Kevin Kernan of the New York Post says that the Yankees are interested in free agent Raul Ibanez.
It would be a good fit, actually. A lefty, Ibanez and Andruw Jones would make a pretty good DH platoon. And both of them can play left field too if need be. Having him — as opposed to some DH-only type — would give Joe Girardi maximum flexibility to rotate anyone he needed to through the DH slot, be it those two, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Jeter, or whoever.
Astros starter Justin Verlander wasn’t his usual dominant self on Sunday against the Athletics, but he was good enough to get the win. In doing so, he earned the 200th win of his career, becoming the 117th member of the 200-win club.
Verlander went 5 1/3 innings, yielding four runs (all earned) on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts. On the season, Verlander is now 12-8 with a 2.65 ERA and a 223/29 K/BB ratio in 169 2/3 innings. Sunday’s win helped the Astros stave off the surging A’s. The Astros now have a one-game lead in the AL West.
Only two active pitchers have more wins than Verlander: Bartolo Colon (247) and CC Sabathia (244). Zack Greinke will likely be the next member of the 200-win club as he currently has 184 to his name.
