play deservedly ensued.

The key to the game was the decision to go with Hughes.  He gave the Yankees six solid innings before departing in the 7th after walking back to back batters.  His fastball was sharp and had movement, and his curveball broke off nicely.  Most of all he gave the Yankees bullpen a breather.  Hughes left down 1-0, on a 3rd inning RBI single by Victor Martinez, as Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was even better.

The Japanese native allowed just a pair of singles and faced one hitter over the minimum through the first six innings.  Mark Teixeira had one of those hits and got another with one out in the 7th inning.  Alex Rodriguez entered the game swinging a red hot home run bat – three home runs in the prior two games – and came through again with a shot that landed in the front row in right-centerfield before bouncing back on the field.

The Yankees kept that 2-1 lead until the 9th with Mariano Rivera looking to finish off a four out save.  But it would turn out to be one of the weirdest innings Rivera would ever be a part of.  Ryan Kalish reached on a one out single and promptly stole second and third.  With the infield forced to play in, Bill Hall ripped a single past Rodriguez to tie the game.  Hall followed suit with a pair of steals and scored the go ahead run on Mike Lowell’s deep fly to center.

The Yankees have had success against Jonathan Papelbon, especially this season, and it continued Sunday night.  After retiring Derek Jeter, the Red Sox closer gave up back to back singles to Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira to set things up for the Bombers.  Pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez pulled a play out of the Red Sox playbook and swiped third base to put the pressure back on Boston.

Papelbon walked Rodriguez to load the bases and gave up an RBI single to AL MVP contender Robinson Cano to tie things up at 3-3.  But the game went to extra innings when Papelbon bounced back to strike out Jorge Posada and got Lance Berkman to fly out to end the inning.

Notes

The Yankees finish the regular season with a three game series in Toronto, have a day off on Thursday, and then conclude the 162 game schedule with three games at Fenway Park against the Red Sox.

Surely to be forgotten in Sunday night’s game will be the work of reliever David Robertson in the 7th inning.  With Red Sox runners on second and third, one out and the infield in, Robertson got Bill Hall to ground out to Jeter for the second out.  Then struck out Anderson to keep the Yankees down just a run.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

2010 Season Record: 86-52

The Yankees began the week tied with the Rays atop the AL East and were coming off a week in which they struggled.  But like the saying goes, “The great teams win when they have to.” and the Yankees did just that, reeling off an eight game winning streak.

In Game 1 the Yankees sent Dustin Moseley to the mound to oppose Oakland’s ace Trevor Cahill.  Moseley couldn’t make his way out of the 4th inning, but the Yankees hammered Cahill for eight earned runs in just four innings. The Yankees offense were led by the powerful bats of Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Marcus Thames, who combined to go 9 for 11 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs.  As a result the Bombers beat the A’s 11-5.

The Yankees potent offense kept the roll going in game 2.  Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, and Teixeira all went deep en route to a 9-3 victory.  Phil Hughes continued to get some of the best run support in the majors as he picked up his 16th win of the season.

Game 3 saw AJ Burnett show some signs of breaking out of his recent struggles.  Burnett allowed three earned runs in six innings struck out a season high eight batters.  The Bombers won the game 4-3 behind the continued dominance of Mark Teixeira’s bat.  The slugging first baseman went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI.

In the finale of the four game series the duo of CC Sabathia and Curtis Granderson completed the Yankees sweep of Oakland.  Sabathia allowed only one hit in eight innings of work and shutout the boys from the bay.  Granderson wasn’t in the starting lineup, but when Nick Swisher left with an injury, he quickly put his stamp on the game with a pair of home runs.  Sabathia picked up his 19th victory as the Bombers rolled to a 5-0 triumph.

Player of the Week, Mark Teixeira

After the Oakland series the Yankees welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays to “The House That George Built.”  In the first game of the series, starter Ivan Nova struggled on the mound.  The rookie starter allowed three earned runs in only 4.2 innings of work.  However the Yankees bullpen and offense overcame Nova’s bad outing.  The Yankees lineup collected 11 hits and scored seven runs, three of them driven in by the red hot Granderson.  The Bombers picked up their 7th straight win win a 7-3 victory.

The next afternoon the Yankees offense put up another seven spot, but it took Marcus Thames’ 2-run home run in the 7th inning to snap a 5-5 tie.  Unfortunately, the win wasn’t a complete success.  Javier Vazquez who was given a second chance as a starter struggled.  The right-hander allowed all five earned runs in just 4.2 innings and did not qualify for the victory.  For the second straight game, however, the Yankees pen bailed out an ineffective starter- this time with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The final game of the series saw the Yankees eight game winning streak come to an end as the Blue Jays pounced on starter Phil Hughes.  The neighbors to the north nailed Hughes for six runs in six innings and went on to a 7-3 win.  Despite the loss, the Yankees won their third straight series and maintained a 2 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Pinstriped Positives:

Even though the Yankees lost the final game of the Blue Jays series, the Yankees lineup got a boost with the return of Alex Rodriguez.  The All-Star third baseman went 2-5 and picked up his 98th RBI of the season.

Andy Pettitte threw a mid-week bullpen session and then a controlled game on Saturday, and felt good after both occassions.  He’s scheduled to throw a minor league rehab game for Double-A Trenton on Wednesday, 9/8.

Negatives and Concerns:

The Yankees starting rotation is still in chaos.  CC Sabathia is definitely the ace of the staff but questions remain as to the rest of the rotation.   The Yankees MUST have a healthy Andy Pettitte if they stand a chance of repeating.  Phil Hughes has been  very inconsistent in the second half.  A.J. Burnett has been up and down all season, with more bad starts than good ones.  Javier Vazquez, Dustin Moseley, and Ivan Nova have either been a regular starter or a fill-in, but none has inspired extreme confidence.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will stay in New York for the first part of next week as they take on Buck Showalter’s revived

Baltimore Orioles in a three game set.  Then the Bombers will head to Texas for what could be a playoff preview with the Rangers.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com

People talk about the great A.J., the good A.J., and the bad A.J.; tonight each made an appearance.  But unlike that winless August, Burnett hung tough, finishing strong in his final inning and, in the process, gave the Yankees some length from their starter.  Had it not been for a rested bullpen, Girardi said he most likely would have sent Burnett out for the 7th inning. Burnett said afterwards he can’t worry about “What the manager is saying/doing concerning the rotation.  I just need to go out and do my job.”

Burnett got an early boost from the Yankees offense.  Mark Teixeira drove in three runs on the night, putting the Yankees on the board in the 1st inning with an RBI double off A’s starter Brett Anderson.  Up 2-0 an inning later, Tex ripped a single through the left side to plate a pair of runners for a 4-0 lead.  Texeira single handedly has destroyed the A’s in the first three games of the series, going 8-10 with a walk and a hit by pitch in 12 plate appearances.

The A’s chipped away and cut the lead to a single run in the 6th when Burnett left a fastball up to Kevin Kouzmanoff with a man aboard.  The third baseman deposited it into the seats in right-center and suddenly it was a ball game.  Daric Barton came within inches of tying the game in the 5th when he narrowly missed the left field foul pole with a long drive, before adding to his American League lead in walks. But Burnett got Kurk Suzuki, who had two hits on the night, to fly out to end the inning.

Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, Kerry Wood, and Mariano Rivera finished off the night, with Rivera earning his 28th save, but this game was all about Burnett.  Afterwards, Girardi was quite pleased with his starting pitcher.

“I thought he had good command tonight, for the most part.  His curveball was excellent tonight; he threw some really good changeups.  He had a couple of strikeouts with them..at times they looked like hard splits.  And when he gave up some runs, he went out and got some big outs.  That’s the main thing. I liked his approach and I liked what he did.”

Girardi also called the victory, “a personality win”, paraphrasing an old Don Zimmer adage about a “personality hit”.  Pitching coach Dave Eiland added, “This is a good win to build on.”

Derek Jeter, who reached on a hit and an error and scored two runs, knew how big Burnett’s start was.  ”It goes without saying that A.J. is a big part of this team.  He’s a guy who is capable of going out there and dominating games.  I thought this was a step in the right direction for him.”

Jeter’s teammates certainly hope he is right.

Notes

In addition to activating Lance Berkman from the disabled list, the Yankees added Jonathan Albaladejo, Greg Golson, and Chad Moeller to the expanded 40-man roster.  In addition, Damaso Marte was moved to the 60-day DL.

Austin Kearn’s snapped an 0-19 skid with a single in the 3rd inning.

Curtis Granderson’s season continues to improve.  Prior to the game he said, “I feel good about my swing.  I just want to continue to contribute down the stretch”.   The Grandy man had two hits off left-hander Brett Anderson tonight and is hitting .409 (9-22) against lefties since August 12.

Teixeira’s hot hitting continued despite a sore foot sustained when he was hit by a Vin Mazzaro pitch in Tuesday’s game.  Prior to the game Tex told me that the foot was sore, but manageable and that his thumb felt good as well.

Moeller’s call up came just in the nick of time.  Though he might not have pinch-hit Jorge Posada for Francisco Cervelli had the third catcher not been there, it was crucial when Posada was ejected after arguing a called third strike in the 8th inning.

Boone Logan struck out the only batter he faced, Jack Cust, and has retired 27 of the last 31 left-handed hitters he’s faced.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

2010 Season Record: 80-50

The Toronto Blue Jays have been a thorn in the side of the the Yankees all season and it continued last week with a series at the Rogers Centre.   The series kicked off with a 3-2 loss in which Toronto slugger Jose Bautista provided all the excitement in the game with his bat and with his mouth.  Themajor league leader in home runs hit his 39th and 40thbombs of the season and in between the took exception to a head high pitch from Yankees rookie Ivan Nova.

Even though Nova clearly wasn’t throwing at Bautista, Bautista had some comments for Nova who didn’t back down for a second. Then Bautista went even further and started to head to the mound, which emptied the dugouts and bullpens.  Thankfully ordered was restored rather quickly without any violence occurring.    Though the Yankees lost,  Nova turned in a very respectable performance by allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched.

Dustin Moseley took the mound in a much less dramatic Game 2; however the game was definitely not short on fireworks.  The Bombers’ bats struck back with a vengeance- blasting five home runs.  Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Marcus Thames, and Curtis Granderson all went deep.   Moseley threw an effective six innings and the Yankees rolled to an 11-5 victory.

In the final game of the series Toronto’s bats once again got the better of Yankees’ starting pitcher.  The Blue Jays left Phil Hughes feeling blue, knocking the right-hander out of hte game after just 3.2 innings pitched.  Hughes control was an issue – he walked 5 batters – and allowed five runners to cross the plate.  Despite a brilliant relief performance from Javier Vazquez, one earned run allowed over 4.1 innings pitched, the Bombers still lost the game, 6-3, and the series as well.

After a much needed day off, the team traveled to Chicago to take on the White Sox.  It was a huge series since Chicago is in a division race of it’s own, chasing the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.

AJ Burnett took the mound for the Yankees in Game 1 and his struggles continued.  The slumping pitcher allowed eight earned runs in only 3.1 innings, including a four spot the 1st inning alone.  Veteran Freddy Garcia took advantage of the run support (7 IP, 1 ER) and the Chisox beat the Yankees 9-4.

The Bombers’ bats struck back with a vengeance in Game 2 by hitting four home runs in a wild 12-9 win.  The big flies were hit by Edwin Nunez (his 1st career home run), Nick Swisher and Marcus Thames, who hit a pair of long balls.  CC Sabathia struggled early for the Yanks, allowing five earned runs in seven innings, but picked up his 18th win of the season.

The series finale pitted Nova against veteran John Danks in a game that was that anti-thesis of Saturday’s slugest.   In his second career start Nova shut down Chicago’s offense, allowing only 1 earned run in 5.2 innings and the bullpen excelled the rest of the way.  Meanwhile on the offensive side, red hot Marcus Thames provided a solo shot and Brett Gardner added an RBI and the Bombers won the game 2-1.

Pinstriped Positives:

Kerry Wood was an after thought by many baseball fans when he was acquired from the Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline.  They had witnessed his struggles and his history of injuries.  However Wood has quickly become a dependablee arm in the Yankees bullpen.  Since donning the Pinstripes, Wood is 1-0 with a 0.71 ERA and has 15 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.

Sticking with pitching the Yankees recent rookie call up, Ivan Nova, has been very impressive so far.  Nova in two starts against tough offensive teams, the Blue Jays and White Sox, is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 14 innings pitched.  Nova has been a nice shot in the arm to the Yankees rotation, which has been scuffling of late.

Marcus Thames has really been killing the ball lately.  In his last 10 games Thames is hitting .294(10-34) and has 6 home runs with 12 RBI.

Negatives:

Derek Jeter has continued to struggle at the plate.  The Captain is batting .135 (5-37) with 1 HR and 4 RBI in his last 10 games.  His current .266 average is well below his career .314 average.

AJ Burnett must be the happiest player on the team now that August is over.  Burnettwent 0-4, 7.80 in 5 August starts, averaging just six innings each time out.

What’s Next:

The Bombers will head back to the Stadium to take on the young and talented Oakland Athletics and those hard hitting Toronto Blue Jays.  The Bombers ended the last full week in August in a tie atop the AL East with the Tampa Rays.  The toughest division in baseball looks like it’s going to come down to the last few days of the season.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

2010 Season Record: 77-47

After two weeks of mediocre play, the Yankees really needed to step up their play and that’s exactly what they did.  The Bomber’s went 5-2 on the home stand and managed to remain a game ahead of the Rays.

The week started on a sour note as the Yankees lost the series opener to the Detroit Tigers 3-1. Once again, the Yankees struggled against a pitcher they had not faced before.  This time around it was hard throwing Max Scherzer, who threw 6 innings of shutout ball, limited the Yankees to a pair of hits, and struck out 6.

The Yankees sent Javier Vazquez to the mound, but the pitcher’s dead arm and lack of velocity continued to fail him.  The right-hander was pulled without recording an out in the 5th inning.

The Yankees sent their ace, CC Sabathia to the mound in Game 2.  Sabathia had a rough start, allowing a home run on the first ball he threw to former Yankees prospect Austin Jackson.  But the big man, as he often does settled down and settled in.

The CY Young Award contender went 7 innings, allowed 2 earned runs and struck out 9 batters.  Both Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano hit home runs and the Yankees cruised to a 6-2 victory.

Game 3 quickly turned into a home run derby as Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano hit back to back jacks in the 1st inning to give the Bomber’s the early lead.  The Tigers answered the challenge with three home runs of their own, including a pair by that beast of a hitter Miguel Cabrera, but the Bomber’s offense proved to be too much.  Granderson outdid Jackson, the player he was dealt for, though and smacked a second home run in the Yankees 9-5 victory. Starting pitcher Dustin Moseley struggled, he allowed 4 earned runs in 5 innings, but stuck around long enough to pick up the victory.

In the series finale the Yankees continued their offensive assault on Detroit’s pitching staff.  Most of their damage came in the 6th inning when the Yankees put a 9 spot up on the board.  MVP candidate Robinson Cano stroked an RBI double and followed that up later on in the inning with a two run homer.  Phil Hughes also got the job done on the mound, by allowing only 2 earned runs over 6 innings of work. As a result he earned his 15th victory of the season.

Fresh off of taking 3 of 4 from the Tigers, the Yankees faced the AL West cellar dwelling Seattle Mariners.   Unfortunately for the Yankees they opened the series against the man who would be king.  Felix “The King” Hernandez that is.  The hard throwing right-hander dominated the Yankees for the third time this season (1 earned run allowed in 26 innings) and the M’s took the opener 6-0.   A.J. Burnett couldn’t built off his back to back good starts, giving up a pair of home runs to Russell Branyan and was charged with all 6 runs.

The Yankees held their collective breath and sent Javier Vazquez to the mound in Game 2.  Things went from bad to worse; Vazquez lasted just three official innings and was pulled after one batter in the 4th.  Luckily, the Pinstripe’s bullpen came in and stopped the bleeding and the Yankees offense took control.

Jorge Posada belted a home run and drove in two runs while Cano added a pair of hits and RBI.  However, the biggest hit came off the bat of rookie Eduardo Nunez who with one swing in the 7th inning picked up his 1st major league single, his 1st career RBI and put the Yankees ahead for good.  As a result the Bombers went on to a 9-5 win.

In the final game of the series, the Yankees once again called on their ace and once again he answered the call.  Sabathia dominated the Mariners with six shutout innings.  It was a performance that might have gone on longer if not for a lengthy rain delay, which caused him to be pulled from the game.  In earning his 17th win, Sabathia allowed just 3 hits and struck out 8 Mariners.  The Yankee’s offense also continued to dominate thanks in large part to Cano’s big bat.  The 2nd baseman had a huge day, belting a grand slam en route to a career high 6 RBI as the Yankees sailed to a 10-0 win.

Pinstriped Positives:

CC Sabathia continues to dominate this season, in his two wins this week he allowed only 2 earned runs in 13 innings of work.  Sabathia has compiled a 17-5 mark with a 3.02 ERA and is a solid pick to win the AL CY Young Award.

Robinson Cano’s offensive dominance has also continued.  In his last 10 games the All-Star second baseman is hitting .324 (12-37) with 4 homers and 14 RBI.

Austin Kearns has thrived in the New York spotlight.  In the 14 games he has worn the Pinstripes, Kearns is hitting .341 (14-41) with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.

Negatives:

Nick Swisher’s hot bat has definitely cooled down as of late.  In his last 10 games the Yankees’ outfielder is hitting .242 (8-33) with no homers and only 3 RBI.

Derek Jeter continues to struggle and remains on pace to have his worst season of his career.  The Yankees’ Captain is hitting just .216 (8-37) in his last 10 games.

What’s Next:

After Sunday’s victory the Yankees stood atop the AL East, one game above the Tampa Rays, who aren’t going away.  The Yankees will now head for Toronto to face the Jays to start a six game road trip.  After a mid-week day off the Yankees travel to face the AL Central contending Chicago White Sox.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

2010 Season Record: 66-38

The Bombers opened the week on the road with a four game series against Cleveland before they traveled to Florida to take on the 2nd place Rays in a huge three game set.

The Yankees took three of four from the Tribe, outscoring them 28-10 in the process.

In Game 1, New York sent Javier Vazquez, arguably their best pitcher over the past couple of months, out to the mound.  The veteran right-hander did not disappoint.  Vazquez went 7 innings, allowed two earned runs en route to a 3-2 Yankees win.  Nick Swisher’s solo home run and Curtis Granderson’s 2-run shot provided the offense.

CC Sabathia took the mound against his former team in game 2, but came out on the wrong end of a 4-1 decision.  The Yankees ace didn’t have his best stuff, but battled (2 ER) through 7 innings.  Sabathia got little support from his teammates, however, as the Yankees were held to five hits and committed a pair of costly errors.

The following night the Bombers showed how dominate they could be against one of the better pitchers in baseball.  Cleveland sent All-Star Fausto Carmona to the mound, but the mighty Yankee lineup beat him to a pulp.

The Indians’ ace was pulled with two outs in the third inning after he allowed seven earned runs and 10 hits.  The stars for the Bombers’ offense included Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, A-Rod, Granderson, and Brett Gardner, who collected two hits each.

AJ Burnett took advantage of the run support, picking up his third win in the month of July.  Burnett struck out seven in 6.1 innings and did not allow an earned run.

In the series finale, the Yankees sent Dustin Moseley to the mound for his first start of the season.  After a shaky start, Moseley pitched extremely well, allowing a single earned run in six innings.  The Bombers gave him plenty of run support, blowing the game open with a 7-run 7th inning.

Cano hit his 20th home run of the season, while A-Rod’s 3 RBI gave him a team high 85.  Granderson continued to swing a hot bat since the All-Star break as he contributed a pair of solo home runs.

After their successful series against Cleveland, the Yankees traveled to the Tampa/St. Pete area to take on the red hot Rays.  The opener saw a strong performance from Yankees starter Phil Hughes.  The 23-yr old was cruising along until one bad pitch in the 7th inning.  It resulted in a 3-run home run by Matt Joyce and turned a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 loss to Rays starter Wade Davis.

The middle game of the series saw the Yankees bring out the heavy lumber.  Cano’s tape measure shot in the 9th inning was his 21st home run of the season and gave the Yankees a 5-4 victory.  Swisher and Teixeira homered as well as the Yankees overcame a shaky outing by Vazquez.

In the rubber game of the series, “Big Game” James Shields lived up to his nickname.   The Tampa starter didn’t allow an earned run over seven innings and struck out 11.   Sabathia surrendered three runs in 6.1 innings and the Bombers dropped the finale 3-0.  The series win moved the Rays to within one game of the Yankees in the AL East.

Pinstriped Positives:

It’s time to pay some respect to a Yankee who has done nothing but his job for his whole career. That’s right I am talking about Mr. Automatic- Mariano Rivera. Mo has been turning in yet another amazing season- a 0.93 ERA, 3-1 record and 22 saves in 24 opportunities.

The Captain, Derek Jeter, has started to swing the bat well again. In his last 10 games Jeter is 13 for 47, which is good for a .310 average.

Curtis Granderson has also been wielding a hot bat in his last 10 games, going  is 9 for 31 (.290) with 3 HR and 9 RBI.

Negatives:

A-Rod has really been struggling as of late; in his last 10 games he is 6 for 38 (.158).  His home run drought since hitting career #599 certainly has to be weighing on his mind.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will now head back home to take on the Blue Jays for 3 games and then have a much needed day off.  Then it’s time to face off against the hated Red Sox, who are in striking distance of 1st place (6.5 games back).

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

Good thing he is just a guy with an opinion not a baseball manager or a president of a team’s baseball operations. If he ran or manage the Rays, they would not be the team they are today.

Since the post All-Star Break, Shields won three straight games prior to his start against the Yankees Sunday afternoon. His ERA was at 4.88 despite the winning streak, but disregard that for a second. Shields has gone deep in games, and he found the location to throw strikes in those three victories. Those are things Shields could not do in the first few months of the season.

Sunday’s performance showed Shields is back to being the bulldog pitcher the Rays expect him to be. He hit his spots well, and the Yankees had a hard time of finding a way to disrupt his change-up.

Shields started off well by pitching inside to Derek Jeter couple of times to start the game, getting newly acquired Lance Berkman out on two pitches and striking out Mark Teixeira with a heavy diet of fastball.

In the second inning, Shields ran into trouble. He gave up couple of hits after getting Robinson Cano out, and just like that, Shields was in a jam with runners at first and third.  Anyone thought the Yankees were going to take the  lead with two men on and one out?

No one could have blamed others for feeling that way, but Shields had other ideas. He struck out Curtis Granderson with a change-up, and Austin Kearns popped up meekly to end the threat.  This was the only opportunity the Yankees would get against Shields. After that, he shut the Yankees down for the rest of the day.

Shields was locked in from the third inning by being ahead of the count. At one point, he struck out six in a row.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi had a secret weapon waiting for Shields, and he used it in the seventh inning with one on and two outs. After intending to give Alex Rodriguez a day off just to get his mind off the home run milestone he is pursuing, here was Rodriguez with a chance not only to get that 600th home run of his career, but to give the momentum for the Yankees.  Instead, Rodriguez represented the tenth strikeout for Shields.

Shields could have went eight innings, but with his pitch count approaching 120,  Maddon elected to end his day with 116 pitches. The Rays starter finished the day by allowing four hits, striking out  11 and walking one in 7 1/3 innings.

The best way to describe this is dominance.

It was a vintage performance from Shields to say the least. It brought back memories from couple of years ago when he dominated the AL East teams.

Maddon mentioned this was the best performance he ever saw out of Shields. Maybe the Rays manager was caught up in the moment, but it’s hard to believe this was Shields’ best performance ever. Shields’ best performance came when he pitched a shutout against the Red Sox at Fenway Park couple of years ago in April. He blew the Red Sox away by throwing fastballs at every Red Sox hitter.

Shields’ recent starts have been encouraging, and if he can duplicate more performances like Sunday, the Rays starting rotation gets even better. The Rays have a good starting trio in David Price, Matt Garza and Jeff Niemann. Shields makes it better with his  postseason experience. He was the team’s best postseason pitcher couple of years ago.

With him, it’s all about confidence. If he can find his command of his pitches, he can go on a roll like he did Sunday afternoon.

Comparing his starts in May to his recent starts, there’s a change in demeanor. Shields was frustrated on the mound when he struggled. He was intimidated by the hitters at the time, but lately, that has not been the case. On Sunday, it was his turn to intimidate the Yankees.

It was hard to believe Shields would get back to the level he was two years ago. He looked done going back to last year. Teams figured him out by either homering off him or hitting lines drives off him, which inflated his ERA at either four or five. His fastball looked dead, and that’s his bread and butter pitch.

There was reasons to be concerned about him.

To Shields’ credit, his strikeouts were still there despite his struggles. He felt it was a matter of time until he got it together.  He finally mixed his change-up and fastball together, and that helped him to be successful again.

After seeing him in July and Sunday, it’s okay to call him Big Games James again.

2010 Season record: 40-23

After a long pursuit the Yankees have pulled even with the Tampa Rays atop the AL East.  The Yanks turned up the heat, going 5-1 as they showcased their powerful bats and crafty pitching.  As a result, the Bombers outscored their opponents 41-24 and took two out of three from Baltimore before completing a three game sweep of the Houston Astros.

The Yankees opened the week with a 12-7 win over the lowly Orioles.  The Yankees offense exploded for three home runs – two-run shots by Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher and a grand slam by Granderson.  Phil Hughes continued to make a case for himself to be included on the AL All-Star roster with a six inning, three earned run performace.

Teixeira had two additional hits, a pair of RBI and two walks.  Swisher banged out three hits and drove in five runs.

The only negative part of the game was the bullpen, Chad Gaudin to be specific. The recently re-acquired right-hander gave up four runs over the final two innings of the game.

The rest of the Baltimore series were not high scoring affairs like the first game.  The Yankees won the second game 4-2 thanks to a great pitching performance by CC Sabathia who pitched seven strong innings, struck out eight and allowed just two runs.

The Yankees offense took the night off in the last game of the series.  The Orioles won 4-3 behind rookie pitcher Jake Arrieta’s first win. Making his major league debut, Arrieta held the Pinstripes to four hits and three runs over six innings.

Back home at Yankee Stadium, the Bombers came back to life against the Houston Astros.  In game 1 of the interleague series, Andy Pettitte continued his dominance, allowing two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings pitched.  It was the first time Pettitte had faced his former team since returning to the Bronx prior to the 2008 season.

The Yankees bats had a revival in the final two games of the series, putting a nine spot on the board in each contest. In Saturday’s game, Derek Jeter went 2 for 4 with two homers and four RBI.  The Captain’s performance wasn’t the only big offensive outburst. Jorge Posada went 2 for 3 and hit a grand slam in the Bombers 9-3 win.

The Yankees and especially Posada were not done yet.  In the last game of the series, Posada, who caught his first game since May 16, hit another grand slam.  The Yankees beat Houston 9-5 and helped Phil Hughes win his ninth game of the season despite a rough outing.

Pinstriped Positives:

Javier Vazquez is finally starting to pull himself together and show people why the Yankees gave him a second chance.  In his last three starts Vazquez has allowed six earned run in 21 innings (2.45 ERA).

Andy Pettitte continues to amaze people in the baseball world.  In his last 10 games the Yankees pitcher is 7-1 with a 2.77 ERA. The win over Houston was his 200^thas a Yankee.  If he keeps at this pace maybe a Cy Young award will be his next achievement.

Posada had struggled since his return from the DL, hitting just .194 in 11 games.  However, as all Yankee fans saw against the Astros his bat came alive with four hits in nine at-bats. That, of course, included the pair of grand slams. Posada became the first Yankees since Bill Dickey 1937 to hit slams in consecutive games.

Negatives:

Unfortunately for the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez had to leave the finale of the Orioles series in the first inning.  A-Rod was pulled due to tightness in his right groin, which was later diagnosed as hip flexor tendonitis.  It caused the slugger to miss the entire Houston series, but it should not cause a trip to the DL.  On the bright side, doctors determined the injury was not linked to last year’s serious hip injury and surgery.

AJ Burnett has been struggling as of late. Over his last three starts, Burnett went 1-2 with a 4.90 ERA and saw his season ERA jump from 3.28 to 3.86.  Hopefully for Yankee fans he pulls himself together in time for his next start which will be against the Phillies.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are now tied with the Tampa Rays for the lead in the AL East and will need to keep their hot streak going in order to pass them.  The Yankees have a very important six game home stretch against two former World Series opponents, the Philadelphia Phillies and the cross-town rival New York Mets.

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

Drew Sarver contributed to this report.

In the American League, in figures released Monday, the outfield race is led by Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle (1,231,950 votes), followed by Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay (1,123,132) and Nelson Cruz of Texas (1,093,099), narrowly ahead of teammate Josh Hamilton (1,006,364).  New York Yankees teammates Nick Swisher (808,871) and Curtis Granderson (766,088) and Torii Hunter (765,023) of the host Angels are among those remaining in contention.

The only other American League race in doubt is at first base, where Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, with 1,402,496 votes, is holding off New York’s Mark Teixeira (1,221,457) and Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera (1,009,822) in a three-way race.

In the N.L., as announced by MLB today, outfield, catcher and shortstop are still up for grabs.  Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, the vote leader among N.L. outfielders last year, is again pacing the position (1,422,598).  Atlanta Braves rookie sensation Jason Heyward (1,419,753) is close behind, with Andre Ethier of Los Angeles holding the third spot (1,348,662).  Philadelphia Phillies teammates Jayson Werth (1,124,831) and Shane Victorino (1,029,700) as well as Matt Holliday (955,411) of the St. Louis Cardinals are still in contention.  Hanley Ramirez (1,190,685) of the Florida Marlins holds a small lead over Jimmy Rollins (992,887) of the Phillies at shortstop.

Placido Polanco

Placido Polanco of Philadelphia continues to pace the N.L. hot corner, with a lead of about 180,000 votes over David Wright of the Mets and 230,000 over Chipper Jones of Atlanta.

At N.L. catcher, Yadier Molina of the Cardinals has totaled 1,047,411 votes as he continues to hold off Braves catcher Brian McCann, who has collected a total of 959,033 votes.

Other starters whose leads seem secure include:

American League
C – Joe Mauer, Minnesota
2b – Robinson Cano, New York
ss – Derek Jeter, New York
3b – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
dh – Vladimir Guerrero, Texas

National League
1b – Albert Pujols, St. Louis
2b – Chase Utley, Philadelphia

Immediately following the announcement of the A.L. and N.L. All-Star rosters on Sunday, July 4, fans will begin voting to select the final player for each League’s 34-man roster via the 2010 All-Star Game Final Vote.  Fans will cast their votes exclusively online at MLB.com from a list of five players from each League over a four-day period and the winners will be announced after the voting concludes on Thursday, July 8.