The Daily Yankeeland - 9/16

New York state assemblyman Richard Brodsky claims that New York City manipulated the assessed value of Yankee Stadium in order to get a tax break. Brodsky is expected to issue a report later today.

The Yankees have already moved some artifact's and mementos out of the Stadium.

A great story in today's Star Ledger on some of the long time vendors at the Stadium. We walked right past Mike McNamara as we entered the Stadium on Sunday.

Dan Graziano has a nice story on a long time Yankees fan.

Thanks for stirring the pot again Jorge. Joba Chamberlain is tired of the starter vs. reliever talk.

The South Bronx's Humberto Sanchez has finally made it to Yankee Stadium.

Pedro Martinez exploded over Posada's comments about him. Perhaps they shouldn't have told him after the Nationals kicked his ass.

Hideki Matsui will most likely have his knee surgery as soon as the Yankees are mathematically eliminated, if not sooner.

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Minor League Recap - 7/23

Games of 7/23

With Brian Cashman in attendance, Scranton starter Al Aceves had a chance to make an impression. A solid or stellar start could have meant a start at the major league level, but things didn't work out too well for the 25-yr old native of Mexico.

Aceves threw 65 pitches (he's still rehabbing from a groin injury) in a 3 inning stint in which he allowed 2 runs, 3 hits, walked 2 and struck out 6. The Yankees won the game 4-3 over the Richmond Braves behind Cody Ransom's 2-run home run, his 18th of the season. J.B. Cox picked up the win after 3 scoreless innings from Steven White. Brian Bruney also tossed one shutout inning and insisted he's ready to re-join the big club.

Chad Jennings spoke to Cashman about Aceves' performance. Jennings also reported that Jason Lane was put on the DL with a rib cage injury.

	July 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Richmond 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 5 0 Scranton/WB 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 X 4 4 1 Recap | Box | W: J. Cox (4-3, 3.76); L: D. Moss (3-9, 4.99); SV: S. Strickland (7) HR: RIC: B. Canizares (12). SWB: C. Ransom (18).

Tough night for Trenton Thunder pitcher Jason Jones. He got hammered for 6 runs on 10 hits in just 4 innings of work against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He also walked 4 batters. New Hampshire won the game 7-2. Edwar Gonzalez hit his 8th home run for the Thunder and Austin Jackson stayed hot with a pair of hits in 4 at-bats.

Mike Ashmore reported that the Yankees traded reliever Bo Hall to the Astros for a player to be named later. Don't expect that player to have much value.

	July 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Trenton 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 8 1 New Hampshire 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 X 7 12 1 Recap | Box | W: B. Cecil (5-2, 2.76); L: J. Jones (10-4, 2.67) HR: TRE: E. Gonzalez (8). NHM: D. Smith (6).

The Tampa Yankees split a 7-inning twinbill with the Brevard County Manatees. The Yankees won the opener 4-2 behind a 3-run home run from Andres Perez and strong pitching by Mike Dunn, Phil Bartleski (2-0), and Jon Hovis.

The Manatees took the nightcap in a 16-2 blow out. Jason Stephens, who had been an All-Star at Charleston and and had started out well at Tampa, got lit up for 7 runs in 2 innings pitched as he continued recent struggles. Eduardo Nunez and Mitch Hilligoss each hit solo home runs to account for the Yankees runs.

	July 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Brevard County 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 7 0 Tampa 0 3 0 0 1 0 X 4 6 1 Recap | Box | W: P. Bartleski (2-0, 1.45); L: A. Rivas (0-1, 9.00); SV: J. Hovis (10) HR: TAM: A. Perez (7).

	July 22, 2008 Game 2
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Brevard County 1 6 3 5 0 1 0 16 16 0 Tampa 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 4 1 Recap | Box | W: M. Ramlow (2-0, 0.00); L: J. Stephens (2-4, 6.08) HR: TAM: E. Nunez (5), M. Hilligoss (1).

Lance Pendleton allowed 5 runs in 5 innings in the Charleston River Dogs 7-5 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Brandon Laird had a big night, going 4-5 with a home run and 3 RBI. Jesus Montero continued his hot streak with a 2-5 night.

	July 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Charleston 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 5 15 1 Greensboro 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 0 X 7 14 2 Recap | Box | W: B. Evans (1-1, 4.61); L: L. Pendleton (6-6, 3.60); SV: C. Madden (4) HR: CHA: B. Laird (12). GBO: R. Curry (10), T. Belcher (1).

The Staten Island Yankees came out on top of the Jamestown Jammers (sounds like a Roller Derby team) in a pitcher's duel, 1-0. Addison Maruszak drove in the game's only run in the 7th inning to make a winner of starter David Phelps, who went 6 innings. Pat Venditte struck out 2 of 3 in the 9th for his 9th save.

	July 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Staten Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 Jamestown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 Recap | Box W: D. Phelps (3-2, 3.27); L: T. Koehler (1-3, 2.12); SV: P. Venditte (9) HR: None.

The GCL Yankees were edged out by their Braves countparts 5-4. Humberto Sanchez threw one inning, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, as he continues his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Spencer Lucian drove in 2 runs for the Yankees.

	July 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E GCL Yankees 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 6 3 GCL Braves 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X 5 8 2 Recap | Box W: D. Delgado (3-0, 2.49); L: K. Perez (0-2, 4.63); SV: S. Rodriguez (3) HR: None.

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Minor League Weekend Recap - 7/21

We start off at the Double-A level where red hot prospect Austin Jackson helped lead the Trenton Thunder to a 3-game sweep of the Portland SeaDogs. The series was supposed to go 4 games, but a rainout on Sunday shortened things up.

Jackson, the 21-yr old that could man centerfield in the new Yankee Stadium for many years to come, is hitting .556 (20-36) over his last 10 games, with a home run, 3 doubles, 5 RBI, 5 walks, and 8 runs scored. He went 4-4 in the series opening 8-1 win last Thursday, and went 4-6 in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday (5-4, 3-0). Phil Coke impressed in the nightcap, tossing 2-hit ball over 6 innings, with 10 strikeouts.

The Thunder's current 5-game winning streak put them 25 games over .500 (62-37) and puts them 8.5 games ahead of Portland in the Eastern League's Northern division.

Scranton put together an impressive series, winning 4 of 5 from the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The only loss was the first game, a completion of July 3rd's suspended game. But since that counts in the schedule on July 3, the Yankees actually have an 8-game winning streak.

They may have lost the completion of the first game, but Al Aceves stood out. He allowed just 2 hits and struck out 5 over 4 innings.

Juan Miranda continues to impress those in the organization, particularly when he faces right-handed pitching. He's hit .400 over his last 10 games and homered in Thursday's 6-5 nightcap win, and again in Saturday's 6-4 victory. Miranda is now hitting .346 with a .977 OPS against right-handers.

Ian Kennedy and Jeff Karstens are both trying to give Joe Girardi something to think about after their performances against Lehigh Valley. IPK threw 3-hit ball over 7 innings to earn the 2-1 win on Saturday and Karstens finished off the series by allowing 2 runs in 7 innings for a 7-2 win.

Scranton's hot streak has moved them to within 2.5 games of 1st place Pawtucket in the International League's North division.


It's been a tough road for the Tampa Yankees. They recently endured an 11-game losing streak before sweeping 4 straight from the Vero Beach Rays. They split the next 4 with the Jupiter Hammerheads, rebounding after losing the first two games. On Sunday they started a new series with the Brevard County Manatees, dropping a 5-3 decision.

Zach McAllister took the loss on Sunday, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings, with just one of the runs being earned. The 20-yr old from Chillicothe, IL has an impressive season at Charleston and Tampa. He was 6-3, 2.45 in 10 starts for the RiverDogs, with 53 strikeouts and just 8 walks in 62.1 innings pitched. Thus far for Tampa, McAllister is 4-5 despite a 2.50 ERA. Overall, he's posted a 10-8, 2.48 mark in 120 innings with 90 strikeouts and just 14 walks.

McAllister's teammate Ryan Pope picked up a 7-inning, complete game win on Saturday, 3-2. He's now 6-4, 2.35 in 13 starts.

The Yankees are 11-16 thus far in the 2nd half and sit 9.5 games back of Dunedin the Florida State League's Western division.


The Charleston RiverDogs had their 7-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, losing a tough 8-7 game to the Greensboro Bats. Prior to the loss, the RiverDogs had just finished a 4-game sweep of the Kannapolis Intimidators. Big right-hander Dellin Bettances was impressive on Saturday with 6 innings of 2-hit ball. He also struck out 5 and walked a pair.

18-yr old Jairo Heredia also continued to impress with his own 6 innings of 2-hit ball in a 2-0 Dogs win. Heredia has struck out 65 batters in 71 IP.

All-Star Jesus Montero has been the most consistent hitter in the Dogs lineup and he's been heating up again, hitting .385 over the last 10 games, with 2 home runs and 7 RBI.

After a 45-25 first half, the RiverDogs are just 14-14 out of the gate in the 2nd half.


The Staten Island Yankees have won back to back series and will look to make it three straight tonight when they face the Brooklyn Cyclones in the rubber game of the series.

3rd baseman Mike Lyon has been a model of consistency all season. He's among the league leaders with a .318 average and a .902 OPS. Teammate Ray Kruml is right behind him with a .313 average and is 4th in the league with 10 stolen bases. Dan Brewer has also put together a solid campaign with a .297 average and 17 RBI.

Casey Erickson has been the Baby Bombers top starter, putting together a 2-0, 3.31 mark in 7 starts. He has struck out 23 opponents in 32.2 innings pitched. And of course Pat Venditte has been a big story because of his ability to throw with both arms, but he's put numbers up that are equally impressive. Venditte is second in the NY-Penn League with 8 saves and has posted a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 IP.

At 20-12, Staten Island has the second best record in the NY-Penn League.


The GCL Yankees have been heating it up like the Florida sun of late. They've won 6 of their past 7 games and 3 straight. Four pitchers combined on a 6-hit, 13-strikeout performance in Friday's 3-0 win over the Phillies.

Humberto Sanchez threw a 1 inning rehab assignment on Sunday and has now made 8 appearances for the GCL squad. In 7.2 innings pitched, he's allowed 4 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and has struck out 11. The Yankees beat the Phils again 9-8 as shortstop Jimmy Paredes went 5-5.

The Yankees, 15-12, now trail the 1st place Phillies by just 1.5 games in the GCL North.

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Minor League Recap - 7/8

Here's a quick recap since we checked in last.

Triple-A
Scranton went 2-2 with one game suspended by rain. Among the highlights was Dan McCutchen's complete game shutout of the Syracuse Chiefs on July 5. McCutchen allowed 5 hits, walked none, and struck out 10. Eric Duncan helped him out a bit with 3 RBI in the 5-0 win. The Yankees also beat the Toledo Mud Hens 5-4 when Alberto Gonzalez hit his first home run of the season in the 12th inning.

On the downside, Jeff Karstens was knocked around by the Mud Hens last night, allowing 6 runs in 5.1 innings pitched. J.B. Cox also got tagged for 2 runs in 2.2 innings. Cox also got tagged for 4 runs in 2 innings Saturday in an 8-5 loss to Syracuse. Duncan belted a 3-run home run in that one

Double-A
The Trenton Thunder have won 4 of their last 5, including winning 3 of 4 from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. It started out with Jason Jones throwing 7 innings of 2-hit ball to beat the Portland Sea Dogs 4-0 on July 3. Phil Coke matched that effort with 7 innings of 2-hit ball against the Fisher Cats the next night in a 6-0 win.

More good pitching on 7/5 with 5 solid innings from Eric Hacker and a great job by the Thunder pen, in a 3-2 win over New Hampshire. And the Thunder won the series last night, 6-4, behind a pair of RBI each from Austin Jackson and Chris Malec. The lone set back was the third game of the series when George Kontos got knocked around in a 6-1 loss.

You wonder how long it will be until Anthony Claggett makes the jump to Triple-A. After 2 scoreless innings last night, his ERA is now 1.00 in 18 appearances for Trenton. His walk total, 16 in 36 IP, is a bit high, but he also has 33 strikeouts.

Jackson, meanwhile, has hit a bit of a slump with just 10 hits in his last 44 at-bats (.227). On the other hand, his fellow All-Star, Chris Malec, has been red hot, hitting .342 over the last 10 games.

Advanced 'A'
The Tampa Yankees are mired in a 7-game losing streak that started back on July 1st. For the most part the Yankees have gotten good pitching, but have had hitting woes. Ivan Nova gave up 2 runs over 7 innings on July 3, but the Yankees were beaten 2-1 by the Ft. Myers Miracle. The Miracle held the Yankees to 1 run in their 3 game series.

Then Tampa was swept by the Sarasota Reds. They were shutout for the third time in four games, 6-0 despite a great outing by Zach McAllister. He allowed 2 runs over 8 innings and struck out 9. Pitching was definitely not in the cards in the middle game of the series when Mike Dunn and the bullpen got blasted in a 12-5 loss. A 5-2 loss capped the series on Sunday (Monday's series opener with St. Lucie was rained out).


'A' Ball
The Charleston RiverDogs split their last four ball games, winning against Lexington last night 2-0. Wil de la Rosa struck out 9 and allowed just 2 hits over 6 innings. Jon Ortiz picked up his 22nd save of the season and Jesus Montero belted his 8th home run. The Dogs also beat the Augusta GreenJackets 6-3 on Sunday behind 3-hit ball by Jairo Heredia over 6-plus innings. Austine Romine went deep in that one.

Sunday's win would be the only game Charleston would take in the 4-game series with Augusta. They lost 5-4 on July 3 despite a pair of Brad Suttle home runs, and dropped a 5-2 game on July 4 despite a good rehab performance by Dellin Betances. The big right-hander, who didn't figure in the decision, allowed 2 runs over 5 innings and struck out 6. Betances allowed 3 hits and, more importantly, walked just one batter.

Short Season
No one is hotter than the Staten Island Yankees, who have won 10 in a row, including 5 straight since we last checked in. Luke Greinke didn't figure in the decision, but he tossed 4.2 shutout innings in the Baby Bombers 10-1 blow out of Mahoning Valley Scrappers on 7/3. Dan Brewer (hitting .351) and Mitch Albeita drove in 3 runs each.

The offense was at it again the next night in an 11-9 win over the Scrappers. Walt Ibarra hit a 3-run home runs and three players drove in 2 runs each.

Dave Phelps threw 5.1 innings to lead SI over the Auburn Doubledays, 6-2, on Saturday. Mike Lyon's (hitting .349) home run help propel the Yankees to a 4-2 win on Sunday and they finished off the Doubledays by the same score last night. Casey Erickson allowed 2 unearned runs over 6 innings and Albeita drove in another 3 runs.

Rookie Ball
The GCL Yankees dropped 3 of 4, their lone win being a 6-2 victory against the GCL Tigers. Chris Britton threw 2 shutout innings in a rehab stint. Emerson Landoni went 4-4.

Brian Bruney threw the first two innings of Saturday's game as he rehabs his Lysfranc injury. Humberto Sanchez also tossed one inning, striking out the side. The Tigers, however, were 7-1 winners.

Chad Gross hit a grand slam on Saturday, but the Yankees were out scored by the Phillies 10-9. The Philles won against last night 4-3 as Bruney and Sanchez each threw another inning. Landoni drove in 2 runs for the Yankees.

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