Yankee bloggers, whether it's myself or another, constantly wonder about the use of Chris Britton. The Yankees acquired him only a few years ago (it feels like ages), yet we never seem to see him pitch more than an inning of mop up duty or clean up the mess had by a Mike Mussina or another floundering starter. We've wondered why he's relegated to such roles because he's always put up some fairly effective numbers. Chalk it up to Joe Torre's BP management, we've said, however, Joe Girardi's use of Brittion hasn't been much different.

In fact, even Brian Cashman is wondering about it:

The Yankees’ reluctance to use Britton has been confounding to many Yankees bloggers, and Brian Cashman sounded similarly baffled when asked about Britton on Wednesday. Cashman said he would never tell his manager how to run a game, but he seemed hopeful that Joe Girardi would give Britton more of a chance.

“It’s about opportunity,” Cashman said. “He has not failed in any capacity at any level. Every chance he’s gotten, he’s had success, period. That’s what defines Chris Britton. I can’t tell you any more than that.”

See that? Even Cashman wants to know what's going on and doesn't understand why Britton has been used the way he has been. Now that Cashman has been publicly asked about the issue, then maybe Joe Girardi will listen to what he has to say and give Britton his shot. He can't be much worse than LaTroy Hawkins and I may even trust him a bit more than Kyle Farnsworth.

Update: Morgan Ensberg has been DFA in the move to bring up Patterson.

• Last nights win was the first extra inning win on the road since April 14, 2007 against Okaland.
• Here's Mariano Rivera on Ross Ohlendorf:

“That was great. That’s how capable he is, to pitch like that. It’s huge for his confidence, I think. He has great stuff and he showed it. That’s what I want to see, a young pitcher use his best stuff and go at them. I was thinking that this was the day he would do what he’s capable of doing.”

• Jeter's average on June 1st last year was 340. This year, on June 1st, it's 269.
•  If you're interested in the Yankees minor league affiliates, or want to get to know the players, check out  Mike Ashmore's Thunder baseball Blog as he has an interview with pitcher Mark Melancon.
• Here's what Jose Tabata had to say for getting taken out in the middle of the game the other day: (Tip hat to John Nalbone)

"Something happened in the field -- a pop-up or something, a misplay -- and the coaches said (I) wasn't hustling enough," "They took (me) out of the game, but it wasn't anything special."

Joba will see how he feels on Friday and based on that, his next outing will likely feature 70-75 pitches. Obviously, that sort of appearance isn't going to work for a reliever. With IPK on the DL (although his injury status is somewhat cloudy) it appears evident that the Yankees will start Joba and see how far he can go. Joba will probably hit 5 innings if he starts (that's my estimate) which would certainly be a sight to see for Yankee fans everywhere.

On a totally random note, Chris Britton has been recalled by the Yankees (with IPK on the DL). Yes, that was out of nowhere, but hell, I had to get it in there. Besides, I'm sure it won't be the last time he gets sent down and called back up (it happens every other day).

"The plan is for him to start again in five days, but sometimes ... I mean, that's the plan," Girardi said.

Hmm, words of confidence from Kei Igawa's manager.

So the Yankees tried something new, giving Kei Igawa a shot against the Tigers, only to see him give up 6 ER in 3 IP. Igawa looked awful as the Tigers tee'd off against him and you could tell from the get go that it was going to be brutal. Anyone who gives up 11 hard hits in 3 IP isn't going to do well now and they probably won't do well later. I think the Yankees know that and after watching tonight's game, I doubt they'll have Igawa start next week. In fact, I'll be surprised if he isn't traded in the next month or so (to the San Diego Padres). The Yankees will likely ship him back to Triple-A and recall another. Hopefully, with a few good starts in the minors the team will be able to build Igawa's trade value so that they could at least get a bag of balls for him (or maybe some towels for the clubhouse).

I was all for bringing Igawa up, not for him to get a chance to pitch, but for him to give the bullpen a break after it was abused by rookie ineffectiveness and he couldn't even do that. In fact, Jonathan Albaladejo who has been fairly solid this year when the Yanks needed him, actually injured himself after relieving Igawa and he'll be placed on the 15-day DL (Chris Britton will finally get a chance to pitch for an extended period of time). So, in the end, the Kei Igawa experiment (much like the Carl Pavano, Jared Wright, Randy Johnson, Jeff Weaver, Javier Vasquez, Kevin Brown, etc., experiments) looks like it's coming to an end in the not too distant future.

There's really nothing left to say other than good riddance.

Pitching Matchup: TRE George Kontos (0-1, 3.00) vs. ALT Derek Hankins (0-0, 0.00)

Starting Lineups:

Trenton (4-2) (4-2 road record, 2-0 vs. Altoona)

1 - Reegie Corona, SS
2 - Austin Jackson, CF
3 - Jose Tabata, RF
4 - Colin Curtis, LF
5 - Matt Carson, DH
6 - Cody Ehlers, 1B
7 - Joe Muich, C
8 - Marcos Vechionacci, 3B
9 - Chris Malec, 2B

Altoona (1-5) (1-5 home record, 0-2 vs. Thunder)

1 - Boone
2 - Webster
3 - Pacheco
4 - Corley
5 - Delaney
6 - Bowers
7 - Cruz
8 - Perez
9 - Finegan

Farm Fresh: Our apparently now daily look at what's going on elsewhere in the system...

(AAA) Scranton - While it hasn't worked out for either highly touted pitcher at the big league level just yet, Homer Bailey vs. Kei Igawa is one hell of a matchup at the Triple-A level.  Accordingly, it was a 1-0 game.

But Scranton came out on the short end of the stick, losing on a first inning RBI double by super-prospect Jay Bruce.  Never trust a guy with two first names, kids.

Oddly, Chad Moeller may go from an 0-for-3 night with 3 K's to the big leagues today.  Jorge Posada came out of the game last night with a shoulder issue.  Somewhere, Francisco Cervelli is throwing darts at a picture of Elliot Johnson.

Chris Britton, Jon Albaladejo and Edwar Ramirez combined for five innings of two-hit relief with four strikeouts.

(A) Tampa - The T-Yanks squeaked out a 1-0 win over Dunedin.  Eric Hacker is the truth, ladies and gentlemen.  Check this line out...

7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

The game was scoreless through nine after a rehabbing Sean Henn blew the perfect game, but Edwar Gonzalez drove in Chris Kunda in the bottom of the 10th for the W.

Seems like the choice is pretty obvious if the Thunder should need a starter early in the year...

(A) Charleston - It was a good night for River Dogs fans last night.  Seven runs, 16 hits and another W out of Dellin Betances added up to a 7-3 win over the Savannah Sand Gnats.

Betances clearly had some control issues, walking six batters in 5.1 innings of work.  But he also struck out eight, and allowed only two runs on two hits.

Every starter had at least one hit except for Taylor Holiday.  Brad Suttle is now hitting .500 after a 3-for-5 night, while Jesus Montero connected for his first A-Ball home run.

A lot of the offense came off of Mike Antonini, the Mets farmhand who was lights out in his debut a few days ago -- allowing no hits in six innings -- and the subject of a recent MILB.com piece.

Pre-Game Notes: Doubting anyone minds the 4:05 start on a getaway day.

Tim Lavigne, who appeared in 25 games for the Thunder, was recently released by the Baltimore Orioles organization.  Lavigne, who probably started hating his name right around the time a certain Canadian popstar became popular (see: Evan Longoria and Eva) was 0-2 with a 4.93 ERA for Trenton. 

In other moves, Dave Parrish was let go by the Rockies, and Colter Bean was axed by the Braves.  Aaron Rifkin was cut loose by the Marlins, and Gabe Lopez got canned by the Padres.

It is Kontos on the mound.  Incredible they'd let him go on three days rest, regardless of how many pitches he threw.  Phil Hughes could have thrown one pitch on April 5th, and trust me...he would not be pitching today.

Anyway, the pitching matchups have been set for the Harrisburg series.  Incredibly, it looks like Bobby Brownlie will not be pitching for the Senators.  Instead, he's pitching tonight.  If a stray storm cloud wanted to stay over there for a while so the greedy reporter could get to see Brownlie tomorrow, that would be OK.

4/10: TRE Daniel McCutchen (1-0, 0.00) vs. HAR Shairon Martis (0-0, 9.00)
4/11: TRE Phil Coke (0-0, 6.75) vs. HAR Josh Hall (0-1, 24.00)
4/12: TRE Jason Jones (1-0, 0.00) vs. HAR Marco Estrada (1-0, 5.40)
4/13: TRE Chase Wright (1-1, 2.45) vs. HAR Imsael Ramirez (0-1, 6.75)

Chad Jennings is reporting that Alberto Gonzalez has been called up to New York, and Jason Brown has been activated for Scranton to take his place.  I suppose it's worth noting that Ramiro Pena isn't in today's lineup.

Radio Links: Click here for the links to each team's broadcast.

Live Box Score: The MILB.com direct link is here.

Around the Eastern League: For scores from around the EL, go here.

In-Game Updates: After A-Jax singled and Tabata singled him over to third, Colin Curtis hit a sac fly to put the Thunder up 1-0 in the first.  That's where we stand in the bottom of the 2nd.

The Thunder are trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd.  Gee, it was hard to predict Kontos might run into trouble on short rest.  Anyway, Miguel Perez drove in two runs with a single in the bottom of the 2nd to give Altoona the lead.

Trenton then proceeded to waste a leadoff triple by Chris Malec, and the game remains 2-1.

Same score in the bottom of the 4th.  Matt Carson is now hitless in his last nine at-bats.

2-1, bottom 5.  Trenton has left seven men on base through the first five innings.  Nice game out of Austin Jackson so far, he's 2-for-3 with a run scored.

The Curve got another run off of Kontos in the 6th, and it's now 3-1.

Kontos is out, Zach Kroenke is in.  Kontos line: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.

Gotta give Kontos some credit for hanging in there today.  Looking forward to chatting with him and maybe Scott Aldred tomorrow about this whole deal...

Kroenke pitched a perfect seventh, striking out two, and it's 3-1 going into the 8th.

Hey, hey!  It's tied 3-3 in Altoona after a two-run single from Reegie Corona.  Eric Wordekemper now in for the Thunder.

Three up, three down for the Thunder in the top of the 9th.  Altoona goes into the bottom of the frame with a chance for a walk-off win.

Wordekemper gave up two singles to start the ninth and was replaced by Josh Schmidt.  Harrisburg brought in Melvin Dorta to pinch-run for Brad Corley, who got the first of the two hits and was standing at second.

Nothing against Schmidt, who has been one of the Thunder's better bullpen guys so far, but Steven Jackson being unavailable (most likely) after throwing three innings couldn't have been comforting to Tony Franklin. 
Schmidt got two outs, but couldn't get the third.  Miguel Perez singled home Jason Delaney for the walk-off win.  Had a feeling it would end that way.

Final Score: 4-3, Curve.

Post-Game Notes: Wordekemper hasn't been as good as advertised, at least not yet.  He picked up the loss, and his ERA sits at a hearty 10.12 at the moment.

Matt Carson is now hitless in his last 12 at-bats.  Looks like that hot start has turned into a mini-slump.

Joe Muich threw out one of two attempted basestealers.

Jackson, Tabata, Curtis and Malec each had two hits.  Vechionacci's 5-game hitting streak is over.

Thunder Thoughts: With the Thunder coming home tomorrow, please don't forget that I'll be back at the ballpark as well...I intend on covering the games on Thursday, Friday (unless I get Rangers-Devils tickets...in which case, you guys are on your own), Saturday and Sunday.  After that, I will likely go either Monday or Tuesday, but not both due to an Atlantic League commitment. 

If you have any specific things you want answered by any of the guys, or questions for myself, please pass them along in the comments or my inbox and I'll do what I can.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

1) Well, the first bit of news for today is that Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens' former friend and accuser, crashed his car into a NYC bus at around 12:30 pm in Queens (another car was involved as well). McNamee apparently fainted at the wheel, which ultimately caused the crash. explanation for the crash was that he has an ongoing medical problem. For some reason (call me crazy!), I feel as though this won't be the last we hear of this accident.

2) Next up, while we've all been slightly worried about Phil Hughes' recent rough outing (verse the Pirates), maybe even overly worried (it is just ST), Ian Kennedy continues to impress, as demonstrated by his performance against the Blue Jays. Joba Chamberlain also came in to the game knowing his role for the season (for now), and promptly struck out 3 Jays (I always want to say BJ's but it sounds bad). Also, for all you Wilson Betemit fans (...), he had a big blast and a double to cap off his day.

3) Finally, Joe Girardi isn't telling us about his bullpen or his bench, just yet. However, he has given us some decent clues and some good information to let us figure it out on our own. A few weeks ago, Joe Girardi stated that he would like to have a lefty (and a long-reliever) in the pen, but yesterday, he also stated that it is not a necessesity because he has faith in his righties. Basically, the bullpen has 3 open spots. I think Scott Patterson has earned one, I think Billy Traber will be in there (Girardi says it doesn't matter but you get the feeling that he enjoys the matchup lefty option), and I say, give Chris Britton a shot (unless Girardi goes with Karstens as a long-man). A lot of new blood, but why not? Fill the pen up with guys who can throw strikes. Your other realistic options are Bruney, Ohlendorf, Veras, and Albaladejo and do you really have confidence in any of them to the point that you want to put them in the pen right away? Let them work on their stuff in AAA and if another guy totally impresses you, or if a reliever gets injured as the season progresses, you still have plenty of good in-house options that you can call on.

Girardi's bench is also a mystery, as Wilson Betemit looks like the guy who'll see the most time in the IF (SS, 3B, 2B) along with Shelley Duncan, who will only play 1B and the occasional OF. The Yankees basically have one other spot open, and I'm thinking it'll go to Morgan Ensberg (not a utility guy like Nick Green, Ransom, etc.). Ensberg has showed his hitting abilities in the past and he'll be a solid right-handed bat for Girardi to turn to. Girardi also called Ensberg a "strong candidate" if that even means anything. Maybe Ensberg can revitalize his career in NY. He's still relatively young and his struggled these past few years could be attributed to an assortment of injuries.

Prediction: The pitchers that emerge from this group will be better than Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel this year.

Chris Britton, British musician, The Troggs

The post by Jennings is rather interesting and provides us with a lot more information regarding next year's pitching corps.  Jennings basically states that the bullpen will be a "free-for-all" in spring training and there will be a ton of guys competing for a roster spot (Farnsworth, Hawkins, Mariano are the locks), including the usual suspects (E. Ramirez, Bruney, Henn, Britton, Veras, etc.) and the newer faces (Cox, Melancon, Albaladejo, Horne, Marquez, Wright, etc.).  Check out Jennings' post, it's got some good info about the Yankees resigning Nick Green, bringing back Bronson Sardinha, Juan Miranda in 2008, and a few other bits.

Also, in terms of the bullpen, Ron Mahay is no longer in the picture, as the Royals and Mahay have agreed to a 2-year deal worth $8 million.  This is good news for a lot of us Yankees fans.  The team is constantly spending so much money and their relief pitching has been terrible the past few years despite the rampant spending, so it'll be nice to see them work on developing some guys who can prove their abilities a bit in spring training.

Oh, and for the Darrell Rasner fans (I know you guys visit), I'm happy to inform you that Rasner has seemingly resigned with the Yankees.  I always liked the way Rasner worked.  He's not a flashy guy, but I always enjoyed watching him do fairly well for the Yankees and eat some innings when needed.  Seems like a good guy.

"Yankee pitchers have thrown 403 2/3 innings this season. Joba Chamberlain has pitched in 20 1/3 of them. That’s 5.0%.

It’s a good thing we have such an 8th inning weapon."

The quote above is from the Nomaas blog and they’re spot-on correct. Joba’s been pretty much pointless out of the bullpen this season. We’ve been either at .500 or below it for most of the year, with very few late and tight games. Joba has been basically rotting away in the bullpen, when he could be giving us 5-8 starting innings and be a 1-2 starter.

We have Edwar Ramirez who has yet to give up a run, as a viable replacement. Jose Veras has flat out nasty stuff, and when used consistently he's as dominating as anyone. And, um, Chris Britton anyone? Why does this guy continue to be ignored?

In the minors we have the trio of Cox, Patterson and Melancon who have been flat-out dominating at the minor league level. All three of them are strike throwing machines with plus stuff(especially Melancon and Cox, Patterson relies on a lot of deception).

Yankee offense is clicking, Yankee rotation--with the exception of the 5th spot--is also clicking. When you have this many relief options, plus the chance to insert a possible number one guy into the 5th hole of a rotation already clicking, you don't even hesitate, you JUMP at that opportunity. That could be the move which puts this team over the hump, for good.

Let's decipher these relatively low-key moves.

Chris Britton. Brian Bruney was placed on the 15-day DL and this guy has never gotten much of a chance at the Major League level, his very respectable 2006 season with Baltimore nonwithstanding. This also means that the Yanks would rather give Britton a shot than bring Edwar Ramirez back up to the bigs (Edwar had been recalled recently before being sent down shortly thereafter). His stuff translates to your typical middle reliever, as he features an 89-91 mph fastball and a decent slider. Overall, his command is pretty good and helps him overcome his lack of power and a great breaking pitch.

Jonathan Albaladejo. The more I see him throw, the better the chance I feel he has to challenge for that coveted eighth inning role that should be available this summer, when Joba Chamberlain leaves for the greener pastures of the rotation. He's pitched very well in his short career and is deserving of a greater role than "mop-up janitorial custodian". Typically he's in the low-90's with his sinking fastball (usually using the two-seamed variety) and a good slider. He gets ground balls and is very economical for a reliever.

Shelley Duncan. We remember his power surge last summer - how he came out of nowhere and became an instant threat to left-handed pitchers everywhere. Now, Duncan is a platoon/reserve player, but Jason Giambi's durability is always a question mark, so his value is high in the case of a severe injury. I think he would have to get the nod over Morgan Ensberg because of his aggressiveness and higher upside (though limited, in my opinion, as he did play in the minors for several years). Most were concerned for Giambi because of lousy play of late, but over the past few games he's really picked up the pace. Duncan probably won't get a ton of action right now, but an injury or prolonged slump will change that.

A few other players could see time with the Pinstripes soon, most notably Darrell Rasner, who has been throwing gems down in AAA.

Jason Giambi Before-

Jason Giambi after-

What I'm hoping, is that this new, fit Giambi will be able to man First Base more effectively, and cut down on trying to pull the ball out of the park every time he swings. A Jason Giambi that hits long doubles the opposite way, bats for a higher average, keeps his high OBP, and smacks around 25 home runs per season will better suit the team. This will be a much more effective Jason Giambi, who will still drive in over 100RBI per season.

Brian Bruney before-

Brian Bruney after-

As you can see, Brian Bruney dropped about 30lbs of fat, and seems to have gained a little more musculature. Now I know Bruney struggled the second half of the 07 season, but it's hard to ignore what he did down the stretch in 06: 21IP, 14 hits, 25 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.87. He has an explosive 97mph fastball and a serviceable slider. I hope all of his off-season work pays off, because a guy like this coming out of the pen and attacking hitters could be downright amazing. I'm expecting Bruney to break camp.

Chris Britton before-

Chris Britton after-

Do you see the transformation in Britton? This is by far the most impressive change. He was a solid reliever to begin with, and should have been used more consistently by Torre during the 07 season. In a full major league season with the Baltimore Orioles, Britton threw 54 innings, giving up only 46 hits, and posting an ERA of 3.55. This was 06, in the American League east, facing the thunderous Yankee, Red Sox and Blue Jay's line-ups.

Britton doesn't have overpowering stuff, he relies on an assortment of pitches and solid control. I have noticed in the past that Britton's belly has gotten in the way of his mechanics. With the loss of his gut and better balance, Britton should have a more solid delivery with a much better follow through, resulting in improved location, slightly increased velocity and more bite on his breaking pitches.

Other players have also showed up in better shape, including Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, and Bobby Abreu. This is great news for the Yankees--it shows the impact that Joe Girardi has already made, and the fact that he's going to get the best out of his players. After watching numerous Yankee interviews on The YES network website everybody seems hopeful and relaxed, even though Girardi is more of a disciplinarian than Torre. Hell, Mike Mussina is showing a sense of humor. More and more, as spring training progresses, I'm starting to believe that this could be the year the Yankees take it all back.

Ross Ohlendorf: His sinking fastball has been clocked from 96-98 regularly after being switched to the bullpen. His slider is now a plus pitch, and a splitter in the works looks very promising.

Jonathan Albaladejo: Mid-90's four seam fastball, with some late life through the strikezone, and awicked slider. He commands them both very well.

Jose Veras: Mid-to-upper 90's fastball, with a lot of late movement through the strikezone. Also, a very good slider which he's gotten a lot of strikeouts on, in the minors. Has had control problems in the past, but during this past winter, in winterball, he showed plus command and was the Yankees most dominating pitcher.

Edwar Ramirez: 88-92mph four-seam fastball, which he needs to learn how to control, a change-up ranked 80 on the 20-80 scale(basically his change is as good as Joba's slider), and an average slider he has to learn how to locate. Last season, he lead the entire Yankee organization, from A-ball to the bigs, in strikeouts(over 15K's every 9 innings pitched). This off-season, he worked closely with Pedro Martinez--hopefully it pays off. Edwar could be a monster.

Kevin Whelan: "Whelan possess a low-to-mid 90s fastball, but his real weapon is a devastating splitter. I’m not sure if it can be described as plus-plus, but its certainly what propels his amazing strikeout capability. His control is just plain bad - he showed signs of improvement in the middle of the season, but regressed toward the end. Still, Whelan is one of the hardest minor league pitchers in the game to get a hit off of." <---This scouting report on Whelan is relatively old, and since then his control has improved drastically. With a little more tinkering, this guy could possibly be a dominating closer in the American League

David Robertson: 92-95mph four-seamer with some late life to it, a power slider, and a cutter that sits 90-92. He commands them all excellently. He posted a .88 ERA last season(wow) at Chaleston, and is expected to start the year at Trenton and to fly through the Yankee organization.

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POSSIBLE MID-SEASON CALL-UPS

Mark Melancon: Throws a low-to-mid-90's four seam fastball, with some late life to it, throws a "buggs bunny" two-seamer at the same speed as his four-seamer--the pitch is supposed to be absolutely insane. It was one of the minor league catchers--Montero, I think--that said his two-seamer breaks as much as a curveball. He also throws a DEVASTATING power curve. Commands all of his pitches extremely well.

Humberto Sanchez: "He throws an incredibly heavy 92-95 mph fastball. This heavy fastball will break bats, miss bats, and pound the ball in to the ground. He backs it up with an above average curveball and average changeup."

J.B Cox: Cox throws a two-seamer in the 91-92 range, and compliments it with a plus slider at 85 MPH. His third pitch is a "major league quality" change-up, that he'll throw to give batters a different look. Cox controls every pitch he throws with pinpoint accuracy, that is rated at plus plus, and is his best attribute.

Add to this guys like Kei Igawa, Brian Bruney, Chris Britton, Heath Phillips, Chase Wright and Traber. We do NOT need to keep Joba, quite possibly our best starter, in the bullpen the rest of his career, when we have this much depth and high-end potential.

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You know, I have a Myspace, and I'm a member of a few Yankee groups-- sometimes my fellow fans can get on my nerves. We finally stack our farm system with all of these high-end arms, and all I hear is "Let's trade for Nathan", or "We need to get K-Rod at the start of next season", or "Yes! Sabathia is going to be a free agent, we have to sign him!!!1111!!!1111!!!111!!!1111one!!!eleven!!!!111!!!!".

Jesus, just two seasons ago, all you people were talking about how we have to stop trading our chips away and stop handing out these insane contracts, because it wasn't winning us championships. Now all you want to do is trade all of our chips away for guys like Santana, Bedard, or Nathan...and throw insane amounts of money at Fransisco Rodriguez and CC Sabathia....*Whistles in amazement*