Ex-Yankees update: Chien-Ming Wang, Arodys Vizcaino, tons more

This blog has been starving for an update on ex-Yankees, and I thought there would be no better time than today to revive this blog’s old periodic feature.

Why today? Well, that’s easy. Haven’t you seen the Nationals box score from last night?! If you were too lazy to click through that link, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that old friend Chien-Ming Wang picked up his first win since beating the Mets on June 28, 2009, while wearing pinstripes. Wang had a no-hitter through five innings, lost it in the sixth, but left without allowing a run. Although it may hurt some of you to see him back to his winning ways, I feel really good for him. It’s been a long journey for him, and I guess he needed a fresh start.

Another reason to bring back the ex-Yankees feature today is due to some news out of Braves camp. Atlanta called up  pitching prospect Arodys Vizcaino, who went from the Yankees to the Braves in the Javier Vazquez deal in the 2009 offseason.

Without further ado, below are updates on some more old friends.

Last game of the year decides everything

If the Yankees had swept the doubleheader yesterday, today’s game wouldn’t have mattered. But a walk-off win by the Red Sox (also known as the PawSox) made the 162nd game of the season matter.

Dustin Moseley and the Yankees will face John Lackey at 1:35 p.m. and the Rays are calling on Wade Davis to take on Sean O’Sullivan of the Royals at 2:10 p.m.

Sadly, I’ll be at the Met Museum in New York City all day so I probably won’t get to watch much of the game if any at all.

In two starts against the Yankees this year, Lackey notched one good and one poor start. Moseley came up big against the Sox in his only start against them this year on Aug. 8.

My final score prediction: 4-2 Yankees. Derek Jeter will come through with the big hit.

Hughes starting for Moseley tonight

The Yankees have changed their minds again with Phil Hughes, as they’ve opted for him to start on normal rest tonight instead of Dustin Moseley.

In other words, Joe Girardi and the Yankees realized tonight’s game is kind of important, and one start over a young pitcher’s innings limit probably isn’t going to result in a Tommy John surgery.

I think it’s important to note Hughes knew of this decision last night, not hours before the game as some of you may be thinking. The announcement was made today, but the decision was made last night.

It would not be wise for the Yankees — or any team — to change a starter on game day unless of course there were an injury. Why? Because most (if not all) pitchers have routines they follow on days they are pitching.

BBD: Hughes to be skipped, Aceves and Marte done for 2010

Bronx Baseball Daily, the Yankees blog I used to write for, has a few news updates on the Yankees you need to know (via the Daily News).

Phil Hughes will be skipped one start in the Yankees rotation to limit his innings, Joe Girardi said before Wednesday’s series finale against Baltimore. Dustin Moseley will start Sunday in Texas, and Hughes will return to the rotation next Wednesday in Tampa.

Also, Girardi said Alfredo Aceves (back) will not return this season, and Damaso Marte (shoulder) will “probably not” be back in 2010.

Hopefully Moseley can come through for maybe just one more time.

Too bad about Aceves and Marte; they would have been nice to have for the postseason.  

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If you have some free time, be sure to check out BBD. Rob Abruzzese and his crew have created a quality Yankees blog that offers plenty of unique links.

Vazquez back in the rotation, Moseley out

Javier Vazquez’s hard work with Dave Eiland has paid off. Joe Girardi announced before today’s game Vazquez will take Dustin Moseley’s spot in the rotation starting Saturday.

“We might skip someone at some point or we might give a guy a shorter outing at some point,” Girardi said. “This is not permanent. I’m just saying this is what we’re going to do now.”

I have no problem with this move. He earned it with two very strong long relief appearances. Moseley did a decent job filling in for Andy Pettitte and Vazquez, but he wasn’t the long-term (playoff) solution.

Now the question is: Can A.J. Burnett hold his spot in the rotation?

Vazquez has Eiland to thank for recent success

Last night Javier Vazquez picked up his first win for the Yankees since July 26. Ever since Vazquez lost his spot in the rotation, he’s turned in two dominant long relief appearances (9 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K combined). Mike Mazzeo of the Star-Ledger reports pitching coach Dave Eiland made a minor change to Vazquez’s windup.

Vazquez’s fastball was regularly registering on the radar gun at 90 to 91-mph (last night), instead of its usual 87 to 88.

All it took was Vazquez moving his leg kick backward and in, which, in turn, allows him to have more momentum going forward. And, as a result, according to the right-hander, his ball doesn’t tail inside as much, because he’s throwing more over the top instead of dropping his arm slot.

I expected Joe Girardi to comment on the idea of reinserting Vazquez into the rotation. Last night he didn’t have much to say.

“As of now, we’re going to stay in rotation,” Girardi said. “But that could change.”

I think it should happen. The Yankees will probably keep Phil Hughes in the rotation the rest of the year to build his innings, so that leaves A.J. Burnett, Dustin Moseley or Ivan Nova as candidates to lose their spot.

The way Nova is pitching, I don’t think he’s going anywhere, especially as Moseley and Burnett are the ones pitching under par.

I say if Burnett delivers another poor start Wednesday, he should be moved to the bullpen. He certainly has bullpen-type stuff, as he’s a two-pitch pitcher and throws mid-nineties heat.

When (if) Andy Pettitte returns Girardi can change the rotation again to prepare for the postseason.

Posada-Cervelli catching rotation instituted

Joe Girardi has set a catching rotation for the remainder of the year in an effort to keep Jorge Posada’s playing time optimized.

The manager will try to adhere to having Posada catch CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte (or Dustin Moseley), while Francisco Cervelli will catch for A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez.

A normal catching rotation has the starter catch four of the five pitchers, but with Posada’s 38-year-old (turns 39 next Tuesday)  legs the Yankees can’t be too cautious.

Bondy won’t be very happy about this.

Poll Results: Cashman did well at deadline

Fans are happy with Brian Cashman post-trade deadline, as he acquired a full-time DH, a versatile outfielder and a reliever with a lot of potential.

Thirty-three percent said Cashman could’ve done more — presumably those fans would’ve liked a starting pitcher. However, with Andy Pettitte on a fast comeback trail and Dustin Moseley filling in beautifully, an additional starter doesn’t seem necessary at this point.

Speaking of Moseley, did you know he couldn’t run without pain in January? Read all about the long journey Moseley took to beating down the Red Sox last night.

New poll: Should Berkman hit second in lineup?

Yanks crush Red Sox in Sunday showdown

Dustin Moseley came up big in place of A.J. Burnett, ousting Josh Beckett and the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball in a 7-2 win.

Best of All: Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez reached milestones and Lance Berkman had his best game as a Yankee. It was a pretty good night.

Oh, and Mark Teixeira hit his 25th homer to Cancun.

Worst of All: Jorge Posada went 0-for-4 with two Ks.

Coming Up: The Yankees and Red Sox wrap up the series Monday afternoon.

A-Rod back in lineup, Burnett scratched

Alex Rodriguez is back in the lineup after getting hit by a liner in BP yesterday, but tonight’s starter A.J. Burnett won’t pitch against the Red Sox due to back spasms. He’s been moved back to Tuesday, giving way to Dustin Moseley tonight and Phil Hughes Monday.

Here’s tonight’s lineup (standard):
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Lance Berkman DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Brett Gardner LF

Romero mows down Yankees in 8-2 win

Blue Jays southpaw Ricky Romero went the distance in an 8-2 victory to clinch a series win against the Yankees tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees were outhit 12-2.

Best of All: Mark Teixeira hit his team-leading 23rd homer of the year, a two-run blast in the opening frame. It gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead which they held until the fourth, when starter Dustin Moseley allowed three runs.

Worst of All: Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-3 and is hitless in his last 16 ABs and homerless since July 22.

Kerry Wood and Sergio Mitre were both ineffective out of the bullpen. It wasn’t a pretty night at all for the Yankees.

Coming Up: The Yankees will try to avoid getting swept Wednesday afternoon with Phil Hughes on the hill.

Yanks pick up where they left off against Cleveland, cruise to series victory

Following an 8-0 blowout yesterday, the Yankees clinched a series victory against the Indians tonight with an 11-4 win. The offense broke out in the seventh with a seven-run rally, which was more than enough support for spot starter Dustin Moseley.

Best of All: Moseley pitched six innings of one-run ball to earn the victory and all but sure up the next spot start in place of Andy Pettitte.

Worst of All: Alex Rodriguez is still stuck on 599. He had two opportunities with the bases loaded late tonight, but couldn’t come up with a granny. However, he did drive in his 83rd, 84th and 85th runs of the season.

Coming Up: The Yankees head down to Tampa this weekend for a big series with the Rays, who most consider the second-best team in baseball. Check back before the game Friday night for a series preview.

Yankees-Indians series preview

The Yankees start their week on the road against the lowly Indians after winning six of nine at home to start the second half. The Tribe isn’t playing a lot like the last placed team they are, winning seven of 10 after the All-Star break thus far.

Still, even with their hot stretch, the Indians remain 16 games below .500 and 12.5 games out of first in the AL Central.

Head to Head:
The Yankees took three out of four from the Indians at the end of May, and they did it with offense, offense and a little bit of offense. They averaged more than nine runs per game and the only loss came at the hands of Joba Chamberlain.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Yankees starters	Indians starters
Mon., 7:05 p.m.	J. Vazquez (8-7, 4.68)	J. Westbrook (6-6, 4.74)
Tues., 7:05 p.m.	CC Sabathia (13-3, 3.18)	Josh Tomlin (0-0, 0.00)
Wed., 7:05 p.m.	A.J. Burnett (8-8, 4.77)	F. Carmona (10-7, 3.51)
Thurs., 7:05 p.m.	Sergio Mitre (0-2, 3.99)	Mitch Talbot (8-9, 4.08)

UPDATE:
Dustin Moseley (0-0, 4.22) is taking Mitre’s spot start Thursday.

Players to Watch:
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez. He’s sitting on 599 homers. Everyone going to these games in Cleveland are there for one reason: To see A-Rod’s 600th.

Indians: Trevor Crowe. He has led the Indians’ charge in the second half with his .343/.410/.571 hitting line. Also, if I’m remembering this right, Crowe made a sensational grab in center back in May at a game I attended.

Prediction:
This doesn’t seem fair. The Yankees are in an easy part of their schedule, but are playing teams that are overachieving. The Indians were supposed to be a breeze, but now I see they’re hot and I’m having some doubts. I’ll be happy with a series split but don’t be surprised if Josh Tomlin throws eight shutout innings in his major league debut tomorrow night and the Indians sweep.

A failed attempt to witness another big milestone luxuriously

After receiving a surprise pair of tickets to the Delta Sky 360 Suite last night, flashbacks to last year’s memorable 9/11 game hit me. Was I about to witness another milestone from luxury seats?

Not this time! It just wasn’t in the cards. Alex Rodriguez was stranded in the on-deck circle as the would-be winning run in the ninth inning when Yuniesky Betancourt’s throw nipped Mark Teixeira at first base.

On top of that, the Yankees lost 7-4 to the Royals, as Sergio Mitre was completely ineffective in his first appearance since June 4. Dustin Moseley was utterly brilliant in relief, but the Yankees couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole Mitre dug.

I didn’t leave the stadium with a smile, but I’m sure I could have lit up a room with my smile when I took my seat a few moments before the first pitch.

The only thing missing from this picture is the sun. It beat down on us directly from above and forced my friend and I to go inside to the air conditioned suite for beverages at one point. Still, it wasn’t too hot for Carl’s Steaks. In the suite, there was a nice array of photos on the wall in a lounge area. Here’s a brief video tour:

Snapshots from the video and more photos from the stadium can be seen on Facebook.

Back at the seats, as each A-Rod at-bat passed without a homer, my hopes for 600 grew. When it came to the ninth inning, I realized A-Rod might have an opportunity to hit a walk-off grand slam for No. 600.

With two out, none on and the captain at the plate, I expected nothing more than a grounder to short. Instead, Derek Jeter came through with a ground-rule double. Curtis Granderson walked, giving Teixeira, who had hit two homers in the game already, an opportunity to tie it.

Tex worked a 2-2 count against Royals closer Joakim Soria before grounding one up the middle. Betancourt fielded it slowly, but made a hard enough throw to first to beat Teixeira by half a step. My heart sank.

Oh well. My friend had warned me of his hard luck; I just had trouble believing him. After all, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner were out of the starting lineup. I should’ve listened to him from the get-go.

However, I was still delighted with the seats and the game wouldn’t have been the same without them. For that, I’m extremely grateful. So a big thanks goes out to my older sister’s boyfriend, Adam Klausner, for a belated birthday gift.

11-run third inning fuels Yankees’ win

The Yankees scored all 11 of their runs in the third inning, led by Brett Gardner’s grand slam and Alex Rodriguez’s three-run (sun-helped) double. Andy Pettitte worked an easy six innings, allowing just two homers and three singles to lead the Yanks to an 11-3 win and his 10th victory of the year.

Dustin Moseley made his Yankee debut with two perfect innings.

Best of All: The Yankees pounced on Ricky Romero in the third and were very patient against Brian Tallet. However, it was a little disheartening to see 11 runs scored in the third inning and nothing more the rest of the way.

Worst of All: Nothing to ruin your Saturday over! Enjoy it.

Coming Up: The series finale is between Phil Hughes and Brandon Morrow tomorrow on Independence Day!