Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
It's just been that kind of year for the New York Yankees.
The Bombers bust out with ten runs against the Rangers last night, driving Kameron Loe from the game in the fifth. Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano had the big days, both picking up a pair of doubles (the Yanks had six on the night), Jorge going 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored, Cano going 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Every Yankee starter reached base at least once. That includes the slumping Bobby Abreu (1 for 6), who moved to the leadoff spot in place of Johnny Damon, who got an extra day off following four chiropractic sessons and says he's feeling great, and Doug Mientkiewicz (1 for 5, RBI).
While all that was going on, Phil Hughes was carving up the Texas Rangers' lineup in just his second major league start. Hughes walked Kenny Lofton to start the game after getting ahead of him 0-2, but erased him on a double play off the bat of Michael Young and struck out Mark Teixeira. In the second, he walked Hank Blalock only to erase him on a double play as well, this one off the bat of the hot-hitting Ian Kinsler. Hughes didn't allow a ball out of the infield until Blalock's fly out for the second out of the fifth, and faced the minimum until he walked Kinsler following Blalock's fly out. Along the way he simply dominated. He started the second by striking out Victor Diaz (just called up from triple-A to take the place of the just-DLed Frank Catalanotto) on a wicked curve ball that literally dropped from Diaz's nose to his toes (it's the first pitch shown in this ESPN highlight clip). He then started the third by pumping three fastballs past Brad Wilkerson. Hughes had been 0-2 on the two hitters he walked in the first two innings and when he got Wilkerson 0-2 he shook off Posada to get the fastball, sending Wilkerson back to the bench on three pitches. His fastball was clocked at 91-92 miles per hour by the YES gun, but had explosive late movement. That heater, the wicked curve, and his change combined to give Hughes six strikeouts through 6 1/3 efficient innings (83 pitches, 64 percent strikes).
Put simply, Hughes had no-hit stuff last night. Indeed, he didn't allow a hit through those 6 1/3 innings. Then, with one out in the seventh and two strikes on Teixeira, Hughes reached back to break off an extra wicked curve ball, overextending as he followed through on the delivery, and felt his left hamstring pop.
That was it for Hughes no-hit bid. Hughes was removed from the game at that point and said after the game that there was no way he could have throw another pitch. He'll remain with the team for the rest of this short three-game road trip and likely get an MRI when they return to New York, but a trip to the disabled list is a certainty. The ESPN highlight linked above says Hughes will be out four to six weeks, though I'm not sure where they got that information. Peter Abraham thinks it will be a couple of months. Obviously, the Yankees won't be able to wager a guess themselves until Hughes gets his MRI.
The loss of Hughes is a blow to the rotation considering the fact that he was already delivering on his promise in just his second major league start, but in a twisted way this injury could be a good thing in the long run. Certainly the Yankees are lucky that it was Hughes' hamstring and not anything in his right arm that went pop, and having him spend most of the next two months on the DL could go a long way toward protecting that right arm. Brian Cashman had said before the game that Hughes was in the major league rotation to stay; that his development would continue at the major league level. That's a frightening change of plans regarding a 20-year-old pitcher who could be the most important asset this franchise has. Now, Hughes' hamstring will force the Yankees to bring him back along more slowly, and will limit his aggregate innings pitched to a reasonable total rather than the 200-plus he could have thrown if left in the rotation for the remainder of the season.
I'm not saying I'm glad that Hughes is injured. Certainly you don't want to see a young player hurt, and hamstrings have a habit of reoccurring, so you certainly don't want to see that pattern develop in any player, particularly one as important as Hughes. I do think, however, that the injury will protect Hughes from the team's desperation to overuse him this season, and I look forward to seeing more performances like last night's once he returns to the rotation, which hopefully will happen by the All-Star break at the absolute latest.
In the meantime, with Mike Mussina coming back on Thursday and Kei Igawa installed back in the rotation after his tremendous emergency performance on Saturday, the Yankees can turn to Darrell Rasner or, as Abraham suggests, Matt DeSalvo to fill the fifth spot in the rotation while Hughes (and Carl Pavano, of course) is on the shelf (of course, DeSalvo isn't on the 40-man roster right now).
As for the no-hitter, Mike Myers finished the seventh without incident, but blew the no-hitter and the shutout in the eighth. Still, thanks to another double play, the Rangers sent just 29 batters to the plate on the night, falling to the Yankees by the final score of 10-1. Luis Vizcaino finished the game in the ninth, marking just the third time all season that the Yankees completed a game with just three pitchers (the other two times both coming in their first road series in Minnesota in games started by Andy Pettite and, yes, Carl Pavano).
Really, everything that needed to go right for the Yankees last night did, with one glaring exception.
In other news, Chien-Ming Wang, who was hampered by a broken nail in his last start, will throw a bullpen today which will determine if he'll be able to make his scheduled start on Saturday. The Yankees expect he will indeed take his turn. More importantly, Bobby Murcer made a triumphent return to the YES booth last night, and Frank Torre has received his kidney transplant. Both Frank and his daughter, who donated the kidney, are doing well.
I'm still depressed.
Now I'm worried that Phenom will only get about 150 IP, which would slow his development.
Hughes was that good -- toying with major league hitters, painting both edges of the plate, pumping fastballs, spinning knee-buckling curves, and mixing in a Buggs Bunny change.
Cliff's rational argument sure makes sense, but I still wish he were pitching again on Sunday...
I believe that the Yankees can play well enough without him for two months to benefit from the improved production that this injury is likely to bestow upon Hughes come playoff time. If they get to the playoffs, they'll have a better Hughes than they would have had if he never sat out the 2 months. As long as the Yankees can keep Wang, Pettitte, and Mussina healthy for 90% of their starts the rest of the way, I think they'll still win 95 games.
I think the Yankees need to get another pitcher. If would be nice to get a CC/Zambrano type, but I don't see that happening. At this point, if we loose any of Wang/Andy/Moose for any period of time, we are cooked.
Maybe the Yanks can have a secret meeting with Roger to see if he's coming aboard. It's May, and at this point, Roger knows where he's going, although he will milk the situation for all it's worth.
I though our rotation, while not be best, was good enough and deep enough, considering our offense. But at this point, due to our INJURIES, I think we need to get one SP.
Considering 'Fate', we could certainly now continue the 'should we bring Phil up to MLB' debate, but I for one don't have the heart for it. Maybe we should officially put it on the 'Dead Horse' pile.
It's still very early, but anybody take a look at th NL Central? Roger must have his bags packed already, it's just a matter of who buys his ticket... Brian or Theo.
PH***ING A
UN-FUL-PHIL-LED
and
PHIL FEELS NO-NO PAIN
The Daily News went with:
WOE HITTER
The Yankees would open a bullpen slot for a more durable arm, save $3 million and fill the #5 slot in the rotation with a serviceable pitcher.
The Phillies would acquire a reliever who has had some very good years in the NL, allowing them to return Myers to the rotation.
On the surface, it seems to make sense. Maybe the Yankees could also get the Phillies to add in Chris Coste, who would be a significant upgrade over Will Nieves? Any thoughts?
"...the injury will protect Hughes from the team's desperation to overuse him this season, and I look forward to seeing more performances like last night's..."
Word, Cliff.
All these hamstring injuries; bad luck or poor conditioning?
If it's the latter, something's gotta change.
The strange thing about the game is that it allows for goats to become heroes. Get that Carlo.
Hughes Gotta be Kidding.
Another Yankee Starter Goes Down.
Quite frankly, I think this team is snake bit this year. Wang was on the DL, same with Moose, Pettitte will be at some point (elbow, I'm betting), Pavano ('nuff said). And two of the guys brought up -- Karstens and Hughes get injured. It's impossible to win if a starter goes down every game.
And this is not Torre's fault, nor Guidry's, nor Mattingly's, nor Cashman's. Sure, you could expect creaky old veterans to be on the 15 day DL at some point, but when your rookies get hurt too, and guys you've traded for (Sanchez) are out for 18 months, it is just an unbelievably bad string of luck. Maybe it is payment time for 1998 (Cone gets bit, and El Duque steps up big).
This Hughes thing sucks- unbelievable. He said he felt it because he overextended trying to really get on top of that pitch, which leads me to believe it's less of a conditioning thing than an effort thing. Maybe a little too fired up.
Can't fault Torre for this one though, given how he was cruising, and his pitch count. If Joe had told Phil after 5 that the 6th would be his last frame, then maybe he goes and does the same thing trying to blow away his last batter then...
It is hard to say anything other than Phil Hughes being hurt really sucks. Cliff does a good job of taking the rationale perspective on what should have been done with Hughes.
And yes, no way this is Torre's fault. Besides, pulling the guy with a no hitter is tough.
That still leaves:
Wang
Pettitte
Moose
Igawa
Rasner
DeSalvo
Wright
I don't see why they'll make a trade for a pitcher. Plus, I'm sure Jeff Weaver and Sidney Ponson will be DFA'd within three weeks in case they still need "help".
No barstools, just wheelchairs.
Happy Hour special today: $2 dollar shots of cortizone.
It only hurts when we laugh, Yanks fans.
i had the same thought regarding this bump in the road limiting hughes' innings. still, this is getting ridiculous.
this has surpassed bad luck. this goes beyond being snake bit. i'm beginning to get the feeling larger karmic and/or cosmic forces are to blame.
the curse of sal fasano perhaps?
Man, I've never felt worse after a 10-1 thumping. Even the 6 pitcher no-hitter and the 22-0 loss were both just one games.
Let's keep on looking for the light....
6 Yep, it sure was. Bobby doing PbyP, the Yanks hitting, and Hughes dominating felt like it was all good and the world was turning in our favor.
Thanks for the "bright side" on it Cliff.
I have said all month that I firmly believe the Rocket will land in NY because with the pitching staff decimated, it plays right into Roger's mentality. He can come back as "The Savior" which suits his ego just fine. Throw in his old pal Andy, and the chance to play mentor to a kid called the "Bottle Rocket" and it seems to me like the odds are overwhelming the Yankees will get him.
But the injury also keeps the hype further under control. Imagine if he had finished the no-no last night? What would this place look today to say nothing of the backpages.
I'm not sure that another ring is as important to him as how he gets it -- if he doesn't lead a team to it, then I don't think it will be that big a deal. That's why he was happy in Houston.
I don't see him playing second fiddle to Schilling, Beckett and/or Dice-K just to get another ring.
"Tavarez feels Sox don't need to get Clemens"
Well, of course he wouldn't think so.
Second, while part of me wonders if this might be just not "their year" I think the Yanks are going to be ok. As long as the pitching can be league average, we're going to win a lot of games due to the offense. Abreu, Cano and Damon have yet to do anything offensively this season and in Abreu and Damon's case that almost certain to change. I'm even reasonably sure that Cano will have a red hot month somewhere along the line. So the offense is going to continue to score a lot of runs.
If the starters can go from horrendous to mediocre, we will make a race of this yet.
http://tinyurl.com/2pwmz9
4 Ditto.
Who the hell could care enough to look up such a stat?
What an awesome game. I feel bad for Hughes, but c'est la vie. Totally agree with Cliff and many of you - it could end up saving the kid's arm.
As for getting Matt DeSalvo onto the 40-man, the Yanks could move Sanchez to the 60-day DL, which IIRC, means he doesn't count for 40-man purposes, and then add DeSalvo. Isn't Veras going to miss most the year too? Moving him to the 60-day DL is another option.
A cynic would suggest doing the same with Pavano, but I'm too happy about Hughes's gem to be cynical this morning.
Control-wise he's probably a safer bet than DeSalvo. DeSalvo walked 5 last night in 5 2/3 innings, though two of them were the last guys he faced.
Was Joe really going to let Hughes complete the no-no? That could have taken around 120 pitches. I believe that Will Carroll has suggested something like a 90-pitch limit for pitchers under 22. The hammy pull could be a blessing in disguise.
150 innings stunts Hughes' development in that the Yankees will now want to limit him to 180 innings next year. If he went 180 this year, he would have been set to shoulder a full load (~210 innings) in 2008.
I am confused about the hesitance regarding Darrel Rasner. He was reasonably solid in two starts, yet Torre gave him the hook after 75 pitches against Cleveland (setting the bullpen overuse syndrome into motion). He certainly deserves another shot now before a dice-roll on DeSalvo. Besides, if Rasner comes up now and sticks, he will have spent less than 20 days in the minors, so he will have another option for 2008 (I think).
53 As for Phelps, with Washburn (a lefty) starting on Sunday vs the Yanks, I expect to see Phelps then.
I'm worrying less about Minky. No good reason why.
Not only should this guy have been fired, the guy who hired Miller should be fired.
Farnswacker reacts to the firing of Marty Miller:
"Shit, man, no more potato sack races? Them's was real fun."
Stop it, you're making me snark coffee out my nose! HAHAHAA!!!
;-)
"I'm sorry (actually, I'm not sorry at all), but it doesn't take much of a brain to figure that prepping professional athletes is a little different from getting old people limber for their day of lounging by a pool or sipping fruity drinks and complaining about Social Security."
Made me almost spit water on my keyboard...
Why not drop Cliff/Alex and email? I know it's do-able, as other sites have it.
http://tinyurl.com/3dy7bp
"So Philip, would you be interested in my new hamstring tweaking program? I've already worked with Moose & Wang and it's done wonders for them towards resting their other muscles... After all, you can't hurt your pitching arm if you can't throw off a mound!"
Pete's got a tough job, balancing being a beat writer AND a blogger. On the beat, his primary job is to report. With a blog, you almost have to analyze, or at least offer an opinion - otherwise, what's the point? Sometimes I think his analysis is spot on; sometimes I don't. But he's never afraid to express his opinions and support them. In my experience, its the lack of support for arguments/opinion in some comments that make it unreadable. That some folks bash Pete just makes it worse.
or,
"Two weeks severance pay, AND you'll write me a letter of recommendation to the Mets and Sox? You got yourself a deal Mr. Cashman!"
"You want fries with that?"
My entry:
"C'mon guys - stretch those hammies! One and two and three and . . . well, I guess that's long enough. Let's see, how about we stretch those forearm muscles next? Who wants to lead? Carl?"
http://tinyurl.com/yskgde
Nice find, Bama!!!!
Here's the book he should probably reading NOW ...
http://tinyurl.com/272enc
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