Minor League Recap - 8/29/14: John Ryan Murphy goes yard in Scranton's loss

Triple-A Scranton: 6-5 loss vs Lehigh Valley IronPigs

SS Jose Pirela: 0-for-2, K
RF Chris Young: 1-for-4, K
2B Rob Refsnyder: 0-for-4, K
1B Kyle Roller: 1-for-4, R, K
CF Adonis Garcia: 2-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI
C John Ryan Murphy: 2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, K -- 6th homerun of the season

Manny Banuelos: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Tyler Webb: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Preston Claiborne: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A Trenton: 3-0 loss vs Reading Fighin' Phils

LF Jake Cave: 0-for-5, 2 K
DH Ben Gamel: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Greg Bird: 1-for-4, K
C Francisco Arcia: 2-for-4, 2B
CF Mason Williams: 0-for-3, BB, K

Luis Severino: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Mark Montgomery: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa: 8-4 loss vs Daytona Cubs

CF Mark Payton: 0-for-4, BB, K
SS Cito Culver: 1-for-5, R, K
3B Eric Judge: 1-for-4, R
RF Aaron Judge: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
DH Mike Ford: 1-for-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

Miguel Sulbaran: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR

Low-A Charleston: 6-1 win vs Augusta GreenJackets

SS Tyler Wade: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, 2 K
DH Michael O’Neill: 3-for-4, R, RBI, K
3B Miguel Andujar: 1-for-5
2B Gosuke Katoh: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K

Rookie Davis: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Short Season Staten Island: 8-7 win (F/10) vs Vermont Lake Monsters

CF Collin Slaybaugh: 1-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K -- walk-off double
DH Connor Spencer: 2-for-5, R, RBI
1B Chris Breen: 3-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB -- second homer in his last five games
RF Austin Aune: 0-for-5, 3 K
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, K

Jordan Montgomery: 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Jordan Foley: 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Rony Bautista: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Minor League Recap - 6/24/14: John Ryan Murphy goes yard in Scranton's loss

Triple-A Scranton: 7-5 loss vs Rochester Red Wings

LF Jose Pirela: 1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K
2B Rob Refsnyder: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K -- batting .292 at Triple-A
C John Ryan Murphy: 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K
3B Scott Sizemore: 1-for-4, K
DH Kyle Roller: 0-for-4, 3 K
SS Dean Anna: 1-for-4 -- first game since coming off of the DL on Tuesday

Bruce Billings: 6 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Preston Claiborne: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Double-A Trenton: 6-3 loss vs Bowie Bay Sox

CF Mason Williams: 0-for-5, K -- hitting just .219 this season
C Gary Sanchez: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI, K
DH Peter O'Brien: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Tyler Austin: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K
1B Rob Segedin: 2-for-4, R, 2B
2B Ali Castillo: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, BB

Dan Camarena: 4.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Tyler Webb: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
Fred Lewis: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

High-A Tampa: 4-3 win vs Clearwater Threshers

CF Jake Cave: 1-for-5, R, 2 K -- hitting .297 this season
SS Cito Culver: 0-for-5
1B Greg Bird: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K
DH Matt Snyder: 1-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K -- three-run bomb, his third of the year
RF Aaron Judge: 1-for-4, 2 K

Jaron Long: 5.2, IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Cesar Vargas: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Low-A Charleston: (Game 1) 6-1 win vs Savannah Sand Gnats

RF Michael O'Neill: 1-for-2, BB
SS Tyler Wade: 2-for-3, RBI, BB
CF Dustin Fowler: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI -- fifth homer of the season

DH Mike Ford: 0-for-3, BB
3B Miguel Andujar: 2-for-2, BB -- fielding error, 18th this season
2B Gosuke Katoh: 2-for-3, double, RBI
LF Brandon Thomas: 1-for-3, K

Caleb Smith: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Omar Luis: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Brett Gerritse: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

(Game 2) 2-0 loss vs Savannah

RF Michael O'Neill: 0-for-3
SS Tyler Wade: 1-for-3, K -- batting .270 this season
CF Dustin Fowler: 0-for-3, 2 K

Rookie Davis: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Angel Rincon: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, K

Short Season Staten Island Yankees: 4-0 win vs Aberdeen IronBirds

CF Devyn Bolasky: 2-for-3, RBI, BB - batting .300
DH Brady Steiger: 1-for-4, K
1B Chris Breen: 1-for-4
2B Ty McFarland: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI - batting .324
RF Austin Aune: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K
LF Nathan Mikolas: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Thairo Estrada: 1-for-4, 2 K, SB

David Palladino: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Andury Acevedo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Rony Bautista: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Who was the Baby Bomber performer of the day, you guys? Comment below.

Read More

Beltran, Nunez and Murphy go yard Yankees' 8-2 win over Blue Jays

Carlos Beltran finally collected his first hit of the spring, launching a solo homerun in the 4th inning of the Yankees' 8-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Florida.

"That's why we're here, to try to get our swings and to try to get our timing back," Beltran said. "It always feels good every time you square a ball and hit it good."

Eduardo Nunez also smacked his first homerun of the spring -- making up for an error that he made at shortstop in the first inning -- and John Ryan Murphy hit a three-run homerun in the 8th to blow the game wide open, putting the Yankees up 8-2.

Vidal Nuno started the game for the Yankees, and he pitched pretty well in his second start of the spring. He tossed two innings of one-run ball, giving up two hits while striking out three. His only blemish of the day was a solo homerun off the bat of Jose Bautista in the 1st inning that gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

Nuno said that overall, he was pretty happy with his performance today. 

“Just one (bad) pitch,” he said. “And Bautista just hit it out.”

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after the game that it's possible Nuno could be placed in the bullpen to start the season if he doesn't win the fifth starter job. 

“I think you have to consider him, too,” Girardi said. “I think you have to. He’s left-handed. He can give you some innings. He can get left-handers and right-handers out. I think you have to look at it.”

Bautista took advantage of an offspeed pitch that Nuno left up in the zone, the kind of pitch that Bautista can do damage with, and sent it over the left field wall into the palm trees.

Adonis Garcia, who collected two hits on the day, opened the 2nd inning with a single to right field, then Brendan Ryan singled a couple batters later to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one-out.

A sac-fly by Russ Canzler moved Garcia to third, putting runners on the corners for infield bench candidate Dean Anna to rip a single into right field, tying the game at 1-1.

An inning later in the 3rd, the Yankees took the lead on a three run inning that started with a leadoff walk by Jacoby Ellsbury and was followed by a two-run homerun off of Nunez's bat. Beltran went back-to-back with a homerun a couple pitches later, extending the lead to 4-1.

Girardi also addressed the chances of Nunez making the team as a backup infielder. 

“Obviously (he can make the team) by being able to play all over the place and playing well is the important thing,” Girardi said. “We know there’s a lot of talent in that young man, and there are some things that he can do. He provides speed for you. But he’s got to be able to play all over.”

Shane Greene gave up Toronto's second run of the game in the 6th inning on a RBI double by Melky Cabrera. A one-out double by Edwin Encarnacion put him on second for Cabrera to drive him home a two batters later.

The Yankees got that run back in the following half inning after Garcia doubled to open the inning and Gary Sanchez singled to put runners in 1st and 3rd with one-out, then Corban Joseph grounded to the second baseman, making it a 5-2 ballgame.

And then Murphy's three-run shot in the 8th made it a five-run game. Antoan Richardson and Yangervis Solarte both singled with one out in the inning, then Murphy got a pitch he could hit from Neil Wagner, sending it out of the park.

Bryan Mitchell tossed two scoreless innings for the Yankees in the 3rd and 4th innings, striking out three in-a-row at one point. Bruce Billings and Fred Lewis reached three a scoreless inning in relief, and Matt Daley closed out the game with a clean 9th inning.

Solarte continued to have a great spring, going 2-for-2 at the plate. He is slowly putting himself into the bench spot competition. And Garcia had a great day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

The Yankees are back at it tomorrow in Tampa when they face the Washington Nationals at 1:05pm EST. Ivan Nova will get the ball for the Yankees in his first start of the spring.

**********

Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog

Read More

John Ryan Murphy could be used as a trade chip

Prior to the Brian McCann signing the Yankees seemed ready to give the catching position to one of their several catching prospects. But Francisco Cervelli's injury, and Austin Romine's poor season, made the McCann signing inevitable. Now that the Yankees signed an all-star type catcher for the next few seasons they really have a few expandable catchers in their system.

The most logical Yankee trade chip is John Ryan Murphy. Murphy's value is pretty high right. He is ready for the majors, but probably won't get an opportunity to play there as a Yankee this season. Both Cervelli and Romine need to rebuild their value after 2012, and likely won't get as much as Murphy.

According to Keith Law, Murphy would have the ability to start for a few MLB teams.
Law had this to say about Murphy, he “looks like a solid-average everyday catcher, probably not more, but not a whole lot less. His game management skills are exceptional, from game-calling to reading hitters to understanding situations.” Law also stated that Murphy is “going to be an every-day catcher for somebody.”

With that said, Murphy hasn't really made any top 100 lists. He may have come close, but in general he isn't considered a top 100 prospect. However, he did make one top 100 prospect list. A list that didn't rank prospects on their upside or talent, but rather on their 2014 projections.

Read More

Spring Training notebook: Day 1

TAMPA, Fla. -- Pitchers and catchers officially reported to camp yesterday, and on Saturday, the Yankees held their first workout of the spring. Pitchers threw bullpens, and then ran some laps around the field, to which not everyone was satisfied with.

Tanaka throws 32 pitches: Throwing alongside Ivan Nova and Hiroki Kuroda, Masahiro Tanaka threw a 32 pitchers bullpen session in front of more than a hundred media members, though manager Joe Girardi said none of the pitches were thrown at full-speed.

"I didn't think he was trying to do too much," Girardi said. "I thought he had a good plan when he went out there today of what he was trying to do, and I thought he executed it."

After getting off of the mound, Tanaka had to run four laps around the field -- the same thing as running a mile -- and said afterwards that it was more than he expected to do.

“I actually didn't know that I was going to run this much," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "I’m a little bit of a slow runner, but that part I really can’t help.”

"Everybody's talking about the guy, so when he threw a bullpen, even I stopped to watch him," Nova said. "He's really good, I mean in the bullpen, anyway. I saw some videos of him pitching, too. I'm excited that he's here. It was a huge upgrade for this team."

CC Sabathia also threw a bullpen on the four-person mound at the same time as Tanaka.

Banuelos: 'This is my year': Manny Banuelos has not pitched off the mound in live games in almost two years. He only threw 24 innings in 2012 before hurting his elbow and forcing him to undergo Tommy John Surgery.

But now Banuelos, who will turn 23 on March 13th, is healthy and ready to be a part of the Yankees' big league club this year.

"This is my year," Banuelos said Saturday morning.

Contrary to what you might think, Banuelos is not just in camp to gain some experience pitching to Major League hitters. He has a chance to be in the Yankees' bullpen on Opening Day as the second lefty.

"Banuelos has got that big arm," a front office source recently told ESPNNewYork.com. "If it's still there and the lightning still strikes then you're going to see people say, 'F--- it, bring him with us [on Opening Day].'"

Before the surgery, he was throwing the ball in the mid-to-high 90's, hitting 96/97 mph, and is now throwing around 93/94 mph. Pitchers in the past the have opted for Tommy John tend to come back throwing just as hard, if not harder, as they were before the surgery.

The next step for Banuelos will be to throw a bullpen on Sunday, then face live hitters on Wednesday.

Nova not giving himself a spot: We were been operating the entire offseason think that Nova would be the 4th starter in the Yankees' rotation this season. But wasn't was thinking like the rest of us.

Even though he finished off the great for the Yankees in 2013, Nova doesn't think that he is guaranteed a spot on in the starting rotation, and that he must fight for one during spring training.

“I’m still in a competition,” Nova said. “Nothing is sure. I know that CC can be sure, Kuroda, Tanaka. I'm one of the young guys. I've got to be doing the best out there in the competition.”

His manager, Joe Girardi, however, was a little bit more optimistic.

“We expect Nova to be in our rotation, but I love that attitude,” Girardi said. “You have to perform. The bottom line is it’s a performance-based business, so you have to go out and perform, but I love that attitude.”

Don't call him J.R.: Backup catcher candidate J.R. Murphy let it known on Saturday that he would rather have fans and media know him as John Ryan Murphy, his full name name.

Murphy said he was called John Ryan as a kid to distinguish him from his father, who is known as John Mark. He added that he doesn't really mind being called "J.R." or "Murph," but won't answer to just John.

"That's the only thing that annoys me," he said.

Up next: The team will be back at it on Sunday for Day 2 of workouts, with pitchers and catchers slated to hit the field around 10am EST.

**********

Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Spring Training position battles: Backup catcher

When the offseason began, we pretty much figured that one of the most interesting position battles in spring training would be the one for the role of starting catcher. But to the surprise of many, the Yankees signed Brian McCann, pretty much locking up that job for the next few years.

It'll still be the same players that we're watching this spring, but they'll be competing for a different role -- the backup catcher job.

The Yankees will have eight catchers coming to camp this year: McCann, Austin Romine, Francisco Cervelli, J.R. Murphy, Gary Sanchez, Peter O'Brien, Jose Gil, and Francisco Arcia.

McCann will be the starter, obviously, and it'll almost certainly be down to Cervelli, Romine, and even Murphy to win the job. It can be debated whether the Yankees could carry more than two catchers on the roster, but with the numbers of outfielders and infielders they'll have, two catchers sounds very likely.

Heading into the spring, I'm going to give Cervelli a slight edge over Romine to win the job. I've always favored Cervelli as a catcher. As much as I was hoping the Yankees would re-sign Russell Martin last winter, it was nice to see Cervelli get the chance to start when the season began.

Even though Cervelli has never been much of an offensive catcher, he has always played well behind the plate, and shows a certain kind of passion and excitement that I like to see in ball players.

Romine gives good defense, too, but has almost nothing to offer at the plate. Last season was his first full year with the Yankees, and his .209 batting average in 60 games is something that can only improve, though. The only way that he is going to win the job is if Cervelli gets hurt, or Romine hits really well, better than Cervelli.

But we still can't forget about Murphy. The Yankees like this kid a lot. He really impressed them in his short September call-up last season. The liked the way he was able to prepare for games, and handle the pitching staff. A good spring with the bat and behind the plate could also win him the job, putting him on the Opening Day roster over the two more experience catchers that he's going up against.

Keep in mind, we could also see a situation where only Cervelli and Romine are going after the backup role. There is always a possibility that the Yankees could deal Romine for a reliever, maybe, or even a starting pitcher, as some in the industry have suggested.

I'm not saying that it's bound the happen at some point, it if we see a situation where the Yankee could be looking to make a move in an attempt to fill hole at another position, Romine, or even Murphy, could be on the move.

This competition is just one of the five that we'll be previewing this week, and will also be updating you guys on how things stand between the three candidates as the spring goes on.

**********

Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

Follow @GavinEwbank Tweet

Read More

Prospect Profile -- No. 4: JR Murphy

J.R. Murphy, C:

JR Murphy was selected out of the Pendleton school in the second round of the 2009 draft. Murphy was selected as a bat first catcher. However he has progressed nicely behind the plate and is now considered an average or better catcher. With the McCann signing, Murphy has become one of the Yankees best trade chips, but it is entirely possible that they hold on to him and let his value grow in AAA. 

Vital Statistics:

DOB: 5/13/1991
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height: 5-10
Weight: 170

2011 SALL stats (63 gms)   BA/OBP/SLG/WOBA/WRC+                          .297/.343/.457/.357/117
2011 FSL    stats (23 gms)                                                                              .259/.270/.365/.284/70
2012 FSL    stats (67 gms)                                                                              .257/.322/.374/.324/99
2012 EAS   stats (43 gms)                                                                              .231/.306/.408/.319/94
2013 EAS   stats (49 gms)                                                                              .268/.352/.421/.353/116
2013 INTL stats (59 gms)                                                                              .270/.342/.430/.350/117
2013 MLB stats (16 gms)                                                                              .154/.185/.192/.171/-4  

Background:

After missing his junior year of high school with a knee injury, Murphy entered the 2009 as a bit of a mystery. However, he impressed scouts at various showcases right before the draft. Murphy was a part of the well regarded IMG Academy, and he won a MVP award for each tournament his team participated in (4). Because of this, his stock was relatively high coming into the draft. Baseball America called him the 12th best prospect in the state of Florida and the 95th best prospect overall, and Keith Law rated him as the 88th best prospect for the 2009 draft.

Murphy was selected as a catcher with the 76th overall pick. The Yankees were able to break his  commitment to the University of Miami by offering him a $1.25 million bonus. This major over-slot signing is very similar to what the team did with Greg Bird, as they were both drafted as bat first catchers. However Murphy was thought to be more athletic at the time of the draft and didn't have to deal with the injuries that Bird had. Because of this, Murphy was able to concentrate on becoming a good defensive catcher.

Not only did Murphy have to learn to be a good catcher, but because of the other good catching prospects in the system, he had to learn how to play third base as well. 2012 was the first year that he got to really be a full time catcher. For most of his career he has had to battle Yankee prospects like Gary Sanchez, and Kyle Higashioka.This may have slowed down his progress a bit.  But after five seasons in the Yankees' system, scouts agreed that the Yankees succeeded at making him a real catcher.

2013 Performance:

By the end of the 2012 season Murphy established himself as a top 15 prospect in the Yankees system. The reason that he wasn't a top ten prospect was that he had never simultaneity had a good offensive and defensive year. Since Murphy was so focused on becoming a better defender his offensive numbers have never really reached his potential.

That was until 2013 where he hit well at every minor league level. Murphy had a 372. WOBA once park factors are calculated. With this performance it's no surprise that he jumped 11 spots in BA's rankings. The performance also led to him being ranked 18th in BA's top 20 Eastern League prospect list.

Scouting Report:

Murphy doesn't really have one strong tool, but instead is a very well-rounded prospect. Murphy has nice bat that produces line drive power to all fields. He also has enough power to hit 12 or so homeruns a year. His defensive game currently has several strengths. Murphy is very good at throwing out runners, gunning down 48% of attempted runners in AA and AAA. However he still has room to improve, as he allows too many passed balls. Like most catchers Murphy is a below average runner and will only get slower now that he is catching more.

Projections:

Early on his career Murphy was projected to have a similar overall skill-set to Todd Ziele, but it now appears his glove may be better than that. Murphy ceiling is of a catcher who can hit .278 and get 10-12 homeruns a year.

Since he has a good arm and calls a good game he should be able to become an above average catcher. Especially now that he is on the 40 man roster and will be invited to spring training. At spring training he will be able to learn how to frame pitches from Tony Pena, who has had a positive effect on every catcher he has ever worked with.

2014 Level:

If he's still a Yankee next year Murphy should begin the Year at AAA. He will split time with Austin Romine at that level. Considering Romine's and Francisco Cervelli's injury history he should make the big league club at some point. The Yankees may also look to trade Murphy for a prospect, though prospect for prospect trades are rare. Murphy would be a very good backup catcher in the big leagues and it may be in the Yankees best interest to keep him.

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More

CC And The Yanks Look For Revenge After Friday Night Loss

Last night in Boston, the Yankees fell behind 4-0 in the 1st inning after Hiroki Kuroda jumped out of the gate to pitch no better than the past few weeks leading up to his start on Friday.

But the Yankees fought back. Robinson Cano went 4-for-4 in the game, including three doubles, one of which was an unusual bunt double, and a game-tying two-run double in the 7th inning to put the Yanks back into the game at 4-4.

Yet after an error by Eduardo Nunez to open the Boston half of the 7th, the Red Sox worked the bases loaded against Kuroda, Cesar Cabral and Preston Claiborne, before Jarrod Saltalamacchia blasted a grand slam off Claiborne to give the Sox a 8-4 lead, as they went on to beat the Bombers by that same score.

Today's Lineup vs Boston:

Granderson 8
Rodriguez DH
Cano 4
Soriano 7
Reynolds 5
Wells 9
Overbay 3
Ryan 6
Murphy 2
Sabathia 1

JR Murphy will be making his first career start behind the plate, and he'll be dealt the challenge of catching CC. After last night's game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he was rethinking playing A-Rod today after seeing him run last night. As you can see, A-Rod is in the lineup and will be DHing for the 4th straight game after tweaking his hamstring on Baltimore.

"Sometimes you have to do things," Girardi said of Murphy. "He hasn't caught a whole lot of our guys. It’s just something we have to do."

Pitching Preview:

CC Sabathia (13-12, 4.82 ERA) will be on the mound for the Yankees as the try to rebound from Friday night's loss, and will be looking to keep the Yanks from falling any farther back of the Tampa Bays Rays for the second Wild Card, as they currently sit two games back after Tampa beat Minnesota last night.

Sabathia didn't look to be at his best in his last outing against the Baltimore Orioles, taking the loss after giving up three-runs in 7 1/3 innings at Camden Yards on Monday. This season against the Red Sox, CC is 2-1, but his ERA is an atrocious 7.15.

Jon Lester (13-8, 3.86 ERA) will take the mound for Boston in this matinee matchup, as he looks to continue his second half success, as he's 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break.

Lester, who has beat the Yankees eight times since 2009, is hoping to continue his run of dominance against the Bombers, and the last time he took the mound for Boston was against the Yanks last Sunday in the Bronx, when he took home a no-decision after giving up three-run over eight innings.

Follow @GavinEwbank2013 on Twitter.

Read More

Yanks Beat White Sox By Blowout, 9-1, After Rain Delay

Coming off a tough loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, the questions surrounding the New York Yankees was whether they would be able to rebound from the loss. They answered all of those questions on Monday, putting up eight runs in the 4th to down the Chicago White Sox, 9-1.

"This time of year, you want to get some games like this," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You can not use some guys in the bullpen, get some guys out a little early and maybe give them a little bit of rest. You just want to keep tacking on runs, and that's what they did in that big inning."

After a near two-hour rain delay knocked starter Phil Hughes out of the with one out in the 2nd, David Huff stepped in and helped lead the Yankees to victory, holding the White Sox fairly quiet through the 7th inning.

Prior the the rain delay, the Yankees jumped on the board to take a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning, following a double by Brett Gardner to open the inning -- the third straight game in which Gardner doubled in his first at-bat -- then Derek Jeter singled up the middle to drive in Gardner.

With a runner in first base and one-out in the second inning, Hughes had put Avisail Garcia into a 0-2 count before the rain started pouring down on Yankee Stadium, leading homeplate umpire Mike Everitt to call for the tarps to come out.

Following a rain delay of one hour and fifty-three minutes, Huff took over on the mound for the Yankees, and he only raised the question even more whether the Yankees should swap out Huff and Hughes, moving Huff into the Yankees' rotation.

He went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one-run on five hits -- the only run was a solo homerun to Paul Konerko -- and he didn't walk a batter, while also striking out three on 62 pitches (48 strikes).

"Attacking them," Huff said. "Attacking them with fastballs and changeups, throwing a lot of strikes and just trying to get that first-pitch strike and get them in a hole."

"He did a really nice job," Girardi said. "He's pitched well for us. Those were big innings for us where we didn't have to use like four or five guys in the bullpen, and that helps."

Then entering the 4th inning, still leading 1-0, the Yankees exploded for eight-runs in an inning that felt like it lasted longer then the rain delay. The inning started when Alex Rodriguez doubled, then Vernon Wells on an infield single to short. Curtis Granderson walked to load the bases, then another infield single scored A-Rod.

Austin Romine followed with a two-run single to make it a 4-0 game, the Gardner's second double of the day scored Reynolds to make it 5-0. Derek Jeter made it 6-0 on an infield single off the pitcher, then Robinson Cano popped out for the first out of the inning.

Alfonso Soriano then doubled home his 37th RBI while with the Yankees, then a batter later, Wells drove in two more runs on a double play groundball to the first baseman that was thrown into left field. In all, the Yankees sent 13 batters to the plate in their biggest inning of the season.

"It was just one of those innings, and you don't see it happen too often. It's very difficult to do," said Jeter. "We were fortunate that we got some bounces that went our way, but for the most part, we had some good at-bats up and down the lineup."

Cesar Cabral made his major league debut in the top of the 8th inning, striking out the first batter he faced on three pitches. He ended up striking out another batter, while also permitting one base hit.

JR Murphy also made his major league debut in the 8th inning, pinch-hitting for Cano in the bottom half of the inning. He ripped a groundball down the third base side, beating it out for an infield singled for his first big league hit. Murphy was the 52nd player used by the Yanks this season -- a franchise record.

Follow @GavinEwbank2013 Tweet

Read More

Yankees Make September Call-Ups

For starters, Happy September! Second, as many of you already know, September 1st mean that all Major League roster can expand from the normal 25-man, to fully equiped 40-man rosters.

As the final month of the season, the expanded rosters can really come in handy to teams wanting to add depth as the playoff run winds down. And for teams not in playoff contention, it's a great opportunity to teams to get a look at some of their young prospects.

With the countless amount of injuries that the New York Yankees have suffered this season, some of their possible call-ups are already here, but the chance to add more depth on the bench and in the bullpen is something that Yankees manager Joe Girardi can't afford to pass up.

Here is the current list of people with the Yankees to begin the day (Note: This will be updated as more call-ups are made):

* IF David Adams

* RHP Brett Marshall

* RHP Dellin Betances

* LHP Cesar Cabral

* C JR Murphy

For now, these are the only five Yankees that have gotten the call into action for the Bombers. But it's still likely we'll see quite a few more faces as the weeks go by. Remember, David Phelps and Michael Pineda are currently dealing with injuries, and if they manage to get healthy soon, we'll certainly see them back in pinstripes.

Other Call-Up Notes:

* Preston Claiborne will also be rejoining the Yankees, but he can't do so until after the Single-A Tampa Yankees finish up their Florida State League season today, so he'll likely be with the Yankees tomorrow.

* Melky Mesa is another player that was expected to be called up by the Yankees, but he's currently dealing with hamstring issues, thus the Yanks were forced to designate him for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster.

Follow @GavinEwbank2013 on Twitter.

Read More