Nate’s Takes: Granderson, Hughes, Cervelli

So after being distracted for the last two hours watching this Osama thing I finally had time to put together this week’s Nate’s Takes. Last week, I predicted the Yankees would go 5-2. Instead they went 4-3 thanks to Rafael Soriano and some ridiculous catches by Brent Lillibridge. If you also remember I correctly predicted that Nick Swisher would hit his first home run of the season versus the White Sox. I was also a week late on the Kevin Millwood prediction. He can go take his 85 mph fastballs somewhere else.

Overall the Yankees stand at 16-9, which is first place in the AL East. So why does it still not seem like the Yankees are not on top of their game? With Jorge Posada, Swisher, Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter struggling it seems as though the offense has not lived up to expectations (although they have hit a lot of homeruns). With Soriano and Mariano Rivera blowing more games in April than expected it seems as though the Yankees should have a few more wins. With that said, here is what I have for the week.

Nate’s Takes: Soriano, Hughes, predictions

Hello again everyone. After a win against the Texas Rangers Sunday Night, the Yankees stand at 9-5 which is good enough for first place in the AL East. Last week I predicted the Yankees would go 3-3 against the Orioles and Rangers. Again Mother Nature didn’t want the Yankees to play a mid-week game, but they still finished ahead of my prediction at 4-1. Meanwhile this was a well-played five games for the Yankees following a tough series in Boston. Here is my take on the week.

I am willing to give Rafael Soriano a break since the weather has been really bad. Hopefully he can turn into the eighth inning option we all expected (he looked good Sunday night). The thing is that with all these earned runs early it will be really hard for him to have an ERA below three or four this year. He has allowed six earned runs this year after only allowing twelve all of last year. If we get to August and our eighth inning “closer” has an ERA of 4.50, are other teams at all intimidated? Also, he will definitely be picking up that twelve million dollar option.

Kevin Millwood & Chris Dickerson in, Sergio Mitre out

After keeping quiet for most of spring training, the Yankees made a couple of moves this morning, less than a week away from Opening Day.

First, they finally signed Kevin Millwood. Second, they traded Sergio Mitre to the Brewers for center fielder Chris Dickerson.

Of course, the Yankees had to stir the pot right after I released my pitching projections.

Poll Results: Freddy Garcia favored to win final spot in Yankee rotation

My latest poll results were pretty definitive. Freddy Garcia, despite his sub-90 mph fastball, will win the final spot in the Yankee rotation. (This is assuming Ivan Nova keeps his job as the No. 4 guy. It’s his job to lose.)

The other candidates aren’t attractive at all. Bartolo Colon is a giant, Sergio Mitre is the most inconsistent pitcher on the planet, and everybody else is just too young. (I hope everyone saw this news clip about Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances starting 2011 in Double-A.)

Heyman: Yankees have shown interest in pitchers Kevin Gregg and Kevin Millwood

The Yankees have shown interest in free agent reliever Kevin Gregg and starter Kevin Millwood, according to Jon Heyman. Both pitchers were listed in Heyman’s “best values to be found in the free-agent bargain bin.”

The Yankees pitching staff needs some help, especially if Andy Pettitte chooses to retire, and either Kevin might do the trick. Let’s take a closer look at Gregg and Millwood.

Orioles-Yankees series preview

The Orioles hold the worst record in the majors at 15-36, while the Yankees have the best home record in the American League at 16-7 (31-20 overall).

The two AL East teams will start June with a three-game set at Yankee Stadium tonight, and then will meet again next week at Camden Yards.

Head-to-head: The Yankees swept the Orioles in the beginning of May at home, and took two of three from Baltimore on the road the week before. Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher have posted big numbers against the O’s this year, and Garrett Atkins has had great success against the Yankees. Javier Vazquez, tonight’s starter, is the only starter who hasn’t faced the Orioles this year.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Orioles starters	Yankees starters
Tues., 7:05 p.m.	Brian Matusz (2-5, 5.76)	J. Vazquez (3-5, 6.86)
Wed., 7:05 p.m.	Brad Bergesen (3-3, 5.96)	Phil Hughes (6-1, 2.70)
Thurs., 1:05 p.m.	Kevin Millwood (0-5, 3.89)	CC Sabathia (4-3, 4.16)

Players to Watch:
Orioles: Ty Wigginton. He’s been the most productive player for the O’s by far this year with 13 homers and 32 RBIs. The Yankees have kept him relatively quiet so far this year, and will need to continue that trend if they want to collect more victories.

Yankees: Cano. He’s riding a 14-game hitting streak and has six straight multi-hit games. Six! He has 12 RBIs in his last five. He is the hottest player in baseball right now. Watch him.

Prediction:
It’s hard to predict a sweep with Vazquez on the mound tonight and a struggling CC Sabathia on Thursday, but it’s a new month. I don’t like the looks of Kevin Millwood’s record this year. The Yankees don’t usually like facing 0-5 pitchers. I’ll say two out of three if they’re lucky. The bullpen is still a major cause for concern.