According to a report by Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, designated hitter Jorge Posada told GM Brian Cashman that he wanted off the Yankees when he found out that he was hitting ninth against the Red Sox last Saturday. But a friend of Posada’s says the former catcher was just speaking out of frustration.

In the heat of his anger and frustration Saturday night, Yankee icon Jorge Posada told general manager Brian Cashman amid a flood of F-bombs that he not only wanted out of the No. 9 spot in the Yankee batting order – he wanted out of the Yankees, too, according to team sources.

“It was just something said in the heat of anger and frustration,” a close friend of Posada’s said of the former catcher’s angry comments to Cashman and manager Joe Girardi in which he took himself out of the lineup an hour before Saturday’s game against the Red Sox.

“What happened had nothing to do with being dropped to ninth in the batting order. It was just the combination of everything building up in him – his frustration at not helping the team and the feeling that, right now, he sucks, and that everything in his world is pretty (expletive).

“He didn’t want out, and doesn’t want out,” the friend added. “He was just frustrated and said a lot of things.”

Posada is currently hitting .165 as the Bombers’ DH and is going through some personal issues as well. His son, Jorge Luis, is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct craniosynostosis, which is a condition in which normal brain and skull growth are affected. The procedure, which will take place on June 8, is hoped to be his last surgery to correct the problem.

There have been many fans on the internet boards that are screaming for the Yankees to cut ties with Posada and move on. But nobody knows what this guy is going through and he has already apologized to the team for his immaturity over the weekend. He was in the wrong and he apologized. If he doesn’t start hitting then Cashman and Joe Girardi can figure out what’s best for the team and go from there.

But how many of us get so tired of our situations that we burst out in frustration and say things we don’t mean? Hell, I think I do it on a weekly basis. Let’s cut Posada some slack and see how the situation plays out. He’s a four-time World Series champion and a five-time All-Star. If he’s done, the Yankees will make that decision when the time comes. For now, let’s give the man a little time.

Buster Olney tweets that Derek Jeter’s comments in which he “essentially exonerated” teammate Jorge Posada of any wrongdoing has apparently angered his Yankee bosses.

Following this weekend’s shenanigans in which Posada removed himself from the Yankees’ lineup because manager Joe Girardi was making him bat ninth (oh, the horror!), Jeter said: “Everybody’s struggled. And if that’s the reason why he came out, then he doesn’t need to apologize. If it’s something else, then yeah, but not for that.”

If Olney’s report is accurate and the Yankees are upset over Jeter’s comments, then they need to get a clue. Jeter is still the captain of their team and he’s not going to make a situation worse by scolding one of his long-time teammates via the media. And quite frankly, his comments were rather innocent. He’s been around long enough to know that a situation like Posada’s will eventually get ironed out without him having to say much on the topic. The Yankees’ “bosses” should just let the situation die out.

What would the Yankees have rather had Jeter say? That Posada was being a selfish, stubborn player and should have acted more professional? Even if that’s what Jeter thought, saying something like that would have fueled the situation even more and caused there to be a rift in the clubhouse (which is something the struggling Yankees don’t need right now, especially after they were just swept by their most hated rivals).

I get that the Yankees don’t want Jeter “exonerating” Posada’s mistake. Posada was definitely in the wrong here, which is why he apologized. But he did apologize and that should be the end of the situation. There’s no reason to make a mountain out of a molehill and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees came out and denied Olney’s report, because they look rather silly right now.

Yankees’ designated hitter Jorge Posada chalked up his actions on Saturday night when he took himself out of the lineup to frustration. Then he apologized to his teammates, his manager, his GM and his fans.

“I had a bad day,” Posada said on Sunday. “All the frustration came out. It was just one of those days you wish you could take back.”

When Posada found out that he was hitting ninth in the Yankees’ order on Saturday night against the Red Sox, he told manager Joe Girardi that he was taking himself out of the lineup. It was a childish act by a stubborn player that clearly put his own emotions ahead of what was best for the club. It’s certainly easy to be a team player when things are going well and no sacrifices have to be made. It’s challenging situations like these when you really learn about what kind of character a player has.

And the fact that Posada quickly realized the mistake he made and apologized does show what kind of character he has. He’s a prideful guy and sees his career dwindling. He’s struggling right now and his frustrations came the surface. We all get angry from time to time when uncontrollable situations arise and we fight to wrangle our emotions. And we don’t always handle it right either – just like Posada didn’t. But he did the right thing by apologizing and now everyone can move past this.

“Jorge is loved in our clubhouse,” Girardi said. “Jorge is loved by the fans. Jorge has meant a lot to this organization and I’m not surprised. This has been a great player for a long time.”

That’s right. Posada has been a great Yankee his entire career and this one regrettable incident won’t subtract from his great days in New York.

The Yankees entered the playoffs losers of eight of their last 11 games. But no matter how much they’ve struggled or how many chinks in the armor they may have shown, this is still their time of year.

For five innings Wednesday night, the Yankees were making Twins’ starter Francisco Liriano look like Cy Young. They trailed 3-0 in the top of the sixth, but after Nick Swisher struck out swinging to start the inning, Mark Teixeira doubled to deep left, Alex Rodriguez walked and then Teixeira scored on a Robinson Cano single to right.

After Marcus Thames struck out, Jorge Posada lined a single to right to score A-Rod and move Cano to second. Curtis Granderson delivered the big blow by tripling off the wall in deep right center to score Cano and Posada to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

They never trailed after that.

The Twins scratched across a run in their half of the inning, but Teixeira blasted a 355-foot home run in the top of 7th to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead. After allowing two base runners to reach in the ninth, Mariano Rivera got Jim Thome to pop out to third to end the game and give New York a 6-4 victory.

This is the time of year when the Yankees are never out of any game. They may have showed their age throughout the regular season, but there’s no replacement for postseason experience. When the stakes are high, this is when the Bombers are at their best.

Of course, this is still a team that’s going to struggle to win it all. Their pitching is a major concern and Joe Girardi’s stomach must have been in knots watching his ace C.C. Sabathia struggle in the early innings last night before finally settling in. He’s supposed to be the rock of the rotation and if he struggles, then the Yanks are doomed.

Game 2 is set for tonight at 6:07PM ET, as Andy Pettitte will take on former Yankee Carl Pavano.

Phillies 2, Astros 1
It’s about time Roy Halladay produced a shutout – I mean, it’s been two games for crib’s sake. The “Doc” gave up just one run on seven innings while striking out eight in nine innings on Sunday to help the Phillies beat the Astros, 2-1. Houston’s feeble offense once again mustered very little run support for Roy Oswalt, who dropped to 0-2 on the season after losing earlier last week to Tim Lincecum. The Astros are now 0-6 on the year under new manager Don’t-worry-about-his-name-because-it-won’t-matter-soon-anyway.

Tigers 9, Indians 8
Justin Verlander looked like feces again for a second straight outing, allowing six runs on six hits and surrendering a grand slam to somebody named Luis Valbuena. (I checked, he’s actually on Cleveland’s roster.) Even when Verlander did settle down, he still only struck out three batters and wasn’t his usual dominant self. But it’s still early, so Tiger fans have nothing to worry about yet. Detroit overcame a 7-3 deficit in the sixth inning by scratching across six runs in the final three frames to improve to 5-1 on the year. Chris Perez played the goat for the Tribe by throwing a wild pitch to give up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the ninth. He gave up three runs on three hits in his one inning of relief.

Giants 6, Braves 3
Somebody woke up the Kung Fu Panda on Sunday. Pablo Sandoval, who hasn’t looked sharp at the plate or in the field to start the season, went 3-for-4 with two RBI, three runs scored and one mammoth two-run homer (his first of the year). He also made a great catch on a foul play hit by Jason Heyward earlier in the game where he almost tumbled over the railing of the Giants’ dugout. Sandoval bailed out Tim Lincecum, who only struck out 10 batters in seven innings to rack up his second win of the year.

Blue Jays 5, Orioles 2
After the Jays blew their opener against the Rangers (a game in which they should have won), many people felt comfortable resigning to the notion that they would struggle all season (especially considering Roy Halladay isn’t around to save them every fifth day now). But with three more long balls in a 5-2 win over the Orioles on Sunday, Toronto has slugged its way to a 5-1 record. Perhaps what’s most impressive about their early success is that every game they’ve played has been on the road. They’ve yet to have their home opener, which comes tonight against the White Sox.

Reds 3, Cubs 1
Rookie Mike Leake made his MLB debut on Sunday and he was wild to say the least. He allowed just one run on four hits, but he walked seven batters on 106 pitches. Fortunately for him, his Reds were playing a hapless (at least so far) Cubs team that is struggling to generate offense in the early going. Chicago wasted a solid effort by Tom Gorzelanny, who gave up just one run on four hits in 6.1 innings of work, and also struck out seven batters. Cincy scored one run in the seventh and added two more in the eighth to improve to 3-3 on the year.

Yankees 7, Rays 3
A.J. Burnett was outstanding on Sunday, yielding just two runs in seven innings to help the Yankees beat the Rays. He only struck out one batter, but managed to get 11 fly ball outs to tame Tampa’s offense. He also was able to pitch to Jorge Posada for the second straight game without wanting to rip his face off, so good news there.

Nationals 5, Mets 2
Josh Willingham beat the Mets virtually single-handily on Sunday by hitting a grand slam off Johan Santana in the first inning and later adding a RBI double to help the Nats down New York, 5-2. Willingham finished with two hits, five RBI and one runs scored.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/04/12/mlb-roundup-the-doc-the-panda-the-tiger/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/04/05/mlb-opening-week-10-things-to-watch/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/04/05/mlb-opening-week-10-things-to-watch/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:15:36 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=37361

While nothing beats the opening weekend in football, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the start of a new baseball season. With a sense of a new beginning, the opening week of baseball brings hope and excitement to fans across the country.

Then you realize that you’re favorite team is the Pirates, Royals or Nationals and all that hope gets crushed. It’s an ugly realization, but it is what it is.

As baseball is set to kick off a new season, here are 10 things to keep an eye on this week.

1. Roy Halladay makes his Philles debut
Fans will have to wait until next weekend to see Halladay make his Philadelphia debut, but they probably won’t have to wait long to see him dominate in red and white. Halladay will start against the Nationals on Opening Day and then at Houston five days later, which means he gets tune ups against two of the weaker teams in the National League. He shouldn’t have any issues making the early-season transition to the NL – outside of hitting, of course. Unless he succumbs to the pressure of pitching in Philadelphia, Halladay will likely have plenty of success throughout the entire season.

2. Jason Heyward’s MLB debut
The top position player prospect in baseball will enter the 2010 season as the Braves’ starting right fielder. The former 2007 first round pick hit .323 with 17 homers and 63 RBI between three stops in the minor leagues last season and might be the difference between the Braves finishing in the middle of the pack in the National League, or securing a postseason berth. Heyward doesn’t have one breakout skill, but he’s a five-tool player who takes a patient approach to the plate and exhibits good bat speed. He’s also a solid defender, with above-average speed and can play multiple outfield positions. If Heyward turns out to be the real deal, then so too will the Braves.

3. Can Jon Rauch fill Joe Nathan’s shoes?
After Nathan decided to have Tommy John surgery and therefore miss the entire 2010 season, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that the club would employ a closer-by-committee situation with their bullpen. But Gardenhire quickly went back on that decision, instead choosing to go with Rauch as his full-time closer. The question now becomes: Will Rauch be the same reliable pitcher he was last year in Minnesota or the one that struggled in Arizona in the first half? Rauch isn’t the long-term solution, but he doesn’t have to be either. He just has to be dependable this season to help bridge the gap until Nathan returns to full health in 2011.

4. Will Scott Kazmir miss more than one start?
After losing ace John Lackey to Boston in the offseason, the Angels’ starting rotation took a major hit. But with a full season of Scott Kazmir (who was acquired in a midseason trade last year with the Rays), the Halos felt confident that the top of their rotation would be fine. That of course, was before Kazmir landed on the DL with a strained hamstring. Manager Mike Scioscia said he isn’t concerned about Kazmir’s health, but considering the 26-year-old pitcher makes it a yearly habit of checking in with the disabled list at least once, the Angels have to be at least a little worried. Matt Palmer pitched very well for the Halos last season, but he’s certainly not the top of the rotation guy that Kazmir is. If Kaz is out for more than a start, the defending AL West champs could start out of the gates slow.

5. Has Jorge Posada lost his ability to handle the Yankees’ pitching staff?
Last season, reports emerged that Posada was at odds with pitcher A.J. Burnett about pitch selections and now, those same concerns may be rearing their ugly head again. In Sunday night’s 9-7 loss to the Red Sox, Posada appeared to be crossed up by Damaso Marte on a passed ball late in the game. There also seemed to be confusion about pitch selection on a Dustin Pedroia home run earlier in the contest. This situation might blow over quickly, but given Posada’s issues with Burnett last year, it’s possible that the Yankees have a developing problem on their hands.

6. Will Joba Chamberlain win the Yankees’ setup job?
When Chamberlain lost out to Phil Hughes to become the Yankees’ fifth starter, everyone assumed that the talented, hard-throwing reliever would be a lock to setup closer Mariano Rivera. But manager Joe Girardi said over the weekend that “No one has really claimed that spot,” meaning Chamberlain has to earn it. He’s in the mix with Damaso Marte, Chan Ho Park and Dave Robertson and after a shaky eighth inning in the Yankees’ 9-7 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday night, Joba isn’t off to a great start. Given how conservatively managed he’s been throughout the past two years, there’s a real possibility that he could wind up a bust. The Yankees need to decide what his role is going to be, or more drama could be on the horizon.

7. Can John Bowker supply the Giants with the power they desperately need?
After deciding not to renew Randy Winn’s contract over the offseason, the Giants entered spring training fully expecting Nate Schierholtz to emerge as their everyday right fielder. But after Bowker hit six home runs and drove in 23 runs this spring, they had no choice but to stick Schierholtz back on the bench and give the 26-year-old former Long Beach State outfielder the starting nod. The question now is whether or not he can finally produce at the big league level. The Giants gave him 326 at bats in 2008 and although he hit 10 home runs, he batted just .255 and showed zero plate discipline. He improved his patience in the minors last year and after turning in a great spring, the Giants are excited to add his bat. That said, he’ll be kept on a short leash because Schierholtz offers better defense and more speed. If Bowker can’t produce early, he’ll find himself regulated to role duties or worse, back in the minors.

8. What will become of Jack Cust?
In one of the more shocking moves this spring, the A’s decided to designate DH Jack Cust for assignment. The news is particularly surprising given that Oakland has little to no power and Cust averaged 28 homers over the last three seasons. Another issue is that starting center fielder Coco Crisp has to start the season on the DL with a broken pinkie, so it’s a little perplexing that the A’s felt as though Cust wasn’t among the top 25 players on the roster. The club now has 10 days to trade or release Cust, or send him outright to the minors. Recent comments made by Cust suggest that he’d rather set himself on fire then return to Oakland, but will he actually pass up on $2.65 million by not accepting a minor league deal? His fate should be determined soon.

9. Who will emerge as the Rangers starting catcher?
The Rangers have an interesting dilemma on their hands: Do they start Jarrod Saltamacchia behind the dish, or go with Taylor Teagarden? Saltamacchia, a switch hitter who hit .280 this spring, has the better bat but Tegarden is the better defender. Texas will rotate the two players at the start of the year, but will they eventually need one of the two to step up as the full-time catcher? The Rangers are a serious contender in the AL West this season and will need one of their two young backstops to step up, or if they stay in a rotation, they’ll need both players to play at a high level all season.

10. How will Mike Leake fare in his big league debut?
In a surprise move, the Reds announced over the weekend that Mike Leake had won the fifth spot in the rotation and will make his big league debut against the Cubs later this week. Granted, he was one of the most polished pitchers in the 2009 draft, but he has never pitched once in the minor leagues, so his inexperience is freighting. Still, he has a wide variety of pitches and has very good command, so he could make a seamless transition from Arizona State to the Reds. If he does, Cincinnati has an underrated starting five that could help the club emerge as a postseason sleeper this season.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/04/05/mlb-opening-week-10-things-to-watch/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/22/2010-mlb-preview-al-east/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/22/2010-mlb-preview-al-east/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:00:04 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=36563

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

First up is the AL East.

1. New York Yankees (1)
If you think I would get cute in these rankings and suggest that some upstart team would derail the Yankees this season, then you sir, are sadly mistaken. I just don’t have the conjones to bet against them, especially after they added Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez and Nick Johnson to their already stacked roster. Sure they lost World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, the latter of which loved to work the count and provided the Yanks with some pop over the last couple of seasons. But thanks to Granderson, Johnson, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texeira, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada, the lineup is still stacked from top to bottom. Vazquez, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mariano Rivera will once again highlight a strong pitching staff and assuming they don’t suffer any major injuries, there’s nothing to suggest that the Bombers won’t make another championship run. That said, let’s not be oblivious to the potential problems that could arise for the Yanks this season. Age is a factor, as is the fact that Granderson can’t hit lefties and will be under the spotlight as the club’s biggest offseason acquisition. Plus, for as good as Vazquez was over the past couple of years, he was a disaster the last time he wore pinstripes (Boston fans remember this well.) Should the Yankees win another World Series? Yeah – especially considering they have the best-purchased roster in baseball. But just like last year, they still have to prove it between the lines and they’re not immune to hurdles getting in their way.

2. Boston Red Sox (3)
Based on the moves they made this offseason, you either love the Red Sox’s chances this year or you’re willing to write them off like your favorite tax exemption. The club acquired ace John Lackey, outfielder Mike Cameron and infielders Marco Scutaro and Adrian Beltre last winter. Every player will be counted on to contribute this season, but they all come with question marks as well. When healthy, Lackey is virtually guaranteed to win 15-plus games and pitch over 200 innings. But he has to stay healthy. Cameron is a huge upgrade over Jason Bay in the outfield, but he won’t fill Bay’s shoes offensively. Scutaro is coming off a career year but the law of averages suggest that he’ll take a step back in 2010 and there’s no telling what Boston will get out of Beltre after he only appeared in 111 games last season due to an injury. Plus, will Big Papi carry over his production from June to September last year or will he struggle as he did at the start of 2009? That said, the BoSox are still stacked. Along with Lackey, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz give Boston the best pitching staff in the division and their bullpen is solid as well. Ortiz, Beltre, Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez comprise an offense that should help Boston win over 95 games this season and compete for a postseason berth. Their defense has also improved dramatically with the addition of Cameron and Ellsbury’s move from center to left. Do they have unanswered questions? Of course – all clubs do at this time of year. Will they overcome the Yankees? Maybe. Will they compete? Most definitely.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (7)
The Rays stumbled out of the gates last year, although they fought through injuries in order to finish with a respectable 84-78 record. But they didn’t make any moves this offseason, so it’s hard to figure out whether or not they’re going to compete for a postseason berth or finish with roughly the same record as they did in 2009. If BJ Upton stays healthy for an entire season and rebounds, then the Rays have more than enough offense in him, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist to compete. And if a No. 1 emerges out of David Price, Matt Garza, Jeff Niemann or James Shields, then the Rays will compete. If, if, if, if. I want to believe that the Rays are the perfect team to unseat the Yankees and Red Sox (two teams that have had more than enough time at the top) in the division. But there’s no question that they’ll have to overachieve again like they did in 2008 in order to make the postseason. They have the talent, but they need an ace to emerge, Upton to be productive again and for Crawford (whose contract is up at the end of the year) to stay happy or else they’re destined for another third place finish.

4. Baltimore Orioles (22)
The O’s have several pieces that will get your heat pumping just like the time you stole that car and led the police on a two-hour joy ride down the interstate. Wait…what? Nick Markakis is already a fine ballplayer, Adam Jones showed his vast potential last year before getting hurt and Matt Wieters is already being described as the next Joe Mauer (only with more power). The club also improved in a couple of areas over the offseason, namely at third base with the acquisition of Miguel Tejada, at first base with Garrett Atkins and in their starting rotation with Kevin Millwood. But it’s hard to measure how good this club will be when they play in the AL East and their pitching still has the potential to be down right hideous again. It says a lot about a team’s starting staff when the team leader in ERA finished with a 5.04 mark (Jeremy Gutherie). Maybe Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta will surprise and overachieve this season, but chances are Baltimore will top out around 75-80 wins in 2010. They should be improved, but again, their division will keep them from competing for a postseason berth again this year.

5. Toronto Blue Jays (27)
Mom always said that if you don’t have anything nice to say then you shouldn’t say anything at all. But mom doesn’t have to complete this preview now does she? The Blue Jays traded away ace Roy Halladay in the offseason and while they may benefit from the deal down the road, they don’t have anyone to pick up the slack in 2010. They also lost one of their top offensive pieces from last year in Marco Scutaro and replaced him with Alex Gonzalez. That’s great news if you’re into defensive wizards that can’t hit over .250 on a consistent basis. The club does have a couple of nice/promising/okay/whatever pieces Vernon Wells, Ricky Romero, Brandon Marrow, Aaron Hill and Travis Snider, but the bottom line is that the Jays are in rebuilding mode and will wind up collecting dust all season in the basement of the AL East. They’re going to be horrible and there’s very little to like about their chances to succeed in 2010. Sorry, Mom.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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