Not that Doug Mietkiewicz was a great player for the Yanks but at least he’s an elite defender which is something that can’t be said for the current crop of 1B the Yanks are playing.  The Yankees have been linked to rumors involving Shea Hillenbrand, Todd Helton and Mark Teixeira.  Any of those guys would be a huge upgrade over what the Yanks have right now.  The Yankees have designated Josh Phelps for assignment because he was a large liability on defense.  He almost got Derek Jeter killed with an awful throw in a game.  Phelps played in 36 games for the Yankees this season and he was 21 for 80 (.263 avg, .693 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 12 RBIs.  The Yankees have called up Andy Phillips to replace Phelps on the roster.  Phillips has played in 64 games in AAA ball this season and he was 75 for 246 (.305 avg, .881 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 11 homers and 36 RBIs.  Phillips will likely share time at first base with Miguel Cairo who has been the starter at 1B by default.  He has played in 29 games this season and he’s 15 for 60 (.250 avg, .603 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

The Yankees have demoted Tyler Clippard to AAA.  He started 6 games for the Yankees and he was 3-1 with a 6.33 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP.  In 27 innings, Clippard allowed 29 hits, 6 homers, walked 17 batters and whiffed 18.  The Yankees will replace Clippard in the rotation with lefty Kei Igawa.  Igawa had a tough start to the season with the Yanks as he was 2-1 with a 7.63 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP and that earned him a demotion.  Igawa went down to the minors and he improved and earned his was back to New York.  In 6 starts in the minors, Igawa was 3-3 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.  He threw 34 innings and he allowed 30 hits, walked 10 batters and whiffed 33 in the minors.  Look for Igawa to pitch much better for the Yankees this time around.

Alex Rodriguez is hot again for the Yankees.  In his last six games, A-Rod is 9 for 21 (.429 avg, 1.600 OPS) with 7 runs, 4 homers and 16 RBIs!  His average has risen back up to .304 and his OPS to 1.081 for the season!   In 61 games this season, A-Rod now has scored 56 runs, ripped 24 homers and has driven in 63 runs.  This is now his team and anyone who debates that is crazy because without him the Yanks would be in last place right now probably 20 games behind the Red Sox.

Joe Torre decided to let Abreu bat third again in the lineup and he’s responded big-time.  In his last 6 games, Abreu is 12 for 24 (.500 avg, 1.378 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer, 8 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Abreu’s recent surge has improved his batting average to .272 and his OPS to .734 on the season.  Look for Abreu to keep this up as he’s a much better player than he’s shown so far for the Yankees.

The Yankees are 9-4 the last two weeks as they’ve outscored their opponents 88-62.  The Yankees are really hitting the ball well and that’s made up for their sub par pitching of the last couple of weeks.  The Yankees enter this week with a 30-31 record which has them in 2nd place in the American League East, 9.5 games behind the Red Sox.