Friday, July 12, 2013

So Much For A Russ Canzler Reunion Huh?


Well apparently the New York Yankees did not have the same kind of interest in recently designated for assignment Russ Canzler. The Orioles DFA'd Canzler earlier in the week and the way this works is every team, ranked by best record to worst, gets a shot to acquire him in the American League (his home league) before the National League gets a shot. If he clears waivers then any team can acquire him if he does not accept a minor league assignment. Looks like the Yankees passed on him and the Pittsburgh Pirates jumped on the opportunity to acquire the 27 year old acquiring him in a trade today with the Baltimore Orioles.

Very, very disappointing.

Game Thread: Twins @ Yankees 7/12


The final series before the All Star game starts tonight when the Yankees and the Twins face off in a three game series this weekend at Yankees Stadium. Hiroki Kuroda and Scott Diamond is the pitching matchup and the game can be seen on YES and on MLB TV. Hiroki Kuroda absolutely dominated the Baltimore Orioles his last time out thus proving that his hip is healed just fine. Scott Diamond got lit up by the Toronto Blue Jays last time out so let's hope his struggles against the AL East continues. Go Yankees!

Here is the Yankees lineup

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells DH
Zoilo Almonte LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Luis Cruz 3B
Chris Stewart C

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Yankees Asking About Indians Asdrubal Cabrera


The New York Yankees have "repeatedly" asked about the availability of Cleveland Indians short stop Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera makes a ton of sense for the Yankees as he can play third base, short stop, and second base and is a switch hitter as we.. He is not exactly knocking the cover off the ball this season with a triple slash of .251/.312/.421 with seven home runs but this is still better than the David Adams/Jayson Nix/ AlbertoGonzalez/ Luis Cruz/ Reid Brignac/ Eduardo Nunez combination that we have been running out there recently. Cabrera is owed $3,300,000 this season and $10,000,000 for next season so I am not exactly sure he fits into the Yankees plans with Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter almost back but if an upgrade can be had I say go for it.

Yankees Sign 2013 Draft 36th Round Pick Nestor Cortes


The Yankees have agreed to terms with their 36th round pick in the 2013 draft today before the deadline to get everybody signed. Cortes slot recommendation was $100,00 and is expected to sign for that or less but no numbers have been released yet. Cortes is an 18 year old left handed pitcher out of Hialeah High School in Miami where he tuned up fast balls in the low 90's with good sinking action. With him only standing 5'11" he is considered to be undersized which is always a concern but he also has one of the best change ups that a high schooler can have so who knows. He does not have the polish to not be considered raw but at the same time I can see him moving through the system in three or four years because of that change up.

HOPE Week Stops In With Stand For The Silent


The Yankees latest stop this week and the last day of HOPE Week is with an organization called Stand For The Silent. Stand For The Silent is an organization that fights against bullying and held a presentation in the great hall at Yankees Stadium today. Kirk Smalley ran the presentation for around 500 people today as he has with the previous 700,000 people before that have been blessed to have seen this presentation.


Standing with Kirk for the presentation was Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, Brian Cashman, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Travis Hafner, Boone Logan, Lyle Overbay, and Austin Romine. The Big Show from the WWE will also be there but that's for another post on another blog.

Here is the write up from Chad Jennings for the Stand For The Silent organization.  This concludes what has been an absolutely great HOPE week thus cementing that the Yankees may be the best evil empire to have ever existed, kudos Yankees!

Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees 7/12


These two teams faced off just last week at Target Field in Minnesota and saw the Yankees sweep a four game series from the Twins. These same New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins will start a three game weekend series tonight but this time at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees have a two game winning streak and will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with the Twins Scott Diamond. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES and MLB TV.

Derek Jeter Has A Grade 1 Strain

Well, this hasn't been the most stress-free day I've ever had. 

When I went to bed last night I was expecting to wake up to news that Derek Jeter was perfectly fine. After all, he hasn't been running a whole lot since returning from the DL, so feeling some tightness was not surprising due to the running/sprinting he did in yesterday's game.

After waking up and looking around for some news, and not seeing anything, I was a little more concerned. Nothing serious, but I figured the MRI would have been done soon after the game, so there would be something about it fairly early today. That's when a bit of pessimism crept into my head.

As the hours ticked by, that pessimism grew bigger and bigger. If the Yankee Captain was perfectly fine, then why not say that right off the bat? Perhaps not a formal press conference, but something to reassure the Yankee fans that there was no reason to get all worked up? They could always hold a press conference later, after the news already broke, to further explain what was happening and why there was no reason to worry.

I'd had Twitter open for hours, since that was the place I'd likely get the news regarding Jeter first. And then, at about 3:20pm EST, a couple bits of news came in. And unfortunately, neither bit made me feel better. On the contrary, my worst fears started to look more and more likely.

The first thing I read was somebody saying Derek was not in today's lineup. That alone was bad news, as it was expected that Jeter would start at shortstop today. Even if they were careful with him, another DH-day would have been okay. Things got better for a second when I saw that he was listed as a bench player, meaning he could come into the game later. Just another example of the Yankees being extra cautious, which is hardly surprising. But that lineup is not official until it's presented to the home plate umpire shortly before gametime. So that card could change.

At about the same time as the lineup was announced, it was reported that Brian Cashman would hold a press conference to go over the results of Jeter's MRI. Not a good sign at all. Some people said that perhaps Cashman was just trying to build drama, or just wanted to be in position to answer questions right away. I mean, people wouldn't just accept he's okay... they would want to know what was found.

Well, after waiting an excruciating 20 minutes, while scenario after scenario ran through my head, Cashman finally took a seat and made the announcement... a Grade 1 Strain. This means that while there is some damage to the muscle fibers (less than 5%), rest is all that's needed to recover. Unfortunately it could take up to three weeks to recover from a strain, which is why another trip to the DL is not out of the question.

Cash admitted that the team may have brought The Captain back to early. I can't help but think that by "too early" he meant in general, not just his return to the Yankees. I mean, this strain could have happened in any game... MLB, AAA, or otherwise. And furthermore, this isn't a re-injury to his ankle, so I'm not about to place any blame on the team or Derek himself for maybe returning too soon.

Like I said earlier, a strain is not something that could have been foreseen by anybody. It's just something that happens when a player's body is trying to get back into the swing of things. Even if Jeter didn't play in a game for another week or two, that wouldn't have prevented a strain from happening when he did return. July 11th, July 18th, August 11th... it doesn't matter. Eventually Derek would have been running harder than he has in a while, and an injury such as a quad strain would occur.

Let's just be happy that it isn't Jeter's ankle again, and he's not lost for the season. Whether you think Jeter will hit well upon his return or not, his mere presence on the team means quite a bit. Just ask those that have played with him the last 19 years.

My Plan To Navigate This Years Trading Deadline


We need an upgrade at catcher and Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann seems to be available and makes a ton of sense for the Yankees. With the Yankees seemingly getting zero production from their catchers this season this seems like an obvious place to begin the upgrading at. Francisco Cervelli just had a set back that will keep him out until at least August and with this whole Biogenesis mess looming and a possible 50 game suspension for Cervelli it might not be a bad idea to get ahead of the curve here. The Braves have three catchers and seemingly have to trade one you would think and McCann makes the most sense for them to trade. McCann makes the most money and is a free agent at the end of the season so we can still give Cervelli his spot back next season.

Yankees get Brian McCann

Braves get David Adams, Brett Marshall, and Francisco Rondon


Russ Canzler was designated for assignment and released for the 19th time this season, obvious exaggeration, and is now a free agent that the Yankees would sign if I were running the show. Russ can give us an obvious upgrade offensively at first base over both Lyle Overbay and Travis Ishikawa. Russ also gives us an enormous upgrade over the David Adams, Luis Cruz, and Jayson Nix show we have all been watching at third base although his defense is considered to be suspect over there. Russ also has experience in the outfield making him a better back up option than Vernon Wells and guys like Brennan Boesch if and when he comes back. The best part is he does not require us giving up anything but money which is always a plus.

My deal is a two year deal for Canzler worth $1,000,000. Russ is going to have suitors and flock to a guaranteed major league deal not only for this season but next as well. This gives him plenty of at bats this season and a utility role a la Eric Chavez next season. 


This may be a dream ultimately but the Philadelphia Phillies may or may not be, depending on what report you believe, interested in Joba Chamberlain and we are interested in Michael Young so why not do a swap? The Yankees get another aging veteran and the Phillies get a 28 year old reliever that has closer potential if he can keep guys off the bases. The Phillies save money and have the opportunity to sign Joba long term an we get closer to competing this season, win win for everybody. 

Phillies get Joba Chamberlain
Yankees get Michael Young


I am literally pulling this trade out of my behind here admittedly because we have not been linked to Addison Reed or Matt Thornton and the Chicago White Sox seem ready to sell off and rebuild but hear me out. Addison Reed is young and is someone we can build around replacing Joba Chamberlain after this season. Matt Thornton gives us that second left hander that we seem to covet and gives us the opportunity to compete this season. Also we get a little bit of international spending money for this season allowing us to pick somebody up. The Chicago White Sox have the ability and the cash to build around Hughes and sign him to a long term deal. I know the Angels are interested in Hughes supposedly but for some reason I am scared and reluctant to trade him to an already stacked, albeit struggling, Angels team. 

Chicago White Sox get Phil Hughes
Yankees get Addison Reed, Matt Thornton, and International Spending Money

If we make these four trades or acquisitions and get back a healthy Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Curtis Granderson we could go into August and September baseball with a competent looking roster. Not to mention a bullpen that can match or beat any bullpen in the league not only for this season but beyond. 

C Brian McCann
1B Lyle Overbay
2B Robinson Cano
SS Derek Jeter
3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Curtis Granderson
CF Brett Gardner 
RF Ichiro Suzuki

BN Chris Stewart
BN Russ Canzler
BN Michael Young
BN Vernon Wells
BN Zoilo Almonte

1. Gardner
2. Jeter
3. Cano
4. Rodriguez
5. McCann 
6. Granderson
7. Hafner/Canzler
8. Overbay/Canzler
9. Ichiro Suzuki

Article Revisit: Meet A Prospect Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is back so I thought now would be a good time to take a look back at this article back from the first year of The Greedy Pinstripes.

What else can be said about Derek Jeter that he has not said by himself, only with his bat. The owner of the Yankees Captain spot, 5 World Series rings, and basically anything else he wants, Derek Jeter has been the poster boy for all of baseball and especially the New York Yankees since the 1996 season. While Derek Jeter surpassed 3000 hits last season he has Pete Rose's hit record in his sights, it is just a matter of if he wants it enough to keep playing. If you look at Derek's list of woman folk he has had attached to his arm you would know that Derek gets what Derek wants. It was not always like that though so let us meet the kid from New Jersey, Derek Jeter. 


Derek Sanderson Jeter was born on June 26th , 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey to parents Dr. Sanderson Charles Jeter and Dorothy Jeter. Derek's parents, a substance abuse counselor (Sanderson) and an accountant (Dorthy), met while serving in the United States Army in Germany. Derek's parents, at a very early age, were very strict and hard on him but very consistent. As a child his mother instilled Derek's positive attitude in him, insisting that he could not use the word "can't". Derek even had to sign a contract every year that set acceptable and unacceptable forms of behavior. Derek lived in North Arlington, New Jersey, until he was four years old when he moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Derek and his sister, Sharlee, attended New York Yankees games while spending the summers with their grandparents in New Jersey and became very passionate about the Yankees. Derek later said that as a child Yankees stand out Dave Winfield inspired him to pursue baseball. 



Derek spent his high school days at Kalamzoo Central High School where he played baseball and basketball. In his sophmore year he batted .557 and followed it up with a .508 average in his junior year. In his senior year he hit .508 with 23 RBIs, 21 walks, 4 home runs, and a .831 slugging percentage with a .637 on base percentage, 12 stolen bases in 12 attempts, and just a single strike out. After a stellar season like that Jeter received an All State honorable mention, the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar Athlete, the American Baseball Coaches Association 1992 High School Player of the Year Award, 1992 Gatorade High School Player Of The Year Award, and USA Today's High School Player of the Year. This kind of acknowledgement got him a scholarship offer to play baseball from the University of Michigan that he obviously declined. Much later in his career Kalamazoo Central High School inducted Jeter into their Athletic Hall of Fame, in 2003, and renamed its baseball field in Jeter's honor in 2011. 


Derek was drafted straight out of High School by the New York Yankees in the first round of the MLB First Year Players Draft 6th overall. Hal Newhouser, a scout for the Houston Astros team that had the first pick overall that season, lobbied for his team management to select Jeter although the Astros feared that Jeter would require a salary bonud of at at least $1 million to skill college and go pro. The Astros, instead, drafted Phil Nevin and signed him for $700,000. Newhouser felt so strongly about Jeter and the waste of a pick that he quit his job with the Astros in protest. The Yankees gave Jeter a $800,000 signing bonus to skip being a Wolverine and instead become a Yankee. Yankees scout Dick Groch said he would not go anywhere but "Cooperstown". 


Derek played four season in the Yankees minor league system, beginning with a struggle in the Gulf Coast League. His manager even had to bench him at the end of the season in 1992 so his average did not drop below the Mendoza Line, .200 Batting Average. In 1993 though he came out of the offseason determined and was voted the Most Outstanding Major League Prospect  by the South Atlantic League managers after hitting .295 with 5 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He was also named to the All Star team even though he committed a South Atlanta League record 56 errors. Somehow, though, he was named the SAL's Best Defensive Shortstop, Most Exciting Player, and Best Infield Arm by Baseball America. In 1994 he was named the Minor League Player Of The Year Award by Baseball America, The Sporting Newas, USA Today, and Topps while winning the MVP of the Florida State League. The 1994 MLB strike and mild inflammation in his right shoulder while in the Arizona Fall League kept Jeter from the majors, officially, in 1995 but he would be called up for the post season run to sit on the bench and take in the experience of playing for New York. 


Derek was named the Yankees starting short stop starting for the 1996 season after Joe Torre stood up against George Steinbrenner, who as we all know was never happy about the growing pains young players have to go through. Steinbrenner even approved a trade that would have sent pitcher Mariano Rivera to Seattle for short stop Felix Fermin because Gene Michael and Brian Cashman convinced Steinbrenner to give Jeter an opportunity. Aren't we glad that he did? 

Jeter was the first rookie short stop to start the season as a starter for the Yankees since Tom Tresh in 1962 and he did not waste any time getting acclimated, hitting his first MLB home run that day. He won the Rookie of the Year award after hitting .314 with 10 home runs, scoring 104 runs, and driving in 78 RBIs. His first post season home run came in the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, the Jeffrey Maier home run.  Jeter won his first World Series ring in that rookie season when the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves in 6 games, the first Yankee World Series since 1978. Jeter batted .361 in that post season. 1998 was Jeter's first All Star Game appearance while the Yankees won 114 games during the regular season while on, in my very biased opinion, the greatest team of all time. Jeter would finish third that season in MVP voting but most importantly Derek had his second ring as the Yankees beat the Padres in 4 games. Another All Star appearance in 1999 and another World Series ring with the Yankees beating the Braves again for Jeter's third ring. After the 1999 season Derek agreed to a 7 year $118.5 million dollar contract but George Steinbrenner did not want to set a salary record and pay Jeter more then Juan Gonzalez, who was working on an 8 year $143 million dollar extension, so the Yankees agreed to a 1 year deal worth $10 million. That ended up being a "mistake" because Jeter had another All Star appearance, including the game winning hit and All Star Game MVP, and had yet another World Series ring when the Yankees beat the Mets in 5 games.  Jeter, while winning his fourth World Series ring, won the World Series MVP and became the only player to ever win the World Series and All Star Game MVP in the same season. Jeter then signed a 10 year $189 million dollar deal, making him the second highest paid player in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez, which was much more then the original extension proposal


Derek would make his fourth All Star game appearance in 2001and also made the "flip play" in the ALDS against the Oakland A's that will forever be remembered. Jeter would also earn the title "Mr November" when he hit a game winning home run as the clock struck Midnight on November 1st, the first World Series to ever be played in November. The Yankees would lose the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks in, again in my biased opinion, the greatest World Series of all time.  Jeter would dislocate his left shoulder on Opening Day of the 2003 season when he collided with Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby at third base, missing 36 games. That season Derek Jeter was recognized as the 11th captain in Yankees history eight seasons after Don Mattingly, the last Yankees captain, retired. After typical Jeter seasons from 2003-2007 Jeter tied Lou Gehrig's record for hits at Yankee Stadium with his 1,269th hit with a home run off of Ray's pitcher David Price in 2008. He broke the record two days later when he got a hit off of White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd. 


2009, after the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons, reloaded with many free agents signings and trades that brought CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Texeira, and Nick Swisher to name the big ones. This would also be the season that Derek would return to the lead off role when Girardi flipped him and Johnny Damon in the batting order. Jeter recorded his 2,675th hit as a short stop, passing Luis Aparicio's previous record for short stops, in August of the 2009 season. Jeter followed that up by passing Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all time hits lead when he singles off of Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman on September 11th, 2009. Jeter would win his 5th World Series championship in 2009 when the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games to win their teams 27th World Series Championship of their storied history. Jeter also won his 5th gold glove that season and finished third in the MVP voting behind eventual winner Joe Mauer and teammate Mark Texeira. In July of 2011 , off of pitcher David Price of the Rays, Derek collected his 3000th hit on a home run to left field at Yankee Stadium. He is now assaulting Pete Rose's all time hit record. 



Derek Jeter created the Turn 2 Foundation in 1996, a charitable organization, to help children and teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction. and it also rewards those who show high academic achievements. Derek also serves as an ambassador for Weplay, a website designed to get children involved in sports.  Jeter, when not being a good charitable person, is probably hanging out with a beautiful woman. Derek's little black book includes girls like Scarlett Johannson, Minka Kelly, Mariah Carey, Miss Universe Lara Dutta, Gabrielle Union, Joy Enriquez, Jordana Brewster, Vanessa Minillo, Jessical Biel, Jessica Alba,  and the list goes on and on... I hate you Derek Jeter.


What do you say to summarize Derek Jeter, I mean really what can you say? Going into the 2012 season he is a 12 time all star, 5 time Yankee Player of the Year, All Time Yankees hit leader including the only player in Yankees history to reach 3,000 hits, 5 gold gloves at short stop, 4 silver slugger awards, 2 GIBBY Awards for Moment Of The Year, 2 Hank Aaron Awards, 2 Lou Gherig Memorial Awards, Sporting News and Sports Illustrated All Decade Team, a Roberto Clemente award, an All Star and World Series MVP, 5 World Series rings, an AL Rookie of the Year, being on the team who went to the playoffs in 16 of his 17 seasons, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on. The greatest part of it all though? He still goes out there every day that he physically can, hurt or not, and has just as much fun today as he did in 1996 for the Yankees. The Captain... Derek Jeter.




Happy Birthday Marc The Shark From Twitter

Ask and you shall receive. We love our fans and appreciate every single one of you. So here is marctheshark's shout out for his birthday. Happy 27th! Go give this guy a follow on twitter. 

@MarctheShark909: @GreedyStripes Can I get a birthday shoutout from my favorite blogger? #yankees #27yearsyoung #27rings

Article Revisit: Yankees Should Target Kendrys Morales

The Yankees have recently been linked to Seattle Mariners player Kendrys Morales and it does not come as a surprise to me. I have been lobbying to get Morales on the Yankees for 19 months now and we will see that in this article revisit. Enjoy!

http://www.thegreedypinstripes.com/2012/01/one-stipulation-to-being-yankee.html
One Stipulation To Being a Yankee.... NO JUMPING



Apparently the Yankees traded super prospect Jesus Montero and have an opening for a DH spot. Also apparently the Yankees have 7 starting pitchers and are looking for one to trade. The Angels signed Albert Pujols apparently and also have ROY candidate Mark Trumbo also on the team with Kendrys Morales. Sounds like they have too many first basemen type players and we have too many pitchers. Lets make a deal?

Kendrys Morales is probably best known right now for his home run celebration that ended his season, pictured above BEFORE the injury. What we forget about Kendrys Morales so quickly is that Kendrys Morales has been a pretty good player since he broke into the league in 2009. In his first major league season he hit 34 home runs and slugged  .569, ranking second only to eventual MVP Joe Mauer. He ended up finishing 5th in that MVP vote in 2009. 2010 season was the season where he hit the walk off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners and fractured his leg during the celebration. In 51 games games he still batted .290 with 11 home runs and 39 rbis. He still has not come back to play a game since that incident, missing the entire 2011 season because of complications. Do you know what that tells me? Trade value is CHEAP.

Lets look at the Angels pitching staff since that is what we have to trade to Anaheim for Morales. The last thing the Angels need is pitching, let's be honest, but here is the projected rotation via the Angels official website here.

Jered Weaver
Dan Haren
CJ Wilson
Ervin Santana
Jerome Williams

That is a pretty scary looking pitching rotation. CJ Wilson and Jered Weaver are both signed long term where  Dan Haren has a club option for $15.5 million for the 2013 season. Ervin Santana is in the same situation with a contract through 2012 and the team holding a $13 million club option for 2013. Jerome Williams is a free agent after the 2012 season. All salaries and information was obtained at Cots Baseball Contracts

Who, if anyone, would the Angels be interested in? Obviously the choices are limited to Phil Hughes or AJ Burnett unless they are willing to accept prospects. The Angels currently are sitting at just under $142 million and I find it highly unlikely that they want 2 years of AJ Burnett at $33 million unless we eat 85% of that contract. That brings me to Phil Hughes.... As much as I love Phil Hughes he makes the most sense for a trade here. Hughes may actually be too much to ask for the Angels but the Yankees seem like they feel like they "have" to trade a starter, which is not true. Hughes could easily slip into more of a middle relief role while AJ/Garcia could fill the 5th spot and long man spot. Maybe the Angels would even be interested in Adam Warren , David Phelps, and/or DJ Mitchell. The Angels also do not seem to be entirely sold on Jordan Walden as their closer so maybe we could ship them a Mark Montgomery? Who knows..

The biggest concern is going to be Kendrys Morales' health. According to Roto World

Kendrys Morales (ankle) is drawing rave reviews for his early workouts at the Angels' spring training complex.
"I've been hitting with him every day and he looks strong," Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos said Wednesday. "Monday was the first time he took live BP (with a coach throwing) and he was popping them out from both sides. It's very impressive." If Morales continues progressing, he could become a legitimate fantasy sleeper. The 28-year-old tallied 34 homers and 108 RBI in 2009.



A lot of what is drawing me to Kendrys Morales, besides the low risk high reward type trades that Brian Cashman loves to pull (perfect example is Nick Swisher in 2009), is that he has more versatility then the other DH candidates being thrown out there. He has played 1B before, a position that Jesus Montero was penciled in to take some innings at to spell Mark Teixeira, and has also played the outfield. My line of thinking was that if Morales comes back healthy and productive then we have our replacement already on the team for Nick Swisher if he leaves after the 2012 season. Granted he has not played a ton of games in the outfield but he is far from a defensive liability out there, especially with speedy guys like Granderson and Gardner who cover a ton of ground in the outfield. The Angels seem like they have to do SOMETHING with Pujols, Trumbo, and Morales all looking to be vying for one spot on the team... I think we should take advantage of this and improve the team for the long term while staying with the 2014 tax thresh hold plan. Morales is making less then $3 million this season and does not seem to get a huge raise next season.

Morning Bits

Good morning everyone!

The Yankees defeated the Royals by a score of 8-4 yesterday as Derek Jeter made his return.

The Royals scored four runs off of Andy Pettitte, three of them earned, to extend the streak of opposing teams scoring four or more runs off of Pettitte to six consecutive starts and seven of the last eight starts.

Pettitte was clobbered early, but the Yankee offense fought back in a total team effort. Every Yankee starter yesterday had at least one hit or at least one RBI. Seven Yankee starters had RBI's.

The spotlight was on the Yankee captain Jeter returning from a broken ankle that had kept him sidelined since last year's ALDS.  Jeter started his day with a single that brought the crowd to their feet and later in the game had his first RBI of the year. The good times didn't last long though, as Jeter had to exit the game after injuring a quad try hustling down the first base line trying to beat out a grounder. Jeter will go for an MRI today as Yankee fans and management hold their breath awaiting the outcome.

The Yankees start their final series before the All-Star break tonight against  the Minnesota Twins at 7:05 PM ET.  The game will be televised by YES and Hiroki Kuroda(7-6, 2.77 ERA) will face Scott Diamond(5-8, 5.52 ERA).

Now on to today's news links:

ESPN.com has the news about Jeter's quad and looming MRI.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News writes that Robinson Cano finds himself in a strange position.

Tim Rohan of the New York Times thinks that Andy Pettitte is looking wobbly.

Have a great day everyone!

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/12


On this day in 1989 Louisiana Lightning Ron Guidry retired from baseball. During his 14 season career with the Yankees Guidry finished with 170 wins and a 3.91 ERA.


On this day in 2000 the Yankees sent Drew Henson and prospects to the Cincinnati Reds for Denny Neagle. Neagle would get a victory in the World Series clinching game against the New York Mets.