Teixeira has a right hamstring strain, and won't get an MRI until Monday. Who should play first base if he has to go on the DL?

Mark Teixeira left last night's game in the second inning, after straining his right hamstring chasing after a ball in foul territory. Who would have thought that he would end up with a leg injury after all the concern about his wrist? It was already planned that Tex would sit out of today's game to get a break from playing on the turf, but it sounds like he'll at least be held out until Monday, when he'll undergo an MRI in New York. The initial signs point to the possibility that Tex will need a stint on the DL, which makes the fact that the Yankees had no real backup plan for first base seem incredibly stupid.

Now that the Yankees have put Yangervis Solarte on the roster and DFA'd Eduardo Nunez, it is possible that Solarte can just play third base (especially since he's been hitting well!) and Kelly Johnson can play first base. Johnson has only played a handful of games at first base, though, so it would probably still be in everyone's best interest to call someone up. Plus, Kelly Johnson is also the back-up second baseman, so the team would still need an extra utility infielder. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of choices.

The Yankees could call up Russ Canzler, who is playing first base in Triple-A. They've only played one game, but he went 2 for 4, with two doubles. During spring training he hit an uninspiring .143/.182/.143 through 21 at bats. He at least as actual first base experience, if that's what the Yankees want.

Scott Sizemore is another option. If Tex goes on the DL, and the Yankees want Johnson to take over at first base, then Sizemore could be a good backup infielder to relieve Solarte or Brian Roberts. During his one Triple-A game so far, he went 3 for 3, with a walk. Through 19 at bats during spring training, he hit .316/.409/.368.

Neither of those options sound very awe-inspiring, but I would probably call up Sizemore, if I had to pick between the two. Sizemore was a decent hitter with the Athletics, and now that his knees appear to be healthy, it might not be terrible to give him a shot. The best idea still seems like it would be finding an actual player who can play first base, but maybe I'm being too picky. Maybe the Yankees could trade away one of their surplus catchers for a first baseman.

Who do you think should be called up if Tex needs a stint on the DL? Are you okay with Kelly Johnson possibly taking over as the everyday first baseman? Can you think of a trade deal that could bring the Yankees a first baseman in exchange for one of the extra catchers (and another player or two)?

I exchanged questions with Neil Keefe of Keefe to the City, but I'm slow posting his answers. My answers to his questions are here.

What’s going on with CC Sabathia? Are Yankees’ fans resigned to the idea that he isn’t an Ace anymore?

CC Sabathia is no longer the CC Sabathia the Yankees signed before the 2009 season or the CC Sabathia they extended before the 2012 season. When Sabathia signed that extension (which will give him $23 million this season and next and then $25 million in 2016 with a $25 million vesting option in 2017), the Yankees had no choice with Sabathia's opt-out clause. The Yankees were coming off an ALDS loss, were losing Andy Pettitte, couldn't trust A.J. Burnett or Phil Hughes and if Sabathia opted out and signed elsewhere, the Yankees' rotation would have been Burnett and Hughes, an unknown in Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia. It was the right move at the time even if the Yankees knew they would regret the end of the deal when Sabathia aged, I just don't think they expected to regret it as early as 2013.

I don't think CC Sabathia is done as long as he can learn to pitch like his old teammate Pettitte or his so-called best friend Cliff Lee. He can win with a 90-mph fastball and his offspeed stuff if he is locating, which he wasn't on Opening Day. But Sabathia is never good on Opening Day and has won just one of 11 career Opening Day starts with the Yankees and Indians (with a 6.12 ERA), and aside from the 2011 opener, he has been bad for the Yankees in the first game of the year.

Sabathia was no longer the ace as of last year when he kept trying to be a power pitcher as he was in somewhat of denial that he couldn't blow a fastball by someone to get out of trouble. There's a good chance that we will look back at how the rotation was set for this year (Sabathia-Kuroda-Nova-Tanaka-Pineda) and realize it was set backwards. I think the Yankees want and think that Masahiro Tanaka is the ace of the staff (and Michael Pineda could be right behind him), but they don't want to put that kind of pressure on their $155 million investment before he has even thrown a pitch in the majors.

Mark Teixeira played in 15 games last year. Is he healthy this year? Will he be a middle of the order hitter? (this was before Friday's game, Teixeira is now on the DL)

The Mark Teixeira contract is even more regrettable than the CC Sabathia one. Teixeira was great in 2009 and finished second in the AL MVP voting, but he has transformed into what Jason Giambi transformed into as a Yankee because of the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium and because he won't hit the ball the other way and prevent shifts. Teixeira has also been a postseason disaster and actually much worse than A-Rod ever was in the playoffs, but because the Yankees won the World Series in Teixeira's first year with the team (and they won it because A-Rod single-handedly carried them), Teixeira hasn't had to deal with the pressure of a championship drought.

Joe Girardi stuck with Teixeira pre-2013 for too long in the middle of the order and had him hitting third despite Robinson Cano being the best hitter on the team. Teixeira has admitted his wrist will never be 100 percent again and last year foreshadowed that injuries will ruin the rest of his career (I wrote about it here: http://keefetothecity.com/breaking-down-mark-teixeiras-admission-to-breaking-down/). The absolute highest he belongs in the lineup is sixth, but for some reason Girardi still think it's 2009 and that Teixeira is suddenly going to be the player he was five years ago.

Who is your pick for Yankees’ MVP?

My pick for Yankees MVP is Brian McCann. Last year was such a disaster, especially at catcher, that you could pick anyone to be it, but I'm going with McCann because of the leadership qualities he presented in spring training, the fact that he is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball and will love hitting at Yankee Stadium and that he will be in charge of the pitching staff, which looks like the deepest the Yankees have had in a long, long time. I'm also picking him because if he isn't the MVP then that means he probably isn't healthy for an extended period of time and that means Francisco Cervelli had to play a significant role and that means the Yankees will have a similar finish in 2014 as they did in 2013.

Who plays the most shortstop this year? Jeter? Ryan? Someone else?

Derek Jeter. Well, it better be Derek Jeter. He has been the Yankees' starting shortstop since I was in fourth grade and I'm not ready to believe he won't be the shortstop next year or ever again. Next question, before I need some tissues.

How is our old friend Kelly Johnson doing? How much will he play?

I don't think anyone expected Kelly Johnson to be the starting third baseman of the New York Yankees, but he is, at least for now. I think Yangervis Solarte has the potential (he showed it in the third game of the season in Houston) to take over the role and relegate Johnson to the bench where he would probably be better suited. If Johnson can play well defensively, any offense he provides will be a bonus in this lineup. But if Johnson can hit 20 home runs (he can with his swing in Yankee Stadium), it will have been one of the better unexpected signings Brian Cashman has made.

Where do you expect the Yankees to finish?

I think the 2014 Yankees are in the same position as the 2013 Red Sox and have built a very similar roster. There is a lot of talent and a lot of questions, especially health-wise, but the Red Sox hit their massive parlay last year and everything went right and the same could happen for the Yankees this year. I love that everyone is picking the Red Sox after many people picked them to finish last in the division and be one of the worst teams in the league last year with the Rays also getting a lot of hype. This is good for the Yankees because it's allowing them to fly under the radar as much as it's possible for the Yankees to ever fly under the radar. I don't know if they will win the World Series, but they will win the division.

Tex on the DL, Romine called up.

The Yankees have officially placed Mark Teixeira on the DL. This coming after he left last night's game with a strained hamstring, and before he's even had an MRI. Austin Romine has been called up to be a backup catcher, with Girardi saying that will give them some freedom to move Francisco Cervelli around, and possibly even use him to play first base. Cervelli hasn't ever played first base, according to Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference, so that's interesting.

Bringing up another catcher allows Girardi to DH McCann and potentially use Cervelli at 1b... For now Johnson is the everyday 1B #Yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) April 5, 2014

Girardi also added that he does not see McCann playing any 1B ... Soriano not an option either ... Solarte could see some reps #Yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) April 5, 2014

According to Bryan Hoch, Yangervis Solarte and Dean Anna could also possibly see time at first base. Anna has four career minor league games at first base (none since 2011), and Solarte played there once in 2012. Tex said that he doesn't think it's as bad as it was when he strained his hamstring during the 2010 playoffs. It sounds like we'll have to wait until after the MRI Monday to find out how bad it is and when he'll be expected to return.

Ray highlights some starting pitcher options that you should consider streaming on Sunday.

The Streamer Report provides you with daily startng pitcher streaming selections for owners who prefer to stream starting pitchers on a daily basis. This report identifies starting pitchers who are owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues, and who either has a decent track record vs their opponent, has pitched well of late, or has a decent matchup.

Sunday's Streamers

Nathan Eovaldi, MIA vs Padres

It appears Eovaldi will be my go to streamer this year, as he is owned in just 4.6% of ESPN leagues at the moment. Eovaldi had a solid 2014 debut going six innings vs the Rockies, giving up just one run and striking out six.

Drew Hutchison, TOR vs Yankees

Hutchison is owned in just 2.6% of leagues, and gets the Yankees on Sunday afternoon. He had a solid first start, shutting out the Rays on 3 hits in 5.1 innings. He will look to build on that effort on Sunday.

Weekly Streamer Performance

I will be providing a status of how my picks have performed over the course of the season, and below you can find how bad my picks fared this week. I am struggling out of the gate, but the same thing happened last year at this time and things turned around as the season went along.

Michael Pineda was good. The offense was not.

Two years after being acquired, Michael Pineda finally took the mound in a Yankees' uniform in a regular season game. He did not disappoint. After two tough early innings, Pineda shut down the Blue Jays over the next four, allowing just one run in his six innings. The lineup and the bullpen could not do anything for Pineda, though. The offense managed no runs and the bullpen made a comeback even more difficult and in the end the Blue Jays won 4-0.

The Blue Jays struck first with a run in the bottom of the second. Adam Lind led off the inning with a double. After a failed bunt attempt by Brett Lawrie, Lind scored when Josh Thole dropped a single into left field. Despite another hit by Ryan Goins, Pineda escaped the inning without allowing any more runs.

The Yankees could have and should have tied the game in the top of the third. Francisco Cervelli led off with a double. After Yangervis Solarte and Dean Anna both struck out, Jacoby Ellsbury came to the plate. Ellsbury singled to center and Cervelli was sent home. Blue Jays' catcher Josh Thole caught the throw home and tagged Cervelli out. However it looked as if Thole was blocking the plate and Cervelli might have gotten his foot in before the tag anyway. Joe Girardi asked the umpires to review the play and they did. The call got upheld and the score stayed at 1-0.

Both offenses then stalled for a while. After the first two innings, Pineda was excellent. The problem was the Yankees couldn't get anything going against R.A. Dickey. They had a decent chance in the top of the sixth, when they had first and second with nobody out. But a Carlos Beltran double play and a Brian McCann ground out ended that.

Pineda's day finished after the bottom of the sixth. He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts. Pineda's first game back could not have gone a whole lot better.

Vidal Nuno came in to start the seventh, but after walking Adam Lind, he was replaced by David Phelps. Phelps got the three outs relatively easily, keeping the score at 1-0.

In the eighth inning, Ellsbury singled and Jeter walked, again putting two on with no one out. But once again, the Yankees couldn't do anything in that situation. Beltran struck out, McCann grounded out and Alfonso Soriano chased a pitch out of the zone for strike three.

Phelps came back out for the eighth inning. After getting Jonathan Diaz to ground out, Phelps allowed a home run to Melky Cabrera. That doubled the Blue Jays' lead. Phelps then allowed a double to Colby Rasmus and another home run to Jose Bautista. The score was now at 4-0. Phelps struck out Edwin Encarnacion and Lind, but the damage was done.

With two outs in the ninth Solarte walked and Brian Roberts singled to keep the game alive. Ellsbury was having a good day at the plate, but he couldn't add to it and struck out to end the game. The Blue Jays came away with a 4-0 win.

The Yankees will finish up their series in Toronto tomorrow at 1:05 eastern. CC Sabathia will get the start for the Yankees while Drew Hutchison will go for the Blue Jays.

Box score.

Yankees 0 Blue Jays 4

I loved that game.

R.A. Dickey was great. If he could pitch like that every start....oh well, just enjoy this, it was great. 6.2 shutout innings, 5 hits, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. Loved it. He did get some help by some good. He started his own beautiful double play in the 6th, two on, no outs and gets a bouncer back to the mound, throws to second and Jonathan Diaz makes a great throw to first. Colby Rasmus threw out Francisco Cervelli at the plate in the 3rd inning.

Our bullpen kept things interesting. Brett Cecil gave up a hit and a walk in the 8th, but Gibby brought in Sergio Santos to pitch to Alfonzo Soriano, and Sergio got the strikeout on a beautiful pitch in the dirt, that Erik Kratz made a great block on. Then Santos gave up a deep fly to center field that Colby Rasmus made an amazing catch on, going full out and diving at the track. After a single and a walk later, Santos struck out Jacoby Ellsbury to end the game.

On offense, we did enough. Adam Lind led off the 2nd with a double. After a stupid bunt attempt by Brett Lawrie (he popped it up but Yankee pitcher Michael Pineda dropped it, Lawrie wasn't running hard and was thrown out at first), Josh Thole had an RBI single. Lind read it well from second and scored easy. After that Ryan Goins missed a hit and run sign and Thole was thrown out 'stealing'. Goins followed that with a double, his first hit of the season, but was stranded at second. It should have been a much better inning.

We scored 3 more in a fun bottom of the 8th. Melky Cabrera homered, Colby Rasmus drove a double down the right-field line and Jose Bautista crushed a homer.

Jays of the Day are Dickey (.427 WPA), Santos (.166, helped a ton by great defense, Colby's catch and Kratz block of the pitch in the dirt). I'm going to give honorable mention to Cabrera and Bautista for the homers and Colby for the double and the catch.

No Suckage Jays. Lawrie had the low mark at -.083 for the 0 for 3, including the popped up bunt.

I love beating the Yankees. The Jays are back to .500, at 3-3.

Tomorrow it is Drew Hutchison vs. CC Sabathia to win the series.

The GameThread was great fun. 1,120 comments. Hathorian led the way with 114 comments.

Kelly Johnson is the Yankees full-time third baseman. But could resting him against lefties be a sound strategy?

When previously questioned about the possibility of Kelly Johnson getting a platoon partner at third, base the Yankees insisted that the job was solely Johnson's. But four games into the regular season Yangervis Solarte already has two starts, one at the expense of Johnson at third against Astros lefty Brett Oberholtzer. Solarte took the opportunity and ran with it, finishing 3-3 with a walk. Now I'm certainly not suggesting the possibility of a platoon based on two games of success (lovely as they have been), but looking at the two players careers it might be the best way to maximize their abilities.

Johnson has proven himself to be a capable hitter over his career, so giving him the job full time is understandable. For his career, he has a wRC+ of 105 versus lefties and 103 versus righties. So the platoon would not appear to make much sense. The splits are more pronounced in the last two seasons, however.

Johnson has gotten about three times as many plate appearances against righties as lefties, so the home run difference is not that stark in 2012. But the goose egg in 2013 is pretty telling. In recent years, he's been a better and more powerful hitter against right-handers.

That's where Solarte comes in. While his unimpressive numbers over his minor league career make me hesitate over giving the youngster too much playing team, he has shown to be effective against left-handed pitching. In 2012 at AAA, he amassed an .809 OPS against them and .828 in 2013. Nothing amazing, but perhaps a sign that he might have the potential to help the team in a specialized role. It should be noted his OPS at AAA against right-handers is more than 150 points lower.

It's hard to say whether or not Joe Girardi might embrace an arrangement like this. Solarte is largely unproven, and Girardi has a reputation for not taking at-bats away from veterans. But Solarte showed he and his staff enough that they were willing to bring him on over Eduardo Nunez and he did get two starts in a row, so maybe a paradigm shift has taken place.

In all likelyhood I suspect Johnson will stay a full-time starter, at least for the time being. Girardi pegged him as such at the end of Spring Training and it's likely to stay that way for a while. And considering Solarte is a switch-hitter, I think he'll probably just be used whenever an infielder needs a rest or as an injury replacement regardless of the handedness of the starting pitcher that day, even if they numbers say he's better suited to face lefties.

The important thing to remember, of course, is that the season is in it's infancy. There's a lot of strategies that can be changed up and injuries that may occur and a platoon is often more luxury than necessity. With Mark Teixeira straining his hamstring last night, it will likely be a moot point for the immediate future. But a platoon at third is something that I hope Girardi ponders as we go along.

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Could a Johnson/Solarte platoon benefit the Yankees?
• Yankees 0, Blue Jays 4: Pineda excellent in debut, Yankees waste it
• The Yankees place Mark Teixeira on the DL
• Who can the Yankees call up if Mark Teixeira has to go on the DL?
• Daily Yankees Predictions 4/5/14: Tanaka Day has gone and Pineda Day has come
• Baby Bomber Recap 4/4/14: Abiatal Avelino reaches base five times in RiverDogs loss

Yankees News

Double G Sports | Matt Kardos: Tyler Austin has recovered from his wrist injury and will return to the Trenton Thunder.

SB Nation | Alex Skillin: There's a lot to be optimistic about when it comes to the Yankees rotation.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: The Mark Teixeira injury makes Stephen Drew even more necessary.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Losing Mark Teixeira will affect Kelly Johnson, Yangervis Solarte, Francisco Cervelli, and Alfonso Soriano.

Pinstripe Pundits | Derek Albin: A look at the Yankees' very weak first base depth with Mark Teixeira's injury.

New York Daily News | Anthony McCarron: Mark Teixeira's injury opens up another new role for Kelly Johnson.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews:Masahiro Tanaka rebounded after a tough start to his career.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: A controversial play at the plate has shown that not everyone knows all the rules just yet.

The Times-Tribune | Donnie Collins: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have to rely on Zelous Wheeler at shortstop.

With their starting first baseman out already, injury concerns for the aging and expensive Yankees are likely mounting. Whether or not they should be is a different issue altogether.

With first baseman Mark Teixeira on the disabled list (again) with a hamstring problem (again), the first of what may be many injuries for baseball's oldest team has arrived.

Of course, there are always concerns with any team about injuries. But given the Yankees' advanced age and offseason spending habits, those worries hang especially heavy over the heads of the Bronx Bombers. For every Brian McCann signed -- who essentially plays as many games as is prudent given his position, and has only two short stints on the DL since 2011 -- there's a Brian Roberts.

There are many reasons the former Baltimore Orioles second baseman -- who is simultaneously a stopgap and the replacement for one of the game's best players (the departed Robinson Cano) -- signed for significantly less than McCann's $85 million. Perhaps most notable is that he will likely play significantly fewer games than the 131 the former Atlanta Braves backstop has averaged each of the last eight seasons.

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After the first seven years of his full-time playing career saw him average 146 games per season, Roberts has been unable to stay on the field for more than half a season since 2010. Not surprisingly, his production has dropped precipitously with it; after hitting .287/.361/.428 in his first eight years as an everyday player, Roberts has slid to .231/.289/.344 since his first truly lost season in 2011.

It's not just role players who have had trouble staying out of the infirmary before joining the Yankees this offseason, however. Star outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has seemingly alternated MVP-caliber seasons with depressingly long DL stints as a matter of course so far in his career.

Ellsbury finished second in the AL MVP vote in 2011, when he hit .322/.376/.552 to go along with Gold Glove defense in center field and stole 39 bases. However, that followed 2010's 18-game disaster when he hit .192 in just 84 plate appearances, and he managed only 74 games in 2012. That last year was part of the worst Boston Red Sox season since the Eisenhower administration, and the Sox' mediocrity might have had something to do with Ellsbury's low games total. The Boston front office went so far as to move his rehabilitation to Arizona amidst the war going on between the rest of his team and manager Bobby Valentine.

The story behind Ellsbury's absence aside, there's reason to hope he's finally shaken the bug by having both happen in the same season. Despite missing several games last yearwith a stress fracture in his foot from an errant foul tip, he still managed to finish 19th in MVP voting. That's probably why some argue that he's never truly had injury issues to begin with.

The same could probably be said of outfielder Carlos Beltran. Outside of a two year drop-off -- when he was playing for the New York Mets, because, well, sometimes it's better to have no luck at all -- and his second year in the major leagues, the product of Puerto Rico has played at least 140 games each season. Though, with his long career and advanced age (he's entering his 15th season in the majors and his 37th year on the planet), you can never be too careful.

Which will probably be the motto around the clubhouse this season for Yankee captain and shortstop Derek Jeter . The future Hall of Famer has spent most of the last year or so either trying to recover from his lower-leg injury or trying to not re-aggravate it. Jeter was an almost-perpetual sight at shortstop for most of his career, averaging151 games a season before he broke his ankle during a routine play in the 2012 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. But after missing almost all of last season, and reaching an age where most players -- especially at an incredibly demanding position like shortstop -- start to deteriorate rapidly, this level of commitment seems unlikely. It's his last season and he'll likely take every precaution to make it through the entirety of his swan song. Either that, or he'll possibly be forced to by a team which has a considerable amount invested in one of their greatest player's farewell seasons.

Thankfully for Yankees fans, the pitchers seem like they've been able to stay out of trouble and off the DL. Workhorses like Hiroki Kuroda and CC Sabathia have consistently started around 30 games a season each year since the start of the decade while devouring innings buffet-style. While both are getting a little long in the tooth -- and even with Sabathia's greatly diminished waistline -- it's unlikely that two of the more durable pitchers in the majors would suddenly have parts start flying off like some of their offensive counterparts seem to have a habit of doing.

Although 27-year-old Ivan Nova may have missed some games the last few seasons with elbow and shoulder issues, it appears those problems are behind him. At the very least, he seems more subject to the normal wear-and-tear that many pitchers struggle through rather than some sort of predisposition towards injury. In fact, even their biggest injury concern on the staff -- Michael Pineda -- has the sort of frame that projects to be able to handle a lot of innings as he tries to secure a spot in the rotation coming off shoulder surgery.

So, while the jury is still out on whether or not the Yankees have sunk their future into a bottomless money pit, it likely won't be because the players they paid can't stay on the field. Well, at least until Alex Rodriguez comes back.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from Saturday, April 5th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Doubleheader postponed for rain

Next: Doubleheader vs. Syracuse (weather permitting) today at 1:00 pm. Chase Whitley and Graham Stoneburner are still the probable pitchers.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 6-5 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats

CF Mason Williams 2-4, double, RBI, BB - has at least one hit in each game so far
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-3, BB, K - still looking for his first hit of the season
3B Rob Segedin 2-3, 2 RBI
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, double, RBI
DH Ben Gamel 1-4, double, 2 K
1B Zach Wilson 0-3, BB, K
RF Yeral Sanchez 0-3, BB
LF Taylor Dugas 1-3, HBP, E7 - fielding error
SS Ali Castillo 1-4, E6 - throwing error

Zach Nuding 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R/2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K - nine groundouts, two flyouts
Pat Venditte 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB, 2 K
Diego Moreno 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K

Next: Joel De La Cruz gets the start against the Fisher Cats today at 1:05 pm

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 0-3 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers

CF Jake Cave 0-3, BB, K
SS Cito Culver 1-4, 2 K - at least one hit in each game so far this season
3B Eric Jagielo 0-4, 3 K - hitless so far this season
C Peter O'Brien 1-3, BB, 2 K
DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-3, BB, K - one hit in each of his first three games
2B Angelo Gumbs 0-3, BB, K
1B Reymond Nunez 0-3, K
RF Yeicok Calderon 1-3, 2 K
LF Cody Grice 0-3, 2 K

Rafael De Paula 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, WP - two groundouts, one flyout
Eric Ruth 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K, WP
Evan Rutckyj 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB

Next: Tampa takes on the Flying Tigers again today at 1:00 pm at Steinbrenner Field

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 3-6 vs. Augusta GreenJackets

DH Abiatal Avelino 1-5, double, RBI, K
SS Tyler Wade 2-5, SB
RF Aaron Judge 2-4, BB, K
1B Mike Ford 1-5
3B Miguel Andujar 1-4, 2 K
CF Brandon Thomas 3-4, double, triple
C Luis Torrens 1-2, RBI, 2 BB
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-4, 3 K
LF Michael O'Neill 0-4, 2 K

Giovanny Gallegos 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB, 7 K - four groundouts, two flyouts
Andy Beresford 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB
Stefan Lopez 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, K
Jordan Cote 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Next: Brady Lail gets the start for Charleston against the GreenJackets today at 2:00 pm

CC Sabathia hope to salvage the series and the road trip. Also, Daily Yankees Prediction results and a question for the PSA community.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...knuckleball pitchers are evil. Meanwhile, Michael Pineda was fantastic in his long, long awaited Yankee debut. Sorry Mariners, but the YANKEES KNEW and all that rabble. Speaking of people who knew, let's check the results of yesterday's Daily Predictions.

4/5/14 Daily Predictions Answers

The Aardvarks worked until the dead of night after binge drinking on math and bourbon in order to hammer out the results. Sadly, there is no one winner. Just a six-way tie between Tanya, Andrew, david d, long time listener, nyyankeesfan28, and Blanky. Each answered three questions correctly. Since Wrestlemania 30 is later on tonight, the only way to settle this is with a bake off. Whomever makes Greg Kirkland the best brownies gets the victory. Until then, today's Daily Predictions and Fun Questions.

4/6/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Best way to spend a Sunday Afternoon?

Do you collect anything, and if so what?

Current favorite TV show?

If you were a WWE wrestler, what would you name your Finishing Move?

Starting Monday, the Daily Predictions questions might shake up a bit. Also on a personal fun note, I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier last night. Excellent, excellent movie. I was thinking of writing a brief review of it for the PSA community, but first I wanted to bring the matter up with the very same PSA community I just mentioned.

Unlike previous management just shoving such things down your throat without asking, I would like everyone's opinion on this. As we all continue to come together during the season, would movie, TV show, music reviews be something you'd like to see on this site? Nothing front page wise, since this is Yankees blog first and foremost, but perhaps a Fanpost or using this type of Open Thread. Or would you prefer reading that kind of thing elsewhere and just sticking with the Daily Predictions and Yankees coverage? Please let us know.

More importantly, let's salvage this series and this six game road trip. Let's Go Yankees.

Of course it's extremely early in the season, but the middle of the Yankees' order has underwhelmed thus far.

After seeing the early portion of the Yankees' 2014 schedule, I got kind of excited. New York got to open up the season against the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, both of whom finished in last place in their respective divisions last year and figure to do the same thing in 2014. Because of this, I was looking forward to seeing the Yankees' bats feast against inferior teams like Houston and Toronto in the first six games. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened here in the very, very early going.

Overall offensively, the Yankees have struggled out of the gate, scoring just 2.8 runs per game through the first five contests. Collectively, the Yankees are hitting just .254/.335/.320, have yet to hit their first home run, and haven't been so hot with RISP (.250 BA) as well. Naturally, the spotlight would point towards the middle-of-the-order guys like Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, and Alfonso Soriano as culprits to the early-season offensive struggles. And, sure enough, the Beltran-McCann-Soriano trio haven't produced much at all, combining for a very paltry .134/.148/.154 batting line through 54 plate appearances.

Among the three current middle-of-the-order bats, Soriano has looked the worst, and not by a small margin, either. Soriano came into Saturday's game looking for his first hit (0-for-12), but he did hit a couple of balls hard during yesterday's game, which perhaps could have been a sign that he was starting to come out of his early-season slide. In his final at-bat with runners at second and third in the eighth inning, though, he took two strikes right down the middle from Sergio Santos before whiffing at a slider way off the plate and in the dirt. All told, Soriano is now 0-for-16 with five strikeouts.

Beltran and McCann have been less awful, but have still been uninspiring thus far. Beltran is hitting .158/.190/.211 with just one extra base hit (double vs. Houston), while McCann is hitting .235/.235/.235 with no extra base hits, or walks, given his identical BA/OBP/SLG marks. Again, it's early, as these two have a total of 21 and 17 PA's, respectively. You can throw in the currently-injured Mark Teixeira as a contributor to the weak offensive output as well, as the first baseman hit .250/.308/.250 before pulling his hammy.

Because of the team's early-season offensive struggles, should Joe Girardi try to shake the lineup around? Eh, perhaps, but I wouldn't be too upset if he kept things mostly the same. Maybe move a couple of guys up and down a spot here and there, but nothing drastic. If Girardi wants to be creative, though, he could have Brett Gardner hit atop the order and have Jacoby Ellsbury move down to third with everyone else after that dropping down a spot, but I don't really expect him to do something like that here with just five games into the season.

Of course 54 PA's isn't all that much for one player, let alone three players like Beltran, McCann, and Soriano, but here we are. The Yankees' offense is in a rut right now and the middle-of-the-order bats aren't producing, so of course they're going to get some heat from the fans, even if it's still very, very early. After all, there's still 97% of the season still left to be played. Hopefully the offense will be able to straighten itself out here relatively soon; going back home to hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium on Monday could do the trick.

CC was better, the offense was better, the Yankees won.

CC Sabathia got his second start of the year and it went much better than the first. Sabathia didn't get off to the best start and his last inning was a little iffy, but in the middle bit, he looked really good. And thankfully for him, the Yankee lineup decided to show up today. The offense got three first inning runs and never trailed as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 6-4.

After failing to score yesterday, it didn't take the Yankees long to get on the board today. Brett Gardner led off the game with a walk. He stole second on the first pitch of Derek Jeter's at bat and moved to third when Jeter grounded out. Jacoby Ellsbury came up next and he grounded out too, but it was enough to score Gardner to make it 1-0. Brian McCann then kept the inning alive with a walk. Alfonso Soriano came up next and got his first hit of the season. Sort of. Soriano got hit in the back with a pitch to put two on with two out. Kelly Johnson then ripped a double to center. That scored both McCann and Soriano. Brian Roberts couldn't keep it going and struck out to end the inning, but the Yankees led 3-0.

Sabathia took the mound in the bottom of the second, but it didn't take long for him to give back some of that lead. For the second time in three games, Melky Cabrera led off with a home run. Another batter did reach on an infield hit, but CC got through the inning with a 3-1 lead.

In the top of the fourth, the Yankees added to their lead. Brian Roberts worked a lead-off walk and stole second during Ichiro Suzuki's at bat. After Ichiro struck out, Yangervis Solarte hit a ground-rule double. That scored Roberts and made it 4-1. Gardner came up next and he would hit the Yankees' first home run of the year, making it 6-1.

Other than the lead-off home run by Cabrera, the Blue Jays could not get anything going offensively until the sixth inning. After the first two hitters went down, Jose Bautista kept the inning alive with a single. Edwin Encarnacion followed that with a single. Dioner Navarro then doubled to score Bautista. That was followed by an Erik Kratz double that scored Encarnacion and Navarro. Sabathia then got Brett Lawrie to fly out to end the inning, but the score was now 6-4.

In the seventh, the Yankees had a chance to re-increase their lead, but they stranded two runners, keeping the score at 6-4. Sabathia would not come back out for the bottom of the seventh. CC finished with six innings pitched, allowing four runs on seven hits (no walks) while striking out six.

Adam Warren pitched a scoreless seventh in relief of Sabathia. After that, Shawn Kelley came in to pitch the eighth inning. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-out triple that just eluded Ellsbury's glove in center. With the tying run at the plate, Kelley got Navarro to ground out to end the eighth.

After the Yankees went down in order in the top of the ninth (with McCann missing a home run by a few feet), David Robertson came in to pitch the ninth. After getting the first out, Robertson got himself in a bit of trouble. He allowed a single to Lawrie before walking pinch-hitter Adam Lind, bringing the winning run to the plate. Roberton got Colby Rasmus to pop out, leaving to game up to Cabrera. Melky got decent contact on a pitch, but Ichiro read it off the bat and caught it for the third out. Robertson got his second save of the year and the Yankees got a 6-4 win.

The Yankees will now head back to New York for their home opener tomorrow against the Orioles. Hiroki Kuroda will take the mound and first pitch will be at 1:05 eastern.

Box score.

Tyler Austin is going to get playing time at first and third base in Double-A Trenton.

Tyler Austin is finally headed from Tampa to Trenton to join the Double-A team. After missing much of last season, and being held out of the entirety of spring training games, Austin's wrist seems to be good to go. Trenton manager, Tony Franklin, said that Austin is either very close to being able to play in games, or already can play at this point.

Although Austin has spent the last few years playing right field, the Yankees want him to increase his versatility. They want him to get playing time at first base and third base, likely due to the overwhelming lack of first and third basemen in the organization right now. This won't be the first time that Austin has played the corners. In 2011, he spend the entire season splitting his time between first and third before eventually moving to right field in 2012. The decision to move him to right field sounds like it was because of his defense (or lack there of). Back in December of 2012, Mark Newman said "He's a better defender in right." During the 2011 season, Austin made 6 errors at third base through 194.2 innings and 2 errors at first base through 125 innings. Austin is only 22, though, and it could be that he would improve with more practice.

It isn't very likely that he will see major league time this season, aside from a pretty slim chance at a September call up. Still, it makes sense to try and increase his versatility, especially since the Yankees have all of the outfield spots locked up for the next few years. As we know from the current Kelly Johnson/Francisco Cervelli (?) first base backup plan, the Yankees are in need of minor league players who can play the corners (and are good hitters), and Austin has shown the ability to swing a hot bat. During last year's injury plagued season, Austin hit .265/.351/.378, which was down quite a bit from the previous two seasons. In 2012, he hit .322/.400/.559 with 17 home runs through 110 games. Hopefully a healthy wrist will lead to a repeat of those numbers.

Do you think it makes sense to try Austin at the corners again, or that it sounds like they moved him to right field for a reason (and that should keep him there)?

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from Sunday, April 6th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 0-3, W 5-0 vs. Syracuse Chiefs

Game 1:

RF Ramon Flores 0-3, K
3B Scott Sizemore 2-3, double, K
LF Zoilo Almonte 0-3, K
DH Russ Canzler 0-3, K
1B Corban Joseph 0-3
C John Ryan Murphy 0-3
2B Jose Pirela 1-3
CF Adonis Garcia 0-3, K, OF assist
SS Zelous Wheeler 0-2, K, E6 - fielding error

Chase Whitley 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
David Herndon 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Graham Stoneburner 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, K

Game 2:

CF Ramon Flores 0-3, RBI
DH Scott Sizemore 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Zoilo Almonte 1-4, RBI, 3 K
1B Corban Joseph 1-4
2B Jose Pirela 0-3
3B Zelous Wheeler 2-2, 2 doubles, HBP, E5 - throwing error
C Jose Gil 0-2, HBP
LF Antoan Richardson 1-2, BB, K
SS Carmen Angelini 2-3, 2 doubles, 3 RBI

Brian Gordon 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 4 K, hit batsman
Cesar Cabral 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB
Yoshinori Tateyama 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Fred Lewis 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Jim Miller 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

Next: RailRiders take on Rochester tonight at 7:05 pm

Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 11-5 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats

CF Mason Williams 0-3, BB
LF Ben Gamel 2-4, K
3B Rob Segedin 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K
DH Gary Sanchez 1-2, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K
1B Zach Wilson 1-4, K
RF Yeral Sanchez 1-4, double, RBI, K
C Francisco Arcia 1-4, triple, 2 RBI, K
2B Dan Fiorito 0-4, K, E4 - throwing error
SS Ali Castillo 1-4, double, RBI

Joel De La Cruz 6.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R/4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, hit batsman - 11 groundouts, 4 flyouts
Manny Barreda 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, WP
Aaron Dott 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Next:Matt Tracy gets the start for Trenton tonight against Portland at 7:05 pm

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 5-8 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers

CF Jake Cave 2-5, double
SS Cito Culver 1-5
DH Eric Jagielo 1-5, HR, RBI, 3 K
RF Peter O'Brien 2-4, RBI, K
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-4, K
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-4
LF Yeicok Calderon 0-2, 2 BB, K
1B Reymond Nunez 2-4, 2 RBI, E3 - throwing error
C Trent Garrison 1-3, double, RBI, BB, E2 - fielding error

Dan Camarena 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R/1 ER, BB, 3 K, WP, pickoff - five groundouts, four flyouts
Zach Woods 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K
Kyle Haynes 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K
Alex Smith 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, K

Next: Tampa is off today

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 4-1 vs. Augusta GreenJackets

SS Tyler Wade 0-4, BB, 2 K, E6 - fielding error
CF Brandon Thomas 0-3, BB, K
RF Aaron Judge 1-3, BB
1B Mike Ford 2-4, double, K
3B Miguel Andujar 3-4, double, 3 RBI
C Eduardo de Oleo 1-4, RBI, K
DH Michael O'Neill 0-4, 3 K
2B John Murphy 0-4
LF Mikeson Oliberto 0-3, BB, OF assist

Brady Lail 6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, BB, 5 K - nine groundouts, three flyouts
Cesar Vargas 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Nick Rumbelow 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K

Next: Caleb Smith starts for the RiverDogs against the Greenville Drive tonight at 7:05 pm at The Joe

After stopping their losing streak at four games thanks to an impressive outing by Chris Tillman, the O's head to New York to finish off their road trip with a three-game set against the Yankees.

2-4 isn't a great way to start the season, but thank goodness for that win yesterday, because it's a lot better than 1-5. The Yankees started their season 3-3, but got to open against the Astros and Blue Jays.

Monday, 7 April: Ubaldo Jimenez @ Hiroki Kuroda

Jimenez didn't impress in his first start as an Oriole, giving up a pair of two-run home runs. Otherwise, though, his line for that game doesn't look too bad: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 SO. Unfortunately, pitching in the AL East means that you're going to spend a lot of time in homer-friendly ballparks, and Yankee Stadium is one of them. In a press release announcing the signing, the Orioles tried to sell Jimenez as a groundball pitcher, but he hasn't been since his time with the Rockies. Here's hoping that his last outing wasn't a sign of things to come.

Kuroda started off his season well enough, allowing two runs and three hits over six innings against the Astros, with five strikeouts to one walk. He's arguably been the Yankees' best starter for the last couple of years, though some struggles in the second half of last season made some scouts question whether he was finally just getting too old to be effective. Kuroda throws a sinker most often, at 43% of the time to batters regardless of handedness. He has a slider he'll throw most often to righties (38%), but he'll mix it in against lefties early in the count, too. He also features a splitter, which he uses against lefties nearly 50% of the time when ahead in the count or with two strikes, and he'll use it to try to strike out righties as well. Finally, he'll occasionally toss a first-pitch get-me-over curve or an 0-1 four-seamer against lefties.

Maybe hot:Nick Markakis (.947 OPS, 19 PA), Carlos Beltran (1.417 OPS, 12 PA)

Likely not:Nelson Cruz (.205 OPS, 15 PA), Ichiro Suzuki (.500 OPS, 12 PA)

Tuesday, 8 April: Wei-Yin Chen @ Ivan Nova

Chen got knocked around for twelve hits in 5.2 innings in his 2014 debut. I missed the game, but from Mark's writeup, it sounds like Chen was just very unlucky, and his defense didn't help him out any, either. Chen didn't walk any and struck out five, which just reinforces the notion that the baseball gods were against him that night, and it gives us reason for optimism going forward.

Nova walked five batters in his first start of the season, while only striking out one. Somehow, despite allowing six hits as well, he only allowed two runs over his 5.2 innings of work. Nova struggled against the O's in 2012, but threw two complete games against them last year, in what was a bit of a breakout season for him. He throws fastballs about 60% of the time, roughly 2:1 sinkers to four-seamers against lefties, but the reverse ratio against righties. Most of the rest of his pitches are curveballs, used about 35% of the time regardless of batter handedness. Nova also has a changeup and slider/cutter, but he almost never uses them.

Maybe hot:Matt Wieters (1.351 OPS, 33 PA), Brett Gardner (1.711 OPS, 10 PA)

Likely not:Adam Jones (.488 OPS, 39 PA), Ichiro Suzuki (.222 OPS, 9 PA)

Wednesday, 9 April: Miguel Gonzalez @ Masahiro Tanaka

Gonzalez just did not have it on Friday. He only lasted 3.1 innings, plunked two batters, and gave up seven runs on nine hits (two homers) and a walk. Enough scouts and analysts have been saying that Gonzalez is basically the new Jeremy Guthrie, outpitching his peripherals until he doesn't, and every time he has a bad start or two, it's hard not to worry that "doesn't" has finally arrived. That said, one start is one start, and pitchers with Gonzalez's lack of overwhelming stuff are just going to have bad ones on occasion.

Despite allowing a leadoff homer, Tanaka was impressive in his MLB debut, striking out eight Blue Jays and walking none over seven innings. Tanaka's main weapons are reportedly four- and two-seam fastballs, the ratio of which he varies by batter handedness, much like Nova; a splitter, which he throws often as a strikeout pitch to both righties and lefties; a slider, which he uses often to strike out righties; and a curve, which is mostly a first-pitch show-me option.

Grandy on his plate approach, Mets v. Yankees, Juan Lagares, the Citi Field outfield, and Old Man Strength.

Hats everywhere. I was told five thousand. Spanking new caps are startlingly bright, and I wished I had my dirty Cyclones giveaway hat to shade the peepers.

Curtis Granderson entered Lids, the Midtown hattery, looking very fit and handsome. Unlike many of his peers, he is human-sized. He shook hands with the New Era events people, donned an admittedly lovely hat, and looked pleased to meet every marketing assistant. Waiting for my time slot, I got to talking with the assistant manager of the Yankees Clubhouse Store, a hard-core Met fan.

Here are some things about Curtis Granderson the man. He grew up in a working-class Chicago suburb with two school teachers for parents. The Granderson family produced a pro ballplayer and an English professor, Curtis's sister Monica. Grandy's charity, the Grand Kids Foundation, runs a baseball clinic in his hometown of Lynwood and otherwise assists kids with education, physical fitness, and nutrition. Curtis has worked with Michelle Obama on "Let’s Move!" As an ambassador for MLB, he’s traveled to three continents spreading the good word.

Granderson has a sterling reputation as a one of the game’s great dudes, and on close inspection, I’m persuaded these rumors are founded.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Pack Bringley: So we have the south suburbs of Chicago in common. I grew up in Homewood.

Curtis Granderson: Nice! I was right east of you! Did you go to HF?

PB: I did. Where did you go?

CG: TF South. How old are you?

PB: I’m 30.

CG: All right, so my cousin, she went to HF. Jennifer Moyer?

PB: Definitely know that name.

CG: Jennifer Moyer, Alonzo Moyer, Janis Moyer, Tina Moyer, that whole family.

PB: Absolutely!

CG: Small world.

PB: Well, down to business. What difference do you see so far between the Yankees organization and the Mets organization: in tone, in philosophy, in expectations?

CG: Right now, the biggest thing is the age difference. The Yankees have a very veteran team over there, experienced team. You look over here at the Mets, it’s very much like the team I came up with in Detroit in 2006… a youth team, an energy-driven team, a lot of guys who are coming up together from the minors, along with a few veterans to create a nice little mix. Both of them have their pros, both of them have their cons, but I’ve been excited to be a part of both of them.

PB: Are there day-to-day differences, or is it mostly the same routine?

CG: It’s pretty much the same. Loose, relaxed, fun.

PB: But what was it like representing the forces of evil?

CG: [Laughs.] It was interesting to travel everywhere and everybody knows, hey, this is the New York Yankees and you love them or hate them. But you still get a similar glimpse of that with the Mets because it’s New York. It’s still the largest media market. The one thing I keep hearing from people is "Welcome in from the dark side," things like that. A lot of people’s thought about the Yankees is either so positive or so negative. With the Mets it seems to be more neutral, for whatever reason. But a lot of people are so proud to say they’re Mets fans.

PB: One thing the Mets aren’t giving you is your short porch in right. Are you adjusting your swing for that?

CG: No, none of that. What a lot of people forget is that we play half of our games away from our stadium. When I go to those stadiums I’m not adjusting my swing for the stadium. A pitcher obviously might change some things when he’s up there – adjust to wind elements, things like that. But my job is to get down and be consistent, to be able to repeat the swing, get a pitch I can drive, and drive it. Some stadiums it’s going to get out the ballpark, some stadiums it’s not, so I get a chance to run the bases a little bit.

PB: In terms of approach, are you, you know, sitting fastball? Sitting breaking ball? Looking at one half of the plate or the other? Or is it a reactive thing?

CG: Yeah, more reactive. Being ready to go, but also understanding what the opposition’s trying to do. If you’ve got a guy who loves throwing fastballs there’s no point in me looking off speed. Vice versa: If a guy loves to throw off speed stuff I’m not going to sit on fastballs. So you try to adjust as the game goes on, talk to the other left-hand hitters in the lineup, see what they’ve got going on.

PB: This is something that fans probably don’t know as well as they should… As a left-handed hitter you haven’t hit lefties as well as you’ve hit righties. From your perspective standing at the plate, what’s going on there, what’s the difference?

CG: The big thing is that you don’t have a lot of lefties that you face all the time. You don’t have a lot of lefties able to throw batting practice; you don’t get repetition like you do against righties. From little league up until now, most guys are right-handed throwers. And all the position players except maybe first base and some of the outfielders, they all throw right handed. Also the angles are just a little bit off, in terms of pitches come into you. Typically with righties they’re moving away. That’s why some righty hitters have issues with righty throwers. It’s a mixture of all those different things. You try to go ahead and get yourself ready to go, use the curveball machine, try to get lefties to throw batting practice as much as you can. When you have a left-handed pitcher on your team that’s throwing maybe stand in on his bullpens session and see some of his at-bats.

PB: How about the outfield in Citi Field. Does it have some kinks to it?

CG: Nothing too crazy. You know, everyone talked about right center, the little nooks and crannies of it, but nothing really out of the ordinary. It’s only been a game so I’ll have to see about that. The sun is right over me so I don’t have to worry about that all season long. Every stadium has its elements and has its pros and cons. There’s a lot of room out there but we have a very athletic outfield. A bunch of guys that could play center field, a lot of guys who have played center field. We have the ability to cover a lot of ground.

PB: As a veteran outfielder you have Juan Lagares right next you. What’s the mentoring relationship like as a veteran?

CG: It’s cool to watch. The big thing is to just sit back and see him and adjust where you need to. He’s very athletic and can go get ‘em with the best of them. He’s got very good arm strength. The scouting report, he’s been living up to that ever since I’ve seen him. Right now I just kind of sit back and watch him, let him be in control… Not think, "Hey, I’m the one out there telling him what to do." If he needs to move me, I move. If he needs to push me, I push away from him. All those little things to help him get his rhythm.

PB: Coming to the team, did you know any of the Mets? I don’t know if the Yankees and Mets party in the same circles.

CG: It’s crazy. I live one block away from where three of the Mets live. Never saw them in four years.

PB: In the city?

CG: In the city. Probably because our schedules just don’t overlap. I got a chance to play with David Wright a couple of times. Once in the World Baseball Classic, once in the All-Star Game. I’ve met different people that know some of the guys, but never got to meet them until spring training.

PB: All right, a New Era hats question. Before you were a pro ballplayer, what was more important: team loyalty or a fresh style?

CG: For me, I’m a big team loyalty guy. I’m a big Kansas Jayhawk fan, unfortunately they got eliminated from the Tournament…

PB: Do you have a connection there?

CG: No, I just wound up liking them early on, and I’ve been a fan since I was about 10 years old. So every year I’d be wearing Kansas hats, the pull over, the jersey, top to bottom that was my thing. Outside of that… umm, I wasn’t really in the coolest hat unless I had buddies to come with me and get the two-for-one. If you weren’t going to buy one with me, I wasn’t getting one. I had some go-to hats.

PB: Now you’re getting free hats.

CG: That’s it.

PB: Speaking of college, it must have been interesting playing baseball in an urban school, University of Illinois Chicago. It’s a different experience than most guys have. And going four years, too.

CG: Exactly. And a lot of people at my school don’t even realize we have a baseball team there. People would be like, "You play baseball?... Where do you guys play?" "The field is right there!" "Oh, that’s what that is?"

PB: And now the field is Curtis Granderson Field, right? You donated the money to renovate it? [Note: $5 million]

CG: Yeah, it’s going to open April 17^th, so I’m very excited about that. It’s not only going to benefit the University but also going to help out a lot of kids in the community. It’s secure. They’re going have a chance to be in a college setting. All those great things. I’m excited for it… put the school on the map. I’ll mention to people I went to University of Illinois Chicago and everyone goes, "Oh, in Champaign. The fighting Illini." And I go "No, in Chicago.." "Oh!"

PB: I hear your dad played a lot of 16 inch softball…

CG: Still does!

PB: Yeah? People might not know that’s Chicago’s "National Past time." Can you bring that here?

CG: It’s tough! We’re out there with no gloves. That’s a rough sport. Ever hear of Old Man Strength? You gotta have it there. I go out there and there are guys that are 30 years older than me and they smash the ball better than I do. His team just got inducted into the [16 inch softball] Hall of Fame last year. He’s getting inducted this year. He’s incredibly excited. They’re called the Hot City Rollers and they’ve been going out for I think 32 years. He’s a player-coach right now. I haven’t had a chance to see them a lot recently. He’s 63 years and he’s out there doing his thing.

PB: You’ll have to make the MLB Hall of Fame, match your old man.

CG: There we go.

PB: It’s been a pleasure. Thanks a lot.

CG: Thank you.

With that, I moved away from the Great Wall of Headgear, and the next blogger stepped up to a handshake and a smile.

More like jumpire, right?

Baseball players have lightning-fast reflexes, but they aren't the only ones on the field capable of athletic feats. Not while umpire Will Little is around, anyway:

It all happens so fast, it's hard to see that Little, the third base ump, jumped over a ground ball that was aimed right at him. Thanks, slow-motion replay that for some reason is called "YESMO" on the Yankees' YES network, for righting this wrong:

Little not only avoids being struck by the grounder, but he gets full leg extension while wearing dress pants, and shows off ultimate ump swagger by making the correct call before he even lands.

And you people say you want robot umpires.

Our Game of the Week turns its attention to the Bronx this week. We provide a preview of the Red Sox and Yankees ahead of Sunday's tilt.

Each Sunday night, Fake Teams hosts a Game of the Week - an opportunity for readers to get together and discuss fantasy baseball while taking in a game. This week, we get a taste of the Red Sox - Yankees rivalry. The game marks the first of three straight weeks in which the Sunday night game will feature either Boston or New York, because ESPN. This is actually a good opportunity for us to dig deep into each of the rosters. I'll be posting profiles of Red Sox and Yankees players throughout the week, so suggest players that you'd like to see featured in the comments.

The Home Team: New York Yankees

SB Nation blog:Pinstripe Alley

Recently: The Yankees took two out of three from Toronto to end a week that started with two straight losses to the lowly Astros. At the time of this writing, they were leading the Baltimore Orioles late in the game on Monday behind a strong start from Hiroki Kuroda. The big story in New York is the lack of the production from the middle of the lineup, which is totally something to worry about one week into the season.

Fun with Fantasy:Derek Jeter passed Paul Molitor on the all-time hits list over the weekend, putting him in sole possession of 8th place. He's hitting .250 on the young season after having a lackluster spring, though he is getting on base at a .429 clip. This chart, courtesy of ESPN Stats and current through yesterday, shows where his balls in play are going:

The tweet from ESPN called the chart "Jeterian," which is certainly one interpretation. Another might be that he's showing his age by his bat speed. This is his last season, as you no doubt know by now, so there will be pomp and circumstance everywhere he goes. If you grabbed him in an AL-only draft, think about selling while the selling is good.

The Visitors: Boston Red Sox

SB Nation blog:Over the Monster

Recently: Boston took two out of three from the Orioles in Baltimore to start the season, and they celebrated by getting swept at home by Milwaukee. The bullpen (and Clay Buchholz) let them down in the first two games of the set, but Sunday the offense just couldn't solve a resurgent Yovani Gallardo. Manager John Farrell has been tinkering with the lineup, sending out five different configurations over the last 6 days. Part of that is due to an(other) injury to Will Middlebrooks (a grade 1 calf strain), but another component is platooning and experimentation.

Fun with Fantasy: There will be more for Farrell to tinker with moving forward, as today Boston signed infielder Ryan Roberts and immediately activated him for today's tilt with the Rangers. Roberts won't provide much value outside of AL-only leagues (and even then, his main asset is a batting average that isn't completely terrible), but the move could signal that the Red Sox are worried about Middlebrooks taking longer than the requisite 15 days to heal. If you're a Will Middlebrooks owner in a deep league and need a replacement, grabbing Roberts and platooning him against lefties isn't the worst idea.

The Ballpark

New Yankee Stadium continues to be an above average run environment, and last season it was in the top ten for home runs as well. The wind, short porch in right field, and sparse foul territory all conspire to make this a less-than-ideal venue for RHPs, while left-handed batters obviously thrive.

This Week

Both teams are at home to start the week, with New York hosting Baltimore and Boston playing Texas. This time around, the series between the two is a four-gamer that starts on Thursday.

What Yankees and Red Sox players would you like to see profiled this week?

It was an all-around solid effort in the Yankees' 4-2, home opening win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Following a bit of an underwhelming 3-3 road trip against the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees returned to the Bronx for the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles. They got a little bit of everything, as Hiroki Kuroda and the bullpen pitched well, while the offense was able to grind out Ubaldo Jimenez and the Orioles' bullpen in a 4-2 victory.

After wasting a scoring opportunity with two runners on and one out in the second, the Yankees got on the scoreboard in the following inning. Yangervis Solarte kicked off the frame with a walk; Brett Gardner got the team's first hit with a single, which advanced Solarte to third to set up Derek Jeter with no one out. Jeter struck out in his first at-bat of his final home opener at Yankee Stadium, but he brought Solarte home to break the scoreless tie, though it did come on a 1-6-3 double play.

With one out in the fourth inning, Brett Gardner made a nice leaping catch in foul territory off the bat of Chris Davis. Adam Jones, who earlier reached on a single, smartly tagged up on the play and advanced to second. Matt Wieters then drove him in with a two-out single to tie the game at one.

The Yankees broke the 1-1 tie in the next half inning with a Solarte two-out RBI single that dropped right in front of Nick Markakis in right. This guy has been on fire from the first game of Spring Training; who knows how long he'll keep it up, but he's been really fun to watch so far. Anyway, scoring on the Solarte RBI was Alfonso Soriano, who reached on a hard-hit single earlier in the inning. Kelly Johnson drew a walk from Orioles' starter Ubaldo Jimenez as well.

New York added to their lead in the bottom of fifth, staring off with a hard-hit ball by Jeter that just missed going over the left field wall for a lead-off home run. Instead, the ball hit hard towards the top of the wall that resulted in a double. In fact, even Jeter thought it was gone, as he got out of the box slowly, but he was able to hustle into second safely. Batting third for the second-straight game, Jacoby Ellsbury scored Jeter from second by dropping a single into right, increasing the Yankees' lead to 3-1. Following the RBI, Ellsbury was ruled caught stealing  trying to swipe second, but replays showed that Ellsbury got his foot just under Orioles' second baseman Ryan Flaherty's glove for the first out of the inning.

Nonetheless, the Yankees kept the inning alive with singles by Beltran and Soriano that were sandwiched around a long fly-out by Brian McCann to center. With his pitch count already up there, Jimenez walked Brian Roberts to load the bases. It was a terrific at-bat by Roberts, who fell behind 0-2 in the count before taking and fouling off tough pitches to ultimately work the walk. At 109 pitches already through just 4 2/3 innings, Jimenez was pulled in favor of reliever Zach Britton. The left-handed Kelly Johnson, facing the left-handed Zach Britton, drew a walk to extend New York's lead to 4-1. Solarte then grounded out with the bases loaded for the second third out of the inning to end the threat.

After a sixth inning that resulted in a total of five ground outs, the Orioles crept closer with three straight hits by Chris Davis (ground-rule double), Matt Wieters (single), and Nelson Cruz (RBI single) to make the score 4-2. After Steve Lombardozzi lined out to left field, the Yankees pulled their starter, Hiroki Kuroda, in favor of Matt Thornton. Thornton was able to get a ground out off the bat of Ryan Flaherty, but the tying runs advanced into scoring position. Even after getting roughed up pretty badly against Houston and Toronto last week, David Phelps was summoned from the bullpen to get rookie Jonathan Schoop, and he rewarded Girardi's faith by inducing a grounder to end the frame.

It was announced after the game that David Robertson has a strained groin, so he will be placed on the disabled list. As a result, the Yankees used Adam Warren in a two-run game in the eighth and pushed Shawn Kelley from his eighth-inning role to the ninth. Starting with Warren, the right-hander pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk. However, Vidal Nuno was warming up after Warren issued a lead-off walk, and with Chris Davis up as the tying run with two out in the inning, Girardi stuck with Warren and he rewarded him with a strikeout to keep the score at 4-2. It's only been a couple of games, but Warren has done a very nice job pitching late in close games. Kelley then followed Warren with a nice and easy 1-2-3 inning to close out the ninth for his first career save.

Prior to all the bullpen activity, Hiroki Kuroda made the start and pitched pretty well once again. He got ahead of a lot of hitters and was able to induce plenty of ground balls (52.4% GB-rate, eight ground-outs to just four fly-outs). In total, the unofficial staff ace went 6 1/3 innings; allowed eight hits and two runs while striking out four and allowing no walks. This is the fourth straight game, in fact, that a Yankees' starter hasn't allowed a walk, going back to Ivan Nova's five-walk outing against Houston last week.

Although they didn't hit for much power, with Jeter's double being the team's only extra base hit (Solarte just missed an eighth-inning solo homer, but the wind knocked it down shy of the right field wall), the Yankees worked plenty of long at-bats in their victory. All told, the Yankees drew six walks and saw a total of 163 pitches; that is a very pleasant sight, considering we saw very little of this in 2013.

Next up, another matinee. On Tuesday the Yankees will face these same Orioles with Ivan Nova opposing Wei-Yin Chen at 1:05 PM. The Yankees are now above .500 for the first time, standing at 4-3, while the Orioles drop to 2-5.

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