NY Post: Ramiro Pena to be sent down making way for Eric Hinske

Joel Sherman of the NY Post has confirmed my guess that Ramiro Pena will be the odd man out in the acquisition of Eric Hinske.

They are planning to send down Pena later today. They want Pena to continue to develop as a prospect and get more at-bats. But they also want Pena to also start playing some outfield and see if he can be used in the near future as a super-sub around the diamond, much like Atlanta uses Omar Infante.

Despite Pena’s recent mini offensive surge, it is pretty clear that Cody Ransom possesses the better bat. It looks like Ransom will spell Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano, while Hinske will spell Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.

2009 June in Review

Let’s briefly review the Yankee in June and check their status in the standings:

June Record: 15-11 (.577)
Overall Record:  44-32 (.579)
Divisional Standings:  Down 2.5 games to Red Sox
Wild Card Standings:  Up 1.5 games to Rays

June in Review:
The Yankees finished up May winning 14 of their last 18 games to move into first place in the AL East. They started out June winning five of seven, but it went downhill from there. After getting swept by Boston and barely taking two of three from the Mets, the Yankees lost two of three to the Nationals and Marlins. But after losing the first game of the Braves series, the Yankees won their next six games against the Braves, Mets and Mariners.

Ahead in July:
The Yankees are done with interleague play, and will play mostly AL Central and West teams in July. Besides the four-day All-Star break, the Yankees play everyday in July (27 games; 16 home, 11 away).

Teams they will face in order: Mariners (H), Blue Jays (H), Twins (A), Angels (A), Tigers (H), Orioles (H), Athletics (H), Rays (A) & White Sox (A).

Opponents combined record as of July 1: 355-340 (.511)

2009 Yankees June Awards

July is my favorite month of the year, (mainly because of my birthday and the warm weather) but first, it was an exciting third month of the season. Let’s hand out some awards to the Yankees’ best June performers:

Best Hitter:  Alex Rodriguez
Yes, I am awarding the player with the lowest batting average in June with the best hitter of the month award. He hit just .207, but made up for it with walks and extra base hits to give him a .387 OBP and .415 SLG. He was the most productive Yankee, leading the team with five homers and 22 RBI.

Honorable Mention:  Derek Jeter
He was the only Yankee with over 50 at bats to hit over .300. He hit .310/.394/.414 and stole seven bases. He finished with only seven RBI, but did his job as a leadoff hitter: to get on base, and to score runs (17, led the team).

Best Pitcher:  A.J. Burnett
He led all starters with a 2.10 ERA (next closest: CC Sabathia at 3.77) and was the only Yankee pitcher to collect three wins. He also led the team with 35 strikeouts. In his two losses, he gave up four earned runs (seven total runs).

Honorable Mention:  Alfredo Aceves
Aceves was even more dominant in June than he was in April. He posted a 1.32 ERA, and led the bullpen in innings (13-2/3) and victories (2). Seven of his nine appearances were shutout performances. It is the second month in a row that Aceves earned the honorable mention.

Surprising Standout:  Phil Hughes
For the first time in his regular season career, Hughes pitched from the bullpen. He shined in his new role, posting a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings of work. He finished tied for bullpen lead in strikeouts (16), and led the team in WHIP (0.60)

Honorable Mention:  Brett Gardner
In 48 at bats, Gardner hit .333/.439/.479, scoring 10 runs and stealing eight bases. His stats were inflated by hit five-hit performance against the Mets on 6/26, but still, it was a solid month for Gardner. Note: he batted just .220 in April, but hit .330 in May and June.

Previous Monthly Awards
2009 Yankees May Awards
2009 Yankees April Awards

Red Sox, Papelbon blow biggest lead since 1989

If it’s bad news for the Red Sox, it definitely means good news for the Yankees. Last night was no exception when the Red Sox watched the Orioles scored 10 unanswered runs in the late innings to take an 11-10 victory. The best part, Jonathan Papelbon blew the save and allowed the game-winning run to score.

According to NESN, a nine-run lead was the largest lead the Red Sox have blown and lost the game since 1989.

It was a thing of beauty to watch the Red Sox blow the lead at the exact same time the Yankees regained the lead for good in the eighth inning.

Yanks take back-and-forth game with M’s

The Yankees (44-32) blew two different two run leads, but still came away with the victory after a three-run eighth inning rally to beat the Mariners (39-37) 8-5. The win marked their sixth straight victory, and now trail Boston by 2.5 games (thanks to them blowing a nine run lead against the Orioles!).

Quick ‘Cap:
The Mariners started out looking like the Mets when they handed the Yankees two runs on a silver platter in the second inning. Third basemen Chris Woodward recorded two errors in the same play, allowing Robinson Cano to score, and Jorge Posada later scored on a sac fly.

Joba Chamberlain let up a solo shot in the third inning, but the Yankees got that run right back on Melky Cabrera’s groundout in the fourth.  The Mariners tied it up at three in the fifth, as Chamberlain started losing control. He was taken out with one out in the sixth, but no runs scored.

Alex Rodriguez hit what looked like the game-winning two-run homer in the seventh, but the Mariners rebounded again in the eighth to tie it back up. However, Cabrera drove in the actual game-winning run in the eighth, and Derek Jeter plated two more to put the game out of reach. Mariano Rivera did his thing in the ninth for the 19th time this season and 501st in his career. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
It was a thrilling win, and the Yankees now really look like the great team they were earlier this month. It was clutch hit after clutch hit, and more strong pitching (except for Brian Bruney).

Bruney blew the lead in the eighth, but the Yankees backed him up. It was unclear why Joe Girardi opted for him rather than keeping in the hot Phil Hughes. After the game, Girardi declared that it is his role to pitch the eighth. That has to be put into question now.

Chamberlain pitched just okay. I’m actually starting to get worried about him because of his inability to go deep into ballgames. Could me and half of the world be wrong about him being a starter? He MUST work on working ahead of the count to get some quick at bats; it’s the only way he’ll reach the seventh inning again.

Line of the Night:
Cabrera: 1-for-3, 3 RBI, R. He was starting to fall a little bit for a while, but hopefully another game-winning hit can jumpstart his bat again.

Up Next:
The Yankees will look for lucky No. 7 Wednesday night in a duel between Jarrod Washburn (4-5, 3.22) and Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.38).

P.S. Meanwhile, I will be playing (hopefully pitching) under the lights in a Legion baseball game in Keene, NH. (so I won’t be able to follow my Yanks).