Results tagged “jasongiambi”

The Carl Pavano era is over in the Bronx, or is it? Yesterday, the Yankees declined their option on Pavano’s contract making him a free agent. Over his four years with the Yankees, Pavano spent more time on the DL than in the Bronx and he leaves New York $40 million richer in exchange for nine wins and 146 innings. If Cashman tries to bring him back, they both should be run out of town.

• Yankees 3, Red Sox 2: To answer the above question: Probably. But for one game -- the last regular-season contest between New York and Boston at Yankee Stadium -- the Yankees showed signs of life. Mike Mussina didn't get his 17th win -- 20 is looking less likely now -- but Jason Giambi picked up his team. He hit a pinch-hit, game-tying, two-run homer in the seventh inning. In the ninth, against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon, Giambi snapped the 2-2 tie he created.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Are the Yankees Dead Yet?"

Don’t pay attention to the score of 9-5, the headline says it all, Joba Chamberlain is hurt. How badly he is injured and what the ramifications are, aren’t known at this point, but the Yankees will have to hold their breath. Maybe it was the play in the fifth where Joba had to dive to get out of the way of a throw that caused him to leave the game with “shoulder stiffness”, but if it wasn’t they have to expect him to miss some time.

• Yankees 1 Red Sox 0: The Yankees had a great night on and off the field Friday. Joba Chamberlain showed why the Yankees were smart to move him to the rotation with seven shutout innings at Fenway. Joba was brilliant, striking out nine and allowing only three hits and walking one. It was a good thing for New York because they couldn’t score. Jason Giambi drove in the lone run of the game with a single, that only was a single because the Red Sox had employed “the Giambi shift”. But, Joba made it hold up and Mariano got a five-out save to send the Yankees to their seventh-straight win.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: A Good Night All Around"

The Yankees sweep the Athletics and the Mets managed to salvage a split of their series against Cleveland.

Despite our shameless last-minute plug for David Wright and Jason Giambi, neither of them made the 2008 All-Star Team in their respective league. The winners for the Final Vote were outfielder Corey Hart of the Brewers and Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. Hart presumably benefited from the Milwaukee's "I Hart NY" campaign while Longoria must have traded on Mrs. Tony Parker's fame.

With the Mets and Yankees putting forth middling seasons, that only four players total got selected to the July 14 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium should come as no surprise. Billy Wagner is the lone Mets representative (full NL roster), though he had an interesting way of celebrating. For the Yankees, Derek Jeter (undeserving) and Alex Rodriguez (most deserving) got voted in by the fans, and Mariano Rivera will join them as a reliever (full AL roster). Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina, who have both put up All-Star caliber first halves, didn't get the call.

• Yankees 4 Cincinnati 1: The Yankees did just enough to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Reds. Andy Pettitte went six-strong, not allowing a run and striking out four. He probably would have pitched longer, but the game was delayed 50 minutes due to rain. Jason Giambi provided the big hit, a two-run double in the sixth that gave New York a comfortable lead. Mariano Rivera, who had to come into the game in the eighth because Kyle Farnsworth hurt his hand, recorded his 21st save of the season. Ken Griffey Jr., no fan of the Yankees hit his 601st home run and received an ovation from the crowd.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Saving Face"

Johnny Damon continued his hot hitting with two more hits and scored two runs. Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi both hit home runs and Alex Rodriguez doubled home two runs in the 7th to give the Yankees a comfortable lead. Dan Giese earned his first career win with 2-2/3 innings of shutout relief and Mariano needed only seven pitches to nail down his 16th save of the season.

But, the offense couldn’t help him. They got ten hits, but they couldn’t string them together to create scoring chances. Unfortunately, the Yankees best scoring chance was aborted by a horrible call from the umpire. With two on and two outs in the eighth, Giambi was punched out when the home plate umpire said he swung at a pitch that he clearly checked his swing on. The umpire didn’t ask for help and the Yankees’ arguments went for naught, just like their night.

• Mets 7, Marlins 6 (12 innings): One Johan Santana start plus not one but two last-chance comebacks equal a two-game winning streak and some signs of life from the Mets. Fernando Tatis, one of three reserves to knock in runs in Tuesday's win, hit a game-winning two-run double in the 12th. The game only went to extra innings because Endy Chavez hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Don't count on seeing Luis Castillo and Chavez homer in the same week again, much less the same day. Offense like that can cancel out another erratic start by Oliver Perez and the disappointment of seeing Duaner Sanchez allow a homer to Alfredo Amezaga in the top of the 12th. The Mets welcome the Dodgers for four starting Thursday, and, at one game under .500, they have a pulse.
• Yankees 4, Orioles 2: Jason Giambi won't be sitting for Shelley Duncan anytime soon. He hit his 11th homer of the year -- Giambi, not Duncan -- as the Yankees avoided the sweep. Andy Pettitte turned in a solid start before Joba Chamberlain pitched two innings in relief. Mariano Rivera closed the door as Chamberlain threw more pitches in the bullpen. He could start as soon as next week. The Yankees get to spend a lovely off-day in Minnesota before playing four against the Twins.

The Mets and Yankees are in the middle of their first subway series game of the season right now (last night's game was rained out--it may be rescheduled later this summer), but the real news is what's happening off the field.

• Yankees 6, Indians 3: Consider for a moment what situation the Yankees would have been in if they had lost this game. They would have been 3-6 (with the six losses coming in two sweeps) on a nine-game homestand and would have started a road trip in Detroit on a four-game losing streak. The Tigers swept the Yankees in the Bronx last week. To top that off, they would be sending the never-entertaining Kei Igawa to the mound.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Avoiding Disaster"

Hideki Matsui added a RBI double in the eighth and the bullpen provided four shutout innings in support of Mike Mussina. Mussina won the 253rd game of his career, tying him with Carl Hubbell on the all-time list. The Yankees, who have played 18-of-20 on the road now come home for a long homestand.

• Tampa 6 Yankees 3: After five games the biggest question in Yankeeland is what happened to the offense? 15 runs scored in five games is not what anyone expected from this team, but that’s where the Yankees stand thanks to some anemic hitting. It’s a collective slump with every regular not named Abreu, Rodriguez or Cabrera struggling. Some of the noteworthy failures right now are Jason Giambi is 1-for-12 (.083) Johnny Damon 2-for-18 (.111) and Robinson Cano 2-for-19 (.105).
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: A Downer Of A Day"

The bad news came from Pedro Martinez who is out 4-to-6 weeks with what is being described as a “mild strain” of his hamstring. What that means is Martinez is definitely out for April, but beyond that is impossible to tell. El Duque told SNY before the game that he needs three rehab starts in the minors, so he could be back in the rotation around April 20th.

Andy Pettitte is a cheater. He confirmed this yesterday when he apologized for and admitted to using HGH. In a statement issued yesterday, Pettitte said that he used human growth hormone on two occasions, both to recover from a 2002 elbow injury and not for performance enhancement reasons.

"In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone. Though it was not against baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I stopped. This is it - two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list.

Continue reading "Pettitte Admits to Using HGH"

The morning started with rumors of names mentioned in Senator George Mitchell's report to Major League Baseball, but not until this afternoon were any rumors substantiated. Stating in his report that “there is much about the illegal use of performance enhancing substances in baseball that I did not learn,” Mitchell proceeded to lay waste to the careers of many notable players, perhaps none more so than Roger Clemens. In the report Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens’...

Johnny Damon had a great game, going 3-for-5 and making an outstanding catch. Jason Giambi woke his slumbering bat with a grand slam and Jorge Posada added two hits and a home run. Phil Hughes did just enough and was helped by some great defensive plays as he allowed six baserunners, but only one run over six innings.