Via the CHB -

The 2010 Red Sox sank to a new low last night when Jonathan Papelbon surrendered a pair of two-run homers in the bottom of the ninth in an excruciating 11-9 loss to the Yankees. The late-night implosion erased a noble comeback in which the Sox recovered from a 6-1 deficit (next bus to Lake Wobegon for you, Dice-K) to take a 9-7 lead on five home runs in the Bronx bandbox.

Seasons are defined on nights like this and it looks like these Red Sox might be remembered as the Lost Boys of 2010. With almost a quarter of the season gone, Run Prevention has morphed into Win Prevention. This is the latest the Sox have been under .500 in a season since Nomar Garciaparra was a rookie in 1997.

The Sox have nine more losses than Tampa Bay and seven more than the Yankees. They are 2-9 against Tampa and New York and 10 of those games were played at Fenway. They have lost 14 of their last 17 against New York and face CC Sabathia tonight. After tonight, they play eight games (six on the road) against first-place teams from Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Tampa. Have they given us any reason to think they can mount a comeback in the AL East?

So, what do you think…is it now a just two team race in the A.L. East?

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Please consider taking the following poll:

Thanks in advance. And, please feel free to add comments on your opinion in the comments section.

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Prospect guru John Sickles dropped Yankee farmhand David Phelps’s (RHP, AA-Trenton) name in this morning’s edition of “Morning Notes“.

One of my favorite pre-season sleepers is Yankees pitching prospect David Phelps.  The Notre Dame product is living up to that tag, going 3-0, 1.60 with a 33/10 K/BB in 34 innings so far for Double-A Trenton, with 23 hits allowed.  He has a solid low-90s fastball, and is making good progress with his slider and changeup according to Yankees sources.  Keep a close eye on  him.

The references to “Yankees sources” could be alluding to Sickels’s own interview with Yanks SVP Mark Newman or, more likely, a reaffirmation of Newman’s report based on what scouts are talking about around the Eastern League.  Either way, it’s nice to see some of the organization’s mid- and late-round college pitchers advancing and experiencing success.

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In the last 15 years, Mo Rivera has pitched in 930 regular season games and in only 16 of those 930 games has he recorded just two outs or less while allowing 2 earned runs or more.

An amazing stat, huh?

And, of course, #16 came yesterday – on May 16th, no less. Go figure.

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Via WGRZ in Buffalo –

Federal investigators in Western New York have interviewed around a dozen professional athletes, most of whom are NFL players, as part of a probe into the smuggling of performance-enhancing drugs from Canada into the U.S., according to multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation.

The probe stems from a September 2009 border-crossing incident at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, where customs agents stopped and arrested Mary Anne Catalano. Catalano had been working for Toronto-based physician Dr. Anthony Galea, who reportedly has treated famous athletes including golfer Tiger Woods and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

In court records, prosecutors said Catalano admitted to bringing Human Growth Hormone and other performance-enhancing substances into the United States on behalf of Dr. Galea. Authorities charged Catalano with smuggling. Her court case is pending.

Canadian authorities later searched Dr. Galea’s office and charged him with smuggling.

According to multiple sources, Catalano’s arrest also sparked an investigation in the United States. As part of that investigation, sources say federal investigators have interviewed approximately eight or nine current National Football League Players, as well as three or four current Major League Baseball Players. Our sources said the players are witnesses in the probe, not suspects. Each has some sort of connection to Dr. Galea. Our sources also said the case appears to be headed to a federal , or may have been heard by a grand jury already.

If the case goes to trial, it’s possible public court records will reveal the names of those professionals athletes.

As recently as late March, federal investigators in Buffalo were attempting to interview Alex Rodriguez as part of the probe, but a source said that interview is yet to take place.

Calvin Barry, a Toronto attorney for Catalano, told 2 On Your Side in March that his client had revealed names of professional athletes and other important information while cooperating with federal investigators in the United States. Barry would not release any of the names during our March 26 interview with him, nor would any of our sources.

REPORTER: When your client was cooperating with federal authorities in the United States, did she mention Alex Rodriguez’s name? Did it come up at all?

BARRY: I can’t comment again because the investigation is ongoing. I can tell you that she waived her Miranda Rights. She was fully cooperative. She turned over a computer. She turned over her cell phone, and they went and spoke to her some time after about certain other emails and other information that went back and forth about various athletes, staff at the clinic in Toronto, and some of the communications she had, (which were) work related.

REPORTER: So, she told federal investigators what big-name athletes were being treated by Dr. Galea?

BARRY: Yeah, names were mentioned because it was all on the computer because it was business computer.

One would have to think, since Catalano is singing, that there’s enough evidence to bring Galea to trial in the U.S. for smuggling HGH. After all, Canadian authorities have already charged him with smuggling.

What will this all mean for A-Rod? Dunno. It’s still all very odd that he never met with the federal authorities, as they requested. What was that, like 11 weeks ago? We’ve heard so little on this over the last couple of months. Not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one?

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The Mets have lost 11 of their last 15 games. And, some are looking for the team to fire manager Jerry Manuel.

While the Yankees take on the Red Sox and Rays in their next four games, the Mets will next play the Braves and the Nationals two times each. After all that, the Mets will host the Yankees for three games and then the Phillies for three games.

Seeing all this got me wondering. Say that the Mets lose three of their next four games. That would put them in a 5-14 streak with the Yankees coming to town (followed by the Phils).

If you were the Mets, would there ever been a better time to bring in a new manager to try and fire up the team? As Yankees fans, why should we care about this?

Look at it this way: The Yankees have gone 13-10 in their last 23 games. And, they’ll probably split their next four contests. That would put the Bombers a 15-12 run as they head into Citi Field. It’s not terrible. But, considering some of the teams the Yankees got “fat” on during that run, it’s not great.

Then, picture this: The Yankees playing about .500 ball for a month, heading into Metsville, to play a team with a new manager – who is also their cross-town rival. What would the reaction be in Yankeeland if the team lost 2 of 3 games (or worse) to the Mets – and then found themselves going “just” 16-14 in their last 30 as well?

Yeah, I know, there are a lot of “if” statements here. But, is it all way too far out there to happen? We’ll have to wait until the morning of May 24th to be sure. Nonetheless, it makes for an interesting upcoming baseball week in New York, at least to me.

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Via Peter Abraham:

The rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees, while historic, hasn’t been particularly compelling lately.

The Red Sox have lost 13 of their last 16 games against the Yankees, including four of six this season. The Yankees have outscored the Sox, 43-29, this season.

“They’ve been whipping our butts,’’ said David Ortiz. “We need to change that.’’

The Sox will start Daisuke Matsuzaka against Phil Hughes tonight. Josh Beckett, who missed his last start because of a sore back, will face CC Sabathia tomorrow night.

Once the two-game series is over, the Sox will not see the Yankees again until a four-game series in the Bronx starting Aug. 6.

The Sox arrive in New York having dropped three of their last four games overall.

On the flipside, the Yankees have gone 13-10 since April 22nd. And, in that span, New York went 4-6 when playing the Angels, White Sox and Tigers.

What does this all mean? Expect a split with the Red Sox over these next two games. That’s probably what’s going to happen. And, then get ready for those two games against the Rays who come in next…

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I was at the Yankees game today. We sat in Row 24 of Section 109 – Field Level seats with padding and wait-service. That was the first time I’ve sat in that level/section at the new Stadium. Below is a shot of the view today from our seats (click on the image to enlarge it):

And, click here to see the Yankees “official” view from those seats.

Gotta tell ya…we were very close to the right field foul pole – in foul territory. (Prime seating to see the Jason Kubel grand slam land in the 8th inning, sad to report.) And, it was interesting to see the flags at the top of the Stadium blow directly “in” from left field and then whipping around the Stadium to create a wind current which was unswerving and blowing out to the right field fence. It was sorta like when Captain Kirk slingshots the Enterprise around the sun to warp back in time…

I know that the wind danced around the old Stadium too. But, I never noticed it…when sitting out there, back then…like I did in the new place today.

Does this happen all the time? I can’t say…but, without question, it was happening today.

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Here’s Robinson Cano’s BA/OBA/SLG line in his first 94 PA this season: .400/.436/.765

And, here’s Cano’s BA/OBA/SLG line in his last 60 PA this season: .231/.333/.346

Of course, both these snapshots are small sample sizes and, most likely, neither is a great example of what to expect from Cano.

But, man, talk about hot and cold, huh?

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Via Brian Costello -

The reunion between Javier Vazquez and the Red Sox is going to have to wait.

The Yankees are skipping Vazquez on this turn through the rotation. He would have been on track to start one of the two games against the Red Sox tomorrow or Tuesday. Instead, he’s being pushed back to Friday against the Mets at Citi Field.

Publicly, the Yankees are saying the reason is not performance but precipitation, because this week’s rainout in Detroit botched their plans. But one has to wonder if the prospect of Vazquez facing the Red Sox in front of the home crowd gave the Yankees brass some pause.

The fans at the Stadium have been unforgiving in his two starts here, and the memory of Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS would be nearby with Vazquez pitching against the Sox.

Vazquez had his best outing of the season in Detroit on Wednesday, allowing five hits and two runs in seven innings against the Tigers.

“We got messed up because of the rain,” manager Joe Girardi said. “There’s certain things that you can’t avoid. We just thought we were going to move him to Friday. That’s what we decided. We talked amongst ourselves and discussed it. I know Javy wants to pitch, but that’s what we felt was the right decision at this time.”

At some point this season, Vazquez is either going to have to pitch at Yankee Stadium and/or face the Red Sox, no? They can’t keep running from these match-ups forever, can they?

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Via Wallace Matthews –

Yankees designated hitter Nick Johnson is unlikely to return to action before the first week of June and could be out until August.

Johnson’s sore right wrist may require surgery to remove inflamed tissue, GM Brian Cashman said. The surgery would keep him out four to six weeks on top of the month he already is expected to miss.

Cashman said Johnson got a cortisone shot in the wrist last weekend in Boston, but it will not be known for a couple of weeks if that treatment was effective.

If not, then Johnson is headed under the knife for at least the third time in his injury-plagued career.

“It’s my intention to learn if [the shot] worked as soon as possible,” Cashman said before Saturday’s win over the Twins. “If not, then we want to go right to the surgery. When healthy, we know what this guy can do, but he can’t do anything for us right now.”

The Yankees signed Johnson to a one-year, $5.5 million deal after failing to come to terms with Johnny Damon, whose No. 2 spot in the lineup Johnson was expected to fill.

$5.5 million for one year of Nick Johnson versus $8 million for one year of Johnny Damon. For a savings of $2.5 million, Cashman really made the wrong call on this one.

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With today’s win, the Yankees are now 25-3 when playing the Twins at Yankee Stadium since 2002. Here are the three times New York has lost to Minnesota in the Bronx in the last eight years:

July 27, 2005 – too much Johan Santana.
September 2, 2006 – Justin Morneau took Ron Villone deep.
July 4, 2007 – again, Johan Santana was sharp and Mussina was not.

Tomorrow, the Yankees host the Twins again. Sergio Mitre on the bump for New York taking on Nick Blackburn for Minny. I’ll be there – along with many other Yankees fans…as it’s Bat Day, after all.

What are the odds that New York can beat Minnesota tomorrow, making it 26 out of the last 29 times? Remember…Sergio Mitre.

Well, one can hope, can’t they? But, maybe it’s also good to be prepared for the odds/fates to finally swing in the Twinkies favor – albeit for one day?

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You just don’t intentionally walk Mark Teixeira to load the bases to get to A-Rod. That’s just asking for it. I know the Twins wanted to set up a double play. But, Rodriguez deposited one in left center for his 19th grand slam of his career.

For Rodriguez, it was his 587th of his career passing Frank Robinson on the all time home run list. Whenever a player nears a milestone in home runs, I feel like it takes them a little longer to get past it. The player can press a little bit and end up going on a home run drought. I’m not making excuses for Alex, but perhaps passing Robinson was a big deal to him. Either way, Rodriguez always hits the Twins so it could just be that.

Despite the win and how fun it is to see Gardner playing his best baseball, I come out of this game with a bad taste in my mouth. Swisher’s arm is definitely hurt, and he might see some time on the DL. This means that, unfortunately, we’re going to be seeing a lot of Winn and Thames. If I was Gregg Golson, I’d be ready to prove something here.

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To answer that question, I decided to see how many games, within the Yankees first 35 contests each season since 1996, has Derek Jeter had games with 4+ PA and one hit or less. Here’s the numbers:

.

Of course, it would also be interesting to see how many games each season, within the first 35, has Jeter had 4+ PA with 2+ hits. Here’s that list:

.

Well, it’s pretty safe to say, seeing these numbers, that 1999 was the season where Derek Jeter got off to the best start (within the Yankees first 35 games). Makes sense, since 1999 was probably the best season in Jeter’s career to date.

The worst start in his career? At first blush, I would say that’s 2004.

And, this year (2010) is more like Jeter’s start to the 2009 season…meaning last year.

In fact, through May 13th of this season, Jeter’s BA/OBA/SLG line is .269/.314/.407 whereas it was .273/.347/.409 through May 13th last season. That’s pretty close.

So, basically, Jeter’s start to this season is the same as it was last season. And, in 2009, in the end, Derek Jeter batted .334 with an OBA of .406 (in 716 PA). Can he do it again? Time will tell…

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Looking at this list, I see that Alex Rodriguez, to date this season, has the same Slugging Percentage (.440) as Ichrio, the same number of Homeruns (3) as Carl Crawford, and the same On Base Average (just about) as Martin Prado.

Imagine…some combination of Ichiro, Crawford and Prado as your clean-up hitter.

O.K., that’s not as bad as having Jorge Cantu as your clean-up hitter…or, maybe it is?

Cantu has an OPS of .769 so far this season…compared to an OPS of .801 for A-Rod. And, when you factor in that Alex plays in a hitter’s park like Yankee Stadium and Cantu plays in a pitcher’s park like Sun Life Stadium, those numbers are not that far off, are they?

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Via Jayson Stark the other day -

It isn’t every year that the International League has two catching prospects as hyped as Jesus Montero (Yankees) and Carlos Santana (Indians). But a scout covering that league says there’s “no comparison” between those two.

Santana “fits exactly what I want in a catcher,” the scout said. “He’s 6 feet tall, compact, much more athletic and quicker. He can swing the bat … and he’s got the best arm back there I’ve seen in a long, long time.”

Montero, on the other hand, “just got benched for laziness, basically [i.e., not running out a ground ball]. And from what I’ve seen, the [Austin] Romine kid in Double-A is going to pass right by him, and Montero is going to end up as pretty much a right-hand-hitting DH. He’s got talent. But his swing is really long, and he has no discipline. So the Yankees are going to have two frontline catchers. But they’re Romine and [Francisco] Cervelli.”

Of course, it would help Romine if he’s able to start throwing again soon…

Hey, maybe Jesus Montero is the John Ellis to Austin Romine’s Thurman Munson?

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Michael Rosenberg has a nice piece up at SI in praise of the Joe Girardi is doing. Click here to check it out.

What I’ve noticed most about Joe in the last couple of years…

Gone are all the grumbles about how he’s dealing with the media.    Correcting that was a smart move by Girardi.

How about you?  What do you like the most, and the least, about General Joe and how he goes about his work?

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Via Michael S. Schmidt –

A year after moving into a sparkling new $800 million stadium, the Mets have the most home victories in the major leagues, but neither their stadium nor their record is translating into box-office success.

After 22 home games, attendance at Citi Field is down 6,852 fans a game, the largest decline by number in Major League Baseball. That translates to an average of 31,892 fans at games this season compared with 38,744 last season.

The Cleveland Indians, who have a losing record at home, are second to the Mets, down 6,585 fans a game from last season.

The Yankees, who won the World Series last season in their first year in a new stadium, are holding steady at about the same numbers as last season.

The Mets are also 11th in average attendance in the major leagues, down from seventh last year.

The Mets’ drop follows two September collapses, a 92-loss season in 2009, an uninspiring off-season and the loss of gloss that comes with the second year in a new stadium.

“The problem is last year the tickets were really expensive and the team stunk and that can really stick with fans for a while,” said Jon Greenberg, the executive editor of Team Marketing Report, an industry publication.

In the mid-1990s, Greenberg said, teams could count on new stadiums to help them boost ticket sales for several years, but that trend has ended.

“Stadium fatigue sets in much faster than it did before,” Greenberg said, noting that new stadiums built in Baltimore and Cleveland in the early 1990s led to long periods of increased attendance for both franchises. “When Camden Yards and Jacobs Field were built, they were a big deal and were a complete change. The novelty has worn off.”

The Mets tried to prevent a drop-off by cutting ticket prices as much as 20 percent after last season, but signs of trouble quickly became apparent. When the team submitted its monthly report to the commissioner’s office in March, ticket sales dropped 40 percent from the same period a year earlier.

It will be interesting to see how full Citi Field is from May 21st to the 23rd when the Yankees come in to play – and how many of the fans there are rooting for the Yankees.

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There’s a Post-Season Heimlich Maneuver Lucky Charm out there – and she’s not only available…but…she’s not terribly old and now somewhat improved!

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Oh, this site is way too much fun…

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In what’s now close to nine years ago, I bought an Andy Pettitte 2001 American League All-Star Batting Practice Jersey.

It was sort of an impulse purchase. But, not completely. I’ve always been a big fan of Pettitte. And, I thought this would be a unique item to own.

As it turns out, the jersey is rather distinctive. Andy’s only been named to two All-Star squads (in 1996 and 2001). And, this BP shirt is from the only All-Star Game where he’s made an appearance in the game.

The funny thing is…in the near decade that I’ve owned this jersey…I’ve only worn it a few times. Seriously, probably less than five. Initially, I was trying to keep it pristine (for some opaque reason). But, later, it was because the shirt is somewhat confusing on the eye.

Why is it visually disconcerting? First, the jersey is Seattle Mariners green and has a small Mariners logo on the front – as they were the host team in 2001. Secondly it’s says “American” across the chest – with the only “Yankees” mention being a Bat-in-the-Hat patch on the right sleeve and “Pettitte” with the number 46 on the back.

The few times I thought about wearing it to Yankee Stadium, I pretty much stopped in my tracks right out of the chute because it just seemed too odd to go to a Yankees game in a BP jersey that was Mariners green.

However, recently, I wore the jersey to a minor league baseball game and was surprised that a couple of guys – who were complete strangers – went out of their way to approach me and comment on the shirt. I guess there are more Andy Pettitte fans out there than meets the eye? And, now, I’m thinking it’s time to wear this one more often.

How about you? Own any Yankees gear that you wore less than you expected or that you only started to wear until you had it for several years?

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Via the AP -

Trey Hillman became the first manager to get fired this season when the Kansas City Royals let him go Thursday after a final win.

Former Milwaukee manager Ned Yost, who had joined the Royals’ front office in January, took over the team.

Hillman spent a 12 years working in the Yankees’ system and won a couple of manager of the year awards in the minors. He then went to Japan for five years and was considered a major league manager-in-waiting.

First thing I thought of when I read this was what Brian Cashman said in October 2007:

“Trey is somebody I talk to at least once a week.”

Betcha the Yankees take on Hillman, in some capacity, pretty soon…like as an advance scout or something.

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From The Lohud Yankees Blog :

“We’re just not getting hits,” Derek Jeter said. “Every season it’s the same thing. There are periods when it seems like you get a lot of hits and other times it seems like you can’t find a hit, but that happens every year. If you could figure it out, then nobody would ever struggle.”

I don’t think I could put it any better. Over the course of 162 games, every team goes through a rough patch. To get through it as a fan, I always remember the old baseball axiom, you’re never as good as your are when you’re winning and you’re never as bad as you’re when you’re losing.

That being said, I didn’t watch this game because I was at work. Since I didn’t see the game, I won’t regurgitate the box score since I’m sure everyone reading this has already peaked. I will say this though, I really hope that Jeter doesn’t miss any time due to a Verlander HBP to the hand because a lineup that features a 6-7-8-9 of Thames-Golson-Winn-Pena is the formula for an extended losing trend.

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…and it’s not pretty.

With today’s loss to the Tigers, the Yankees are now 11-9 since April 22nd.

That’s not a great record. And, it’s actually worse than it appears. Why?

Within that 11-9 record, New York went 7-2 when facing Boston and Baltimore – playing those two teams when they were really hurting. So, since April 22nd, the Yanks have now gone 4-7 when not facing the O’s and Bosox.

Just what’s been going on with the Yankees the last three weeks? If I had to offer a suggestion, I would say that it’s been their bats which have hurt them the most during this period. Outside of those Boston and Baltimore games, New York has lost seven games where they have scored 4 runs or less. Considering the “names” in their line-up, that’s not getting the job done, is it?

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Via the Post –

Looks like two two of Hollywood’s biggest stars are engaged in a fierce catfight over A-Rod’s bat.

Blonde-haired beauties Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz are reportedly locked in a bitter fight over the heart of Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez.

Us Weekly reports in its current issue that Diaz is bedding Rodriguez as a form of retaliation after Hudson hooked up with Justin Timberlake in January 2007, just days after the couple of four years split.

“Kate thinks it’s payback, pure and simple,” an insider told Us Weekly.

A friend of Diaz added, “Cameron was actually in a serious long-term relationship with Justin. She thinks it’s a joke Kate would be mad. Kate is only upset because she hates being single.”

Diaz was spotted leaving Rodriguez’s $30,000-a-month Central Park West penthouse with a bags on May 2, sparking speculation of a romantic relationship.

Hudson, meanwhile, dated A-Rod last year and was in the stands for every home playoff game as the Yankees won the World Series.

In an effort to hold on to Rodriguez, a source told the magazine that Hudson even got breast implants, but it didn’t work, Us reported.

In terms of cat fights, this one could be as good as the one between Elaine Benes and Raquel Welch…

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After a punchless and lethargic performance in the first game of a day-night doubleheader the Yanks turned to Phil Hughes and asked him to stop the team’s losing streak at three games.  Hughes stepped up in a big way — as he has done all year long — and pitched the Yanks to a “reversal of fortune”, shutting out the Tigers en route to an 8-0 victory.

The Good:

• Phil Hughes was absolutely lights out: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K on 101 pitches (71 strikes).  Hughes simply toyed with the Tigers, getting ahead in counts by mixing his four-seam and cut fastballs and by flashing the occasional curveball.  His velocity was a steady 93 mph on the four-seamer and he looked efficient and in control; and
• It might’ve taken the whole night to get there but, finally, the Yanks started to hit a little.  A six-run ninth inning turned a pitcher’s duel into a laugher, thanks to Detroit’s bullpen completely falling apart at the most inopportune of times.  In total, the Yanks brought 12 batters to the plate and reached base in all manner of ways.  It wasn’t pretty but it did the job.

The Bad:

• Although all the bad feelings from the first game of the doubleheader are erased — amazing how winning cures all ills — it still bears mentioning that the Yankee offense was still more or less inept for 90% of the second game of the twin bill.  Heading into the top of the 9th inning last night, the Yanks had been held to just two runs and five hits; and
• Derek Jeter’s offensive woes in the month of May continue: .149/.231/.191.  Ramiro Pena provides no relief but I don’t think it would hurt if the Captain took a day off to get himself back on the right track.  You can’t have a leadoff hitter posting a .231 OBP over the month’s first 11 games.

Although the Yanks dropped a full game in the standings and are now 1.5 games back of Tampa, some good things happened yesterday.  The team learned that Javier Vazquez can pitch effectively and it learned that, in a big spot, Phil Hughes is continuing to grow into his role as a reliable starting pitcher and not just a former pitching prospect.  The training wheels are falling off before our very eyes.  Personally, I find this development extremely exciting and fun to watch.

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Over the last three or four years, I’ve been critical of, and have questioned, Phil Hughes in just about every way possible – in terms of his big league performance and potential.

Was it warranted? I’m sure some find that debatable.

In any event, I’m not going to backpedal over what I’ve written in the past. At the time, I both felt and believed it. And, if all things were exactly the same, I’d probably repeat, once more, how that all shook out – if it were to happen all over again. You will not hear me call “Do over!” or request a “Mulligan” on all that. It is what it was and I was just keeping it real. Give me all those inputs all over again, via carbon copy, I will produce the same output…to the letter.

Now, with that out of the way, what a difference we have this season.

In his first six starts of 2010, Phil Hughes has been, indeed, Phil-nomenal. We’re talking “Impressive!” with a capital “I,” baby – and, then some. Related, at this junction, you will no longer see me question anything about Hughes’ attitude, approach, or ability to be a starting pitcher in the major leagues. Granted, it’s just been one-fifth of a season so far…and a lot can change…anything can happen….sure…

But, until something does happen, Hughes is free of future criticism and doubts from me. He’s earned it. And, I’m now very glad that my concerns, and the like, in retrospect, were false alarms. At this point, providing he stays healthy and keeps performing well, Hughes is in good-standing with this Yankees fan. And, I’m very grateful that he’s pitching well for New York now – and hope that it stays that way for a long time to come.

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The Yankees have signed Tim Redding to a minor league deal.

Yes, this Tim Redding.

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Remember the Runyon 5K @ Yankee Stadium last year? In case you missed, here’s some video on it:

With this effort last year, which sold out completely, almost $300,000 was raised to support the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. And, they’re getting ready to do it again – with this year’s event scheduled for Sunday, August 15, 2010. More details can be found at www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium. Looks like a lot of fun – and it’s for a great cause.

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In brief, since I didn’t watch this game (employment badly interferes with day games), the Yanks fell to Detroit 2-0 thanks in part to the lineup’s atrocious 0-for-6 showing with runners in scoring position.  That makes the Yanks 1-for-16 in RISP situations in the first two games of this series.

Although the loss gets hung on Javier Vazquez’s record, his line was impeccable: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 7 K in 97 pitches.  Can’t blame Javy for today’s loss.  No sir.*

As I didn’t watch this game, I am not in a position to make judgments on how the team played.  In looking at the boxscore, however, I note that Jeter and A-Rod only saw 10 pitches each in their 8 combined plate appearances (2.5 P/PA).  That’s absolutely unacceptable.

The Yanks and Tigers do it all over again tonight with Phil Hughes trying to be a stopper against Jeremy Bonderman.

*Pitch F/X data shows that Vazquez’s velocity was still down (four-seamer averaged 89 mph) but, encouragingly, it garnered 10 swing-and-miss strikes.  On the day, Vazquez got 16 swinging strikes, easily his highest total of the year.

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