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The All-Star Game is history and the Yankees have been on a roll ever since.
What's the difference? Ask Derek Jeter and he'll tell you timely hitting,
good pitching, solid defense -- all the good things championship teams are
made of.
Of course, maybe it has just a little something to do with the Yankees'
current schedule -- they won't face a team with a plus .500 record until Aug.
10, making this a prime time to fatten up their record. Can they keep it
going? Well, that's why we watch.
On to this round of Yankees mailbag questions ...
Honestly, what do you think the chances are that the Yankees have a great
second half and end up getting the Wild Card?
-- Joseph J., Fort Lee, N.J.
If you talk to people in the Yankees' clubhouse, they're not even ruling out
the division. Yes, it's an uphill climb, and yes, the Yankees have had to
arch their collective necks at a pretty hard angle to keep an eye on the Red
Sox for most of the season. That being said, it's not impossible to imagine
the Yankees closing the gap and finishing with a victory total in the
mid-90s.
Sure, they have to keep a positive mindset to play competitively, but is it
realistic? Well, let's just say the odds are against it -- not to say it
couldn't happen, but that the probability is lower than any Yankees fan would
want it to be at this point in the season.
There are a few respected algorithms out on the Internet that quantify such
things; after the Yankees completed their series against the Devil Rays on
Sunday, a random sample of such sites showed the Yankees with about a 19-20
percent chance of making the playoffs, with about a four to six percent
chance of winning the American League East. A 1-in-5 chance of October
baseball at Yankee Stadium sounds fair after the deep hole the Yankees dug
themselves.
With Johnny Damon struggling to hit the ball even a reasonable distance into
the outfield right now, would it be wise for the Yankees to move Melky
Cabrera up to the leadoff spot and put Damon in the No. 9 position? Having
Cabrera at the bottom of the order is like having two leadoff men in a row
anyway -- why not put the better hitter (right now) at the top to start games?
-- Becky S., Des Moines, Iowa
There's no question that Cabrera is capable of filling the duties of a
leadoff hitter. You've seen manager Joe Torre go to Cabrera more than a few
times this season batting first, but Torre seems to value Damon's experience
there as a table-setter.
During Damon's recent skid, Torre defended the idea of putting him in the
leadoff spot by saying that he knows Damon is a better hitter than he was
showing (Damon was hitless on the homestand at the point he said that, so you
would hope so) and that even when Damon isn't getting hits, he's very capable
of working a walk and being distracting on the bases.
With every game counting for the Yankees down the stretch, lineup shuffles
aren't a foreign idea -- they're not afraid to try new things, which is one
reason you've seen Shelley Duncan have a few glory days. Putting Cabrera more
consistently in the leadoff spot could make sense given the right conditions.
Kei Igawa has been a bust this year so far. I don't understand how he fared
so well in Japan. Would it be beneficial to him to send him down to the
Minors for at least a year, so that he can work on his mechanics and try to
straighten things out?
-- Chris P., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
They've already tried shipping Igawa all the way down to Class A Tampa to
reconstruct his delivery, and whatever returns were produced by that have
been negligible to this point. Igawa is a curious case, and though he insists
on a hearty cardio regimen before each start, I can't imagine that it helps
his stamina deep in games.
That's not his only issue, but it's indicative of the adjustments he needs to
make. It's worth noting that his best appearance in a Yankees uniform came in
relief after Jeff Karstens broke his leg on April 28, pitching six shutout
innings against the Red Sox. It's not unreasonable to speculate that he
over-thinks his starts.
I haven't heard a thing about Doug Mientkiewicz's injury. Do you have any
updates on that? He is definitely missed on defense.
-- Patrick O., Hornell, N.Y.
But maybe not so much on offense, given Andy Phillips' surge and
solidification of the position. In fact, Phillips has done so much lately
that insiders question if a trade for a big bat (see Texas' Mark Teixeira)
would be advisable, considering the Yankees' state and the likely high price
such a deal would have.
To answer the Mientkiewicz question, it turns out that he is a little farther
behind than he'd told us when he left New York -- wishful thinking, maybe.
General manager Brian Cashman said Mientkiewicz's target date is mid-August,
which is about two weeks behind Jason Giambi's.
With Igawa not impressing, I'm wondering about the lack of news on the
progress of Phil Hughes, Karstens and Darrell Rasner in returning from
injuries. Is there any chance of any of them (or anyone else on the farm)
helping soon?
-- Barry B., Millburn, N.J.
There sure is. Hughes is set to make his third rehab start from a strained
left hamstring and sprained left ankle on July 23 for Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with a target of 75 pitches. Cashman said the Yankees
do not plan to consider promoting Hughes after that start given his
relatively low and progressing pitch count, so early August could be a target
for Hughes to shoot for.
Karstens pitched six strong innings on Sunday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre,
allowing a run (a solo homer) and three hits while walking one and striking
out six. Torre has said that Karstens could be used down the stretch either
in relief or as a starter, the roles he was set to fill coming out of Spring
Training before injuries derailed him.
Rasner is probably the farthest back of those three, only because he couldn't
continue throwing with a broken finger. He has reported to the Yankees'
complex in Tampa, Fla., and the club is still hopeful he can contribute this
season.
Sorry, we're out of space for this edition, but I wanted to answer a few
other common questions sent in recently:
No date has been yet set for 2008 All-Star Game or Home Run Derby ticket
distribution or sales. Please keep checking MLB.com for that information. ...
Robinson Cano is likely to stay with uniform No. 24. He wears it to honor
Jackie Robinson (42 reversed). ... Bernie Williams is not being considered to
join the team for the stretch drive; he's not thought to be in baseball
condition and is likely to sit out all of 2007, at the least. ... Prospect J.
Brent Cox had season-ending elbow surgery at the end of March. ... Mike
Mussina did not ask for Wil Nieves as a personal catcher. Torre thought it
might help Mussina and it seemed to for a period. Mussina and Jorge Posada
will reunite with Nieves' designation for assignment.
Thanks for all the notes and hope to hear from you next time!
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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