Granderson to start minor league rehab, could return next week

Curtis Granderson worked out with the Yankees before last night’s game and is meeting up with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on its road trip to play five games in six days, according to the Journal News. If all goes well, Granderson could be back in the Yankee lineup before the end of the month.

This is great news for the Yankees, as the weakened offense is certainly feeling the effects of losing Granderson, Nick Johnson, Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher full-time.

Johnson was transferred to the 60-day DL and Posada went on the 15-day DL to make room for Chad Moeller and Kevin Russo. Russo, the star on offense in last night’s game, will probably start in left again tonight if Marcus Thames isn’t ready to return from a sprained ankle.

Swisher has played the last two games, hitting left-handed, and is 2-for-8 with two runs scored.

Granderson’s return would give the Yankees seven Opening Day starters in their lineup and also would be a big help to the struggling outfield defense. Steve S. from The Yankee U wonders if he’ll be moved to left field upon his return. Like Steve, I wouldn’t mind it if he moved. As Steve said, Granderson has said publicly he wouldn’t mind it either. Does he really mean that? Who knows. I think with his professionalism he would be fine.

Yankees home opener pics (2nd set)

Round two. I like the pictures of the “Yankee Stadium” sign the best. Not so much the demolition photos.

Yankees home opener pics (1st set)

Here are some pictures from the Yankees home opener from my roommate who attended the game.

Yankees-Red Sox series preview: Why history won’t repeat itself

The last time the Yankees and Red Sox met on Opening Day, the world was upside down. The Red Sox snapped an 86-year drought of winning it all the year before, and were facing a pack of hungry Yankees and fans at the old Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees won 9-2 behind Randy Johnson’s gem in his Yankee debut.

Now it’s the Yankees that are coming off a World Series victory and entering a ticked off Fenway Park. Expect plenty of boos and angered fans tonight. This one could get ugly early.

I like how both teams are extremely healthy to open the season. Daisuke Matsuzaka will open the year on the 15-day DL, but that’s about it for both teams.

Who isn’t excited for tonight? For me, every rivalry game is a blast to watch. But in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter what happens tonight? Opening Day could actually be argued to be the most meaningless game of the season because there are the most number of games remaining in the season.

Here’s a series preview:

Game 1: CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett (tonight, 8 p.m.)
I tend to favor the home team in games like this. Like I said earlier, the Yankees are really in for it tonight. I’m betting on David Ortiz hitting a ball over the Monster tonight off CC. The big lefty didn’t make it out of the fifth inning last year against the Orioles on Opening Day. Meanwhile, Beckett owned the Rays in his Opening Day start last year.

Game 2: A.J. Burnett vs. Jon Lester (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
I’ll be at the game, so it’s an automatic win, right? Well, I’ve only been to Fenway once before, and that was to see the Yankees crush the Red Sox 9-1. But those were the days of Nomar Garciaparra and Hideki Irabu. I’ve heard a lot of fans — Yankees and Red Sox — pick Lester for their preseason Cy Young Award winner. Let’s just say I’m not about to put $100 against that. I’m hoping for a close game or a Yankee blowout. If it’s the latter, I might not make it back to Quinnipiac in one piece knowing Red Sox fans.

Game 3: Andy Pettitte vs. John Lackey (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
I say the Yankees take this one despite Lackey’s great history against the Yankees. Lackey will have all the pressure on him, while Pettitte will be cool as ice.

Players to Watch:
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez. He missed all of April last year, and I think he misses it. Historically, April is his highest monthly OPS besides August.
Red Sox: Kevin Youkilis. He just scares me, especially at home.

Prediction:
Red Sox win the battle tonight, but lose the war in Games 2 and 3.

Yankees Opening Day roster set

The Yankees just announced none of the few banged up players will start the season on the disabled list and Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves will take the final two bullpen spots.

So, here’s what the roster, lineup, bench, rotation and bullpen will look like tomorrow on Opening Day.

Lineup
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF

Bench
Francisco Cervelli
Ramiro Pena
Randy Winn
Marcus Thames

Rotation
CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Javier Vazquez
Phil Hughes

Bullpen
Mariano Rivera CL
Joba Chamberlain
David Robertson
Damaso Marte
Chan Ho Park
Alfredo Aceves
Sergio Mitre

Yankees-Red Sox open 2010 on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

The last bit of news pertaining to the Yankees yesterday was the announcement of the Yankees and Red Sox opening up the 2010 season on April 4, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 at Fenway Park.

That’s going to be one chilly night. Shouldn’t Yankee Stadium host the opener since the Yanks are the defending champions?

Here’s another announcement from the MLB: Selig announces committee to review on-field issues.

Lastly, here’s a nice profile on Curtis Granderson by Anthony McCarron of the NY Daily News.. It’s a bit long, but worth a read. My favorite part:

Jerome Cochran, then a scout for the Tigers, saw Granderson, as a sophomore, dash from right field to center one day to catch a deep drive after the center fielder lost the ball. "He had to run about a half-mile to do it," says Cochran, who now works for the Pirates.

"A guy does something like that, it raises your intrigue."

Yankees vs. Orioles Opening Day Preview

Opening day for the Yankees today.  Luckily for me, I have a class at 4 p.m. so I won't be able to see the first pitch live.  Here's the long-awaited lineup:

D. Jeter SS

J. Damon LF

M. Teixeira 1B

H. Matsui DH

J. Posada C

R. Cano 2B

X. Nady RF

C. Ransom 3B

B. Gardner CF

Of course, CC Sabathia will toe the rubber for the Yankees.  He will be facing off against Jeremy Guthrie, who had a terrible spring and World Baseball Classic.  Check back at the end for a game recap.