Cano Walks Off, Garcia K's 10

Robinson Cano put a bow on the best performance from Ian Kennedy this year by hitting a walk off RBI single and giving the Yankees a 2-1 win. Kennedy tossed six innings, striking out four (but walking four) and allowing only one run on four hits. Escaping a bases-loaded with one out jam without yielding a run was the key point of the game.


IN PROSPECT NEWS:

Chris Garcia was an uber prospect out of high school but has since become an injury bitten enigma. This year, Garcia is making his way back into games and made his 2008 debut last week. Tonight, the 22 year-old Garcia tossed a gem by striking out 10 batters, walking one and surrendering two hits over six scoreless innings.

I haven't yet heard about Garcia's stuff or velocity, but when he was 100% healthy in years past he would use a plus fastball ranging from 92-95 mph and touching 97. Though his fastball is reportedly only at 91+ mph right now, Garcia will likely regain his velocity down the road. At 6'5 and 210 lbs. he has the perfect frame for workhorse power pitcher.

Pre Tommy John, Garcia also possesses dynamite off-speed pitches including a hammer power curveball 80-83 mph. Along with his knuckle curve Garcia also uses a devastating changeup around 80mph. It was said that when Garcia was healthy and could stay on the mound he had the best curve and changeup in the entire organization.

If Garcia dominates at A+ Tampa, he could move rather quickly. However, the most important part of Garcia's season will be proving he can remain healthy and log innings. Striking out 16 batters [to just 2 walks] through 10.2 innings this year is a step in the right direction.

Braves Fan Falls To Death

This is the second such incident in which a MLB fan has fallen to his death while leaving a stadium's confines. Unlike the first tragic event which took place at Shea Stadium, this latest tragedy involves a potential overuse of alcohol as a cause. An eerie coincidence that both instances came during a Mets game:

Justin Hayes of Cumming, Ga., suffered head injuries Wednesday night and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. He fell about 150 feet from the club level to the landing on the field level during the eighth inning.

The investigation is "pointing toward drinking. Alcohol was a factor," said Atlanta police department spokesman Ronald Campbell on Thursday.

Campbell said Hayes may have been sliding down the handrails when he fell.

There has to be some way to require these immense stairwells be covered with plexiglass and the like to ensure no one can fall.

Olney: Santana's Wear & Tear

From Buster Olney's blog today comes the discussion of Johan Santana's longterm health and effectiveness throughout his contract with the Mets:

Heard this from a couple of evaluators: Johan Santana's velocity is down 3-4 miles per hour from a couple of years ago. He is short-arming the ball more than he has in the past -- and this is after some red flags appeared in the physical examination he underwent before signing with the Mets. Sources say his shoulder showed some wear and tear, which is not unusual for a pitcher of Santana's age. This is not to say Santana is not an effective pitcher now, but all of this information makes you wonder how effective he will remain during the course of his multi-year deal.

Obviously, these rumors could be discarded should Santana continue to dominate hitters during the life of his new deal. However, should Santana's shoulder crumble in the next couple of seasons it will be interesting to hear what Hank Steinbrenner [and similar-sounding Yankee fans] feel about Brian Cashman's decision to pass on the Johan sweepstakes.

To be fair, when I saw Santana pitch at Yankee Stadium last weekend the stadium gun had the lefty consistently pitching 91-93 mph. Santana frequently hit 94 and topped out at 96 a few times with his fastball. This is all reliant on the Yankee Stadium radar gun which is often said to be inaccurate at times. Though Keith Law agrees with that idea, I usually find the stadium gun to be very accurate.

Newsflash, Joba To Become StarterGirardi: "The Process Has Started"

By July 1, a Nebraskan fireballer will be starting games every fifth day for the Yankees. As this blog and several other Yankee sites had been confidently asserting since spring training, Joba Chamberlain is to become a starting pitcher in 2008.

Now it's official as Joe Girardi told Kim Jones after the game, "The process has started."

It was pretty evident that the process had begun once Chamberlain threw four or five changeups in the two innings he pitched during an 8-0 blowout victory Wednesday night.

As soon as I saw the 80 mph radar readings and the solid fading downward movement of his change I knew Joba to the Rotation had begun. The only guy on the YES telecast not observant enough to recognize it was Michael Kay as John Flaherty and Singleton read the handwriting on the wall.

Mark Melancon and JB Cox and Dan McCutchen and Dave Robertson just got a whole lot closer to the majors - even though they currently remain at their respective AA and AAA levels.

It will be extremely entertaining to hear the NY radio talk circuit munch on this for hour after hour. It will be just as fun to see how clueless some of these personalities are regarding the minor league prospects moving towards the back of the bullpen.

Just a bit of advice. If any writer, radio host or ESPN analyst states names like Farnsworth or Hawkins as Joba's longterm replacement as the setup man feel free to disregard them as having any knowledge about baseball for the remainder of your sports-watching life.

As Big Club Falters, Minors Prosper

The big club in the Bronx may look like the Bad News Bears recently, but the Yankees minor leaguers are giving fans something to smile about.

With Joba Chamberlain's meteoric rise through the minors a well-chronicled journey last year, fans will be much more inclined to keep their ears open for the next young fireballer. Hopefully some of my thoughts will contribute toward your overall prospect knowledge in some capacity.

Periodically throughout every week I will recap the most noteworthy goings-on in the baby bombers arena. Today the focus will be on rising pitching prospects who all took the mound on Tuesday night.

Zach McAllister continues to dominate Sally league:

Last night - 8 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts.

Over his past two starts McAllister [pictured above] has thrown 15 innings, struck out 17, walked zero and allowed one earned run. That's domination. Over nine starts this season McAllister has had exactly one outing which was not very good.

Mark Melancon's progression has been superaltive:

Last night - 3 hitless and scoreless innings, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, 5 groundball outs to zero in the air. [Melancon entered the game in a 0-0 tie and held off Reading until his team scored three runs in the top of the 10th before closing it out with a 1-2-3 inning]

Once again, that's domination. If you had never heard his name before and went to see him pitch now, you would assume Melancon had been making his way through the minor league ranks for at least a couple years before arriving in Trenton. [Try 37 career minor league innings] His mound demeanor and stuff continue to soar off scouting charts.

JB Cox knocking on the door:

Last night - 1.2 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk

His last professional season - which was at AA Trenton - was a dominant campaign for the former Texas University closer. Since returning from elbow surgery this year, Cox has pitched 16.1 innings with a 1.65 ERA and 2.38 GO/AO rate. Safe to say the sinker/slider repertoire remained intact for Cox. Should JB continue to pitch this well at AAA - for say a month or so - he could soon bolster a Joba-less bullpen.

Scott Patterson recovers from early woes:

Last night - 1 inning, 0 hits/runs/walks/strikeouts

In his last nine appearances, Patterson has not allowed an earned run. Over those 9.1 innings the funky righthander allowed 6 hits, 2 walks to go with 9 strikeouts. On the year Patterson has now tossed 20 innings, giving up 17 hits while striking out 19 to just 5 walks and posting a solid 2.70 ERA. It would seem Patterson has fully returned after a poor start to his 2008 season.

Ivan Nova looking to get on track:

Last night - 8 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk

In by far his best start of the season, Nova looked like the dominating pitcher many Yankee fans hope he can develop into. Though this season - and somewhat his career - has been extremely inconsistent, the 21 year-old still has a great deal of promise, evidenced by last night's performance. There had been rumors this April that Nova had lost some of the velocity off his plus fastball [which averaged 93mph last year], but building on his last start would help to quiet his critics.

Jeter Day-To-Day

After taking a 93 mph Daniel Cabrera fastball to the left hand, Derek Jeter is officially day to day. [How much you want to bet Mike Mussina paid Cabrera to plunk Jeter after the Yankees shortstop flubbed a routine grounder which extended a nightmare first inning and ending the frame trailing 7-0 instead of what would have been just a 1-0 deficit.]

But of course Jeter says he is fine:

"It'll be fine," said Jeter, whose hand was in a protective wrap after the game. "It's not a big deal. I should be all right by (today). He hit me pretty good. (Thankfully) it's not broken."

Yankees reliever LaTroy Hawkins incited a bench-clearing incident in the top of the sixth when he threw at Orioles outfielder Luke Scott's head in apparent retaliation. Home plate umpire Chuck Meriwether promptly ejected Hawkins. No punches were thrown after the benches and bullpens emptied.

Scott was incensed that Hawkins aimed at his head.

"Of course it was (intentional)," Scott said. "I understand that you have to protect your players, but there's a certain way to go about it and that was not it. You never throw at anyone's head intentionally. You can injure someone. ... You can end a career."

Hawkins said that he was simply "throwing the pitch inside and it got away from me."

Alex Rodriguez returned from the DL, so it was only fair that the Yankees Captain become injured. So is the way of the Yankees universe these days.

McCutchen Promoted To AAA

George King can now put it in his column.

The New York Post writer initially jumped the gun last week, but now Dan McCutchen has officially been called up to AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

The promotion was well-deserved for Cutch who over 91 total innings at Trenton struck out 82 batters, walked 27, allowed 78 hits and pitched to an ERA under 2.50 and nearly an even 1.00 WHIP.

[Over his 222 career minor league innings, Cutch has a 2.43 ERA, a 6.97 h/9, a 1.02 WHIP, a 0.69 hr/9 and 2.19 bb/9]

In a corresponding move, Bo Hall has been sent down to Trenton.

On and off the field McCutchen is a hard-working, good guy who is certainly worthy of such success and movement.

Did Hank Consult Hal?

It would sound like Hank Steinbrenner took some advice from his brother before his latest public comments:

“I don’t think, truthfully, anybody knows exactly who’s going to be where in the American League. Only two teams among the favorites are doing anything right now, and that’s the Red Sox and the Angels. We’re not doing well, Detroit’s not doing well, Cleveland’s not doing that great. The A.L. is a little topsy-turvy.

“I don’t know if we need to make any trades. We’ll see what happens, but I think the days where you can get a Cone or a Duque or a Wells may be over. We didn’t get Santana, so we’ve got to deal with what we have, and we’ll do the best that we can and keep building.”

I did not bring up Johan Santana, but since Steinbrenner mentioned him, I asked if he still thinks about that potential trade, and whether Santana’s performance this season would have any bearing on his evaluations going forward.

“That ship has sailed,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m not going to keep dwelling on that. Everybody knows what my opinion was, but that’s in the past. Mussina’s pitching great. Wang has turned out to be an ace. I know Andy will start pitching well again. Rasner’s been impressive, and our bullpen’s been great. Our hitting will come around – it’s got to.”

So by "not going to keep dwelling on [Santana]," that means you will still bring him up unprovoked? Hankenstein needs to get himself a better definition of dwell.

More from the young elephant:

“The bottom line is we can easily still win the division, we can get the wild card, and we’ll see what happens from there,” Steinbrenner said.

He added: “We’re going to be all right this year. I think we’re going to make a run at it. We’re in much better striking position than we were last year, and there’s no way all these guys – forget about Rodriguez and Posada – Cano, Cabrera, Giambi, Abreu, all the other guys – are not going to at least approach what they did last year.

“And when they start getting on a tear, we’ve got the starting pitching settled, and the bullpen’s great, we’re going to be really tough by the end of the year. I’m very, very confident.”

Horne Survives Spring Start

Alan Horne, the top Yankees pitching prospect recovering from a bicep strain, pitched two scoreless innings today in an Extended Spring Training game. He threw some 26 pitches and is slated to get in another game on Thursday with a goal of upping his pitchcount to 50.

Though no timetable is currently set in stone, it is altogether possible Horne rejoins the AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre rotation in a week. Horne provides another starting pitching option or trading chip for Brian Cashman to plug in.

Meanwhile... Jeff Karstens will start tonight for Scranton after pitching in Tampa of late. Karstens has been working his way back from a groin injury suffered in early Spring and could ultimately find his way into a longman role in turnoverville the Yankees bullpen.

A-Rod Is A-OK For Return

Alex Rodriguez is ready to go per the Star Ledger update:

The word from Tampa: Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-6 in his final extended spring training game and is ready to join the team tomorrow.

"I'm excited to get back into Yankee Stadium and playing baseball. It's where I belong," Rodriguez told the Associated Press.

More from the AP: Rodriguez doubled and singled in six at-bats against Philadelphia minor league right-hander Reginal Simon. He also reached on error, struck out and flied out twice, making him 3-for-10 with a homer in two extended spring training games.

"I wanted to go left, I wanted to go right defensively. I wanted to come forward on some slow rollers, and I got every [grounder]," Rodriguez said. "I'm happy about that. I got a chance to slide a few times, and swing the bat well."

The defending AL MVP will have a great deal of pressure on his shoulders to immediately perform at a high level.

Farnsworthless Reappears,McAllister & Betances Dominant

Not the most exciting game I've seen at the stadium, but hey, at least the real Kyle Farnsworth stood up. Two homers, three runs coughed up during a one-run game that Andy Pettitte scratched and clawed through turned a nail-biter into another ugly Yankees loss. Like every baseball fan already knows, Farnsworth can string together a couple weeks of good pitching, but every time he's placed in a pressure spot he'll fold, as today once again proves.

Joba Chamberlain has been going to the curveball with much more regularity. Maybe the Yankees have told him to refine his curve and changeup in preparation for joining the starting rotation. Maybe I'm putting the cart before the horse. Either way, Carlos Delgado won a hard fought battle, resulting in a much needed insurance run as the Mets earned an important 7-4 win.

Mark Melancon and JB Cox continue to move up the ranks. Soon the words Farnsworth and pressure situation will be aliens to a Yankee fan's vocabulary.

- Meanwhile, in the lower ranks:

Charleston young guns Zach McAllister [20] and Dellin Betances [20] are making real progress. McAllister has been especially dominant: 49 innings, 44 hits, 43 strikeouts, 7 walks, 2.20 ERA. The 6:1 ratio of strikeouts to walks and 2.66 GO/AO are video game numbers and his last outing was extremely impressive.

After the only terrible outing of his 2008 campaign [8 runs on 11 hits over 3 innings], McAllister dominated in his next start by tossing 7 shutout innings, striking out 11 and walking zero. Though he is still a youngan, McAllister has already outclassed the Sally League competition and is deserving of a Tampa promotion.

Betances, in the meantime, has been striking out batters left and right. Unfortunately, he's also been handing out walks like they're going out of style. Over 47 innings Betances has only allowed 27 hits and struck out a ridiculous 57 batters [while walking an equally noticeable 32], with a 3.26 ERA and .167 batting average against. A source in Charleston let me know Betances has been sitting 92-94 mph with his fastball and hitting 96 on occasion.

Like McAllister, Betances had suffered the worst start of his 2008 season a week ago before recovering extremely well yesterday by throwing 6 no-hit innings and striking out 8 batters before being pulled for pitchcount. (Betances is regularly held to 90 pitches and was taken out of the game after throwing 94 last night) According to multiple forums, Betances was sitting at 94 mph all night, hit 95 on the gun 15 times and topped out at 97.

Though Betances has the higher ceiling, McAllister is obviously showing the greater command and maturity. Before the season started, Brian Cashman decreed both elite arms would spend the entire season at Charleston. However, McAllister has already proven to need a higher level of competition and Betances may soon follow suit - if he can ever reduce his current walk rate of 6.80 b/9.

Finally, the much anticipated return of Christian Garcia took place tonight as the oft-injured pitching prospect threw 4.2 innings for Tampa, allowed 6 hits, 1 earned run, struck out 6 and walked 1. Garcia has been making his way back from Tommy John and serious knee surgeries and, when healthy, possesses some of the best stuff in the entire Yankees farm system. Keep an eye on Garcia this year as he is an very intriguing project.

See You At The Game

Luckily I didn't get tickets for last night's game, but I will be in attendance for this afternoon's match up which pits Andy Pettitte against Johan Santana.

This will be the first time I see Santana in person. I missed him by a day last summer when I was in Minneapolis and, typically, the night before Santana struck out 17 Texas Rangers over eight innings.

The Yankees will be hoping for a more tame Johan on Saturday.

Girardi's Dead On...On Kennedy

Caught the tail end of Joe Girardi's weekly appearance on the Mike & The Mad Dog radio show and he said what I've been thinking (and blogging) since Ian Kennedy's 2008 struggles began.

"He's become a two-pitch pitcher" was the thought Girardi relayed to Francesa & Russo when asked about Kennedy's continued struggles Thursday afternoon. The Yankees manager then stated Kennedy "needs to use all his pitches."

After hearing about Kennedy's great performance at AAA [in which the righthander had a perfect game going], it was significant to note the effectiveness of his curveball that night. I said, and still say, the command and use of the curveball is a key cog in deciding whether he will have success at the major league level.

Without his curve - and occasional slider - Kennedy becomes a fastball/changeup pitcher without the threat of another pitch. [Edwar Ramirez comes to mind, right?] Obviously Kennedy is most comfortable and in command of these two pitches and is scared of taking the chance of using his breaking balls.

However, he does not have the velocity differential that Johan Santana [and now Edinson Volquez] incorporates and therefore must rely on breaking pitches. And even if Kennedy had Santana or Volquez's plus fastball to accompany their dominant changeups, no starter can survive without a reliable breaking ball - as Volquez will soon learn and Santana already has in refining his slider.

The sooner Kennedy let's it go with his breaking balls, the sooner he will discover how to get major leaguers out. As long as the USC alum remains tentative with throwing the hook, hitters will wait on the fastball and keep pounding him into the cheap seats.

For Yankees fans, it's a positive sign Girardi noticed this particular tendency. The next step is rectifying it.

Giambi's Slumpbuster?A Golden Thong

According to NJ.com, Jason Giambi resorts to wearing a golden thong to bust his way out of prolonged slumps at the plate.

And "wearing a golden thong" is baseball lingo for the Giambino refilling his deca-durabolin prescription.

The whole gold thong image may be a great analogy for Giambi's Yankees tenure: although it looked good on her at first glance, you're soon left disappointed as the initial window dressing hid a much uglier underbelly.

Top 10 Sportscenter Commercial

Just came across a great This Is Sportscenter tv ad today and felt the need to pass it along. Jose Reyes may not be a Mets fan-favorite right now, but he just earned points in my book for one of the funniest Sportscenter commercials I've ever seen:

TRENTON REPORT:Mark Melancon Is A Monster

Made my way to Trenton last night to see Trenton vs. Portland with top Red Sox pitching prospect Justin Masterson taking the hill. However, the real reason for my visit was the much anticipated arrival of Mark Melancon, who had recently been promoted from A+ Tampa.

I've heard about his flawless make-up, devastating stuff and mad dog mentality on the mound. I'd read several scouting reports on him since the Yankees drafted him in 2006. However, this was the first time I'd seen him in person.

My expectation level was reminiscent of the first time I saw Joba Chamberlain pitch. That night, Joba struck out 12 batters over six scoreless innings.



Melancon was not as dominant - he allowed an earned run over his two innings of work - but you quickly understand why so many scouts drool over the former Arizona closer's ability.

As soon as he entered the game, the crowd perked up, particularly the countless scouts who had lost interest after Masterson coughed up seven earned runs. Seated next to me were Trenton starters Dan McCutchen, George Kontos and Chase Wright, who were all in the house to chart Melancon's pitches and catch a first glimpse of their new closer.

His pitching arsenal:

Fastball: sat at mostly 93-94 mph throughout the outing and topped out at 95 mph.. He threw a more sinking heater at 91 down in the zone. His arm slot is nearly over the top (or basically high three-quarters) making the 94 mph fastball drive downward on hitters and probably seem even faster than it already is. A plus fastball in terms of velocity, movement and command.

The lateral movement it generates, however, may be the most impressive characteristic to the pitch. Melancon is able to command the fastball well inside, though he did leave a few pitches out over the plate, a single and RBI double coming as a result. The majority of the time Melancon's heater bent in and out of the zone as he attacked hitters with a 7-1 lead.

Curveball: The epitome of an outpitch, Melancon possesses an absolute hammer power curveball hovering around 80-81 mph. He showed the ability to drop the pitch in for a called strike as well as bury it in the dirt for swinging strikes. Potentially a plus-plus pitch, Melancon throws it with great conviction and bite.

From my vantage point behind homeplate, the ball just seemed to be on a continuous downward spiral. This comes in part because of Melancon's high release point. Following his fastball, the curve has great depth and simply drops off the table, somewhat like Francisco Rodriguez's big breaking ball. Two of his four strikeouts came on the pitch.

Changeup: An average major league offering, Melancon's change sits in the low 80s. I believe Melancon only threw the pitch twice during his two frames and while it seemed he commanded it well enough to throw it for strikes, the movement and deception was not particularly exceptional. The simple fact of the matter is that Melancon does not need a third pitch to succeed at the major league level. His fastball and curve are that strong.

Barring an injury, there is no doubt in my mind that Melancon will be pitching in New York this Summer. The only question is when and in what capacity. With guys like Dave Robertson, Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen and possibly Scott Patterson having the ability to set up for Mariano Rivera, Mr. Melancon will have some competition for the eighth inning role. But I'll still put my money on Melancon.

The final line for Melancon's first appearance at AA Trenton: 2 innings; 2 hits; 1 earned run; zero walks; 4 strikeouts.

For what it's worth, Masterson's 87-91 mph sinking fastball has about as much movement as I've ever seen at the minor league level. His secondary pitches - a slider and change - paled in comparison but Masterson's command and movement of his sinker may be good enough that he will rarely need his off speed stuff.

[Photos & Video thanks to The Thunder Blog]

McCutchen To Join AAA Stay At AA

UPDATE: Apparently George King of the Post was wrong about McCutchen's rumored promotion as Mark Newman told Chad Jennings of the SWB Yanks Blog that no such promotion is imminent. Shocking that King would get something 100% wrong.

The NY Post reports 25 year-old Trenton starter Dan McCutchen will be promoted to AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

I've met McCutchen multiple times and have heard nothing but good things about him off the field. On the field the Oklahoma product is a bulldog who has enjoyed great success since the beginning of last season.

This year has been no different. Cutch has dominated all season by throwing 50 innings to 38 hits, 46 strikeouts to 15 walks as well as a 2.50 ERA and .209 opponents batting average. His fastball is generally 91-93 and is complimented by a hard curveball and a potentially strong changeup.

Yankees organizational heads love McCutchen's versatility in that he could toss six solid innings but his stuff also plays well in a bullpen role. [His fastball may gain a few ticks on the radar gun if he comes out of the bullpen] His advanced age - 25 years old - also allows the Yankees to be a bit less calculated as they would be with guys like Phil Hughes.

Chad Jennings believes Alan Horne is very close to returning to the Scranton rotation. Horne had been working his way back from an arm injury suffered in early April. Horne's father said Alan threw to live hitters on Tuesday and his arm continues to respond well to the rehab. According to father Horne, his son will again toss to live batters tomorrow and "go in a game next Monday."

A-Rod Targets Tuesday Return

Old news now, but Alex Rodriguez's MRI results yesterday were not convincing enough to warrant a weekend return to action. Instead Rodriguez plans to rejoin the team this Tuesday should he avoid any setbacks in the meantime.

Alex Rodriguez is "frustrated" by the slow healing of his strained right quadriceps, he said today, and hopes to return to the Yankees by next Tuesday.

Rodriguez confirmed his MRI yesterday showed the strain had gone from grade 2 (moderate) to grade 1 (mild) and said Allen Miller, the Yankees' Tampa-based orthopedic surgeon, said another MRI will not be necessary

"We're aiming for Tuesday," Rodriguez said. "It's frustrating because I feel like I need to be out there helping the team.

"I felt I could have played probably this weekend. I need to get back."

Horne Update: 5/13

Alan Horne, who is working his way back from a biceps strain, has been keeping Yankees fans up to date on his rehab via his father who posts on several message boards.

This one comes from NYYFans:

Just got through talking with Alan after he completed his workout for today. He threw to live hitters and said that again everything went very well. He didn't feel like anybody was really squaring up on the ball all day. He said his location was good, he was able to stay down in the zone all day, and continues to have both good run and sink late movement on his FB's. He also said his curve and slider were both sharp today and that his change-up was good. Again, he was real pleased with how his arm feels while throwing and after his workout as well. He said he really feels ready to go, just waiting on the green light....He'll work again to live hitters either Thursday or Friday and go in a game down there next Monday. Continuing to look for good things ahead.

Suffice to say a healthy Horne would be getting a steady aroma of the big leagues considering how close he is to competing at the highest level.

Joba's Potential Replacements,Cox and Melancon Promoted

Two possible substitutes for Joba Chamberlain in the back of the Yankees bullpen, Mark Melancon and JB Cox, were each given a promotion to AA and AAA respectively.

Cox is the more advanced of the two, mostly because he has logged more professional innings before going down with his elbow injury. Melancon probably has the best stuff, however, and may have the better make-up to pitching in the eighth inning.

Whatever the case may be, both Cox and Melancon have the stuff and mentality to contribute to the Yankees big league pen this summer.

From the SWB Yanks blog:

The Yankees on Tuesday promoted J.B. Cox to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...

Thanks to a text message good friend John Nalbone, is that Mark Melancon is taking Cox's place in Trenton. Melancon has been in Tampa where he's allowed one run in his past 13.1 innings. He's also walked two and struck out 15 in that span.

The Yankees brass just took another meaningful step toward inserting Chamberlain into the starting five.