GETTING THE YANKEE EXPERIENCE FIRST HAND

A lot of different names being thrown around in this piece, but it all goes back to 1 thing; the youngsters and the Yankee experience.First off is Jesus Montero who's been hitting and in a rhythm. Girardi moved him up the 5th spot in last night's game against Anaheim. He's usually in the 6 to 9 hole. That's expected because he's a rookie, but because of his consistent hitting, and injury to Swisher and Alex Rodriguez, Joe moved him up. I mean, I know it's early, but Montero is batting .348. Gotta love it.

The Yankees have now called up a total of 36 players this September and it was revealed by Joel Sherman that Dellin Betances is in Anaheim to hang with the Yankees. This move is done for 1 reason and 1 reason only, bonding and experience. Although I have a hunch Dellin Betances will be pitching at some point. According to Bryan Hoch, Joe Girardi said “If we need him, we’re going to use him.” I like that thinking... all hands on deck, and if that means the kids get to play, do it. It's the best way to get experience. It can't hurt. It's not like Betances is going to be thrown into a situation where they make him throw 123 pitches, no. They will monitor him and track everything he does. I say that's the way to go.

And speaking of Yankee experience. Lance Pendleton was been claimed by the Astros and is no longer with the Yankees. I was always a fan of Pendleton since his debut where he struck out the first 2 batters he faced. To me, that showed guts. In 11 games for the Yankees, Pendleton had a 3.21 ERA, struck out 8, walked 10 and gave up 5 earned runs in 14 innings. He'll improve over time with his new team in Houston, I wish him well.

Josh Norris tweeted the Yankees will bring up Manny Banuelos, David Phelps and Adam Warren and they'll be most likely called up closer to or during the Red Sox series. Norris says this is a move to workout with the team and get "Bigs" experience which, let's face it, it doesn't get better than the Yankees/Red Sox... am I right? These are the games you want to be at and witness first hand, and if Betances was say to, get into a game, his peers will be there to root him on.

While it’s exciting for these kids, I’d really love to see Manny Banuelos come into a game. No, it probably won’t happen, but I can dream can’t I?

Finally, a quick note about rookies and the Yankee experience. Not sure if you realized it last night but due to the fact that Swisher was out with elbow tendinitis and is day to day, Eduardo Nunez got the start in right field last night. Read about it HERE. Clearly, Girardi wanted Nunez's bat in the lineup. Nunez said, "That's the only time I've played right field in my life."

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THE YANKEES GANG OF 6

I wanted to just break down the September call-ups for you. These guys have a great opportunity here and will help energize and already hot Yankees team:



Raul Valdes: Finally, my wish has come true. Another lefty in the pen to help out Boone Logan on consecutive days. Many don't see the reason for this because the bullpen is so hot, but to me, it makes sense, sometimes you need to play the odds with lefty hitters and lefty pitchers and Valdes could prove helpful. In 7 appearances last year for the Cardinals he had a 3.38 ERA.Scott Proctor: He's back and older and wiser, we hope. In the four years with the Yankees, Proctor had a 4.29 ERA in 190 appearances. To me, Scott Proctor was the early 2000's David Robertson, before we knew how great David Robertson could be. While in Scranton this year, after 7 innings, he posted a 2.57 ERA. Welcome Back Scott Proctor.



Lance Pendleton: I like this kid and I'm glad he's back. In 14 innings pitched this season in Scranton, Pendleton has a 3.21 ERA with 8 strikeouts.Chris Dickerson: He provides the speed and has a decent bat and good defense. He's a perfect late inning bench guy and I love the kids energy.



Brandon Laird: He had a shot earlier this year and did well getting his first hit and first RBI in the Bronx. What a way to start. Another guy that can be a good addition to the bench, plus he can play 3rd base and outfield. Utility is good.Jesus Montero: What can I say that hasn't already been said. The rising of Jesus is all over Yankeeland and we are happy to have him. Slow start in his major league debut although he did get a big run off of Russell Martin's triple against the Sox the other night. I believe that his presence will be an asset to the Yankee team. Youth can bring energy and the hype surrounding this kid is incredible.



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WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE YANKEES?

Now that the All-Star break is over, what should the Yankees do to bring them to the next level?
Our Crosstown Rival, The Mets just traded away their closer Francisco Rodriguez for prospects to make the first deadline deal. The Mets are clearly in a rebuilding stage, and are trying to dump salary, but our Yankees are trying to figure out what it will take to bring them to the next championship.Let's take a look at which areas we need help with, and which possible candidates could be used to fill these voids:

• RELIEF: We are missing a solid 6th inning reliever. Joba Chamberlain went down with an injury earlier in the year, and David Robertson stepped up to take the 8th inning spot until RaSo comes back. Then, I think DRob will probably be moved back to the 7th inning spot, but who will be used to pitch in the 6th inning? I say call up someone from AAA or AA such as, Andrew Brackman, Lance Pendleton, or maybe even Mark Prior among others.

• TOP FLIGHT PITCHER: We are it and it could carry us through the playoffs if we had one. I say trade for someone such as Mark Buehrle or "Pretty Boy" CJ Wilson.

• EXTRA HITTING: Any team could always need another bat. I think having another person for some power or average is a threat in the lineup could really spice things up. I say trade for a 3 month rental and see how it pays out. My few candidates to trade for are Lance Berkman, Prince Fielder, Carlos Pena, or if a miracle were to happen, Albert Pujols.
  

IMAGINE this lineup:

1. Jeter SS
2. Granderson CF
3. Pujols/ Prince Fielder DH
4. A-Rod 3B
5. Cano 2B
6. Teixeira 1B
7. Swisher RF
8. Martin C
9. Gardner LF

seems like Murderers Row 2.0, right?

Let me know what you think by commenting on this post or hitting me on Facebook. Or, if you have a blackberry you can add the Bleeding Yankee Blue group on BBM and we can converse in there. Thanks.



--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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WHY HUGHES COMES, NOVA GOES

Breaking News for Yankee fans, Phil Hughes is back and will move to Ivan Nova's spot in the rotation, according to ESPN. That means the Ivan Nova will be optioned to Scranton before the game today. Read it HERE.

The Yankees have also recalled Lance Pendleton from Scranton for extra help in the bullpen.

Nova is 8-4 in 2011 with a 4.12 ERA. I'm sure this was a tough decision for the Yankees considering Nova was getting into a rhythm. Welcome back Phil. Good Luck.

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WHY WE WENT FROM CHAMPS TO CHUMPS

"I was just trying to get out of there before I broke down, I shed a couple tears. (But) you can't let it beat you. You gotta get stronger and get better."
--Joba Chamberlain to ESPN

4 days ago, all I heard about and read about was just how great the Yankee bullpen was. Joba Chamberlain, D-Rob and Mariano, and no one had a cared about Rafael Soriano because we were doing just fine without him. Plus, we had Ayala and Pendleton and Logan who, on occasion, was able to give us an a solid outing. Plus, our starting pitching looked incredible coming into the Bronx after a terrific 6-3 West coast road trip. It was all coming together. Life was good in Yankeeland.

Today, it’s like Armageddon in New York. The last 2 nights our starters couldn't get out of the 2nd inning and now, the latest is a blow to the Yankees bullpen is that will probably put Joba Chamberlain on the shelf for the rest of the year because he has a torn ligament in his right elbow. Many are suspecting...Tommy John Surgery. Damn.(Photo: Daily News)
There are names in baseball I hate to hear. I never want to hear a player when to go see
Dr. James Andrews. That usually means a Disabled List stint is coming or even worse, surgery. I also never like to hear the name Tommy John, unless of course, the actual Tommy John is going to drop by the clubhouse and maybe throw out the first pitch.

Suddenly, Ladies and Gentlemen the New York Yankees need pitching help and while plenty were annoyed with RaSo moving to the DL, many are much more concerned about Joba Chamberlain. Mostly because he’s been solid all year and we all, or at least many of us, root for this guy and we have for a while now. Personally, I’ve been rooting for Joba since Bug-gate in Cleveland. It seems to me that that evening defined Joba’s bad luck run. Since then, he’s been jerked around from relief to starter and back to relief, never complaining by the way, and finally, this kid came all the way back and just dominated so far this year leading our bullpen to whatever victory was needed. Between he and D-Rob lately, it was all coming together nicely. It was the end of the "starting pitching debate" for Joba, he was our relief guy now, and our bridge was sound with him there.

Now, with Joba hurt, D-Rob needs to pick up even more slack, which to me is dangerous because we need him healthy or we’re really in a world of hurt. The last thing you want to do is over work his young arm.

So what does this mean for us in Yankeeland? Put it this way, if Joba needs surgery, Cashman’s got to be thinking maybe getting both a lefty and righty for our bullpen and we’ll probably roll the dice on what we have for the DH Role… Jorge Posada against righties, Andruw Jones against lefties and the occasional Alex Rodriguez when he needs a break from the field. There is no question though, Cashman is on the prowl. Yes, a starter is probably a priority, but with Joba on the shelf, expect relief help too. The question is, who's out there?

Look guys, I hate writing about how tragic this is, but it kind of is. I know the Yankees will survive, but it's not going to be easy. But let me lighten the mood a bit, we have the pitching help in the farm system don't we? What if we need a quick fix, we call up Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos? Nice idea, yes, but some of you are probably thinking a trade is the smarter way to go, right? Or, Should we just deal with what we have in the pen and concentrate on a starter? How about We look for a righty and a lefty reliever for the pen? What about forming a new Three Headed Monster consisting of Lance Pendleton, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera? Check out the poll on the home page of Bleeding Yankee Blue and vote. All are tough choices so choose wisely and while your at it, cross your fingers, put on your favorite Yankees jersey and pray to the baseball Gods, the Yankees need a win tonight, big time.

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