The 2012 MLB Draft: Where are they now?

It has been more than a year since the 2012 draft. Here's an update on how the early picks have performed.

1) Astros: Carlos Correa, SS: From high school in Puerto Rico, Correa has been excellent with Low-A Quad Cities in the Midwest League, hitting .324/.406/.472 with 10 steals and 31 doubles, showing good plate discipline, and playing very well on defense. He's a complete prospect and doesn't even turn 19 until next month. He's lived up to everything expected and more and is a clear Grade A prospect.

2) Twins: Byron Buxton, OF: From high school in Georgia, Buxton is a Five Tool player who has actually exceeded expectations, hitting .330/.416/.522 on the season with 67 walks and 52 stolen bases between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. His combination of speed, power, on-base ability, and stellar defensive play makes him the top prospect in baseball.

3) Mariners: Mike Zunino, C: From the University of Florida, Zunino showed power in Triple-A with 11 homers in 47 games but hit just .238. He struggled in the major leagues before going down with injury, hitting .242/.315/.343 in 29 games, and while it seems clear he was rushed, he still has to rank among the premier catching prospects in baseball.

4) Orioles: Kevin Gausman, RHP: The former Louisiana State star has been effective in Double-A and Triple-A (3.65 ERA, excellent 78/14 K/BB in 79 innings) but got knocked around a bit after being rushed to the majors (6.21 ERA in 33 innings). Scouts still love him and still see him as a future ace starter; he just needs a bit more experience.

5) Royals: Kyle Zimmer, RHP: From the University of San Francisco, Zimmer had problems early on with High-A Wilmington but turned things around in June, then earned a promotion to Double-A where he was overpowering in four starts before being shut down with a tired arm. His outstanding 140/36 K/BB ratio in 108 innings this season is more indicative of his talent than his 4.32 ERA, which was elevated by some rough games early. Like Gausman, he still projects as a top-of-the-rotation arm.

6) Cubs: Albert Almora, OF: From high school in Florida, Almora has been hampered with injuries but played well for Low-A Kane County when healthy, hitting .329/.376/.466 in 61 games. He's expected to continue hitting for average and power as he moves up the ladder.

7) Padres: Max Fried, LHP: A high school pitcher from California, Fried has been reasonably solid for Low-A Fort Wayne in the Midwest League, posting a 3.58 ERA with a 94/55 K/BB in 106 innings. He could stand to improve his command, but at 19 he's got plenty of time to do that. Athletic lefties with 90+ fastballs get lots of slack.

8) Pirates: Mark Appel, RHP: Stanford ace Appel didn't sign with the Pirates, a move which paid off in 2013 when he was drafted first-overall by the Houston Astros. He's looked good thus far down at Quad Cities in the Midwest League, with a somewhat misleading 4.18 ERA in 28 innings but a solid 24/6 K/BB, a strong ground ball tendency, and enthusiastic scouting reports.

9) Marlins: Andrew Heaney, LHP: Drafted out of Oklahoma State, lefty Heaney has had an excellent season but little fanfare, posting a 1.42 ERA with an 80/23 K/BB in 82 innings between High-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville. He has a 90+ fastball, a good slider and changeup, throws strikes, and has adapted rapidly to pro ball.

10) Rockies: David Dahl, OF: Drafted from high school in Alabama, Dahl had a spring disciplinary run-in with the Rockies, then tore his hamstring early in the season, leading to a lost campaign. He hit .275/.310/.425 in 10 games in Low-A before going down.

11) Athletics: Addison Russell, SS: This Florida high schooler kept his head above water despite being the youngest regular in the High-A California League, hitting .279/.370/.520 with 16 homers and 15 steals, unusual production for a shortstop. He'll reach Double-A next year at age 20 and is clearly one of the top infield prospects in the minors.

12) Mets: Gavin Cecchini, SS: From high school in Louisiana, he's hitting .286/.318/.333 in 39 games in the short-season New York-Penn League, drawing praise for his glovework and instincts. It is an open question if he'll hit enough at higher levels, but at age 19 he has time to develop.

13) White Sox: Courtney Hawkins, OF: A high school slugger from Texas, Hawkins was given a very aggressive assignment to High-A at age 19 and has suffered for it, hitting just .187 with 145 strikeouts in 342 at-bats. He's also slammed 19 homers. Most scouts felt Hawkins was too raw for this level and that judgment has been proven correct. His power remains impressive and he's quite young, but we'll have to see how the Sox handle him going forward.

14) Reds: Nick Travieso, RHP: From high school in Florida, Travieso has been somewhat disappointing for Low-A Dayton in the Midwest League, posting a 5.22 ERA with a 56/22 K/BB in 71 innings, allowing 76 hits. He's not throwing quite as hard as he did in high school and his secondary pitches need more refinement, but at age 19 he has time.

15) Indians: Tyler Naquin, OF: Rated as a polished hitter coming out of Texas A&M, Naquin has unexpectedly struck out 121 times in 481 at-bats this year over 116 games between High-A and Double-A, with an overall .279/.345/.426 line. He's hit 10 homers and stolen 15 bases. Ultimately he may profile best as a fourth outfielder.

16) Nationals: Lucas Giolito, RHP: From high school in California, Giolito would have gone 10-15 spots higher if not for an elbow injury which required Tommy John surgery. He recovered quickly and has looked good since retaking the mound in July, posting a 2.28 ERA in 28 innings thus far with a 29/10 K/BB between rookie ball and the New York-Penn League. His stuff is first class and if his command (and health) remains strong he could be a top ten prospect a year from now.

17) Blue Jays: D.J. Davis, OF: This toolsy outfielder from high school in Mississippi is hitting .253/.332/.455 with 10 steals for Bluefield in the Appalachian League. He's got some contact issues (62 whiffs in 198 at-bats) but his combination of speed and power potential is rare and the Jays will be patient.

18) Dodgers: Corey Seager, SS: From high school in North Carolina, Seager was excellent in the Low-A Midwest League (.309/.389/.529 in 74 games) which earned him a promotion to the High-A Cal League. The going is tougher there (.194/.296/.435), but overall this has been a very successful season. He combines pure hitting skills with good power, and has at least a chance to stay at shortstop.

19) Cardinals: Michael Wacha, RHP: This right-hander from Texas A&M has had a strong campaign, thriving with Triple-A Memphis (2.65 ERA, 73/19 K/BB in 85 innings) and holding his own in major league action (4.73 ERA but a solid 26/7 K/BB in 27 innings). He should be ready to take a larger role in the Cardinals staff next year as a workhorse starter, providing a very rapid return on the first round investment.

20) Giants: Chris Stratton, RHP: From Mississippi State University, Stratton has been effective for Low-A Augusta, with a 3.08 ERA and a 117/41 K/BB in 120 innings. He's performed well and in many organizations he would have been promoted by now, but the Giants have enough arm depth to avoid rushing people.

21) Braves: Lucas Sims, RHP: This home state high school pitcher from Georgia has been terrific for Low-A Rome, with a 2.78 ERA and a 121/44 K/BB in 107 innings, allowing a mere 74 hits. He's been particularly effective in August; don't be surprised if he ranks very highly on prospect lists entering 2014, despite not receiving quite as much hype as he likely deserves.

22) Blue Jays: Marcus Stroman, RHP: He may be just 5-9 but the right-hander from Duke has a great arm, posting a 3.22 ERA with an excellent 109/22 K/BB ratio in 95 innings for Double-A New Hampshire. At this rate we should see him in Toronto some time in 2014, although opinions remain mixed on his long-term role as starter or reliever.

23) Cardinals: James Ramsey, OF: The senior from the University of Florida had a fast start in High-A (.361/481/.557 in 18 games) but Double-A has been tougher, with a .245/.346/.427 line for Springfield. He's hit 15 homers but also fanned 101 times in 323 at-bats at that level. He can take a walk and profiles as a productive platoon player.

24) Red Sox: Deven Marrero, SS: A slick fielder from Arizona State, Marrero has hit .253/.333/.324 on the season between High-A and Double-A, with 22 steals in 24 attempts. His lack of power is a significant hindrance, but his defense and speed will get him to the majors in at least a utility role, and it's not impossible that he'll hit enough to start.

25) Rays: Richie Shaffer, 3B: The former Clemson star hasn't hit with the expected authority in High-A, batting .252/.309/.402 with 11 homers, 34 walks, and 102 strikeouts in 433 at-bats for Charlotte in the Florida State League. His glove has been decent but he has to improve his hitting to make it as a corner infielder.

26) Diamondbacks: Stryker Trahan, C: The high schooler from Louisiana is hitting .259/.338/.466 for Missoula, which isn't great by Pioneer League standards.  He's also given up 15 passed balls and 11 errors in 35 games behind the plate. He still has the potential to be an impressive hitter with power and patience, but it remains to be seen where he winds up on defense.

27) Brewers: Clint Coulter, C: A high schooler from Washington state, Coulter got off to a slow start in Low-A (.207/.299/.345 in 33 games) but has hit more effectively since being sent to rookie ball, hitting .350/.409/.617 in 17 games in the Arizona League and .333/.375/.444 in 10 games in the Pioneer League. Like Trahan, his defense is very raw and he may not stick behind the plate long-term.

28) Brewers: Victor Roache, OF: Drafted out of Georgia Southern, Roache had to shake off the effects of a serious wrist injury and hit just .209/.303/.341 in his first 50 games this year. He turned that around in his next 57, hitting .263/.325/.504. Overall he's hit 20 homers on the season and excites the Brewers with his power, but will have to watch his strikeout rate at higher levels.

29) Rangers: Lewis Brinson, OF: From high school in Florida, super-toolsy Brinson is hitting .236/.320/.431 in the Low-A Sally League, showing power and speed with 20 homers and 20 steals, but also a serious contact problem with 179 strikeouts in just 415 at-bats. His defense draws raves and he's very athletic, drawing comparisons to Mike Cameron, Chris Young, Drew Stubbs, and Devon White. Such outcomes are plausible if the strikeouts don't eat him up in the minors.

30) Yankees: Ty Hensley, RHP: This hard-throwing Oklahoma prep right-hander missed the entire season following spring hip surgery.

31) Red Sox: Brian Johnson, LHP: An advanced lefty from the University of Florida, Johnson has a 2.87 ERA with a 69/28 K/BB in 69 innings for Greenville in the Low-A Sally League. He's performed well, but a pitcher with his polish should be expected to at this level. He missed all of June with mild shoulder trouble but has pitched well since his return.

OTHER SUCCESS STORIES: Three players who were not first round picks have already reached the major leagues.

Paco Rodriguez, LHP, Dodgers: Drafted in the second round from the University of Florida, Rodriguez has had an outstanding season in the major league pen, with a 1.94 ERA and a 54/13 K/BB ratio in 46 innings, allowing only 22 hits. He's picked up two saves and looks like a key component of the Dodgers bullpen going forward.

Michael Roth, LHP, Angels: A ninth round pick from the University of South Carolina, Roth has spent most of 2013 with Double-A Arkansas (4.43 ERA, 43/33 K/BB in 69 innings) but did make 15 relief appearances with the Angels, posting a 7.20 ERA. The soft-tosser projects as an 11^th man on most pitching staffs.

Alex Wood, LHP, Braves: This second round pick from the University of Georgia has been outstanding in 58 major league innings, used as both a starter and reliever, posting a 2.50 ERA with a 61/16 K/BB ratio and a .221 average against. Like Wacha with the Cardinals ,Wood provided a quick return on investment by the Braves and should be in the rotation for 2014.

More from Minor League Ball:

• The 2012 MLB Draft: Where are they now?
• Prospect of the Day: Chad Bettis, RHP, Colorado Rockies
• Minor League Ball Gameday, August 21
• Astros sign Mexican slugger Japhet Amador
• Prospect of the Day: Ethan Martin, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
• Prospect Retrospective: Jeff Kent
• Minor League Ball Gameday, August 20
• Prospect Note: Leury Garcia, INF, Chicago White Sox

Curtis Granderson gave the best kick-start to the offense that he could give in the bottom of the fifth. His solo shot put the Yankees on the board after falling behind on a J.P. Arencibia solo-homer off of Andy Pettitte in the top of the inning. It was one of only four hits on the night for the Yankees.

Vernon Wells followed Granderson's homerun up with a confusing 7-5 sacrifice forceout. With the bases loaded and one out in the inning, Wells lined a ball to Blue Jays center-fielder Rajai Davis. The umpire said it was trapped by Davis and Eduardo Nunez scored from third, while Chris Stewart got thrown out at third. Replays showed that the ball seemed to have been caught, but the umpires missed a should-have-been triple play. (They missed a lot this game, both ways.)

After another scoreless inning by Pettitte, Nunez took advantage of three walks to Alex Rodriguez, Granderson and Mark Reynolds. He took J.A. Happ's 1-1 pitch back up the middle for a two-run single, scoring A-Rod and Granderson. Reynolds scored a batter later on Chris Stewart's groundout. The Yankees gave it up to their bullpen with a 5-1 lead heading to the seventh.

Shawn Kelley did not have a great outing. He was the first arm to relieve Pettitte, and came in to face the 7-8-9 hitters of Toronto. One walk and three singles later, the Blue Jays got back a run and had the bases loaded with nobody out. Kelly got a shallow fly out from Rajai Davis and forced Edwin Encarnacion into a fielder's choice. Boone Logan was brought in and struck out Adam Lind to limit the damage to just two runs.

Andy Pettitte came through with his second straight quality outing against a division opponent, throwing six innings while giving up just one run on four hits and striking out three. Preston Claiborne, who was added back to the roster with Jayson Nix going to the DL, pitched a short eighth inning. David Robertson came in to give Mariano Rivera the night off and pitched a perfect ninth for his second save of the season.

The Yankees' production came from the bottom of the lineup. The 6-9 hitters went 3-11 with a homer, three walks and four runs, while the 1-5 hitters went 1-14 with five strikeouts and nine runners left on base. With the completed sweep, the Yankees won their fifth straight game overall, and their tenth straight against the Blue Jays. The Bombers are now just 3.5 games out of the wild card and, for those who set higher goals, seven games back of the Red Sox.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees Offense 2.0: Is this new offense for real?
• Yankees make like early birds in day games after night
• Alex Rodriguez vs. the Yankees: Implications of finding out which side is telling the truth
• Middle of the Yankees order doing their part during recent hot stretch
• Chris Stewart and Jayson Nix defy the odds

The man who originally set the Biogenesis scandal in motion by leaking some of the company's documents to the Miami New Times last year, has turned the remainder of the documents in his possession over to a federal grand jury in Miami, reports Mike Fish of ESPN.com.

Porter Fischer's original leak sparked the investigation of a number of high profile players, leading to suspensions for 14 players including Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun, the Rangers' Nelson Cruz and the Tigers' Jhonny Peralta. Major League Baseball has been pursuing the final documents that Fischer had withheld since the beginning of their investigation, according to Fish.

Fischer, the former marketing director of Biogenesis, also spoke before the grand jury, but the nature of that testimony is still unknown. His appearance before the federal court could signal the beginning of a series of prosecutions of top staffers at the clinic, including founder Tony Bosch, who has been cooperating with Major League Baseball's investigation. Fish reports that over 800 documents were included in the materials Fischer handed over and he speculates that evidence showing Bosch posed as a doctor and provided teenagers with steroid regimens could be contained here.

The U.S. Attorney's Office could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation into such activities, according to Fish, but he cites sources that are saying an investigation coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration is under way and beginning to "intensify."

Should the U.S. Attorney prosecute Bosch and others for Biogenesis' activities, the Major League players suspended for their connection to the clinic could be forced to testify concerning the services they received. However, prosecution of these players is unlikely. The Drug Enforcement Administration typically focuses on cases against suppliers, dealers and traffickers and not end users.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• David Ortiz comes to A-Rod's defense

• Watch Ichiro collect his 4,000th hit

• Neyer: The meaning of Ichiro's 4,000 hits

• MLB, NPB mull changes to posting system

• Pirates "have some interest" in Justin Morneau

Well, at least there was some creativity in this loss. The Blue Jays and Yankees were scheduled for an early afternoon game on this getaway day, but since the Yankees could not afford to build a roof over their ballpark (poor guys) everyone had to wait three hours and 32 minutes for a particularly large and slow rain cloud (I think it's known in the meterological circles as a "cumulomelky") to pass by. This long delay was just five minutes shorter than the longest rain delay in Blue Jays history, which occurred on April 10, 2009 in Progressive Field. It was just two minutes shorter than the longest rain delay to start a game in Blue Jays history, which happened at Exhibition Stadium--also against the Indians--on August 2, 1987. In both of those games, the Blue Jays won, so I guess the Jays did set a franchise record for the longest rain delay in a loss (old record was a there-hour and 18 minute delay at Exhibition Stadium versus the Red Sox on September 26, 1985). Yay!

Notice that I spent most of the first paragraph not talking about the game. That seems to be the theme in the past few game recaps. But I guess that I should go and actually do talk about the game in order to continue doing my job and cashing my cheques.

In the "good news" category, the Blue Jays scored the first run of the game on a J.P. Arencibia solo shot in the fifth. Toronto had struck first in all four losses this series in Yankee Stadium, which is just fantastic. Arencibia had not homered for six games, but to be fair he only struck out eight times in that span. The Blue Jays loaded the bases but, predictably, finished the inning without scoring another run. See, Arencibia's homer quashed the Jays' rally before it even got a chance to begin.

However, the lead was short lived. (The previous sentence is just cut-and-pasted from another game recap from this year.) In the bottom of the inning, Curtis Granderson homered off starter J.A. Happ, completing the circle of bad karma around Happ since he broke Granderson's hand in spring training. Don't worry--the bad karma around the Blue Jays will continue since R.A. Dickey broke Jayson Nix's hand on Wednesday.

Later that inning, first base umpire Scott Barry made a mistake that cost the Blue Jays a couple of runs. With one out in the inning, the bases were loaded with Yankees: Eduardo Nunez on third, Chris Stewart on second, and Ichiro Suzuki at first, with our old friend Vernon Wells at bat. Wells hit a shallow fly ball that centre fielder Rajai Davis dove to catch, then Davis threw it to second base where Munenori Kawasaki tagged Chris Stewart to complete the inning-ending double play, then Kawasaki tagged Ichiro Suzuki (who was also at second) just in case.

Rajai Davis, in his Kaenon sunglasses, looks on in disbelief. It's kind of funny that he stayed shocked for at least the next half inning.

The problem for the Blue Jays was that Scott Barry didn't see it that way. He thought that Davis had trapped the ball even though it was clear to me that it was caught above the ground. Then Alfonso Marquez, the second base umpire, missed that Kawasaki had tagged Ichiro too. If there were no outs that would've been a triple play. Perhaps the Jays would've gotten out of the inning if John Farrell had let Jon Rauch eat Marquez.

In any case that was ruled a an 8-4 force out for Wells, and Nunez came into score. John Gibbons, was understandably angry, kept on yelling "he caught the f___in' ball!" and got tossed--not very gentlemanly. If this had happened next year, Gibbons (or his successor) would have calmly walked out onto the ball field and presented the umpires with a request for a replay. Interestingly, Ted Barrett the crew chief, also tossed Mark Buehrle--the Blue Jays pitcher who, according to some sports radio callers, doesn't care about the team because of Ontario's bulldog ban--for his sass. But hey, you must admit that this was a pretty creative way to lose the game.

GIF by Shermanator91

In the bottom of the sixth, Happ walked a couple of batters, then reliever Brad Lincoln walked another before Nunez singled in two runs. Then acting manager DeMarlo Hale called for Aaron Loup. Loup induced a ground out, but it brought another one of the walks in to score to make it 5-1.

Happ didn't look great, but he did put together a few solid innings before the walks in the fifth and sixth. He threw 97 pitches, 60 of them for strikes and struck out four while only allowing three hits, but he walked five Yankees.

With Shawn Kelley coming in for the ageless Andy Pettitte in the seventh, Toronto mounted a little comeback attempt. Moises Sierra walked, Kevin Pillar singled, then Kawasaki brought a speedy Sierra in on a single. The bases were loaded again with a Jose Reyes single. A batter later, Edwin Encarnacion hit an RBI grounder to shortstop Eduardo Nunez, who smartly went to get the force out at third. With the bases loaded and a righty on the mound, Hale relaced Mark DeRosa with pinch hitter Adam Lind, and Joe Girardi immediately called for southpaw Boone Logan who promptly struck out Adam Lind on a 1-2 slider.

So the Jays had an early lead then made it interesting by making it 5-3. But a loss is a loss. The club is now 14 games below the .500 mark and are 17.5 games back of the Red Sox. Their elimination number is now 17. The Astros' elimination is just 4 so with the Rangers' help, the Jays could eliminate the Astros this weekend.

Other brief notes:

• Brett Lawrie made some sensational defensive plays at third base, making the YES network commentators ponder why the Jays tried to make him a second baseman.
• Jose Reyes scared some pigeons (GIF by Shermanator91):

• The Blue Jays fall to 16-28 all time in Andy Pettitte starts.
• Toronto finishes the season 0-10 at Yankee Stadium. Now we know how the Orioles fans felt three years ago when they lost every game at the Rogers Centre (remember when the Orioles sucked?).

Jays of the Day! Jose Reyes (+.106 WPA) for some fine pigeon shooing. Brett Lawrie (-.049) didn't have the numbers at the plate, but he made some pretty plays at third again.

Suckage Jays: Brad Lincoln (-.162), Rajai Davis (-.147), Edwin Encarnacion (-.141).

Here's something fun to finish off this dreary game recap: Kevin Pillar talks to MLB Fan Cave's April Whitzman about himself!

It seems that after over a year of working on it, ESPN is pulling out of a documentary done in conjunction with PBS's Frontline about the NFL and concussions called "League Of Denial." They claim they had a problem with Frontline maintaining editorial control about what appeared on PBS, although they would have editorial control on anything they decided to televise on ESPN's Outside the Lines. ESPN claims it has nothing to do with the NFL strongly disapproving of the documentary nor maintaining the relationship ESPN has with the NFL through Monday Night Football. In my opinion, Ryan Braun is a lot more believable than that.

• Let's start out on a positive note as Ichiro Suzukigot his 4000th hit on Wednesday, combining his totals in NPB and MLB. Jim Caple has an appreciation of his marvelous career.
• Pete Rose had to stick his nose into it to say that Ichiro's totals don't count towards taking the "hit king" title away from him and that if Ichiro gets credit for his hits in Japan, he wants credit for his hits in the minor leagues. My position on this is that Pete Rose needs to relax. First of all, comparing his hits in D Ball to Ichiro's in NPB is ridiculous. But more to the point, Rose is right. I'm fully of the opinion that had Ichiro played his whole career in MLB, he would have broken Rose's record. But he didn't and we can't rewrite history. But what we can do is take Ichiro's Japanese career and add it to our evaluation of what a truly wonderful ballplayer he is. That's a lot more important than some silly record. And mentioning that he now has 4000 hits is no threat to you, Charlie Hustle. Ichiro will still make it to Cooperstown before you.
• On to more serious topics, Jason Heywardwas hit in the jaw by a pitch from Jonathon Niese. Heyward had surgery to repair his jaw and he's expected to miss most or all of the rest of the regular season, although the Braves are optimistic that he'll be back for the playoffs.
• Obviously the Braves aren't going to need Heyward to make the postseason this year, but David Schoenfield says that they may be in trouble if Heyward isn't ready to go in October.
• Later in the day on Wednesday, the Astros Max Stassi was also hit in the face by a pitch.
• Gwen Knapp believes that hitting a ballplayer in the head with a pitch should be an automatic ejection and suspension, whether it was intentional or not. It's something to think about, at least. I would worry about the strategic use of a modern real-life Ernie Pantusso though.
• Getting back to the Yasiel Puig controversy from last time, Bill Plaschke thinks that the Dodgerssent the wrong message by letting Puig play in last Tuesday's game against the Marlins. Unsurprisingly to anyone who's ever read Plaschke before, he believes that Puig needs to behave better, even comparing him to a six-year old at one point.
• Jay Jaffee admits that Puig makes a lot of mistakes, on and off the ball field, but believes that everyone needs to remember that his positives outweigh the negatives.
• Tim Brown compares the young Puig to the young Vladimir Guerrero and thinks everyone just needs to give Puig some space. He's bright and he'll learn eventually.
• Craig Calcaterra says the debate about Puig says a lot more about us than it does about Puig,
• Ryan Braun issued a long apology and explanation for his PED use.
• Jon Heyman thinks Braun's statement is a good start, but not nearly enough.
• David Ortizcriticized his teammate Ryan Dempster for hittingAlex Rodriguez
• Doug Glanville says that Dempster has rallied the Yankees to ARod's side.
• Rodriguez told his legal team and other spokesmen to "stifle themselves" for the time being.
• A federal grand jury has received documents connected to the now-closed Biogenesis Clinic.They are more likely investigating the clinic than the players, but the players could be forced to testify under oath.
• Just a couple days after being claimed by the Nationals, the Tampa Bay Raysput in a waiver claim on David DeJesus. His stay in the nation's capital may be short-lived.
• Angels manager Mike Scioscia is pleased with his new second baseman, Grant Green, but says the Athletics never taught him to bunt. However, he does have 12 career sacrifice bunts in the minors.
• Dave Cameron asks "How much money would you offer Mike Troutto get him to sign a one year free agent contract. I'm thinking $35 million, but for that kind of money, he needs to be my butler on off-days,
• The Phillies decline is a result on them "Doubling down" on aging veterans, writes Joe Posnanski.
• The Rays, on the other hand, doubled down on youth and their decisions have paid off. I sure would like Chris Archer back.
• Cal Ripken Jr. is thinking about getting into managing. He'd probably be good at it, other than never letting his starters have a day off.
• Bruce Bochy can see Buster Poseyas a full-time third baseman sometime in the future.
• Both Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum will be free agents this winter, but their paths are likely to diverge after that,.
• Clayton Kershawcontinues to have a season for the ages.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka is joining the Mets.
• Dusty Baker has actually been properly managing a bullpen lately.
• Brandon McCarthy has found a mechanical flaw that may be the cause of his poor season. He believes it may be related to his concussion as well.
• Kolten Wong making the majors has a lot of people in his home state of Hawaii happy.]
• Baseball Prospectus looks at 11 plays from baseball history they'd like to see overturned on instant replay.
• Diane Pucin takes a look back at Glenn Burke, the first baseball player to announce he was gay. Many of his teammates on the Dodgers teams in the late-70s knew about his sexual orientation and didn't care.
• Finally, a must-read. In an article that only Jayson Stark could do, he traces the history of the secret baseball language of "Glove Talking."

Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

• Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3: Bombers win fifth straight in sweep
• Yankees Offense 2.0: Is this new offense for real?
• Yankees make like early birds in day games after night
• Yankees lineup vs. Blue Jays, Preston Claiborne returns
• Chris Stewart and Jayson Nix defy the odds
• Alex Rodriguez vs. the Yankees: Implications of finding out which side is telling the truth
• Middle of the Yankees order doing their part during recent hot stretch
• Baby Bomber Recap 8/21/13: Miguel Andujar picks up for hits for GCL Yankees

Around the Internet

• It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski:Robinson Cano is on fire and this is the absolute perfect time for him to heat up.
• USA Today | Jorge L. Ortiz:David Ortiz didn't like Ryan Dempster hitting Alex Rodriguez.
• NoMaas | Martin Riggs:David Robertson has been ridiculously effective because of his unhittable curveball.
• Baseball Nation | Grant Brisbee: What if Ichiro Suzuki came to MLB in 1992 instead of 2001?
• YES Network | Jack Curry:Alfonso Soriano never wanted to leave the Yankees in the first place, so he's taking advantage of a second chance.
• NotGraphs | David G. Temple: How are we supposed to appreciate Ichiro Suzuki?
• Yahoo! Sports | Jeff Passan: How do you defend someone like Alex Rodriguez in court?
• MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams:Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda have some of the highest ground ball rates among 2014 free agent pitchers.
• Hardball Talk | Craig Calcaterra: Could Metallica play Enter Sandman for Mariano Rivera live?

Quick Hits

• Ichiro Suzuki has the most hits ever over a 13-year span.
• Jose Abreu is establishing his residency in Haiti and will look to sign in the offseason.
• When asked about the Yankees middle infield depth, Joe Girardi mentioned that Alfonso Soriano was a shortstop in the minors and that Vernon Wells wants to be the Yankees backup shortstop.

Questions of the Day

• Who has provided the most value on the Yankees in the last month?
• Who is the biggest threat to the Yankees at this point in the season?
• Do you hold a fork in your right hand or left hand?
• Do you have any scars?

Coming Up Today

• Baby Bomber Recap 8/21/13 @ 8 am
• Ichiro Suzuki's impact: A legend's legacy in pinstripes @ 10 am
• Will Joe Girardi want to return in 2014? @ 11 am
• Looking Ahead: What stands between the Yankees and the Playoffs? @ 1 pm
• New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays at 7:10 pm (Game Thread at 6:30 pm)

We, as humanoids, have attention spans that keep getting shorter and shorter. Thanks, Big Bird. If the information we're presented with can't be digested quickly and easily, we'll move on to the next tweet, instagram pic or minute and a half youtube clip without hesitation. Things are no different in the world of baseball and its many, many numbers. WAR has done an excellent job of condensing the value of a given player into a single metric that can be compared easily with any other given player throughout history. But, is there a way to give WAR a little more pizzazz without making it more complicated than it has to be? I'm so glad you asked!

Enter the WAR performance graph. The graph simply has three components; for each player, it plots his offensive WAR component on the x-axis, his defensive WAR component on the y-axis, and his number of games played within the area of the circle being plotted (that is, more games played = larger circle). Below is the graph for Yankees position players so far in 2013. (Data is oWAR, dWAR, and games played for Yankees starters as reported by baseball reference as of 8/23/2013. Click image to enlarge.)

In general, a team wants their players, especially players with the largest circles, falling within the upper-right quadrant of this graph, providing positive value, both offensively and defensively. Players falling in the lower-right quadrant are probably best suited to pinch-hitting or a designated hitter role as they will be weak fielders that can hit. Those in the upper-left quadrant should hopefully be used as defensive replacements or, if starting, at a position where not much offense is expected from them, like shortstop or center field. Anybody falling in the lower-left quadrant should probably not be playing in the major leagues as they are below replacement level in every way (think Enrique Wilson).

The good news for the Yankees is that more than half of their starters are in the upper-right quadrant. The bad news for the Yankees is that more than half of their starters are also dangerously close to or below replacement level both offensively and defensively. So, this graph is pretty much as bland as the 2013 Yankees are themselves. A cluster of players providing only marginal value with a couple exceptions. Surprising to no one, Robinson Cano is way ahead of his teammates offensively. During an uncharacteristic down year patrolling center field, Brett Gardner is making up for it with quality at bats. Then there's Eduardo Nunez, still wielding his fool's gold glove.

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• Yankees youngest pitcher: Neal Brady
• Derek Jeter set to return to Yankees on Monday
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Although the overall line score for CC Sabathia's start Saturday night against the Rays wasn't a bad one (6.1 innings, six hits, three runs, two walks, seven strikeouts), it once again left the left-hander having to answer questions. Everything was going smoothly the first five innings: just one hit allowed and a two-run lead to protect. All he had to do was get through the sixth, and maybe the seventh, and he could hand the ball off to David Robertson for the eighth inning, or Shawn Kelley/Boone Logan for the seventh, and the Yankees would very well have had themselves a win. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and it lead to another loss at the Trop.

Instead of ending his start on a good note, Sabathia allowed a single to the light-hitting Sam Fuld to lead off the sixth and a four-pitch walk to Desmond Jennings after that. Preston Claiborne immediately started warming in the bullpen and Larry Rothschild paid a visit to the mound after he lefty fell behind 2-0 to Ben Zobrist. After falling behind 3-1, Zobrist proceeded to drill a double towards the left-center field gap. All of a sudden, the game was tied and CC looked finished. Instead of pulling Sabathia, who was clearly laboring, with Evan Longoria due up, who has a history of crushing lefties (career .936 OPS) and CC Sabathia (career 1.348 OPS entering today in 68 plate appearances) Joe Girardi kept his now former ace in and, predictably, the former allowed the go-ahead hit.

Girardi keeping in Sabathia longer than he probably should have isn't anything new. It seems like countless times this year the skipper keeps him in just to get an extra inning in and/or to reach the magical 100 pitch mark. He's been doing this since Sabathia came on board in 2009, but until this season it was understandable; he was an ace and you push your ace the extra mile if you can. However, this season, Sabathia is nowhere near an ace and Girardi should stop treating him like one. If you have a chance to pull him after he gets in a tight spot, like the spot he was in with Longoria at the plate in last night's sixth inning and you have a reliever in the 'pen ready, you pull the trigger and remove the starter. After Friday's game, the bullpen was fresh and you could afford to pull Sabathia after 5+ innings and 86 pitches. That shouldn't have been the problem.

I feel like most fans, and even Girardi, are in a little bit of denial in regards to Sabathia's nightmare season, and to some point, it's understandable. He has been so awesome for so long, it's pretty shocking to see him pitch this poorly after, really, a decade of dominance prior to 2013. That being said, with only a month-plus worth of games remaining (33, to be exact) the Yankees need to realize that Sabathia isn't the same pitcher he was in the past, and he very well may not revert back to his old form this season before the Yankees' playoff chances fully vanish.

The Yankees hope to salvage this series against the Tampa Bay Rays with at least one win. Ivan Nova gives them a great chance to get one before going to Toronto. Here is there lineup for today's game:

Another Bag Of Bones Lineup: Gardner 8, Suzuki 9, Cano 4, Soriano DH, Granderson 7, Nunez 6, Overbay 3, Reynolds 5, Stewart 2, Nova 1.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughSL) August 25, 2013

Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki, and Robinson Cano take their usual spots at the top of the lineup. Alfonso Soriano bats cleanup and serves as the designated hitter, while Curtis Granderson, even after being named as the regular DH, is now in the outfield. Eduardo Nunez hits sixth and Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds, hit in the same lineup, Overbay at first, Reynolds at third as Alex Rodriguez gets the day off. Proven Starting Catcher Chris Stewart rounds out the lineup in order to ensure that Austin Romine doesn't play.

Manny Banuelos, recovering from 2012 Tommy John surgery, has started throwing batting practice at the minor league complex. This is good to see, especially after he had surgery so late in the season because his rehab is likely to cut into 2014 as well, effectively losing two seasons. If he can start making strides like this, hopefully he can get back to pitching by mid-season in 2014. Tyler Austin, out with a wrist contusion is reportedly close to getting into GCL rehab games, making it possible that he could return to Trenton before the season ends.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Should the Yankees shorten CC Sabathia's leash?
• Yankees WAR performance graph
• Derek Jeter and the Yankees should let Bob Sheppard rest in peace
• David Cone loves Pinstriped Bible
• Yankees youngest pitcher: Neal Brady

The Rays broke out to an early lead in the first inning against Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova, who started the game looking very shaky. Newest Ray, Daivd DeJesus, batting lead off in place of Desmond Jennings, worked a great at bat before singling to center field. Ben Zobrist walked on four pitches and Evan Longoria wasted little time driving home DeJesus with a single. After a Matt Joyce ground out put runners on the corners, Wil Myers worked a walk to load the bases and give the Rays a chance for a big first frame. However, James Loney slapped the first pitch he saw from Nova to third base, ending the frame with a rally killing double play.

The inability to add on felt like it would loom large and those fears were confirmed as Nova regained his command to retire the side in the second and third innings with the help of another double play. In the top of the fourth inning, Yankee slugger Robinson Cano tied the game up at one with a opposite field home run off Rays starter Alex Cobb. Curtis Granderson then walked and Edwardo Nunez singled to left putting Cobb in to a bit of a jam, but Zobrist made a nice stop on a Lyle Overbay ground ball to end the inning.

Matt Joyce led off the bottom of the fourth with a four pitch walk but Nova induced his third groundball double play of the game with the next pitch to Wil Myers and Loney grounded out to short, making a third straight quick inning for Nova after wiggling off the hook in the first.

Meanwhile, Alex Cobb was also doing a fine job keeping the Yankees lineup in check, working off his 4-seam fastball with a decent mix of both his change up and hard curve. In the fifth inning, Cobb retired Mark Reynolds on strikes and Chirs Stewart with a groundball before Brett Gardner drew a walk after a 12 pitch battle. With a 0-2 count to Ichiro Suzuki, Gardner took off but a strike from Jose Molina nailed him sliding into second base and ended the frame. Molina, who struggled earlier in the season to control the run game, has looked sharp lately with the arm and getting the speedy Gardner was impressive.

In the sixth inning, Cano would strike again. This time he drove a double to the right centerfield gap that went over Wil Myers' head sending home Suzuki, who had reached on an infield single to open the frame, and giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Myers got a good carom off the wall and a quick throw nailed Cano attempting to stretch the double into a triple. The strong throw saved an additional run as the next batter, Alfonso Soriano, reached on a throwing error by Yunel Escobar. Joe Maddon then elected to intentionally walk Granderson in front of Nunez who made weak contact, grounding out to Cobb but moving the runners to second and third. That would be the end of Cobb's afternoon as Maddon turned to Alex Torres to retire Overbay, which he did in short order, striking out the former Blue Jay looking with an assist to Molina for a nice frame job.

The Rays wasted little time answering, however, as Longoria took a 2-2 hanging curve from Nova and absolutely blasted it about 15 rows deep into the seats in left centerfield, his 28th homer of the season. Joyce followed the blast with a hustle double into right, beating the throw from Gardner with a headfirst slide into second. The Rays would again squander an opportunity to add on, however. Wil Myers' struggles at the plate continued (9 for his last 54) as he struck out swinging and then the Yankees walked James Loney intentionally to get to Desmond Jennings. The move paid off as Jennings grounded out to short and ended the threat. Jennings has struggled since returning from the disabled list, going just 2-21 since his return.

Jake McGee entered for the seventh inning and was nothing shot of dominant, retiring Reynolds, Stewart and Gardner on strikes. In the bottom half, Nova stayed on for the Yankees and retired Escobar on a groundout and Molina on a flyball to left before lead off man DeJesus singled to center and ended his afternoon. Another threat went quickly by the wayside however as DeJesus got caught stealing while Ben Zobrist was at the plate.

In the eighth inning, Joel Peralta entered and surrendered a lead off single to Ichiro, but recovered to retire Cano, Soriano and Granderson and preserve the 2-2 tie. The Yankees would turn to David Robertson to navigate the heart of the Rays order and he would prove up to the task, retiring Zobrist, Longoria and Joyce in order. Fernando Rodney worked a clean top of the ninth inning and sent it to the bottom where Wil Myers stepped in against Robertson, working a second inning after throwing just 14 pitches in the eighth. Robertson made quick work of the middle part of the Rays lineup as well, getting Myers on strikes, Loney on a line drive and Jennings on a ground ball to shortstop. Free baseball!

Extra innings kicked off with some boos as Alex Rodriguez pinch hit to lead off the 10th inning against Jamey Wright and singled on a soft liner to centerfield. Gardner followed the A-Rod single with a sacrifice bunt but Ichiro smoked a liner directly at Wright who snagged it out of the air and was able to double up Rodriguez and end the inning. In the bottom half with one out, Jose Molina strangely stayed in the game to face Joba Chamberlin but drew a walk after being behind 0-2 and was mercifully pinch run for by Sam Fuld. Yankees manager Joe Girardi next turned to lefty Boone Logan with left handed hitter David DeJesus due up, however, Maddon countered a pinch hitter of his own: Jose Lobaton, owner of the last two Rays walk off hits. There would be no thrice cream though as Lobaton worked a 3-1 count before grounding into the Rays fourth double play of the afternoon.

Maddon stuck with Jamey Wright for the eleventh inning and it proved costly. A one out Soriano double, followed by a steal of third (with Lobaton now at catcher), lead to the Yankees go ahead run as Curtis Granderson hit a sacrifice fly to right to give the Yanks a 3-2 lead. Wright would keep it right there at one but it would be enough for Mariano Rivera who retired Zorbist on a groundball, Longoria on a deep drive to left that he just missed, and Joyce on a foul pop to left.

It took eleven innings, but the Yankees managed to come away with a series-salvaging win against the Rays.  Ivan Nova was solid on the mound and Robinson Cano drove in both runs early on.  But it was Alfonso Soriano's eleventh inning double that was the main catalyst in the Yankees coming away with a 3-2 win.

Nova did not get off to the best of starts in the first inning, as the Rays tacked on a run early.  David DeJesus led off the bottom of the first with a single and moved to second on a walk by Ben Zobrist.  Evan Longoria followed that up with a single, which scored DeJesus.  Before Nova had recorded an out, the Rays had a 1-0 lead.  Nova got Matt Joyce to hit into a force at second for the first out, but followed that up by walking Wil Myers.  The Yankees managed to escape further damage when James Loney grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Yankees offense didn't start very well either.  Cano's two-out single in the first was their only hit in the first three innings.  But that changed when Cano came back up for his second at bat in the fourth.  He homered to left field, tying the game at one.

Nova had settled down pretty well after the first inning, and the Yankees offense got going again in the top of the sixth.  Ichiro Suzuki led off the inning with a single.  That brought Cano back to the plate.  He continued his hot day by lacing a double into right.  Ichiro came all the way around from first to score.  Cano tried going to third on the expected throw home, but the throw went to third instead and he was out easily.  Despite running into an out, Cano had given the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The out at third did hurt a little when Soriano reached on an infield single and moved to second on a throwing error by Yunel Escobar.  The Rays then intentionally walked Curtis Granderson to get to Eduardo Nunez.  Nunez hit a soft grounder back to the pitcher and very nearly beat out the throw.  However, he was called out, leaving the inning up to Lyle Overbay.  The Rays opted to go to the bullpen at that point, bringing in Alex Torres to face Overbay.  Alex Cobb finished his day with 5.2 innings pitches, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks.  The move to Torres worked as Overbay ended up watching strike three go by to end the inning.

Nova's newly found lead did not last very long as Longoria hit a one-out home run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game back up.  That was followed up by a Matt Joyce double.  Nova stopped the Rays' rally there by striking out Myers, intentionally walking Loney and getting Desmond Jennings to ground into a force out.  After six innings, the game was tied at two.

Despite surrendering the lead in the sixth, Nova came back out for the bottom of the seventh.  After getting the first two hitters, Nova allowed a single to David DeJesus, which spelled the end of his day.  He went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and six walks.  Shawn Kelley came in from the bullpen to face Zobrist, but the inning ended when DeJesus was caught trying to steal second.

The Yankees' offense wasted a decent chance to score in the top of the eighth.  Ichiro led off with a single, but the middle of the order failed to bring him home.  David Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth to send the game to the ninth tied.  Robertson also threw another scoreless inning in the ninth after the offense failed to score again in the top half.

Alex Rodriguez led off the top of the tenth as a pinch hitter for Chris Stewart.  He reached on a single, giving the Yankees another chance to score.  Gardner bunted him over to second, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position.  Ichiro came up next.  He put a decent shot on a ball, but it was straight at Rays' reliever Jamey Wright, who caught it and threw it to second to double off A-Rod to end the inning.

Joba Chamberlain came in to pitch the tenth for the Yankees.  He started well, striking out Escobar.  But after he walked Molina, Girardi took no chances and brought in Boone Logan to face pinch-hitter Jose Lobaton.  Logan got Lobaton to ground into a inning-ending double play to send the game to an eleventh inning.

With one out in the eleventh, Soriano doubled down the left field line to, again, put the go-ahead run on base.  He stole third and scored on a Granderson sac fly.  The Yankees had the lead again and Mo began to warm up.  After Nunez popped out to end the inning, Mariano Rivera came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh.

Cano made a nice play on a Zobrist grounder for out number one.  Next up was a certain Rays' third baseman who had already driven in both runs for the home team.  Longoria put a decent shot on a fly ball to left, but Granderson came up with the catch for the second out.  Matt Joyce was the Rays' last chance.  Granderson made a nice catch, tracking down a foul ball near the bullpen for the third out.  Mo had yet another save and the Yankees salvaged the series with a 3-2 win.

The Yankees head north of the border for a series in Toronto against the Blue Jays starting tomorrow.  Phil Hughes and R.A. Dickey will be the starters and first pitch is at 7:07 eastern.

Box score.Graph thingy.

There's little case to be made against the fact that Hiroki Kuroda has been flat-out awesome this year. The man they call Mechagodzilla (using a very narrow definition of the word ‘they'), is in the midst of a career campaign that's helped keep an injury-embattled Yankee squad in contention through over three quarters of a season that could easily have been given up for lost in mid-May.

Kuroda's last two starts have been a different thing entirely. A 5.2-inning, eleven-hit, five-run tour-de-force of mediocrity in Boston last Saturday was followed this Friday by a six-inning, nine-hit, seven-run jaunt in St. Petersburg, during which four different Rays managed to take Hiro deep.

Kuroda's consistency in 2013, which has far excelled even his first fantastic season as a Yankee should earn him the right to put up a couple of lousy starts without being hyper-analyzed or booed or pelted with produce. Before Friday's abomination, the righty was sitting on the outskirts of Cy Young contention. His 2.41 ERA led the American League and his 5.1 rWAR ranked fourth amongst American League pitchers. For perspective, the last Yankee pitcher to lead the league in ERA was Rudy May in 1980.

Absolutely, Kuroda deserves a pass, but this being the internet, are we not obligated to exercise our Al Gore-given right to overreact? Maybe it's too soon to criticize or dread or pray to mighty Jobu for relief, but it's not crazy to at least wonder what's changed.

When a 38-year-old pitcher pitches exceedingly well, it's easy to forget that he is, in fact, 38, and not exactly a fresh 38 at that. Between Japanese baseball and the American majors, Kuroda's tallied 2,588.1 professional innings, and as he's gotten older, he's pitched more, not less. Hiroki's 219.2 frames in 2012 were a career high in either hemisphere, and he's on pace to add around 208 more in 2013. Prior to becoming a Yankee, Kuroda had hit the 200 inning plateau just three times, once for the Dodgers and twice for Hiroshima. There's a lot of mileage on that right arm and much of it's been run up the past two seasons. Late August is a time when even younger pitchers typically start to feel the burn of a long baseball year.

If fatigue is a factor in Kuroda's recent struggles, it may be due more to pitch selection than to workload. In 2013, Kuroda's thrown 50.1 percent fastballs, a career low, while he's relied on sliders and splitters, pitches that are much more taxing to a pitcher's arm at a rate of 46.7 percent. Despite his success, Kuroda's had to work harder to get hitters out. He's thrown more pitches per hitter this year (3.89) than he did in either 2011 or 2012.

If it's not overwork, a shift in Kuroda's previous good fortune could be to blame. Kuroda's dominant first four-plus months were built, at least to a degree, on some phenomenal luck figures. His .268 BABIP headed into Friday's start was a career-best, as was his 81.2 left-on-base percentage. His 8.1 percent home run to fly ball ratio seemed equally unsustainable, since that number sat at 13.0 in 2012.

In all likelihood, the recent malaise we've seen from our laser-eyed metallic destroyer is nothing more than a blip on the radar of an otherwise outstanding year. Still, it's easier to brush off bad starts when dealing with a pitcher of a less geriatric ilk, or with one who'd achieved an elite level before. With great starting pitching needed to carry an offense that's still somewhat unreliable down the home stretch (and hopefully into the playoffs), any chink in the staff's armor is just cause for concern.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Should the Yankees shorten CC Sabathia's leash?
• Yankees WAR performance graph
• Derek Jeter and the Yankees should let Bob Sheppard rest in peace
• David Cone loves Pinstriped Bible
• Yankees youngest pitcher: Neal Brady

It's that time of the year again. September call ups will soon be upon us as the active roster expands to 40. Many clubs use this time to evaluate the young players that they have in preparation for next season, while teams in contention use their call ups for depth and reinforcements in order to rest their starters.

The Yankees are somewhat caught in the middle this year. They've come out of obscurity to make a run for a wild card spot, however small a chance they have at this point, and now they have to play their starters as much as possible if they want the best shot at the playoffs. That doesn't leave much time for evaluation and most of them are unlikely to play much, if at all, but whoever they are and however they're used, they're likely to be helpful in some capacity.

Here are the candidates for the Yankees' 2013 September call ups:

40-Man Roster Candidates

David Adams - Despite hitting poorly (.194/.257/.271), Adams showed solid glove work at third base and could still bring some value as a late-inning sub in place of the injured Jayson Nix. He'll likely get a call up, but it's a mystery what they'll actually be using him for.

Zoilo Almonte - He's been MIA ever since spraining his ankle on first base. If he's healthy, he'll be the Yankees' first choice as a backup outfielder. Despite being a switch hitter, Almonte has really only provided value batting against right-handers (.715 OPS vs. .481 OPS). Considering the team is pretty set against right-handed pitching, he won't be getting much playing time.

Dellin Betances - Since moving to the bullpen, Betances has kept opponents to a 2.06 ERA and a .185/.291/.277 batting line in 56.2 innings pitched. He didn't get a fair shake at the major league level this year after pitching in only one game before being sent back down, but he has the potential to really be a knock out reliever now and in the future. The Yankees could use one of those since the majority of the backend of the bullpen is leaving. Expect him to be up again, but don't be surprised if he doesn't pitch.

Preston Claiborne - After starting his career off with an excellent first month, Claiborne fell back down to earth, but still managed to be a quality reliever. He had a 3.10 ERA and a .241/.318/.354 batting line against from the beginning of June to the end of July, yet it still got him a demotion while Joba Chamberlain and Adam Warren still remain with the team. He's now been sent down a second time to make room for Derek Jeter, but he'll certainly be back up in September to counteract the ineffective parts of the Yankee bullpen.

Brett Marshall - He made his major league debut earlier this season in what was a disastrous cup of coffee. In fact, his entire season has been a disaster, so it's doubtful we'll be seeing him this year.

Melky Mesa - He was one of the most likely candidates for a call up if the Yankees wanted an extra outfielder. He's collected 112 strikeouts against only 11 walks in the minors this season, but in 14 plate appearances in the majors he hit .385/.429/.538. It was a nice little streak that will hopefully continue, but that's not the type of hitter he is going to be. Unfortunately, he recently suffered a strained hamstring that could keep him out of the running.

Vidal Nuno - He hasn't pitched since early June, but he's started throwing again and could be close to returning soon. He provided 20 quality innings in the big leagues where he had a 2.25 ERA and batters hit just .213/.280/.373 against him. If Nuno is healthy, he could provide some good depth for the stretch run.

Jose Ramirez - He got his first taste of the upper minors this season and it's been a mixed bag so far. At Double-A he had a 2.76 ERA and batters hit .192/.279/.349 against him in 42.1 innings pitched. When he was promoted to Triple-A, however, he didn't fair so well, putting up a 4.78 ERA and batters hit .259/.394/.411 against him in 32 innings. There's talk that he will eventually end up as a reliever, so he could help in that regard, but he hasn't pitched since July, making it look like he won't be getting a shot until next season.

Non-40-Man Roster Candidates

Cesar Cabral - He could be of some value as another lefty out of the bullpen. His presence on the team would mostly be for evaluative purposes to see what he could potentially bring to the team in 2014. Right-handed hitters have an .872 OPS against him, but lefties only have a .688 OPS this season. With Boone Logan leaving at the end of the season, Cabral could offer an internal replacement and the Yankees would want to see what he can do.

Alberto Gonzalez - With the season-ending injury to Jayson Nix, the Yankees could use an infielder who can play on the left side of the infield. The Yankees will have Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez, but you can never be too sure this season.

Adonis Garcia - After returning from a broken hamate bone he suffered during spring training, Garcia has been wholly unimpressive with a .258/.313/.374 for Scranton. However, if Melky Mesa is unavailable to provide outfield depth, he could be an option if the Yankees also want to see what the 28-year-old can do in the majors, if anything at all.

Brent Lillibridge - He doesn't have much of a bat, but he can play almost anywhere on the field, which would give the Yankees a valuable utility player in the infield and outfield. With Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter back and with a full outfield, he's unlikely to get much playing time.

JR Murphy - He could be called up today and be the best catcher on the roster, but that's unlikely to happen. After hitting .268/.352/.421 at Double-A, he continued to hit with a .263/.335/.402 at Triple-A and with Chris Stewart and Austin Romine being the only people keeping him from the majors, he could definitely help the big league team.

Ronnier Mustelier - A lot of excitement surrounded Mustelier in spring training as he looked to steal a roster spot, but he injured his legs and lost a lot more time than everyone expected. Since returning to Scranton he's hit an underwhelming .267/.313/.378 after OPSing over .800 last season. Most of his perceived value has come from his ability to play third base, so he would be more valuable than Adonis Garcia if he can play both third and the corner outfield positions.

Michael Pineda - The promising right-hander has been shut down with shoulder stiffness making it highly unlikely that he'll make his Yankees debut in 2013.

Bobby Wilson - If the Yankees want a third catcher to keep on the bench, just in case, Wilson is probably more likely to be that guy than Murphy. He can't hit at all, but he does have a reputation for being a good defensive catcher, whether that means anything or not. He probably won't play much anyway.

Predictions:

The Yankees will probably not add any prospect onto the 40-man roster, though they could place Nix on the 60-day disabled list and bring up either Lillibridge or Gonzalez. The Yankees will call up Adams, Almonte, Betances, Claiborne, Nuno, and Lillibridge.

Travis Hafner might also return from the disabled list sometime in September and he might just serve as a pinch hitter. David Phelps is more likely to require Tommy John surgery than help the Yankees anymore this season, but we'll see.

Since the Yankees don't have any of their exciting prospects on the 40-man roster, it's likely to be a very dull September, especially if they fall out of contention relatively quickly.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Should the Yankees shorten CC Sabathia's leash?
• Yankees WAR performance graph
• Derek Jeter and the Yankees should let Bob Sheppard rest in peace
• David Cone loves Pinstriped Bible
• Yankees youngest pitcher: Neal Brady

With Derek Jeter expected to join the club tonight in Toronto, the Yankees hope to finally turn the page on this calendar for the first time in nearly a month.

If Jeter and the Yankees are extra-careful, they may even get it to double digits for the first time this season! Wouldn't that be amazing?

Earlier today, Tanya wrote about Shane Spencer and his September '98 heroics that established himself as arguably the greatest late-season call-up in Yankees history. However, the combined efforts of three young über-prospect pitchers in September 2007 might have outdone Spencer in terms of pure importance. Fans of the Yankees' minor league system knew very well who these kids were since they were acclaimed by experts as promising starting pitcher prospects. All three were first-round picks in the MLB Draft, and none spent much time in the minor leagues. Granted, only one of the three was a true September call-up, but their accomplishments still rank as among the best in Yankees history for September rookies.

The most glorified of these prospects was 21-year-old California righthander Philip Hughes, the Yankees' top pick in the 2004 draft, taken with the 23rd overall pick out of high school. That pick was originally the Astros, lost for signing Andy Pettitte away, and while people felt the Yankees were fools for letting Pettitte leave, Hughes was a very nice compensation. He dominated the minors with a combined 2.12 ERA across Rookie Ball, Charleston, Tampa, and Trenton from 2004-06, ranking as the fourth-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America prior to '07, the top pitcher under 25. Due to an outbreak of injuries, Hughes received "the call" to the majors early on in '07, and after a rough debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, he faced the high-powered Texas Rangers and dazzled. Yankee players had (perhaps unfairly in hindsight) compared the kid to Roger Clemens when they faced him in Spring Training '05, and he demonstrated why such praise was granted. He no-hit the Rangers through 6 1/3 innings before a hamstring injury sadly cut his bid short.

Meanwhile, the Yankees made a remarkable comeback from 21-29 on May 29th to surge to the Wild Card lead by the end of August at 75-60, a .635 winning percentage over 85 games. They led the race by a game over the surprising Mariners and three over the defending AL champion Tigers. Hughes was on the shelf for awhile and rusty when he returned to the pros that August, but he rediscovered his form in September when the Yankees needed him most. He made five starts against the Mariners, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Devil Rays; the Yankees won them all as Hughes pitched to a 2.73 ERA in 29 2/3 innings as opposing hitters batted just .229 against him.

In two of Hughes's five starts, he was relieved by another highly-regarded Yankee pitching prospect named Joba Chamberlain, who had become an overnight sensation in the past month. Chamberlain had excelled at the University of Nebraska and was drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft, the 41st overall pick. He was a supplemental pick from the Phillies signing away setup man Tom Gordon. He didn't pitch in the minors for the rest of that year, but he emerged in terrific form at High-A Tampa to begin the '07 season.

Although he hadn't pitched in '06, Baseball Americadubbed him the 75th-best prospect in the game prior to '07, and he validated their praise with a 2.02 ERA and 0.900 WHIP over seven starts in Tampa. The 21-year-old earned a quick promotion to Double-A Trenton, where he had a 3.35 ERA and 14.7 K/9 over eight games and seven more starts. The Yankees' organization quickly realized that they had an asset who could help them this season. They thought his high velocity and wicked slider would play well in the maligned bullpen. Mariano Rivera was the only truly reliable reliever there since Scott Proctor's overuse in '06 was evident in his decline and recent acquisitions Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaino, and Brian Bruney were all underwhelming.

Desperate for help, the Yankees thus made a decision that would cause ripples for the remainder of Chamberlain's career--they began to try him as a reliever. He appeared in three games with Triple-A Scranton (one start) and pitched eight scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts and just one walk. By early August, they thought he was ready. Just 14 months after being drafted and in his first pro season, Chamberlain made his MLB debut on August 7th with two scoreless innings in Toronto. He was absolutely dominant for the final two months of the season as Rivera's setup man. Although under strict "Joba Rules" for most of the time not to pitch in back-to-back games, he appeared in 19 games and threw 24 innings, and amazingly allowed only one earned run (a Mike Lowell homer over the Green Monster in Boston), good for a phenomenal 0.38 ERA. He struck out 34 men, walked just six and gave up a mere 12 hits. He did his job and then some, as the Yankees went 17-2 in games he pitched.

One more starter came up in September to supplement the Yankees' young pitching prowess, another very confident 22-year-old California kid, named Ian Kennedy. He was actually the Yankees' top pick in the 2006 draft, taken 20 picks ahead of Chamberlain. A well-polished USC graduate, the man fans called "IPK" did not need much time in the minor league system either. After a cameo with Short-Season-A Staten Island at the end of '06, Kennedy pitched to a 1.91 ERA and 0.968 WHIP in Tampa over 63 innings and 10 starts at the beginning of '07. Like Joba, he was quickly promoted to Trenton, where he maintained success through a 2.59 ERA and 0.904 WHIP in nine starts. The Yankees continued to groom him as a starter after a second promotion to Scranton. After a 2.08 ERA in August, the Yankees felt he was ready to help their starting rotation in September.

Kennedy was called up for his major league debut at home on September 1st against the Devil Rays. He walked all over them with seven innings of three-run ball, only one of which was earned. He got his first career win, and made another start five days later, taking the place of struggling veteran Mike Mussina. He did not get the win this time through five innings of two-run ball, but the Yankees did capture the game 3-2. Kennedy made his last appearance of the season on the 13th with his best start yet, allowing just one hit and one earned run over seven innings, a Game Score of 74. The Yankees scored just one run though, so he did not factor in the decision. Nonetheless, he was clearly impressive in his three starts.

The Yankees went 19-8 in September '07 and went on to capture the Wild Card by six games over the Tigers and Mariners. The lead was considerable, but it would have been more challenging for the group to take that big lead if not for the efforts of these three young pitchers. While none of them unfortunately went on to achieve the promise they showed in '07, their month of excellence should not be forgotten.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• The Tampa Bay Rays and why I hate young people
• Who will the Yankees call up in September?
• Yankees weekly preview: 8/26-9/1
• Should we worry about Hiroki Kuroda?
• Yankees' most memorable September call-up: Shane Spencer

"I used to be "with it", but then they changed whatever "it" was. Now, what I'm with isn't "it", and what's "It" seems weird and scary to me...and it'll happen to YOU!"

-Abraham Simpson

I swear to you, I am not an old man.

I might be getting up there in years - pretty much all my friends are married now, and some even have children - but I'm not old by any means. My hairline has barely receded at all, and I've plucked out both the gray hairs I've found. I married a smokin' hot Chinese commie barely one year ago. As far as baseball is concerned, I have a young man's curiosity for advanced stats, disdain for the bunt and ambivalence toward anti-PED pontification.

All these things I thought were true...until the Yankees took on the Rays at Tropicana Field. Only then did I realize that my tastes as a baseball fan run about as old as Clint Eastwood.

Get off my lawn, Rays. Seriously, we have a lawn over in the Bronx. It's in the outfield, and it's made of real grass...not this dingy FieldTurf bullshit. Stay off it!

The Rays are supposedly a team for a new generation. They are young. They are athletic. They are energetic and exuberant. And I hated every last one of them. I hated the sideways hats, the douche-bag smirks. Most of all, I hated the bow-and-arrow celebration that has spread from Fernando Rodney to the rest of the team like a particularly virulent strain of bro herpes. I guess the bow and arrow became hip again with those Hunger Games...maybe. I don't know what these kids do nowadays. All I know is that I hate it!

I suppose this is a byproduct of a lifetime spent rooting for the Yankees - a team that has long been derided with words like "soulless" and "corporate". I'm old enough to remember when their late-nineties core first broke into the bigs, and even from day one they seemed like grizzled old men in young bodies:

• Derek Jeter, who never said or did anything remotely provocative.
• Bernie Williams, with his Kenny G smooth jazz stylings.
• Mariano Rivera, who has been a monk since birth.
• Jorge Posada, who ran like my grandmother.

Even when the Yankees experimented with youthful hipness, during the "Joba Rules" era, it never quite felt right. I was never quite enamored with the tattoos and the fist-pumps, though I did defend him to the pundits who always acted like he invented the fist-pump. It seems fitting that Rivera will most likely be replaced by the decidedly un-hip David Robertson. I, for one, couldn't be happier - you rock those high socks and generic "Sweet Home Alabama" entrance music, David. You're an awesome relief pitcher, and there's nothing even remotely cool about you. You're a Yankee.

It would be easier for me to embrace my Grumpy Old Man-ness if it weren't for the fact that I know I'm becoming every sports writer I've ever hated. I mean, I'm in the middle of a damn "these kids are insulting the game" article. I'm Mike freakin' Lupica over here! Oh well, it seems there is nothing left to do but accept the passage of time, hate on the Rays, and try to book a spot on "The Sports Reporters." Such is the cycle of life. Sunrise, sunset...

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees 3, Rays 2: Yankees eke out win in extra innings
• Should the Yankees shorten CC Sabathia's leash?
• Yankees WAR performance graph
• Derek Jeter and the Yankees should let Bob Sheppard rest in peace
• David Cone loves Pinstriped Bible

Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and now Alex Rodriguez. During more than 130 years of organized professional baseball, only those five men have hit 650 home runs over their respective careers.

Rodriguez became the most recent to join that club when he homered in the fifth inning Monday night against the Blue Jays.

Rodriguez led off the frame and took a called strike on a knuckleball from R.A. Dickey to bring up an 0-1 count. Dickey went back to the knuckleball with his second pitch and Rodriguez was waiting, lifting a low-and-outside pitch into the bullpen beyond right field in the Rogers Centre.

Mays' spot as fourth all-time in home runs may be in danger. Rodriguez sits just 10 long-balls away from the 660 career homers Mays hit, and 11 from passing the long-time Giants' great.

Under normal circumstances, Rodriguez would have been almost assured of passing Mays. Yet Rodriguez's season has been anything but normal, and with a long suspension awaiting him, he may only have the 32 games remaining on New York's schedule to pass Mays before the 38-year-old is forced to hang them up.

Rodriguez's career began in Seattle where he hit 189 home runs for the Mariners over parts of seven seasons. He moved to the Texas Rangers as a free agent and hit another 158 dingers in three seasons with the team, collecting his first MVP award in his third year in Dallas. The Rangers traded him to the Yankees, with whom he won two more MVP awards and socked 304 more home runs.

Including Monday, Rodriguez has played in just 19 games this year after offseason hip surgery. He has hit three home runs over that span.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• A tiny pirate ship invades McCovey Cove | #Lookit

• GIF collection of the slowest pitches thrown this season

• Do the right thing: A plea to Bud Selig

• Max Scherzer should lead Cy Young race (regardless of wins)

• What if the Dodgers and Red Sox didn’t make a supersized trade in 2012?

The Blue Jays extend their winning streak to two whole games after a 5-2 win over the visiting Yankees, disappointing the New York fans, which included one Paul Simon, who traveled to the Rogers Centre.

Brett Gardner scored the game's first run, thanks in part to a Josh Thole mishandling of an R.A. Dickey knuckleball leading to a passed ball. After giving up that single run, Dickey sailed through the next few innings until the top of the fifth when fan favourite Alex Rodriguez led off with a solo homer. Dickey allowed another couple of singles and a walk that inning but got out of it unscathed.

In the bottom of the second, Kevin Pillar hit a ball off his shoetop and blooped a single to shallow centre to score Brett Lawrie for his fifth career RBI. It wasn't pretty (and it looked like his eyes were closed when he hit it) but it worked to put the Jays in flight. In the next inning, Jose Reyes got on with a walk then Edwin Encarnacion cashed him in with a single to give the home team a brief lead.

After the A-Rod home run, the Blue Jays answered right away in the bottom of the inning. Reyes got on base again, lining a double to right followed by a Ryan Goins single to the same direction. Edwin Encarnacion then became the third batter in a row to hit a ball at Ichiro Suzuki, a deep fly near the wall that Suzuki misjudged. It clanged off of his glove and the error brought in Reyes to score the go-ahead (and later, the winning) run. Adam Lind doubled in Goins and then a sac fly by Moises Sierra brought in Encarnacion to score the fifth and final run.

Back to the pitching side, Dickey was taken out of the game with one out in the seventh in favour of Aaron Loup. We have seen complaints that Dickey is left in the game too long, so Gibbons decided to adapt, telling Brendan Kennedy that Dickey had done his job already so there is no point in making him stay later, when he tends to give up long balls. Dickey finished his 6.1 innings with six runs and two runs (one earned), striking out six and walking three. Aaron Loup came in to strike out three of the five batters he faced, and Sergio Santos struck out A-Rod, the only guy he faced. Casey Janssen came in for his second save opportunity in as many days and got the Yankees 1-2-3 without any drama.

Phil Hughes gave up all five runs (three earned) in 4.2 innings, striking out and walking three. Long reliever David Huff came in and mystified the Blue Jays batters holding them hitless for the remaining of the game, walking just one and striking out five.

No wonder why Buffalo Bisons manager Marty Brown wasn't ever really happy with Moises Sierra when he was in AAA--he looks like he leaves his brain off sometimes. In the bottom of the second he was on first and Brett Lawrie was on third when Josh Thole was batting. Thole hit a grounder to second baseman Robinson Cano but Sierra kept his head down and didn't follow the play. Instead of slowing down or avoiding the fielder, Sierra basically runs right past Cano, who tagged him and threw to first for an easy double play.

Jays of the Day! Edwin Encarnacion (+.183 WPA), R..A. Dickey (+.094) was close enough.

Suckage Jays Josh Thole (-.151). I'll give Sierra a half suckage for that baserunning blunder.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 1-2 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

C JR Murphy 0-4
LF Corey Patterson 2-4, HR, RBI, K - fifth homer of the season
3B Ronnier Mustelier 0-4, K
1B Dan Johnson 0-3, BB
DH Randy Ruiz 0-3, BB, K
CF Adonis Garcia 0-3, K
RF Neil Medchill 0-1, BB, K, HBP
2B Addison Maruszak 1-3 - batting .258 this season
SS Alberto Gonzalez 0-2, BB, K, CS

Brett Marshall 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, HB - five groundouts, four flyouts
Cesar Cabral 1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, BB, K, HB
Jim Miller 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

After scoring a run in the top of the first inning Marshall pitched a beautiful game to keep the PawSox off the board. Hits on both sides came at a premium but the bullpen imploded and allowed Pawtucket to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off victory.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 3-5 vs. New Britain Rock Cats

CF Mason Williams 1-4, 3 K - batting .170 since his promotion
LF Ramon Flores 1-3, BB, K, OF assist
2B Jose Pirela 0-3, BB, K
DH Kyle Roller 1-2, RBI, BB, K, HBP - batting .254 this season
SS Carmen Angelini 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K - 11th double of the season
RF Ben Gamel 0-4, 2 K
1B Casey Stevenson 0-3, K, HBP
3B Reegie Corona 0-4, K
C Francisco Arcia 0-4

Shane Greene 5.1 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - four groundouts, three flyouts
Manny Barreda 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
Francisco Rondon 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, K

Trenton managed to make it close after rallying for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning despite being out-hit 14-4 in the game. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit but their narrow playoff spot lead was maintained with a New Hampshire loss.

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 8-5 vs. Clearwater Threshers

SS Cito Culver 1-4, BB - batting .303 since his promotion
CF Taylor Dugas 2-3, BB, HBP - batting .291 this season
2B Rob Refsnyder 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB - 27th and 28th doubles of the season
3B Peter O'Brien 1-3, 2 RBI, BB
DH Dan Fiorito 1-4, BB, K
RF Jose Toussen 0-4, RBI, 2 K, OF assist
1B Saxon Butler 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, K
C Jeff Farnham 0-3, 2 BB
LF Ali Castillo 0-3, BB, K

Jairo Heredia 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K - five groundouts, two flyouts
Zachary Varce 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K, E1
Alex Smith 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

A three-run ninth inning by the Yankees broke a 5-5 tie that had lasted since the teams exchanged runs in the fifth inning for Tampa's 54th win of the season.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 9-6 vs. Greenville Drive

CF Jake Cave 1-5, 2B, 4 K - batting .285 this season
SS Jose Rosario 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI - second and third homers of the season
1B Greg Bird 1-5, 2B - 36th double of the season
RF Ericson Leonora 2-3, BB
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, HR, 2 RBI - tenth homer of the season
C Jackson Valera 1-4, 2B
DH Reymond Nunez 0-4, 2 K
LF Daniel Aldrich 2-4, RBI, K, SB, 3 E7 - fielding x2 and throwing errors
2B Fu-Lin Kuo 2-4, K, CS, put out

Dan Camarena 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R/3 ER, BB, 7 K, E1, 2 WP, HB - three groundouts, one flyout
Kelvin Castro 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R/1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HB
John Brebbia 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Despite four defensive errors the RiverDogs brought out the offensive firepower with three home runs and 13 hits to pick up their 72nd win of the season.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 9-0 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

SS Abiatal Avelino 1-4, HBP
CF Michael O'Neill 1-4, BB, K
3B Eric Jagielo 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI - fifth homer of the season
RF Yeicok Calderon 1-4, RBI
DH Kale Sumner 1-3, RBI, BB
1B Bubba Jones 1-4 - batting .283 this season
C Trent Garrison 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI - second and third homers of the season
2B Derek Toadvine 1-4, SB
LF Daniel Lopez 1-4, K

Caleb Smith 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, pickoff - three groundouts, three flyouts
Philip Walby 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Stefan Lopez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Andury Acevedo 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

By limiting the opposition to two hits and no runs the Yankees pitchers got more than enough help from the offense who scored nine runs on eleven hits on their way to Staten Island's 27th win of the season.

Gulf Coast League Yankees 1 Highlights:

SS Claudio Custodio 0-3, K
1B Chris Breen 2-5, 3B, RBI, K, E3
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-3, 2 BB
C Eduardo de Oleo 2-3, RBI, PB
DH Renzo Martini 2-4, RBI, K
LF Dustin Fowler 1-5
RF Austin Aune 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K

Chaz Hebert 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R/3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K - three groundouts, three flyouts
Jose Diaz 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP, 2 HB
Tim Flight 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Gulf Coast Yankees 2 Highlights:

1B Brady Steiger 2-4, 2B, RBI, K
SS Thairo Estrada 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, E6 - fielding error
C Luis Torrens 1-4, K
RF Jorge Alcantara 2-3, 2B, RBI

Joseph Maher 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, BB, 4 K, HB - six groundouts, one flyout
Samuel Garcia 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

I began my service in the GIF trade as a humble serf under the tutelage of greater men. And then the elders of Planet GIF came to me in a vision and boomed, "Seek thee a greater audience!" I struggled to parse their complex Shakespearean code. But now I find myself before you here, following their will, clutching tight these GIFs I have been told to bestow upon you. Join me as we beat the road to GIF infinity.

Ivan Nova Reverse Twerking

It’s good to see that we’re finally getting down to the important topics on this blog. (Meanwhile, John Sterling complains about the Rays’ choice of music and tries to hand the sound engineer a Guy Mitchell record.)

Utility GIF: Mo Chewing Gum

I trust you will deploy this utility GIF only when the most riveting of comments is posted.

That’s Not Baseball, Andruw Jones

"The spirit of Babe Ruth sat on me," explained Jones after the game. "I just wish I knew why."

That’s Not Baseball, Pete Kozma

Puig

I know Puig and Mattingly have had their beef, but really, Donny calling for this out-and-out mugging in the dugout is surely going too far.

Joe Girardi Fields Your Tactical Advice

Joe, is it the best idea to be batting Nunez second against lefty starters? I know you want the platoon advantage and all, but let’s not pretend like Nunez is an accomplished hitter.

Joe, don’t you think Romine should be starting more games than Stewie at this point? In the month of August Romine has hit .308; Stewart .229. Batting average tells the story—I don’t even need to turn to cybermetrics for this one. Sure, Stewart hit that home run a few days ago (those miniature battery-powered fans you guys gave out at the gates really did the trick), but I hardly think that one display of offensive prowess merits him extra consideration.

Joe, regarding Joba’s appearance in anything but mop-up detail: color me confused. Why inject Joba into a tie game only to sky crane him out as soon as he allows a baserunner?

And one for the road:

f——n’ arod 4

From the New York Post—

A-Con: Sorry, Blame It on Him
Gritty play by selfless Crisp can’t stop four bases for the four flusher

That’s all for now. The plan is for us to be back with regularity—at least once a week if not more—so keep an eye out here and follow us on Twitter @YankeesGIFs for more updates. If you missed my three previous installments, you can find them here (in which A-Rod slays a man), here (in which Godfather Joe calls for a hit), and here (in which A-Rod directs traffic out on the field).

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• The Tampa Bay Rays and why I hate young people
• The rise of the "Big Three" in September 2007 and how they helped clinch the Wild Card
• Who will the Yankees call up in September?
• Yankees weekly preview: 8/26-9/1
• Should we worry about Hiroki Kuroda?