Jorge Posada’s 9 Tampa Bay Triple A’s 2

The New York Baseball Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Who-Are-These-Guys on Saturday afternoon in the Bronx behind a strong start from Phil “Don’t Demote Me” Hughes and Jorge “You Already Demoted Me” Posada.  Hughes tossed 6 innings of 4-hit 2-run ball, and Posada turned back the clock (to high school) by going 3-5 including a grand slam (10th homer) and 6 ribbies.  Grandyman offered up his 33rd bomb of the season as well, as the Good Guys got back on track versus a Tampa lineup that can best be described as Scranton-like.  Wade and Noesi continued their non-Red-Sox dominance to close out the final three innings.  Yeah fellas, Fitz and Vig noticed.

Freddy Garcia to miss a start. AJ and Phil rejoice.

The Dipsy Doodler has been scratched from his scheduled start this weekend (vs Tampa) due to a cut finger on his throwing hand which he sustained in “a kitchen accident” (aka Baseball Illuminati actions) this week.   AJ Burnett will get the start in his place and Big Triple Girardi gets to push his decision back on who gets cut from the 5 man rotation for at least one rotation turn.  Fitz and Vig are emotionless, logic-driven cutthroats when it comes to athletic competition and roster moves.  But we’ll admit that Big Trip Skip has a tough choice ahead of him.  It’s either Hughes or AJ to the pen… and it’s a 7 layer cake of factors weighing on Girardi’s mind.  If Cash-man’s ridiculous AJ endorsement is any indication, it’ll be Hughesy to the pensky.  Fitz and Vig are here for you blogspacers: check out this video of a drunk Freddy Garcia here.  Awesome.

AJ Burnett has put a spell on Brian Cashman

$82.5 million buys a lot of art

I love magicians, but I don’t really believe in magic. Yeah it’s great when we see a woman sawed in half, but I know she’s not really being separated in two. However, A.J. Burnett may be a true wizard because he has convinced Brian Cashman (Yankees GM) that he deserves to stay in the starting rotation. Cashman was confronted today by reporters about Burnett’s woes this season. Here’s a few delusional lines from Cashman, “”We’ve got six guys who are capable of pitching in a rotation in a pennant race,” Cashman said. “But this stuff about [whether] A.J. Burnett is worthy of being ripped from the rotation is a bunch of crap.”  “Break it down. Compare him to other people. Look at his start-by-start. Look at his run support.” Is Cashman serious? AJ is getting 7 runs per game on average in support. He hasn’t won a game in August in his three years with the Yankees. He’s also 91st in the league with a 4.60 ERA. We have 6 pennant race pitchers? Have you seen Phil Hughes pitch lately too? Cash, you may have been responsible for his bloated contract, but at least take responsibility for it and speak intelligently about his poor performance.

Screaming Scioscia’s 6 Rivera’s Wreck 4

2 bad ones in a row

Scary loss for Yanks as the best reliever in history has another horrible outing. The Grandyman (Curtis Granderson) got us up early with his 29th blast of the year. We were cruising along, including a Mike Scioscia ejection, until a classic A.J.  Burnett self destruction. He completely falls apart in the 6th and gives up 4 runs, 3 of which with 2 outs. I’m at my wits end with Burnett. It’s time for us to do something about him. Yeah the contract is a waste of money, but at this point he’s clearly our #6, not you Mr. Phil Hughes. I think he may be a solid long man out of the pen because he usually gives us 4-5 strong innings before blowing up. The Yanks start a little rally in the 7th. After a key Brett Gardner steal of 2nd to make it 2nd and 3rd with two outs, Captain Clutch DJ4K gets his first clutch hit since the Bush administration to tie it up at 4. David Robertson is masterful, like always, (when can he start closing?) and we head to the 9th all even. Mariano Rivera comes in and gives up a lead off single. A couple of outs later Bobby Abreu parks his second of the game to put the Angels up 6-4. The Yanks get some runners on and you may not believe this, but Curtis Granderson actually gets picked off to end the game. How embarrassing. Halo’s take the opener, 6-4.

Phil Hughes tells Fitz to shut up

Nice outing, sir

Just moments after I ridiculed the idea of a 6 man rotation and begged Girardi to demote Phil Hughes to the bullpen, Hughesy goes out and pitches 6 innings of shut out baseball. Sure it was against the hapless Chicago Whitesox. You know, the same team that is 13th out of 14 A.L. teams in runs, and 10th in batting average. Forget the fact that their best player, Paul Konerko wasn’t even in the lineup, and that Adam “Automatic Out” Dunn actually got a single off of Phil. Ignore the competition and it was a monumental performance for our 2010 All-Star. While I’m not sold yet that Phil Joe is back, I guess this is the equivalent of a solid start against a AAA offense. Step one on a long road of gaining back your respect from the fitzandvig blog.

Hughes dominates! Big Triple Girardi’s 6 White Sox 0

Phil Hughes throwing gas

Phil Hughes dominated a rain-shortened game tonight in Chicago.  Dude spotted his fastball, had excellent velocity (top speed 95mph) and snapped off the breaking ball with conviction throughout 6 innings of 3-hit, shutout baseball.  The game was called after being delayed to start the bottom of the 7th but Phil only needed those half dozen frames to state his case for remaining in the rotation.  Russell Martin hit an absolute bomb and Mark Teixeira added 2 Tex messages (one from each side of the plate) to support the young right hander’s effort.  But the player of the game was Philip Joseph Hughes as he dazzled his way past the pale hose in a 6-0 victory and improved to 2-3 on the season.  FitzandVig are fired up.

Yankees 6 man rotation may come to an end tonight

Flamethrowers?

In just moments, the Yankees and Chicago White Sox are going to start game 2 of a 4 game series. Our boy, Mr. First Half 2010, Phil Hughes is pitching tonight with a short leash. As far as Fitz is concerned, he’s had 1 good start so far this year and needs to head to the ‘pen. Pumping out a 1-3 record with an ERA north of 8 shouldn’t keep you in the lineup for the Houston Astros, let alone the Yankees. Ivan Nova is a true pitcher of the future for the boys in Pinstripes, unless of course we can move him for Felix Hernandez. He deserves some action and gives us the best chance to win. Speaking of the other guys in the 6 man carousel, AJ (Average Joe) Burnett is giving us nothing special. If I wanted a guy to give me 4 runs over 6 innings every 5th day I’d put someone like Alfredo Aceves out there for a quarter the price. Can anyone argue about the performance of “Smart” Bart Colon and Freddie “The Chief” Garcia? No way you could have predicted these two would have a combined 18 wins by now and both with ERA’s in the low 3’s. Not bad for two has-beens pitching in the AL East. My suggestion to Big Triple Girardi is to move Hughesy back to the bullpen like in 2009 and end this foolishness of a 6 man rotation. This is slowing down CC Sabathia’s march to 300 wins.

 

CC Sabathia earns 16th win on Monday night. FitzandVig approve.

CC Sabathia in NYC

Thaaaa Yankeeees win (3-2)!  Although his command wasn’t vintage CC, Mr. Sabathia had plenty of fire to overcome the lack of control.  In fact, our ace was hitting 98mph on the radar gun in the 8th inning… call him the anti-Freddy Garcia.  104 pitches, 6 punchouts and 10 hits scattered over 8 innings were good enough to earn Carsten Charles his 16th victory of the 2011 campaign and lower his ERA to 2.55.  Smell that Bomber fans?  That’s the aroma of a Cy Young candidate percolating in pinstripes.  Mo came on to pitch a clean 9th inning and only needed 9 pitches to do so as the Yanks improved to 65-42 and inched a game closer to the Green Monsters in Boston (lost 9-6 to Cleveland).  Offensively, Grandy and Dontchaknow tallied one RBI each and Robbie plated another run via a double play groundout.  And that was good enough to push the Yanks past the pale hose in Chicago.  Next up, it’s Hughes vs. Danks in a matchup for the ages.  First pitch scheduled for 8:10pm.  FitzandVig (and Big Triple Girardi) will be watching, Philip!

CC needs his Plus 1

We understand that CC Sabathia is our guy.  Our horse, our ace, our primary invitee to any postseason function.  CC is an excellent performer and makes the requisite truckload of money to prove it.  But CC needs a Plus 1.  He needs a partner to accompany him to the most important events.  A calming influence while strolling down the pressure filled playoff red carpet.  But who is CC’s Plus 1?  Does the current roster contain the pitcher that can ease the burden on CC winning Game 1 by providing some Game 2 electric of his own?  A guy that wants the ball in the pressure environment, and just as importantly, has the stuff to deliver?  Is it you AJ?  Sadly, while you look the part, you cannot be relied upon, Mr. Allan James.  Is it you Bartolo?  Unfortunately, while you’re a fun and unexpected story, the evidence suggests that you’re still simply a wild card, Big Bart.  Maybe it’s you Philip?  Oh Hughsey, don’t we all wish it were you.  Disappointingly, you haven’t been able to duplicate the results nor the stuff of your first half 2010.  What about you Garcia?  Can you dipsy doodle your way to an excellent Game 2 playoff series performance?  Ah, a boy can dream.  But a dream doesn’t earn Plus 1 status, does it Freddy?  Perhaps it’s you Ivan?  Yes, we still see you out there in the Pennsylvania suburbs (victim of minor league options).  And we miss you.  We’ve enjoyed your firey makeup, your armamentarium of pitches and your Yankee prospect-ness.  But would Big Triple Girardi reach down and tab you as CC’s Plus 1?  Alas, Yankee brass may feel that it’s not your time for that big of a spotlight, son.  But you’ll soon get your Nova-tation back to the big dance, and you’ll have your opportunity to shine on the big stage.  And no, no, kiddies.  It’s not your time either, Manny, Dellin and rest of the brood.  That’s for a later day.  So, Mr. Cashman, let’s see what you have in your trade deadline bag of tricks.  You spoke all winter of the incompleteness of the Yankee roster (after losing out on Cliffy).  Perhaps you’re close to completing the 2011 New York Baseball Yankees with a slick deal that you’re stalking.  Perhaps you’re going out with a thud as you plan your transition into the media after this season.  Either way, CC needs his playoff Plus 1.  And Yankees fans are anticipating who that might be.  Andy, are you out there buddy?

Phil Hughes’s time is running short

I’m so worked up about this performance, I have to post right in the middle of the game. As Yanks fans, we needed Hughes to be solid this year, if not stellar. He has been nowhere near even sub par. He’s had one solid start this season, the one prior to tonight, and this evening’s performance was a big step back.

Phil’s line, 4.1IP 9 Hits, 4 BB’s and 7 Earned Runs…. 7 Earned runs! And lets not mention that Phil started the 4th inning with a 14-2 lead. Yes, two touchdowns vs. a safety and he couldn’t stay in at least long enough to get the W. Sorry Phil, but time is running short for you. We need to start sorting out who is going to pitch in the post season and you’re flaunting a gaudy 9.47 ERA. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad Cashman was smart enough to bring in Colon and Garcia.