Game 103 - Sergio Mitre? Is This the Best They Can Do?

The trading deadline came and went at 4 pm EST today and all the Yankees could muster in a trade was career utility player, Jerry Hairston, Jr. After kicking the tires on Roy Halladay, taking a sniff at Cliff Davis and being linked to starters Jarrod Washburn and Brian Bannister in potential trades, the Yanks came up with bupkis. Nada. Zilch. After watching the pitiful performance of Sergio Mitre in their 10-5 thrashing by the White Sox, I'm sure GM Brian Cashman must be feeling sick to his stomach tonight that he didn't trade one of his overrated, overhyped prospects.

The Yanks came out swinging in the 1st inning, nearly matching their hit total from last night. 4 hits gave them a nice 3-0 cushion. It didn't last long. Mitre had absolutely nothing and looked like complete garbage on the mound. He pitched 3 pathetic innings and gave up 5 runs. Amazingly enough, Mitre did not receive credit for the loss. Eric Hinske hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 4th to tie the score at 5-all. It was his 5th HR in 20 ABs for the Yanks. I'd like to see more of him and less of Nick Swisher.

Through 4 innings, the Yanks had 9 hits and 5 runs off of White Sox emergency starter DJ Carrasco. They only had 3 hits the rest of the game against the bullpen. Ol' friend, Octavio Dotel, shut them down for 2 scoreless frames, allowing 1 hit. For the game, the Yanks were 2-10 with RISP, but 0 for their last 7. Jorge Posada was useless, stranding 6 runners and hitting into a DP.

David Robertson took the loss, allowing the go-ahead run to score in his 2 innings of work. The Yanks were still in the game till the 7th. Alfredo Aceves, who's been nursing a sore shoulder, since his arsonist act against the A's last Saturday, did it again tonight. He got lit up for 4 runs after it looked like he might escape a 2-on, no out jam. He retired the next 2 batters and then allowed 2 hits and a walk to open the floodgates. Aceves must be hurt, because right now, he's hurting the hell out of the Yankees. I guess Cashman didn't want to trade for another reliever, either.

The Sawx pulled out another win out of their ass against Baltimore. Interesting that David Ortiz hit another HR today - he's kind of had a resurgence after 2.5 terrible months...is this guy being tested? With Boston's win and the Yanks loss, the division lead dwindles to 1.5 games. Wouldn't you know, the Sawx end their season with a 4-game set against Cleveland, who traded their one ace, Lee to Philly. Meanwhile, the Yanks have finished their season series against the Indians. Amazing, utterly amazing how Boston continues to duck and weave teams' ace pitchers. When's the last time the Yanks faced Toronto without going up against Roy Halladay? I can't remember, but Boston's ducked him twice this year.

Initially, after watching the Yanks take 9 out of 10 on the homestand and 2 of 3 from Tampa, I thought they could stand pat at the trading deadline. But, with the recent news that Chien-Ming Wang is done for the season and Joba Chamberlain is on some secret innings limit, my gut feeling is the Yanks need another starter. It didn't have to be an ace like Halladay or Lee, but Washburn or Bannister would have been a nice upgrade over Mitre, who has shown nothing in 3 starts since being called up from Scranton. Rumors reported by Joel Sherman of the NY Post said the Mariners were looking for an Austin Jackson-like prospect. I'm not sure why the Yanks are high on A-Jax. My gut feeling is he will be like Melky Cabrera, but makes less contact. No thanks.

Yankees Record: 62-41

Game 102 - White Sox Turn Yanks into Swish Cheese

The White Sox pitchers, Gavin Floyd and Matt Thornton, mowed through the Yankees lineup for 14 strikeouts, and the Yanks failed to provide any support for the 3rd straight game for poor ol' Andy Pettitte in their 3-2 loss. Teams generally are not going to win games when their 3-4-5 hitters go 0-12 with 8 Ks. Mark Teixeira, ARod and Hideki Matsui essentially took the night off.

As a team, the Yanks only mustered 6 hits. Johnny Damon had 2 of them, including an RBI double. Nick Swisher gave the team false hope by tying the score at 2 with a 2-out HR in the top of the 9th. The Philthys, Phil Hughes and Phil Coke though, lost the game in the bottom frame.

Andy Pettitte pitched solidly for the 3rd straight game since the break, but like his previous 2 starts, the Yanks couldn’t score muster many runs for his efforts. Things turned bleak in the 7th, when the Yankees defense turned into the Ringling Bros Circus. Pettitte slipped and fell on a Jim Thome dribbler for an error to start the inning. After a strikeout, ARod couldn’t handle a single and Pettitte’s night was done. Hughes came in and looked like he was going to get out of the jam when he induced Carlos Quentin to hit a potential double play ball, but Robinson Cano threw wildly past first allowing Thome to score.

The White Sox struck out the side in the 8th and 9th innings. Tex struck out with 2 runners on in the 8th before Swisher’s solo shot in the 9th tied the game. In the bottom of the 9th, Hughes allowed 2 singles and was relieved by Coke with 1 out. Coke retired the 1st batter, but DeWayne Wise, the perfect game hero with his miraculous catch, lined a shot up the middle. Coke actually tipped it, but alas, it went through for the walkoff hit.

With the Sawx win earlier in the day, on a suspicious Big Sloppy HR to boot, the Yanks lead is down to 2.5 games.

Yankees Record: 62-40

Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen

100 unnamed dirty players remain on the list of 104 that tested positive for performance enhancing drugs during the "anonymous" drug testing of players in 2003. I would love to feign shock, dismay, surprise and utter disbelief as Big Sloppy David Ortiz's and Manny Injecting Manny Ramirez' names were released today by Michael B. Schmidt of NY Times, as one of the Dirty 104. Ortiz and Ramirez join ARod and Sosa on the exposed list this year.

I've been calling Big Sloppy a fraud for years, wondering how he was cut loose by a Minnesota Twins team, the same Twins team that has kept the talentless wonder, Nick Punto, in baseball for the past 6 years. His homeruns jumped from 10 to 54 in a span of 6 years, playing in the friendly confines of Fenway Park. I'm sorry, but no park is that friendly!

Ortiz thinks he's a crafty, though. He's made ambiguous comments in the past, particularly when a lot of Latin American players were testing positive after 2004, saying for all he knows, he may have taken steroids. In 2007, he referenced shakes he would drink in the Dominican Republic, but after realizing he wasn't sure what was in those shakes, he stopped and began buying products at GNC. Oh, Big Sloppy, how naive - naive to think that us fans would swallow that crap.

We didn't buy ARod's 6 versions of how and when he took his steroids. We didn't buy the fact that Barry Bonds thought the cream was flaxseed oil for his aching muscles and the clear a multi-vitamin. We're didn't buy Sammy Sosa suddenly losing his grasp on the English language or Mark McGwire's embarrassing appearance during the Senate hearings. We don't buy Roger Clemens story. Now you say you're "going to get to the bottom of this." I think the only bottom involved is your ass taking a needle.

Then there's the sad case of Manny Injecting Manny. Originally, before Manny was caught this year, I thought the guy was too stupid to know what steroids were or did. I guess I'm the stupid one for ever thinking that. Ol' Manny fittingly got fingered on the same day as his ol' chum and teammate, Ortiz. This is another blow to Manny's image after taking a hit earlier this year for testing positive for a "masking agent" in spring training. Will this cost him a shot at the Hall of Fame?

Where was George Mitchell during his steroid investigation? Apparently, he wasn't looking too hard on the team where he sits as one of their chairman board members. There are numerous of other players during the turn of this century that reek of suspicion. Look at Trot Nixon and Bill Mueller, both players who had 3 year period of career numbers before their careers were ravaged by injuries. Nomar Garciaparra also fits that profile.

No longer can Sawx fans crow like roosters chanting ARoid when ARod strolls to the plate at Fenway. These taunts will sound hollow and they may want to take a hard look at their own "heroes" and their tainted championships.

Game 101 - Joba Pitches Gem Against Rays

After losing a game on bad pitching, bad defense and bad hitting, the Yanks returned to form and captured the rubber match against Tampa Bay, winning 6-2. Joba Chamberlain had his best game as a major leaguer, tossing 8 shutout innings, and limiting the Rays to 3 hits. He walked 2, both in the 5th inning, while striking out 5. Sticking with his faster tempo pace he's employed since the All Star break, he won his 3rd straight start and improved to 7-2. He only needed 101 pitches to match his career high for innings in a game. Joba has only allowed 2 runs and 8 hits in 21.2 innings since the break.

The Captain set the tone early, tripling to leadoff the game. Mark Teixeira singled in Derek Jeter through a drawn-in infield for a quick 1-0 lead. Rays starter, Matt Garza, though, was up for the challenge. In the 4th, the Yanks were in business when ARod singled and Godzilla doubled to lead off the inning. Jorge Posada embarrassed himself with a first pitch foul out to 3rd, failing miserably to knock in a run and moving Matsui to 3rd with the infield playing back. Robinson Cano came through, not with a hit, but with a run scoring groundout. Garza limited the damage by striking out Nick Swisher.

The Yanks touched Garza for one more run with a Cano blast in the 6th. It came 2 pitches after Cano fouled a pitch off his shin. Despite hitting his shin guard, the TV cameras showed a nice looking knot forming on Cano's leg as the trainer worked on him. The Pinstripers were able to tack on insurance runs off the Rays bullpen in the 8th with a Posada RBI single and solo blasts from Melky Cabrera and Tex in the 9th. Tex's blast was his 26th of the season, tying him with Twins' Justin Morneau for the league-lead.

It took the Rays 8 innings to collect 3 hits off of Joba. It took them 4 batters to do the same against reliever Brian Bruney in the 9th. Carl Crawford led off with a triple and Evan Longoria followed up with a 2-run shot. With 1 out, Bruney allowed a double to Carlos Pena and Joe Girardi and Yankee fans everywhere had seen enough. It was time to bring in the great Mariano. Rivera sandwiched 2 Ks around a walk to seal the victory. As for Bruney, his ERA is now an unseemly 6.16 in 19 innings of work.

There was a little showdown earlier in the game, though no fireworks came from it. In the bottom of the 4th, Joba buzzed Longoria's clock tower with a high hard one that sent the overrated slugger sprawling. Garza glanced a high and tight fastball off of Tex's shoulder in the top of the 5th. Garza stupidly admitted to hitting Tex after the game. I smell a 6-game suspension coming. Are things even now? Perhaps something to watch in future series.

Elsewhere: Boston must have still been stunned from Oakland's comeback win last night. The Athletics came out and put up a 5-spot on the board in the 1st inning. They would hold on and beat the Sawx 8-6 as the Yanks now lead them by 3.5 games. The Rays fell behind by 7.5 games. Phillies traded for last year's AL Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, and OF Ben Francisco from Cleveland for a slew of prospects. The Pirates continued their fire sale, dumping SS Craig Wilson and P Ian Snell to the Mariners and then pawning off the other half of their middle infield, Freddy Sanchez to the Giants. When will baseball begin contracting these non-competitive, joke of a franchise teams? I would start by eliminating the Pirates and Nats.

Yankees Record: 62-39

Wang To Have Season-Ending Surgery

After Chien-Ming Wang's recent visit with Dr. Andrews, it was determined his injured shoulder required season-ending surgery. Reports indicate it's similar to the injury Jorge Posada suffered last season. Wang went 1-6 this year with an ERA in the stratosphere.

The Yankees will have to determine what to do with Wang next year. Do they offer salary arbitration and pay in the $5M range to a player who may not be available till after the All Star break? Will Wang accept a minor-league deal and rehab? I doubt it. I have a feeling we've seen the last of Chien-Ming Wang in a New York Yankee uniform and he'll accept a $1-$2M deal with incentives elsewhere.

Wang - thanks for the memories. When you were on, you were something else.

Sawx Bullpen Implodes Against Athletics

As I suffered through a terrible Yankee loss, I turned my attention to the Sawx-A's game, and much to my chagrin, I turned it on just as Boston took a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the 8th.

Jonathan Papelbum provided a glimmer of hope, walking Jack Cust to lead off the 9th. Yoda Pedroia and Yankee reject, Nick Green, turned in a couple of nice plays to bail out Papelbum, as the Sawx were 1 out away from gaining a game on the Yanks. Tommy Everidge ripped a double a foot from the top of the Green Monster, his first major league hit, knocking in Cust to bring the A's within 2 runs. Papelbum was one strike away from ending it when Mark Ellis hit a dribbler to short. Nick Green, in his infinite wisdom, decided he was the only man in all the world who could throw out Ellis. Terrible call. Not only was Ellis safe, Green's throw ended up in the stands and Everidge scored. Sawx still led by 1.

Ellis stole 3rd uncontested with Rajai Davis, the Rajai Davis cut by the offensively challenged San Francisco Giants, up at the plate. Davis hit a grounder in the SS hole and Green again had no chance as Ellis scored the tying run. Green threw the ball away again, allowing Davis to reach 3rd, but he was stranded there.

The A's 2-out lightening struck again in the 11th. With 2-out, Ellis doubled to left. Rajai Davis singled in Ellis again. Intuitively, the A's went for the kill - Davis stole second and scored on Adam Kennedy's 5th hit of the game, giving Oakland a 9-7 lead. Boston wouldn't go down without a fight, scoring 1 run and leaving the tying run on 3rd when Yoda Pedroia flied out to end the game, bringing joy to Yankee fans everywhere.

The silence in Fenway was deafening as the Sawx fans watched in horror as their fraudulent, overrated bullpen got roughed up for 7 runs. For the game, Boston surrendered 21 hits to the worse hitting team in the American League and 3rd worse in MLB.

I'd hate to be a Red Sox fan after tonight's demoralizing loss.

Game 100 - Yanks Play Like a Last Place Team

Instead of looking like the division leaders that have been steamrolling since the All Star break, the Yanks looked like a cellar dwelling team going through the rigors of a long season in their 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay. Crooked Cap Sabathia's pitching was abysmal, their hitting was non-existent, the defense was an absolute joke, and for good measure, they even committed a hideous baserunning blunder.

The Crooked One got lit up for 9 hits and 6 runs in 5.2 innings of work. Granted, his defense deserted him at times, but he never buckled down and caused his own troubles. After Derek Jeter's hideous throwing error over Mark Teixeira's head allowed Ben Zobrist to reach second, Sabathia walked the pitiful .223-hitting Pat Burrell (who struck out in his next 3 at bats) and the equally pitiful Gabe Kapler to load the bases. Instead of knuckling down to try and get the even weaker hitting Dioner Navarro to strike out or hit into an inning ending DP, he allowed Navarro to drive the ball to CF for a sac fly.

Sabathia never found his groove, as he allowed a run-scoring triple to Crawford on an 0-2 count, surrendered a HR to the struggling Evan Longoria, and embarrassed himself further when he allowed the aforementioned pitiful Kapler to double off him in the 6th. Jason Bartlett followed with and RBI single and then BJ Upton, in turn, doubled in Bartlett to finish off Crooked Cap.

As for the Yanks defense - there was none. As previously mentioned, Jeter airmailed one. ARod followed suit with an errant throw of his own. Sadly, it would have held Crawford at 3B, but the bad throw allowed him to score. Then, there's Nick Swisher. He must be drinking buddies with the official scorer, because he blatantly had 2 hideous plays in RF and wasn't given any errors. On one play, he ran down the RF line and unnecessarily went into a slide and dropped the ball that was ruled a triple. A major league ballplayer catches that ball 99 times out of a 100. If not, it's usually ruled an error. Then he allowed a bloop hit from Upton turn into an RBI double instead of knocking it down, or strange as it sounds, fielding it cleanly and holding the runners to first and third.

The Yanks hitting tonight wasn't any better. Facing an old nemesis, Scott Kazmir, someone forgot to tell the Yanks this wasn't the same guy that has given them trouble in the past. Kazmir came into the game with an unsightly 6.69 ERA. Obviously, the rest of the league has been having their way with him like a drunken sorority chick. Not the Yankees though. Even when they scored their first run, Hideki Matsui, running on the legs of an 80-year old, was caught between 1st and 2nd on a late throw to home. Where the hell did he think he was going? Not 2B with those stumps! Tonight clearly could have been collectively one of their worse performances of the year.

The Yanks did have 2 bright spots though. Rookie reliever, Mark Melancon, had his best performance as a major leaguer, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings with 2 Ks. ARod looks like he's coming out of his slump, after doubling in his last at bat last night, he had 2 more hits tonight.

Yankees Record: 61-39

Game 99 - Burnett, Yanks Dismantle Penny Pinching Rays

After winning 9 of 10 at home, including 6 wins against last place Baltimore and Oakland, it was time for the Yanks to take their act on the road and face some stiffer competition. AJ Burnett and the Bombers rode their hot streak since the All Star with an 11-4 pounding against the Tampa Bay tightwads.

Burnett continued his torrid pitching, tossing 7 innings while giving up just one unearned run, thanks to a passed ball by Jorge Posada on a third strike to BJ Upton. He only allowed 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5, improving to 10-4 on the season, 2-0 against the Rays. He's now won his last five starts.

Burnett was backed up by Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher on offense. Cano went 2-3 with a triple and HR with 2 RBIs. He also walked twice to the astonishment of Yankee fans everywhere. There was a Nick Swisher sighting tonight, as he went 2-5 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. His homers came from both sides of the plate, as he crushed one lefthanded deep into the rightfield seats and hit a laser righthanded over the leftfield fence. The Yanks pounded out 15 hits, led by The Captain with 3 to raise his batting average to .325. Every Yankee in the lineup had a least one hit and to paraphrase Yankee announcer, Kenny Singleton, Johnny Damon finally "got his invitation to the party" when he connected for a 3-run shot in the 9th for his 200th career HR.

The cheapskate Rays scrounged for 3 late runs against relievers Jonathan Albaladejo and David Robertson in the final 2 frames. Robertson had to bail out Albaladejo in the 8th, striking out Yankee killer, Carlos Pena, with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Robertson gave up a blast to Pat Burrell in the 9th, but picked up his first career save.

A funny thing happened on Damon's career HR. An idiot Tampa Bay fan threw the ball back onto the field and cost himself a chance at bargaining with Johnny Damon for perhaps an autographed bat, extra tickets, or an autographed ball from Damon or one of his teammates. If I went to a game and caught a visiting team's HR ball, I wouldn't care if Big Sloppy Ortiz, Big Nugget Youkilis or Yoda Pedroia hit it - I'm keeping the damn ball! Besides, it's a Chicago Cubs fan tradition to throw the ball back. I've seen Yankee fans doing the same thing this year - I thought Yankee fans were better than that - at the very least, more original.

The best thing about the Yankees early lead tonight - the silencing of the God awful cowbells from the redneck Tampa Bay fans. Let's hope the Yanks saved some runs for CC Sabathia tomorrow.

Yankees Record: 61-38

Game 98- Yanks End Homestand On a Good Note

The Yanks concluded their 10-game homestand with a 7-5 win over Oakland, going 9-1 and hitting the road with a 2.5 game lead over the Red Sox. The Captain, Derek Jeter, helped the Yanks overcome a 5-4 deficit with a 2-run single in the 6th inning after Oakland's Mark Ellis had given the A's the lead in the top of the inning.

Yankee starter, Sergio Mitre, starting in his second game since being recalled, quickly ran into trouble in the first when he surrendered 2 runs on 4 hits. The Yanks came right back in the bottom of the first. Hideki Matsui knocked in a run, and overcoming all odds, Robinson Cano hit a 2-out, bases clearing double for 3 more. Cano had everything going against him in this at bat - he has a terrible average the first time he faces a pitcher in a game, horrible numbers with the bases loaded, and God-awful statistics with 2-out and RISP.

Oakland came back with a sac fly in the 4th. Mitre was pulled from the game in the top of the 6th after a leadoff single. Phil Coke retired his first 2 batters before Ellis connected to give the A's their second brief lead. Oakland starter, Dallas Braden, couldn't hold on to his 2nd chance though, as he walked Melky Cabrera and allowed a double to Cody Ransom who played for a resting ARod. This set the stage for The Captain's heroics. Jeter would get picked off, but Johnny Damon followed up with a double and Mark Teixeira finished the scoring with an RBI single.

Phil Hughes came out for the 7th inning. He retired the first 4 batters he faced, striking out 3, until he yielded a walk and a double. With the tying runs on base, Joe Girardi made a gutsy call and called Brian Bruney in to face Ellis. The move paid off handsomely, as Bruney struck him out. Not wanting to push his luck, Girardi brought in the Hammer of God, Mariano Rivera, for the final 4 outs of the game. Mo picked up his 29th save of the season.

Overall, it was a great day for the Yanks, with the exception of losing Brett Gardner to the DL. The Sawx lost, the Rays lost, and the division leading Tigers and Angels lost. The Seattle Mariners got pounded for a 3rd straight day by sad-sack Cleveland, hopefully helping them to decide to become sellers at the trading deadline and giving the Yanks a chance at making a deal for starter Jarrod Washburn.

The Yanks are in for a real test - 19 of their next 26 games will be on the road.

Yankees Record: 60-38

Brett Gardner Goes on the DL

The Yankees placed CF Brett Gardner on the 15-day DL with a broken left thumb. Apparently, Gardner broke the thumb in the first inning of the Yanks 6-4 loss to Oakland on Saturday. Gardner continued to play, hitting a triple into the rightfield gap and making 2 outstanding catches in the OF plus a strong throw to 3rd to hold a runner at second.

Perhaps worried about the upcoming Tampa Bay series, the Yanks recalled reliever Jonathan Albaladejo, although Yankee relievers have not seen a lot of work due to the effectiveness of the starters since the All Star break.

Unfortunately, Gardner's injury will mean more playing time for Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher. Both OFs haven't exactly been lighting up the offensive stat sheets as of late.

The timetable for Gardner's return is 25 games which takes him to mid-to-late August.

Game 97 - Aceves Plays Arsonist

For 6 innings, Andy Pettitte and Athletics' starter, Gio Gonzalez, were locked into an old fashioned pitchers duel. Brett Gardner's triple finally put a run on the board as the Yanks led 1-0 through 6. In the top of the 7th, the wheels fell off the bus. Scott Hairston led off with a double and the fossil of Nomar Garciaparra worked out a walk. After Pettitte got Jack Cust to fly out, Rajai Davis, the same Rajai Davis that was cut last season by the offensively challenged San Francisco Giants, singled in the tying run.

For some inexplicable reason, Joe Girardi visited the mound and forgot to bring Pettitte back with him to the dugout. Bobby Crosby, proud owner of a .227 batting average followed up with a bunt single. Out goes Pettitte and in comes Alfredo Aceves, toting his gasoline can. For 3 pitches, Aceves looked great. He retired Mark Ellis on a first pitch pop up and went up 0-2 on Landon Powell. That's when Aceves lit the match to watch the inning, and essentially the game, go up in flames. Powell singled in 2 runs. Adam Kennedy, the same Adam Kennedy that the St. Louis Cardinals let go last season, singled in another, and Orlando Cabrera capped off the 6-run rally with a 2-run double.

Aceves piss poor performance cost the Yankees their 8-game winning streak. Girardi probably mismanaged the bullpen, too. He should have taken Pettitte out against Crosby and should have brought in Phil Coke to face the lefty hitting Powell or Kennedy, too.

As been the Yankees M.O. all season, they mounted a minor comeback. Derek Jeter hit a 2-run shot in the 8th and 1 out later, Mark Teixeira hit his league-leading 25th homer to make the score 6-4. After there was an actually Nick Swisher getting a hit sighting, Cano ended the threat with a long fly out to right. It wasn't Cano's fault - Swisher had the audacity of being in scoring position with 2 out and should know Robbie doesn't like hitting in those situations.

The Yanks finally gasp came in the final frame, but after leading off with 2 walks, the slug-footed Jorge Posada killed a chance of a rally hitting into a double play after fouling off a pitch down the pipe and swinging at absolute garbage in the dirt. The Captain ended the game with a runner on 3rd with a long fly out to center. And like magic, an 8-game winning streak vanished against a team with a lineup that could challenge for 3rd place in Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

Yankees Record: 59-38

Game 96 - Joba Pitches Yanks to 8th Straight Win

Oakland traded it's biggest weapon, Matt Holliday, earlier in the day, and Joba Chamberlain took advantage of their depleted lineup in the Yanks 8-3 victory. Joba tossed 7 solid innings, limiting the Athletics to 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 6. He improved his season record to 6-2 as he settled down after giving up a run in the 1st inning on an Orlando Cabrera double, stolen base and a sac fly. After Ryan Sweeney's single in the second, Joba didn't allow another hit in the game.

For the second straight night, it appeared the Yankee batters might be in for a long night. Last night, Vin Mazzaro dialed up 6 of the first 10 Bomber hitters. Tonight, Oakland starter, Brett Anderson, struck out the side in the first inning and retired the first 6 hitters. Coming into the game, he had a 21-inning scoreless streak, including a complete game, 2-hit shutout against Boston. In the 3rd inning, the Yanks ended Anderson's scoreless streak and scratched out 2 runs on RBIs from Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. They tacked on single runs in the 5th and 6th on RBI groundouts from Damon and Hideki Matsui.

Last night, Phil Hughes picked up his first major league save. In the 8th, the other half of the Philtys, Phil Coke, came in to bail out Joba who walked and hit a batter to put runners on 1st and 2nd with none out. Coke sandwiched a fly out with 2 strike outs to escape the inning. The Yanks broke the game open when they put up a 4-spot in the bottom frame. Jorge Posada deposited a shot deep into the night to left field. They scored their other runs on an error and singles from Jeter and Damon. Jeter and Damon combined for 5 RBIs in the game.

In the 9th, there was a David Robertson sighting, though it wasn't pretty. He allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, but on a positive note, he did throw strikes, getting the ball over the plate on 15 of 20 pitches.

Now an ex-Athletic, Matt Holliday went 4-5 with an RBI and stolen base in his St. Louis Cardinals debut tonight. His 4 hits were 2 more than his old team had against Joba Chamberlain. According to the baseball experts, the A's brought in a good haul for Holliday, including a first rounder from last year's draft, Brett Wallace. It must be hard being an Oakland fan with such a high player turnover. I don't know why they print t-shirts with players names on the backs. I can't count the number of former players' names I see on shirts and jerseys when I attend games in Oakland - Zito, Harden, Haren, Mulder and Swisher, just to name a few. It looks like all those Eric Chavez jerseys should be a safe bet - chances are his playing days are numbered.

Yankees Record: 59-37

Game 95 - Tex and Posada Lead Yanks Past A's

The Yanks waited out a 2 hour, 43 minute rain delay to start the game. The way they started, it looked like someone forgot to tell them the game wasn't called. Things were looking grim early for the Yanks. After 3.5 innings, they were trailing 3-0 to Oakland. The Athletics starting pitcher, Vin Mazzaro, a local kid from Rutherford, NJ, and pitching in front of friends and family, looked unhittable, striking out 6 of the first 10 batters he faced. He struck out 2 hitters in each inning with only Brett Gardner's walk blemishing his line as the Yanks flailed away at his nasty slider.

Meanwhile, Yankee starter, CC Sabathia, ironically from the Bay Area, was getting slapped around by the Oakland lineup. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in the first 4 frames. Kurt Suzuki had a double and single with an RBI and run scored. Earlier this season, he took Crooked Cap deep for a 3-run shot. Fortunately for the Yanks, CC settled down and things were a lot different the 2nd time around facing Mazzaro.

In the bottom of the 4th, Mark Teixeira hit a 2-run bomb, connecting on a 3-0 count, to get the Yanks on the board. Jorge Posada doubled in ARod and Eric Hinske singled him in for a 4-3 lead, as the wheels fell off for Mazzaro. The Bombers tacked on 2 more runs in the 5th on RBI hits from Tex and Posada. The RBI-phobic Robbie Cano killed any chance of a big inning by fouling out with the bases loaded and one out. You can lower Cano in the order, but you can't hide him.

Sabathia rebounded from his early struggles to toss 7 innings, giving up 9 hits and 3 runs while striking out 4. He became the Yanks first 10-game winner this season, improving to 10-6. Phil Hughes earned his first career save, pitching the final 2 innings, retiring all 6 batters he faced and giving Mariano Rivera a rest.

Notes: Chicago White Sox' Mark Buehrle pitched a perfect game against Tampa Bay. Defensive replacement, CF Dewayne Wise, made a miraculous catch in the 9th inning off the bat of Gabe Kapler. Wise robbed Kapler of a HR as he crashed into the wall. He had to barehand a juggling ball as he fell to the ground. It was the 18th perfect game in MLB history. The Yankees have 3 of them - Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series, David Wells and David Cone. For Buehrle, it was his 2nd career no-hitter.

The Sawx were idle and now trail the Pinstripers by 2.5 games.

Yankees Record: 58-37

Game 94 - Yanks Complete Second Straight Sweep

The Yanks completed a sweep of Baltimore with another 6-4 victory and have gone 6-0 since the All Star break. AJ Burnett shut down the Orioles for 6 innings before surrendering a 2-spot in the 7th. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs while striking out 6. The Pinstripers were led by Jorge Posada who went 2-3 with a double, homer, walk and 2 RBIs. ARod and Cano each knocked in 1 run and Nick Swisher, in an event-filled day for him, knocked in 2 runs.

Swisher had quite the adventure in RF. In the 3rd inning, he dropped a fly ball that allowed Brian Roberts to reach second. Burnett worked out of trouble, but was bailed out by the man that initially caused the trouble in the first place. Ty Wigginton laced a liner tailing away from Swisher toward the right field line. Swisher made a great running catch at full extension as his momentum carried him up the RF wall. Burnett greeted Swisher at the dugout to share high 5s. Swisher wasn't done in the field, either. In the 6th, he went back and crashed into the wall and robbed Luke Scott of an extra base hit. Something Yankee fans would've never seen with ol' friend Bobby Abreu in the field last year.

Philthy Phil Hughes tossed a scoreless 8th inning and ran his scoreless streak to 20 innings. With the Yanks tacking on an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th for a 4-run cushion, Mariano Rivera sat down and Brian Bruney came into the 9th for some work. Bruney looked great - for 2 batters. He struck out the first 2 guys he faced, but then gave up 2 solo bombs to Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. Manager Joe Girardi quickly gave Bruney the hook and brought in Mo to strike out Aubrey Huff and end the game. It was Mo's 28th save and 510th of his career.

The Bombers increased their division lead to 2 games as Boston got the broom treatment and got swept out of Texas. It's the Sawx 5th straight loss as they dropped to 1-5 since the break while scoring only 13 runs. The Rays also lost, falling 4-3 to the White Sox, and they currently trail the division by 5.5 games. It'll be interesting to see if the Rays make any big moves to help the team or if they will continue their miser ways.

Yankees Record: 57-37, a season-high 20 games over .500

Game 93 - Mitre, Cano Lead Yanks to 5th Straight

Newly recalled pitcher, Sergio Mitre, won his first game since 2007, and the RBI-phobic Robinson Cano hit a 2-run shot to pace the Yanks in a 6-4 victory over Baltimore. Mitre tossed 5.2 innings, yielding 4 runs, 3 earned, while striking out 4. The Bombers provided enough offense, scoring their 6 runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings.

A bases loaded single by ARod in the 3rd gave the Yanks a 3-2 before Cano connection in the 4th extended the lead to 5-2. Johnny Damon finished the team's scoring with a run-scoring single later in the inning. Baltimore tried to chip away at the lead with a Melvin Mora 2-run single in the 6th. After Mitre struck out the next batter, Joe Girardi went to the bullpen. Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera held Baltimore to 1 hit in the last 3.1 innings to seal the win. The Great Mo earned his 27th save of the season.

For the fourth straight game, the Yankees were held to a low hit total, collecting only 6 knocks. They've amassed a total of 23 hits in the last 4 games. Hopefully, the hitting will come around before the pitching slumps.

Boston lost again to the Texas Rangers and for the first time since the end of the 2006 season, the Yankees stand atop the division alone. Texas' Big Tommy Hunter outpitched Josh Beckett in a 4-2 victory. It was Boston's 4th straight loss.

Yankees Record: 56-37

Game 92 - Matsui's Walkoff HR Leads Yanks

For a team record 3rd game in a row, the Yanks won 2-1, beating the Orioles in the opening set of a 3-game series. Andy Pettitte pitched 1-run ball for 7.1 innings, with his only blip a HR by Nick Markakis in the 1st inning. He also struck out 8. After Eric Hinske matched Markakis' HR in the top of the 2nd, his 4th dinger in 15 ABs with the Yanks, Baltimore retired 22 of the next 24 Yankee batters. Only Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon were able to get on via walks.

With one out in the bottom of the 9th, Hideki Matsui blasted his 15th HR of the season against reliever Jim Johnson for the win. It was Matsui's first walkoff hit since his rookie year in 2003. AJ Burnett kept up this year's custom of shoving a cream pie into the walkoff hero's face in the post game interview. It's good to see Burnett does not shy away from delivering the pie treatment to stoic and serious players like Matsui and Posada.

There was a moment in the game though, that looked like the Yanks might have needed more than Matsui's heroics. Pettitte left the game in the 8th with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Phil Coke came in to face Nick Markakis with 1 out. Markakis hit a grounder to Mark Teixeira. Tex threw home to catcher Jose Molina, who tagged out Cesar Izturis for the 2nd out. Coke then threw a pitch in the dirt that bounced away, but Molina pounced on it and threw to Coke to tag the speedy Brian Roberts out at the plate.

Alfredo Aceves came in relief during the 9th with a runner on and 1 out. After a stolen base, he sandwiched the final 2 outs around an intentional walk to avoid any trouble. He was credited with the win and improved his record to 6-1. It also gave Mariano Rivera a much needed, not to mention a deserved, night off after saving all 3 games in the Tigers series.

The Yanks, who lead or near the top in most offensive categories, can credit their 4 game winning streak to strong pitching. In the last 3 games, they have combined for only 16 hits, relying mostly on solo shots for their scoring, while holding their opponents to 3 total runs.

With Boston's loss against Texas, the Pinstripers moved into a tie for the AL East division. Kevin Millwood beat his old Atlanta teammate, John Smoltz, as Boston looks like they haven't been notified the All Star break is over. Adding insult to injury, Tim Wakefield took his 11-3 record to the DL. Laptop thief, Clay Buchholz, will take his place on the roster.

Yankees Record: 55-37

Game 91 - Joba Leads Yanks to Sweep Over Tigers

Perhaps the All Star break gave Joba Chamberlain time to reflect on his mixed first half performance. In his first start after the respite, Joba held Detroit to 1 run in 6.2 innings and struck out 8, demonstrating the ability and potential he has as a future ace. He wasn't exactly sharp, but unlike recent starts, he was able to dance in and out of trouble by inducing pop outs and striking out hitters at key moments. Joba did finish with a flourish though, retiring the final 7 batters he faced, 5 on strikeouts. Joba's only blemish of the day came on a Clete Thomas HR when he hung a fat, hanging slider.

ARod and Mark Texeira provided all the offense for the Yanks, respectively hitting solo shots in the 4th and 6th innings. Tigers All Star starter, Edwin Jackson, limited the Yanks to 5 hits, although he did walk 5 hitters, too.

The Philtys, Coke and Hughes built the bridge to Mariano Rivera. Coke retired the dangerous Curtis Granderson for the last out in the 7th, and Hughes pitched a scoreless 8th with 2 more strikeouts against the Tigers after striking out 6 on Friday.

The Yankees received good news when the fraudulent Red Sox finally faced Roy Halladay after ducking him twice in 2 previous series vs. the Blue Jays. Halladay led the Jays to a 3-1 victory in a complete game effort. The Sox loss left the Yanks one game behind the division lead.

Yankees Record: 54-37

Game 90 - Sabathia Outduels Verlander

It seems rarely does a marquee matchup between 2 ace pitchers live up to the hype, but CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander hooked up for a pitching clinic in the Yankees 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. For 6 innings, the score remained at zeroes, as CC dodged a couple of threats by holding the Tigers hitless in 7 attempts with RISP. Verlander didn't have to work as hard, holding the Yankees to 0-3 with RISP, and at one point held the Yanks to 2 Derek Jeter singles till Johnny Damon doubled with 2 outs in the 6th.

In the bottom of 7th inning, ARod finally broke through, leading off with his 571st career HR, an opposite field fence scraper that must have made Verlander nauseous. He now trails Harmon Killebrew by 2 for 9th place on the all time list. The Yanks tacked on another run, piecing together 3 hits with 2 outs. Robinson Cano singled, Nick Swisher doubled and Melky Cabrera's infield single knocked in the important 2nd run. Alfredo Aceves, back in the bullpen after his abbreviated start in Minnesota, surrendered a solo shot to ex-Yank, Marcus Thames, in the top of the 8th. The great Mariano Rivera earned his second save in 2 days for his 25th of the season.

CC rebounded from his loss to Anaheim last Sunday to improve his record to 9-6. The Yanks improved to 4-1 on the season against first place Detroit, with Joba Chamberlain going against Edwin Jackson in the series finale. These wins should provide confidence to a team that has struggled against 1st place Boston, Philadelphia and Anaheim this season. Boston's lost to Toronto currently leaves the Yanks 2 games out in the AL East.

Yankees Record: 53-37

Game 89 - Yankee All Stars Lead Team in Win

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Yankees All Star shortstop, Derek Jeter, led off with a single, Johnny Damon doubled and All Star first baseman, Mark Teixeira, homered deep to right to erase the one-run deficit and give the Yanks a 5-3 lead over Detroit. The lead held up with the other All Star, Mariano Rivera, closing the door in the 9th in the Yanks first game since the All Star break.

AJ Burnett kept the Yankees in the game, limiting the Tigers to 3 runs in 6 innings, but he was far from stellar. He walked 5 while only striking out 1 and fell behind most of the hitters all night. He had a similar start prior to the All Star game when he walked 4 and struck out 2 batters in a win against the Twins. Hopefully, these 2 starts are just a blip and not a trend.

Mark Teixeira, historically a much better hitter after the mid-season break, led the Pinstripers with 3 hits. Hideki Matsui had 2 hits and knocked in the Yankees first run of the game. Phil Hughes relieved Burnett and struck out the side in the 7th and 8th innings sandwiched around 3 hits, topping the radar gun at 97 mph. Unlike his predecessor, Burnett, Hughes pumped strike after strike, getting the ball over the plate 30 times in 41 pitches.

I found Joe Girardi's decision to use Hughes for 2 innings interesting, as that deviates from the way the Yanks have been using him out of the pen. Girardi and the Yanks have intimated that Hughes has worked his way into the 8th inning role, but this 2-inning appearance virtually takes Hughes out for the rest of the Detroit series.

Hughes also recorded the win to improve his record to 4-2 and snapped the Yanks 3-game losing streak.

Yankees Record: 52-37

AL All Stars Win World Series Home Advantage

The American League beat the National League 4-3, to remain unbeaten in 13 straight contests that includes one tie. Because of that one tie, MLB concocted this ridiculous plan to have the winner of the All Star game determine who will have home field advantage in the World Series. Hopefully, this year, it means the Boys from the Bronx.

After the infamous extra inning tie in 2002, MLB, in it's infinite wisdom, panicked and threw together this notion that "this time, it counts" slogan for the annual mid-summer's classic. I don't know why they just didn't remind people when there was a collective groan that a game ended in a tie that it's just an EXHIBITION game!

Shouldn't home field advantage go to the team with the best record? Why play 162 games? Many baseball people have recommended the league with the best record after interleague competition should decide home field. This isn't a bad concept, either. If you were a Yankee or Red Sox fan, would you want the fate of where a potential Game 7 of the World Series is hosted in the hands of Kansas City's lone all star vs. the NL's best closer in the 9th inning of a close game? I know I wouldn't, especially when the best All Stars have all been sitting since the 5th inning. In the end though, we all know it's about money and TV ratings. Rumor has it, the ratings haven't changed much since that tie game in 2002. Maybe MLB will have a best of 3 All Star series next.

Personally, I've hated the All Star game. It's usually 3-4 days without watching the Yanks. Hopefully, the ol' timers like Damon, Matsui, Posada and Pettitte are resting up for a strong second half run. I'm sure ARod and his hip needed a break, too. For those reasons, I'll welcome a break in the action. I just wish Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera hadn't been selected - they're no spring chickens, either.

Game 88 - Yanks Faint Again at Sight of Angels

The All-Star break can't come quick enough for a Yankee team that got embarrassed in Anaheim this weekend. The Angels completed the 3-game sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Yanks and their ace, CC Sabathia. The good news is, the Yanks didn't blow another 4-run lead, but they did have a lead for the 3rd straight day with a 1-0 lead after 3 innings. Crooked Cap got lit up for a 4-spot in the 4th, as the Angels continued putting up big innings.

Ol' friend, Bobby Abreu, haunted the Yanks this series, doubling in a run to tie the score at 1. He went 6-13 in the series with 6 RBIs. The Crooked One then walked a guy hitting .226, an RBI double to Yankee killer, Howie Kendrick, a ground out brought in the 3rd run, and a .221 hitter knocked in the final run of the inning with a single. How come the rest of the league has figured out Kendrick, who was sent down to Triple A earlier this season for his struggles, but he continues to pound the Yanks? Who is in their scouting department? Once again, this weekend's pounding came against a team with their top 2 run producers on the DL.

The Yanks began clawing back with a Jorge Posada pinch-hit RBI single in the 7th. CC, though, handed the 3-run lead right back, and it proved to be the fateful play of the game. With 2 out in the bottom frame, Chone Figgins tripled and Maicer Izturis singled him in. The Yanks gave a valiant effort in the 8th, loading the bases with no one out. Melky Cabrera singled in a run and Posada followed with a sac fly. With 1 out and runners on first and second, pinch hitter, Nick Swisher, ripped a line drive up the middle, heading for CF and tying the game - but, NO! Angels reliever, Darren Oliver, made a miraculous stab of the ball and doubled up Melky off of first. Inning over, threat over, and pretty much - game over. In the 9th, the heart of the Yankees order, The Captain, Tex and ARod, went down meekly as the Yanks go into the All Star break with their tail between their legs. As quickly as the Yanks tied Boston for the division lead, they find themselves 3 games back.

Yankees Record: 51-37

Game 87 - Angels are Hell on Earth for Yanks

Another blown 4-run lead, and another lost opportunity for the Yankees against their arch-nemesis Los Angeles of Inglewood/Beverly Hills 90210, The O.C., Melrose Place of Anaheim Angels. Andy Pettitte, David Robertson, Brett Tomko and Phil Coke did their worse imitations as Major League pitchers, giving up 14 runs on 16 hits, as the Yanks were blown out 14-8 today. Things went so bad, that even when the Yankees recorded strike outs, 2 runners reached base on dropped 3rd strikes. Unfortunately, my wife and I went to the Giants-Padres game at AT&T Park and I had to be reminded of this hideous loss as I sat directly across from the scoreboard and reminded of the Yanks futile efforts all game (see picture above).

Except for the top 3 hitters of the lineup, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira, who went 1-13 combined with 5 Ks, the rest of the lineup did some some real damage, going 8-22 with 5 HRs. ARod and newly acquired Eric Hinske both went deep twice and Hideki Matsui hit the other one. ARod's second blast and Matsui's were back-to-back in the top of the 8th that brought the Yanks within 10-8 before Coke imploded in the 8th, giving up the Angels last 4 runs to put the game out of reach. ARod entered the top 10 on the all-time HR list with #570, passing fellow juicer, Rafael Palmeiro.

The Yanks started this game in grand fashion again, just as they did yesterday. ARod hit a 2-run homer in the first, Hinske connected for a solo blast in the 2nd, and miracle of miracles, Robinson Cano laced a rarely seen for him, 2-out RBI single, giving the Yanks a 4-0 lead. Andy Pettitte cruised through 3 hitless innings before yielding his first run in the 4th. The wheels came spiraling off the bus in the 5th when the Angels roughed up Pettitte and Robertson for 7 runs. How has a lineup that just lost their 2 biggest run producers (Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter) produce 18 runs in 2 games? Simplest answer - the Yankees pitching has been horrendous.

Couple of things I wish manager Joe Girardi would take note of: Jorge Posada should never start as catcher against the Angels. They ran roughshod over him, going 4-5 in steals. Also, David Robertson shouldn't come in the game in the middle of an inning. He has been ghastly in a number of appearances coming into the game in that situation. He should have been sent to Scranton instead of Jonathan Albaladejo earlier this week after walking in 2 runs in Minnesota. Cano's been batting in the bottom third of the lineup and performing better lately. Let's not be fooled again and raise him in the order. Hinske had a great game today and is 4-9 with 3 HRs since being traded for. Girardi should continue to play the hot hand and stop forcing Nick Swisher and/or Melky Cabrera into the lineup. Swisher's best month of the season was April when he started the season as the 4th OF before Xavier Nady's injury. Melky also picked up his game when he lost the starting CF job to Gardner. Competition seems to motivate both of them.

This loss, on top of a Boston win, dropped the Yanks 2 game back in the division. I did enjoy watching the scoreboard at the Giants game jump from a Boston 9-1 lead close to 9-7, as their bullpen imploded again. KC's bullpen, apparently was worse, as they lost 15-9. Hopefully, I've heard the last about Boston having the best bullpen in baseball. They've been horrendous in July. CC Sabathia needs to be the stopper in the series finale.

Yankees Record: 51-36

Game 86 - Angels Bedevil Yanks

After 1 inning, things appeared golden for the Yanks. The offense spotted starter, Joba Chamberlain, with 3 runs, and he responded with a quick 1-2-3 first inning. Plus, the Angels were playing without their sluggers, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter, both placed on the DL this week. The Yanks tacked on another run in the 2nd when Johnny Damon's single knocked in Jose Molina, fresh off the DL from his quad strain. The Angels came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the 2nd, and the score remained 4-1 till ARod's long bomb in the 5th, put the Yanks in great position with a 4-run lead. In the bottom of the 5th, the train derailed off the track.

After the first inning, Joba wasn't particularly sharp. He gave up 5 hits in his next 3 innings before he got lit up in the 5th. A couple of singles, a couple of stolen bases, an ARod error and a jack to dead center for Kendry Morales tied the score at 5. After the homer, Joba gave up a double, and he headed for an early shower. In his past 2 starts, he's been absolutely dreadful. He's given up 18 hits, 13 runs, 7 earned in only 8 innings. That's not even acceptable for a 5th starter. Perhaps it's time for Joba to be sent down to the minors and find his rhythm, regain his confidence, and learn to attack hitters like he did when he came out of the pen. As the season has gone on, he's regressed as a starter.

Things got worse for the Yanks after Joba's departure. With the Yanks bullpen depleted after tossing nearly 6 innings the game before, highly touted reliever, Mark Melancon, was recalled from Triple A and the Yanks optioned Jonathan Albaladejo back to the Scranton shuttle. Melancon hasn't impressed in his brief stints with the big league club this season. He gave up 3 runs, 2 earned, in 2.1 innings. He wasn't helped out in the 7th, when Derek Jeter made a very rare drop on a pop up and Brian Bruney came in to relieve. Bruney walked the first batter and coughed up a dinger to the 9th hitter in the lineup, Erick Aybar, that gave the Angels a 10-6 lead after 7 innings.

The Angels banged out 9 runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings, as the Yanks suffered the consequences for their overextended bullpen. Melancon, despite all the high expectations, has shown nothing in his short time. Bruney better start pitching better, because he's may find himself in garbage time situations a la Brett Tomko. At this point, I'd rather see Tomko in a tough spot than Bruney.

Derek Jeter's 4 hits and ARod's 3 hits paced the Yanks offense in their 14-hit attack. On most nights, 6 runs would have been more than efficient, particularly with the way the Yanks have been pitching lately. But Joba's recent struggles has to be troubling to the Yanks hierarchy.

Yankees Record: 52-34 - 1 game back again

Game 85 - Yanks Sweep Season Series vs Twins

The Yanks hung on to win another close one against the Twins, topping them 6-4, and sweeping all 7 games this season. Despite being handicapped with a starter on a 65-pitch count and needing 5.2 innings from the bullpen, the Yanks pulled into a first place tie with Boston, who lost to the Kansas City Royals.

With a 3-0 lead in the 2nd, Alfredo Aceves was touched up for a solo shot on an 0-2 count to Jason Kubel with a terrible fastball right down the middle. Sloppy defense by Aceves and Cody Ransom led to another run. Joe Girardi pulled Aceves in the 4th with 1 out and the bases loaded after he reached his pitch limit. David Robertson relieved him, and after punching out Nick Punto, lost the strike zone and walked in 2 runs, both charged to Aceves. One of the inexcusable walks was issued to the .180 hitting Matt Tolbert, setting up potential disaster when the Majors best hitter, Joe Mauer, came to the plate with the bases jacked. Fortunately, Robertson induced him to groundout and end the Twins last real threat of the game.

With the Yanks leading 6-4 in the 5th, Jonathan Albaladejo relieved an ineffective Robertson and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, earning his 4th win of the season. The Philthys, Coke and Hughes, pitched the 7th and 8th innings before Mariano Rivera wrapped up the Yankees victory with his 23rd save.

The Yanks offense was efficient, but nothing to write home about, with one exception. Mark Teixeira ended the longest homerless streak of his career at 95 ABs with a solo blast in the 5th off of Twins starter, Francisco Liriano. The Yanks scored 3 runs in the third with only one hit in the inning. A bases loaded walk to Ransom, a run-scoring groundout courtesy of Brett Gardner and a bloop single by The Captain capped the rally. Ransom and Gardner added RBI singles in the 4th, and for Gardner, it was his 3rd straight game with 2 ribbies. Hopefully, this will keep Melky Cabrera on the bench a little while longer. Melky played for Johnny Damon today and failed twice to knock in a run when he had the bases loaded and no outs in the 2nd and runners on second and third with no outs in the 4th. Ransom and Gardner cleaned up his mess both times as Melky continues to revert to his old unproductive ways. Tex's HR finalized the Bombers scoring for the day, and ironically, it was the only HR in the series for the Yanks, who scored 19 of their 20 runs without the long ball.

The Yanks and Sawx both have 3 games left before the All Star break, as the Yanks take on Anaheim and Boston concludes their 4-game set against KC.

Yankee notes: Jose Molina was activated from the DL before the game and the Yanks optioned Francisco Cervelli to Triple A. Cervelli, who hit .190 in Double A before being called up this season, was very effective as a backup and an outstanding defensive catcher. He hit .269 and handled the pitching staff like an old veteran and looks like he has a promising future as a backstop. Since ARod's return, the Yanks have a 38-19 record after starting the season 13-15 without him.

Yankees Record: 51-34 and tied for first

Game 84 - Burnett, Yanks Get the Job Done

It wasn't pretty, but AJ Burnett gutted out a win, as the Yanks triumphed 4-3 over the Twins. AJ only allowed 2 ER in 6.1 innings, despite walking 4 and throwing 3 wild pitches while improving his season record to 8-4. He didn't record his first strikeout till the final out in the 5th inning when he K'd Michael Cuddyer with the bases loaded. His only other strikeout stopped a Twins threat in the 6th, too. Burnett's wildness started in the 3rd inning with 2 outs. After allowing a single to Denard Span, he walked the harmless Brendan Harris and then uncorked 2 wild pitches that led to a run. Joe Mauer followed up with a run scoring double.

The Yanks jumped out to a 3-0 lead against heralded Twins rookie pitcher, Anthony Swarzak, in the 2nd. With the bases loaded, Nick Swisher hit a dribbler towards first for their first run and Brett Gardner followed up with a 2-out, 2-run single. Hopefully, this will keep Melky Cabrera on the bench for another game. The only other offense the Yanks mounted came in the 5th when ARod drove in Derek Jeter. The Captain led off the inning with a double. Strange stat of the night: the Yankee hitters didn't have a single strikeout.

Phil Coke came in to relieve Burnett with 1 out in the 7th and the M&M boys coming to the plate. He promptly served up a long ball to Mauer, but came back to strike out Justin Morneau. Phil Hughes, the other half of the "Philtys", came in and retired Cuddyer to end the inning. He retired the first 2 batters of the 8th before being relieved by Mariano Rivera after surrendering a single. The Great Mo retired the final 4 batters to record his 22nd save of the season, getting the dangerous Mauer to line out to SS to end the game.

The Yanks have won 12 of their last 14 and are 6-0 against the Twins. They wrap up their season series tomorrow with Alfredo Aceves making his first start of the year. It's a shame they don't play the Twins more!

Yankees Record: 50-34

Game 83 - Yanks Pound Twinkies

CC Sabathia rebounded from his previous bad start, tossing 7 innings of 3-hit, 1 run ball, and the Bombers pounded out 16 hits in a 10-2 victory over the Twins. CC's only mistake of the night came on a fastball he grooved to Mike Cuddyer, who hit his 14th HR of the season. The other 2 hits were weakly hit infield singles. CC struck out 3 and walked one - strangely, it was against the very weak hitting, Nick Punto. He held the faux M & M boys, Mauer and Morneau, hitless in 6 ABs after the Yanks had trouble getting either of them out in their 4-game series in the Bronx earlier this season.

The Yankee bats were led by the bottom third of the order. Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli were a combined 7-14 with 6 RBIs. Each of them had an extra base hit with 2 RBIs. Cano snapped an ungodly 0-22 slump with RISP when he blooped a bases loaded single in the 6th, albeit with the Yanks already up 5-1. Gardner followed with a 2-run triple and Cervelli's double gave the Yanks an insurmountable 10-1 lead. Earlier, Cervelli knocked in the Yanks second run with a long sac fly in the 2nd inning.

Mark Teixeira also went 4-6 with an RBI, hopefully breaking out of his snide. Hideki Matsui demonstrated what a real 5th place hitter in the lineup does when he got the Pinstripers on the board in the 1st with a 2-out RBI single. Hopefully, Cano was taking notes. The Yanks nearly blew the game wide open in the 4th, but Twins CF, Carlos Gomez, made a beautiful leaping catch at the fence, robbing ARod of a grand slam. ARod settled for the sac fly, but just missed HR #568.

Seldom used Brett Tomko pitched the final 2 frames, giving up one run. Oddly enough, he also walked the .218 hitting Punto, who came around to score the Twins last run. Punto has 11 HRs in 2000+ ABs in his career - I'd take my chances pitching the ball underhanded to him before walking this guy. The Sawx won 5-2 against Oakland, remaining 1 game up in the division. Hopefully, AJ Burnett continues his recent hot stretch in game 2.

Yankees Record: 49-34

Game 82 - Yanks Rally Falls Short

The Yanks start to the second half of the season started the same way as the first half - with a loss. Unlike the first one, they made this one interesting, falling just short against Toronto, 7-6. The Yankees offense got off to an inauspicious start when Derek Jeter, inexplicably, got thrown out at third with none out. Replays showed Jeter avoided the tag with a nifty swim move, but 3B umpire, Marty Foster, called him out. Jeter vehemently argued his case, and stated in the post game that Foster told him the throw beat him to the bag and he doesn't have to be tagged! Joe Girardi came to Jeter's defense and found himself being ejected for his efforts. This wouldn't be the last blown call that went against the Yankees today, either.

Safe, out, either way, Jeter shouldn't be trying to steal 3B with no outs and the 2-3-4 batters coming to the plate. Jays starter, Ricky Romero, was clearly nervous, too, in his first Yankee Stadium start. He walked Jeter after being ahead in the count, 1-2. He then balked Jeter over to 2B. Nick Swisher singled after Jeter was thrown out, and advanced on a wild pitch. After Romero induced Mark Teixeira to fly out on a full count, he hit ARod with a pitch in the dirt. Unfortunately for the boys from the Bronx, Romero settled down, striking out Jorge Posada to end the inning.

Andy Pettitte looked sharp - for the first 5 batters. He then walked old Yankee killer, Kevin Millar, owner of a .233 batting average. He allowed a single to the seldom used Jose Batista before another guy that haunts the Yanks - Rod Barajas, singled home the game's 1st run. Pettitte ran into more 2-out trouble in the 3rd. He gave up a 3-run shot to Alex Rios. Doesn't it seem the Jays are stacked with Yankee killers? Rios' HR came after replays showed Jeter clearly threw out base runner, Aaron Hill, at 2B. That bad call cost the Yanks 3 runs.

Pettitte settled down till the start of the 7th, when he gave up a HR to John McDonald, the proud owner of 10 career dingers in nearly 1600 ABs. After walking his 5th batter of the game, he was pulled in favor of Brian Bruney, who's appearance doomed any Yankee chance. Bruney came in and set a torch to the Jays' rally instead of squelching it. His struggles continue since his return off the DL, as he gave up back-to-back doubles that led to 2 runs and gave the Jays a 7-1 lead.

Eric Hinske got his first start as a Yankee today, and he went from early hero to late goat. He got the Bombers on the board with a solo shot in the 5th. The Yanks tacked on 2 more runs in the 7th on a Swisher single. That was after the Yanks had the third bad call go against them when the 2B ump called Hinske out on a force play at second when SS Marco Scutaro was nowhere near the bag. In the 8th, a bases loaded walk to Jeter brought the Yanks to within 3 runs. Entering the bottom of the 9th, it looked like Jays closer, Jason Frasor, would quietly put the Yanks away, retiring the first 2 hitters. The Yanks, however, wouldn't die easily. Posada hit a single, Cano doubled and hot-hitting Hideki Matsui pinch hit for Melky and laced a 2-run single to bring the Yanks within 1. New Yankee, Eric Hinske came to the plate representing the go-ahead run. He worked the count to 3-1, when for some strange reason, he checked-swinged a foul on a pitch nearly in the dirt. He struck out on the next pitch to end the game. A walk would have put the tying run on 2B with Johnny Damon coming to the plate.

Despite 3 horrendous calls from the umpiring crew, the Yanks still had their chances to pull this game out. Brian Bruney didn't do his job, getting hit hard, again. Since his activation from the DL, his ERA has climbed from 3.00 to 4.11 in 6.2 innings. They were also visited by an old friend who's come to visit quite a bit this season - inability. As in the "inability" to hit with RISP. They went 2-12 in those situations. Has anyone seen Tex? He was the main culprit, leaving 6 men on base and hasn't homered in 21 games. Swisher, despite going 3-4, also had a terrible at bat, flying out on the first pitch in the 8th with the bases loaded, right after Jeter walked. What happened to this guy taking pitches?

On to Minnesota for a 3 game set after a 5-2 homestand. Still no word on Thursday's starter for Wang.

Yankees Record: 48-34

Game 81 - Aceves Restores Order

At exactly the season's halfway point, the Yankees find themselves in good shape. They defeated Toronto, 10-8, today in a slugfest to put them a season-high 15 games over .500 and 1 game back of the Red Sox. Today's game was sort of a microcosm of their season so far - it started with high hopes, followed by a slight setback, and ended with a flourish.

The Yankee bats rallied for a quick 4-0 lead in the first 2 innings, highlighted by The Captain scoring 2 of those runs and Jorge Posada knocking in 2. Yankee starter, Joba Chamberlain, quickly squandered his early gifts from the lineup, as he was tattooed for 8 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings. In the 3rd, he gave back 3 of those runs with 2 out, including a 2-run shot by Adam Lind. Things got much worse in the 4th. With one on and one out, Cody Ransom, playing for the resting ARod, misplayed a grounder at 3B. Joba retired the next batter. Unfortunately, it would be the last out he'd register for the day.

Raul Chavez, a career backup catcher toting a career batting average of .228, laced his 2nd double of the game to tie the score at 4. Marco Scutaro followed up with a 2-run single. Joba then surrendered his second homer of the game to Aaron Hill, putting the Jays up 8-4. Granted, all 5 runs of the inning were unearned, but Joba had an opportunity to stop the threat with 2 outs. Instead, he got lit up for 3 straight run-scoring hits. He also gave up another single to Adam Lind before manager Joe Girardi had seen enough. Joba's line for the day: 3.2 innings, 9 hits, 8 runs, 3 ER and only 1 K. Terrible.

The Yanks desperately needed Joba to give them length today after their bullpen tossed 6.2 innings in yesterday's extra inning affair. Obviously, he failed miserably. Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Brian Bruney were all unavailable out of the pen due to their numerous appearances lately. The Yanks brought up Jonathan Albaladejo from the minors in place of the injured Chien-Ming Wang. He tossed 1.1 shutout innings in his return to the big league. In the meantime, the Yanks began their comeback.

In the bottom of the 4th, Hideki Matsui, batting 5th in the lineup instead of the inept Robinson Cano, rocketed a 3-run shot, bringing the Yanks within 1 run. In the 5th, The Captain put the Yanks ahead to stay with an opposite-field 2-run shot. Posada followed up 3 batters later with an RBI double to give the Yanks a 10-8 lead. Both Jeter and Posada finished the day going 4-5.

The Yankees brought in Alfredo Aceves in the 6th, hoping to piece together some innings for the tired bullpen. Aceves' performance today was nothing short of spectacular. Aceves pitched the final 4 innings, giving up only 1 hit while striking out 5 and recording his first save. He threw 43 pitches, 33 of them for strikes. When he retired the side in the 6th and 7th innings, it marked the first time either team went down in order. Not only did he rest the young arms of Bruney, Coke, and Hughes, he also rested Mariano Rivera, who had pitched in 5 of the previous 6 games. I applaud Joe Girardi for sticking with the hot hand and not going to the well again with Mariano. Aceves ended the game in style, too, striking out his final 2 hitters.

Yankee notes: Chien-Ming Wang went on the 15-day DL with a shoulder strain. No word on who will start next Thursday in his place. Robinson Cano ran his streak to 0-21 with RISP. It's the longest streak in the AL this season. Absolutely abysmal. He shouldn't see the light of day in the middle order again if Girardi has any brains. With the Angels and Rangers tied atop the AL West, they both trail the Yanks by 2.5 games for the wildcard. The Rays have fallen 5 back. Maybe they want to stop their socialist ways and spend some money to help that talented team.

Yankees Record: 48-33

Game 80 - Yanks Win Despite Cano's Sabotage

Appropriately, on 4th of July, the mighty Yankees defeated their neighbors to the North, the Toronto Blue Jays, in a 12-inning affair, 6-5. The win came in a game started by their nemesis, Roy Halladay. The Pinstripers touched him up for 5 runs in 7 innings, with Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Johnny Damon all going deep against one of the AL's premier pitchers. Damon's homer tied the game at 5-all in the 7th, setting the stage for 3 innings of "free baseball".

Chien-Ming Wang started for the Yanks and had similar results as his previous 3 starts. However, he left the game in the 6th with an apparent shoulder strain. He is scheduled for an MRI today. He allowed 4 ER on 6 hits in his 5.1 innings before departing. He threw one pitch to Scott Rolen after surrendering a 2-run shot to Adam Lind that gave the Jays a 4-3 lead. David Robertson came in relief and gave up the Jays 5th run.

This game, though, probably never should have gone to extra frames. Robinson Cano's well-documented struggles with RISP took on a whole 'nother level today. He stranded an unheralded 10 runners on base. T-E-N! I thought when he left 8 men on last week would be the pinnacle of his troubles, but this has become an epidemic of unprecedented proportions. Joe Girardi has to banish him to the bottom of the order. Has to! Cano left ARod at 2B in the first, runners at first and second in the 3rd and the 5th, and he hit into a DP in the 7th. He had a chance to redeem himself in the 9th. ARod was intentionally walked, putting runners on 1st and 2nd, again, but Cano grounded out to end the threat.

In the 12th, Mark Teixeira led off with a double and the Jays intentionally walked ARod again. Girardi must have seen enough of Cano's troubles (not to mention Yankee fans), which includes his high propensity of hitting into DPs. He gave Cano the bunt sign. After working the count to 3-0, Cano inexplicably bunted without taking a strike, which appeared to confuse Tex as he was forced out at 3rd. Posada ended the drama, knocking in ARod with a walk-off single. For the game, Cano went 0-6, and is now 0 for his last 20 with RISP. It's impossible for Cano to continue hitting in the 5th hole. Right?

I'd be shocked if Girardi doesn't move the hot-hitting Matsui behind ARod. Matsui, at least, has a long history of hitting in that spot with the Yanks and has come through in many clutch situations. Anyone at this point would be better than Cano.

The Yankees bullpen continued their exceptional pitching, only allowing 1 ER in 6.2 innings. After relieving Robertson in the 7th, Brian Bruney wiggled out of a bases loaded jam. Hughes retired the side on 8 pitches in the 8th, and he was followed by Mariano Rivera for 1 inning, Phil Coke for 2, and Brett Tomko pitched the 12th for his first Yankee win. With Wang's injury, will Hughes go back to the rotation?

The Sawx 3-2 loss to the Mariners, the Yanks now trail by 1 game. Imagine if they had beaten Boston at all this season - hopefully things will change in August.

Yankees Record: 47-33

Game 79 - Burnett Beats Former Team

One of the major reasons the Yanks signed AJ Burnett during the offseason was his 20-5 career record against AL East opponents. Today, he defeated his former team, the Blue Jays, in the Yanks 4-2 victory. AJ improved to 7-4 this season, 3-2 against the AL East, as he continued his impressive run since getting slapped around by Boston 5 starts ago. He limited the Jays to 2 runs in 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, while striking out 7. His only real mistake was allowing a HR to Vernon Wells on an 0-2 fastball down the pipe. He's 3-1 with an ERA of 0.99 in his last 4 starts.

Robinson Cano got the Yanks on the board with a solo shot in the 2nd. It was his 13th HR of the season and his first RBI in 12 games. Cano still retains the title of "Greatest Hitter with No Men on Base", but his struggles continue with RISP, going 0-2. With the score tied at 1, the Yanks rallied for 2 in the fifth frame, but it should have been a bigger rally. With bases loaded and none out, Mark Teixeira walked in a run. ARod then forced a runner out at home. With the enigmatic Cano at the plate, Johnny Damon scored on a passed ball as all runners moved up a base. 1 out, 2 runners in scoring position, Cano at the plate - you probably guessed it, he didn't knock in anyone, as Tex was tagged out at the plate on a grounder to 2B. Swisher, who's turning into the switch-hitting version of Cano, minus the high batting average without men on base, ended the inning taking a called 3rd strike.

ARod supplied an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th with an opposite field solo shot, his 14th of the season. The 2 Phils - Coke and Hughes, pitched a scoreless top of the 8th, as Joe Girardi didn't go with his "8th inning guy", Brian Bruney. Girardi feels Bruney needs to work things out, but he trusts Bruney will return to the form he displayed prior to his DL stint. It's good to see Girardi managing to win these games first, instead of continually throwing Bruney into the fire, especially after he blew a 2-run lead against Seattle. As usual, we Yankee fans are so spoiled, Mariano Rivera came into the 9th and wrapped up the Bombers 8th win in 9 games.

Tomorrow - Yankee killer, Roy Halladay.

Yankees Record: 46-33

Game 78 - Mariners Halt Yanks Win Streak

The Yanks 7-game winning streak went by the wayside as Seattle downed the Bombers, 8-4. Crooked Cap Sabathia got lit up for 6 runs in 5.2 innings, on 10 hits and 3 walks. CC had trouble spotting his pitches all night and his defense didn't do him any favors, either. Mark Teixeira had an Ichiro Suzuki line drive go through his mitt in the first and Melky Cabrera misplayed a ball by the lucky fraud, Suzuki, for another double that led to 2 runs in the 4th.

The Yanks continued to produce sluggish numbers at the plate. Despite their recent winning streak, they haven't actually torn the cover off the ball lately. They only mustered 7 hits, five by Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui. One of Matsui's hits was a 2-run HR. He hit a sac fly , as well, giving him 3 RBIs in the losing cause. The Yanks woes continued with RISP, going 0-6. If one counts the 2 sac flies they hit, technically they were hitless in 8 at bats.

With tonight's loss, the Yanks fell behind a half game to idle Boston. Next up - Toronto in a 4-game wrap around series.

Yankees Record: 45-33

Game 77 - Pettitte, ARod Lead Yanks to 7 Heaven

Andy Pettitte rebounded from his previous bomb of a start, tossing 7 strong innings, and ARod jacked another long bomb to lead the Yanks to a 4-2 win over the Mariners. Everything came up 7s, as the Yanks won their 7th straight in their 77th game. ARod's 2-run dinger was the 7th of his career against Seattle starter, Jarrod Washburn, giving him a 7-game hitting streak since his 1-25 slump.

Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera hit solo shots to account for the rest of the Bombers scoring. They couldn't muster much of anything else against Washburn, who induced 2 double plays in the first 2 innings to kill both threats.

Pettitte only allowed 2 earned runs on 6 hits in his 7 innings of work. He walked 1 and struck out 5. It was a stark contrast to his last start against Atlanta, when he couldn't get out of the 4th inning despite the Yanks giving him an early 8-1 lead. Pettitte did allow a HR to the shell of former greatness known as Ken Griffey, Jr., as the Yanks continued their "Rehab an Aging Slugger" program. See: Ortiz, David and Sheffield, Gary - both who have already benefitted from the Yankees charity this season. Griffey's shot knotted the score at 2 before ARod's heroics in the bottom of the 6th. ARod deposited a shot over dead center into Monument Park. It was his 4th HR in 7 games.

Curiously, Joe Girardi used Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke to pitch the 8th instead of Brian Bruney or Phil Hughes. Mariano Rivera retired the side in the 9th and is off to a great start towards saving 600 games. It was his 20th save of the season and he's now recorded a save in 3 straight games. The Yanks are 13 games above .500.

Notes: The Sawx pulled a game out of their asses today, rallying from 4 runs down in the 9th against Baltimore to tie the game before winning it in 11 innings. Orioles' manager, David Trembley demonstrated why bad teams are bad. Instead of going with his closer, George Sherrill, to start the 9th, he went with Jim Johnson, who gave up a walk and HR to the Nugget - Youkilis. Trembley then went to Sherrill, who struck out the 1st 2 batters before giving up a single, 2 walks and a 2-run single to Rocco Baldelli. Granted, Sherrill still had a chance to save the game, but I would have liked his chances if he started the inning.

Good news for the Yanks - the Jays finally snapped the Rays 7-game winning streak.

Yankees Record: 45-32