The Captain's Blog

The Yankees renew acquaintances with Johnny Damon, Phil Coke and Austin Jackson in Detroit as they kick off a four game series against the Tigers.

Game one features a matchup of journeyman spot starters: Sergio Mitre steps in for Andy Pettitte, whose start is being skipped as a precautionary response to earlier elbow discomfort, while Brad Thomas fills in for Dontrell Willis, who was scratched with the flu. Only Randy Winn has a history against Thomas, while Miguel Cabrera and Adam Everett are the only Tigers to face Mitre.

One day after DHing, Jorge Posada will crouch behind the plate for the first time since May 3. Posada’s ability to catch opens up the DH slot for Marcus Thames, who returns to Comerica Park after spending six seasons with the Tigers. Thames has had a very difficult time in the field, so he may (i.e., should) be limited to that role going forward. If that is going to be the case, Randy Winn will need to make the most of his starts against lefties, the first of which comes tonight.

The Yankees also made another roster move before the game, promoting Ivan Nova from Triple-A Scranton. To make room for Nova, Romolu Sanchez, who contributed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in last night game, was sent back to Scranton. With Mitre starting and Aceves still recovering from a bad back, the Yankees will once again be in the position of needing innings from the bullpen, especially considering Mitre will be limited to about 75 pitches. Nova, who had been starting in Scranton, should be able to provide innings and will likely be the first man out of the bullpen if Mitre isn’t able to go five innings. The 23 year-old Nova, whose stock as a prospect has been rising, is 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA in 37 innings for Scranton.

• Before the game, the Tigers will hold a ceremony honoring Ernie Harwell. Part of the festivities will include Jose Feliciano singing the national anthem. In 1968, Harwell booked Feliciano to sing the anthem during the World Series. At the time, Feliciano’s non-traditional rendition was roundly criticized for being disrespectful.
• Alex Rodriguez is one HR away from passing Frank Robinson into seventh place on the all-time HR list.
• Miguel Cabrera has had a hit in all 15 regular season games he has played against the Yankees.
• Austin Jackson (.371) and Cabrera (.370) currently have the top two batting averages in the American League.
• Before this season, Brad Thomas last pitched in the major leagues in 2004. He spent the previous two seasons pitching in the Korean Baseball League.

After pitching well all season, AJ Burnett finally had one of those games. Ironically, he looked very strong over the first two innings, and even seemed to have one of his better curve balls. It all fell apart in the third inning, however. With runners on second and third, Burnett jumped out ahead 0-2 on David Ortiz, but then proceeded to pitch around the plate until the count was 3-2. At that point, Burnett reverted back to being a thrower and Ortiz, who was cheating on the heat, made him pay. Perhaps he was frustrated by not using the off speed against Ortiz, but for whatever the reason, Burnett seemed to give up after allowing the RBI double to the struggling Big Papi. Before the smoke had cleared, Burnett gave up five runs in the third, or more than he had surrendered in any whole game this season.

Joe Girardi was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the fourth inning (Photo: AP)

The Yankees only sign of life came in the fourth inning when Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriquez both took John Lester over the Green Monster. Otherwise, the Yankees were swinging early and often against Lester, allowing the lefty to breeze through seven innings. A more patient approach probably wouldn’t have mattered much anyway because Burnett was never able to settle back into a rhythm. He gave up another run in the fourth and two more in the fifth before being lifted for the Yankee debut of reliever Romulo Sanchez. Albeit in mop up duty, Sanchez was impressive, exhibiting a mid-90s fastball as well as an effective curve and change. By pitching  3 2/3 scoreless innings, Sanchez not only helped save the bullpen, but may have also opened up some eyes.

Although Burnett’s implosion didn’t need any additional fuel, the left field play of Marcus Thames certainly added some. In the second inning, Thames dropped a line drive by Jeremy Hermida that allowed the first run of the game to score, and then later in the game, Thames was late retrieving two balls hit to left field, which ultimately contributed to two more runs. Coming into the game, Thames had a mind bogglingly low UZR/150 of -47.2, which would be hard to believe if you hadn’t watched him play. Without exaggeration, Thames has had a misplay in every single game he has played. At some point, Girardi needs to realize that Thames’ ability to hit lefties does not justify his awful defense in left field.

• Joe Girardi was ejected by home plate umpire Tim McClelland for arguing balls and strikes. Girardi came out to intervene on behalf of Marcus Thames, who was called out on strikes to end the top of the fourth inning.
• Alex Rodriquez’ fourth inning home run was the 586th of his career, tying Frank Robinson for seventh place on the all-time HR list. The long ball also snapped a 62 at bat homerless stretch dating back to April 20 in Oakland.
• Nick Swisher continued his hot hitting in the month of May. With his HR and single, Swisher is now batting .438/.486/.938 with 5 HRs and 14 RBIs in the month of May.
• AJ Burnett is now 0-3 with a 12.68 ERA in five starts at Fenway since joining the Yankees.
• Robinson Cano recorded his 14th multi-hit game of the season, which trails only Austin Jackson’s 15.

The rivalry wraps up with a Sunday night game that pits AJ Burnett against John Lester. The Red Sox are desperate for a good start, and Lester seems like their best bet to get one. In his last three games, Lester is 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA over 20 2/3 innings. The Yankees have had some recent success against Lester, however, so one of those trends will come to an end.

In order for the Yankees to finish up the sweep, and move into sole possession of first place, AJ Burnett will also have to buck a recent trend. Since joining the Yankees, Burnett has not earned a victory over Boston. He comes into tonight’s outing riding the best start of his career, including a current string of 19 innings without an earned run.

The Yankees will need Burnett to be on his game because the bullpen will be short. Although Mariano Rivera is ready to pitch the ninth, Alfredo Aceves is unavailable with a stiff back. With David Robertson struggling, Sergio Mitre starting tomorrow and Romulu Sanchez untested, much of the relief burden will fall on Joba Chamberlain, Damaso Marte and Boone Logan.

After a series of injury setbacks, the Yankees get Jorge Posada back in the lineup. Posada will serve as a DH, which allows the hot hitting Francisco Cervelli to remain in the lineup. Marcus Thames also gets a start in LF against the lefty Lester, while Gardner returns to the last slot in the order. For the Red Sox, Big Papi gets the nod against the righty Burnett.

• Alex Rodriguez next home run will tie Frank Robinson for seventh on the all-time list. Arod has been stuck on 585 HRs for 61 at bats. Arod’s longest homer-less streak occurred over 72 ABs in 2009, a stretch that was snapped when he went deep against Boston in the 15th inning of a game on August 7.
• Since signing with the Yankees, Mark Teixeira has hit nine home runs and knocked in 21 runs against the Red Sox.