BRAVES 2, YANKEES 0

TAMPA  -  Jordan Schaffer led off the game with a double and later scored on a Justin Upton groundout as Atlanta shut out New York on Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Paul Maholm (1-1) and four Braves relievers held the Yankees to five hits. David Phelps (1-1) pitched four strong innings in his bid for a rotation spot despite taking the loss. J.R. Graham pitched two scoreless innings to earn his second spring save.

The Yankees helped the Braves immensely by going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine men on the bases.

The Yankees fell to 3-8 on the spring. The Braves improved to 6-6.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

• If Brett Gardner were to get any hotter with the bat you could fry an egg on his forehead. Gardner went 2-for-3 against the Braves and is hitting .579 on the spring. For those Yankee fans who are angling for Gardner to lead off for the team this season you may as well keep dreaming. Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki will hit in the top two spots. Gardner likely will hit ninth.
• Despite giving up the double to Schaffer that led to a run in the first inning, Phelps pitched exceptionally well. He gave up just two hits and a walk and struck out two. In his nine innings this spring, Phelps has given up just one run on seven hits and two walks and struck out three. It is hard to see how the Yankees can keep him out of the rotation.
• Suzuki doubled off the base of the rightfield wall in the fifth inning and went 1-for-3 in the game. Suzuki is also having a pretty productive spring. He is hitting .400 and he shows no ill effects from his recent car accident last week.
• Shawn Kelley looked really sharp in the the ninth inning, putting the Braves away 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. Kelley, 28, was 2-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 47 games with the Seattle Mariners last season. He could figure to make the team because he has a power arm.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

• Travis Hafner has only had 10 at-bats but he needs to start showing that he can drive the ball. Hafner was 0-for-1 with two walks and is 2-for-10 so far this spring. With the Yankees missing so much of their power from last season Hafner is important piece to providing consistent power as the left-hand designated hitter.
• The team’s errors seem to multiplying like rabbits. There were three more errors against the Braves and two by Corban Joseph, who was playing – you guessed it – third base. Third has been like a black hole for the Yankees all spring. In 11 games the Yankees have committed 19 errors this spring and 11 of them have been committed by third basemen.
• Mark Montgomery, 22, had a night he would like to forget. He gave up a single to Tyler Pastornicky and Pastornicky stole second and advanced to third when J.R. Murphy overthrew second. Then Montgomery was called for a balk to allow Pastornicky to score. Montgomery followed that up by walking two batters and hitting another to load the bases. He was replaced by Francisco Rondon, who wriggled out of the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and a groundout.

BOMBER BANTER

The M*A*S*H unit that is the Yankees received another patient who was not even in Tampa to get injured. Mark Teixeira, who was training in Arizona with Team USA, strained the inside of his right wrist taking swings in batting practice preparing for an exhibition game against the White Sox. X-rays were negative for a break but Teixeira will be unable to play in the World Baseball Classic and will be shelved for at least two weeks. At this rate, Francisco Cervelli may end up as the team’s Opening Day cleanup hitter.  . . .   Manager Joe Girardi told the YES Network on Tuesday that the team is shooting for Mariano Rivera to make his spring debut on Saturday in a game against the Braves. He also said that Jeter could play on Sunday.  . . .  General manager Brian Cashman showed up at camp sporting a cast on his right ankle and crutches he will be using for about eight weeks. Cashman broke his fractured his right fibula and dislocated his ankle skydiving on Monday as part of a charity event for the Wounded Warriors Project. If at any time I report that the Yankees’ batboy has been injured you know this team is truly cursed.  . . .  The team’s top prospect, catcher Gary Sanchez, was among eight players reassigned to minor-league camp. Along with Sanchez, 20, the Yankees sent out infielders David Adams, Greg Bird, Cito Culver and Rob Segedin; outfielder Tyler Austin and catchers Francisco Arcia and Kyle Higashioka. That leaves the Yankees with 68 players in camp.

ON DECK

It may be a bit strange but the Yankees will be looking at bench coach Tony Pena and second baseman Robinson Cano in the opposing dugout on Wednesday. The Yankees will be playing an exhibition against the Dominican Republic team from the WBC. Cano likely will start at second base and Pena is the team’s manager.

Hiroki Kuroda will get the start for the Yankees and he will be opposed by former Yankee right-hander Jose Veras.

Game-time will be 1:05 p..m. EST and the game will be telecast live by the MLB Network.

Hafner, 35, is a potential replacement for the loss of Raul Ibanez, who opted to sign with the Seattle Mariners this offseason.

Hafner hit .228 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs in 64 games with the Cleveland Indians last season.

Though Hafner has played first base in his career, he has not played in the field since the 2007 season. So it appears he primarily will be the team’s left-hand DH and will play first sparingly, if at all.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated fellow former Indians first baseman/outfielder Russ Canzler for assignment. If Canzler is not picked up by another team he could be reclaimed and invited to spring training with the Yankees.

In addition to Hafner, the Yankees added to their spring roster by inviting a total of 43 players to spring training.

Among those is left-hand hitting first baseman Dan Johnson, who most recently played for the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox, and outfielders Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera.

Diaz, 34, hit .222 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 51 games for the Atlanta Braves last season. The right-hand hitting Diaz had his season cut short by a right thumb injury that required surgery in August.

Diaz is a career .291 hitter and he has an excellent chance to make the team as a backup corner outfielder and designated hitter.

Rivera, also 34, originally came out of the Yankees minor-league system and played for the team in portions of the 2002 and 2003 seasons before being dealt to the Montreal Expos in 2004.

Rivera hit .244 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 109 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He is a career .274 hitter.

Rivera is also a corner outfielder and he likely will compete with Diaz for a roster spot.

Johnson, 33, has an excellent chance to make the roster as a replacement for Eric Chavez, who signed in the offseason with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnson is a left-handed hitter who can play first and third base and as a corner outfielder.

He hit .364 with three home runs and six RBIs in late season call-up with the White Sox. But at Triple-A Charlotte, Johnson hit .267 with 28 home runs and 85 RBIs in 137 games before being recalled in September.

With Hafner and Johnson both having good shots at making the team and Diaz and Rivera competing for a backup outfield and right-hand DH spot, the other battles for bench spots will come down to backup catcher and a utility infield spot.

The Yankees lost starting catcher Russell Martin to the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent so the starting catcher spot will come down to a battle between Francisco Cervelli, 26, and Chris Stewart, 30. The loser of the battle likely will be the team’s backup.

The Yankees also invited former Los Angeles Angels catcher Bobby Wilson, 29, to camp as a non-roster invitee. However, Wilson likely will be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre just in case Cervelli or Stewart are injured and he will back up rookie Austin Romine, 24, who is coming off a lower-back injury.

The backup infield spot will be a rematch of last season’s battle between speedy Eduardo Nunez, 25, and steady Jayson Nix, 30.

Nunez is a career .272 hitter with 38 steals in 46 attempts. He is the team’s second-best base-stealer behind Brett Gardner and is perhaps the best athlete on the team.

However, his glovework the past two seasons has been so bad the Yankees want him to primarily play shortstop and second base, which gives Nix a huge edge despite the fact he arrives in camp as a non-roster player.

Nix hit .243 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 74 games with the Yankees last season. He is able to play second, third, shortstop and the corner outfield spots.

Nunez possibly could make the team as a right-hand DH and he could play a lot of shortstop this season in place of 38-year-old Derek Jeter, who is recovering from a fractured left ankle he sustained in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

Another option for Nunez is that he could be traded this spring if general manager Brian Cashman feels the need to add a player before the season begins.

Along with Johnson, Wilson, Nix, Diaz and Rivera, the Yankees invited the following players to camp:

CATCHERS: Francisco Arcia, Kyle Higashioka, J.R. Murphy, Gary Sanchez.

INFIELDERS: Gregory Bird, Cito Culver, Walter Ibarra, Addison Maruszak, Luke Murton, Jose Pirela, Kyle Roller, Gil Velazquez.

OUTFIELDERS: Abraham Almonte, Tyler Austin, Adonis Garcia, Slade Heathcott, Ronnier Musteller, Thomas Neal, Rob Segedin.

PITCHERS: Corey Black, Juan Cedeno, Preston Claiborne, Matt Daley, Nick Goody, Shane Greene, David Herndon, Tom Kahnle, Jim Miller, Bryan Mitchell, Mark Montgomery, Zach Nuding, Mikey O’Brien, Kelvin Perez, Brandon Pinder, Ryan Pope, Josh Spence, Matt Tracy, Chase Whitley.

Day 2 started at 9 a.m., as Jared was ready to go to the Krispy Kreme next to the hotel. We got the doughnuts, and headed out to kill time before the games opened at 1. Augusta, you were disappointing. There wasn’t much to do at all, and we resorted to going to an Arcade to kill 20 minutes. Screw you Deal or No Deal game. Finally, much to my satisfaction, we headed over the ballpark. Same thing as the day before, quick and easy. This game was a blowout, as Charleston cruised to a 7-1 victory behind the arm of Bryan Mitchell. Then the fun really began, as the pictures below will show.

Charleston Cards I had signed, including #9 Yankees Prospect Dante Bichette Jr, #10 Prospect Cito Culver, #17 Ben Gamel, and #19 Bryan Mitchell. All rated by MLB.com.

1st Row(L-R): Dante Bichette x4, Casey Stevenson
2nd Row: Pedro Guerra, Bryan Mitchell, Nick McCoy, Fred Lewis, Danny Worrell
3rd Row: Ali Castillo, Cito Culver, Dan Mahoney, Reymond Nunez
4th Row: Francisco Arcia, Ben Gamel x2, Brain Baisley

4×6′s I had signed, including 2012 MLB Draft Pick/CWS Champion Robert Refsnyder.

1st Row: 2012 Draft Pick Rob Refsnyder x2
2nd Row: Eduardo Sosa x2
3rd Row: Saxon Butler x2

Baseball signed by Yankees Prospect Ben Gamel. Brother of Matt Gamel.

Line-up Card from final game of the season

We made friends with Saxon Butler this weekend, and as he was leaving, he grabbed each of us a bat, and signed them all for us.

Robbie, Jared, and myself with the bats from Saxon Butler

If Dante Bichette Jr is playing, you can almost bet Sr. is in the stands somewhere! Found him! Really nice guy!

Batting glove signed from Saxon Butler. Saxon was an awesome guy!

Game-Used Hat from Ben Gamel! Awesome guy!

Collection of Ben Gamel autographs!

DRUMROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL for the MLB Player:

Jared, Robbie, Casey McGehee, and myself!

Casey McGehee was spending some time with Charleston while the Yankees were adjusting their rosters. Awesome guy, and great with fans!

Cards signed by Casey before Game 1.

Baseball signed by Casey. Included his Yankees #

Casey broke his bat in the 1st inning of the 1st game, and I had to make sure I got it! Score!

Overall, a great weekend. Great spending time with friends, watching baseball, and collecting autographs. Can’t believe the regular season is over, and can’t wait to get it all rolling again next April! Thankfully, there’s no off-season for this blog, so continue to check back often as next things are posted and added to make this a more friendly site for you, the viewers!

Labor Day Weekend 2012(minus the 4×6′s)

Follow me on Twitter @joey_garrison.

And check out theautobox.wordpress.com, it’s a great site.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4,

Steve Pearce crossed the plate in the 10th inning off a Gustavo Molina RBI single as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees won in walk-off fashion last night. Pearce, despite not having an RBI, was easily the game’s MVP as he went 4-for-5 with three doubles and three runs scored. Jack Cust hit his third home run of the season and brought home three runs in the victory. D.J. Mitchell, in his first start since  returning from a brief promotion to the majors, t0ssed six quality innings. Chase Whitley got the win to improve to 4-1 on the season. He looks like a candidate for promotion to the majors by the all-star break, especially if any more injuries hit the bullpen.

Trenton 7, Portland 0

Brett Marshall was lights out over six innings on his way to his fourth win of the season. Marshall shut out Portland while on the mound and allowed just four hits. With a 4-1 record and a 3.27 ERA, Marshall may be in line for a mid-season promotion to Triple-A Scranton. Not that he needed it, but Marshall got plenty of run support from his offense. Addison Maruszak and Luke Murton led the way with three hits a piece, and Dan Brewer added two hits and a pair of RBI.

Tampa 9, Jupiter 8

Tampa scored four in the eighth and one in the ninth to come back from an 8-4 defecit and defeat the Jupiter Hammerheads yesterday. Rob Segedin scored the winning run for Tampa on an RBI single from Tyson Blaser, who went 4-for-4 with four RBI on the day. Eduardo Sosa hit his first home run of the season as part of a two-for-four, three RBI effort. Despite starter Zachary Nuding struggling, the bullpen came through big for Tampa. Vidal Nuno, Branden Pinder, and Mark Montgomery combined for five shutout innings where just four runners reached base. Pinder got the win, his first of the season, while Montgomery earned his fifth save of the season.

Charleston 15, West Virginia 3

Everyone was getting on base yesterday for Charleston, with all but three hitters having multi-hit games. Ben Gamel (1), Francisco Arcia (2), and Tyler Austin (11) all homered for the RiverDogs. Arcia, playing in place of Gary Sanchez, was 3-for-5 with five RBI on the day. Angelo Gumbs and Cito Culver both had solid games at the top of the order, with Gumbs going 3-for-6 and Culver going 2-for-6. Much like in Tampa, the bullpen had a solid game, tossing six innings combined of near-perfect ball. Other than a fifth inning home run allowed by Mariel Checo, the RiverDogs pen didn’t allow a single baserunner.

The Yankees Triple-A team was rained out on Monday, which means that Brett Gardner’s rehab assignment will begin today. It’s now likely that Gardner’s not back with the Yankees until Thursday or Friday. Yesterday’s rainout will be made up as part of a doubleheader today starting at 5 pm.

Bradenton 10, Tampa 5

Rob Segedin went 3-for-4 to bring his average to .314 on the season and Kyle Higashioka did his best to help the cause with his first home run of the season, but it wasn’t enough to save the Tampa Yankees last night. Five runs on twelve hits should be enough most days, but they got no help from their starting pitching. Sean Black lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits. It didn’t get any better after Black was pulled – Dawerd Cruz’s season debut was plain ugly. Cruz went 2.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and six hits before getting yanked in the 6th.

Charleston 5, Delmarva 4

Charleston got a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 9th from backup catcher Francisco Arcia to defeat Delmarva 5-4. He entered in the 8th as a defensive replacement for Gary Sanchez, who had already gone 3-for-4 with two RBI on the day. Mason Williams was 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, and added his 12th steal of the season. Scottie Allen had another good start for Charleston, but failed to factor into the decision. He tossed six innings, while giving up just three hits and one unearned run.