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Hardy fondly remembers brief stint with Twins
It was not until then that he realized it was a definite possibility. But when the trade did happen, Hardy still was not happy about it.
“When I left here, I was mad. I enjoyed my time here, I made a lot of friends,” Hardy said before Monday’s opener against the Twins at Target Field. “It felt like a slap in the face a little bit to me at the time. I miss all these guys, still, but I definitely love it in Baltimore.”
The trade has worked out much better so far for Hardy and the Orioles than it has for the Twins. The shortstop is enjoying a bounce-back season, hitting .268 with 23 home runs and 59 RBIs in 94 games after just six homers and 38 RBIs over 101 games in his one injury-shortened season with Minnesota.
Hardy signed a three-year extension with the Orioles last month, ensuring he’ll remain in Baltimore for the near future.
The biggest difference in his success, Hardy said, has been health. While he did miss a month with an oblique strain, Hardy has not had to deal with the wrist issues that plagued him throughout the 2010 season.
“My wrist really bothered me, and it affected the way I swung the bat,” Hardy said. “This year, being healthy, it’s allowed me to do what I feel like I’m capable of.
“The wrist, it’s a big part of the swing.”
Questions about his ability to stay healthy played a role in the Twins’ decision to trade Hardy to the Orioles in the offseason.
But with Hardy being healthy for the most part this year, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he was not surprised by Hardy’s production.
“He’s had it in the past. Last year he was just beat up with us with numerous different injuries,” Gardenhire said. “He’s put up pretty good numbers in the past and that’s why we signed him. But last year, injuries beat him up with us.”
This week marks the first “homecoming” type series for Hardy, who did not make the trip with the Twins to Milwaukee — where he spent his first five big league seasons — last year because he was on the disabled list at the time.
Hardy said he’s been following what the Twins have been doing, and the performances of his closer friends on the team in particular. He also said he was happy to be back at Target Field and see so many familiar faces.
“I think it’d be a little different in Milwaukee, but we’ll see tonight how it is,” said Hardy, who was not sure what to expect from Twins fans.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he had no concerns about Hardy trying a little too hard to perform well against his former team and in front of Twins fans.
“J.J.’s not that vindictive. J.J. is as good a human being as you’ll find,” Showalter said. “But he’s competitive. … It’s not something that’s a topic of conversation with him, in the advanced meeting there was none of that. In fact, he was real positive on their organization and their players.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Orioles notebook, 8/22
Showalter outlines upcoming rotation
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS — Buck Showalter confirmed his club’s pitching rotation before Monday’s game at Target Field, but the O’s skipper said it could change based on the status of lefty Jo-Jo Reyes.
Right-hander Alfredo Simon is scheduled to start the second game of the series on Tuesday against the Twins, and Jeremy Guthrie is slated to start Wednesday.
Reyes is then expected to take the hill in the series finale Thursday afternoon, and Tommy Hunter will pitch Friday when the Orioles return home to host the Yankees.
“The only thing that may change there is if Reyes comes in tomorrow — that’s why I haven’t fully committed to it — and the [back] spasms come back up,” Showalter said. “But that’s what the plan is.”
Davis optioned to Triple-A Norfolk
MINNEAPOLIS — Following Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Twins, the Orioles announced they had optioned infielder Blake Davis to Triple-A Norfolk.
In 25 games (16 starts) for the Orioles over the last two months, Davis batted .254 with one home run, six RBIs and three doubles. Davis primarily played second base, but he also saw time at third and shortstop.
The Orioles will announce a corresponding roster move at a later time.
Recalled Adams ready to contribute
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Orioles sent Ryan Adams back down to Triple-A Norfolk two months ago, they wanted him to have a chance to play every day while continuing to work and develop as a player.
In particular, defense was an issue with Adams, who committed two errors in seven games at second base for the O’s.
“I just needed to get better at everything,” Adams said. “But they’ve been on me about defense, so I went down there and tried to really work on it.”
“He’s improved, he’s getting better,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “If he swings the bat better, I think he’ll be more comfortable. I hope so.”
In his first stint with the Orioles, Adams went 5-for-23 with an RBI. In 93 games at Norfolk, Adams batted .283 with 10 home runs, 28 doubles and 37 RBIs.
The 24-year-old was recalled to take the place of struggling third baseman Josh Bell, who was optioned to Triple-A after hitting just .174 with 18 strikeouts in 17 games. Bell also struggled in the field, highlighted by a pair of costly plays in the 12th inning of Saturday’s 9-8 loss to the Angels.
With Adams moving into an everyday role at second base, Robert Andino will likely see the majority of time at third base for the Orioles. Andino made his third start at third base on Monday against the Twins.
“Robert likes seeing his name in that lineup, and I like writing it,” Showalter said. “I talked to him a little bit on the plane last night. He’s in a good spot offensively, and he just looks at it as an opportunity to bring another skill that he can bring, and continue to make himself valuable to our club and organization. I’m real proud of the year Robert has had.”
Berken to DL; Britton returns to action
MINNEAPOLIS — Right-hander Zach Britton was activated from the 15-day disabled list Monday, as he made his first start since Aug. 4 at Kansas City.
To make room for Britton on the roster, right-hander Jason Berken was placed on the DL with a right forearm strain.
Britton went on the DL on Aug. 5 with a right shoulder strain after a series of tough starts. Over his last six outings before being sidelined, Britton was 0-5 with a 10.57 ERA, allowing 27 earned runs on 45 hits in just 23 innings of work.
Up until that point, Britton had been 6-4 with a 3.10 ERA, and enjoying an impressive rookie season.
“He went through a period where it looked like it was going to come real easy to him,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I from experience knew there was going to be some bumps and challenges along the way. That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Showalter said he’s seen a lot of the best development for young pitchers come in the offseason, when they get a chance to step back and look at what they’ve been doing.
It’s at that point, Showalter said, that things really start to sink in and the pitchers realize they “can do it” and that mistakes really get magnified by the talent at the Major League level.
“Zach’s a guy that, I’m hoping he’ll finish strong and he’ll go in the offseason and realize the things that he has to do to be successful,” Showalter said. “Today’s another step for him.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Work with old coach helped Jeter find swing
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
Before going on the disabled list, Jeter was hitting .260, with a .324 on-base percentage and a .324 slugging percentage. He had only 12 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs through 62 games. Denbo and Jeter worked on staying back on the ball as a potential solution to his struggles.
“You do a lot of tee work, break things down. It’s more of a feel thing,” Jeter said. “Most guys struggle, regardless of who it is, because you’re not staying back. It sounds easy: ‘Why don’t you just stay back?’ It’s not that easy. You try, but you don’t.”
As Jeter’s first pro manager back in 1993, Denbo has nearly 20 years of experience working with Jeter, and he knows the 12-time All-Star’s swing as well, if not better, than anyone in the Yankees organization.
While he may have known what the issue was throughout his early-season struggles, Jeter said having three weeks off made it a lot easier to focus on correcting it.
“Sometimes, you get an opportunity to work on things when you’re not playing in a game,” Jeter said. “It’s difficult when you’re trying to make adjustments in the middle of a game.”
Since coming off the disabled list on July 4, Jeter has batted .339, reaching base at a .392 clip and slugging .461. He has collected more extra-base hits (14) and RBIs (25) over 40 games than he had in the previous 62.
After seeing his average drop to .256 following an 0-for-4 performance in his first game back from the disabled list, Jeter has raised it to .290, with a .350 on-base percentage and a .377 slugging percentage. His numbers are still below his career slash line of .313/.383/.449, but Jeter’s current numbers are all better than they were in 2010.
Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said that Jeter has just been more comfortable at the plate lately than he was early in the season.
“Since he’s been back, he’s been incredibly consistent,” Long said. “He’s staying back better than he was earlier in the season. His strike-zone discipline has been much, much better. He’s just locked in.
“We talked about it, as far as a guy getting locked in, he hasn’t been locked in all year. And he said, ‘If I can come back and just get locked in for a month or two, my numbers are going to look a lot better.’ And they do.”
While the work Jeter put in while in Tampa looks to have helped, his improved performance also coincides with his reaching 3,000 hits on July 9 at Yankee Stadium.
Jeter went 5-for-5 that day, beginning a run of 36 games during which Jeter has batted .354/.407/.469, with two home runs, two triples, seven doubles and 23 RBIs.
But does Jeter think getting his 3,000th hit out of the way has anything to do with his performance?
“Probably, after I was in Tampa and had a chance to work on some things. I’d probably put some stock in that,” Jeter said. “I don’t think there’s much stock in right after that hit.”
While he may downplay the impact of reaching 3,000 hits, Jeter did admit in July that he felt a lot pressure to get to the mark and to do so at home in front of the New York fans. He sat out the All-Star Game in mid-July to recharge his batteries after the chase.
For a guy like Jeter, who has thrived on the pressure of the postseason — hitting at a .309 clip with an .850 OPS, 20 home runs and 57 RBIs in 147 career playoff games — the pressure of an individual milestone was an altogether different challenge.
“He put pressure on himself to get it done, probably as much pressure as I’ve ever seen him feel,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “I mean, this is a guy that’s always been able to relax in the big situations. But usually, those situations are team situations, and this was an individual thing that he had to talk about every day. I think it kind of played on his mind a little.”
Even with the pressure, Jeter maintained his loose laid-back demeanor throughout the chase. Jeter still cracked jokes and kept the clubhouse loose.
But Long agreed with Girardi’s assessment that Jeter has been more relaxed since his milestone hit.
“I would say that helps,” Long said. “It’s water under the bridge now and something that he’s more relieved is over. Knowing Derek — and knowing how much he cares about the New York Yankees and us winning — that being more of a personal achievement, I know he’s glad that’s over, and he doesn’t have to tackle that anymore.”
Whatever the reason, Jeter’s recent success has been important to the Yankees’ success as a whole, especially with Alex Rodriguez missing the first six weeks after the All-Star break after undergoing knee surgery. Over that stretch, Jeter has batted .336, with an .825 OPS, while playing in all but three games, as the Yankees went 23-13 and moved from 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox to a half-game ahead of Boston.
“It definitely helps, it’s nice to have Derek Jeter swinging the bat the way that he is,” Long said. “It just gives us that much more of an explosive offense. With Alex being out, we scored a lot of runs while he was out, and a big part of that was Jeter stepping up and playing the way he’s capable of playing.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
A-Rod makes return to lineup, third base
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS — He may have gone hitless in five at-bats, but Alex Rodriguez called his return to the lineup Sunday a “big success.”
Rodriguez was activated from the disabled list Sunday morning, and the three-time American League MVP batted cleanup and played third base for the Yankees in Sunday’s series finale against the Twins.
“His timing looked a little off,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “His timing is going to come with playing. He hit a ball on the screws, he just missed a couple balls a little bit, but that’s going to happen, too, whether you have your timing or not.
“But physically, he felt good, so that’s good.”
To make room for Rodriguez on the roster, the Yankees optioned left-hander Aaron Laffey to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Before deciding whether to activate Rodriguez, the Yankees wanted to see how he would respond following Saturday’s workout. Though he had no hits to show for it, Rodriguez swung the bat well.
“I was happy with the way I saw the ball,” Rodriguez said. “I was happy with my balance, and I definitely got a lot of good pitches to hit. I just missed them by a little bit, but I liked the way I felt today.”
Since joining the club in the Twin Cities on Thursday, Rodriguez has said he felt most comfortable swinging a bat, while needing the most work defensively and running the bases.
Rodriguez said over three days of workouts at Target Field that he felt a bit “tentative” out there, but he said he did not feel that way Sunday in his first game action in six weeks.
In the sixth inning, Rodriguez was tested by Twins leadoff hitter Ben Revere, who laid down a bunt toward third. Rodriguez made an impressive barehanded play, and fired the ball to first for the out.
“That was a good test because he runs so well,” Rodriguez said. “That’s a play that I’m going to have to make, so it was good to make it.
“It’s going to happen, it’s not going to stop now. I think for the next two weeks, I’m going to have to make that play over and over again.”
Girardi was very impressed with what he saw from his third baseman on that play.
“That’s a tremendous play,” Girardi said. “I didn’t think he was going to get him. I really didn’t, with Revere’s speed. So, that tells me the knee’s pretty good.”
Whether he will play more at third base or as a designated hitter, for now, will depend on how Rodriguez feels on a daily basis. Girardi said he was curious to talk to Rodriguez on Monday to see how he responds after his first game in six weeks.
With Rodriguez out of the lineup this season, the Yankees went 25-13, but having the slugger batting cleanup makes them that much tougher.
In 80 games before going on the disabled list, Rodriguez batted .295 with an .852 OPS, while hitting 13 home runs and collecting 52 RBIs.
“This is the middle of the order hitter,” Girardi said. “This guy’s been a run producer for years and years and years. Before he hurt his knee, his home runs were good, his RBIs were good. Once he hurt his knee, his power kind of went away a bit, but he’s been productive.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Nova stellar as Yanks end trip with win
MINNEAPOLIS — When right-hander Ivan Nova has his slider working, he can be a dominant pitcher. Nova showed that Sunday in the Yankees’ 3-0 victory over the Twins.
Nova was especially impressive early, holding the Twins without a hit until Joe Mauer’s one-out single in the fourth. Before that single, Nova had a pair of strikeouts and allowed just one baserunner, on a Mark Teixeira fielding error, to lead off the third.
“I feel really confident in my slider,” Nova said. “We worked on it, we got it back, and it’s a pitch that, in situations, I can throw to left-handed hitters and get the out.”
Nova remained in control the rest of his day, but had to get out of jams with runners on in each of the next two innings.
After giving up a leadoff single to Jim Thome in the fifth, Nova allowed what was ruled a double to Danny Valencia, though it should have been caught. Valencia’s fly ball dropped between Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher in right-center field. Two strikeouts and a groundout later, Nova escaped with the shutout intact.
“That game was won for us, to me, in the fifth inning,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “He’s got second and third, nobody out, and he gets out of the inning. That was the ballgame. When you look at that inning, you try to tell yourself, ‘It’s OK to give them one, let’s try not to give them two.’
“He made it even better. He didn’t give them any.”
Nova admitted that in the past, he would ‘Get out of control’ in those types of situations, letting them get away from him.
On Sunday, he stayed focused and went after the Twins’ hitters, while also getting all three outs on sliders.
“If you feel good, and you strike out the first two with it, why not throw it to the next hitter?” Nova said. “You know that he’s going to be swinging.”
In the sixth, Nova got two quick outs before giving up a single to Mauer and walking Jason Kubel, but he followed by striking out Thome to end the inning.
Nova went seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk with five strikeouts. He picked up his 13th win and his ninth victory in his last 10 starts. He is 9-0 with a 3.48 ERA over that stretch, allowing 25 earned runs in 64 2/3 innings of work.
“[Nova] threw the ball good. He’s got good stuff,” said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. “We like the kid, he faced us in New York. He’s got a good fastball and a slider, good breaking ball. He used them all against us.”
That stretch spans the last five starts before Nova was sent down to Triple-A in early July to make room for Phil Hughes, as well as the five starts since his return on July 30.
Since his return, Nova has gone 5-0 with a 3.55 ERA, allowing 13 earned runs over 26 innings.
“He didn’t let it bother him,” Girardi said. “He went down there and worked at something and got better. We’ve seen a better Ivan Nova.”
The Yankees finally got on the board in the sixth, when Robinson Cano doubled to left, advanced to third on a Swisher flyout to left, and scored on Russell Martin’s sacrifice fly to center.
Granderson added an insurance run in the seventh with his third career inside-the-park home run, off the wall in right field, his 35th homer of the year. Teixeira followed with his 34th home run of the season, marking the fifth time the Yankees have hit back-to-back home runs this season, and the second time in the series.
Granderson’s inside-the-park homer was the first for the Yankees since Derek Jeter hit one on July 22, 2010, against the Royals, and the first for Granderson since Aug. 26, 2007, against the Yankees. It also was the second allowed this year by the Twins.
“The only time I realized it was when the third baseman wasn’t covering third and I was already rounding second base. I saw Rob Thomson beginning the wave and could see our dugout yelling ‘Keep going,'” Granderson said.
“At that point, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, because I could see the catcher getting himself ready to make a play. Luckily the throw was up the line, and that gave me the back side of the plate to slide in safely.”
Twins starter Nick Blackburn lasted just 1 1/3 innings before leaving with a right lateral forearm strain. Blackburn gave up one hit, but walked four batters, including the last three he faced.
Reliever Anthony Swarzak came on to close out the inning, stranding the bases loaded, and the Minnesota bullpen kept the Yankees’ bats quiet until Cano’s double in the sixth.
David Robertson and Mariano Rivera combined to record the final six outs as Rivera picked up his 33rd save of the season, and the Yankees finished 5-2 on their seven-game road trip through Kansas City and Minnesota.
“It’s a good road trip,” Girardi said. “We won two series. Four-game series can be tough to win, and these guys were swinging the bats pretty good when they left Detroit. … To end it 5-2, that’s a pretty good road trip. It sure is a lot better than 4-3.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Yankees notebook, 8/21
Girardi reiterates there’s no rift with Burnett
By Jordan Schelling / MLB.com
Girardi was asked during the session what he hypothetically would do if a player did have the type of reaction that Burnett appeared to have toward Girardi taking him out of the game.
“If a pitcher says that in reference to you taking him out, yeah, I think that’s out of line,” Girardi said. “But, a) I didn’t hear it, the only reason I heard it was people saw it on the broadcast, and, b) I didn’t think it was directed at me. I mean, I specifically asked out there, ‘Was that a good pitch to Mauer?'”
Adding to the situation was the fact that Burnett went directly into the clubhouse after being taken out of the game, and Girardi went in shortly thereafter. Burnett said he went in just to put his stuff in his locker and came straight back out, while Girardi went in to take another look at Burnett’s pitch to Mauer.
According to Burnett, the two never crossed paths. But they did talk later after Girardi was told what Burnett appeared to have said to him.
“Yeah, because I never heard him say a word when I was on the mound,” Girardi said. “I was told about it because it was aired on the TV a few times, and I asked him, and I wanted to know what was up. He said he was talking about the pitch, he thought he threw strike three to Joe Mauer.”
Girardi said he is still confident in Burnett’s ability on the mound, but he also said that they need Burnett to have a “bounce-back start” on Friday against the Orioles.
As for where Burnett stands among the six starters, Girardi will address that when the time comes for the Yankees to go back to a five-man rotation.
One thing Girardi made clear, though, was that he does not want to talk about this Burnett situation any longer.
“If everyone knew and believed in their heart that he was talking about the pitch, would we be talking about this?” Girardi asked. “So your belief is that he wasn’t talking about it, and that’s why we’re talking about it. So you’re not taking his word, and to me, that’s dangerous.”
Laffey odd man out on A-Rod’s return
MINNEAPOLIS — With the Yankees activating Alex Rodriguez from the disabled list on Sunday, recently acquired lefty Aaron Laffey was the odd man out, as he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Laffey made his debut for the Yankees on Saturday night, tossing three innings and allowing two runs on five hits.
“He’s a guy that we believe can help us against left-handers as we move forward here,” Girardi said. “He’s not going to be able to throw for a couple days anyway.”
Laffey will likely return to the Yankees when the rosters expand on Sept. 1. Until then, they would like him to work on a few things in Triple-A.
“I think left-handers are important for him to be consistent [against],” Girardi said. “He was consistent in getting left-handers out until the last month or so, or month and a half. So, get back to doing that.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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