Game 38 - Yanks Hang on For Win and the Sweep

The Yanks hung on for a 7-6 win tonight, after quickly jumping out to a 6-2 lead after the first inning against the Twins.  After Andy Pettitte got touched for 2 runs in the top of the 1st, the Bombers batted around in the bottom frame.  Mark Teixeira quickly put the Yanks up top with a 3-run shot and ARod followed up with a solo blast for back-to-back HRs.  The home team would tack on 2 more runs and knock out Twins starting pitcher, Glen Perkins.  In came RA Hickey and his 2-bit knuckleball and ERA over 5+, but the Yankee hitters decided to go on a siesta.  Hickey and his weak knuckler and even weaker 85 mph fastball would hold the Yanks scoreless on 3 hits in 4.1 innings.   

With the Yankee bats snoozing, the Twins began to chip away at the 4-run lead.  Pettitte surrendered a solo shot to Michael Cuddyer in the 4th and a bloop RBI single in the 6th to bring the Twins to within 6-4.  Teixeira woke up from his slumber and hit his second HR of the game to give the Yanks a 3-run cushion.  His homers came from both sides of the plate.  They would need it.  

Pettitte finally departed the game after surrendering 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings, including 4 to Yankee killer, Justin Morneau.  He departed after giving up a double to Morneau and a walk.  That's when the stress for Yankee fans started.  Enter Jose Veras, who continues to suffer from Walk the First Batter disease.  He walked Cuddyer on 5 pitches.  According to Yankee announcer, Ken Singleton, Veras has allowed 13 out of 19 first batters reach base on him.  TERRIBLE!  Fortunately for the Pinstripers, Carlos Gomez promptly popped up the first pitch with the bases loaded, ending the 7th inning threat.  

But wait - there were 2 more innings for the bullpen to get through.  In the 8th,  for some reason only God and Joe Girardi would know, Edwar Ramirez entered the game.  Like a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day, he continues to serve it up.  Denard Span's solo shot closed the score to 7-5.  Ramirez would walk Joe Mauer, allowing the 33 base runner to reach against him in only 17.1 innings.  He's now given up 6 HRs, too, after giving up 7 all of last year in 55 innings.  Phil Coke relieved Ramirez to face the tying run at the plate in Justin Morneau.  Coke proved Morneau was human after all, striking him out.

The fun or stress, depending on how you look at it, wasn't over.  Coke came out for the 9th, with Mariano having thrown 4 innings the previous 3 days and needing a much needed rest.  Coke would walk leadoff hitter, Joe Crede, allowing the tying run to come up to the plate.  After a wild pitch, he retired the next two hitters on grounders, with Cuddyer knocking in the Twins 6th run and trailing by 1 run.  Coke walked light-hitting Carlos Gomez to reach base and set the stage for an epic at bat by pinch-hitter, Mark Redmond.  On a full count, Redmond falled off what would have been ball four 3 different times before grounding out to Cano to end the game.  I thought Coke was going to throw up and collapse to the ground, throwing 30 pitches to get the final 3 outs.  

Hopefully, help is on the way for the relief corp - Brian Bruney should be activated off the DL tomorrow.  Crooked Cap is scheduled to face some no-name against Baltimore.   

Yankees Record:  21-17, and riding a season high 6 game winning streak.