Tag: Jorge Posada (Page 3 of 4)

Jorge Posada not pleased as Yankees head into ALDS

According to a report by the New York Daily News, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is slightly miffed that Jose Molina will catch A.J. Burnett on Friday when the Bombers’ take on the Twins in the ALDS.

“If A.J. is comfortable with Molina there’s not much I can do,” Posada said Tuesday after a workout at the Stadium, where he gave terse answers on the subject. “I just hope they go out there and win the game. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

Joe Girardi told Posada Sunday of his decision to start Molina on Friday.

“That was a decision that I made,” Girardi said. “As a manager you have to make some tough decisions. That was a very tough one.”
Girardi decided that the comfort level of Burnett, who went 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA in his first season in pinstripes, was more important than Posada’s bat.

“When a pitcher and a catcher get in a rhythm, you hate to break it up,” Girardi said. “That is kind of the feeling that we have going now. Jorge is our number one catcher. But in this situation, we just are going to choose to catch Molina.”

You can’t fault Posada for being a little miffed given that he has nearly 100 playoff games under his belt behind the dish. But Molina has caught six of Burnett’s last seven starts and in those games A.J. is 3-1 and has held opponents to a .221 batting average. So of course Molina is going to start, especially considering the mini feud Posada and Burnett got into early in the season.

Posada is doing the right thing though. He’s showing his displeasure with the decision, but he’s not causing a distraction by creating waves. He needs to concentrate on not allowing CC Sabathia fail in another postseason and let Molina deal with Burnett.

Yankees clinch, back in playoffs

Alex Rodriguez homered and hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Yankees’ 6-5 victory over the Angels Tuesday night as New York became the first team to clinch a postseason berth in baseball.

New York clinched the first phase of its postseason plans while still on the field, the berth finalized by the Athletics’ 9-1 victory over the Rangers while Jorge Posada was batting in the eighth inning. But that gave the Yankees little cause to rejoice — not after they gave back all five runs to the pesky Angels.

Facing Matt Palmer in the ninth inning, Gardner opened the frame with a line-drive single to center and waited out the right-hander, who threw to first base repeatedly to check the speedster. Gardner took second base on the 1-0 delivery, and Derek Jeter walked.

The playoff entry was acknowledged after the game with hugs and handshakes, but no wild celebrations — a tact that was encouraged by the Yankees’ team leaders. Those will be reserved for a potential division clinch in the near future, when next chapter of the club’s season truly begins.

Not to be a downer, but the Yankees have done this before. It’s the next step that has eluded them.

It’s time for CC Sabathia and A-Rod to step up in the postseason just once in their careers. This is a club that routinely looks past the first round and routinely finds themselves out of the playoffs too early. The Yankees need the players they spent millions on in the offseason to produce or else this playoff berth means nothing.

The Yankees are built to win championships so anything less should be a disappointment. (Especially considering their payroll.)

Yankees, Blue Jays brawl

Just like a good wreck in NASCAR, it’s hard not to appreciate two clubs emptying the benches in a blowout baseball game.

Here’s what went down between the Yankees and Blue Jays at the new Yankee Stadium last night (via ESPN.com):

Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion and All-Star second baseman Aaron Hill were hit by pitches before Carlson threw behind Posada in the eighth inning. Posada glared out at the mound and appeared to say, “You don’t want to do that.”

Carlson motioned toward Posada as the benches and bullpens emptied, though the teams never got close to each other and order was quickly restored. Johnny Damon and manager Joe Girardi aggressively pulled teammates away, aware an injury or suspension could be costly to the Yankees as they close in on a playoff berth. Plate umpire Jim Joyce warned both benches.

But moments later, a nasty rumble broke out.

After scoring on Brett Gardner’s double, Posada jostled Carlson, who was on his way to back up the plate. Joyce promptly ejected Posada as Carlson shouted curses at the star catcher.

“As he ran past Carlson, he gave him a little shove with his elbow. It was very unsportsmanlike,” Joyce told a pool reporter. “It was a cheap shot.”

Posada spun around, sidestepped Joyce and came back at Carlson, who took a high swing with a punch that missed. The two wrestled to the ground as the benches and bullpens emptied and other scuffles broke out near home plate.

And for your viewing pleasure:

Girardi’s job is safe for now

According to a report by the New York Post, it appears that Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi’s job is safe for now.

At 13-14 after last night’s 4-3 loss to the Rays, voices in and out of baseball are wondering if Girardi, who is in the second season of a three-year contract, is safe.

According to several organizational sources Girardi’s job security isn’t an issue. Too many injuries too early in the season and slow starts by CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. And he hasn’t had cleanup hitter Alex Rodriguez play a game, lost Chien-Ming Wang early and Jorge Posada recently.

Though Girardi said he understands the attention that comes with managing the Yankees, he said he isn’t fixated on those who blame him for the pedestrian start and being dominated by the Red Sox.

“That’s not something I really focus on. I focus on the task at hand. Every day we do the best we can to prepare our club and every move we make is to win the game and that’s what I focus on,” said Girardi, who has been hamstrung by an awful bullpen.

As the article notes, Girardi can’t do anything about veterans like Sabathia and Teixeira getting off to slow starts, A-Fraud not being in the lineup and Wang forgetting that he’s not pitching in a home run derby contest every fifth day. Girardi will continue to catch heat because he replaced a manager in Joe Torre who should have never been fired in the first place, and the pressure to succeed will always be bestowed on Yankee managers because of how much the club spends to win. It just comes with the territory.

The manager is always on the front lines when a team is losing, but at some point the players are going to have to just step up and freaking produce. Girardi can’t manage situations that are unmanageable (i.e. the pitching staff turning the new Yankee Stadium into Coors Field).

Alex Rodriguez to make season debut on Friday

Unless he suffers a setback during the next two days, Alex Rodriguez is on track to make his season debut for the Yankees on Friday against the Orioles.

Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to play another extended spring training game in Florida today. And while the Yankees are playing super-secret with their plans for the third baseman, it sounds like he’s headed for Baltimore on Friday.

Joe Girardi said he and Rodriguez discussed a scenario where A-Rod would play today, rest tomorrow and then join the Yankees. Or he could play two more games in Florida.
Regardless, it looks like Rodriguez will be back a full week earlier than predicted.

It’ll be interesting to see how A-Fraud does in his return because he didn’t opt to have full surgery, just hybrid surgery that (to my understanding) didn’t correct the entire issue but would allow him to play this season. Considering he didn’t have full corrective surgery, will he have issues fielding, diving or getting full range of motion when he swings? Is he doing more damage to the hip by rushing back?

Time will tell if he can bounce back right away or if it’ll take him a couple months before recovers (if he can, that is). Either way, Yankee fans have to be ecstatic about his return, especially considering the club just placed catcher Jorge Posada on the DL and they need A-Fraud’s bat.

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