The Yankees are now 20-22 and in last place in the AL East. The Rays, with a record of 24-17, are in first place.

How can the Yankees turn save their season?

1. Get Healthy
The Yankees are dealing with a number of injuries at the moment. Most prominently, the team is without Hall of Fame third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez has a strained quadriceps that has kept him out of the lineup for the entire month of May. In that time, Rodriguez has only been seen choking in the delivery room. Besides Rodriguez, veteran catcher Jorge Posada and young starter Phil Hughes are also battling injuries. Posada has a shoulder injury, while Hughes has a broken rib.

2. Get Hitting
The Bronx Bombers are more like the Bronx Bunters this year. No player on the team is having that great of a season at the plate. Jason Giambi leads the team with seven homeruns – but he also has a batting average of .184. Veterans like Bobby Abreu and Derek Jeter are having decent but not great seasons. Young players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera haven’t lived up to their potential. The Yankees need a hot bat to emerge.

3. Get Pitching Depth
Chien-Ming Wang has been very good for the Yankees this year. Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte have had their ups and downs but overall they have been good enough. The problem is the rest of the rotation is in shambles. The Yankees were hoping that Hughes and Ian Kennedy could be the other two starts, but Hughes is hurt and Kennedy has been ineffective. Whether it’s a trade or a young pitcher stepping up, the Yankees need a more balanced rotation.

4. Get Torre?
While the Yankees are struggling, Joe Torre has the Los Angeles Dodgers at 21-19. Could the Yankees be showing signs of missing Torre? Perhaps. George Steinbrenner and his twin son Hank Steinbrenner won’t give current manager Joe Girardi as much leeway as they gave Torre. If the Yankees don’t turn it around ASAP, Girardi might be sent packing.

Does Joe Girardi Hear Joe Torre’s Footsteps?

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Hank Steinbrenner says he has pondered the possibility of bringing Wells back to the Yankees, however Steinbrenner admits to not talking to general manager Brian Cashman about the idea.

Last season, Wells pitched for the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 29 combined starts, Wells was 9-9 with a 5.43 ERA. Wells pitched for the Yankees in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003. His best season came in 1998 when he went 18-4 with a 3.49 ERA. In his four seasons with the Yankees, Wells averaged 17 wins per season.

The reason Wells makes a bit of sense for the Yankees is because the team is currently suffering from injury trouble. Phil Hughes, who was expected to be a key contributor this season, is on the disabled list. Ian Kennedy, another young pitcher expected to help carry the load, has been ineffective and is back in the minor leagues. As a whole, the Yankees rank 22nd out of 30 teams in ERA.

Could Wells help out the Bronx Bombers? I’m not sure but one thing we know is that it’d be entertaining.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

• Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m. PT — Hiroki Kuroda looked outstanding in his North American debut. I expected the funky delivery that is characteristic of pitchers who come over from Japan, but the velocity caught me by surprise. He was pumping 93-mph fastballs against the Padres. Micah Owings gets the call for Arizona. He dominated the Rockies in his first start of ‘08 (although he only went 1-for-4 at the plate, LOL). Wasn’t there talk that the Snakes might stick Owings in the field at some point? I think that’s crazy, but it would be pretty cool — you know, in the same way that handlebar moustaches are cool.
• Reds at Brewers, 5:05 p.m. PT — Like offense? Josh Fogg and David Bush hook up at Miller Park. The lineups will include guys like Ryan Braun, Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, and Ken Griffey Jr. I’m going to set the over/under on home runs at seven.
• Yankees at Royals, 5:10 p.m. PT — Two promising young pitchers square off in this one. Zack Greinke seems to have gotten his career back on track, while Ian Kennedy is still trying to figure out how the Rays beat the snot out of him last week. The Royals are 5-2. Heck, the Orioles are 6-1. And people say the world isn’t going to hell in a handbasket.

Rock on, my peeps…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another…
–REO Speedwagon, “Take It on the Run”

Not to dwell on the Yankees, but right now they’ve got the funniest coverage in baseball. On the heels of O’Neillgate, now we have a report that Jason Giambi is “in great shape.” Beyond the fact that this is one of everyone’s favorite spring training cliches, I love the way we’ve come to learn about Giambi’s condition: The reporter, Peter Abraham, heard it from Yankees minor-league pitcher Ian Kennedy, who heard it from a friend of Giambi.

Really, if that doesn’t convince you that Giambi is in great shape, then I don’t know what will.

Post from: Knuckle Curve