Yankees' move to improve

The Yankees lost to "Oliver (bleeping) Koufax" Sunday, concluding the sweet spot of the schedule. Where do they stand?:
"This morning’s AL East standings report that the Yankees are closer to last place than they are to first place with 82 games down and 80 to go. A large percentage of their fan base is working on the assumption that Tampa Bay will fold, and that the Yankees will seize the wild card on muscle memory.
But these aren’t Joe Torre’s Yanks who have made a dozen consecutive trips to the postseason. These are Joe Girardi’s Yanks who are giving the ball to people named Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson and David Robertson and Dan Giese.
So with the fog of Mets’ turmoil lifting just a bit, it seemed like the right time to ask the Yankees if they were starting to sweat the big stuff - like the real possibility that this could be the year they finally miss the playoffs.
"Where are we? I don’t even know," Derek Jeter said as he walked out of his Shea clubhouse and toward the bus."--Boston Herald. Next question.

Is there help on the way? "I'll stay engaged on the trade market, but you can't count on anything from that side."--Brian Cashman, (NY Times.) File this under keeping the expectations on the GM as low as possible, contrast this with the hype cast on the neophyte players.

Is that all there is? No, the rebuilt farm offers fortification:

• David Robertson replaced Kei Igawa (who says the news is all bad?) Who is this guy? "Robertson debuted for the New York Yankees today in a 3-1 loss to the New York Mets in the final game of this weekend's Subway Series.
  A Tuscaloosa native drafted away from Alabama in June 2006, Robertson got the call up Saturday and immediately had the distinction of announcing the Yankees' lineup on the Fox national broadcast, joking that "I just got here, so I don't really know anyone here."
  Robertson opened the season at Double-A Trenton, but was promoted to Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre on May 2. He went 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 33 innings before joining the sport's most storied ballclub.
  "I figured sooner or later I'd get a shot," Robertson said, "but I got the call sooner than I expected."--AL.com. The future is now.
• LoHud reports that the Yanks are about to promote Brett Gardner: "This is a very interesting move on several fronts. Gardner is the kind of outfielder the Yankees usually don’t have in that his best weapon is his speed and ability to make contract.
  Gardner is a scrappy type of player, the kind of guy who purposely slaps it on the ground, beats the throw to first, steals second and scores on a single. Gardner is charitably listed at 5-10, 180 and was a walk-on as a freshman at the College of Charleston. By his senior year he hit .447 and led his team to 48 wins and into the NCAA tournament.
  I watched him play a lot in spring training and at Scranton a few weeks ago. There’s a chance he’ll get overmatched. But there’s also a chance he’ll add a burst of energy into the offense. I would imagine he’s coming up to play, otherwise they’re stunting his development." Here's a scouting report from Baseball Prospectus: "Gardner has some things going for him--excellent speed, good range, some patience and the ability to hit for for a respectable average. The thing that will keep him on a major league bench..is a complete, total, absolute lack of power." I agree that this is an "interesting move." It seems logical that the Yanks will trade Melky sooner rather than later. Girardi said yesterday that Betemit is the DH, so Damon stays in left. You can't routinely sit young players, "otherwise they're stunting (their) development." Brian Cashman was asked in the spring to name one prospect that could impact the Yanks this season, his answer--"Brett Gardner."
• Need more pitching?: "One intriguing internal option, the fast-rising Alfredo Aceves, was placed on the seven-day disabled list for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a groin problem. But Cashman called the injury “very minor” and said Aceves would return to the Scranton rotation in a week.
  Ian Kennedy is healthy again after missing time with a strained lat muscle, but he is working his way back to form after struggling in April and May. Kennedy tossed five shutout innings for Class A Tampa on Saturday but does not seem close to returning.
  “He’s not on the D.L. now,” Girardi said. “This is earning his way back, just like the other 175 players or so in the minors.”--NY Times. Kennedy's dose of MLB reality has tempered the hype.
• The next Joba will have to wait: “We’re going to be very cautious with Mark,” Cashman said. “I’m not saying he’s not (going to be in the majors) but I wouldn’t have him on your fast track, either. We just want to make sure we’re doing right by the player.”
  Need often trumps desire when it comes to the Yankees. The Yankees said last season that Phil Hughes would spend a significant part of the season in Triple-A and he was called up in April.
  I get the feeling the Yankees regret rushing Hughes."

Say what you will about the state of the New York Yankees; the one description you won't find is boring.