River Avenue Blues

Minor league transactions

by 2 Comments

I’ve already gone into how much I enjoy digging through BA’s minor league transactions page, so I figured I’d make it a nice little bi-weekly feature. I guess this will be the standard format, but enough already…

New York Yankees
Signed: SS Andrew Beattie
Released: RHP Cory Stuart, C Mark Davis, 2B Kevin Howard
Optioned to Double-A: RHP Jeff Kennard
Placed on minor league disabled list: RHP Joba Chamberlain, RHP J. Brent Cox, RHP Chris Garcia, RHP Mark Melancon, RHP Paul Patterson, RHP Steven White, 2B Russell Raley, SS Andy Cannizaro, SS Grant Plumley
Place on voluntarily retired list: 1B Ben Jones
Placed on restricted list: RHP Rolando Japa, RHP Daniel McCutchen, RHP Hector Noesi

Four of the Yankees’ top 15 prospects begin the season on the shelf. Melancon and Garcia both had Tommy John surgery. Cox had elbow surgery and will likely miss the season.

I’m guessing that Mark Davis is actually Ben Davis. Even though Kevin Howard was released, I’d still rather have him than Tony Womack. Looks like Low-A Charleston’s all-time leader in homers (35) and RBI’s (165) called it career. Thanks for helping Tabata get pitches to hit last year, Ben.

Potential scrap heap steal: C/1B Shawn Wooten, who was cut by the Padres. (very slim pickin’s this time around)

He’s still in baseball?: RHP Tim Drew (Nancy and Stephen’s brother), who was signed by the Indians. 3B (and former Yank) Erick Almonte, who was cut by the Rockies. OF Bubba Trammell, who was put on the Orioles’ minor league disabled list.

The forever underappreciated Ramiro Mendoza was cut by the Mets.

Curt Schilling validates my opinion

by 8 Comments

I’ve been saying that the cold weather, the bone-chilling cold weather we’ve had, isn’t good for pitching in particular. I think Phil Hughes’ subpar start tonight had a lot to do with the weather. And words from the keyboard of Curt Schilling, of all people, support my theory. Said Curt earlier this week: “I hate cold weather from a feel standpoint.” As I’ve said, in the cold, pitchers have no feel for their pitches. Don’t judge one bad Phil Hughes start because it was 40 degrees with a threat of snow. Baseball is a warm weather sport for a reason.

It was a good idea, in theory

by 2 Comments

In theory, Communism works. In theory.

Phil Hughes tonight: 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 1 K

His control looked a bit off. He was falling behind guys and using his best fastball to catch up, but eventually guys are going to wise up to that. I still don’t think he has much, if anything, left to learn in the minors. I just think he’s having some control issues right now.

Not that it really matters, anyway. Pete Abraham is reporting that Mike Mussina won’t hit the DL. This, of course, means that we’ll be seeing Darrell Rasner once more. I’d be less concerned about that if the start wasn’t coming against the Injuns.

So it’s Igawa, Pavano, and Pettitte against the A’s, followed by an off-day, then Rasner, Igawa, and Pavano against the Indians. Hopefully, this means Pettitte, Moose, and Wang against the Red Sox. For that to happen, though, Wang would have to make his one rehab start on Tuesday, and everything would have to go perfectly thereafter. Not looking too good…

Josh Beckett sucks at something else besides pitching

by 3 Comments

Seriously, how many people are going to keep calling this guy an ace before they open their eyes? Anyways…

And speaking of the Reebok party, Red Sox hurler Josh Beckett had eight strikeouts earlier in the day at Fenway. But unfortunately his K-streak continued at Underbar, where one striking young redhead didn’t buy his pitch!

We hear Beckett homed in on the party gal and opened with his best line: “Hey, you.” Blown away by his sparkling repartee, Big Red responded by saying “hi,” and then walked away.

“She knew who he was, but she’s from Michigan and doesn’t have the hero worship for the Red Sox,” said our spy on the scene. “Plus she doesn’t care about him being a pro athlete.”

“He then comes up to her again – now on the other side of the bar – and starts whispering sweet nothings into her ear,” said our source. “She can’t really figure out what he’s saying, so she says, ‘Great game today. Congratulations.”

He responds with “Huh?” So she repeats it. And receives yet another, “Huh?”

“You. Pitched. A. Great. Game,” she said.

His response: “Are you wasted?” Her response: “No, I just got here.”

“He then looked at her funny and wandered off,” said our source.

“Hey baby, are your parents retarded? Cause you’re a pretty special girl” might have worked better. Maybe Beckett should stick to what David Ortiz does best and…ahem…bring men home.

(hat tip to The Feed)

An in-house rotation fix

by 13 Comments

First it was Obi-Wang. Then it was Joba Chamberlain down in the minors. Now it’s Mike Mussina, the supposed rock of stability that always seems to be one little tremor away from a landslide. Hamstring injuries have run rampant through the Yanks organization in 2007, and they’ve been on the rise in all of baseball the last couple of years. Maybe guys are slacking off during pregame stretching, maybe their muscles are deteriorating from PED use, maybe they’re all just fluke injuries. No matter what’s causing them, the Yanks have to deal with ’em.

Looking at the schedule, I figure the rotation shakes out like this:

Thursday: off
Friday: Igawa
Saturday: Pavano
Sunday: Pettitte
Monday: off
Tuesday: Rasner
Wednesday: Igawa
Thurday: Pavano
Friday: Pettitte
Saturday: TBD

That TBD guy is what I’m here to talk about.

[Read more…]