Tuesday September 3rd, 2013. Yankee Stadium. It is the bottom of the second inning in a game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. The Yankees have runners on first and third against Chicago ace/scarecrow Chris Sale. On third stands turtle-like creature Vernon Wells. Noted helmet-phobe Eduardo Nunez is at first as Chris Stewart and his flyswatter come to bat.

Cut to Joe Girardi in the Yankees dugout. Words from The Binder echo in his mind that no one else can hear.

Joe Girardi: Damn, looks like we're going to have to rely on Stewie to get a hit here to score a run.

Binder: (Yes...seems absurd to have such a poor hitter in the lineup.)

Girardi: Hey! Starting him was your idea!

Binder: (Of course! Think of the delicious pitch framing! Besides, players under 25 cannot be trusted.)

Girardi: You're right, Binder. You're always right. (Hugs binder)

Curtis Granderson: Hey coach, who are you talking to?

Girardi: Um...just thinking out loud Grandy! Go about your business.

Granderson:muttering (Crap. Looks like we'll have to start slipping anti-psychotics into the Gatorade again.)

Binder: (You know Joseph, there is another way to get the run home. A...sneakier way: Wells shall steal home.)

Girardi: Steal home!? Did you mistake Wellsy for Mike Trout? How could he possibly make it before the throw?

Binder: (Very simple. We Deadites know you humans better than you know yourselves. All you need to achieve greatness is proper...motivation. I call this "Operation Hotpants". First, have Nunez take off for second, then...)

Girardi feverishly jots down instructions as laid out by the sentient ledger. He communicates these instructions to third base coach Rob Thomson via a form of interpretive dance, also known as relaying signs.

Rob Thomson: Alright, Vernon. While Stewart pretends to hit, you're going to steal home. Nunez will head toward second, and you'll dash for home when the catcher lets go of the throw.

Vernon Wells: I dunno coach. I'm not as spry as I used to be.

As Sale steps on the mound and prepares to throw his next pitch, Thomson produces and flicks a Zippo lighter. He applies the flame directly to the rear of Wells' pants.

Thomson: Alright Vern, get ready to go!

Josh Phegly receives Sale's delivery and readies to fire to catch the bolting Nunez.

Wells: AHHHH! MY FANNY'S ON FIRE!!!

Wells dashes towards home with the quickness of a man half his age. In an effort to put out his burning derriere he slides into the dirt, coincidentally also crossing home plate ahead of Phegley's tag.

Wells: (breathing heavily and panting) Ahhhh...that's better. Wow, I can't believe that I made it! I will surely be remembered fondly by Yankees fans forever for such an amazing feat! Old Timer's Day here I come!

Meanwhile, back in the dugout.

Girardi: That was incredible! I'm sorry I ever doubted you Binder! I owe you one Joba relief appearance for that one!

Binder: (Damn right you do. But it's as I said, it's all about the proper motivation with you meatbags. Now, go replace CC Sabathia's candy stash with leafy green vegetables. I want him nice and angry for his start tomorrow night.)

All season long, the strength of the Yankees has been their bullpen. Mariano Rivera to David Robertson to Shawn Kelley and down the line to Adam Warren (for the most part), the relief corps have been a key reason why the team is still in the Wild Card race. The Yankees have further strengthened their team of relievers by adding former starter, now reliever, Dellin Betances into the mix.

The road back to the Bronx was a bit of a rocky one for Dellin. It began with yet another disappointing showcase of starts for the Scranton RailRiders. Through six starts and 24 innings, he pitched to an even 6.00 ERA and walked 16 men (6 BB/9), which really wasn't anything new. In 2012, the righty pitched to a 6.39 ERA and 6.7 BB/9, except in a much larger sample: 27 games and 132.1 innings. So, really, he was awful for a full season's worth of starts and the Yankees decided to pull the plug and put him in the bullpen. Now, to be fair, Brian Cashman admitted that the shift to the bullpen was based on the fact that Betances had no more minor league options after 2013 and that the team would continue to run him out there as a starter to see if they could straighten things out, but, c'mon, everyone and their mother knew Betances was bound for the bullpen and the switch was long overdue. He has succeeded to a very large degree since becoming a reliever (1.91 ERA, 12.5 K/9, 4 BB/9) and has earned a cup of coffee here in September.

Because Betances has no more minor league options for 2014, he'll either make the team out of camp or hit the road. Normally they could try to slip him through waivers, get him off the 40-man, and then re-sign him to a minor league deal to get a longer look, but, haha, there's no shot of that happening. Someone will give him a chance to stick in a big league bullpen. He was that good in his new relief role down in Triple-A. But that's still a ways away. He still has September to get through.

As for what his outlook is for the rest of the season, we may have already seen it. During Sunday's game against the Orioles, down by four, two out in the ninth, Dellin was brought in to mop up the rest of the mess. Given his inexperience at the big league level and where the team stands in the Wild Card race, it's no surprise that Betances' work will come in games just like that. It would have been nice if the Yankees were 10 games ahead, or whatever, for obvious reasons other than this one, so they could use him here and there in some high-leverage spots with a postseason berth in hand. Unfortunately, that is not where the team stands, but at the same time, we could see him perhaps a couple more times the rest of the way in mop up duty, and certainly next March when he'll battle for a spot in the 2014 bullpen.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees 6, White Sox 5: Yankees sweep White Sox
• Yankees' September call-ups: What to expect from David Adams
• Pinstripe Alley Podcast Episode 22: Come Sale away
• How will the Yankees use Phil Hughes out of the bullpen?
• AL Wild Card race: Yankees running down the Rays

Some days ago, WCBS’ John Sterling bagpiped words into my ear, and those words, for once, were of actual substance: "The Yankees are in a playoff race," he said. Yes, I thought, they are. "They cannot afford to lose a game," he said. Well, I thought, actually that’s not true, because if they lose their next game but then win all their remaining games they’ll probably be in good shape; so you see, John, that they can in fact afford to lose at least one game. And then I thought, my idiotic imaginary conversation with John Sterling is all well and good, but how are the players on the field feeling during these tense, trying times? I found some things, and here are the things that I found.

The Best Pitcher in Baseball

Here we see Ivan Nova wearing a look of utter disdain/rage/fierceness/grittiness/vigor/power—one of those or none of those, you decide—before giving himself a congratulatory fist pump. Why? Because he gets it done, that’s why. He knows how to win, and not only that, but he has the will to win. And who are we to dispute that? Nobody, that’s who. We’re nobody.

The postgame:

Thank you Ivan.

Veteran Celebrations

Rookies look up to veterans. Baseball has an unwritten code that defines how one should behave—no showing up other players, no publicly criticizing your own teammates, and all that other ridiculum—and it has to be followed, lest you find baseballs being aimed at your head. It’s important, then, that the older generation in the clubhouse show the young bucks—kids like J.R. Murphy and Austin Romine—how to act and how to react. Consider Andrew Eugene Pettitte, a man of some age, demonstrating the correct jump-clap technique. And for those quieter moments, see Andy’s measured reaction to his defense turning a double play:

Responsible yet vigorous celebration is what I like to see.

A Cautionary Tale

As a result of this chest beating, Eduardo Nunez suffered a bruised rib and will be out for the rest of the season. Let this be a cautionary tale for the viewers at home. Rest easy, dearest Eduardo, for if but one man, woman or child avoids a similar fate by not beating their chest as indiscreetly as you then your suffering will not have been in vain.

Brett Gardner: Gatorade Terrorist

And just moments after writing that previous passage I discovered that Eduardo Nunez had become the latest victim of Brett Gardner, a noted serial perpetrator of Gatorade terrorism. Let’s take a closer look at that horrific scene. Viewer discretion is advised:

And then I found this in the Daily News:

"He was a quiet guy," said Ellie Parker, a neighbor of Gardner’s who did not want to be identified. "We talked a few times, and he always seemed like a kind man. I never thought he’d be capable of something like this."

Said James, a childhood friend of the villain: "I can’t believe he’d do something like this. I can’t believe it and I won’t believe it."

"Gardy’s a gamer!" yelled Yankees manager Joe Girardi through the media scrum before retreating to his office to repair the middle ring on his binder, which had been bent out of shape when Vernon Wells accidentally sat on it on the bench. That was last Thursday, when Boone Logan came in relief in the sixth inning and stayed in until the ninth. "The pages were all out of order," a flustered Girardi explained after the game. "I didn’t know who my pitchers were and nobody around me could remember." Wells was reportedly docked a game’s pay for his folly.

The dowsing shattered the third, fourth and thirty-seventh vertebrae in Nunez’s spine, and he’ll be out until 2019.

Appalled Mo

80 Tools Series: 80 You Are the Devil Tool

Candyman

Candyman

Candyman

Candyman

Candyman

OH GOD

Follow us on Twitter before Craig Kimbrel comes at you with his hook and his bees.

The Titanic jokes for this one came quickly, but I like to think this is more what Alex Rodriguez had in mind.

(Via YankeesGIFs)

Joe West and the Boston Red Sox escaped the Bronx with a series opening victory after a bullpen collapse from the Yankees. The loss dropped New York to nine games behind in the division race and three games back of the wild card (Rays-Angels in-play now).

Joba Chamberlain, the sixth Yankee reliever of the night, came in for the 10th inning because Binder. Chamberlain did get the lead-off hitter, Will Middlebrooks, to fly out to fight. Jacoby Ellsbury then singled to right and stole second base. This is where Joe West decided that the game was taking too long. On a two strike pitch, Shane Victorino appeared to swing at a pitch out of the zone.

Quit your job, Joe West. Quit your job. pic.twitter.com/G2GlPbucAT

— The Pinstriped Bible (@pinstripebible) September 6, 2013

Looks like he held up to me. So Victorino of course gets another chance and capitalizes with an RBI single to shallow right field. Ichiro got the ball to the plate in time but Austin Romine could not get a handle on the ball, allowing the Red Sox to take the 9-8 lead.

The Yankees had their opportunity to win after a six-run seventh inning gave them an 8-7 lead. Joe Girardi handed the ball off to David Robertson for the eighth and got a 1-2-3 inning that included two strikeouts. After the Yankees offense failed to get anymore insurance runs, Mariano Rivera came in to face the 4-5-6 hitters of the Red Sox lineup. After getting two putouts by Lyle Overbay, Mike Napoli took a two strike pitch to the gap in right-center field. Pinch runner Quintin Berry then stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Austin Romine. Berry scored on a bloop-single by Stephen Drew to tie the game and hand Rivera his sixth blown save of the year.

The Yankees had the heart of the order leading of the bottom of the ninth. After a Robinson Cano lineout, Alfonso Soriano took a four-pitch walk and despite getting picked off, took second on an error by first baseman Daniel Nava. With Curtis Granderson up, Soriano got himself picked off again for the second out of the inning and Granderson struck out on the next pitch.

Ivan Nova took the start for New York but was chased after throwing 96 pitches over four innings, his shortest outing since a relief appearance in late May. Of those pitches, 47 of them came in the third inning where he surrendered two runs on three hits and two walks. It was the most pitches a Yankee pitcher has thrown in one inning since Orlando Hernandez 49-pitch inning in 2000.

READ THIS TO REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES: Ichiro lead off the seventh inning with an eight-pitch walk, followed by a Vernon Wells pinch-hit single. Lefty Matt Thornton replaced Jake Peavy to face Brett Gardner, who took an 0-2 pitch to center field to drive in the first run of the inning. With Derek Jeter batting, Wells decided to take it upon himself to steal third... successfully. After a walk to Jeter, Robinson Cano got another run in with a fielder's choice groundout, where he ran out an easy double-play ball (Pay the man). Alfonso Soriano came up with another big RBI, singling in Gardner. Granderson followed it up with an RBI double, putting runners on second and third with one out, trailing 7-6. Overbay came to the plate after an Alex Rodriguez strikeout delivered a two-run single on a two-strike, two-out fastball giving the Bombers an 8-7 lead.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• A Swing and a GIF: Player reactions edition
• Yankees' September call-ups: What to expect from Dellin Betances
• Jim Callis on Yankees prospects: Eric Jagielo, Greg Bird, JR Murphy
• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #91 Nick Swisher
• Vernon Wells: Homeward bound

Here's a comprehensive summary of Clay Buchholz's rehab start from Thursday night, when he started Pawtucket's second playoff game of this year's Governors' Cup Championship. (Hudson Belinsky; WEEI.com)

Dan Dyrek, Boston's coordinator of sports medicine, compares David Ortiz to a former client of his -- Celtics great Larry Bird. (Rob Bradford; WEEI.com)

Tim Britton explains why Craig Breslow has been Boston's unsung hero this season. (Tim Britton; Providence Journal)

There's no doubt that Red Sox fans have erased all memory of the team's heartbreaking collapse of September 2011. Ben Cherington says the organization has done the same this September. (Evan Drellich; MassLive.com)

Joe Giradi believes the series between the Yankees and the Red Sox means more to the former. (Gordon Edes; ESPNBoston.com)

Speaking of the Yankees, Jack Keller explains why the Yankees are not underdogs this year, and they never will be. (Jack Keller; Fire Brand of the AL)

Learn a bit more about Corey Littrell, Boston's fifth-round pick from this year's draft. (Craig Forde; On Deck)

John Tomase decided to take a look back on Boston's Opening Day game, which was -- as I'm sure you remember -- against the Yankees in New York. (John Tomase; Boston Herald)

Read more Red Sox:

• Jon Lester's velocity is back, and so is he
• The myth of the 'must-win' game
• Koji Uehara approaching Red Sox history
• The Red Sox don't have a Junichi Tazawa problem
• Should the Red Sox convert prospect Rubby De La Rosa to relief permanently?

Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 2-1 vs. Binghamton Mets

LF Ramon Flores 2-4, 3B
RF Zoilo Almonte 0-2, RBI, K - first game of rehab
2B Jose Pirela 1-4
C Gary Sanchez 0-4, K
DH Tyler Austin 0-3, 2 K
1B Kyle Roller 1-3, K
CF Mason Williams 2-3
3B Reegie Corona 0-3
SS Ali Castillo 1-3, 2B, RBI

Mikey O'Brien 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, WP, HB - eight groundouts, five flyouts
Zach Nuding 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 18 of 27 pitches for strikes
Tom Kahnle 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

Thunder pitchers limited the Mets to only one run in the fifth inning that tied the game briefly before the offense managed to score a crucial run in the bottom of the seventh to pull ahead for good and take a 2-0 series lead. The Mets have thrown their two best pitchers at the Thunder over the past two games while the Thunder have their best pitchers yet to go. They are one game away from taking the best of five series with a win when they travel to Binghamton tonight at 7:05 pm.

The 10th inning of Thursday's series opener against the Yankees wasn't as nerve-wracking as the frame before. That's because the Red Sox were no longer facing Mariano Rivera, and instead were up against Joba Chamberlain in a tie game. They still had to work to get their run, though, the one that ended up being the difference, but thanks to the speed of Jacoby Ellsbury, it looked easy.

Ellsbury sat on first base, waiting for his opportunity to move into scoring position. After some fake bunting from Shane Victorino and a few throws over from Joba, Ellsbury finally broke for second:

His jump wasn't phenomenal, but as this unbroken view shows, Ellsbury is just flat-out, ridiculously fast:

He would show as much again a few pitches later, when Shanf softly lifted a liner into right field, in front of Ichiro Suzuki and his powerful arm. Ellsbury's legs were up to the challenge:

The play would have been a little closer had Austin Romine managed to hold on to the throw at the plate, but Ellsbury's leg might have been in before Stewart could swipe him with the tag anyway. He went from off camera and what looked like a bad send to sliding into home in very short order, thanks to those legs.

Read more Red Sox:

• Jon Lester's velocity is back, and so is he
• The myth of the 'must-win' game
• Koji Uehara approaching Red Sox history
• The Red Sox don't have a Junichi Tazawa problem
• Should the Red Sox convert prospect Rubby De La Rosa to relief permanently?

Getting 2,000 hits is not that big of a deal. I mean, it is for a human being. I don't think I could successfully do anything 2,000 times. I don't have the attention span. It isn't uncommon among baseball players though. There are 28 baseball players in history with 3,000 hits or more, meanwhile, there are 275 players with at least 2,000 hits. It's impressive, but not awe inspiring. I guess humans as a species just like nice round numbers so we can place them in a proper category.

Two such players that belong in the 2,000 hit category: Alfonso Soriano and David Ortiz, and the internet has two very different opinions about them.

For Soriano:

For Ortiz:

Huh. How about that.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #91 Nick Swisher
• Who is likely to fill in for Mariano Rivera next year?
• A Swing and a GIF: Player reactions edition
• Yankees' September call-ups: What to expect from Dellin Betances
• Vernon Wells: Homeward bound

Last week's GIF of the Week was the always-terrifying Girinder laugh. May it haunt your dreams. Here's the best of what Matthew made this week:

9/5: "Paint me, Jack"

Horror. Pure horror. As people have pointed out, who the hell is A-Rod even staring at for so long anyway? What a silly man. He's ridiculous.

9/3: GATORADE, MY ONE WEAKNESS!!!!

Brett Gardner faced a threat... Eduardo Nunez was ruining all the helmets on the team and losing all the baseballs in fielding practice. He had to be stopped, and Gardner did what had to be done, vanquishing Eduardo with his most feared rival. Down he went, like a soon-to-be supervillain who just had acid poured on him.

All Joba games: "She only wanted to be happy"

Look what you've done, Joba. Shame on you.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• A Swing and a GIF: Player reactions edition
• Yankees 8, Red Sox 9: Late rally for nothing after Rivera blows save and West blows call
• Twitter on the 2,000 hits club: Alfonso Soriano vs. David Ortiz
• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #91 Nick Swisher
• Baby Bomber Recap 9/5/13: Strong pitching leads Thunder to 2-0 series lead over Mets

The Yankees have already gotten Curtis Granderson and Derek Jeter back, but there are still injured players that could possibly help the team in the last few weeks of the season.

As previously stated by Joe Girardi, Shawn Kelley will be unavailable for the next week do to a triceps issue. He hasn't been able to pitch for a few days now, which is why he went to Joba Chamberlain against the Red Sox. It seems like this would have been a good time to place Kelley on the disabled list, but after September call ups, who would have been the replacement, Jose Ramirez?

Michael Pineda is still just throwing bullpens, so it is unlikely he will be contributing to the major league team now that the Triple-A season is over. It's not worth it to rush him if he isn't completely healthy. A shoulder injury is very serious and rushing him back right now would not be a good idea.

LoHud provided some other updates:

Zoilo Almonte is rehabbing with the Trenton Thunder during their playoff run. Last night he went 0-2 with a strikeout and an RBI. Joe Girardi has said that he is the furthest along in his rehab.

Travis Hafner has played in one simulated game so far, but he is still not ready to return and it looks like he won't make it back.

Kevin Youkilis is the furthest away from returning, having only partaken in dry swings. It was always highly unlikely that he'd be able to return this season after undergoing back surgery.

David Phelps will throw a bullpen session in the next few days, however, after suffering from two forearm strains and struggling before going down with an injury, it is unlikely he will return. It's probably for the best to just shut him down for the season just to be on the safe side.

It doesn't look like the Yankees will be getting any more reinforcements outside of Zoilo Almonte, if any at all.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• GIFs of the Week: Posing A-Rod, Nunez vs. acid, and Joba-induced sadness
• Yankees need to cut ties with Joba Chamberlain
• Yankees September Call Ups: What to expect from Preston Claiborne?
• Twitter on the 2,000 hits club: Alfonso Soriano vs. David Ortiz
• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #91 Nick Swisher

At the very end of May, I wrote about Robinson Cano'sdevelopment of a platoon split, something he hadn't exhibited in his career prior to 2012. It was pretty strange, considering Cano is in the midst of his prime years, and had always shown the ability to handle pitchers from both angles. After hitting .234/.298/.352 against southpaws from the beginning of 2012 up until May 31, I concluded the following:

While it still seems that Cano has run into some bad luck, and that a change in hitting approach could be beneficial, the two arguments are probably too simplistic in nature. What we've seen from Cano against lefties since 2012 may simply be who he is going forward.

It looks like I may have been wrong about this one, as Cano has batted .331/.402/.441 in 132 plate appearances since. Obviously, not only is this a sample size, but it's also arbitrary endpoints I'm working with. Plus, a .375 BABIP during this stretch makes it look even flukier. However, digging a little deeper, there may be reason to believe that Cano is reverting back to his old ways against southpaws (116 wRC+ through 2011).

During both his struggles and resurgence against southpaws, Cano's batted ball profile has remained steady. In particular, and most importantly, his line drive rate has improved from 24.6% to 25.7% against lefties since my last piece on Cano (both of these marks are 2012-time of publication). While that still makes his .272 BABIP vs. lefties in 2012 a head-scratcher, his recent performance shouldn't be so surprising. In fact, Cano has been hitting the ball better against lefties, even since he began scuffling against them in 2012. Through 2011, his LD% was just 18.3% in this split.

Although I had partially attributed Cano's left-on-left slump to poor BABIP fortune, I also blamed his approach. Citing his spray charts, I noted that Cano appeared to be attempting to pull the ball too often in same side situations. The majority of his outs were grounders to the right side. In reviewing updated spray charts, it appears this hasn't changed, despite an uptick in performance.

Perhaps I discounted the element of bad luck in my prior analysis, while focusing too much on his approach. It does appear that he is taking the ball the other way a little bit more, but it's not like his batted ball profile ever worsened. In fact, perhaps I should have stuck to my guns from an article I penned in the offseason:

During these situations [L vs. L in 2012], 28.4% of batted balls were line drives, yet Cano only posted a .272 BABIP [in 2012]. The LD% seems rather high, but his BABIP certainly indicates a degree of bad luck...One final tidbit: according to Texas Leaguers, Cano lined out 8.5% of the time against lefties last season, vs. 3.3% from 2005-2011. So, even if Cano was hitting far fewer line drives than the 2012 metrics indicate, it’s still evident that he was pretty unlucky based on historical performance.

From 2005 through 2011, Cano hit .300/.343/.475 with a .319 BABIP against lefties. That's seven years of data - so even though his hot 128 plate appearance stretch seems to be a small sample size, perhaps 2012 through mid-2013 was the real outlying sample. It seems odd that a player of Cano's caliber could get so unlucky for an extended stretch with a favorable batted ball profile to boot, but that appears to be exactly what happened.

With his 2013 wRC+ against lefties up to 109, not far off from his 116 mark from 2005 through 2011, signing Cano to a long-term deal doesn't worry me as much as before. There are still caveats with any long-term contract, but that's a story for another time. Most importantly, Cano looks to have quelled any worries about being a glorified platoon player.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Phil Hughes has been moved to the bullpen, David Huff moves into the rotation
• Yankees' playoff chances: Handicapping AL wild card race based on remaining schedules
• Yankees' September call-ups: What to expect from Brett Marshall
• JR Murphy is our 52nd customer: Remembering the unmemorable Yankees roster
• Yankees' September call-ups: What to expect from lefty reliever Cesar Cabral

The Yankees take on the Red Sox in game 2 of a four game series. New York lost a heartbreaker last night, so they are going to need to come back strong tonight against Felix Doubront if they want to stay in the playoff race. They send out this lineup and try again:

#Yankees lineup: Gardner 8 Jeter 0 Soriano 7 Cano 4 Rodriguez 5 Wells 9 Nunez 6 Reynolds 8 Stewart 2 Pettitte 1

— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) September 6, 2013

Brett Gardner leads off the offense, followed by Derek Jeter, who is DHing for some reason. He has hit .194/.302/.222 in 43 plate appearances so far, and in as near to a must-win as possible, It's unclear what kind of advantage he can provide if he's not also playing in the field. Alfonso Soriano, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez make up the heart of the lineup, while Vernon Wells, Eduardo Nunez and Mark Reynolds follow, all playing in the field.

Chris Stewart is behind the plate again, because of course he is. Leave it to Girardi to effectively drown out someone like Austin Romine who has been hitting much better in the second half, though if Romine's defense going forward is anything like what he showed last night, I don't think I can blame him for being hesitant about putting him in. The problem is that Stewart is no better, so why not give JR Murphy a shot for a few games and see how he does? The Yankees have already started his clock by playing him, so why not let him get some playing time so they can see what he can really do? It's not like you'd be keeping anyone essential out of the lineup.

Following last night's blown save, Mariano Rivera, who has appeared in three straight games, and David Robertson, who has been used in back-to-back games, will be unavailable tonight. With Shawn Kelley also being unavailable due to a triceps injury, it is now a mystery as to who will be closing. The highest ranking member of the bullpen might now be Boone Logan, but that also leaves Preston Claiborne, Adam Warren, Brett Marshall, Cesar Cabral, Dellin Betances, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes to pick up some late innings if needed. We could end up seeing Hughes in a save situation.

I understand Girardi wants to rest his bullpen, which is probably the one thing he is good at doing, but the Yankees are up against the Red Sox in September in the middle of a fight for the playoffs, you can't suddenly take essential players out of the equation. Girardi already sacrificed one game in this series due to poor bullpen management, so it would be nice if it doesn't happen again.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Robinson Cano is mashing lefties once again
• Yankees injury updates: Pineda, Phelps, Almonte, Youkilis, Hafner
• GIFs of the Week: Posing A-Rod, Nunez vs. acid, and Joba-induced sadness
• Yankees need to cut ties with Joba Chamberlain
• Yankees September Call Ups: What to expect from Preston Claiborne?

Tonight's bullpen is going to be very short-handed if Mariano Rivera and David Robertson are both unavailable and Shawn Kelley is injured. In order to try and lengthen their depth, Matt Daley has been called up to the majors and Corban Joseph has been placed on the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old Daley signed with the Yankees before the 2012 season in his attempt to return from shoulder surgery. He finally got to pitch this season as he put up a 2.02 ERA and a 12.5 K/9 across three different levels in 53.1 innings, making the call up well deserved.

CoJo has been on the disabled list after undergoing season ending shoulder surgery months ago. He's taken up a spot on the roster all this time because to place a minor leaguer on the 60 you first have to technically call him up and, presumably, pay him like a major leaguer. The Yankees being unwilling to make this move earlier is what led to Melky Mesa being released by the organization.

Other players that could have been in line for the call up that are not on the 40-man roster are Chase Whitley, Chris Bootcheck, Sam Demel, Jim Miller, and Graham Stoneburner. The easier move to make could have been calling up someone like Jose Ramirez or Nik Turley, who are on the 40 and would not have required moving Joseph anywhere.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Robinson Cano is mashing lefties once again
• Yankees injury updates: Pineda, Phelps, Almonte, Youkilis, Hafner
• GIFs of the Week: Posing A-Rod, Nunez vs. acid, and Joba-induced sadness
• Yankees need to cut ties with Joba Chamberlain
• Yankees September Call Ups: What to expect from Preston Claiborne?

The appeal hearing for New York Yankees' star Alex Rodriguez's 211-game suspension is expected to begin on Sept. 30, the day after the regular season ends, reports ESPN. The 38-year-old Rodriguez received the suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis scandal, but appealed the ban so that he could play for the rest of the 2013 season.

While most of the players involved with Biogensis received 50-game bans, and Milwaukee's Ryan Braun settled for 65 games, Rodriguez received the longest PED-related suspension in sports history due to a combination of his years of drug use and his attempts to both impede the investigation and cover up his violations. Rodriguez previously admitted to taking a banned substance in 2009, claiming that he had used while a member of the Texas Rangers for a period of time beginning in 2001. His upcoming appeal will be heard by arbiter Fredric Horowitz, who will decide whether to uphold the suspension, overturn it or reduce its length.

Rodriguez has provided decent production for the Yankees this year. He has played in 27 games since returning from a season-long hip injury, hitting .283/.372/.455 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He hit his 650th career home run in Toronto on Aug. 6, making him the fifth player in history to reach that mark. While the Yankees have appeared to publicly distance themselves from the star third baseman in light of his off-field problems, they are surely happy to have his bat in their lineup -- they currently stand 2½ games behind Tampa Bay for the second Wild Card, with Baltimore, Cleveland, and Kansas City close on their heels. Rodriguez has four years and about $86 million left on his contract after this season.

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This loss did not eliminate the New York Yankees from the playoffs.  It made their chances a bit more difficult, yes, but the race is by no means over.  What this game did do is make yesterday's loss seem only slightly disappointing.  When Andy Pettitte left the mound after the sixth inning, the Yankees had a 8-3 lead.  By the time the bullpen was done with things the Red Sox held a 12-8 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Pettitte started off the game on fire.  He struck out both Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes on three pitches.  And after allowing a single to Dustin Pedroia, he struck out David Ortiz on just four pitches for the third out.  Then the Yankees' offense proceeded to get him some run support in the bottom of the first.  Derek Jeter drew a one-out walk and was brought home by Alfonso Soriano crushing a home run over the left field wall.  After the first inning, the Yankees had a 2-0 lead.

The second innings did not go quite as well as the first did for Andy.  Mike Napoli led off with a single and Daniel Nava followed that up by drawing a walk against Pettitte.  After Stephen Drew struck out, David Ross singled up the middle.  That scored Napoli and made it 2-1.  Andy got out of the jam by getting Will Middlebrooks to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Yankees made up for the Red Sox run by scoring a couple more in the second.  Vernon Wells led off the inning by drawing a walk off Felix Doubront.  He came all the way around to score when Eduardo Nunez laced a triple to left-center.  Two batters later, Nunez scored himself on a Chris Stewart sac fly.  That gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead.

The Red Sox cut into the lead with a run in the fourth.  Napoli led off the inning with a double.  After tagging up and moving to third on a fly out, Napoli scored on Drew's ground out.  That made it 4-2.

The Yankees continued to tack on runs and were able to knock Doubront out of the game in the fourth.  After the first two went down in order, Mark Reynolds kept the inning alive by drawing a walk.  Chris Stewart also drew a walk to bring the top of the order back around.  Brett Gardner came up and hit a triple thanks partly to Shane Victorino's Raul Ibanez-esque dive.  That scored Reynolds and Stewart and made it 6-2.

The Red Sox cut into the lead again when Middlebrooks led off the top of the fifth with a home run.  However, the Yankees continued on with what they were doing, and got that run back in the bottom of the inning.  Robinson Cano hit a one-out double.  He tagged up and went to third on Alex Rodriguez's fly out and scored when Vernon Wells singled.  That extended the Yankees' lead back to four runs and made it 7-3.  Nunez kept the inning alive with a single, which brought Reynolds to the plate.  Reynolds singled to bring home Wells and the lead was up to 8-3.

Andy's day was done after the sixth inning.  Pettitte went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three walk.  He struck out eight in what was a decent start that the Yankees really needed.

In the top of the seventh, Phil Hughes made his first appearance out of the bullpen since being moved there a couple days ago.  That went as well as you would expect.  Ross led off with a single on a grounder than Nunez couldn't quite get a glove to.  Two batter later, Victorino hit a one-out single.  After that Mike Carp drew a walk to load the bases.  (You'll be shocked to know the count in that at bat was 0-2 at one point.)  That brought Pedroia to the plate.  Pedroia hit a soft grounder to Rodriguez at third.  The throw to first was in time, but Reynolds couldn't hang on to the ball.  It was ruled a hit and it scored a run, cutting the lead to 8-4.

With the bases loaded and Ortiz coming to the plate, Girardi decided that he'd had enough of Hughes.  Lefty Boone Logan came in to face Ortiz.  After loading the count, Logan struck out Ortiz looking for the second out.  The inning then came down to Napoli against Logan.  The count loaded again, but this time Logan wouldn't get out of it.  Napoli hit a grand slam off the top of the wall and suddenly the game was tied at eight.  All Pettitte's work was erased.

Preston Claiborne came in and got the last out of the seventh and came back out for the top of the eighth.  He started the inning well by striking out Ross.  But he then proceeded to give up a single to Middlebrooks and Victorino then launched a two-run home run of him.  The Yankees had not only squandered the lead but were now in a two-run hole.

After that Joba Chamberlain came in and Joba-ed it up.  There were hits and walk and when the top of the eighth was over it was 12-8.

The Yankees' offense threatened to get back in it in the eighth, but couldn't come up with anything.  Matt Daley pitched the top of the ninth and stopped the bleeding with a scoreless ninth.  Koji Uehara came in and blew away the Yankees in the ninth and sealed the win.  Welp.

David Huff gets the start tomorrow as the Yankees look to get something positive going again.  First pitch is at 1:05 eastern.

Box score.Graph thingy,

If things couldn't be any worse, David Robertson and Boone Logan are injured, because of course they are. Robertson was unavailable tonight and Logan left the game early with what appeared to be a phantom injury. It has been announced that David Robertson has been shut down for five to six days with shoulder tendonitis. Boone Logan left tonight's game with discomfort in his biceps and will go for an MRI, leaving the Yankees bullpen even more short staffed than before.

Mariano Rivera will be available again, but with Robertson, Logan, and Shawn Kelley all out with injuries, the Yankees bullpen is down to the likes of Preston Claiborne, Adam Warren, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and a slew of September call ups that will end up getting less playing time than they should. Joe Girardi needs to start trusting younger players more if he wants to replace some of the production that is being lost. He can not keep throwing out Joba and Hughes and hope that they'll just skate by. At this point Dellin Betances and Cesar Cabral are better choices than either of them.

UPDATE:

Boone Logan is actually feeling pain in his elbow, not his biceps, which is something he felt in spring training. It doesn't seem to be ligament trouble, but the MRI will say more.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees call up Matt Daley, place Corban Joseph on the 60-day disabled list
• Yankees lineup vs. Red Sox; Rivera and Robertson unavailable tonight
• Robinson Cano is mashing lefties once again
• Yankees injury updates: Pineda, Phelps, Almonte, Youkilis, Hafner
• GIFs of the Week: Posing A-Rod, Nunez vs. acid, and Joba-induced sadness

With the bullpen in the worst shape it's been in all year long, the Yankees needed players who could actually pitch as opposed to the injured (David Robertson, Boone Logan, and Shawn Kelley), the struggling (Preston Claiborne) and the always-atrocious (Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes). They added former Rockies reliever Matt Daley prior to yesterday's game since Mariano Rivera, Kelley, and Robertson were unavailable, and for today's game, they plan to add another staple from Triple-A Scranton's bullpen this year, Jim Miller:

Source: #Yankees promoting RHP Jim Miller on Saturday.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) September 7, 2013

The 31-year-old Miller was claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics in the off-season and was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. He spent most of last year in the A's bullpen, and I wrote this about Miller back in February, recapping his 2012 season:

Since being drafted by Colorado in ’04, he really never made an impact at the major-league level until last year with Oakland. Miller was called up from Triple-A Sacramento in late April, and he pitched decently enough to hang around the big-league club for the next few months outside of a few brief demotions. He then returned to Sacramento in August only to come back for Oakland’s surprising September run to the AL West title over the Texas Rangers. Miller finished with a nice 2.59 ERA, but that walk-rate of 5.0 BB/9 and 4.74 FIP really leave something to be desired. He has a good 93 mph fastball weighted positively by FanGraphs last year (2.5), and it is complemented by a slider and curve that aren’t as good. It should say something that Oakland did not seem to be fooled by the sparkly ERA—they never appeared to hesitate about sending him down and Miller was left off the playoff roster. If Miller stays with the Yankees, expect him to be in the Triple-A bullpen.

Sure enough, Miller spent the all of 2013 in Scranton until now. He did have a very nice season down in the International League, where he appeared in 43 games, struck out 92 men, and pitched 63 1/3 innings to a 13.1 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 3.55 ERA, and 3.22 FIP. That's a lot of strikeouts, but he had not pitched to such a successful strikeout rate since the 2008 minor league season.

Miller relies on his fastball, but his two other pitches aren't as sharp, which explains why he's had difficulties hanging around the major league level. I'm sure that a few days ago, neither he nor Daley figured to be pitching again in 2013 after Scranton's season ended, but due to the injuries, they now find themselves in the middle of the playoff race.

The Yankees need someone surprising to step up and provide some measure of stability out of the 'pen. Daley did a decent job last night, and there have been flashes of potential from Cesar Cabral and Dellin Betances. Whether it's Miller, Daley, or one of the rookies, the Yankees have to try them out; relying on the old guard of Joba and Hughes simply isn't going to cut it anymore given how little the two seem to have left in the tank.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 9/7/13
• Yankees 8, Red Sox 12: As disappointing as it gets
• Yankees Injuries: David Robertson shut down, Boone Logan to have MRI
• Yankees call up Matt Daley, place Corban Joseph on the 60-day disabled list
• Yankees need to cut ties with Joba Chamberlain

What was the backbone of the team the entire season has quickly become a major weakness. Due to some highly ineffective performances and injuries, the bullpen is now a complete disaster, and last night's 12-8 loss proved just that. With an 8-3 lead and only (only?) nine more outs to pick up for what would have been a very big win, the 'pen melted down once again, leading to yet another horrible loss.

After Andy Pettitte departed (which was absolutely the right move, by the way. The guy is 41 years old and was at 100 pitches through six innings, he was done), the avalanche began. It started with Phil Hughes, who I lobbied to be used as a short, one inning reliever. The thought was he'd come in, throw gas, and use his curve or slider to blow past opposing batters, 2009-style, but lolnope. Hughes allowed four of the five men he faced to reach base with the fastball around his regular 92-93 mph range. Enter Boone Logan, who struck out David Ortiz to record the second out of the inning with the lead still intact before allowing a grand slam to Mike Napoli to tie it at eight. When the bullpen was healthy and effective, there was no way Joe Girardi would let Logan pitch in that spot, but the skipper had no other options. Logan was all he had and he failed.

At this point the loss seemed imminent. Preston Claiborne, who got tattooed on Thursday, and has really gotten knocked around since the middle of June (24 appearances, 5.47 ERA, .817 OPS against), gave up the go-ahead two-run home run to Shane Victorino. After that, Joba Chamberlain came in and predictably sucked, as he allowed a run and three walks. Seriously, why the hell is he still on this team? Just admit he didn't work out like you had hoped and move on. This is so stupid.

It got so ugly that the Yankees turned to Matt Daley in the ninth. They called him up before the game, and he was the only reliever to not completely crap on himself. This is a guy who had only appeared in seven Major League games the past three years, with all of them coming in 2011. This is really what it's come to.

Someone who we didn't see last night out of the bullpen was Dellin Betances, which really tells you how far he is in the bullpen pecking order. Hughes, Joba, and Daley, who are all very bad/unknowns, came in ahead of him, and I think this is something that needs to change. David Robertson will be out five-six days as he's dealing with shoulder tendinitis. I know it's not anything structural, but this is something the Yankees should be very cautious with. He'll in all likelihood be your closer next year and you have to make sure he's 100% before returning. Also, Boone Logan had to get an MRI and it remains to be seen how long he will be out, and Shawn Kelley may be back on Sunday at the earliest.

The Yankees really have no one better right now and Betances is someone who has a chance to make the 2014 bullpen. He has the stuff to become a late-inning reliever and deserves a look. As you know, Dellin has dominated since becoming a reliever (61.1 innings, 1.91 ERA, 3.1 K/BB in Triple-A) in early-May. Joe Girardi even said there's an opportunity for "some of these guys to shine." Whether that be Joba and Hughes, who are horrible; Matt Daley, who doesn't figure to have much of a future with this organization, or someone like Betances, remains to be seen. Just two days ago, I wrote that Dellin wouldn't be more than just a mop up man this month, but that idea needs to be thrown out the window. The Yankees should seriously consider giving their once top starting pitching prospect, now potential shutdown reliever, a chance to pitch in some high-leverage innings out of the bullpen and see what they have right now and in the future.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees Injuries: David Robertson shut down, Boone Logan to have MRI
• Yankees call up Matt Daley, place Corban Joseph on the 60-day disabled list
• Robinson Cano is mashing lefties once again
• Yankees injury updates: Pineda, Phelps, Almonte, Youkilis, Hafner
• GIFs of the Week: Posing A-Rod, Nunez vs. acid, and Joba-induced sadness

The Yankees lost another heartbreaker after the bullpen blew up the game. If they are going to win any of these games something is going to have to go right for the pitching, but David Huff is on the mound, so who knows what's going to happen. Here is the lineup:

#Yankees lineup vs Boston: Gardner CF, Jeter SS, Cano 2B, Soriano LF, Granderson DH, Nunez 3B, Overbay 1B, Ichiro RF, Romine C, Huff P

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 7, 2013

Brett Gardner leads off, as usual, while Derek Jeter is back at short batting second. Robinson Cano, Alfonso Soriano, and DH Curtis Granderson make up the heart of the lineup. Alex Rodriguez is getting a day off with a day game after a night game, so Eduardo Nunez is going back to being a utility infielder and playing third. Lyle Overbay is in to face the right-hander, taking back his job from Mark Reynolds, while Ichiro Suzuki and Austin Romine round out the bottom of the lineup.

It's nice to have Ichiro's defense, but his inability to hit in the second half kind of negates the value he brings, especially when the big blow last night was a grand slam that wasn't exactly easily catchable anyway. Put Granderson in the outfield and have Mark Reynolds or A-Rod DH. I understand they want to take it easy with Rodriguez, but the season is literally on the line right now, this is the playoffs, so use everyone and everything right now. No one knows what Huff is going to give them, so the Yankees need the best offense they can put out there.

Now Girardi is saying that Preston Claiborne and Joba Chamberlain are unavailable today to go along with Shawn Kelley, David Robertson and Boone Logan. They called up another replacement arm today when they released Chris Bootcheck put Vidal Nuno on the 60-day DL and called up Jim Miller. So now the bullpen is Miller, Brett Marshall, Matt Daley, Dellin Betances, Cesar Cabral, Adam Warren, and (maybe?) Mariano Rivera. Joe Girardi actually needs to use these guys though.

On the injury front, Robertson said he feels better today, but will wait three or four days before he plays catch and returns to the bullpen. He described his injury as more fatigue and soreness-related than anything really serious. That's the best scenario you could ask for because he's going to be very important in 2014. Kelley threw a bullpen and felt much better, so he will be available tomorrow, but could pitch in an emergency today. The results of Boone Logan's MRI have yet to be reported.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees need to see what they have with Dellin Betances
• Yankees to call up Jim Miller for further bullpen relief
• Yankees Injuries: David Robertson shut down, Boone Logan to have MRI
• Yankees call up Matt Daley, place Corban Joseph on the 60-day disabled list
• Robinson Cano is mashing lefties once again