New York Yankees

When he got the second MRI on Tuesday, it revealed a possible rotator-cuff tear. The question is whether it’s a new injury or scar tissue from the operation he had back in 2000.

Because Dr. James Andrews did that surgery, he will examine Wang on Tuesday and figure it all out. If Wang does have a new tear, he’ll be out the rest of this season and part of 2010. Wang, as you might expect, is nervous about what Andrews might find.

If Wang does need surgery, the Yankees could non-tender him in December rather than have him rehab on their dime.

The LoHud Yankees Blog

Lets see, we have Josh Beckett on the mound today, Chris Carpenter welcomes in Mannywood, Carlos Zambrano against those second half studs from Houston. The Freak goes for his 10th win, and even a King takes to the mound today ... but this match-up seems to be the best of the bunch.

Yankees (60-38) @ Rays (54-45), 7:08pm
  NYY: A.J. Burnett (32, RHP, 9-4, 3.74)
  TBR: James Shields (27, RHP, 6-6, 3.70)
 
Am I the only one wishing for Tampa to run down Boston? (outside of Tampa of course).

Is "None of the Above" an option?

With Chien-Ming Wang likely unable to join the rotation again this season, Mitre will be a staple at the back end until he proves unworthy of the spot. Schmidt and Pedro could fall apart at any second because of age, but at 28 years of age, Mitre isn't nearly the injury risk.

We are in no way suggesting that Mitre will be a Fantasy stud going forward, but with owners already snatching up Pedro and Schmidt in 37 and 40 percent of leagues, respectively, we think it would be a much safer and more bountiful decision to grab the newest Yankee. With Mitre owned in just 16 percent of leagues, you can prove to your friends that you can look passed the glitz and glamour of once-great names and make the smart Fantasy move.

FantasyNews.CBSSports.com

Not sure I would of trusted when he was healthy. I had him on my DL in one league, but I just cut him from there too. I'll let somebody else take the risk.

Frank Russo just reported to me some bad news on Chien Ming Wang. Apparently, he threw earlier today, felt pain, and has been shut down. This doesn’t sound good and it appears we may have seen the last of Wang in 2009.

Mike Silva’s New York Baseball Digest

I don't think I would move CC in a trade, simply because I would be selling low right now. Besides, he is a lefty, so that should negate the left handed effect of Yankee stadium somewhat. Over his career, Sabathia has a better ERA, WHIP, and K/9 in the second half. Significantly better. I'd buy low if I were you.

I discussed CC Sabathia after he got off to a bad start again this year and how he does this almost every year. I predicted he would return to the Sabathia of old and not to worry. Although the ERA has come down there are some signs that he isn't the Sabathia of old right now.

Any struggling pitcher of course could look to Yankee Stadium to explain any ills. This actually has some potential as his rates are very off at home this year. While his overall K/9 is 2.41 his K/BB at home has been 1.95. That isn't a small sample size either at 62.1 IP.

He may not be the top 5 pitcher many drafted him as, but he is still a solid pitcher. You can't give him away and he is still going to rack up wins on the Yankees. His rest of the season ZiPs projection calls for 8 Wins, 3.31 ERA, 99 K and a 1.23 WHIP.

rotosavants.com

great read.

Henderson's career is far livelier and more entertaining when told through the voices of his colleagues - the former teammates, opponents and managers who had front-row seats for the Rickey Show. It was an incomparable production, moving from coast to coast and including ample doses of talent, flamboyance, contractual discontent, nagging injuries, loud poker games and creative aliases. Henderson's path from his childhood in Oakland to his impending induction in Cooperstown left a long trail of memories:

Dennis Eckersley, former A's pitcher: "In day games when he first came up, he'd get a walk and look at his shadow, kind of admiring it, on his way to first base. I didn't know what he was doing at first, but then I figured it out - and I screamed at him. A lot of guys hooted on Rickey, but he didn't care. He had thick skin. It wasn't a hot-dog thing, that was just Rickey's style. After I was teammates with him for a while, I understood."

sf chron

For all their big-name stars and big-money talent, the Yankees, some in baseball believe, have a significant weakness that could hinder their quest for a playoff berth, although they lead the AL wild-card race as their second half begins Friday.

The Yanks, so far, have had trouble with fellow contenders. Against the Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Phillies - the first-place teams they have faced - and the Rays, a team chasing them for the wild card, the Yanks are 9-19, including an 0-8 record against rival Boston.

The vaunted Yankee lineup is averaging nearly half a run less (5.14) against those teams than their season mark (5.63). Their team ERA against the contenders is 5.70, more than a run higher than their season ERA (4.54). Their four primary starting pitchers - CC Sabathia (0-4) A.J. Burnett (1-2), Joba Chamberlain (1-2) and Andy Pettitte (1-2) - are a combined 3-10 with a 5.41 ERA against those heavyweights, and the Yankees have made 21 errors in 22 games against the Red Sox, Angels and Rays, leading to 21 unearned runs.

NY Daily News

How much did they spend on SP this winter? $400 Million, $500 million? I lost track.

The staff wasn’t quite as dominant as we’d hoped, with each starter hitting a rocky path with varying degrees of severity. It led to some ugly results. The Yankees starters have combined for a 4.76 ERA through 88 games, which ranks 12th in the AL, besting only Baltimore and Cleveland. They’ve averaged under six innings per start, which is bad, and lead the AL in walks, which is really bad. It’s safe to say that the rotation has not lived up to expectations so far.

Part of that rests on the shoulders of Chien-Ming Wang, whose first three starts were so historically bad that they skew the numbers of the staff overall. I won’t remove them here, since they did happen. Still, even if we did remove them, the Yanks would still be at or near the top of the league in walks, and still probably wouldn’t be at six innings per start. Wang’s ineffectiveness is no excuse for the whole staff.

There were some bright spots, of course, so we’ll hand out props and boos to each individual starter.

River Avenue Blues

eh, he is pretty good.

With a solo home run to center field in the eighth inning at Angel Stadium during Saturday's 14-8 loss to the Halos, Alex Rodriguez passed Rafael Palmeiro for 10th on baseball's all-time home runs list, hitting the 570th of his career. Rodriguez tied Palmeiro in the first inning with a two-run homer to left field.

Rodriguez has been on a tear recently, hitting .407 with a double, eight home runs and 22 RBIs in his past 16 games.

yankees.com