Thursday, June 23, 2005
Henn staying in rotation
Sean Henn didn't do much to overwhelm Joe Torre and the Yankees on Monday, nor did he do enough to keep them from sending him back out to the mound on Saturday against the Mets.
Torre said that Henn, a 24-year-old lefty, would get the ball when his turn came around this weekend, even after walking seven batters in 4 2/3 innings on Monday. Henn was charged with four runs (three earned) on four hits, striking out one.
"I think he'll make the start," Torre said. "I think he tried to do too much last night, tried to be too perfect. I told him today, 'When you threw the ball over the plate and they swung the bat, they didn't hit very many balls hard.' That's an indication of his stuff."
The manager stressed that the team would not start Tanyon Sturtze or any of its other relievers.
"I don't think we're in a desperate situation where we need to do that," he said. "Sean Henn wasn't a sacrificial lamb last night. It came down to one inning where he walked four guys, and nothing good happens when you walk four guys."
Henn was starting in place of the injured Kevin Brown, who will be eligible to return from the disabled list on July 1 -- the next date that the spot in the rotation will come up for its turn.
"I don't think Henn was a disaster, it just came down to the fact that he needs to throw more strikes," Torre said. "The stuff was there. It's not like he was throwing and the ball wasn't near the plate. He got ahead of guys and then walked them because he was trying to keep them from hitting it."
Bernie centered: Bernie Williams started in center field for the ninth consecutive game on Tuesday, but the veteran did not take part in batting practice.
"I need to give him a day off, but I'm not going to be able to do that for a while," Torre said, referring to the ankle injury that has prevented Hideki Matsui from playing the outfield for the past nine days. "We have to cut our corners any way we can."
Torre also revealed on Tuesday that Williams has stopped taking fly balls in left field, as he will stick exclusively to center field.
"We shut all that stuff down. Bernie doesn't need to work out any more than he usually does," Torre said. "Right now we're locked with Bernie in center, and that's the way its going to be until Matsui comes back, which is going to be a while. He's sore."
Matsui's injury hasn't hindered him at the plate, as he has been the Yankees' hottest hitter since spraining his ankle in St. Louis on June 12.
"It's not like he can't do what he's doing, but there are so many more demands in the outfield. We're not going to force it," Torre said. "When it happens, it happens. It's not the need to get him out there as much as it's the need to sit somebody down."
Proctor arrives: Scott Proctor was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, as the Yankees optioned outfielder Bubba Crosby to the Minors.
After needing his relievers for 4 1/3 innings on Monday night, Torre asked general manager Brian Cashman to bring up Proctor in order to bolster the bullpen for the week.
"I don't want to get caught short," Torre said. "We got a lot out of [Paul] Quantrill last night."
Proctor has been closing for Columbus, going 4-1 with 14 saves and a 4.15 ERA in 32 appearances.
"He's always had knockout stuff," Torre said. "He throws his slider and fastball, and now he's getting better with the offspeed stuff. He's always had the grind in him. He should be getting better with the experience."
Crosby appeared in 18 games with the Yankees this season, going 2-for-12 in limited action.
"He was the only guy we could send back," Torre said. "It's not something we necessarily wanted to do, but I felt the backup outfield situation wasn't as important."
Lighting a fire? Following Monday night's loss to Tampa Bay, Alex Rodriguez said that the Yankees were "lazy" during the game and that they needed to "come out and play with our hair on fire" on Tuesday.
Torre wouldn't go so far as to agree, but he understood the frustration that prompted the third baseman's comments.
"I'm sure Alex was speaking emotionally, because he's one of the players he's talking about," Torre said. "Everybody feels the responsibility."
The Yankees were held to just two hits over the first seven innings on Monday by Rays lefty Casey Fossum, who hadn't won a game as a starter since last August. New York rallied for four runs in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to overcome Tampa Bay's 5-0 lead.
"We have to play nine innings every game," Torre said. "If I criticize our club, that's saying that their pitcher wasn't very good; that it was all about our not being able to do the job. I'm reluctant to do that. We can't take anybody lightly."
On deck: The Yankees host the Devil Rays in the third game of a four-game set on Wednesday, playing a matinee in the Bronx. Carl Pavano looks to even his record at 5-5, taking on former Mets prospect Scott Kazmir.
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
Torre said that Henn, a 24-year-old lefty, would get the ball when his turn came around this weekend, even after walking seven batters in 4 2/3 innings on Monday. Henn was charged with four runs (three earned) on four hits, striking out one.
"I think he'll make the start," Torre said. "I think he tried to do too much last night, tried to be too perfect. I told him today, 'When you threw the ball over the plate and they swung the bat, they didn't hit very many balls hard.' That's an indication of his stuff."
The manager stressed that the team would not start Tanyon Sturtze or any of its other relievers.
"I don't think we're in a desperate situation where we need to do that," he said. "Sean Henn wasn't a sacrificial lamb last night. It came down to one inning where he walked four guys, and nothing good happens when you walk four guys."
Henn was starting in place of the injured Kevin Brown, who will be eligible to return from the disabled list on July 1 -- the next date that the spot in the rotation will come up for its turn.
"I don't think Henn was a disaster, it just came down to the fact that he needs to throw more strikes," Torre said. "The stuff was there. It's not like he was throwing and the ball wasn't near the plate. He got ahead of guys and then walked them because he was trying to keep them from hitting it."
Bernie centered: Bernie Williams started in center field for the ninth consecutive game on Tuesday, but the veteran did not take part in batting practice.
"I need to give him a day off, but I'm not going to be able to do that for a while," Torre said, referring to the ankle injury that has prevented Hideki Matsui from playing the outfield for the past nine days. "We have to cut our corners any way we can."
Torre also revealed on Tuesday that Williams has stopped taking fly balls in left field, as he will stick exclusively to center field.
"We shut all that stuff down. Bernie doesn't need to work out any more than he usually does," Torre said. "Right now we're locked with Bernie in center, and that's the way its going to be until Matsui comes back, which is going to be a while. He's sore."
Matsui's injury hasn't hindered him at the plate, as he has been the Yankees' hottest hitter since spraining his ankle in St. Louis on June 12.
"It's not like he can't do what he's doing, but there are so many more demands in the outfield. We're not going to force it," Torre said. "When it happens, it happens. It's not the need to get him out there as much as it's the need to sit somebody down."
Proctor arrives: Scott Proctor was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, as the Yankees optioned outfielder Bubba Crosby to the Minors.
After needing his relievers for 4 1/3 innings on Monday night, Torre asked general manager Brian Cashman to bring up Proctor in order to bolster the bullpen for the week.
"I don't want to get caught short," Torre said. "We got a lot out of [Paul] Quantrill last night."
Proctor has been closing for Columbus, going 4-1 with 14 saves and a 4.15 ERA in 32 appearances.
"He's always had knockout stuff," Torre said. "He throws his slider and fastball, and now he's getting better with the offspeed stuff. He's always had the grind in him. He should be getting better with the experience."
Crosby appeared in 18 games with the Yankees this season, going 2-for-12 in limited action.
"He was the only guy we could send back," Torre said. "It's not something we necessarily wanted to do, but I felt the backup outfield situation wasn't as important."
Lighting a fire? Following Monday night's loss to Tampa Bay, Alex Rodriguez said that the Yankees were "lazy" during the game and that they needed to "come out and play with our hair on fire" on Tuesday.
Torre wouldn't go so far as to agree, but he understood the frustration that prompted the third baseman's comments.
"I'm sure Alex was speaking emotionally, because he's one of the players he's talking about," Torre said. "Everybody feels the responsibility."
The Yankees were held to just two hits over the first seven innings on Monday by Rays lefty Casey Fossum, who hadn't won a game as a starter since last August. New York rallied for four runs in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to overcome Tampa Bay's 5-0 lead.
"We have to play nine innings every game," Torre said. "If I criticize our club, that's saying that their pitcher wasn't very good; that it was all about our not being able to do the job. I'm reluctant to do that. We can't take anybody lightly."
On deck: The Yankees host the Devil Rays in the third game of a four-game set on Wednesday, playing a matinee in the Bronx. Carl Pavano looks to even his record at 5-5, taking on former Mets prospect Scott Kazmir.
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
