It’s nice to see A-Rod slotted back into his usual No. 4 spot. While the lineup has been solid for the past few days, there’s always room for the best hitter in baseball. He’s even playing the field, so we have the “A” lineup out there.
The news isn’t all good, though. We got a tip earlier that Brian Bruney would be out for the season. Turns out that was probably accurate. He tore a ligament in his foot — scrambling to cover first base — and needs surgery. Terrible news for a guy who was looking a bit more dependable than in years past.
Chris Britton and Jonathan Albaladejo come in as reinforcements, though it’s not clear what the other corresponding move will be. Could be Farnsworth to the DL, though we haven’t heard anything on that front for today, or it could be a trip to Scranton for Ross Ohlendorf. I suppose it could also be the designation of Chad Moeller, but with the Yanks facing two lefties this weekend and with two healthy catchers on the roster, you have to figure that Moeller will be swapped for Shelley Duncan tomorrow.
Thought on a possible Ohlendorf demotion: This makes sense if the Yanks are still unsure on Farnsworth. Clearly, neither pitcher would be available tonight, so you have to do something to get an arm in there. Demoting Ohlendorf gives the Yanks another day or two to decide on Farnsworth. If he does hit the DL, the Yanks can simply recall Ohlendorf before the 10-day waiting period, since he’d be replacing an injured player.
While we’re on the bullpen, let’s talk LaTroy Hawkins. Surely, we’re all hating the guy right now. And with so many arms from AAA seeking a promotion, I can understand the fervor over releasing him. But if you remember last season, we had a similar conundrum in Luis Vizcaino. At this point, the Viz had a 6.00 ERA, and would see that balloon all the way to 7.66 on May 25. He had a 2.66 ERA the rest of the way, striking out 50 and walking 24 in 50.2 IP. So don’t count out a turnaround for Hawkins. However, the question still remains of whether the damage he does now would be worth it, even if he did right the ship.
Stay tuned for any updates before game time.
Update: Moeller DFA’d for Britton. So it looks like Albaladejo comes up as Bruney’s injury replacement. That means a three-man bench tonight. Seems we’ll see Shelley tomorrow.
Lineup:
1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Jorge Posada, C
7. Jason Giambi, 1B
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Melky Cabrera, CF
And on the mound, number forty-six, Andy Pettitte
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