man, i really feel bad for hughes, another tough break for the kid

let's hope IPK steps up tonite

here in oneonta, we had flurries yesterday and it was 19 degrees overnight.

call me an idiot, but IPK breaks though tonight, and the bats wake up.

insane prediction:

IPK 7 IP 6 H 1 ER 7 K 1 BB
Robertson 3 IP 8 H 5 ER 2 K 4 BB

oh what the hell

Cano: 4-5 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBIs
Duncan: 1-4 HR BB
Jeter: 3-5 2B
Ensberg 2-4 2 2B

and to be fair

Abreu: 0-5 3 K

lets go yanks

What in the hell is the new record goal for all? Stay at or near 500 until Memorial day. Do that and I suppose all won't be lost. Oh, and stay dry tonight.

See what you can do by throwing strikes IPK?

Now THIS is the Ian Kennedy we know and love. Much more like it boy-o

Is IPK usually a fly ball pitcher? Anyway, good start for him. I'll be rooting for him. My dad's been down in the dumps about the Yanks lately. I told him ARod shouldn't be out too long at least.

Good start for Robertson, too. ;-)

Wow Bobby assassinated that ball!

That is exactly what this team needed.

NICE!

now, time for duncanstein to go back-to-back!

Man, that had to be scary for Cabrera, having Duncan bearing down on you and crashing over you. The man does not go down gently!

Abreu not going 0-5 tonight. Well, maybe 0-5 on making outs.

Guillen and Cabrera are going to be fun to watch for the Tigers. I am not sure why they don't return Guillen to 1B, move Inge to 3B, ship Cabrera to 3B and put Jones on the bench.

Woah did he look safe

No, I take that back, he's out!

Kennedy seems to be missing hight a lot on his FBs tonight

13 You mean ship Miggy to Left? Man, I'm not sure he could man the OF.

IPK's command not looking anything like what it did first inning.

6 He's a fly ball pitcher in that his great change gets a lot of flys, but I think generally speaking he gets a fairly good split between FB/Gb

Ugh, what a disappointing 2nd inning

I hope we're not in for another game in which a strong first inning for the offense leads to nothing for the following eight.

Oy, Damon went down hard there. Considering he's basically already hurt according to Kat O'Brien, no good...

I'm at a bar, waiting to go to another show and just saw Damon's clownery.

It made me scream out loud and gesticulate like a madman, "God, this fucking team!"

cheapest run ever

A giveaway run...this team has done that way too much.

Gift-wrapped with kisses, Johnny Damon.

I'm beginning to hate Polanco...

Oh, I missed the first, quick summary, please?

It seems like every freaking game its raining...

Kennedy has totally lost his control...

sigh

God dammit...Saw that coming.

And of course the offense will do squat from here out

All the good feelings...gone.

Oh my God.

What the FUCK kind of 1-2 pitch was that?

Oh the clownery continues...

Oh my goodness this is absolutely pathetic...I hope Abreu is okay.

Abreu completely bothced that one, but Kennedy simply isn't fooling anyone.

29 Or his mind.

Oh my God.

This embarrassing.

There's your wall, Bobby.

Ah good, the 2008 Yankees are back.

Holy crap. What happened? I turned my back for a minute, and we're losing???

Like Hughes, the Yankees can't keep running Kennedy out there to pitch to a 9 ERA.

Thank God Jason wasn't there.

The ball was hit and I immediately visualized Jason botching it.

God.

Ten minutes ago it was 3-0.

Next thing they'll steal home.

Ok kid, you got out of the inning, now regain your freaking control.

With both Kennedy and Hughes their control is killing them, which is somewhat mystifying, as it would suggest mechanics, which is exactly what Eiland is supposed to specialize in...Obviously with Hughes there is the rib thing too

40 Ahhh, now we are going to play this game too...

Good old first-pitch-swinging Jeter.

Good to see Jeter work the count leading off an inning.

Christ, we can't get these guys off the field fast enough so they can steal home.

43 Game? Do you think it's a game to run out pitchers that get shelled and can't get past 3-4 innings? No, I don't think it's a game.

42 I think its more like second time through the lineup. The hitters adjust, Kennedy hasn't been as quick to yet.

40 I'll watch Kennedy pitch to a nine ERA before I watch Igawa pitch to a nine ERA.

47 It sure seems like a game with you. I'll just refer to 49 everytime you start down that course.

Until this team starts to hit, I have no problem running out Kennedy, as only a pitcher with a 2.00 ERA is gonna help this team

Yankees are rolling over.

And why is Duncan hitting in front of Matsui?

49 As bad as Igawa was, he didn't pitch to a 9 ERA.

50 Nope...I want to see the Yankees win, not watch pitchers who aren't ready for the bigs.

This freaking team

52 Neither did Ian Kennedy.

52 Well, good for you. But unfortunately for you, the Yankees have other interests besides your viewing pleasure, such as long term success...

I don't know what Leiter's on about 'cause it's muted here, but I love the manic look in his eye and the wild gesticulation when he's making a point.

I think it's cool.

That's a really good pitch.

What is that, his change up?

NIce fading action.

56 He was calling Kay fat for awhile when they were talking about Reggie bars. It was funny, yet true

Al Leiter is discussing someone's reluctance to throw strikes.

55 The Yankees interests is success period...short term and long. They are not going to sacrifice this season so Kennedy can learn how to pitch. If he doesn't pick it up soon, he will and should be demoted.

Nice recovery, Ian, nice recovery.

It's on the sticks now.

That inning impressed me. Kid came right back and got a 1-2-3. He's been slowly but steadily improving. Innings like the third are going to happen and that's part of growing pains. Kid's still pitching well.

60 AS Lieter and Flash just explained, Kennedy is showing clear signs of a reluctance to throw strikes. He's not missing wildly. Sending him to the minors won't fix that, facing big league hitters and learning to get them out will...Its therefore in the best interests of the team to get him through it now. Young pitchers struggle, get used to it.

With the way this offense is, Kei Igawa isn't going to help them win.

62 Especially when you have a circus act of defense.

62 QFT

59 At some point Leiter pointed out that he was unaware how slow he worked until he was in the booth. Then he said he'd want to tear his hair out if he had to watch himself pitch. At least he's honest and has a sense of humor.

But c'mon, David Cone was discussing how pitch counts were useless and you shouldn't baby pitchers. That's more hilarious.

IPK had a bad inning, let's give him a break on tonight's performance until we see where he ends up: it easily could be 6 innings, 4 runs. I think we'd all accept that. The weather, however, doesn't look promising on weather.com.

All right!

Now let's have Hideki avance on a wp and then strand him there!!

You know, just for laughs.

More first pitch swinging...at some point Girardi and Long have to reemphasize patience or this team is done.

66 That's very funny.

I like our booth guys, a lot.

Nice line drive, there!

All right, Team, here we go!

Oh God Robinson

69 Ditto.

Two first-pitch pop ups to center.

Kill me now.

And again, no hit with runners in scoring position.

Horrible offense...if this lasts much longer, I guess the Yankees can let Kennedy learn how to pitch at the big league level. For that matter, they may be able to get a look at all the prospects they can fit on the 40-man.

60 If the only viable alternative is someone markedly worse, they need to stick with Kennedy.

For a little positive spin.
It's 1 bad inning. The others were fine.
He was hit by Magglio and Miggy, 2 very fine hitters who have hurt a lot of pitchers.
The last run was on Abreu, who's wall-itis has him backpedaling instead of running to the wall. It should be 3 runs.

Hey, that was a nice first pitch curve to Sheff.

Why hasn't he thrown that more?

Kennedy has been getting a small strikezone this innings

That's just not acceptable.

I'd let Kennedy try one more here. Honestly

Typical offensive showing

Watching this team simply hasn't been much fun this season. Let's hope that changes soon.

That Damon swing sums up everything nicely.

The way you win 90+ games is you beat the crap out of Floyd, Byrd, Sowers, Rogers, Robertson and Bonderman. The Yankees have lost all 6 of those games. Now, they get to face Bedard and Felix. The outlook right now is as very bleak.

Ditto for Jeter. WTF?

Well, at least now they are striking out, but not on the first pitch. That's sort of progress.

Like I said, with the way this offense works, might as well let the kids struggle and learn. Minus the occasional offensive "outburst," this is a team that can be counted on to score a maximum of 3 runs a game. Not many pitchers can help you there

late arrival this morning..is it worth laoding up mlb.com for GameDay or would cleaning the staples off my desk be more rewarding?

Hey! look at that, see what happens when you're patient?

90 Staples man, staples.

That clip of Leyland chewing out the ump immediately after "God Bless America" was a riot. RISP. Look out below.

Yay Shelly!

Shelley Duncan! Great AB!

Hey, put a star on that one.

Zack, I think we're the only two people still watching...

AS Duncan knocks Pena over with a shot to the chest

97 Sure seems like it huh? Not man around the Banter to begin with, too painful.

In fact, I'm not really sure why I am still watching either! At least its tied now

99 I'm here, trans-pacific mental high-five to youse after Duncanstein's clutch hit

I'm still here gents. I'm putting all my enery into helping the BJs hold onto a 2-0 lead over the Sox (after 6 1/2).

3-0? Geez... No doing a very good job, am I. Or AM I?

I'm watching, but you know, we have some tornado warnings around here, so I'm a little distracted.

102 the missus asked me last night why I started cursing at that ugly bald man on tv last night..."Youk" celebrating after the BoSox latest "knowing how to win" comeback..sigh...

By the by, they have won with pitching, but the Red Sox have scored all of 8 runs over the last 5 2/3 games.

101 If we can steal this one from the Tigers and the Sox don''t win their 3 straight 9th inning thriller. We'll be back to 2 games. Effin incredible.

101 OYF, I think we need all energy focused on the Yanks' bats, as the Sox scores won't matter much at this rate

I feel like I've watched this whole season with my hands covering my eyes.

That was fast.

Time to turn the 'ol ball game off

sigh

Huge out. Now if only he could get another one of those popups.

Their scrubs are raking.

Ouch, spoke too soon. There goes the game.

Holy crap a Chris Britton siting! Clearly Girardi is giving up on the game

This is the problem with continuing to get less than 5 innings from your starter. Not only does their poor performance put you in hole, but then you need middle relief to pitch that much more.

The Yankees need to seriously reevaluate things, otherwise this season will be in jeopardy.

116 This is the problem with having a pathetic offense...

The problem is I have no confidence we will get those two runs back with the lineup we have nowadays. It really fews like it's game over.

117 Four runs in five innings is not pathetic. The offense hasn't been great, but when you are constantly looking up at a deficit, I can understand why the hitters are pressing.

what a fucking disaster

ok, I'm ready to go back and admit that they should have traded for Santana...

119 4 runs in 5 innings against struggling pitcher is pathetic, especially when put in the context of the past however many games. I'm not making excuses for Kennedy, but they weren't "constantly looking up at a deficit" they were down by 1 run starting in the 3rd. Kennedy was one out away from a 5 inning start.

Look, the kids are going to struggle. Pettitte has been crap the last two starts and Moose is who he is and won't give you more than 5 usually. The way this team is constructed, the offense HAS to do more than that against these guys and PEttite HAS to do more. Otherwise it won't matter.

YOu can expect more from the kids, but you also have to expect a growth curve and be willing to let them suffer through some problems, like that 5th inning. YOu can rail all you want about how the kids MUST BE SENT DOWN!! but this team is simply not going to win games hitting this way.

This Ensberg guy, he's horrible. He really sucks offensively.

121 Santana can't hit, can he?

the weather this year is getting old ... how many days of cold and rain are we gonna get???

Seriously, Robertson gives up 3 runs before getting an out and here he is in the sixth. Why the hell can't we deliver a knockout blow to any pitcher?

124 if he gave up 3 ER in 7 or 8innings, the offense would not look nearly as bad. at this point, anyone who can average 6 IP would help!

A weak swing at a 3-0 and then not running hard out of the box...it's time for Robbie to sit for 2 or 3 games and for Girardi to start lighting into some guys.

124 No, but he can win games when the team scores 4 runs.

123 the tigers announcers were just commenting on his swing, saying that he looks awkward and uncomfortable at the plate ... then sorta laughed and said "guess the yankees will need him to fill in for a-rod until he gets back ... good luck with that"

Alex's intro says it all--
"mom, what's for dinner?"
Chickenfried Ass tonight, kids!"
"but mom, not AGAIN...."

128 who knew we'd miss the ultimate red-ass, larry bowa, so much, so soon???

I can only wonder what Hank is thinking and how long it is going to be until we find out.

126 Because we have Moeller, Ensberg, Gonzalez and a bunch of other scrubs playing regularly. And we have Cano and Giambi hitting like scrubs. We have like two guys who can be trusted to get hits.

121 Way too early for that...

133 And an offense that wont take pitches, which I put on the manager as much as the players. I am sorry, but when Ensberg is leading of an inning when you are down by 2 runs, you order him to take a strike.

128 127 Sure it would help. But even with Wang and Santana, then you would still have Pettitte, Moose, and lets say Rasner to do what they haven't been able to/aren't able to. And with the offense still sucky, this team wouldn't be all that much better.

Besides, Santana has already given up 7!! home runs this year in the NL, and, while I know he'd still be good, I do wonder just how good in the AL East.

133 We still have Damon, Jeter, Bobby, Cano, Matsui, Melky, and Giambi who were slated to be "regulars," so that excuse doesn't really work

132 oohhh...i imagine he's just ripping into packs of Camels...really really really hope they sign Bonds and release Giambi..

Not to mention, Chad Moeller's been hitting really well. I don't expect him to keep it up all year, but he sure hasn't been dragging the team down so far.

136 If you only turn 3 losses into wins with Santana, you are 17-12 and assured of two pitchers (and 3 when Pettitte gets righted) of giving you quality innings.

I didn't want the Santana deal, so I can't second guess, but more and more it is looking like I was wrong.

130 , 132 Church's Chicken sucks anywhere you go...

guess The Make A Wish Kid's chance has come and gone, the worthlesswacker is up in the bullpen

WTF is the point of having a player on the roster if he's NEVER used? WTF does this organization have against Britton?!?!?!?

138 I wish Cashman felt that way...Bonds, and his patient approach, is exactly what this offense needs.

142 This season is getting so bleak, that I don't really care about Britton anymore, and he was one of my favorite causes last year.

143 Please don't start that again. We get it, you want Bonds. Does it have to be a topic of conversation every night?

143 I'd agree with you if I didn't think he'd demand Thurman's locker; not that it makes a difference or anything, right?

145 See 138 . I didn't bring it up.

Man I was hoping Guillen would throw that ball away.

140 Nothing like using a month of the season to affect your decision. If you were against the trade, then a month shouldn't change that.

And sure, those three wins would make the team look better, but they would still have the same flaws.

What a powerful offense. I'm really digging those hard hit balls.

wow ... another one of our patented 35 foot dink-and-squibbler rallies

Alright - HBP and a 2 base error and we're right back in it!

148 What's influencing my decision is Kennedy looks awful...I am very concerned about him in the long-term.

Also, the team wouldn't have the same flaws because they be rock solid in the 1-4 in the rotation.

Still, your point is taken...but I am starting to doubt my original assessment.

another patented Bronx Blooper rally??

c'mon bobby, give us a lift!

No shock there

Another game with more hits than the other team and a bunch fewer runs

This offense sucks. A weak liner to second is the best Abreu can do with a 3-1. Awful.

What's galling about that is we got not one, but two breaks that inning on Damon and Jeter's "hits". Just putrid.

(fuck)

Who would have thought. Weak hit ball to center. This is pathetic. Even Abreu, our best hitter can't pick us up.

143 just think when A-rod gets back to have those two b2b in the lineup..OBP issues would be gone

Haha, Kay couldn't tell the difference between fatty Alby and fatty Britton...

But Britton continues to rot

Now watch them score three more this inning and run away with this game.

Players, manager, GM...2008 hasn't started well for any of them.

Why was Alby still pitching? Is it really that horrifying to bring in Britton?

163 What you said

And that home run chases me from the game....

164 on the bright side, we get to see Rasner or Igawa this weekend!

Too predictable an outcome to be angry. The team is falling apart and the manager seems overmatched. The recipe for an ugly season is brewing. Somewhere in LA, Mr. Torre is smiling.

166 It's just the way we roll this year. Very predictable.

164 awesome, great managing there, joey joe joe, way to throw this game away ... albaladejo was already at 30+ pitches ... and still britton sits

fuck you joey

Albaladejo gave up 3 or 4 hits last inning. He barely got out of it. Why would you bring him back for the next inning. This is horrible.

169 Except that the Dodgers aren't exactly doing so much better and have their own issues...

Someone needs to get Girardi a white flag.

wow ... tiger announcers are going to town on the yanks pitching "kennedy had mediocre stuff, this young man has mediocre stuff, the tigers' hitters can't wait to get up there ..."

173 Doesn't really matter. The failure of the Yankees does more to vindicate Torre than does the succcess of the Dodgers.

now here's the man the yankee fans ought to be booing!

173 I don't know, their team looks so much better than ours.

175 He did...and it has been mediocre all season. If that's the best Kennedy has, we are all kidding ourselves if we think he will be anything more than a back-end starter.

Unfucking real. With 2 out in the 9th, the Sox get 1st and 3rd with their 6,7 batters. Tying run at the plate.

180 Doesn't seem like it matters anyway. Except when Wang is on the mound, I can't I feel like the Yankees are a good bet to win.

Thank God it's over! 3-0 BJs. Sox now have 8 runs in their last 6 games. 4 hits tonight.

179 And you are kidding yourself if you think "thats the best Kennedy has." he's done better this year, he did better last year, and he has a track record in college and the minors to prove it. He is a finesse pitcher who has not been able to be as such, mostly, it seems, from confidence issues...

175 Oh the irony. The announcers for the team with the pitching staff with perhaps the least amount of "stuff" out there taking another team's staff to task

179 i wasn't disagreeing with them, kennedy's been quite the disappointment. not just his stuff, but his command and his approach. he's spit the bit.

as for where he slots in a rotation, if he gets it together, who knows? without command, he's probably not even a 5th starter.

@williamnyy23: Why do you say that Girardi looks overmatched?

I'm sick of this laid back style of managing. We had enough of it with Torre and now Girardi seems to be doing the same thing. We need a little Billy Martin intensity and ass chewing to wake this team up.

183 He hasn't had much better stuff all season. He also only has 80 IP above single-A, so there is no track record in the minors. At age 23, Kennedy isn't as raw as Hughes. By no means is Kennedy can't miss.

Two outs for Britton...back to the minors young man!

Toronto really has some good pitching..BoSox couldn't touch them this series.

185 Because he has been more laidback than Torre and already has made several questionable moves. Leaving in Albaledejo when all the signs indicating otherwise is the lastest small example that Girardi is as much an autopilot, formula manager as Torre.

"This offense sucks. A weak liner to second is the best Abreu can do with a 3-1. Awful"

You think your offense sucks, try watching my Sox for the last 5 games. We're batting like a buck fifty for the last 45 innings.

You cats all had a major whinge last year and I remember posting around this time last year telling you that NY would come good.
New year, same deal. Too much talent not to win 95 games.

189 And the Red Sox matched them, which doesn't bode well at all.

#192
Sure the Sox pitching has been outstanding for the last 7 games, but hitting .150 ain't getting in done.
Even Gibson lost 9 games in 1968.

187 Nobody has ever argued that Kennedy's ceiling as as high as Hughes's or that his stuff is as good, but read all the reports, look at his stats, and track down video, even from the majors last year, and he has EXCELLENT control. He certainly isn't a can't miss prospect, but he also has a very solid floor. If given the time and attention to get through this, theres no reason he couldn't be a solid #4/#5. The fact that Kennedy AND Hughes are struggling with similar issues to me says something about the coaching...

193 Fine...they both wont make the playoffs. Maybe this is the year of the Rays.

193 And if that series was played outside of Fenway, where the Sox really do seem to have that comeback mojo, they very easily coulda been swept

187 it seems like his stuff is off from when he was up at the end of last year. i seem to recall him sitting a couple of ticks higher with his FB ... say 88-91 ... occasionally dialing it up to 92 or 93 when he needed it.

fastball down, lack of command, makes you wonder if he's got something wrong with him, too ... meh!

#195
Nah, not this year. They'll come close, but I think next year is their year.

Next year both NY and the Sox will have Ortiz, Manny, Posada, Jeter and A-rod one year older and even more inclined to get injured, drop off in consistency etc...even worse than this year.

194 There are a lot of less than glowing reports on Kennedy. Also, as I pointed out, his track record in the high minors is very small (for what it's worth Clippard had great minor league stats).

Kennedy simply hasn't shown enough to merit remaining in the rotation and making it extremely difficult to win the games when he starts.

Blame the coaching all you want, but neither of these guys has shown anything to warrant patience. Hughes now has the excuse of the broken rib, but Kennedy has none.

Does Girardi even suggest to Ensberg that he doesn't need to swing at the first pitch?

BTw, how long has Hughes had the broken rib? havn't read about it yet..

201 No one knows...at least since the Chicago start.

This Britton guy keeps getting outs...the Yankees don't have any room for him for sure.

199 See thats your problem. You are only looking at one month and saying that within that time they haven't "shown anything to warrant patience." You simply can't do that in baseball. One month doesn't prove anything. You HAVE to go on track record, scouting, and video analysis. All of those suggest both pitchers will be successful given time to work things out.

204 Kennedy doesn't have a track record and hasn't been a darling of the scouts. When you are trying to win a pennant, you don't allow an unproven pitcher get hammered every fifth day unless you aren't intending to contend for the pennant. Your problem is you have annointed Kennedy and Hughes and can't seem to accept that possibility that they are not ready.

Someone needs to show Michael Kay the lineup card. Four runs is hardly doable. What has he been watching?

178 183 sorry to bring up bonds again but putting aside my dislike for him, how would he help this shitty team when he can't pitch. I'd try David wells.

No one to hit for Moeller?

207 The team can't hit either, so that's how he'd help. If Wells still has something, I'd give him a chance as long as he'd start a few games in the minors.

Kennedy was a first round draft pick...in 2006. One year later, he was pitching in the big leagues. He must be a darling of somebody.

208 Girardi is on autopilot. I guess Torre left the switch behind.

210 The Yankee organization...there are countless similar examples though.

205 Kennedy has a full college resume at a premier university and a full season in the minors with major league innings. All of those are more than enough to tell what kind of pitcher he is, which is someone with excellent control. The reason scouts haven't been so high on Kennedy is that he doesn't throw hard, thus his limitations at the back of the rotation. I'm not blinded at all, I can fully admit that they might fail, but I just don't see how one month is enough time to judge anything. Kennedy has been quite inconsistent from batter to batter and inning to inning.

But its a deeper issue. The team came into the season with full knowledge that this could happen and committed to developing the kids. They have to stick to the plan, which is the right thing to do. There isn't a worthwhile backup plan in the minors nor is there one in FA or by trade. This team won't compete for anything with Igawa in the rotation, and this team won't compete for anything hitting like they are.

209 I just don't see him helping even if he and Jason shot each other up with some elephant Roids.

Jeter has been flat out awful. Hopefully the Captain isn't following the Ripken career plan because this about the age where his decline began.

212 Now you are just being stubborn. Kennedy was very highly ranked in ALL preseason rookie rankings. Stop letting your insistence on being proved right blind you.

Make A Wish!

I've tried to stay optimistic, but there are only so many times you can watch a team be non competitive without wondering if they're just not very good.

213 I think they came into the season thinking Kennedy and Hughes could be inconsistent and might pitch to an ERA in the 5.00s, but I sure hope they didn't factor in awful starts nearly every time out and an ERA closer to 10! If they did think that was a possibility, they have done a horrible job of planning.

At this point, I am willing to give Igawa a 3-4 start trial and see if Kennedy can get his act together in AAA. I am not ready to waive the white flag on this season. I hope the Yankees aren't either.

Its nice to know that even when a reliever pitches well on this team he has to walk two people.

215 he has been terrible. This season sucks and the team is in the shitter. I am trying to remember what it was like in 1988 or 1990 when I knew we sucked and didn't care and just enjoyed baseball for the sake of the game only. Listening to a game on the radio, keeping score, and being numb to the lousy results. That's what we've got here gentlemen. All the prognosticators were right about our young staff.

Everyone was right about johan too but that's spilt milk. We just need to sign CC in 2009 and open the new park in style. Oh and jeter needs to find a new position or find a new city.

216 Those rankings were based on last year's cup of coffee. If you read the analysis of scouts and not columnists, the praise for Kennedy was tepid at best.

219 No.

223 Igawa was very good in Japan and has been very good in the minors. If you are going to allow 60 bad major league innings condemn Igawa, then you can't defend Kennedy on the basis of a small sample.

What a shame Girardi didn't bring in Britton. Too bad he is also destined for Scranton soon anyway.

229 but now you're having it both ways, you're condemning Kennedy on small sample size. Let's get Rasner and try horne. Why the hell not?

I still say we do a cash dump and get Barry zito.

I hate to say this but Phil Hughes is another pavano. Phil pavano.

225 I am trying to find a pitcher who can be successful in small sample. If all the options fail, then the Yankees will have plenty of time for the prospects they really like the best to learn on the job.

Duncan has to take 2 strikes.

227 Guess not...trying to get men on base apparently isn't the Yankees game plan.

225 Ok, now that last point is just patently ridiculous.

Abreu had plenty of time to read that better. Guillen is on the floor for goodness sake. The Yankees are simply not a good baseball team.

That pretty much sums up the season.

229 I thought the Zito part was worse.

First pitch swinging to end it...very appropriate. This team should be embarassed.

226 sign wells, get some innings eater from a non contender, try the other kids and rasner, maybe the jays would move halliday whose pissed about having shit around him. I doubt it but you never know.

Paging the next Shawn chacon and Aaron small. Please report to the Yankees.

224 I've seen nothing from Kei igawa to suggest he's a capable major league pitcher. A year after he was signed amidst scouting reports naming him a future long reliever.

I'd much rather lose watching Ian Kennedy develop than smashing my head against the Kei Igawa brick wall.

229 what's patently ridiculous, old sport, is that you're ignoring the facts. Pavano gets hurt every year and so does Hughes. The comparison is apt.

The bats will come around. We went through this last year, too, remember?

The difference between this year and last is Arod and Posada. The 2007 Yankees would have been lost without those two players' tremendous contributions. With both men injured, the 2008 Yankees could very well be lost. Looking ahead at the schedule, I don't see many wins popping out. It's close to panic time.

225 Things are depressing, but "phil pavano" is taking things to a screeching extreme, isn't it?

With that said, I'm down enough on the injuries and struggles that if someone were to refer to Hughes/Kennedy/Joba as "Generation K 2.0", I wouldn't really object all that strenuously...

The worst part is Cashman is gone as a result of the non-Santana deal. If the Yankees don't turn it around, this season is going to be ugly in more ways than one.

I have to say, that list of injuries Pete Abe posted was rather unnerving. Hughes may not be Pavano, but he does seem a bit injury-prone.

Signs of desperation: I was actually wondering today how Pavano was doing, and whether he might start for the Yanks this season.

238 I can't disagree. This team is in worse bad shape as concerns the starters and in far worse shape without the two hitters. But it still comes down to pitching.

Paging David wells.

Um, guys, last year we were 9-14 with Posada and A-Rod.

241 Christ no.

240 I'm starting not to care about keeping cash. Fuck him and his feel sorry for me routine. He's never built a champion. And he keeps missing badly with terrible signings. The only thing I don't want to do is change our draft and international signing philosophy. Let oppenheimer be the GM.

243 But eventually, they spearheaded the turnaround. It is conceivable that both could miss at least 3 weeks and then need to work their way back. The Yankees can't survive that unless Rasner is the new Aaron Small.

243 true but check our run differential in April 2007 and 2008. You'll see that we were unlucky last year. We've been lucky this year as hard as that is to believe.

I saw the first inning and thought, hey everything looks OK tonight.

Whoops.

236 Please. Carl Pavano has shown no desire to rehab, work, or do a damn thing to get back on the field and pitch. A bruised ass kept him from pitching, for Christ's sakes.

Hughes came back last year, from the hamstring problem and the ankle problem, and collected the only win the Yanks got in the playoffs. Pavano missed most of 2005, all of 2006, and all but 11 innings of 2007.

To compare Hughes to Pavano is just wrong.

I don't care that the kid pitchers are struggling. I expected that to happen. But I can't believe how bad the bats are.

248 And people forget that when Carl deigned us with his presence he was a bad pitcher

This is the most depressed I've been as a Yankee fan in a long time. This year is much worse than last because the writing on the wall is very scary. I am just not prepared to play out the string come summer time.

Girardi is not soft selling Kennedy...at least that's a good start.

Welp... that pretty much sucked.

Man what a thread. I'm disappointed but I'm sure not ready to sign Wells. Oi. Come on guys, back away from the ledge.

After Kennedy's interview, I think it is time to go down. He doesn't think their are adjustments to be made.

They said A-Rod could be back in two weeks. Which probably means he'll be back in four.

It's Posada I'm really worried about. Still no word on him. He's consulting his third or fourth specialist. That sounds like bad news to me. You don't get a third or fourth opinion if it's good news, do you?

If he needs surgery, he'll be out a lot longer than three weeks. He'll be out the entire season, and maybe longer. And frankly, I think Posada is the player we can least afford to lose. (With Mo a close second.) I actually like Chad Moeller, who was known as "the nicest guy in the world" when he was with the Reds. But he's no Posada. And neither is Molina.

255 If he Yankees say something regarding an injury, its safe to assume they're lying. I'll say A-Rod never comes back.

254 And so when he goes down and gets AAA hitters out with the same stuff he's using now, this will change his opinion?

257 At this point, I don't really care. I just want to see a pitcher that gives the team at least a small chance to win.

254 William, its fine and all to think Kennedy should go down but tonight you have taken literally everything he has said or done as "evidence" to prove you are correct. I saw nothing wrong with his interview, he said he's improving and learning. He was frustrated he missed that pitch to Ordonez, correctly identifying that had he made it, he gets out of the inning with only 1 run and can go 6 or 7. What in that interview let you to believe that he needs to go down? I continue to see a pitcher who is learning how to pitch in the majors. This is what I signed up for at least. The last thing I want to see is David Wells pitching to a 5 ERA and winning another game or so while Kennedy and Hughes pitch in the minors.

258 Let me know when we find one.

236 Dude, at least do your homework. Hughes never broke his toe, they shut him down to be safe. Seriously, he never broke it. They also shut him down with arm fatigue because he happened to be at his innings limit. It was hardly anything serious, and had it come earlier in the season, it would have been called "dead arm" which you pitch through. Then a full healthy season. Then a pulled hamstring and a sprained ankle in the process of recovering. Now a broken rib. Not a single one of those injuries is of a concern to his pitching ability, as none are serious pitching injuries.

Has he been hurt a bunch? Yup. But, so had Josh Beckett. So was Wang. So was Joba. But Hughes is 21. He could have 4 more years of scuffling and injuries and still be three more years from his prime. Good grief

Zito? do you even realize that he's throwing 83mph this year with his FB? or that his curve is nowhere near as effective? that he pitched his way out of the GIANT'S rotation? that he got hammered by NL teams while pitching in a pitcher's park? if they trade for Zito without the Giants GIVING us a good prospect in return (and the Giants don't have that.. in the higher minors anyway), I want Cashman fired.

Personally I think Kennedy has been a lot better in the last two outting. in the last one he got into a rough inning but came back strong, in this one he was doing well until it started raining like hell and some flares started to fall all over the place.

They need to make changes now. but let's be real here. if the offesne don't start hitting, they need GREAT pitching, not just good / decent pitching, to stand a chance. and right now while the outfielders have generally hit their weight. the infielders? not so much. did you realize the Giambi actually has a considerablly better OPS then Jeter? let alone Cano? (who's starting to rise Carlos Baerga fears from me) not hitting in RISP is a problem, but they really just havn't hit... PERIOD, and that was with some of their backups getting consierablly lucky hotstreaks too.

If the offense goes all 1998 O's on us. then there's no point in discussing this. they're fucked even if they gotten Santana.

262 Thanks for saving this thread from a two-page rant from people like me. That last line says what I wanted to say therein >;) The young guys are gonna struggle, but few anticipated the lineup struggling like it has. Again I wonder if these guys are in any condition to play even when healthy. Looks like they're playing without any soul, never mind energy.

213 Well said, Zack.

They need to stick with the plan, certainly for longer than a month, at any rate.

238 No, it's not panic time. Injuries aren't what's killing us.

Robby and Derek need to hit like they hit, which is to say well over .300. If they can both do that, and Hideki can remain solid and Abreu can step it up a little bit, we have the offensive power we need.

I don't know what to say or think about Jason. I wish we'd be rid of him at long last, but there it is.

It's a long season and making a panic move now or in the near future is, imo, premature.

265 Well yeah, Weep. No one should be panicking, except they are and I think it has more to do with uncertainty after much upheaval from last season. We weren't much better last season at this point, but the problems are much more glaring in light of the changes that were made (coaches and pitching) and weren't made (ace starter, starting lineup). I never understand how Cash is expected to fleece other organizations for their top prospects with the flotsam we have floating around our org, especially when those teams are either trying to do the same, or focusing on building themselves up because we can outspend them otherwise. You have to stay the course and build up via draft and non-union free agency around the globe like we have been doing, then you have to support them from station-to-station, including the bigs. The long-term signings of OPP (when's the last time anyone's said that around here?) have really hurt us in the back end of the contracts, which is where we are on most of them now.

And I'll ask it for the last freakin' time, I wonder if these players are in the proper condition to play at peak performance, or are they worn out? Cano literally looks disoriented at the plate, Jeter looks like his bat weighs 30 pounds and everyone else seems like they lost a few nights of sleep. Given that they haven't had a day off in weeks, I'm willing to bet they all need like a week off to regain their strength and focus before they hurt themselves even more.

Now that I think about it, with the dopey management and the free-swinging and the cut-rate pitching, you think sleep deprivation has anything to do with it? First we thought it was the cold and nasty weather, now we think its The Suck, but I don't think these guys can suck this badly all year. Yet. Why not forfeit a week of games so they can come back fresh and relaxed? No? Okay, maybe they do suck and we're only beginning to admit it now >;)

IMO, we were worse off last year at this time. As Pete Abe put it:

"It's May 1 and they're three games out of first. They were 6.5 games out at this time last year. They were running out the likes of Matt DeSalvo, Chase Wright to start games."

Honestly, go back and read some of the threads from last year at this time. It was a lot worse than it is now.

I think the bats will come around. No need to panic and run out and get a Piazza or a Bonds. The last thing we need is another aging DH-type.

The Yankees might have to do something about the starting pitching. Even if they don't send Kennedy down, it looks like Hughes is going to be out a long time...possibly all season, if they decide to send him down when his stint on the DL is over. Dunno if Rasner can carry the load. (Though I hope he can. I've always liked the guy. He wanted to be a Yankee, even after he was DFA'd.)

And if Posada is out for the season, they're probably going to want to get a better catcher than Moeller or Molina.

Jonathan Don't Quit Yer Albaladayjob.

Cracked myself up with that one before I turned off the TV and went to bed knowing, just knowing the bats had already gone to sweep.

A sweep is never easy to take, but this one was especially demoralizing. A water torturous night for the fans in the stands.