Catching Up

So it’s been a week since the Yankees swept Boston to start a 10-day, 11-game road trip.

What have we learned?

Well, we learned that West Coast trips are a biatch. And a cold, hard one at that. A 2-4 trip, a slumping A-Rod, Giambi being pulled from games due to what can only be described as exhaustion, Melky’s growing pains (in his mouth, not in his game) and in general a team that needed a day off more desperately than just about anything.

The Yankees’ only saving grace this past week is that Boston was also getting its lunch handed to it on the left coast, throwing up a similarly putrid 2-4 record. Good job gaining some of that ground back, fellas!

Speaking of that Boston series, while it was great and all, let’s not forget that Yankee pitching surrendered about five runs a game (a pace they bettered in Seattle and Anaheim, Los Angeles, ugh, Southern California). So while it was nice, life is not all wine and roses.

The Tigers come into to town having dropped seven of their last 10 games for a three-game set to start a six-game home stand that also features the scalding hot Twins. Now, odds are that the Bombers will face at least one of these teams in the postseason, so they need to really make the Stadium a fortress for the next week.

New York is just four games back of Detroit for home field advantage, and they could go a long way to securing it by taking two of three from the Motor City Kitties. The Tigers see the Yankees, Twins, Angels, Rangers and ChiSox between now and the end of the season; while as far as contenders go, New York sees just the Tigers, Twins and the Red Sox (although, at five games back in the wild card, they are just barely contenders).

If New York wins two of three, it would not be hard to see them pick up the remaining games between now and the end of September.

Some other random notes:

* Robby Cano has been pounding the bejeebus outta the ball since coming off the disabled list: .365/.389/.624 with four homers and 23 RBI in just 85 post-injury ABs. For giggles, take not that that Peoria fella has started his big league career with a sterling 2-for-18 with four whiffs and a single walk to his name. Remember, Cano started off slow, but Peoria will learn and grow from these struggles on his way to Cooperstown.

* If this is indeed Bernie’s last season, Sunday’s game versus Anaheim was a nice reminder of how good he was in his hey day.

* One of Joe Torre’s biggest strengths as manager has been putting guys in a position where they could be successful. Whether it was his management of the Cecil Fielder/Tino Martinez situation early in his tenure, or his effective early-career bullpen management, he’s been able to set guys up to succeed. This is an important management lesson.

However, I think in the last few days, he has not done that with regard to a certain Alex Rodriguez. For what its worth, A-Rod missed the game last Wednesday with what was called a throat infection. Torre in fact sent him back to the hotel because he looked so bad. Since that time, in one pinch hitting appearance and three starts, Alex has gone 1 for 16 with 11 whiffs and that one hit was just a single.

Now, I’m not a doctor, I don’t play one on TV, but throat infections don’t clear up overnight, and if Alex was sick enough on Wednesday to be sent away, he probably was not in game condition to play the last four days. To his credit, this hasn’t been trotted out as an explanation for the slump, but rather than let the tabs have their feeding frenzy, it would have been nice to, you know, let the guy get some OJ, chicken soup and bed rest. Just sayin’.

Oh, just to note, in A-Rod’s previous 15 ABs before the reported infection, he hit .267/.421/.533 and hit what would have been a game-winning homer had the ‘pen not gagged up the lead in the first Seattle game.

* And I guess I’m in the defending mood because I’m going to step up and stand with probably the only Yankee less beloved that A-Rod: Carl Pavano.

Pavano and GM Brian Cashman used the off day to explain the pulled muscle Carl felt after his last rehab outing in Columbus was actually soreness due to a couple cracked ribs Pavano suffered in an Aug. 15 car accident. Now, Pavano’s timing in disclosing the injury is stupid, but understandable. The world thinks you are made of glass, you are efforting a return to the bigs for the first time in 14 months, and you nick your ribs. If I were in that position, I’d probably shut my mouth and try to gut it out.

Now, some have suggested its time to cut bait on Pavano, I disagree and think he will contribute not next year, but this year.

Pavano pitched on Aug. 15, after the accident. In fact he threw four scoreless for the Tampa Yankees that day.

All in all, in three starts since the accident, Pavano’s numbers have been excellent: 14 innings (split nearly equally between A, AA and AAA), 12 hits, 2 walks, 15 Ks and four earned runs. That’s a 1.00 WHIP, a 2.57 ERA and a 9.64 K/9 – in other words good numbers. Especially if we’re grading on an injury curve.

Pavano’s scheduled to make a rehab start Wednesday in Durham against the AAA Devil Rays. Another solid turn and he could be in the Bronx after Sept. 1 (thus not requiring much roster gymnastics since he’s on the 15-day DL and the 40-man roster, he could just be activated after rosters expand).

With Mussina hurting, Pavano could step in and take a start from Jeff Karstens, who has done yeoman’s work in Moose’s stead for two starts. A few good performances could push Jaret “Five & Done” Wright to the bullpen… a great performance or two could force Cory Lidle out of the potential postseason rotation.

There are forces out there that want to see Pavano gone. He has clearly violated his contract by not disclosing the injury (so sayeth Peter Abraham and others), but I say don’t make a hasty, rash decision. There are those who say this is an ongoing trend with Carl, that he’s soft, that he’s not a True Yankee (whatever the hell that means). I say, he just may be snake bit, and even if you want to get rid of him, you need to pitch him to pump up his value for an off season trade.

I know this; at least I’m rooting for Pavano, for whatever that’s worth. I got a soft spot for him during his brief work for the Yanks last year, and I still think he could be a contributor.

* Speaking of injuries, nothing yet on Sheffield’s recovery, but he’s made noise about being back in September and needing to think about his future. My guess, we’ve seen the end of the Iron Sheff in pinstripes. Hideki Matsui has apparently graduated from hitting off a tee to soft toss. The next step, which could come as soon as this week, is live BP. With the minors effectively closing shop over the next two weeks or so, if Godzilla comes back, it likely will be without the benefit of a rehab start and my guess is it will be as the team’s DH. The problem a Matsui return poses the Yankees is it makes them pretty vulnerable to southpaws: Damon, Abreu, Giambi, Matsui and Cano are all lefty swingers. Not that they can’t handle them, but there are some good ones lurking among the playoff contenders (Santana, Liriano, Rogers, Zito and Buerhle). Not something to panic about, just food for thought.