Pitcher:
Mark Montgomery, 21, RHP, A+
4.1 IP, 10 K, 1 BB, 2 H, 0 ER
Notable: On Sunday May 20th, he struck out 6 in just 2 innings

If you recall, Montgomery struck out 5 hitters in 1 inning last July while pitching for Charleston -- and his penchant for striking out everyone has continued this season at Class-A Advanced Tampa. He's K'd 34 hitters in 20.2 IP, while walking only seven (4.20 K/BB). Since being drafted in the 11th round of the 2011 draft, Montgomery has a 15.1 K/9 over 3 minor league levels. He's blowing through the system, and he's easily the reliever we're most excited about on the farm.

Hitter:
Corban Joseph, 23, LHB 2B, AA
.458/.535/.833 in 28 PAs
Notable: 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB

Corban Joseph was set to start the season off in AAA, but after he suffered a shoulder injury which kept him on the disabled list for a month, the Yankees started him off in Trenton. He's platooning between 2B and DH with the oft-injured David Adams. He's off to a great start since returning from injury, hitting a blistering .373/.475/.549 over 13 games. The 2008 4th-round draft pick hit .277/.353/.415 at Double-A last season.

Honorable Mentions:

Bryan Mitchell, 21, RHP, A
7 IP, 10 K, 0 BB, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 HR
Has struck out 18 hitters over his last 2 starts (13 IP), 3.07 FIP on season

Evan Rutckyj, 20, LHP, A
5 IP, 8 K, 0 BB, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 HR
Season debut for the 6'5" lefty

Francisco Arcia, 22, LHB C, A
.643/.666/1.071 in 15 PAs
Gary Sanchez's battery mate at Charleston, hitting .458/.517/.813 in 16 games

In the 'Back to Walking Everyone' Category...

Dellin Betances, 24, RHP, AAA
8.1 IP, 11 K, 9 BB, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 HR
Over 2 starts

Manny Banuelos, 21, LHP, AAA
4 IP, 5 K, 3 BB, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 HR

As a team, the Yankees are ranked very poor defensively. According to UZR/150, the Yankees are the 3rd-worst defensive team in the American League at -6.2 runs below average, with the main culprit being lack of defensive range. TotalZone, as measured by Baseball-Reference, has the Yankees tracking at 7 runs below average over the course of the year.

The individual breakdown is below. Total Zone (by Baseball-Reference) is also included. Keep in mind that the sample size is still very small for these, so we expect these numbers to fluctuate significantly. But, it still gives us a pretty good understanding that the Yankees' defense has been a problem so far.

With a 5.69 ERA at the close of Saturday's game versus Cincinnati, it's obviously too late to sell high on the "best pitcher in the world."

To the contrary, we'd be buying low on Nova now because he's pitched much better than his bloated ERA suggests. Check out the improvement in these various 'missing bats' categories:

If you saw these numbers without knowing who they belonged to, you would never guess they are from a pitcher pushing an ERA close to 6. That's why Nova's xFIP entering Saturday's game was a solid 3.78.

While it's no secret that Nova is pitching higher in the zone resulting in less groundballs, we 100% disagree that he's in a slump (which is being said on Lohud). How can you think you're in a slump after you K 12 hitters? Don't change a thing, Ivan.

There's two numbers that jump off the page to explain Nova's high ERA -- both of which will not continue. First, nearly 20% of his flyballs are leaving the yard. That will not continue. Second, his BABIP is a whopping .380, which is 3rd-highest among all MLB starters! There's no way that continues.

Flyballs are indeed problem in the lifeless joke that is the new Yankee Stadium, and if Nova wants to adjust anything, maybe he pays extra attention to keeping the ball low there. Overall though, he's made huge strides in missing bats, and if we were his pitching coach (as opposed to overweight jobless virgins), we'd be telling him to keep doing what he's doing. He was definitely overrated and lucky in 2011, but he's the opposite now in 2012. We're buying low on Ivan at these levels.

Providence Journal:

In another sign of financial trouble for 38 Studios, retired Red Sox Pitcher Curt Schilling's video company has not made payroll.

"We have been advised by the company that they did not meet payroll," said Christine Hunsinger, spokeswoman for Governor Chafee. "What it means in terms of expectations and employees would be something 38 Studios would have to determine."

On Thursday, 38 Studios tried and failed to pay the $1.125 million it owes the state as part of the loan program that brought the company to Rhode Island. The company delivered a check to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, but the company's account didn't have enough money to cover it.

Schilling's company relocated from Massachusetts after Rhode Island offered a $75-million loan guarantee. 38 Studios reported to the state at the start of this year that the company employed 270 workers in Rhode Island. The report was required by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation for the company to draw an installment from the proceeds of a $75-million bond sale.

And get this...Schilling is asking for state for more taxpayer funds.

Boston.com:

After missing a $1.1 million payment May 1 and a personal plea from Schilling for more public assistance this week, 38 Studios has said it does not have enough money to pay its employees. On Wednesday, the state economic development official who oversaw the loan guarantees resigned abruptly. In a bizarre twist, at one point Thursday, company representatives hand-delivered a check to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, apparently to cover the late $1.1 million payment, but then later said the company had insufficient funds to cover it.

Under the terms of the loan, 38 Studios must pay $5.3 million in interest this year, and $12.7 million in interest and principal every year from 2013 to 2020.

The Yankee bullpen took another hit Tuesday as the Bombers placed David Robertson on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique muscle.

To fill out the bullpen, the Yankees recalled right-hander Cody Eppley from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

So far, this big ass bug has taken down the following regulars for prolonged periods of time:

Pitcher:
Manny Banuelos, 21, LHP, AAA
11 IP, 10 K, 0 BB, 9 H, 1 ER, 0 HR
Notable: Hasn't walked a batter since returning from the DL on May 2nd (14.2 IP)

This past week was a standout for both of the Killer B's, but especially for Banuelos. After a terrible start to the season and a subsequent trip to the DL (back), Banuelos has been fantastic in his last 3 starts, dating back to May 2nd. He's been eased back into the rotation so the innings totals aren't overwhelming, but the results are very impressive -- 14.2 IP, 15 K, 0 BB, 11 H, 1 ER. The lack of walks is easily the stat that jumps out the most. If he can keep that up, the hype will be justified.

Hitter:
Angelo Gumbs, 19, RHB 2B, A
.464/.484/.624 in 29 PAs
Notable: 13 hits, 11 SB!

When we interviewed Angelo in February, we mentioned how his athleticism is often cited as one of his biggest strengths. Well, that athleticism was fully on display this past week, with one of the craziest all-around performances we've seen. Not only did the 2010 2nd-round draft pick have 13 hits in 29 PAs, but he stole 11 bases in just six games, including 4 thefts on May 10th alone. He's now 19-for-20 in SB attempts on the season (2nd-most in the South Atlantic League).

Honorable Mentions:

Dellin Betances, 24, RHP, AAA
8 IP, 7 K, 2 BB, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 HR
His best start of the season, but only the 2nd that he had more strikeouts than walks.

Caleb Cotham, 24, RHP, A
6 IP, 7 K, 1 BB, 2 H, 0 ER
Injury-plagued career so far, but off to a nice start this season, 2.18 ERA / 2.41 FIP

Brett Marshall, 22, RHP, AA
6 IP, 4 K, 1 BB, 2 H, 0 ER
Already an MLPW winner this season, 3.27 ERA is deceiving though due to decline in K rate (4.39 FIP)

The replacement for Swisher.

These are just two of the incredibly ridiculous descriptions we've heard trumpeted about Eduardo Nunez by those who cover the Yankees. The level of enthusiasm shown towards this player is truly one of the most bizarre things we've seen regarding the Yankees in recent years -- especially since he's done absolutely nothing at either the minor or major league level to warrant that enthusiasm. And his Knoblachian defense should not be a surprise to anyone. He made a boatload of errors in the minors too.

Again, truly one of the most insane things we've seen, and fortunately, the lovefest is over for now.

SI.COM

For Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox, getting jeered at Fenway Park has become par for the course.

The embattled starter did nothing to help restore his reputation Thursday night, getting booed off the field in the third inning of Boston's 8-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians .

It was Boston's 11th loss in its last 12 home games and it happened to come a day after word surfaced that Beckett was playing golf last week a day after he was scratched from his scheduled start with a sore lat muscle in his back.

That angered Red Sox fans, who got in plenty of taunts before Beckett was pulled after 2 1-3 innings with Cleveland leading 7-1.

"I think it was directed at me," Beckett said. "Smart fans."

Beckett was unrepentant about his golf outing, saying what he does on his day off is his business. But what he failed to understand, it seemed, was that fans were upset about him golfing when he was supposedly too sore to pitch rather than about him simply hitting the links on a normal off day.

Brantley was up next and one fan yelled "FORE!" when he lined a foul ball down the right-field line, but all the chuckles quickly subsided when Brantley doubled to left-center. It was the second straight double for the Indians, ending Beckett's night.