Rasner Sold To Japan/Lebron On CC

Darrell Rasner

The New York Yankees and Brian Cashman worked out a deal on Saturday to sell the rights to pitcher Darrel Rasner to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League. Apparently, Rasner heard that there was some speculation that a few Japanese teams had interest in acquiring him, and upon finding this out Rasner told his agent to work to get a deal brokered.

“I just have to hope and pray that this is good for me and my family,” Rasner said by telephone from his home in Reno, Nev. “Having another kid, that kind of changes everything. I just think now’s the time to try to do something and try to get the stability that I need for those guys.”

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In other news, the Yankees biggest fan in the NBA, Lebron James, said that he absolutely believes that CC Sabathia will suit up for the 2009 season in the prestigious Pinstripes.

Lebron and CC are really good friends and this can absolutly been seen as an promising indicator of the Yankees chances on acquiring the 28 year old workhorse.

Rasner: "All I'm Trying To Do Is Compete"

Darrell Rasner

Kit Stier/MLB.Com:

Darrell Rasner's approach to pitching in Baltimore on Monday afternoon isn't apt to be any different than the game plan he had on Wednesday, when he dazzled the Orioles for seven innings at Yankee Stadium.

Rasner, in fact, hasn't changed much of anything this season. He was 4-0 in five starts at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and he has won all three of his starts since joining the Yankees on May 4.

"You really have to stick with what got you here," Rasner said on Sunday before the Yankees departed for Baltimore with a five-game winning streak. "When you start changing is when you fall into a trap. You really just need to stick with what got you here and stay confident with your approach."

The right-hander from Carson City, Nev., looks unflappable when he's on the mound, and he credited his father for his stay-steady approach.

"I know what I am capable of," Rasner said. "I know what my limitations are as well. I don't try to exceed those.

"My dad talked a lot about that when I was a kid -- not showing emotion, not getting upset with things you can't control. That was a big thing when I was younger. When I was in Little League, we talked about it. So I think it has helped me out until now."

Rasner said his No. 1 priority is to stay healthy, something that eluded him last season.

"If I [can] stay healthy, I know I can compete," said Rasner, who has walked two and struck out 11 in 19 innings. "That's all I'm trying to do is compete -- to go out there and give this team a chance to win. I'm not thinking beyond that."

Everyone Needs A Little Razzamataz In Their Lives

Darrell Rasner

Bryan Hoch/MLB.com:

Considering his successes in each of his first two starts, Darrell Rasner had about hit the peak of what the Yankees expected of him. He had pitched two games, won both of them, and kept his team in contention when his fellow starters could not.

"The only thing he can really do better is throw a shutout every time," manager Joe Girardi said before Wednesday's game. "And we know that's not going to happen."

Perhaps not every time. But on this night he did -- and did with a flourish -- blanking the Orioles for seven innings and leading his Yankees to an 8-0 victory in the Bronx.

"He's been great," Girardi said. "He's just been outstanding. He's really taken advantage of his situation."

Rasner's given the Yankees a quiet lift for the better part of a month, pitching without the accolades -- and without the scrutiny -- bestowed on so many of his fellow starters.

Tonight, Rasner allowed just five hits and a walk while striking out six. His fastball and cutter were sharp, allowing him to compensate for a shaky curveball. And so he made mistakes, but as Rodriguez said, "he made them with conviction."

That helped him to walk off the mound tonight without a single blemish.

For now, Rasner is in the rotation, and for now, he's been the Yankees' most consistent starter. They'll take that, and certainly so will he.

"It's a great opportunity for me," Rasner said. "With this team, you get an opportunity to win a lot of games. With the offense putting up runs and everything, there's always that opportunity. It's a great situation."

Johan Lined Up For Yankee Stadium

Darrell Rasner

Because of various different situations that have taken place with the weather and shuffled pitching rotations, Johan Santana will likely take the mound for the opener of the Subway Series with the Met's on Friday.

His likely opponent: Darrel Rasner.

This will be interesting...

Razamataz To The Rescue?!?

Darrell Rasner

Bryan Hoch/MLB.com:

Darrell Rasner pitched six-plus effective innings and Derek Jeter hit his first home run of the season as the Yankees defeated the Tigers, 5-2, on Saturday at Comerica Park.

Making his second start since being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Rasner turned in another sharp effort and helped continue to settle the Yankees' starting pitching woes.

He was hit for a first-inning run when rookie Matthew Joyce popped his first big league home run, a solo shot to right, but he settled in to throw five scoreless innings in protecting the lead. Rasner was charged with two runs when reliever Kyle Farnsworth allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh. Rasner scattered four hits while walking one and striking out one in the effort.

While the Yankees Youth Movement Stalls the Enemy's Shines

Darrell Rasner

The Yankees youth movement has hit a bit of a bump in the road. Phil Hughes is hurt again and Ian Kennedy has been sent down to regain his confidence. Both have been not just mediocre but horrible. For comparison sake, Jeff Weaver had one of the worst seasons by a starting pitcher I have ever witnessed in 2003 with a 5.99 era and 1.62 Whip - both are significantly better then Hughes (9.00 Era, 2.14Whip) and Kennedy (8.37 Era and 2.03 Whip). Phil's and Ian's Eras are good for 149th and 152nd best in baseball with pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched (154 total pitchers). Those two have also failed to go 5 innings in 8 out of their 12 appearances. Ugly.

If you take look at the other two youngsters Lester and Buchholz) in the center of the AL pennant race, the results have been much much better. Both have sub 4 eras (3.94 for Lester and 3.71 for Bucholtz). Also, Lester has gone 5+ in 6 out of 8 starts and Buchholz in 5 out of 6 starts. Lester's whip is an OK 1.43, but Buchholtz' is a little better at 1.33 and he is averaging almost a k per inning. Throw in one superb spot start by Justin Masterson (6ip 2hits 1run), Ellsbury's .415 OBP and 11 steals in 11 attempts, Brandon Moss' 2 late homers, and Jed Lowrie filling in nicely, and Boston could not have asked for more out of their kids. Manny Delcarmen has been horrible - 7.30 era but that is a small speed bump overall for the Red Sox.

The question is what is the difference? Is it the pressure that Ian and Phil were under? Are the Boston prospects just better?

I have long thought the failure of most of the Yankees pitching imports was due to the intense pressure they were under. Weaver, Contreras, Vasquez all proved to be better elsewhere then when they pitched here. I assumed, and maybe so did the Yankees, that the kids brought through the system would be immune to the pressure. The success of Cano and Wang helped create that perception, but really - when was the last time a top prospect succeeded with the Yankees? How about a pitching prospect that became even a serviceable major leaguer? Maybe the attention and pressure is just too great for a position like starting pitcher where so much is dependent on confidence and approach. The bullpen, where a pitcher can simply throw, might be another story - but the rotation seems too much to ask. In recent memory the only starters produced by the Yankees came in with little fan fare; Lilly, and Wang. Darell Rasner kind of fits this mold; very little expectations and no fan fare.

I know its early and by July things could completely change, but the impact of the pressure on top prospects in NY bears watching. Time will tell if is going to have the same affect it did on the Yankees high priced imports.

Rasner Lead's Yanks To First Sweep Of Season

Darrell Rasner

Kit Stier/MLB.com:

Darrell Rasner, unbowed by all of the chatter of potential young aces like Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, knows he has been given a golden opportunity. The right-hander says he intends to do everything within his power not to let it slip away.

Rasner, called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before Sunday's game to take the place of the injured Hughes, pitched seven strong innings in his season debut to help the Yankees cruise to an 8-2 victory over the Mariners before a sun-warmed crowd of 53,542 at Yankee Stadium. Rasner took the roster spot previously held by Kennedy, who was sent to Triple-A to work on his game.

Rasner, who suffered a season-ending right finger injury when the Yankees gave him a chance last May, took the mound on Sunday and carried on the same way he'd been pitching in Scranton -- with much success. And he had a lot of help from a Yankees offense that raked Mariners pitching for 14 hits, including six in a six-run third inning that was New York's biggest single-inning outburst this season.

"I didn't put any extra thought into what went on," Rasner said when asked about how much stock the Yankees had invested in Hughes and Kennedy being successful this season. "I wanted to go out every day and pitch, and pitch well. I knew there would be an opportunity, because we used so many pitchers last year. I wanted to heal and be sharp and give myself that opportunity."

Rasner was successful because of something Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy had been unable to do recently-- throw strikes. I'm not exactly sure what Joe Girardi said at the beginning of Spring Training but it went something like this, "It is important for our pitchers to throw strikes. You have to put the ball in play to have a shot at getting an out. You can not give away free bases by walking batters." I happen to agree.

Karstens, Rasner Vie For Spot In 'Pen

Darrell Rasner

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times had a great piece on Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner yesterday:

Baseball is not always fair-- certainly not to Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner. Before Memorial Day 2007, each was knocked from a game in the first inning by a batted ball, three Saturdays apart, on national television.

Karstens missed more than three months with a broken right leg. Rasner missed the rest of the season with a broken right index finger that needed three pins.

“It wasn’t as if they had two or three chances and they failed,” the veteran starter Mike Mussina said. “They barely got any chances, and they got hit with the ball. Things happen in strange ways sometimes. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, something else happens.”

But now, the competition is on again, and Karstens and Rasner are relishing it. The Yankees have three open spots in their bullpen, and Joe Girardi hopes to take a long reliever. Both pitchers could fill the role, and both looked sharp in Wednesday’s intrasquad game.

Karstens tossed two scoreless innings, and Rasner struck out Derek Jeter and Robinson Canó in his inning.

“Jeff Karstens can pitch,” said Dave Eiland, the pitching coach. “I’ve had him for several years, and the guy can pitch. Last year, he had some bad luck early and he just never got it together again. When you’re out for so long, it’s like spring training again. We all know what he’s capable of doing.”

Karstens won a game for the Yankees in relief in September, but his overall numbers (1-4, 11.05) were forgettable. He salvaged something by winning twice for the United States in the World Cup in November in Taiwan.

“The way the season ended last year wasn’t good for me, and to go over there and throw well made me feel better,” Karstens said.

With both Karstens and Rasner healthy and ready to pitch-- the Yankees bullpen questions might finally be getting some answers.