Yankees Haven't Won Any Thing Yet

This has been one terrific postseason run by the Yankees so far.

They took care of the Twins with ease, and defeated the Angels, the team they have had the most difficulty beating over the past 10 years, in six games.

The Bronx Bombers have been led by a resurgent Alex Rodriguez, who has quieted the critics who said he can’t do it in the clutch, along with the usual suspects, such as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. There were questions about C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and their lack of postseason credentials, but they have delivered as well.

All of which is great for Yankees fans. There is one other sobering thought, however, and that is this: the Yankees haven’t won any thing yet.

For all the chest-thumping and giddiness that has gone on in New York since beating the Angels to win the American League pennant, the truth of the matter is that the Yankees were expected to get this far. Heck, they are expected to win the World Series.

It will not be easy. When the Yankees meet the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series tonight, they will be looking at a team that can match them in a lot of areas.

The Phillies can hit, can hit for power, and have a strong starting rotation and a decent bullpen. The weak link this season has been closer Brad Lidge, who has turned it around during the postseason. The Phillies also have something the Yankees do not, and that’s team speed. Any one of their top three batters – Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley – is a threat to steal a base.

The Yankees know this, of course, and aren’t going to say any thing to get Philadelphia fired up. In the button-down world of the Pinstripes, disrespecting an opponent is never in vogue. The Yankees would never stand for somebody like the Phils’ Rollins, who chirped that the Phillies would win the Series in five games.

“He’s been Nostradamus, that’s what I heard,’’ Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. “He’s been (making) a lot of good predictions, so we’ve got to take that away from him.”

For the Yankees to win their first World Series since 2000 – really, it has been that long – they will need Rodriguez to deliver in the clutch. He has hit .438 during the playoffs with five home runs and 12 RBIs. He helped pick up an offense that struggled otherwise, as Mark Teixeira (.205, 5 RBIs), Robinson Cano (.229, five RBIs) and Johnny Damon (.238, 5 RBIs) have all struggled so far. The Yankees need A-Rod to continue his hot October run.

Just as important, the Yankees need to slow down the Phillies’ offense. Ryan Howard (.355, 2 home runs, 14 RBIs) has been Rodriguez’s peer in the postseason, and Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Victorino all have hit better than .300 this October.

It promises to be an exciting World Series, and many people consider the Yankees the favorite. If they do win their 27th World Series, then truly a celebration will be in order. But for now, the Bronx Bombers are still short of the goal that they, and their fans, have set.

A Team Effort Propels Yankees

It wasn’t just important that the Yankees defeated the Twins, 7-2, in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

What was impressive is the way the won, because if this team is going to win its first World Series title since 2000, it will need to have contributions from every one.

Wednesday night, they did.

There were the usual suspects that delivered big in October for the Yankees. Derek Jeter had a home run, scored three runs, knocked in two more. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth. They did what they’re supposed to do in October.

They were not the only ones, however, who starred on this night. CC Sabathia, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodrgiuez, even Joba Chamberlain, contributed in this one.

If the team is going to do anything this October, they will need to continue to produce.
Sabathia and Rodriguez are the perhaps the most critical pieces, and they each delivered in their own way last night.

Sabathia pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just one earned run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also allowed a run on a wild pitch, but he handcuffed the Twins most of the night.

"I was able to hold them down," Sabathia said. "It got a little sketchy in the third, but I was able to come back and put up zeroes like I have all year - and these guys scored runs like they did all year."

Sabathia is crucial to the Yankees postseason plans. He’s their top starter, and with the unpredictable A.J. Burnett following him, the Yankees need him to be at his best. Sabathia came into the postseason with a shaky past – a 2-3 record with a 7.92 ERA – but he was superb Wednesday. He pitched the way he did during the regular season, when he was 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA after the All-Star break.

"This is what you come here for, to pitch in the postseason and play in October," Sabathia said. "It was electric tonight."

The other key figure in Wednesday’s win was A-Rod, who had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run. The numbers were gruesome. He was 0-for-29 with runners on base in postseason games dating back to Game 4 of the AL Championship Series. He hit .071 in the 2006 playoffs, and hit just .256 with six strikeouts in 14 at-bats in the 2007 divisional round.

It was just a pair of singles for A-Rod Wednesday, but it took the pressure off him. At least for a little while.

"I'm sure it makes him feel good inside," Girardi said. "Whenever you contribute, it's important. It puts you in a good place."

There were others, too. Hideki Matsui hit a two-run home run. Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Joba combined to get four outs before handing the ball over to Rivera for the ninth. Steve Swisher, an overlooked component of the Yankee who had 29 home runs during the regular season, delivered an RBI single.

It was all good for the Yankees Wednesday against a drained Minnesota team that was playing less than 24 hours after beating Detroit in a playoff for the AL Central crown. Few people expected Minnesota would be able to win Game 1, and the Twins looked like a tired team.

Still, it was important for the Yankees to take that first step toward 11 postseason wins. What was impressive was not how they won, but in the way in which they did it. If they continue to get contributions from their entire roster, they might just win that elusive 27th World Series.

Yankees Will Be Measured by October

The Yankees clinched a spot in Major League Baseball’s postseason tournament earlier this week, but that can only be the beginning for this proud franchise.

For the Yankees, and second-year manager Joe Girardi, it’s all about October. In New York, it is always a pass/fail grade. Despite being the first team to secure a spot in the playoffs, the Yankees’ final report card won’t be distributed until next month.
Going into the playoffs, there are a few reasons to be concerned.

First, the Yankees have to take care of business and secure the AL East division title. They can take a big step toward that direction this weekend with a three-game series against Boston, their closest pursuer in the division chase. After finally winning a series in Anaheim this week, the Yankees need to keep the momentum going and play well this weekend. Boston leads the season series, 9-6, after taking the first eight games against the Yankees this season. Boston enters this weekend 5 ½ games behind the Yankees.

More importantly, however, the Yankees have to sort out their pitching. It is difficult to fathom how the team has won 97 games because 40 percent of its starting rotation has been downright frightful. Joba Chamberlain has looked lost for the past two months and the No. 5 starter has been either Sergio Mitre (3-3, 6.88 ERA) or Chad Gaudin (5-10, 4.78 ERA). Neither of them figures to be important factors in the postseason.

The wild card as the Yankees get ready for October is Chamberlain. The enigmatic right-hander gets a start tonight against the Red Sox, and it is important that Yankees see some progress after a string of poor performances.

His most recent effort was perhaps his most disappointing. Last Sunday against Seattle, Chamberlain pitched three innings and gave up seven earned runs, six hits and three walks. Ouch!

He hasn’t won a game since beating Boston on Aug. 6, and is 8-6 with a 4.72 ERA in 29 starts this season.

The Yankees have mishandled the “Joba Rules” from the outset, trying to cap his innings to protect his valuable right arm. He has only pitched six innings once in the last two months, and has been limited to three innings in four of his last five starts. He pitched four innings in the other one.

Besides Chamberlain, however, there are other concerns as well. A.J. Burnett (12-9, 4.19 ERA) has been nearly as enigmatic as Joba. He can be ridiculously nasty in one start – like he was Wednesday in Anaheim, where he struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings – or he can be awful. He gave up six runs in seven innings in a Sept. 12 start against Baltimore. If the Yankees are going to do any thing in the postseason, they need the dominating Burnett.

Mariano Rivera anchors the bullpen, but there are questions in the bullpen as well. Phil Hughes has emerged as the eighth inning set-up man, but how will the 23-year-old perform in October? There are questions about the other relievers as well, such as Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson and Brian Bruney. Can they get big outs in October?

And what happens if Alex Rodriguez has one of his famous October meltdowns? Is the lineup good enough to have an unproductive A-Rod batting in the middle of the order?

Those are some of the key questions that will be resolved. When we get the answers to them, we can the final grade to the Yankees’ season.

Posada Puts Teammates in Jeopardy

The Yankees have shown a fighting spirit this season, winning 47 games in come-from-behind fashion on their way to the best record in the Major Leagues.

But last night’s brawl against the Toronto Blue Jays was a lose-lose proposition for the Yankees, and it never should have occurred. It was a virtual Fight Night in the Bronx.

After two Blue Jays were plunked earlier in the game, Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson threw a pitch behind Jorge Posada while the Yankees catcher was batting in the eighth inning of Toronto’s 10-4 victory. Posada eventually got on base and came around to score. Upon crossing home plate, he threw a forearm to Carlson, who was backing up on the play. That touched the bench-clearing melee.

Posada is a team leader, but he is also a hot-head whose temper has cost the team before. Fortunately for the Yankees, there doesn’t seem to be any injuries associated with Tuesday’s brawl. With the playoffs just a few weeks away, Posada put his team in a dangerous spot to have a player get injured in touching off the brawl.

“I told them, there's a lot at stake here and we can't afford to get anyone hurt or get anyone suspended," manager Joe Girardi said. "In the heat of the moment, sometimes we get caught up. We make decisions that maybe we wouldn't have made if we weren't in the heat of the moment. It's an ugly incident that probably shouldn't have happened."

Girardi is correct there. The brawl shouldn’t have happened, and Posada was the player at fault. Home plate umpire Jim Joyce called Posada’s forearm to Carlson “a cheap shot” and immediately ejected Posada.

A large welt decorated Carlson’s forehead after the brawl, and Girardi had a small bruise under his left eye and a cut on his left ear. Posada’s actions placed his teammates in jeopardy of being injured against a team that can’t wait for the season to end. It makes no sense.

“I don't know if that was too smart, because they certainly have a lot more to lose than we do," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said in The Daily News. "They're going to the playoffs and maybe the World Series, and you can get guys hurt out there.”

It’s no surprise that Posada would be the player to start the brawl, but the veteran catcher has to be smarter than that. Not only is there a risk of injury, but there could also be suspensions. For a team that is starving to get back to the World Series, Posada simply can’t take the chance to touch off a brawl against a team that has nothing to play for.

It didn’t need to happen. Posada should have returned to the dugout and let the incident go. He is fortunate neither he nor his teammates were seriously injured, but with so much at stake, the veteran catcher simply needs to be smarter in these situations.

Yankees Coasting to Division Title

We all know there have been teams that have blown leads in September as the pennant races heat up in Major League Baseball.
The Mets did it just two years ago, when the Phillies came back from seven behind with 17 to play to steal the National League East division title. In 1964, the Phillies blew a big lead and lost the National League pennant by a game to the St. Louis Cardinals.
But don’t expect that to happen to the Yankees this year.
Heading into the final 32 games of the season, the Bronx Bombers have a commanding six game lead on Boston in the American League East race. They have 32 games left in the season, but the way the Yankees are playing, they would need a total collapse for the Red Sox to catch them. It’s not going to happen. Neither manager Joe Girardi nor anbody else on the team will say it, but this race is over.
There are some issues worth monitoring as the team heads down the stretch.
The most critical one is their pitching as the Yankees try to get their rotation set for the postseason. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are a formidable frontline, but Sabathia’s postseason history is not good (2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five starts) and Burnett has not thrown a postseason pitch in 11 years in the majors. No one knows how he’ll do in October.
Andy Pettitte (14-9 postseason, 3.96 ERA) has a good history, but he’s not the lock that he was in his prime. The fourth starter will likely be Joba Chamberlain, and good luck trying to figure out what the Yankees have planned for him. He pitched three innings yesterday, giving up two runs and four hits, and wasn’t even in long enough to get the victory. The way the Yankees seem to be tinkering with the Joba Rules on the fly, there is no way to ascertain how effective the right-hander will be during the postseason.
The Yankees seem to have steadied their bullpen by inserting Phil Hughes into the set-up role for Mariano Rivera (36 saves, 1.83 ERA). If the starters are effective in getting the ball to Hughes, the Yankees will be fine. If they have to rely on other pitchers to get key outs in the sixth and seventh innings, they could be in trouble.
The other issue the Yankees will face is a difficult September stretch. They have six games left against a Tampa Bay squad that is fighting to make the playoffs. They also have a six-game trip to the West Coast that includes three games against the Angels, who have given the Yankees fits over the past few years. They also have three games at home against Boston in late September, and the Red Sox won’t concede the division easily.
With six games each against Baltimore and Toronto, and games against Seattle and Kansas City, the Yankees should have a big enough cushion to secure the division title.
That will put them back into the postseason after a one-year hiatus, and with them, that’s what will determine whether this season was ultimately successful. The Yankees can’t afford another early exit, and nothing less than a World Series victory will satisfy an ownership that has paid handsomely to win its 27th championship.

The division title may be within reach, and for some teams, that may be enough. The Yankees need to do more. October will be the time for the ultimate judgment on this team.

Joba Frustrates Again

Well now, this whole Joba Chamberlain move to the Yankees starting rotation is working out swimmingly, don’t you think?
Watching the big right-hander with the even bigger attitude during last night’s 10-9 debacle of a loss to the Texas Rangers was like seeing someone without a clue trying to hang wallpaper. It was ponderous, frustrating and, just when you thought success was at hand, the whole thing came unraveling and he had to start over.
Last night’s outing may have been the most frustrating of his career. Staked to a four-run lead in the first inning, Chamberlain quickly proceeded to give it all back and then some. He labored through four innings on 96 pitches, giving up nine hits, seven earned runs and three walks.
He was removed after a brutal fourth inning when the Rangers scored five times to take a 7-4 lead. He threw 44 pitches in the inning, which began to unravel with a two-out walk to Ivan Rodriguez. He then allowed five straight singles.
The seven earned runs were a career-high against Joba, and all of them came with two outs. Chris Davis, hitting eighth in the Texas lineup with a .206 average, had two hits against Chamberlain, who never seemed to find his rhythm.
"It's frustrating [to not get that third out], but at the end of the day I just didn't do what I needed to do to help this team win," Chamberlain said. "And that's the frustrating part: I just didn't have it to finish [the inning]."
The Yankees have to bear some of the responsibility for the struggles of Chamberlain, who had his fourth straight subpar start. He has not pitched beyond the sixth inning in those starts, and has allowed 19 earned runs in 20 innings. Control has been a big issue, as Joba has walked 15 batters during his four-game rut and had just 55 strikes in last night’s 96-pitch outing.
It was Chamberlain’s first start since Aug. 16, when he labored through five innings against Seattle. Manager Joe Girardi and his staff have been carefully limiting Chamberlain’s innings. The Yankees haven’t disclosed how many innings they are going to allow Chamberlain (8-4), but it is expected to be near 160. He has thrown 130 2/3 innings this season and is projected to make his next Sunday against Chicago.
"We have him scheduled starting for the rest of the season," Girardi said. "At times, he will go on extra rest."
What makes Chamberlain’s recent struggles more perplexing is his brief surge after the All-Star Break. Chamberlain returned from the break confident and fearless, and it looked like the Yankees had finally solved the Joba Riddle. He allowed two earned runs in 21 2/3 innings after the All-Star Break, and looked like the Chamberlain who dominated opponents as a set-up man for Mariano Rivera. Since then, however, Chamberlain has returned to the frustrating, inconsistent pitcher he was during the first half of the season.
No one knows where it goes from here for Joba and the Yankees, but if the team is to make a deep October run, it will need to solve the Joba Riddle over the next five weeks.