Yankees manager Joe Girardi was impressed enough to say he may have found a replacement in the starting rotation until Andy Pettitte returns from injury.

Who will be taking Pettitte's spot? Dustin Moseley, who did just enough to earn another start after throwing six innings of one run ball in his first start since last April. The righty has battled back through an arm and hip surgery.

While he said he "felt calm from the get-go," Moseley admitted he may have been trying too hard in the first inning.

That's really the only time he got in a jam. In what could have developed into a disaster, the pitcher got out of a bases loaded situation and allowed just the one run.

After the first inning, Moseley calmed down and gave the Yankees all they could ask for. He would go six innings, giving up just that one run on four hits.

In all, 55 of his 83 pitches were strikes, as Moseley showed confidence and attacked the strike zone all night. His next start will come Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Yankees have been linked to some starting pitchers as the trade deadline approaches, but this quality start by Moseley may make them think twice. Their focus is likely more on the bullpen.

Continue this article for more Yankees notes at Double G Sports .

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The Yankees and Rays enter this weekend's three-game series in St. Petersburg in pretty much the same position they've been all season—holding the two best records in baseball.

But this set ends in August, and games become a little bit more important in August.

New York (65-36) currently holds a two-game advantage over Tampa Bay (63-38) in the American League East, but that could all change if the Rays pull off a sweep.

Let's take a look at the pitching matchups.

Friday, July 30: Phil Hughes (12-3, 4.04) vs. Wade Davis (8-9, 4.32)

Hughes has a 6.52 ERA over the five starts that he's made since having his turn skipped in the rotation in late June. That time period also coincides with the point when the right-hander eclipsed his previous high for innings pitched in a season, which was 86.

But we all knew this was inevitable when the Yankees spent all of last year building up Joba Chamberlain's arm strength only to hand the fifth starter's spot to Hughes, who had far fewer innings under his belt.

The 24-year-old has managed to avoid pitching against the Rays this year but is 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA in seven career appearances (two starts) versus them. He has allowed two earned runs in 7.2 frames at Tropicana Field.

The Tampa Bay roster is 8-for-24 (.333) off Hughes. Carlos Pena has been particularly troublesome, smacking two homers and walking three times in six plate appearances.

After losing all five of his starts in June, Davis has rebounded to win three straight starts. But keep in mind, those triumphs were over Cleveland and Baltimore.

The right-hander is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in two starts against the Yankees this year. He yielded four runs over six innings in a 10-0 home loss on April 10 but gave up just two runs and struck out seven through 5.2 in a 10-6 win at Yankee Stadium on May 19.

Against Davis, Derek Jeter is 4-for-9 (.444), Alex Rodriguez—still searching for that elusive 600th home run—is 4-for-8 (.500) with two homers, and Robinson Cano is 3-for-8 (.375) with a blast. Mark Teixeira, however, is 1-for-7 (.143) with three strikeouts.

Saturday, July 31: Javier Vazquez (9-7, 4.54) vs. Matt Garza (11-5, 4.06)

Vazquez continued his run of good performances against the National League and bad AL teams during his last outing, when he held the Indians to two runs over seven innings.

But overall, the right-hander has a 5.05 ERA against the AL and a 5.43 versus teams with winning records. The Rays fit into both of those categories.

Vazquez surrendered eight runs and 11 baserunners over 5.2 innings in a 9-3 loss at Tampa Bay on April 9. He is 5-5 with a 4.94 ERA in 13 career starts against the Rays and 3-3 with a 5.36 at Tropicana Field.

Carl Crawford is 11-for-29 (.379) with five extra-base hits off Vazquez, but that's nothing compared to B.J. Upton's 8-for-15 (.533). Upton is dealing with an ankle injury but could return on Saturday, just in time to face his whipping boy.

Vazquez, however, has had success against Pena, limiting the slugger to just three hits in 19 at-bats (.158) with 10 strikeouts, but two of those three hits have been homers.

Garza tossed the first no-hitter in Rays history and the fifth in baseball this season during his last outing against the Tigers. The other four pitchers to make history this year are 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA in their following starts.

The right-hander has pitched well against the Yankees in the past. Despite a 1-3 record, he has a 3.26 ERA in nine career appearances (eight starts).

Curtis Granderson's run of good at-bats will be tested, as he is just 4-for-17 (.235) with four strikeouts facing Garza. The same is true for Teixeira, who is 1-for-13 (.077). A-Rod, however, is 7-for-15 (.467). 

Sunday, Aug. 1: CC Sabathia (13-4, 3.15) vs. James Shields (9-9, 4.79)

In a difficult series, this will definitely be the Yankees' best chance of picking up a win. A lack of run support and two errors behind him snapped Sabathia's string of nine consecutive victorious decisions in a 4-1 defeat at Cleveland on Tuesday.

He'll look to bounce back against the Rays, a team he shut out on one hit over 7.2 on April 10 and held to three earned runs in a seven-inning no-decision on July 16.

The big lefty is 8-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 17 starts versus Tampa Bay, but a more pedestrian 3-3 with a 4.27 in St. Petersburg.

Jason Bartlett (13-for-41, .317), Upton (7-for-20, .350, .850 slg), Ben Zobrist (7-for-20, .350), and Evan Longoria (4-for-11, .364, two HR) have all had success against Sabathia. But Pena (4-for-32, .125, 17 K) and Willy Aybar (2-for-11, .182) have not.

Shields has looked better over his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 4.26 ERA, but he continues to give up too many home runs, including the two he surrendered to the Yankees in a six-inning, three-run no-decision in the Bronx on July 16.

Overall, the right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.86 in three outings against the Bombers this season, but is 2-7 with a 5.45 mark in 12 lifetime starts.

Jeter is 14-for-40 (.350) off him, and Cano is 14-for-32 (.438) with an astronomical .969 slugging percentage. Teixeira, on the other hand, is just 4-for-25 (.160) with 11 strikeouts, A-Rod is 5-for-23 (.217) with a homer, and Granderson is 2-for-23 (.087).

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report's New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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As the deals begin to pick up steam in the waning moments before Saturday's MLB non-waiver trade deadline, inevitably the accompanying rumors have increased in frequency as well.

The last few days have seen a flurry of player movement with high profile players such as Dan Haren and Roy Oswalt changing teams, in addition to the numerous smaller deals that have been occurring around the league. Since adding Cliff Lee and Benjie Molina, Texas also just acquired Jorge Cantu to provide injury cover and bolster their lineup. San Diego obtained infielder Miguel Tejada to bring some veteran leadership and experience to their squad.

While most eyes focus on the blockbusters, keen observers are aware that contenders aren't usually in need of a massive deal to solidify their standing amongst the top teams in the game. They usually are in a contending position by July 31 because they already have a deep, talented team. Many times, a shrewd move for a veteran utility player with the versatility to play several positions can bring depth and stability to a team as they fight towards October.

Of course, everyone wants to know if bigger names like Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, Lance Berkman, or Derek Lee are bound for greener pastures. As a culture infatuated with celebrities, we're naturally enamored by the glamorous names splashed across the rumor pages.

Naturally, the big-spending teams like the Yankees draw a lot of attention at times like these. As they are often active in both free agency and in the trade market, teams and players always try to involve the Yankees in order to create leverage for themselves.

Clearly in the free agent market, an agent for a player almost always hopes to engage the Yankees in dialogue, expecting their free-spending ways to assist in driving the market up for whichever player they represent. Even when the Yankees are not even remotely involved, mysterious sources will often float purported rumors attributed to the team.

Conversely, when a team is trying to drum up interest in a player that they have made available on the trading market, they want as many teams involved as possible to attempt to secure the best potential deal they can for their franchise. Knowing that the Yankees are interested, along with their vast resources and willingness to deal, can serve to apply pressure and a sense of urgency when exploring the trade market. If a team knows that the Yankees are looming, it may force them into action, fearful that they might miss out if they hesitate.

True to form, the July 31, 2010 non-waiver trading deadline has seen the New York Yankees mentioned in connection with nearly every player who may or may not have been made available by their team.

Over the last several weeks, the Yankees have allegedly been close to deals on Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, they have been shopping for Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria. Various sources have linked them heavily to Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, Ty Wiggington, and even a potential reacquisition of Hideki Matsui.

As fans, it's fun to read the stories and follow the rumors, but honestly, most of it is merely wishful thinking or completely fabricated nonsense.

You have to separate the fantasy from reality and seriously consider the potential impact of any such deal and how it could potentially fit into the fabric of the team as currently constructed.

Please continue reading the complete article at PinstripeWest.com

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Friday night, the New York Yankees are at Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays, and it will be a true battle of the young guns on the mound.

Since pitching and defense will dictate the outcomes of all three games, the match-ups on the mound will set the tone. Let's look at the Friday night's pitchers.

Ironically, both the Rays and the Yankees have their "young guns" squaring off. Both players are 24 years old, both stand at 6'5 feet, and both are right-handed pitchers.

Tampa Bay Rays: Wade Davis (8-9)

Davis didn't look very good this season, after losing all five of his starts in the month of June. Davis' June numbers included an ERA of 6.0, and batters were hitting just shy of .270 against him.

Since the start of July, Davis has looked like a different pitcher. He has gone unbeaten. Over his last three starts, he has posted an ERA of 2.11. For the month of July, Davis has pitched 25 innings, faced 110 batters and allowed nine earned runs, six walks and 12 strikeouts. Eleven of those 12 strikeouts were in his last three starts and a monthly ERA of 3.12. That is pretty impressive stuff.

Davis is suddenly throwing with a lot more confidence. Davis is not afraid to throw hard because he is locating the ball much better.

Davis faces a potent Yankees lineup who have seen him before. This works in the Yankees favor because Davis is not new, and they have hit him successfully.

Davis needs to be careful with Cano, Gardner, Granderson, Thames, A-Rod, and Jeter because all have multiple hits in the few at-bats they have had against him.

New York Yankees: Phil Hughes (12-3)

Unlike Davis, Phil Hughes started out the season on fire. Hughes was an 2010 All-Star and his name was frequent in Cy Young discussions.

He was the Yankees most reliable pitcher through the month of May. As they say, all good things must come to an end, or in Hughes' case, back down to baseball-reality.

Hughes got a lot of help via the Yankees hitters, who seemed to always score a lot of runs when he is on the mound. This masked a few mediocre starts and redefined them as great. It was not that Hughes didn't look solid, he completely did, but his struggles started earlier than the numbers or newspaper headlines might read.

Hughes has been slowly declining, as his ERA is rising.

His OBA has consistently dropped in each start since the end of May. July has been ugly for the youngster. In 23 innings, Hughes has faced 90 batters, and allowed 15 earned runs, issued five walks, all with an ERA of 5.79. He has struck out 15, but in his last two starts, he only has five in total.

Hughes cannot seem to locate his fastball, and his curveball has turned flat. There has been no marked improvement, but he wins games because luckily, the team scores runs.

Hughes does have the advantage of not having to face the Rays' BJ Upton who crushes his pitches, as Upton is on the DL. Look for Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena to stir up some hits as they have has success against Hughes whether he is hot or not.

Prediction:

Davis has found what Hughes has lost, so I expect both teams bats to dictate in this matchup. Looking ahead, Hughes has the brighter future. But, for this game, I have to go with the Rays. 

Score: Rays beat the Yankees 9-5.

Hughes and Davis: No decision.

Read More At Lady Loves Pinstripes......

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Believe it or not, Yankee fans can be frustrated too. Hard to believe, considering they have won 27 championships and are in the playoff race year in and year out. But occasionally, Yankee fans find something to complain about, something to criticize. And once you get Yankee fans going, there is no stopping them.

This year, the source of the frustration has been Joba Chamberlain. When he came up from the minors, he grasped the attention of Yankee fans. In his first year, he pitched 19 games and gave up just one run, an earned run average of 0.38.

It was then that Yankee fans started to dream: maybe he could be the next Mariano Rivera; maybe we don’t have to worry about the day our beloved closer calls it quits.

But Joe Girardi had a different idea. Someone—we don’t know who—decided that Joba Chamberlain was meant to be a starter. From the moment he was drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft, he was destined to be in the Yankees starting rotation.

And that is just what management decided to do. He started 12 games in 2008 and 31 games on 2009.

But that wasn’t before management decided that he should be on an innings limit. For a few years, all Yankee fans heard was “innings limit, innings limit, innings limit.” Nobody ever found out what it was, but he pitched 100 1/3 innings in 2008 and 157 1/3 innings in 2009.

Did that innings limit screw him up? Well, for one thing, ever since he became a starter, his seasonal ERA’s have gotten progressively worse: from around one in 2008 to almost six in 2010. The average velocity on his fastball has also gotten progressively worse: from 97 mph in 2007 to 94 mph in 2010.

The most convincing factor, though, is the attention. Along with hearing about the unknown innings limit everyday, Joba was widely criticized and passionately debated over. Believe it or not, apparently baseball players are humans too.

Here in 2010, the soap opera is anything but over. You can pick up the Daily News and read about how Joba Chamberlain is messing up the Yankees bullpen, and then you can pick up a New York Times and read about how the Yankees may trade Chamberlain for Dan Haren.

I, unlike most New Yorkers, can understand how all of this criticism and unstableness can shake up your performance. But what I know, also unlike most New Yorkers, is that the criticism was never merited.

This season has seemed to be the boiling point of the frustration. Next to the near deal for Dan Haren that would have sent Joba to Arizona, people want Joba out, even after they dreamed of him being the heir to Mariano.

At initial glance, it would seem as though New Yorkers have a point. His ERA of almost six this season is enough to frustrate any passionate and knowledgeable fan. But if you take a closer look at the numbers Chamberlain has put up, he may be very deserving of a second chance. Maybe even a first chance if you ask me.

If you take out all fielding factors (errors, misplays, etc.) you get a stat calls FIP, which stands for fielder independent pitching. Joba’s FIP is a very respectable 3.02. So, for some reason, Joba is experiencing some very bad luck. Wherever that bad luck may be coming from, it is all blamed on Chamberlain, the wrong man.

Accompanying this idea of luck, let’s go back to the method that illustrates how luck has affected a player. For those who don’t know, we can look at two stats to measure luck: batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and line drive percentage.

So how does this work? Pitchers get unlucky—or lucky—when balls fall in front of fielders or ground balls find the hole. So, if you have a high BABIP, then many balls are finding holes, meaning you are unlucky.

Line drive percentage measures how many line drives you give up. If you give up many line drives, you are not a good pitcher. So, if you BABIP is high and your line drive percentage is low, you are giving up many soft hit balls that are finding holes.

In Chamberlains case, he is very unlucky. Joba’s opposing BABIP this season in .393, very high. However, his opposing line drive percentage is 19.4, the lowest of his career.

If he is pitching well, why is his ERA so high? To answer that, take a look at these two splits:

Runners on second/third: 6 PA, 2 1B, 1 2B, 2 BB, 6 runs scored
Bases loaded: 5 PA, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 runs scored

So of the 28 earned runs Joba has given up, 12 of them—almost half—come from just 11 plate appearances. The few mistakes he has made came with runners on base and thus brought up his ERA. If you as me, 11 plate appearances should not determine how successful you are.

Furthermore, Joba has had six streaks this year of at least three scoreless outings in a row. The longest streak of the year is eight games. Most of his 44 games he pitched this year have been a part of a scoreless streak. The bad performances are rare and sprinkled in between the good performances.

It seems as though Yankee fans love to dwell on the negative. When it comes to Joba, Yankees fans pick and choose the best reasons to bash Joba Chamberlain. For a guy that has averaged over nine strikeouts per nine innings in three of his four seasons, it appears there has been a bit of unfortunate and unworthy finger-pointing.

So that’s it. That is the story of Joba Chamberlain. The story of a man who’s future seemed bright enough to shine on a plaque in Cooperstown, just to be diminished by the misleading frustration of spoiled Yankee fans. The story of a man buried in criticism, who’s talent will be missed when wrongfully thrown away.

You can e-mail me at jess@jesskcoleman.com or follow me on Twitter @jesskcoleman .

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This is the second installment of my starting pitching capsules from my trip down to the Florida State League to watch the High A Tampa Yankees play.

I saw quite a few games which included four of the five starting pitchers. The one starter I did not see pitch was Dellin Betances.

The first capsule can be seen here, and included right-handed pitcher Adam Warren and left-handed pitcher Manuel Banuelos. I like both those guys, and can see Warren (who reminds me of Greg Maddux) and Banuelos (who reminds me of Johan Santana with a better curve ball), getting to the Bronx by 2012.

Which reminds me, I am not saying these pitchers will have those types of careers, but they have similarities.

After my report on Warren, he was promoted to Double A Trenton where he has made two starts, and has a 2-0 record and 2.25 ERA. I saw him again in Trenton and we spoke a bit about his season. I mentioned to him that I saw Graham Stoneburner for Charleston, wrote a report, and then he was promoted to High A Tampa. I then saw Warren pitch in Tampa, wrote the report, and he was then promoted to Trenton.

I asked Warren who else does he want me to see so they can get promoted. He replied, "keep coming to my starts." He is very mild-mannered kid, and has a good sense of humor.

This capsule includes another left-handed/right-handed due, Shaeffer Hall and aforementioned Stoneburner. I saw both of these guys pitch for Low A Charleston in early May and again in Tampa.

Shaeffer Hall - LHP   6"0", 185 lbs.

Hall was the RiverDogs opening day starter, throwing six innings and allowing three hits, no walks while striking out four. Of the 13 other outs recorded, Hall generated nine ground outs, including one double play.

The first time I met Shaeffer Hall, he was in the Charleston clubhouse on their trip north to the Lakewood (NJ) Blue Claws.

Here was my first question:

Joseph DelGrippo: "Last year in college, Stephen Strasburg threw a no-hitter against the Air Force Academy. Do you know the other college pitcher who threw a no-hitter against Air Force last year?

Shaeffer Hall: Laughing out loud saying, "Yeah, you're looking at him, but I guess you already knew that."

Yes, I did. Hall threw an early season February nine inning no-hitter for the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks have a good baseball program but it is overlooked because of a great Kansas hoops team and other well-known Big 12 baseball programs such as Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Later that season, Hall pitched a complete game shutout against Dartmouth in the NCAA tournament. He was the Jayhawks Friday night starter in 2009, indicating he was the ace of that staff.

However, he did not have a great season going 5-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 15 starts, but his walk rate of 0.97 per nine innings attracted the Yankees. New York likes to take college pitchers who they feel pitched well but were the victim of "metal bat syndrome."

Hall appears to fit into that category. He is also a hard worker, who worked to lose about 20 pounds from his college frame. I noticed the difference from his college photos to his body type in Lakewood.

Due to a slight shoulder strain, Hall only threw nine professional innings last season for short season Staten Island. The 2010 season is basically Hall's first full year in pro baseball.

It's funny, but Hall has had such a good season in his first full year in pro baseball, but in the two games I saw him pitch were his two worst outings of the year.

While I was "good luck" for Stoneburner and Warren, I am like a pariah of sorts for Hall.

Hall is a fastball, curveball, change-up guy who relies primarily on precise location to be effective. And based upon his results this season, he does have great control and command within the strike zone. He works quickly (a great trait) and can throw all three of his pitches for strikes.

RiverDogs pitching coach Jeff Ware agrees. "He has great command of all three of his pitches. When he has all three working and keeping the ball down, he is on top of his game. He can strike you out and can induce lots of ground balls. Schaef is also well prepared and hard-working. It is a great combination."

Hall needs to be precise because he does not throw that hard, mostly 87-89, barely touching 90 a few times, but has some fastballs hovering around the 85 range. His curve ball is a nice weapon (mostly around 74), but while it has good bite, it is not consistent with its depth. Shaeffer sometimes leaves this pitch up, especially to right-handed hitters.

Like almost all Yankee farm hand pitchers, Hall's out pitch is his change-up. It will arrive normally in the 76 range, and has decent bite, running slightly away from righties. It is not as good as Banuelos' on an every pitch basis but it does have the ability to get lot of weakly hit balls in play.

Hall needs to also have an umpire who has a liberal outlook on strikes. In the game I witnessed in May up in Lakewood, the umpire has a very tight zone and would not give Hall any pitches on the corner. It forced Hall to bring his pitches over the plate more, where they proceeded to get hit.

In speaking with Hall after that game, he did not blame the umpiring, but said the zone was a little "tighter" than the day before. "I wasn't getting many calls on the corners," Hall said. "But I still need to work around that and throw better pitches when guys got on base."

But that is what happens when a pitcher does not have "put away" stuff. Hall needs to work the strike zone in and out, down and away. If Hall does not get the pitches on the corner called strikes, the hitters will adjust to the tighter zone. And Hall can get hit hard when he brings the ball back over the outer and inner thirds of the plate.

In Tampa, it was more of the same. Lots of hits against Hall, who despite not walking anyone, was battered around. Some hits were dinks and dunks, but others were really belted. He seemed to not have command of his fastball. Around 88 with the fastball and similar as in Lakewood with the curve ball (74-75) and change-up (76).

Shaeffer Hall is a very nice pitcher, but is likely not going to be in any future Yankee plans. They just do not like that type of pitcher, a guy who doesn't have dominant stuff with "great upside."

Hall reminds me of former Yankee Chase Wright, but I expect Hall to get more than just a cursory major league look. Mark Buehrle and maybe Jamie Moyer would also be good comparisons to what type of pitcher Hall is stuff wise.

Hall might be best suited as a left-handed relief specialist, but deserves to progress as a starter for at least another season or two.

Hall is a great kid who really likes the Yankees organization. My time in Tampa was during the Cliff Lee trade scenarios and Hall, Stoneburner and Adam Warren were asking me about what I had heard.

Graham Stoneburner - RHP  6'1", 180 lbs

I also saw Stoneburner pitch twice, once in Lakewood and once in Tampa. He was great both times, and you can read about the Lakewood game here.

Stoneburner has a power fastball, above average to plus slider and a vastly improving change-up. When I saw him in Lakewood back in early May, I was told by one scout that Graham did not possess a good change. But his performance in that game, and other which followed proved that assessment incorrect.

The change-up was pretty good and he threw it quite often, generating lots of swings and misses. It had good downward bite as did his slider and two-seam fastball, which moves in both directions.

When asked about the change-up, Stoneburner said, "I think my change-up is coming along really well. It was pretty good all spring and I have more confidence in throwing, even in some fastball counts. The more I throw it, the better I get a feel for it."  

That is the important thing about the change-up. Some pitchers don't get a good feel for it, then they scrap it for long periods of time, which is a huge mistake.

It is a credit to Stoneburner that he continues to go with the pitch in different situations.

Graham has an explosive fastball which reached up to 96 MPH in the Lakewood start. In fact, in Stoneburner's 95th pitch against Blue Claws that day saw him bring a 95 MPH up and in fastball past the No. 5 hitter Darin Ruff.

Stoneburner is a power pitcher to the core. He goes right after hitters and doesn't mince his pitches as he throws strike after strike. He also has the rare ability to throw that hard and still command his arsenal within the strike zone.

His slider was consistently around 80-81 showing good, late break. Many people have talked about him needing to "tighten" up the slider, but I did not see any real need to alter that pitch as it appeared the same both times I saw him pitch. Stoneburner even told me in Tampa that he has thrown the slider the same way all season.

With his really good fastball/slider combination, some people have talked about Stoneburner becoming a power reliever as he moves further up the Yankee ladder. Maybe near the end of this season, that might happen as Double A Trenton goes into a playoff push and Stoneburner has already eclipsed 104 innings.

I spoke to him in July at a Tampa game and he feels he will be a 130-140 inning pitcher this year. It is a possibility, and I would like to see hin challenged again this season. But the Yankees do not like to promote a pitcher two times in one season, and with this being Graham's first pro season, it is unlikely he will be moved to Trenton.

But with four pitches which he commands well, Stoneburner can be a real good starting pitcher. He has shown that this season in two levels, and owns one of the best WHIP's for a starting pitcher in the minor leagues with a 0.90. 

Although he has a somewhat long arm action in the back, Stoneburner's delivery appears to be consistent, and the control numbers are good. He has issued only 26 walks in 104 IP (2.25 per 9 IP), a great number considering how hard Stoneburner throws.

He reminds me of Tim Hudson, a sinewy guy with a smallish frame who throws hard, with control, and has a good slider.

While the Yankees always trade away their fringy prospects, Stoneburner is much more than a fringe prospect and can be a vital member of the Yankees pitching staff as soon as 2012.

He should not be traded, but given every opportunity to continue up the ranks as a starting pitcher.

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Bloomquist, 32, literally plays every position on the field except pitcher and catcher. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t hit. His career OPS+ is 75 and even though he’s actually outdone that this season with an 81 OPS+, that still isn’t very impressive.

Bloomquist is actually a pretty good infielder, but not necessarily the strongest outfielder. So he wouldn’t be an upgrade offensively or defensively over Colin Curtis. Realistically, he’s not much better at any aspect of the game than Ramiro Pena either. If the Yankees were going to trade for this guy, they might as well stick with Pena or call up Eduardo Nunez.

Related Stories

• June 22, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Focus is on the Bench (7)

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The Yankees have offered their top prospects in deals for pitchers Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, but have not done so in any deals for Dunn. The supposed reason for this is because the Yankees viewed Lee and Haren as real difference makers and Dunn as more of a bonus than a necessity.

They do have the most potent offense in baseball, leading the league in runs scored. So it wouldn’t make sense to mortgage the future or deal prospects that they could include in more essential deals than one for Dunn.

The Yankees were also concerned about Dunn because the outfielder has repeatedly said he does not want to DH. That’s a big part of the reason the Rays backed away from him as they saw how unproductive Pat Burrell had become, another slugger who didn’t want to become a DH.

Sherman said the Yankees could still change their minds and acquire Dunn, but it would have to take a significant drop in the asking price for him.

Related Stories

• July 29, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: Burnett, Igawa, Quite Deadline, Tejada & Dunn Rumors, Moseley (2)
• July 25, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Soria, Dunn, Haren, Oswalt, Wigginton, Peralta, Ross (0)
• July 18, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Latest on Adam Dunn (0)
• July 17, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Yanks Like Dunn and Soria (0)

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There is no denying the fact that Alex Rodriguez is having a bit of an off-year.

Entering July, his batting average and slugging percentage have dropped and he hasn’t been quite as patient at the plate. In July, he started turning things around, at least power-wise, by cracking five homers in the first 17 games of the month. His average and patience hadn’t totally returned, but it was a start.

Then he hit home run No. 599.

Since that time, just six games, A-Rod has gone cold. In that span, he has a decent batting average of .280. However, with just one walk, his OBP is a lowly .333 and his slugging percentage is almost non-existent (in A-Rod’s terms) at .360.

A-Rod says he’s happy with his approach at the plate , but when he’s not walking and not picking up many extra base hits, you know things are going wrong.

No need to sound any alarms here.

A-Rod will eventually come out of this funk, which has only been six games so far anyways. Hopefully he does it sooner than later though. You do get the feeling that he’s going to need to hit No. 600 to turn it around though.

So here’s hoping that he hits 600 tonight just so we can get this over with already and get back to the same old A-Rod.

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By now, the biggest question surrounding Alex Rodriguez’s 600th home run may not be where/what section in the stadium, but when.

Two long weeks ago, here at SeatGeek, we released our initial report on where Alex Rodriguez’s 600th home run may land at Yankee Stadium. There was a substantial likelihood that A-Rod would hit the milestone home run towards the end of the Yankees’ nine game home stand which began after the All-Star break.

One week ago, A-Rod hit career home run No. 599, and had three games left on the current home stand to hit the milestone homer in front of the home crowd. 

Yet, A-Rod did not hit 600 in New York, and he took his chase with him to Cleveland, as the Yankees were slotted to play four games versus the Indians at Progressive Field.

SeatGeek and Hit Tracker followed-up our initial report with a prediction of where the historic ball may land at Progressive Field. Given the frequency in which Rodriguez has hit home runs this season and in the past, there again was a high percentage chance he would hit one home run during the Cleveland series. 

Yet, three games have passed, and A-Rod has gone homerless.

Now, here we are, preparing to release another report with a prediction of where A-Rod’s 600th home run ball may land at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay (the Yankees play their next three games after tonight versus the Rays—let us know if you want a sneak peak at the data).

Throughout the coverage of A-Rod’s milestone chase, SeatGeek and Hit Tracker have kept track of the percentage chances of when A-Rod may hit his 600th home run.

By now, everyone is wondering when (if ever!) will A-Rod actually hit No. 600?

At this point, there is a 22 percent chance that Rodriguez puts one in the bleachers during tonight’s game at Progressive Field.

Remember, if he does, the most likely section is Section 182, while "The Money Seat” is Section 181, Row J, the aisle seat in between Sections 180 and 181.

If A-Rod does not hit a home run tonight, there is a 42 percent chance that he hits it during one of the three games versus the Rays in Tampa.

If he doesn’t hit it at Tropicana Field, then there is a 29 percent chance he hits it during the Yankees next home stand (seven games), beginning August 2—track Yankees ticket prices updated daily to track the impact, if any, that A-Rod is having on the secondary ticket market.

Don’t lose hope Yankees' fans! If you were hoping to see A-Rod hit his 600th at Yankee Stadium, there is still a chance!

If you want to go to any of the upcoming games in which the Yankees play and A-Rod may hit 600, SeatGeek is the place to get your tickets! Click on a game below to see the best ticket deals around on the secondary ticket market:

7/29 Yankees @ Indians

7/30 Yankees @ Rays

7/31 Yankees @ Rays

8/1 Yankees @ Rays

If you have any questions or data inquiries, don’t hesitate to email me at justin@seatgeek.com. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeek, “Like” us on Facebook, and stop by SeatGeek for all of your ticket needs.

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Sports Blog

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