The Yankees are talking with third baseman Ian Stewart about a possible minor-league contract, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.

Any potential agreement would send Stewart to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per Olney.

Olney notes that the two sides are talking, but that they do not have an agreement yet. Olney also makes the point that Stewart would cost the Yankees little to nothing, and could be better than their current internal options.

Stewart recently had a falling-out with the Cubs, after series of tweets about the organization got the 28-year-old in trouble with the front office, and he was released shortly thereafter.

He has not recorded an at-bat in the major leagues yet this season, and he hit just .201 in 2012 with the Cubs. He has struggled since being traded for outfielder Tyler Colvin before the 2012 season.

The Yankees are currently missing Alex Rodriguez, and his replacement Kevin Youkilis.

More from SB Nation:

• Brian Cashman: A-Rod should "shut the (bleep) up"

• Kemp makes game-winning catch, is awesome

• A brief history of Carlos Marmol and the Cubs

• MLB trade deadline basics

• Alex Gordon attacked by moth

• Brisbee: Should Puig make the NL All-Star team?

Note: I am taking a break from the Roto Roundup for a day, as there were only 7-8 games on Thursday. Instead, I am going to take a look at Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis.

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano has been the hands down #1 fantasy second baseman over the past 3-4 years. Cano is good for 25-30 home runs, 100+ riuns, 90-100 RBI and a .300 batting average. But this season, through June 26h, he is hitting .276-.357-.490 with 16 home runs, 41 runs, 46 RBI and 5 stolen bases through 77 games this season. He is on pace for 33 home runs, 85 runs, 96 RBI and 10 stolen bases, based on projections from ESPN. The home run total would tie his career high, the RBI total is what we would expect from him, but the runs, batting average, and slugging percentage would be his worst since 2008. Oh, the stolen base total would be a career high too.

I think one of the reasons why his performance is down a bit this season is the fact that the Yankees lineup has been decimated with injuries this season. They have been without Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson for the majority of the season. When a team like the Yankees, or any team, runs out the likes of Jayson Nix, Zoilo Almonte, Lyle Overbay, and David Adams, among others, your production will suffer.

Is it possible we could see a change at the top of the fantasy second base rankings heading into the 2014 season? Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis is making me think there could be.

Through 68 games this season, Kipnis is once again having a very good first half of the season. We have seen this movie before, as he started off the 2012 season in a similar manner, but fell off considerably in the second half of his first full season.

Let's compare his 2012 first half stats to his 2013 first half stats:

2012: .277-.345-.419, 11 HRs, 53 runs, 49 RBI, 20 stolen bases, 57-33 K-BB, 329 ABs, 83 games

2013: .288-.370-.512, 11 HRs, 38 runs, 45 RBI, 17 stolen bases, 69-34 K-BB, 260 ABs, 68 games

And here is how his full season stats for 2012 vs ESPN's "on pace" projection for this season:

2012: .257-.335-.379, 14 HRs, 86 runs, 76 RBI, 31 stolen bases, 109-67 K-BB, 591 ABs, 152 games

2013 "on pace": .288-.368-.508, 23 HRs, 79 runs, 95 RBI, 37 stolen bases, 147-71 K-BB, 548 ABs, 143 games

Let's see where Kipnis ranks amongst his brethren at the keystone this season, courtesy of FanGraphs:

BA: 8th

OBP: 5th

SLG: 1st

HRs: tied for 3rd

Runs: tied for 7th

RBI: tied for 3rd, only one RBI behind Cano

SBs: tied for 1st with Jose Altuve

So, needless to say, he is having a terrific season at the plate in his second full season in the big leagues. While his strikeout rate is up (23% vs. 16%), his walk rate is up (11% vs 10%), as is his power (.512 SLG vs .379 SLG), making the bump in the whiff rate a bit more palatable. Last season, he had 40 extra base hits in 591 at bats, and this season, he has almost equalled that total (33 extra base hits) in half as many at bats. His HR/FB rate is up as well, so more of his fly balls are leaving the ball park this season, as well.

We don't know if he can maintain the pace that he is on for the rest of the season, but a second baseman who can hit .288 with 20+ home runs and 37 stolen bases will certainly get you in the conversation as the top fantasy second baseman. We already know that he can steal 30+ bases, as he accomplished that feat last year. What we don't know, but have an idea that he can, is whether he has 20+ home runs in his bat. I have a feeling he does.

If he does, we could be seeing a different guy atop fantasy second base rankings in 2014.

And apparently Jason Lukehart from Let's Go Tribe, in this piece, agrees with me. But, he beat me to it.

Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

• Yankees 0, Rangers 2: Lack of offense is offensive
• Caption this Yankee: Andy Pettitte and Jayson Nix
• Yankees Notes: Cano contract, Hughes should go, draft pick reality & more
• Mark Teixeira injury: Community Reactions
• Mark Teixeira injury: Could JR Murphy make a roster impact?
• Yankees lineup vs. Rangers, A-Rod & Yankees insurance fraud supervillainy
• Yankees Trade Rumors: Seeking right-handed bat
• Baby Bomber Recap 6/26/13: Greg Bird hits seventh homer of the season in Charleston loss

Around the Internet

• A-Rod Plot - Hardball Talk | Craig Calcaterra: Not only are the Alex Rodriguez stories that are coming out contradictory, but they are also factually inaccurate based on the assumption that staying on the DL will allow him to avoid suspension and keep all his money.
• Contract Do-Overs - Baseball Nation | Grant Brisbee: A look at the contracts in the AL East that team executives wish they could take back.
• Not a Distraction - MLB.com | Adam Berry:Derek Jeter believes that the media is more of a distraction than Alex Rodriguez is a distraction to the team.
• Hitting It Where They Are - NoMaas | Martin Riggs: The Yankees have one of the worst BABIPs in the league and it could be the worst mark for the team in this century.
• Five Most Head-Turning Quotes - New York Post | Josh Silverberg: After Brian Cashman told Alex Rodriguez to shut up, here is a list of some of the most infamous Yankee quotes.

Quick Hits

• Gary Sanchez was traded for Pedro Ciriaco...in the Dominican Winter League.
• Derek Jeter ran outside for the first time yesterday.
• Curtis Granderson's hand has healed, but he has yet to swing a bat.
• Eric Jagielo made his professional debut with the GCL Yankees yesterday.
• Former Yankee Ramiro Pena needs labrum surgery.
• Buy Yankees Tickets: You can see the Yankees and Orioles in July for under $20.

Questions of the Day

• Who are the Yankees most likely to trade for?
• Who is the biggest prospect you would be willing to trade?
• Do you prefer smoothies, slurpies, or milkshakes?
• What is the oldest piece of sports memorabilia you own?

Coming Up Today

• Baby Bomber Recap 6/27/13: @ Eric Jagielo's debut 9 am
• Brett Gardner: What is driving his strong offensive season? @ 10 am
• Yankees GIFs of the Week @ 11 am
• Joba Chamberlain Struggles: What do the Yankees do with him? @ 12 pm
• Robinson Cano's Contract: The waiting game sucks @ 2 pm
• New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 pm (Game Thread at 6:30 pm)

I really went overboard with the links today, but there's a lot going on as we approach the All-Star Break and the trading deadline. So let's just get straight to the nonsense.

• Although Alex Rodriguez and Yankees GM Brian Cashman didn't exactly apologize to each other, they both admitted that they could have handled the events of the past week better. So that's all behind us and we can all move on, right?
• Not quite. Bill Maddon and Teri Thompson have an article in the New York Daily News that, anonymously quoting "sources close to the situation," says that A-Rod is rushing his recovery so he can retire before he's suspended. If he can demonstrate that he's physically unable to perform, he'd get to collect the entire amount left on his contract, whether he's playing or not. This is what happened with Albert Belle.
• Jay Jaffe thinks Maddon and Thompson's article is full of holes, and that Rodriguez would have to stay on the DL to collect his salary, where he'd still be subject to suspension. He's also dubious of their sourcing. I wish he'd have asked if the source was George Costanza. But in any case, Jaffe thinks the the Yankees still need Rodriguez and A-Rod still needs the Yankees. He also does a good job summarizing the whole mess.
• In any case, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com says that in a conference call with team officials, Rodriguez said that he didn't know when he'd be able to return to the Yankees. So it doesn't sound like he's rushing back to beat a suspension.
• Finally, Jon Heyman says, about those eight million stories in the Naked City? They're all about A-Rod. And they're not going away anytime soon.
• In other Bronx Zoo news, Mark Teixeirais going to have season-ending wrist surgery.
• With Teixeira gone, Jay Jaffe thinks the Yankees are going to have to make a trade to replace him and runs down the candidates. One of his candidates is Paul Konerko, but Jon Heyman said that the White Soxwill trade anyone but Konerko and Chris Sale. Huh? I mean, Sale I understand. Maybe as a 10-5 player Konerko just isn't willing to go anywhere.
• Speaking of the White Sox, you will never be able to unsee this picture of Hawk Harrelson as the Hamburglar. Technically he's not trying to be the Hamburglar. It's just bad sixties fashion.
• Back to the Yankees, Derek Jeteris running again. No date for a rehab assignment has been set yet.
• The Blue Jays activated Jose Reyes from the DL, which meant fan and clubhouse favorite Munenori Kawasakihad to go down to the minors. USA Today provides a look back at why the Blue Jays loved having Kawasaki around.
• The five-team pennant race in the AL East is unprecedented, writes Paul White of USA Today. Except for the NL East in 1973. I guess the difference is that in the AL East, it's five good teams.
• Ken Rosenthal says the Phillies have big decisions to make about dumping their veteran players. Rosenthal thinks that the decision is complicated by the fact that the Phillies TV contract runs out after the 2015 season.
• Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has one trade that he thinks makes too much sense not to happen: Chase Utley to the Athletics. I'm not sure Ruben Amaro agrees.
• The Marlins are aggressively trying to tradeRicky Nolasco. The Dodgers are the favorites. On the other hand, they're not going to tradeGiancarlo Stanton, at least not this season.
• Albert Chen of SI.com says that while Yasiel Puig gets all the attention, his fellow Cuban Jose Fernandez has the same bright future ahead of him.
• Matt Kemp is adjusting to the reality that he's not the biggest star on the Dodgers anymore.
• The Red Sox strategy is to score early and score often. There's a plan, Theo.
• Ed Hodge pitched 100 innings for the 1984 Twins and never played in the majors again. But the Tigers think he's just now throwing his most important pitches, as the left-handed batting practice pitcher.Prince Fielder credits him with improving his hitting against lefties.
• Jose Valverdehas accepted an assignment to the minors.
• Angels GM Jerry DiPoto says the team will neither buy nor sell at the trade deadline.
• Troy Tulowitzki's injury rehab is proceeding nicely.
• Corey Hart, on the other hand, is likely out for the entire season.
• The Nationals are now struggling to earn the playoff spot that seemed like a foregone conclusion at the beginning of the season.
• Stephen Strasburg's only problem is that he's not getting enough run support, writes Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com.
• Ian Krolhelped to fix the Nationals bullpen. He's not to be confused with Ivan Kral, who helped to fix the Patti Smith Group. (And yes, I'm only including this link so I can make a Patti Smith Group reference.)
• DJ Gallo presents the ABCs of thePittsburgh Pirates.
• Former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton has two brain tumors.
• As you probably know if you watched the Cubs broadcast yesterday, it's been 20 years since the Racing Sausages came to Milwaukee. The Journal-Sentinel has a look back.
• Finally, the New York Times takes a look at Doc Edwards, who is now in his 57th year in baseball. At 76, he's still managing the independent San Angelo Colts. In 1975, he managed the Cubs' Double-A team in Midland, which included such players as Bruce Sutter, Mike Krukow, Dennis Lamp, Donnie Moore and Joe Wallis.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Because I won't be doing as many links as today.

Jump right in! Press the triangle button and stream through your browser right now:

It's been a strange week for the Orioles, but through it all they have come out one game ahead of where they were in 2012. Mark and Stacey kick off the latest Camdencast with reaction to the surprising announcement that T.J. McFarland will start Friday's game to open up the series against the Yankees.

Once Wei-Yin Chen comes off the disabled list, will the starting rotation actually be something resembling solid? Can the Orioles reinforce this year's team in the same way that Manny Machado and Nate McLouth bolstered last year's team? Maybe if Brian Roberts comes back healthy and Nolan Reimold comes back productive, but who knows about that.

Plus, thoughts on giveaways, Orioles in the All-Star Game, and why the National League is stupid.

At about the 30:00 mark, Stacey departs and Mark is again joined by Tanya Bondurant, recently promoted to be the manager of Pinstriped Bible - a well-deserved promotion, I happen to know - to hear about the Yankees story so far this season. There are lots of injuries, some problems in the rotation, a solid bullpen, and a really, really bad offense.

Is CC Sabathia's velocity slowly returning? Who does Tanya want to fire out of a cannon? Which will triumph between David Phelps' tendency to walk batters and the Orioles' hitters tendency to not walk? We told ourselves we wouldn't talk about A-Rod, but he gets mentioned after all. We couldn't help it. All of this and more in the latest Camdencast. Check it out!

This episode is one hour in length.

If you were subscribed to Camdencast on iTunes, you might have been able to listen to the podcast even before this post went up. If you like us, please be sure to rate us as well.

You can also use another program of your choice to subscribe with the XML.

Camdencast remains safe for work, provided that your boss doesn't mind you listening to podcasts instead of while doing work.

If you've ever got any feedback for the podcast, please feel free to let me know in the comments. There is always something I can do better. Take care until next time, and go Orioles!

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Game suspended vs. Syracuse Chiefs

Brett Marshall pitches for the RailRiders today at 7:00 pm.

Double-A Trenton Thunder: Postponed for rain vs. Binghamton Mets

Zach Nuding gets the start for the Thunder tonight at 7:05 pm.

High-A Tampa Yankees: L 1-6, W 3-2 vs. Daytona Cubs

Game One:

SS Eduardo Nunez 0-2 - first rehab game
CF Mason Williams 1-3, K
DH Peter O'Brien 0-3, 2 K
C Gary Sanchez 0-3, K, PB - eighth of the season
LF Ben Gamel 1-3, K
RF Yeral Sanchez 1-3, 2 K
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-3, 2 K
1B Saxon Butler 1-3
3B Dan Fiorito 1-3, RBI, K

Dietrich Enns 3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K - two groundouts, four flyouts
Manny Barreda 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Branden Pinder 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, HB
Taylor Garrison 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

The Yankees recently converted Enns into a starting pitcher after he had been a dominant force out of Charleston's bullpen this season. Enns ran into trouble in the third inning, giving up five runs. His offense only managed to score once, dropping game one of the doubleheader.

Game Two:

CF Mason Williams 0-3, BB - batting .254 this season
SS Dan Fiorito 0-3, BB, K
3B Peter O'Brien 1-4, HR, RBI, 2 K - second homer since his promotion
DH Gary Sanchez 2-3, RBI, K - batting .270/.325/.486 over his last 10 games
RF Yeral Sanchez 0-3, K
1B Saxon Butler 0-3, 3 K
C Tyson Blaser 0-2, BB, K
2B Jose Toussen 0-2, BB - batting .246 this season
LF Fu-Lin Kuo 0-3

Scottie Allen 8 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K - six groundouts, seven flyouts

After trading runs in the first inning, the Yankees and Cubs needed extra innings to settle Game Two, but Tampa got a walk-off solo homer from O'Brien in the eighth inning to give them a win and a split of the doubleheader. Bryan Mitchell starts for Tampa tonight at 7:00 pm at George Steinbrenner Field.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 6-7 vs. Hickory Crawdads

SS Cito Culver 1-5, RBI, K, E6 (9) - 10 for his last 41 (.244)
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-5, 3B, RBI, K
1B Greg Bird 1-5, 2 K - batting .296 this season
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, K - fifth homer of the season
DH Reymond Nunez 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
LF Kelvin De Leon 1-4, BB
CF Jake Cave 2-4, 2B, RBI, OF assist
C Jackson Valera 1-4 - batting .364 with Charleston this season
RF Aaron Gates 0-4, K, OF assist

Luis Niebla 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R/3 ER, BB, 4 K, WP - one groundout, four flyouts
John Brebbia 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K
Phil Wetherell 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Charleston got out to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning before coughing up the lead by allowing a three-run seventh to the Crawdads. A DBJ homer in the bottom of the ninth inning pulled them one run closer to tying the game again, but the rally fell short. Dan Camarena starts for the RiverDogs tonight at 7:05 pm.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: L 8-10 (6.5 innings) vs. Hudson Valley Renegades

2B Derek Toadvine 0-3, BB, K, SB
LF Michael O'Neill 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, SB - batting .324 this season
CF Brandon Thomas 1-3, BB, 2 K, SB - fourth steal this season
DH Yeicok Calderon 1-3, RBI, K - batting .297 with SI
C Isaias Tejeda 2-3, RBI
SS John Murphy 1-3, RBI, E6 - fielding error, first of the season
RF Daniel Lopez 2-3, 2 RBI, K
1B Bubba Jones 1-3, RBI, E3 - missed catch, fourth error of the season
3B Hector Crespo 1-3, RBI - batting .294 this season

Giovanny Gallegos 3 IP, 8 H, 7 R/6 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HB - five groundouts, zero flyouts
Andrew Benak 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Andury Acevedo 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Charles Haslup 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

The Renegades got out to a 4-0 lead before the Yankees ever came to bat, but Staten Island put themselves on top with a big six-run inning of their own in the third. Unfortunately, the pitchers gave it right back by allowing a five-run inning to Hudson Valley in the fourth inning before the game was called in the seventh due to rain. Staten Island takes on the Aberdeen Ironbirds tonight at 7:05 pm.

Notes from the Gulf Coast League:

GCL Yankees 1 beat the GCL Blue Jays 9-0 with three multi-run innings in their first four of the game. Tyler Wade picked up a single and worked two walks, Chris Breen had two singles, Kevin Cornelius singled and drove in a run in addition to walking twice. Jordan Barnes was 0-4 with a strikeout. Luis Severino, Daury Aquino, and Eric Ruth combined for the shutout.

GCL Yankees 2 rallied for two runs in the ninth inning to beat the GCL Astros 5-4 in first round pick Eric Jagielo's debut. Jagielo was 0-2 with a pair of strikeouts before he was removed from the game, likely to not push his newly-recovered hamstring too far on his first day back. Adonis Garcia singled in a run, Nathan Mikolas homered and drove in two in his only at-bat of the day, Renzo Martini was 0-3 with a strikeout, and Jorge Alcantara was 2-4 with a double. Alex Polanco pitched one inning, walking one and striking out another. Rich Mascheri picked up the two-inning save while racking up four strikeouts.

Speculation is a cruel mistress. She whips you with the "Cat o' nine tails" of doubt, impatience, confusion, gossip, anger, "I told you so", and sometimes the amusing fanpost. It's been a bumpy ride this year regarding our All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano. His contract is coming to end and many Yankee fans are in speculation mode, wondering whether or not the Yankees should bring him back due to the amount of years and money he'll want. Spoiler alert: both will be a [expletive deleted]ton. Normally this wouldn't be that big of an issue, since the Yankees are the Yankees and signing players to long term expensive contracts is their forte. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of punching you in the face.

The 2013 season has really punched the Yankees in the face. Repeatedly. This gif should demonstrate my point. Two days ago, Mark Teixeira was declared done for the season, making that long-term contract the Yankees signed him to very painful. So painful that replacement level Lyle Overbay could possibly be our first baseman all year. I shouldn't even need to go into the Alex Rodriguez contract. All I'll say on that matter is that it's so bad that talks of it have now evolved, or devolved, into insurance fraud scam speculation and supposed bitter contempt and mutual hatred between A-Rod and the Yankees. Forget the punch in the face. This is much more appropriate.

Here we are left wondering what is to become of Cano. Again, not to spoil anything, but if the Yankees keep him it's going to cost a lot of money for a long time. There's no denying Robbie's skills both offensively and defensively. Make no mistake, he is an elite second baseman. One of, if not, the best in the league. Those things don't come cheap. The Yankees know it and Cano knows it and Cano's new agent knows it. It's great that we're not dealing with Scott Boras anymore, but that doesn't make the blow to the wallet any easier. What makes it worse is that we have to wait till the end of the season to find out what will become of him. As Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part.

Having said all that, there's still not a doubt in my mind that Cano will sign with the Yankees for the dreaded expensive, long term contract that will make even the most ardent of Robbie fan cringe. If you need a list why, here it is:

• His production cannot be replaced from the minors. If 2013 has provided any lesson whatsoever, it's that as excited as we are to see prospects get a chance, the majority of the time there's a reason they haven't been brought up besides dire necessity. Last I checked, we have no second baseman waiting in the wings.
  
• His production cannot be replaced via free agency or trade. Obviously there's no one on the market as good as Cano. Also, most general managers, perhaps aside from the Dayton Moore, are not that stupid. They know the Yankees are desperate this year and they will most likely not give up any prospects for a free agent they know they have little chance of signing at season's end.
  
• The Yankees are not, repeat, not patient. There is no looking to future with this team. There is only the "WIN NOW AT ANY COST" mentality and deal with the problem later. You know, like 2013 later.
• The Yankees, and more importantly their fans, love All-Stars. There's many a reason the Yankees signed A-Rod to A-Ridiculous contract in 2007. One of which is that he brings fans to the game. Same with Derek Jeter, which is why they had no leverage regarding his recent contract. Ichiro Suzuki is in pinstripes for two years because of the possibility of three thousand hits, the immediate Japanese viewership, and because Japanese beer isn't advertising itself on the radio. Cano is the continuation of this.
• The Yankees are still in contention. It does look grim right now considering we have the offensive capability of a Magikarp combined with a bottle of ZzzQuil. However, if you look at the standing at the halfway mark of the year, every team in the AL East has a .500 or above average. This division is still very winnable, especially now that there are (shudder) two Wild Card spots. The Yankees, hoping that their Magikarp offense evolves into a Gyarados, will need Cano to win.
• The Yankees have other pieces to trade. Factoring in the bullet point above, we're approaching the trade season and the Yankees have pieces to trade. We might love or very much hate the moves they makes due to said "WIN NOW AT ANY COST' mentality. Let's just say this might be the most interesting trade deadline season in a while to watch. We're talking more suspense than watching Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men.

To coin a popular Pinstripe Alley phrase, I'm callin' it. Cano will be in pinstripes this season, next season, and many more seasons to come. For now, I advise you to hope for a seven to eight year deal, to obviously expect more, and pray to whatever higher power you believe in (I choose the Force) that it goes a lot smoother than Jeter's did. Just make the blow swift and painful instead of slow and torturous.

More From Pinstriped Bible

Interview with Yankees prospect Dietrich Enns

Brett Gardner: What is driving his strong offensive season?

Joba Chamberlain Struggles: What do the Yankees do with him?

For those of you who don't know him, Dietrich Enns was drafted in the 19th round of the 2012 draft and after making his debut with the Staten Island Yankees, the left-handed reliever started the 2013 season in Low-A Charleston. There, he posted a ridiculous 0.61 ERA with a 1.24 FIP and an astronomical 14.01 K/9 in 44.1 innings. He was a Sally League All-Star, has since been promoted to High-A Tampa, and is getting a chance in the rotation. Enns was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

What has been the greatest moment of your professional career so far?

I don't think I can pinpoint one specific game but it's always a good feeling getting promoted and it makes me want to work even harder.

How did it feel being selected to the Sally League All-Star team? How did it feel to be promoted?

It was a cool feeling being selected to the All-Star Game. I was excited to go and pitch against the top guys in the league. Great feeling being promoted. A lot of excitement to go out and prove that I can compete at this level.

To what do you owe your success at Charleston this season?

I owe a lot to our pitching coordinator Gil Patterson and pitching coach Danny Borrell for helping me fine tune my slider and make it more effective. They've helped me mentally as well, to go out there with a single focus every time.

What's the biggest difference between the South Atlantic League and the Florida State League?

The biggest difference between leagues is hitters take advantage of poorly executed pitches better.

What is the biggest difference between being a reliever and being a starter?

The difference between starting and relieving is that with starting you need to have good command of all your pitches to be able to go through the lineup a few times. As a reliever you may only pitch 1-2 innings so whatever is working on that day you kind of have to run with it.

What do you think is the strongest part of your game? What do you want to work on?

Strongest part of my game would be my ability to slow the game down and focus on one thing at a time. And I have lots of things to work on haha, but one thing I'm really focusing on is my fastball command

I want to thank Dietrich Enns for taking the time to talk to us. You can follow him on Twitter @DietrichEnns.

More From Pinstriped Bible

An Interview with Jordan Barnes, Yankees 15th round draft pick

Robinson Cano's next contract: Waiting is the hardest part

Joba Chamberlain Struggles: What do the Yankees do with him?

This afternoon, the Orioles lineup came out and it was the "face a lefty" lineup. David Phelps was the scheduled starter. Surprise! Now Saturday's starter, CC Sabathia, is starting today instead.

#Orioles lineup vs Sabathia: Markakis 9, Machado 5, Hardy 6, Jones 8, Davis 3, Wieters 2, Valencia DH, McLouth 7, Casilla 4, McFarland SP

— Brittany Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) June 28, 2013

Saturday's starter is listed as TBA, so there is probably some issue with Phelps. Hiroki Kuroda will still start Sunday's game.

Sabathia last pitched on Saturday, so this will not be a short rest start for him.

Remember how Alexi Casilla had weirdly good numbers against Justin Masterson? Well, he has weirdly good numbers against Sabathia, with a 1.222 OPS in 27 PA. That is a 15-27 with three doubles. J.J. Hardy is 11-32 with six doubles and a home run, which adds up to a .969 OPS. Adam Jones has three home runs in 59 PA.

NYY lineup vs O's: gardner 8 nix 6 cano 4 wells DH Suzuki 9 almonte 7 stewart 2 Adams 3 Gonzalez 5. Sabathia LHP

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) June 28, 2013

T.J. McFarland, making his first start, has seen Yankees batters a total of five times

Against left-handed pitching, the Yankees are batting .233/.306/.337 this season, which may be why McFarland is starting instead of Kevin Gausman. But still... it's T.J. McFarland.

Here's a little more about the Sabathia mystery:

According to Larry Rothschild, Sabathia was always supposed to pitch today. He gave the media relations department the wrong info.

— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) June 28, 2013

Rothschild is the Yankees pitching coach. He also said Phelps was always supposed to start Saturday. So it looks like there's nothing to see here, just two guys being swapped.

My friend and today's podcast guest, Tanya from Pinstriped Bible, informs me that CC hates starting on extra rest. If your $122 million man says he doesn't want an extra day of rest, you'd shift your rotation too.

Obligatory Brian Roberts rehab tweet:

Brian Roberts leading off and playing 2B for Norfolk tonight. Urrutia RF and batting third. #Orioles#tides

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) June 28, 2013

He is supposed to return for Sunday night's game.

The Yankees have released their lineup for tonight's game against the Baltimore Orioles and T.J. McFarland:

#Yankees lineup vs BAL: Gardner CF, Nix SS, Cano 2B, Wells DH, Suzuki RF, Almonte LF, Stewart C, Adams 1B, Gonzalez 3B, Sabathia P

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 28, 2013

Brett Gardner is back in the lineup after taking yesterday off because of a head cold. That means Vernon Wells is out of the outfield today, however he is still in the lineup, batting cleanup again, as the DH.

This will be Zoilo Almonte's first start against a left-hander, despite poor career numbers against them in the minors. Interestingly, Chris Stewart has been moved up in the lineup to the 7th spot so David Adams and Alberto Gonzalez can stay at the bottom of the lineup.

David Adams is getting his first start at first base, which will be interesting to see. Lyle Overbay has been terrible against left-handed hitters, but Joe Girardi has started him regardless, since the Yankees have no alternatives. It seems that Adams is suddenly an option there, so we'll see what happens.

David Phelps has apparently been scratched from tonight's start, but it was unclear as to why. Speculation about a trade began to surface, but Brian Cashman has no interest in trading him. Phelps is healthy and still with the team and will be starting on Saturday. According to Larry Rothchild, CC Sabathia was always supposed to start tonight's game, but the probables were submitted incorrectly. However, there is a much more likely reason for the change:

Moving CC Sabathia up one day gives him an extra start before the All Star Break. I'll be surprised if that isn't the reason for the switch.

— The Captain's Blog (@williamnyy23) June 28, 2013

Hopefully CC can get them through the first half of the season, despite his inconsistencies.

NoMaas thinks the Yankees are trying to disrespect Flanny.

More From Pinstriped Bible

Interview with Yankees prospect Dietrich Enns

Robinson Cano's next contract: Waiting is the hardest part

Joba Chamberlain Struggles: What do the Yankees do with him?

This game looked to be going so well. CC Sabathia pitched a no hitter into the sixth inning and the Yankees offense took a three run lead over T.J. McFarland, which is a good lead for the 2013 Yankees. The problem was that the Yankees knocked McFarland out of the game in the third inning and Kevin Gausman came in and shut the Yankees out from then on. Once CC gave up his no hitter with a single by Nate McLouth, he also gave up a single to Alexi Casilla, a double to Manny Machado, and an infield single to Adam Jones and just like that the Yankees' lead was gone. McLouth homered in his next at-bat to take the lead and pretty much end the game. I actually thought CC was going to pitch a no hitter.

The Yankees offense collected seven hits and a walk in 2.2 innings, but only managed four hits for the rest of the game. They scored a run in the first inning after a Brett Gardner double and a Robinson Cano single. Then in the third, Jayson Nix, Vernon Wells and Chris Stewart all collected hits to score the three runs. Beyond that it was just an assortment of a few hits.

The Good:

CC Sabathia pitched seven innings and gave up five hits and four runs with six strikeouts.

Joba Chamberlain didn't give up any hits or runs and struck out a batter!

Brett Gardner had two hits and Robinson Cano had three, two of which were off lefties.

David Adams walked on four pitches.

Zoilo Almonte got a hit and stole a base on Matt Wieters!

At least there's that.

After being shutout over 7.1 innings between Gausman and Tommy Hunter, it's pretty clear that the Yankees need to upgrade their offense. It's gotten ridiculous how bad this team is right now, so if they don't do something they'll fall out of contention pretty soon.

More From Pinstriped Bible

Interview with Yankees prospect Dietrich Enns

Robinson Cano's next contract: Waiting is the hardest part

Joba Chamberlain Struggles: What do the Yankees do with him?

All week long it was thought that Kevin Gausman would start tonight's baseball game. He had been called up and was sitting in the bullpen all week. It just made sense. You don't call up your top pitching prospect to let him rot in the pen. But last night, Buck Showalter shocked the world with his announcement that it would be T.J. McFarland instead of Gausman. It was explained by writers (including by Mark and me on our podcast) that the rationale must be the fact that the Yankees have been putrid against lefties this season and McFarland is left handed. So the question was, are the Yankees so bad at hitting lefties that they would even roll over against a pitcher such as McFarland?

The answer, we learned, was no. McFarland got knocked around from the get go. He gave up a run on two hits in the first inning and struggled through a scoreless second before it really fell apart in the third inning. Back-to-back singles by Jayson Nix and Robinson Cano put runners on the corners for Vernon Wells. Wells has been pretty awful late, but he still singled back up the middle to knock in Nix and make the score 2-0.

McFarland bounced back to strike out Ichiro, and a force out by Zoilo Almonte put runners on the corners with two outs. All McFarland needed to go was retire Chris Stewart, but he wasn't able. Stewart lifted a fly ball to center field that was too shallow for Adam Jones to catch and Cano came in to score. It was a cheap hit, but it was all she wrote for McFarland. Buck Showalter came to the mound and replaced him with the guy we all thought would start tonight: Kevin Gausman. Gausman struck out David Adams to end the inning and it was just the start of a very good night for the rookie.

But first, I suppose we should talk about the O's offense through the first five innings. Are you ready? They were no hit and the only runner was Alexi Casila, who reached on an error in the third inning. CC Sabathia was rolling, as CC tends to do. And the O's bats were quiet for the first part of the game, as has been their way of late. It looked like the 3-0 lead would be more than enough for the Yankees to cruise to victory.

Speaking of cruising, Gausman looked great pitching the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. He faced eleven batters in the three innings, allowing just two singles. He did just what the Orioles needed from him, which was hold the Yankees offense down in hopes that the O's bats would wake up. They did.

Nate McLouth led off the bottom of the sixth and lined a ball back up the middle. Finally! This was the night the O's would be no hit. I could feel it. I was wrong, happily. Alexi Casilla was up next and he hit a ball back towards Sabathia. Sabathia fielded but there was no one covering first base! I love when that happens.

After Nick Markakis popped up for the first out, young Manny Machado stepped to the plate. The world leader in doubles did it again, hitting a liner between the center and right fielders. Both runners scored and Manny stood on second, the tying run. J.J. Hardy hit a fly ball to center field. It was deep, but not super deep. Manny made the gutsy decision to tag up and go to third. The throw wasn't particularly close, but it was still a risky play. Some Orioles fans probably didn't like it. They probably thought Manny was already in scoring position so why risk the out? I'll tell you why. In case what happened next is what happens next.

Adam Jones stepped to the plate with two outs and the tying run on third. He worked the count full and then Sabathia threw a fastball that Jones chopped to the right side of the infield. Sabathia fielded, spun, and threw....nowhere near first base. Jones was safe, Machado scored, and the game was tied! That was all they would get as Chris Davis struck out to end the inning, his third K of the night.

With the game now tied, Gausman came back out for the seventh inning. There was a scary moment with the first batter when Nix hit a ball back up the middle that ricocheted off of Gausman's hip. Machado alertly got the out on the deflection, but the trainers came out to make sure Goose was all right. He was.

Next up was Cano, who hit a groundball against the shift for a single. But Gausman wasn't phased and got the next two hitters easily. His final line on the night was 4 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

McLouth, who had broken up the no hitter in the previous inning, did one better in the seventh. He broke the tie with a home run to right field. It was a moon shot, and it was beautiful. The 40,000 plus crowd (that was definitely pro-Orioles) erupted in the stands. The O's were up 4-3. But could they hold it?

Tommy Hunter came in and pitched the final two innings of the game and he was outstanding. He pitched an easy eighth inning and then came back for the ninth even though it was a save situation. That proved to be a great decision as Hunter struck out the first two batters and the got the dangerous Cano to ground out to third base to end the game.

O's win! They take the first game of the series and put another game between themselves and the third place Yankees.

Do you have some trade offers you are consider, but need to bounce them off of someone? Are you pondering a roster move and want a second opinion? Feel free to post your questions in the Fantasy Baseball Questions thread.

Fake Teams Podcast, Episode 13: We Can Handle the Truth

Zack and Andrew hosted episode 13 of the Fake Teams podcast where they discussed Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kipnis, John Lackey, scouting grades and much more. You can listen to the podcast in two ways:

MP3

ITunes

Jason Kipnis is on fire

There were lots of runs scored in Chicago on Friday, and looking at the boxscore for this game, you see the Indians had their way with the White Sox pitching staff. Eight of their nine hitters had two hits or more, and Jason Kipnis, of course, led the way. Kipnis went 3-4.with 3 walks, 3 doubles, 2 RBI and a stolen base, raising his triple slash line to .295-.379-.522 with 11 HRs, 42 runs, 47 RBI and 18 stolen bases. He won't keep hitting like this all season, but he is making fantasy owners, me, start to move him up in their second base rankings. I wrote about Kipnis yesterday, where I discuss the possibility of Kipnis as the #1 fantasy second baseman, so check it out.

For more on Kipnis and the Indians, please check out Let's Go Tribe, SB Nation's Indians fan site.

Wil Myers showing off some power

I haven't had the chance to write about Rays outfielder Wil Myers since he was called up, but I have to say I am a little surprised at how well he is doing. Myers went 2-4 with a HR and 2 runs scored in the Rays 6-3 loss to the Tigers last night. Myers is now hitting .289-.304-.511 with 3 HRs, 5 runs and 9 RBI in just 45 at bats. He will be batting in the middle of the Rays order before too long. HIs power is for real.

He will have to work on the 12-1 strikeout to walk rate though. He walked around 10% of his plate appearances in the minors, so I expect him to start taking some free passes once he goes around the league once.

For more on Myers and the Rays, check out DRaysBay, SB Nation's Rays fan site.

Johnny Cueto, Evan Longoria injured

Reds starter Johnny Cueto left Friday's game with an injury. Here is MLB.com's Mark Sheldon on the injury via Twitter:

Cueto injured for 3rd time on 1-2 pitch to Moreland. Immediately looked in pain and comes out. Cingrani in. #reds

— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) June 29, 2013

Sheldon later tweeted that he thinks Cueto aggravated the lat injury that he has dealt with all season. I assume the Reds will take it reeeeeeaaaal slow with him this time. Tony Cingrani should take Cueto's spot in the Reds rotation, again.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria re-aggravated the plantar fascitis injury while running out a ground ball last night. Early reports indicate he may miss a few games as a result.

Round'em Up

Indians pitching prospect Trevor Bauer didn't make it out of the first inning last night, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits, including 2 home runs, and a walk. This is all just part of the learning curve that young pitchers deal with every year. At what point will the Indians just leave him in their starting rotation. He will have to learn to limit the free pass before he even sniffs the potential he had coming out of UCLA. He was optioned to AAA after the game.

One pitching prospect who had struggled before getting sent back down to AAA a few weeks ago is Kevin Gausman. Gausman relieved T.J. McFarland with two outs in the third inning, and proceeded to toss 4.1 scoreless innings vs the Yankees last night. He gave up just 3 hits, walking none and striking out 4 to earn his first major league win. Gausman could have earned himself a spot in the rotation after his performance last night. He has a bright future with the Orioles, and could help fantasy teams in the second half of the season.

Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has had his share of struggles this season, and last, but last night he probably had his best game of the season. Hosmer went 3-4 with 2 HRs, 3 runs and 3 RBI in the Royals win over the Twins. Hosmer is now hitting .274-.327-.402 with 6 HRs, 38 runs, 32 RBI and 7 stolen bases thus far. He has plenty of work to do to reach the potential he had when he was called up, but he has been hitting better since George Brett took over as the Royals hitting coach. In 101 June at bats, he has twice as many extra base hits (12, 5 of them homers) as he had in April and May combined (6). The increase in power is a positive sign for the Royals and his fantasy owners.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball, no doubt, and more than likely the slam dunk #1 pcik in 2014 fantasy drafts. Last night, he went 4-4 with 2 HRs, 3 runs and 3 RBI in the Tigers 6-3 win over the Rays. Miggy raised his triple slash line to .377-.464-.682 with 24 HRs, 62 runs, and 81 RBI in 78 games, putting him on pace for 50 HRs and 168 RBI. Triple Crown #2??

Who has the better shot at hitting 50 home runs this season: Miguel Cabrera or Chris Davis?

Tigers starter Max Scherzer is having the best year of his career thus far, and I think he is the favorite for the American League Cy Young award, especially after winning his 12th game of the season last night. Scherzer gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, a walk and 9 strikeouts in the Tigers 6-3 win. Scherzer is now 12-0 with a 3.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 131-25 strikeout to walk rate in 110.1 innings. Heck, if I didn't include his name in this blurb, one would think I was talking about Justin Verlander and not Scherzer.

Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin appears to be back to being the pitcher he was several years ago. Last night, he shut out the Giants on 3 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in 8 innings to win his 7th game of the season. Chacin is now 7-3 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 95.1 innings. He has not given up a run in his last two starts, covering 15 innings, and has given up two runs or less in each of his last four starts.

More from Fake Teams

2013 Prospect Rankings: The Midseason Top-100

Failed Baseball America prospects: "The Scouting Report Phenom"

Fake Teams Podcast Episode 13: We Can Handle The Truth

Streamer Report: Weekend Pitching Streamers

Low Level Prospect Review: Renato Nunez, 3B, Oakland Athletics

Waiting in the Wings: Billy Hamilton

Dropping Starlin Castro

Around the League - A.L.

Note: I have a graduation party to attend this afternoon/evening, so there will be no Roundup on Sunday morning.

Tomorrow marks the halfway point, calendar-wise, of the 2013 season. 3 months have passed, and 3 months have yet to play out. Soon some of the best players in baseball will be recognized for their first-half achievements through selection to the All-Star game. The trade deadline looms on the horizon, with the proverbial countdown clock officially set to 31 days and counting.

For today though, I wanted to look at the manner in which teams have been winning. Unlike other sports, players on a baseball team are distinctly separated into two groups, those who pitch, and those who don't. Everyone, other than the designated hitter in the American League, fields, and all except pitchers in the AL run the bases.

From the hitting side, 9 players hit on a regular basis for each team. Given that every team gets at least 27 plate

When will the "Year of the Pitcher" end?

Do you know Stephen Loftus? If not, this will count as your introduction. Stephen takes a look at the current dominance of pitching, wondering when we can expect a change based on historical data.

appearances per game, and each starter can theoretically get 3 each, the weight gets spread around. A player who hits three solo home runs does incredibly well, but if the rest of the lineup produces all outs, the overall outcome is weak. If instead every other hitter in the lineup singled in each of his at bats, a few runs may score, but depending on the types of outs the other players make, that lineup could also produce a weak offensive output.

Rarely can one player on a team carry his club at the plate, it takes a solid effort from at least a couple of players over the course of weeks of games to score enough runs to win on a consistent basis. Despite this, given the midway point of the season, it's interesting to look at the most valuable position players from each team thus far, and get a sense of their contributions in comparison to their team's overall success or lack thereof. Here is a list of each team's current compiled position player fWAR and each team's top fWAR position player (For a more complete table visit this link):

Most of these names are expected; league MVP candidates like Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, and Mike Trout lead their respective teams in value, garnering a sizeable percentage thus far. Low team position player fWAR does not imply poor results in the win-loss columns as proved by the Washington Nationals, a team underperforming their talent, but one that has accumulated wins due to their pitching, not their hitting.

Every position on the diamond other than pitcher is represented in the list of top players, highlighting the face that no one position dominates the game, especially when looking at overall value including fielding and base running. Some surprising names include Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins, Kyle Seager of the Mariners, Evan Gattis of the Braves, and Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals. Ozuna began the season in high-A Jupiter before making his way to Double-A, and finally to the majors as a fill in for an injured Giancarlo Stanton. Nonetheless, the young right fielder has compiled more fWins than the entire White Sox team; in fact it's more than double. Kyle Seager has followed a steady path upwards since his call up to the show improving in all three slash line categories, increased the rate at which he walks, all while limiting his strikeouts. Despite the numerous busts in the Mariners lineup this season, Seager has carved out a spot for himself in Seattle's lineup everyday. Matt Carpenter is the do-it-all man for the St. Louis Cardinals. He, like Seager, can play multiple infield positions, but instead of third base, Carpenter has found a home at second base, combining a near .400 on base percentage with a low walk rate of 13.3% to make himself a tough out for any pitcher. In addition, Carpenter has shown prowess on the defensive side with a 7.0 UZR/150, 5 DRS, and 1.3 FRAA in the field this season.

Now that we've perused the top position players, let's talk pitching.

When it comes to pitching, a few teams distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. The Tigers, Cardinals, Yankees, and Rangers all have winning records, and all currently or have at one point in the season held the top spot in their respective divisions, but they have done so through starting pitching. Tigers' righty Max Scherzer has compiled the same if not more fWins than numerous teams in the league. The Yankees may not occupy the top spot in the AL East, and have about as much money sitting on the DL as they do on the field, but between Hiroki Kuroda, C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and others, the Yankees have kept the ship afloat. The Cardinals win in all aspects of the game, but none better than starting pitching. The Red Birds have three of the best pitchers in baseball in their rotation, Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller, and Lance Lynn. The most interesting team of this bunch has to the San Diego Padres. The Friars stand just around the .500 mark, but have done so not with their trademark pitching, but instead in other aspects of the game. The Padres have the only negative pitching value in baseball at -0.3 fWins.

It's fascinating to see which teams have relied heavily on one or two specific players either in their lineup or rotation in order to win this season, which teams spread it out, needing only solid numbers from numerous players to compile victories. Teams win in different ways, and while most would like to have every player in their lineup play at a high level, some teams, like the Angels from a position player standpoint or the Phillies from a starting pitching standpoint rely heavily on one player in particular.

. . .

Big thanks to Fangraphs and Baseball Prospectus for the data used in this article.

Ben Horrow is a writer for Beyond the Box Score, That Balls Outta Here, and Summer Pastime.

You can follow him on twitter @Summerpastime.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 4-5, W 6-0 vs. Syracuse Chiefs

Thursday's game completed:

CF Corey Patterson 0-4, BB
C JR Murphy 1-3, 2B, 2 BB - batting .304 since his promotion
1B Dan Johnson 0-3, 2 BB
DH Randy Ruiz 2-5, K
RF Thomas Neal 2-4, BB
3B Brent Lillibridge 1-2, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, CS
2B Casey Stevenson 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB - batting .417 with SWB
LF Cody Grice 0-4, 3 K, OF assist
SS Walter Ibarra 2-4, RBI, CS

Caleb Cotham 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - four groundouts, one flyout
Chase Whitley 2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Josh Spence 2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Matt Daley 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

After giving up the lead in a three-run sixth inning by the Chiefs, the RailRiders got back within a run in the seventh, but couldn't complete the rally in the completion of Thursday's suspended game.

Yesterday's regularly scheduled game:

CF Corey Patterson 0-4, K
2B Brent Lillibridge 1-4, HR, RBI - second homer with SWB
RF Fernando Martinez 2-4, K
1B Randy Ruiz 3-3, HR, 2 RBI - fourth homer with SWB, batting .321 since being acquired
DH Dan Johnson 0-1, 2 BB, K
3B Addison Maruszak 1-2, 2 RBI, HBP
LF Thomas Neal 2-3, 2B - batting .349 in Triple-A this season
C Bobby Wilson 0-3
SS Walter Ibarra 0-3, K

Brett Marshall 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - six groundouts, two flyouts
Jim Miller 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

The RailRiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead and added three more runs in the third before capping off their night with an additional run in the sixth to complete the shutout. Graham Stoneburner starts for the RailRiders today at 6:05 pm against Pawtucket.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 3-7 vs. Binghamton Mets

LF Ramon Flores 1-4, 2 K - batting .240 this season
CF Slade Heathcott 0-3, 3 K, HBP, E8 - fielding error, fourth of the season
RF Tyler Austin 0-4, K
1B Kyle Roller 1-3, BB, K - batting .278/.381/.417 over his last 10 games
SS Carmen Angelini 2-4, 2B
DH Andrew Clark 0-4, 2 K
3B Reegie Corona 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 K, E5 (9) - batting .218 this season
2B Jose Pirela 1-4, 2 RBI
C Francisco Arcia 0-3, BB, 2 K, PB (1)

Zach Nuding 5 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, WP - 3.78 ERA this season, 2-9 record
Jeremy Bleich 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HB
Aaron Dott 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, K

Trenton could only manage to score in a three-run third inning, and Nuding wasn't sharp for the first three innings and couldn't keep the Mets off the board. Despite this poor game, the Thunder have been unkind to Nuding all season. Shane Greene gets his third Double-A start for Trenton tonight at 5:05 pm against the Mets. Mikey O'Brien will start Game Two of the doubleheader.

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 6-13 vs. Daytona Cubs

SS Eduardo Nunez 1-1, BB, SB
SS Ali Castillo 2-3, RBI, K
CF Ben Gamel 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, CS - batting .286 this season
3B Peter O'Brien 1-4, 2 RBI, K
C Gary Sanchez 0-3, RBI, 2 K, E2 - throwing error, fifth of the season
RF Yeral Sanchez 1-4, 2B
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-3, BB, K, E4 - throwing error, thirteenth of the season
1B Saxon Butler 0-2, BB, K, CS, HBP
DH Dan Fiorito 1-3, BB - batting .276 this season
LF Taylor Dugas 0-3, BB, K - first game since being promoted

Bryan Mitchell 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R/4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, WP, HB - five groundouts, one flyout
Diego Moreno 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, K, WP
Alex Smith 1.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, BB, K, 2 WP - three groundouts, one flyout
Branden Pinder 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

A horribly ugly game for Tampa pitchers to say the least. The Yankees managed to score four runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game, but the runs kept coming for the Cubs, who notched fifteen hits. Rafael De Paula makes his second start with the Yankees tonight at 6:30 pm.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 5-0 vs. Hickory Crawdads

SS Cito Culver 1-4, BB, SB
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-4, BB, SB, E4(1) - batting .200 since his demotion
DH Greg Bird 0-5, 3 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4
1B Reymond Nunez 3-4, HR, 4 RBI - eighth homer of the season
LF Kelvin De Leon 0-4, 2 K
CF Jake Cave 1-3, 2B, BB - batting .268 this season
C Wes Wilson 0-3, 2 K, HBP
RF Danny Oh 2-3, BB, K

Dan Camarena 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K - two groundouts, five flyouts
Adam Smith 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
James Pazos 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K, HB - 18 of 29 pitches for strikes
Zach Arneson 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K

Charleston got an excellent starting performance out of Camarena and got on the board early with two runs in the first inning. That would be all they'd need, as the RiverDogs' pitchers kept the Crawdads off the board and limited them to only three hits. Cesar Vargas gets the start for Charleston today at 6:05 pm against Hickory.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: L 1-2 (10 innings) vs. Aberdeen Ironbirds

2B Derek Toadvine 1-4, K - 11 for his last 34 (.324)
CF Michael O'Neill 0-3, K, CS, HBP
LF Brandon Thomas 1-3, RBI, HBP
1B Kale Sumner 1-3, K, HBP - batting .375/.487/.438 over his first nine games
SS John Murphy 0-4, 2 K
RF Mikeson Oliberto 0-4
3B Hector Crespo 0-4, K
DH Daniel Aldrich 0-4, 2 K
C Trent Garrison 1-3, K, 2 PB - batting .125

Caleb Smith 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - three groundouts, two flyouts
Philip Walby 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Dillon McNamara 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K, pickoff, E1 - interference error
Nick Rumebelow 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - first appearance of the season
Stefan Lopez 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Staten Island rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning and send the game to extra innings, but the bullpen faltered in the 10th and gave the Ironbirds the walk-off victory. The Yankees take on the Ironbirds again tonight at 7:05 pm.

Notes from the Gulf Coast League:

The Yankees two Gulf Coast League teams played each other yesterday, with GCL Yankees 1 topping GCL Yankees 2 by a score of 10-2. For the winning side, Tyler Wade singled and worked a walk, Gosuke Katoh homered for the third time in his short professional career, picking up three RBI and drawing two walks. Eric Jagielo remained hitless after going 0-2 in his second day of professional action. Catcher Eduardo de Oleo drove in four runs and picked up two hits, including a double. Brady Lail picked up the win for Yankees 1 with five innings of two-run ball.

On the losing side, Nathan Mikolas picked up two hits, including a double, but struck out twice. Dalton Smith also had two hits and two strikeouts, but managed to drive in one of the two Yankees 2 runs. Renzo Martini picked up his third double of the season. Wilton Rodriguez started for Yankees 2 and lasted only one out. These two teams match up again today at 10:00 am.

The elephant in the room for the past year has been Robinson Cano's contract situation, and that elephant is getting larger with every passing day. Recently, it was reported that Cano and his new agent, Jay-Z, were looking for a ten-year, $275 million A-Rod-type deal, while the Yankees were more comfortable offering something similar to David Wright's eight-year, $138 million contract. Ideally, it will fall somewhere in between. We know Cano is one of the best second basemen of the last decade, but how does he stack up historically, and how do those players play after their age 30 seasons?

Assuming he gets an eight-year contract covering his age 31-38 seasons, how have second basemen in that age group done since integration in 1947? Out of 124 qualified second basemen, only eight of them, or 6.45%, even averaged 500 plate appearances (4000 total PA) over their age 31-38 seasons. Only 30 of the 124, or 24.2%, averaged 400 plate appearances (3200 total PA) over their age 31-38 seasons. Second basemen do not stay healthy historically. How healthy are second basemen in their age 31-40 seasons? Out of 127 qualified second basemen age 31-40, only four averaged 500 plate appearances per season for ten seasons (3.1%), and only ten averaged 400 plate appearances (7.9%).

Looking at fWAR, only five second basemen age 31-38 posted over 29 fWAR, and they are the who's who for second basemen since integration: Jackie Robinson, Joe Morgan, Craig Biggio, Jeff Kent, and Lou Whitaker. These are the same five that have more than 29 fWAR in their age 31-40 seasons, although only Morgan, Biggio, and Kent played past age 38. Those three combined for 10.8 fWAR over seven seasons, an average of 1.5 fWAR per season - not very impressive. We know Cano has played as well as those players before his thirties, but can he be as healthy as they were in his thirties?

The median fWAR for the 124 qualified second basemen age 31-38 is 5.8 - yuck! Let's assume he can be as healthy as the top quartile, and reach 3000 plate appearances. The median fWAR is Hall of Famer Nellie Fox, with 18.6 fWAR. If we assume $6 million per win for the contract, that would be $111.6 million over eight years. If we think he is getting an eight-year, $200 million contract, we would have to assume he would have 33.3 fWAR over the next eight years, which would place him fourth, behind Joe Morgan, Jackie Robinson, and Jeff Kent.

How does this math change for if he signs a ten-year deal? The median fWAR for the 127 qualified second basemen age 31-40 is 5.0 - even worse. Again, if we assume he will reach 3000 plate appearances in his age 31-40 seasons, the median of that group of second basemen is 16.0 fWAR. At $6 million per win for the contract, that would be $96 million over ten years. If we think he is getting a ten-year, $275 million contract, we would have to assume he creates at least 45.8 fWAR over the next ten years. That would be the second-highest fWAR of any second baseman age 31-40, trailing Joe Morgan by only one win.

Cano is currently in his age 30 season. Out of all second basemen since integration, he is ranked 13^th in fWAR through age 29, his last full season. He is also ranked 13^th through age 30, and will probably end the season 11^th since integration, with an outside shot at breaking the top ten. Here are the second baseman who topped 30 fWAR by age 30 since 1947:

Pedroia is a year younger, so if he can stay healthy, he will probably pass Cano by the end of his age 30 season. This list shows that Cano, through his age 30 season, is one of the elite post-integration second basemen. So it may be more instructive to look at this select group to try to predict how Cano will perform in the future. How did these 17 second basemen listed above, with 30+ fWAR through their age 30 season, do after their age 30 season?

Cano and Pedroia are still active, as is Chase Utley, who still ranks 26^th in post-30 second base fWAR since integration. Out of the 14 that have retired, six of them, or 43%, ended up moving off of second base. The average post-30 fWAR created by the 14 retired second basemen is 22.9, with a median of 23.6 fWAR. They averaged 7.4 additional years played, with a median of seven years. I want to take this moment to point out how great Joe Morgan was - he is first in both pre-31 and post-30 fWAR for second baseman since integration. Of the eight that remained at second base after their age-30 season, they all ranked in the top 28 for second basemen in post-30 fWAR. Only four of the 14 non-active second basemen listed lasted at least ten years, and only six lasted at least eight years, three of whom moved away from second base.

There is a lot of risk with this contract. Three of the 14 retired elite post-integration second basemen could be categorized as post-30 busts - Knoblauch (who most of us had to live through), McDougald (another Yankee), and Alfonso. That is a 21% bust rate for players who were elite second basemen going into their thirties. Personally, I think eight years for a second baseman is too long, and ten years even more so. The longest contract ever for a second baseman is seven years for Chase Utley, whose recent poor health probably doesn't help Cano's desire for a long-term contract. The highest AAV ever for a second baseman is $15 million for Ian Kinsler. At $17.25 million per year, matching the David Wright contract, Cano would beat the AAV record for second basemen; at $27.5 million, he would shatter it.

If we would expect him to be as productive as the elite second basemen are after their age-30 season, he should receive a seven-year, $141.6 million contract, with the expectation of playing seven years and creating 23.6 fWAR. That is pretty close to David Wright's eight-year, $138 million contract, but with one less year, boosting the AAV over $20 million. If the Yankees decide to sign him to an A-Rod type of contract, they would be betting that he will join Joe Morgan as the best post-age-30 second baseman since integration. That is a pretty high-risk, low-reward bet.

If he wants to beat both the AAV and the contract length records for second basemen, an 8 year $160 million would do the trick. If he wants anything above a $25 million AAV, the team should not go beyond six years. However, this analysis does not take into account less tangible factors, like ticket sales, fan goodwill, advertising dollars, milestone chases, face of the franchise value, and where the team is on the win-curve (hint - always in the playoff hunt). The question is, how much are these, and other, factors worth?

If I were Brian Cashman, I would offer a seven-year, $150 million contract, with three option years structured as follows: a $10 million buyout, a $17 million player option, and a $24 million team option for each option year. This would give the total potential value of the contract $222 million over 10 years, similar to the 10/$225 contract Joey Votto signed, with a minimum of seven years, $160 million. This total is more than what the historical performance of elite second basemen would dictate, but takes into account the importance of a career Yankee like Cano, a player with an elite bat at a key defensive position playing for a team that is in perpetual contention. But it also builds in some protections in the event that Cano does not remain productive through his thirties.

So, what do you think? If you were Brian Cashman, what type of offer would you extend to Cano? Vote on the options below, and discuss in the comments.

The Yankees turn to David Phelps after last night's game went from great to terrible in roughly one inning. Phelps has been very solid in four starts this June, going 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA and holding opponents to a .239 batting average against. You can catch tonight's game on FOX, if you don't happen to be blacked out.

Sunbather Lineup: Gardner 8, Nix 6, Cano 4, Wells DH, Suzuki 9, Almonte 7, Adams 5, Overbay 3, Romine 2, Phelps 1. #yankees

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughSL) June 29, 2013

Robinson Cano has the best numbers off Orioles starter Zach Britton across a limited sample, having gone 4-10 with a walk and two strikeouts against the Baltimore lefty. No Yankees in tonight's lineup have ever managed a home run against Britton, and only Jayson Nix has an extra base hit against him. To be fair, no players have faced him more than Cano's 11 plate appearances, but this lineup has been brutal against lefties so far this season, last night against T.J. McFarland not withstanding. The fact that Vernon Wells is the DH and batting cleanup when he has hit .140/.156/.163 over his last 14 games is one of the constant reminders that this team is desperate for a bat. That line improves all the way to .188/.188/.250 if you only include his last seven games. Couldn't anyone else bat cleanup? Anyone?

Speaking of needing a bat:

To those asking, #Yankees not on Nolasco or any other pitcher. If anything, they have excess (Hughes, Chamberlain). Need bats (duh).

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 29, 2013

Well, that's pretty obvious. The Yankees likely have pitchers to spare with Michael Pineda possibly being ready to join the rotation sooner or later. It makes no sense for the Yankees to really pursue someone like Ricky Nolasco when the major need is offense. The pitching staff, even considering some recent struggles from Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes' inconsistency, has been one of the few bright spots of this team all season. What wastes those performances is the lack of hitting that makes any deficit feel insurmountable. Currently only a few games out of a playoff spot, this team can compete down the stretch if they improve their offense and their pitching doesn't completely fall apart. Pitching hasn't been the problem at all.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

Yankees trade rumors update: Will Michael Young be a Yankee?

Robinson Cano contract extension: Show him the money!

The new Brett Gardner

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez wouldn't tell reporters the timetable for his return, or when he will start a minor-league rehab assignment, but he did express his excitement to return to the team. On Saturday, he told the Associated Press that he "can't wait to get back" on the field.

"So far, no issues," Rodriguez said. "I'm just working really hard. I'm having fun. It's exciting to be back on the field."

On Tuesday, Rodriguez posted on Twitter that he met with his hip surgeon, who cleared him to return to playing, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that he had not received the same clearance from team doctors yet.

In his absence, third base has been covered by David Adams and Kevin Youkilis, although neither have had much success at the plate. The Yankees have earned a 42-37 record and are in the third place in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox.

Rodriguez has a career batting average of .300 and has earned 14 trips to the All Star Game, although he was not selected for the game in 2012.

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After losing a lead yesterday, the Yankees never got that option today. The Orioles blew the game open in the first inning and never looked back. Baltimore came away with a 11-3 win on Saturday.

The Yankees did however come close to taking a lead in the first inning. After getting to two outs quickly, Robinson Cano singled on a ball that hit off Chris Davis' glove and went into left field. Vernon Wells came up and he singled on a slow grounder that rolled into left. Ichiro Suzuki was next and he too singled by hitting a ground ball that bounced straight up in the air. By the time it came down, pitcher Zach Britton had no other play but to go to first, but Ichiro was safe. Next hitter Zoilo Almonte hit one deep into right field, but Nick Markakis made the catch to end that threat. Stranding those runners came back to haunt them in a big way in the bottom half of the inning.

With David Phelps on the mound, Nate McLouth led off for the Orioles. He popped one into foul territory on which David Adams made a nice sliding catch for the first out if the inning. After that, things went downhill. Manny Machado hit an infield single on a grounder that Jayson Nix got to, but couldn't make a play on. Nick Markakis then singled into left field, which put runners at first and second. Adam Jones came up and he singled too, which scored Machado and made it 1-0. The very next batter, Chris Davis, smashed a three-run home run over the left center field wall, making it 4-0 Orioles. Matt Weiters then popped up for the second out. But Phelps still wasn't close to being out of the inning, as JJ Hardy singled next. Former Yankee Chris Dickerson then doubled, keeping the inning alive, still. Phelps finally got out of it, when he struck out Ryan Flaherty. But after nine batters, six hits, four runs, and 30 pitches in the first inning, the Yankees were already in a big hole.

It then got way worse in the third inning. With one out, Davis drew a walk against Phelps. After Weiters singled, Hardy also drew a walk, which loaded the bases. Dickerson singled a grounder that just got past Nix. Two runs scored increasing the Orioles lead to six runs. To cap off the inning, Flaherty smashed a home run to right field. That made it 9-0 Orioles. That was the end of Phelps' night and Ivan Nova was brought in. Nova got the last two outs to finally end that dumpsterfire.

Phelps ended his day having pitched 2.1 innings, allowing nine runs on nine hits and two walks.

The Yankees eventually got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. With Britton still pitching, Nix drew a lead-off walk against the Orioles' starter. Cano then singled. After a Wells flyout, Ichiro also drew a walk to load the bases. Almonte again hit a fly out with the bases loaded, but this time with just one out, a run was able to score and the Yankees were on the board. With two on, David Adams kept the inning alive and loaded the bases when he drew a walk. This brought Lyle Overbay to the plate. Overbay grounded into what should've been the last out, but Chris Davis booted the ball, allowing Overbay to be safe and Cano to score. This cut the Orioles lead to 9-2. Travis Hafner was brought in to pinch hit for Austin Romine against reliever Jair Jurrjens. Hafner hit one towards the wall in left, but the ball died short of the warning track and McLouth caught it for the third out.

But the Orioles added those two runs right back in the bottom of the sixth. With Nova still on the mound and one out in the inning, Nick Markakis singled. Two batters later, Davis hit another home run, extending the Baltimore lead right back to nine runs.

Despite that, Nova did an okay job in relief of Phelps. He went 5.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out four.

The Yankees offense did threaten a couple other times, but never managed to push another run across after the two they scored in the sixth. Until the ninth inning. After Britton, Jurrjens came in and held the Yankees down for 2.1 innings. Pedro Strop was then brought in to pitch the ninth for Baltimore. Chris Stewart led off the inning with a double, and came around to score when Gardner doubled. That made it 11-3 Orioles. Strop managed to get the next three Yankees out relatively easily, and finished off a 11-3 win.

The Yankees and Orioles finish off their series tomorrow at 8:05 eastern. Hiroki Kuroda will get the start.

Box score.Graph thingy. (if you dare)

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis hit two home runs against the New York Yankees Saturday, giving him 30 home runs before the end of June and putting him in some pretty elite company.

The first baseman became just the 25th player in major-league history to hit 30 home runs in 82 games. Albert Pujols is the last player to do so, as he hit 34 homers in that time frame as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009. Barry Bonds hit the most home runs ever in his first 82 games, bombing 39 homers in the first half of the season in 2001.

Davis also set a new Orioles franchise record for most home runs through the month of June, surpassing the 27 hit by Brady Anderson in 1996 on his way to 50 home runs that season.

Davis now has three multi-HR games on the season. His first homer on Saturday came against Yankees starter David Phelps, a three-run moonshot on a 2-1 count that capped off a four-run first inning for the Orioles. Davis hit his second homer off Ivan Nova in the sixth inning, driving in Nick Markakis from first.

Davis has hit 51 home runs since June 30 of last season. The slugger is also second in the majors in RBI this year, two behind Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera.

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