Results tagged ‘ Pedro Feliciano ’
Nunez, 5 others called up from Triple A
Infielder Eduardo Nunez, one of six players called up by the Yankees from the minor leagues as major-league rosters expanded beyond the 25-man limit Saturday, was thrust right into the lineup against the Orioles. Nunez was the designated hitter and in 8-hole hitter in the batting order.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi had contemplated starting Nunez at shortstop and giving Derek Jeter a DH day but changed his mind. Nunez joined the Yankees from Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre along with right-handed pitchers Cory Wade and Adam Warren, left-handed pitcher Justin Thomas , catcher Francisco Cervelli and outfielder Curtis Dickerson, who was signed to a major-league contract and selected from SWB.
Jeter finished August with a major-league-leading 43 hits, the most for him in any month since August 2009 when he had 46. It was the 15th time in his career that Jeter had at least 40 hits in a month, the most for any Yankees player since Joe DiMaggio did it in 17 months.
Jeter’s six home runs in August matched his third-highest career total or any month in his career, behind the nine he had in June 2004 and the eight in August 2001. The Captain also had six homers in August 2009, September 2004 and July 199. Jeet has homered four times in his past 10 games and six time in his past 18.
DJ homered in a career-high four consecutive road games, the first Yankee to accomplish the feat since former teammate Tino Martinez homered in five straight road games from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4, 1999. With 14 homers in 2012, Jeter has reached double figures for the 16th time in his 17 seasons. He and Willie Mays are the only players in history with at least 3,000 hits, 250 homers, 300 stolen bases and 1,200 runs batted in.
In his injury-rehabilitation assignment Friday night for Class A Tampa at Lakeland, Alex Rodriguez as the DH had 0-for-3 with a walk and a run. A-Rod was to play third base for Tampa Saturday. Righthander David Aardsma also appeared in Friday night’s game and pitched one inning of scoreless relief. Lefthander Pedro Feliciano pitched one inning of relief for Class A Staten Island at Brooklyn and allowed one earned run, on a home run, with one strikeout. It was the first run Feliciano yielded in 7 1/3 innings in injury-rehab assignments.
A-Rod begins injury rehab assignment
Alex Rodriguez will get his first taste of live pitching in five weeks Friday night when he serves as the designated hitter for Class A Tampa at Lakeland in a Florida State League game while on an injury-rehabilitation assignment. Rodriguez has been on the disabled list since July 25 due to a broken bone in his left hand.
The Yankees will travel to Tampa following Sunday’s series finale against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium and are hopeful that A-Rod may be activated for the three-game series against the Rays.
Andy Pettitte, disabled since June 28 because of a fractured left fibula, is expected to throw a bullpen session sometime over the weekend in his rehabilitation toward a possible return to the mound in September.
Pedro Feliciano, who is recovering from left rotator cuff surgery, was scheduled to have his rehab assignment transferred to Class A Staten Island Friday night. The lefthander has pitched 6 1/3 combined innings in seven outings – four with the Gulf Coast League Yankees, one with Class A Tampa and two with Double A Trenton. He has allowed two earned runs, six hits and three walks with eight strikeouts for an ERA of 2.84.
With little more than a week to play in the minor-league season, the Yankees’ top two affiliates have secured postseason berths. Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre clinched the North Division of the International League Thursday night. Double A Trenton has clinched a playoff berth and has a magic number of two to clinch the Eastern Division title of the Eastern League. Class A Tampa is one game out of first place in the North Division of the Florida State League with three games to play.
Trenton’s Tony Franklin was named 2012 Eastern League Manager of the Year for the first time in his career. His victory came a few days after SWB’s Dave Miley was named 2012 Manager of the Year in the International League.
The Yankees will be in first place in the American League East Saturday when the calendar turns to September. They have made postseason in each of the past 15 times they were first at the start of play Sept. 1 since divisional play began in 1969. According to Stats LLC, the Yanks finished first in 39 of the 43 seasons when they led the division Labor Day.
Yanks re-acquire Steve Pearce
Still in need of right-handed hitting while Alex Rodriguez is on the disabled list, the Yankees acquired outfielder-first baseman Steve Pearce from the Astros Monday in exchange for cash considerations. Pearce, 29, was not due to report to the Yankees until Tuesday at the earliest so he was not available for Monday night’s opener of the homestand against the Blue Jays.
The transaction was actually a re-acquisition by the Yanks. Pearce had been in the organization from March 29 until June 2 when his contract was sold to the Orioles. Pearce opened the 2012 season with the Twins as a non-roster invitee and was released March 27. He signed with the Yankees two days later and was assigned to Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he hit .318 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI. He was leading the International League in batting at the time of his move to Baltimore.
Pearce appeared in 28 games with the Orioles and reached safely in 18 of 26 games with a plate appearance. He batted .254 with four doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI in 71 at-bats before he was designated for assignment July 21 and claimed off waivers by Houston July 28. With the Astros, Pearce hit .254 with four doubles, one triple and eight RBI in 63 at-bats.
Originally selected by the Pirates in the eighth round of 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Pearce has spent parts of the past six seasons in the majors with Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston and is a .237 career hitter with 60 runs, 37 doubles, 12 home runs and 74 RBI in 234 big-league games.
To clear space on the 40-man roster for Pearce, the Yankees designated infielder Brandon Laird for assignment. A corresponding 25-man roster move will be made when Pearce reports to the Yankees.
The Yankees also elevated relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano from Class A Tampa to Double A Trenton. The lefthander missed all of last season and most of this year because of left rotator cuff surgery. With rosters expanding beyond 25 players Sept. 1, there is a chance that Feliciano might be called up by the Yankees before the season is over.
Relievers adjusting to shifting roles
Get used to seeing Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson combining for the late-inning setup role out of the Yankees’ bullpen. They have done a fine job since Rafael Soriano, the free-agent acquisition who was to have handled the eighth-inning prelude to closer Mariano Rivera taking over in the ninth, went on the disabled list because of right elbow inflammation and will have to continue to do so.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before Tuesday night’s Yankees-Blue Jays game at Yankee Stadium that Soriano had to be shut down after experiencing soreness while throwing on flat ground. Girardi emphasized soreness, which is a chance in the righthander’s condition because his problem had previously been descried as stiffness. There’s a big difference there. Stiffness does not always equate with pain; soreness always does.
Soriano, who has a 1-1 record with 1 save and a 5.40 ERA in 16 appearances totaling 15 innings, underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) Tuesday. A previous MRI did not reveal structural damage. The results of the latest MRI were not disclosed, but Soriano will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to be examined Wednesday by Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedist. The Yankees can only hope that Dr. Andrews’ opinion matches that regarding another Yankees reliever, Pedro Feliciano, who had been expected to need surgery on his left rotator cuff but is now on a rest and conditioning program of treatment.
“I’m more concerned now,” Girardi said. “I thought we would have him getting ready to go on a rehab assignment soon. But that doesn’t seem to be the case now.”
Girardi has weathered this bullpen situation by merely pushing Chamberlain and Robertson back one inning. Robertson or lefthander Boone Logan get the call in the seventh inning depending on matchups, and Chamberlain is summoned for the eighth. The previous of each in those roles has proved helpful as the Yankees navigate their way through the Soriano-less scenario.
Robertson and Chamberlain have made three appearances apiece since Soriano went on the DL May 17 and have held opponents scoreless. Robertson has allowed one hit and two walks with six strikeouts in three innings and Chamberlain two hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
Also added to the mix has been the work of Luis Ayala, who since coming off the DL May 11 has allowed no runs, three hits and one walk with three strikeouts in three outings totaling 3 1/3 innings. The veteran righthander, 33, missed 24 games due to a strained right shoulder and has worked back to the point that Girardi has gained confidence in Ayala late in games in non-save situations.
When it rains, it pours
Tuesday night’s rainout wasn’t the only bad news for the Yankees. They discovered that relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano is not close to returning from the 15-day disabled list and will undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Wednesday. The Yankees also plan to place reliever Luis Ayala on the DL before Wednesday night’s game because of a muscle strain.
Feliciano, 34, who was signed to a two-year, $8-million contact in the off-season, did not open the season with the Yankees due to a strained left rotator cuff. He felt discomfort in the area again in a throwing session Tuesday in the bullpen.
“He’s still not ready,” manager Joe Girardi said.
Ayala strained his right side during his two-inning stint Saturday in Boston. The Yankees may use his spot on the 25-man roster to bring up a lefthander. With Feliciano unavailable, Boone Logan has been the only left-handed pitcher in the pen.
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Girardi said that the Yankees will remain in rotation with A.J. Burnett starting Wednesday night and Phil Hughes Thursday night.
Jack O'Connell
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