Yankees baseball blog

Nunez to minors

Eduardo Nunez, who made two errors last night against the Rays, has been optioned to the minors, according to multiple reports.

Eric Chavez has been activated from the 7-day disabled list in a corresponding move.

Nunez is hitting .294 with a .356 on-base percentage and no home runs in 59 plate appearances for the Yankees this season. He's a career .271 hitter in parts of the last three seasons in New York. Nunez has seen time at second base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field while with the Yankees, but his defense has been a concern.

Nunez already has four errors this season, including fielding and throwing errors on Thursday that led to two unearned runs in the first two innings. Jayson Nix replaced Nunez at third base to start the 6th inning. Nunez has made 25 errors in his MLB career.

 

Pineda out for year

Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda will miss the remainder of this season, and then some, after he was diagnosed Wednesday with an anterior labral tear in his right shoulder.

Pineda, 23, is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear next Tuesday, performed by Dr. David Altchek, assisted by Dr. Christopher Ahmad, the Yankees head team physician.

"As I've been informed, it's a full year," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a conference call. "I am devastated."

Cashman said the Yankees believe the injury took place on the final pitch of Pineda's rehab outing Saturday. 

"I think it's fair to speculate there was something dormant, something small (before Saturday), but the MRI (exam) at the trade was clean and the MRI (exam) in March was clean."

Cashman has been insistent that the Yankees did not receive damaged goods when they sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners on Jan. 13 for Pineda and Jose Campos. (continue)

Yanks achieve miracle comeback over Red Sox

If the first two days are any indication, the second century at Fenway Park is shaping up to be a long one.

After ruining Fenway’s 100th anniversary celebration with a win over Boston on Friday, the Bombers overcame a nine-run deficit with 15 unanswered runs between the sixth and eighth innings on Saturday, dealing Bobby Valentine’s Red Sox a stunning 15-9 loss, Boston’s fifth straight.

“Back-to-back seven-run innings; I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of that at this level,” Joe Girardi said. “This park, a lot of things can happen.”

Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs, while Mark Teixeira went deep twice and matched Swisher’s output with six RBI.

“If you come back from nine runs against anybody it’s a cool thing,” Teixeira said. “But to do it here in Boston, it makes it a little more fun.”

The nine-run margin matched the greatest comeback in Yankees history, the fifth time they have overcome such a deficit. Three of those comebacks have come against the Red Sox, the previous ones taking place in 1950 and ’53. (continue)

Yanks kill Fenway celebration with 6-2 win

After the pregame pomp and circumstance celebrating the building's centennial, it didn't take long for the gloominess that has surrounded the Red Sox to settle back in at Fenway Park.

Specifically, it was about the time second baseman Dustin Pedroia dropped Derek Jeter's pop fly -- to begin the game.

That led to an unearned run, and from there, the Yankees played long ball. They hit five solo home runs, two by Eric Chavez, and rode another strong performance by Ivan Nova to a 6-2 victory over the Red Sox in front of 36,770 Friday afternoon.

Nova (3-0) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings as he won his 15th consecutive regular-season decision dating to last June 10.

"If you ask me who's the best pitcher in the world, I would say me,'' Nova said with a big smile. "You have to believe that.''

Nick Swidher, A-Rod and Russell Martin also homered, with A-Rod's fifth-inning blast off Boston starter Clay Bucholz (1-1) -- who allowed all five homers -- going completely over the Green Monster seats and landing on Lansdowne Street. (continue)

Yanks take home opener 5-0

Hiroki Kuroda said this week that although Yankee Stadium is considered a hitter's park, he knew what he was getting into when he signed with the Bombers.
 
"That was all part of the package," Kuroda said Wednesday through a translator.

It would be hard to blame Kuroda for wondering what all the fuss was about. The righthander blanked the Angels over eight innings in the Yankees' home opener, leading his team to a 5-0 victory.
 
Kuroda erased the frustration of his poor debut last week, tossing eight-plus shutout innings in his first start at Yankee Stadium. Kuroda allowed five hits and walked two, striking out six for his first win with the Yankees.
 
A-Rod and Curtis Granderson both took Ervin Santana deep, adding to the lead Nick Swisher provided with his three-run double in the first.

The Yankees are now 4-3, winners of four straight after opening the season with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays.
 
Santana opened his day with strikeouts of Derek Jeter and Granderson, but Rodriguez singled and Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira both walked, loading the bases. (continue)

 

Pen blows lead, Yanks fall to Rays 7-6

Of all the unexpected happenings in the Yankees' 2012 season opener, what occurred in the ninth inning topped the list.

Joe Girardi used the word "shocking." Few disagreed.

It's still very much the operative word when Mariano Rivera doesn't come through.

The Yankees had survived a pedestrian outing by ace CC Sabathia and a small army of runners left on base that kept the game close.

After David Robertson somehow escaped a runners-at-the-corners-with-none-out jam in the eighth, Rivera came in to -- just about everyone inside Tropicana Field assumed -- nail down career save No. 604 and extend his MLB record.

Instead, two batters into the inning, the tying run had scored and the winning run was on third with none out. After a pair of intentional walks that loaded the bases and a strikeout, the Rays were celebrating a wild 7-6 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 34,078.

"We're pretty used to seeing him do it," Girardi said. "We've seen it over 600 times, so when it doesn't happen, you're a little shocked."

Rivera, 42, who dropped hints throughout spring training that this might be his final season, was blunt. (continue)

 

Yanks trade for C Stewart, Cervelli sent to minors

 Francisco Cervelli didn't try to hide his anger.

"I don't understand their reason," the backup catcher said late Wednesday afternoon, still red-faced upon hearing he'd be starting the season in Triple-A. "You have to ask Cash."

That would be GM Brian Cashman, who acquired C Chris Stewart from the Giants Wednesday in exchange for RHP George Kontos. Stewart, 30, does not have options, and Cervelli does, the reason for the demotion the latter never saw coming.

"Wait until the last day?" Cervelli said. "What can I say?"

The reason for the move, Cashman said, is because of the disc injury Austin Romine sustained the first week of camp and hasn't been able to shake. It is unclear when Romine, who recently had an epidural injection, will be able to play.

"That will give us a lot more depth," Cashman said. "We're back to where we were before the Romine injury even though it's not a good situation for Cervy. Organizationally we're in a good place with Russell Martin, Stewart and Cervelli." (continue)

Rotation made easy with Pineda out

When the Yankees exhaled yesterday over a positive report on pitcher Michael Pineda’s right shoulder, their starting rotation spilled out.

Shortly after announcing the problem with Pineda’s throwing shoulder had been diagnosed as tendinitis, manager Joe Girardi divulged his rotation behind ace CC Sabathia and No. 2 starter Hiroki Kuroda.

Phil Hughes will pitch the third game against the Rays on April 8 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Ivan Nova will open a three-game series in Baltimore on April 9 and Freddy Garcia will go the next night.

As for Pineda, who complained of soreness in the back of his shoulder following a brutal 2 2/3 innings Friday night against the Phillies, the Yankees consider tendinitis a positive diagnosis, although a similar diagnosis on Hughes’ right shoulder a year ago led to almost three months on the disabled list. That’s because the MRI exam showed no structural damage in the shoulder, an area that is even trickier than the elbow for pitchers.

“You always think the worst and hope for the best,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said. (continue)

Pineda has tendinitis

An MRI performed early Saturday morning on Michael Pineda right shoulder revealed tendinitis, the most positive result the Yankee could have hoped for given the circumstances.

"It's great news for what your biggest concerns were," Joe Girardi said. "It's something that's just a little rest."

Pineda will be put on the 15-day disabled list and general manager Brian Cashman said early Saturday afternoon "we'll probably keep a ball out of his hands 10-15 days."

Cashman said he went to bed Friday night thinking the worst.

"Labrum, rotator cuff, you think of those things," he said. "Those things are killers. Or can be killersthis news was welcome relief."

Pineda lasted just 2 2/3 innings Friday night against the Phillies, allowing six runs and seven hits. Afterward he said "my arm is a little sore," then pointed to the back of his right shoulder when asked to pinpoint where he felt the soreness. (continue)

Joba plans to be back in 2012

Joba Chamberlain plans to be back on the mound before the end of the 2012 season, he said Tuesday.

The Yankees reliever insisted that his gruesome ankle injury wasn’t nearly as severe as it has been portrayed, although GM Brain Cashman described the injury as “an open dislocation and exposed bone,” and a Yankee source confirmed that original reports were accurate.

Speaking at the Steinbrenner Field pavilion, Chamberlain made his first public comments since suffering the injury Thursday night while playing on trampolines at a recreation center with his 5-year-old son, Karter.

“I wish I wasn’t in this situation,” Chamberlain said. “It’s one of those things that happens, and you just have to be able to take from it, move on and grow and continue to work your tail off.”

Chamberlain said he rolled his ankle while jumping on the trampolines and quickly realized the severity of the injury.

“I felt awkward and as soon as I landed, I grabbed my leg and looked and was, ‘That’s not the way it should be facing,’ ” Chamberlain said. (continue)