Weekend Update

The Yankees played two games this weekend, losing 9-1 to Toronto on Saturday and 11-0 to Minnesota today. Needless to say, there weren't many highlights. Here's a quick rundown of the important points.

Francisco Cervelli suffered a concussion after taking a pitch in the helmet in a scary moment yesterday. He's scheduled to see a neurologist tomorrow and all reports are that he's OK.

Sergio Mitre took a big step forward in the rotation competition today. He threw three scoreless innings on two hits and one walk while striking out three. According to Girardi, "He threw the ball pretty decent." He was probably made to look even better after the rest of the staff imploded.

Chad Gaudin allowed three runs in two innings, continuing his attempt to pitch himself off the roster, and Kei Igawa allowed five runs on four hits in one inning. Gaudin made a couple costly mistakes and served up a homer to Jason Kubel, while Igawa was just terrible.

Brett Gardner laid a bunt down for a base hit, it's something he's worked on and is hoping to do more of this season. He needs to make that a consistent part of his game to fully utilize his speed. MLB.com did a story on Gardner's competition for a starting outfield job.

A.J. Burnett got hit in his start, going one and 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on five hits and one walk. He didn't record a strikeout. Burnett wants to throw his change up more this season, a pitch he's rarely thrown in the past. He worked on refining it during the offseason and showcased it in his first spring start.

The team is bringing Andy Pettitte along slowly this spring due to the large workload he endured last season. He threw a simulated game today and is expected to make his Grapefruit league debut on Friday, March 12th, against the Nationals.

Nick Johnson took batting practice today, taking 50 swings and declaring his back good to go. He's expected to return to the lineup tomorrow.

Bryan Hoch has a cool story about Mo, along with some news from the weekend, on Bombers Beat.

The Yankees have a split squad game tomorrow. They're facing the Pirates in Bradenton, with Alfredo Aceves drawing the start, and the Phillies in Tampa. The latter game will be shown on YES at 1:05 p.m. with Javier Vazquez taking the mound.