Phil Hughes will be pitching for the first time since the “Hughes Rules” came into affect. The rules are pretty straight forward, the Yankees don’t want to wear him out before the playoffs begin!! I can understand the logic behind the decision by the Yankee to limit Hughes innings. With Hughes not pitching since June 19th against the Mets, where he got the win, lets see if the “Hughes Rules” will be a factor into tonight’s game or will Phil pick up the ball and pitch like he was on normal days rest!! Here’s Girardi’s thoughts on Hughes...

New 3 Series Yankee Report Card. Last report grades are in gray for comparison. The School of the Hard Knocks: Every 3 series I will be grading (A+ – F) each active player on the Yankees Roster. The players grades will be determined based on their stats, their performance, any “extra” contributions they make during the 3 series, and well, my personal opinion. The report cards will be split between fielders and pitchers. Totals reflect the average. Grades are not cumulative. Honorable Mentions: Curtis Granderson: Game winning HR against the Diamondbacks Mariano Rivera: Working his magic...

Six weeks back I would have never have thought that I would be writing this post about A.J. Burnett, but it’s about time. that I do. After a winter when you could open a New York City newspaper everyday and read about how the Jorge Posada-A.J. Burnett battery was resolved after a rough second half in the 2009 season, it’s becoming more and more difficult to believe that the issue had anything to do with a ‘broken battery’, but instead an issue with Burnett’s command. During Burnett’s most recent slide, Posada missed a month of catching duties due to a...

After yesterday’s series win over the Mets, the New York Yankees (43-26)  find themselves with the best record in baseball and 1 game up on the Tampa Bay Rays (42-27) in the AL East. Everyone knows that playing in the National League, there is no designated hitter. The absence of a DH poses some problems for New York, as Girardi has been using both Alex Rodriquez and Jorge Posada at that position as they work their way back from injuries. Manager Joe Girardi knows it won’t be easy without a designated hitter and two of his top players still not at full...

Swisher Salutes you, Mariano Rivera, for your continued prowess as the game’s best closer. Nobody even knows you’re there. Mo, you are the BronxBombersBeat Yankees Player of the Week for Week 10 of the 2010 season. Here’s a guy who could usually be considered for this award every week of the season, but fans in New York have come to expect so much from him, it seems almost old hat. He’s like New York City traffic; always going to be there. So here we are in the latter stages of June, the baseball season almost halfway through, and Rivera is in the midst of the kind of season the rest...

ESPN.com Insider’s Rumor Central is reporting that former Yankees manager Buck Showalter has been contacted by the Baltimore Orioles about their open managerial position. For those of you who are too young to remember who Buck Showalter was, he managed the Yankees from 1992-1995, compiling an overall record of 313-268 leading the team to a first place finish in the strike-shortened 1994 season, as well as a 2nd place in 1995 (the first ever wild card) only to lose to the Seattle Mariners in five games. After his time with the Yankees, he spent 3 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks...

Hey! Here are a few updates that were recently added to BronxBombersBeat.com – Check them out! 1. The Countdown – Watch as selected players try to reach a milestone goal, updated daily! 2. The Schedule – Check out the visually-tasty monthly schedule of the NYY, updated monthly! 3. School of the Hardknocks / Grade Reports – Author Tom Ortiz grades fielders, pitchers and team totals after every 3 series, see how your player ranks! 4. Daily Articles – Check out the interesting and well-written articles our team of Authors deliver on a daily basis! 5. Social...

As if it were no surprise to Yankees fans, Robinson Cano is leading in all major offensive categories for the New York Yankees. As you can see from the image below, Cano’s face is plastering the Yankees batting leaders page on ESPN.com. The two Yankees power threats, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are nowhere to be found as far as the team batting leaders are concerned. A-Rod and Teixeira are the closest in regards to home runs (11 for A-Rod and 10 for Tex) and A-Rod is 4 RBI’s shy from tying Cano for the team lead. Granted the three and four hitters are getting runners in, it...

I had the absolute privilege this past Saturday in not only seeing the Yankees manhandle the Houston Astros, but I was able to see one of the greatest military shows 45 minutes before game time. On Saturday, June 12th, the Yankees held Military Appreciation Day. At about 12:15pm, fans could look over the centerfield scoreboard and see a military plane approaching. Just as the plane was about to pass the stadium, if you were looking up, you could see a person jump out of the plane just over the East River. After about a second of free-fall, you can see the jumper pull the parachute cord, and...

New 3 Series Yankee Report Card. Last report grades are in gray for comparison. The School of the Hard Knocks: Every 3 series I will be grading (A+ – F) each active player on the Yankees Roster. The players grades will be determined based on their stats, their performance, any “extra” contributions they make during the 3 series, and well, my personal opinion. The report cards will be split between fielders and pitchers. Totals reflect the average. Grades are not cumulative. Honorable Mentions: Jorge Posada: For 2 Grand Slams in 2 consecutive games Robinson Cano: For continuing to...

Looks like that Marcus Thames will be going on the 15 day-DL, with a  right hamstring strain. The Scranton-Times is reporting that… To open a spot on the 25-man big league roster for Huffman, the Yankees are expected to place outfielder Marcus Thames on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring strain. Thames was pulled from Saturday’s game against Houston, and after the game, he underwent an MRI. The MRI was negative, ruling out a more serious injury. They Yankees are calling up Chad Huffman from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This would be Huffman’s first big league call...

Well Yankee faithfuls another interleague series is upon us. The  New York Yankees are 133-95 in interleague play since it started in 1997. The Houston Astros are 95-100 in interleague play. Here’s a fun fact, today marks the 7th Anniversary of the Astros six-man no-hitter against the Yankees!! The pitchers who helped accomplish that feat were: Roy Oswalt, Peter Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner. Tonight LHP Andy Pettitte (7-1, 2.47) vs. RHP Brett Myers (4-3, 3.01) 7:05 p.m. Saturday RHP Javier Vazquez (5-5, 5.63) vs. LHP Wandy Rodriguez (3-8,...

The summer months, they are a’comin! Summer’s the time for beers, franks and long balls. Hitters spend the first two months of the season waiting for the weather to heat up so their bats can follow suit. The warmer weather means hitting a baseball is more comfortable. Plus the ball carries better in the heat…right? I mean that’s what I’ve always been told. I decided to put on my detective hat. I recently took a look at Hit Tracker Online. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an amazing site for home run enthusiasts that breaks down every homer hit this season, down to the wind...

Swisher Salutes you, Brett Gardner, for stealing your way to…Brett? Brett! He’s gone! I swear he was just standing here. Anyway, Brett, you are the BronxBombersBeat Yankees Player of the Week for Week 9 of the 2010 season. Although the sample size was a bit low, Gardner was easily the most productive hitter in the Yankees lineup for the home series with the O’s and the weekend series in Toronto. He only played 4 of the 6 games, but in those 4 games he collected 6 hits in 13 at bats, including 2 doubles, a triple, and his third homer of the season. Add in 3 walks, 5 runs scored, 4 RBIs...

As the first round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft is in progress, BronxBombersBeat.com will keep all you all updated as to the outcome of the draft results for all AL East teams. As you will see in the table below, the Baltimore Orioles are the first East team to pick, followed by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Tampa Bay Rays have two picks in the first round, while Boston picks 17th, and the Yankees finish off the first round with the 32nd pick. It’s no surprise that the Washington Nationals picked Bryce Harper with the 1st overall pick. Stay tuned as the table below will be updated...