Game 131 - Pettitte Nearly Perfect

Andy Pettitte loves pitching against Baltimore, as he improved his career record against them to an unbelievable 26-6 in the Bombers 5-1 win. His performance tonight was just as spectacular as his career has been against the Orioles. Pettitte was perfect for 6.2 innings till Scott Hairston, playing for a resting Arod, let a grounder go through his legs for an error in the 7th. Andy may have lost his focus, because Nick Markakis followed with an opposite-field hit on an 0-2 count to break up the no-hitter. The shutout would also disappear when Pettitte allowed a HR to Melvin Mora in the bottom of the 8th, but it didn't put a damper on his fantastic performance. He tossed 8 great innings of 2-hit ball with 0 walks and 8 strikeouts.

Nick Swisher continued his strange road/home splits by going 3-4 with a HR, double and 2 RBIs to lead the Yanks. Robinson Cano had 2 doubles and 2 RBIs, unbelievably knocking in both runs on a 2-out hit in the 8th. That's 2 days in a row he's done that, despite hitting less than .200 in those situations. This guy would be dangerous if he ever overcame his inexplicable inability to knock in runs. Despite his RBI-phobic tendencies, he has 72 RBIs for the season. If he hit near his average, he'd probably be leading the league.

Joe Girardi made things interesting in the 9th. Instead of going to a well-rested Mariano Rivera to seal the victory, he decided to use Brian Bruney in the non-save situation. I thought Mo could use the work. Bruney, of course, made Yankee fans, and I'm sure Pettitte, nervous, when he gave up a hit and walk sandwiched around an out. Girardi stopped fooling around though, and Mo earned his save, getting the final 2 outs to wrap up the 227th career win for Pettitte. With the win, the Yanks improved their lead to 6.5 games over the idle Red Sox.

Yankees Record: 83-48

Game 130 - Tex, Yanks Bullpen Help Yanks Sweep

Joba Chamberlain only pitched 3 innings with his new set of "Joba Rules", but the Yankee bullpen tossed 6 solid innings in their 8-3 victory and 3-game sweep of the White Sox. In an effort to limit Joba's innings but keep him in the 5-man rotation, the Yanks will mete out his unknown innings limit in his starts till the end of the season. The limit is believed to be in the 150-inning range. Joba currently is at 133+. Joba allowed 2 runs in his short stint, but Alfredo Aceves tossed 3 scoreless frames to pick up his 9th win of the season.

The Yanks marched out 4 other relievers after Aceves, using Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Phil Hughes and Phil Coke to finish the final 3 innings. Hughes came on in the 7th with 2-out and 2 men on with the Yanks holding a slim 3-2 lead. He got them out of the jam and pitched a scoreless 8th. In the bottom of the inning, the Yanks offense put 5 runs on the board to put the game out of reach.

Mark Teixeira was the offensive hero, knocking in 4 runs to give him a league-leading 101 RBIs. He hit a 3-run shot in the 8th. Johnny Damon's homer earlier in the game, his career-high tying 24th dinger, put the Yanks up 3-2. The Captain collected 2 more hits in his quest to pass Lou Gehrig for the team's all time hit record and Jorge Posada had 2 hits in his return after injury his ring finger 3 games ago.

Although the new version of "Joba Rules" has riled up some fans and media members, it's essential they protect their young talented arms. The Yanks don't want Joba to fall victim like Dwight Gooden or worse, Mark Prior, both tremendously talented pitchers who were overused (abused) in the early stages of their careers. I assume the plan is to have Joba build up his innings as the season nears its conclusion to gear up for the playoffs.

With the win, the Yanks still have their 6-game cushion over Boston, who once again defeated a dead from the neck down team in Toronto. Even Roy Halladay, who hasn't pitched well since his "near" trade can't save them.

Yankees Record: 82-48

Game 129 - Mitre Makes Mince Meat Out of Chisox

The much-maligned Sergio Mitre held the White Sox to one hit in 6.1 innings and the Yanks mounted a 14-hit attack for a 10-0 beatdown. Mitre was perfect through 4.1 innings before Jim Thome ripped a shot down the right field line for a double. He only allowed 1 more runner on with a walk in the 7th before he had to leave the game when AJ Pierzynski lined a shot off his forearm. Mitre bounced off the mound to throw Pierzynski out, but the Yanks removed him for precautionary members. He had only thrown 73 pitches to that point and may have had an excellent shot at completing the game. He induced 12 ground ball outs in his spectacular effort

Chad Gaudin was pressed into emergency relief and finished off the 1-hitter, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings while walking 1 with 4 strike outs. The Yankee hitters jumped on ex-Yankee, Jose Contreras, for 4 runs in the 2nd inning and another 4-spot in the fourth. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano led the way with 3 hits apiece. Johnny Damon, ARod, Cano and Jerry Hairston each finished with 2 RBIs. ARod capped the scoring with a solo shot in the 8th, the only HR of the game as the Yanks used a steady barrage of hits to score the first 9 runs. Tex and Jose Molina were the only Yankee starters who didn't join the hit parade.

The Yanks send out Joba Chamberlain out for the sweep. The Red Sox, who have really begun to heat up, once again beat the hapless Blue Jays to remain 6 games back and 2.5 games in front of Texas for the wild card.

Yankees Record: 81-48

Game 128 - Not a Misprint: Cano Wins it With Walkoff HR

For the second time this season, the RISP-challenged Robinson Cano had the game-winning, walkoff hit to help the Yanks win 5-2 over the White Sox. In a rare moment, Cano came through in the clutch and connected for a 2-out, 3-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Through 6 innings, it appeared the Bombers would win a tight one, with CC Sabathia cruising through the White Sox lineup, with the Yanks leading 2-0. He struck out 10 while limiting the Chisox to 4 hits. Things fell apart in the 7th inning though, when Crooked Cap surrendered 4 hits and his only walk. He was bailed out twice when ARod and Nick Swisher threw out runners at the plate. With luck and poor running by the Pale Hose, Sabathia escaped the inning tied at 2.

Derek Jeter began the game with a bang against ol' Yankees punching bag, Mark Buehrle - tattooing a blast to deep center to pass Don Mattingly for 10th place on the Yankees All Time list with his 223rd career HR. Buerhle has a career 1-6 record against the Yanks with an ERA over 6.00, but danced out of trouble several times with the Yanks going 0-6 with RISP. Johnny Damon got the Yankees other run with a solo shot in the 3rd inning. Before Cano's extra-inning heroics, he had squandered 2 opportunities when he came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 3rd and bases loaded in the 5th. At least the 3rd time was the charm.

Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera and Brian Bruney each pitched 1 inning and retired all 9 batters they faced. Brian Bruney picked up the win and improved to 4-0. With Toronto Blue Jays rolling over once again against the Red Sox, the Yanks maintained their 6-game lead in the division.

Yankees Record: 80-48

Game 127 - Yanks Done in by RISP Woes

The Yanks faltered to Texas today, 7-2, dropping their first home series since June. They shot themselves in the foot, going 2-12 with RISP. Both hits came courtesy of Mark Teixeira and knocked in the Yanks only runs. Despite having Texas starter, Dustin Nippert, on the ropes with 7 walks, they couldn't manage the big knock. The Rangers bullpen picked up Nippert's slack and tossed 5.1 innings of scoreless ball.

AJ Burnett recovered from his horrendous outing in Boston to strike out 12 Rangers in 6 innings. He retired the first 11 batters he faced before walking Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz on back-to-back full counts. The .245 hitting Ian Kinsler took him deep to put the Rangers up for good. Of course, this all occurred with 2-out, as Yankee pitchers continue to falter in squelching 2-out rallies.

The Yankees 4-7 hitters were the main culprits in leaving men on base. ARod and the RBI-phobic Cano both left 5 on base, while Matsui and Swisher left 4 on. What is Nick Swisher's hitting allergies in Yankee Stadium? He came into the series carrying a 9-game hitting streak and went 1-12 against Texas. He's hitting around the Mendoza line at home, whereas, every other Yankee is putting up career numbers in the hitter-friendly park. And has anyone seen Melky Cabrera? He's 18 for his last 91 - that includes 2 four-hit games! Take those games away and he's 8-80! That is horrendous. Please, Brett Gardner, hurry back.

Jose Molina grounded into a double play today. Message to Joe Girardi - this guy should never be allowed to swing with a man on first. You're so fond of the bunt, as witnessed by your debacle call on Monday night's loss, you should make it mandatory for Molina without even giving him a sign. He's a double play waiting to happen.

Phil Coke was horrendous in his short relief stint. The lefty allowed a double and 3-run bomb to lefties David Murphy and the contact-phobic Chris Davis. T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E. At that point, the game was out of reach with the way the Yankee hitters were going down meekly.

Yankees Record: 79-48

Game 126 - Pettitte, Posada Pace Pinstripers

Andy Pettitte held the vaunted Texas Rangers lineup to 2 runs in 7 innings and Jorge Posada hit a monster 3-run homer to deep center to lead the Yanks to a 9-2 victory. Pettitte only allowed 5 hits while striking out 7. He also induced 3 DPs, including the decrepit Pudge with the bases loaded in the 1st (take notes Joba).

Posada's blast came in the 2nd inning, giving the Yanks an early 3-0 lead. Jerry Hairston, Jr., playing for Johnny Damon, hit a solo shot in the 4th to put the Bombers up 4-0. Pettitte's only problems tonight was David Murphy, who hit an RBI double and a solo shot to bring the Rangers within 2.

The Yanks unleashed for 5 runs in the 7th to put the game out of reach. The Captain hit a 2-run bases loaded single, Nick Swisher doubled in another run and Tex finished off the scoring with a 2-run single. Yankee relievers, Brian Bruney and Phil Coke, pitched 2 scoreless innings to wrap up the victory and even the series. Bruney escaped a bases loaded, 1 out situation when he got the ancient Pudge Rodriguez to ground into his second bases loaded, inning ending DP (Joba, I hope you were taking notes on how to retire this fossil).

Posada injured his catching hand in the 8th on a foul ball and was removed from the game. According to Yankee announcer, Kenny Singleton, he injured his ring finger. X-rays were negative.

In other games, Big Sloppy Ortiz must have made another trip to "GNC" for his "vitamins", because he hit 2 HRs, including the walkoff shot in Boston's 3-2 win over the Chisox. After hitting just 1 HR for the first 2 months of the season, he's swatted 21 since June. Hmmmmm.

Toronto slowed down Tampa Bay's recent hot stretch with a walkoff wild pitch. JP Howell's pitch in the dirt allowed Marco Scutaro to score the winning run. Howell walked the bases loaded after allowing Rod Barajas to tie the score at 2 with 1 out in the 9th. Cheapness is so unbecoming, and the Rays frugal ways with the bullpen are costing them big time. They had an opportunity to put in a waiver claim for Billy Wagner before the Red Sox, but chose not to spend $3.5M to give them a solid shot at the wild card. They'll probably make that amount 10-fold in revenue sharing (they can thank the NY Yankees for that).

Yankees Record: 79-47

Game 125 - Joba Brutal After Week Layoff

The Yanks came out smoking for 4 runs in the bottom of the first, but the Rangers had the last laugh, crushing Joba and holding on to beat the Yanks 10-9. Joba Chamberlain allowed 7 runs in 4 innings, all after he retired the first 2 batters of the inning. He allowed 2 runs in the 2nd and 5 in the 4th, as the bottom of the Rangers batting order chewed him up. In both rallies, he allowed Pudge Rodriguez, Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus to reach base both times against him.

Pudge was absolutely useless in his short stint with the Yankees and his best days are long behind, but Joba found a way to allow a single and walk a guy who's only walked more than 40 times in a season twice in his whole career. Davis has been so bad, he was sent back down to the minors after he was on pace to shatter the strikeout record, but he touched Joba for 2 singles. Andrus came into the game with 23 RBIs all season, but he knocked in 3 runs. Pitiful performance as Joba continues to go full count to way too many hitters.

The mysterious 2-out run scoring rallies continue to haunt the Yankee pitching staff and it certainly cost them tonight. 9 out of Texas' 10 runs came after 2 outs were retired. Chad Gaudin relieved Joba and wasn't much better. He allowed 2 HRs and 3 runs. He did break up the monotony of 2-out runs when he allowed a 1-out, solo shot to Nelson Cruz. He almost allowed more runs with 2 outs when he escaped a 2-out bases loaded jam. All runners reached after he got 2 quick outs. This epidemic began in the White Sox series in Chicago and has gotten worse. According to a post by River Ave Blues, the Yanks have allowed over 42% of their runs to come with 2 out. The league average is near 36%. It appears the pitching staff is not buckling down or focusing on ending innings without further trouble. Trends like this could hurt the Yanks against playoff-caliber teams, especially a team like the Angels who have players that make contact and force things to happen.

The Yanks made one last charge in the 9th, plating 4 runs before Texas recorded an out. But with runners on 1st and 2nd, Joe Girardi inexplicably had Nick Swisher bunt. He fouled out to 3rd. Why in the hell would Girardi have Swisher bunt against a reliever who was clearly struggling and hadn't recorded an out? Swisher was up in the count 1-0 and he could work out a walk, take him deep or perhaps hit a fly out to move the runner to 3rd. But a bunt? Terrible managing, absolutely terrible. The next batter, Melky Cabrera, lined into a double play to SS to end the game and dreams of another miraculous comeback.

Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano both went deep in the losing effort. Cano's HR was his career high 20th, as he became the 6th Yankee this season to hit 20 or more. That tied a team record set in 1961 and 2004. Posada and Derek Jeter have outside shots to be the 7th player for 20 or more HRs. Speaking of The Captain, he continued his hot streak, going 2-3 and ended his Cano-like walkless streak at 114 plate appearances. In fact, he walked twice.

The Bosox defeated the Chisox and now trail the Bombers by 6 in the division. They were able to complete a trade with the Mets earlier in the day for Billy Wagner. This season is far from over.

Yankees Record: 78-47

Blown Game: 7

Game 124 - Yanks 5 Jacks Beat Boston, Beckett

Derek Jeter took Josh Beckett deep on the first pitch of the game, and it was a premonition of things to come. ARod, Robbie Cano and another 2 jacks from Hideki Matsui led the Yanks to an 8-4 victory over Boston in the rubber game of the 3-game series. CC Sabathia gutted through 6.2 innings, giving up 4 runs, 3 earned while striking out 8. He allowed no walks in his 118-pitch effort, winning his 5th straight and league-leading 15th game.

The Yanks scored at least a run in the first 5 frames against Beckett. Matsui followed up Jeter's leadoff HR with a shot of his own to leadoff the 2nd. Tex and ARod had RBIs in the 3rd, Cano homered in the 5th, and ARod hit a rising liner over the Monster for a 2-run shot. Matsui finished off the scoring with another solo blast in the 8th. Curiously enough, Terry Francona kept Josh Beckett in the game for 8 innings, despite surrendering all 5 dingers and 8 earned runs. Does this demonstrate a lack of faith in the once highly touted Sox bullpen? The move, or lack thereof, was interesting.

Sabathia, for the most part, kept the Sox in check. He blew an early 2-0 lead in the 2nd. Yet again, the Yanks allowed 2 runs to score with 2 out. After striking out Big Nugget Youkilis and Jason Bay to start the inning, Crooked Cap gave up a double to the crippled Mike Lowell, an RBI single to mysterious fatigue-diseased Rocco Baldelli and an RBI double to the overhill Jason Varitek. It wasn't CC's finest moment.

Cano was at fault for the Sox 3rd run. With 2 outs (of course), he dropped Varitek's pop up after calling off Tex, allowing Bay to score all the way from 1st. It was Cano's 2nd error of the game and it continues his recent fielding slump where recently, he's been making errors at a regular clip. Is this a sign of fatigue or lack of focus with a huge lead? Either way, Cano is someone I don't feel comfortable with in the big game or big moment.

Phil Hughes pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera. Mo walked JD Drew to leadoff the 9th for only his 9th free pass of the season, but struck out 2 of the next 3 hitters to seal the win. With the victory, the Yanks won the series, ended their 10-game road trip at 7-3 and increased their division lead to 7.5 games over the Bosox.

Godzilla's 2-homer game was his 2nd in the series and 3rd in his last 7 games. The man is "en fuego". I don't know how to say "on fire" in Japanese. Reportedly, the Yanks won't be re-signing Matsui in the off-season, but he's making a pretty good case for someone to take a flyer on him. Oakland perhaps?

Off day today and the Yanks return home to the Bronx to face the Texas Rangers, who are 1 game back of the Sox for the wild card. Would the Yanks sabotage this series to help eliminate the Sox? Starting Sergio Mitre or Chad Gaudin tomorrow may be a good start to hurting the Sox. We'll see.

Yankees Record: 78-46

Game 123 - AJ is Absolute Joke Again in Boston The

The Red Sox did a great job of putting yesterday's humiliating loss behind them by pasting the Yanks 14-1. It appears Absolute Joke Burnett isn't a big fan of Fenway Park since joining the Bombers this season. In 3 starts and 12.2 innings, he's been torched for 22 hits and 22 runs and his ERA is 14.21. Before this season, he was 3-0 with an ERA of 0.40! Back in April, he cost the Yanks in a meltdown after he was staked to a 6-0 lead against Josh Beckett. Today, he was bitch-slapped for 9 runs in 5 innings. He surrendered HRs to the weak-hitting Alex Gonzalez, the Nugget Youkilis and the decrepit, steroid-addled Big Sloppy Ortiz. P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

Alfredo Aceves eventually relieved him in the 6th and fared no better. He allowed Big Nugget to connect for his second dinger of the day and was touched up for 3 runs. Dave Robertson failed miserably in his 1 inning appearance, too, giving up 3 straight doubles after quickly retiring the 1st 2 batters. The Yanks new epidemic lately is allowing runs to score with 2 out. They allowed 13 out of the 14 runs to score with 2 men gone today as they continue to struggle in retiring the elusive third out. It started when they allowed all 10 runs against Seattle last Sunday to score with 2 out, and the theme has continued all week.

Meanwhile, the Yanks allowed another overrated Red Sox rookie pitcher, Junichi Tazawa, to escape out of trouble all day. After blistering the Bosox yesterday by going 15-25 day with RISP, the Yanks came crashing back to earth with an 0-8 performance against Tazawa. Godzilla knocked in 7 runs yesterday, but continued his below par performances against his fellow countryman by leaving 4 men on base today. An Ill-timed strikeout and double play also kept the Yanks off the board against the Tazawa.

Nick Swisher finally broke up the shutout in the 7th with a HR off Peter Gammon's love child, Daniel Bard. He and Robinson Cano had 3 hits apiece - apparently, they didn't get the memo to take the day off after yesterday's hit parade. Let's hope today's pitiful display is not reminiscent of the epic 2004 ALCS collapse after the Yanks buried the Sawx 19-8 and then didn't win a game again.

The Pinstripers blew a golden opportunity to win this series today, with their #2 starter going up against the rookie, Tazawa. I think the boys partied pretty hard at Daisy Buchanan's on Newbury Street. Tomorrow, Crooked Cap goes up against Josh Beckett. I don't like the Yanks chances, especially when it's nationally televised. Their record is abysmal on Fox/ESPN games. Just ask Burnett.

The Captain's hot streak came to an end today, as he went 0-3 and will have to wait till tomorrow to try for hit # 2700. Johnny Damon, as expected, sat out with a bruise on his knee after fouling off a pitch yesterday.

Yankees Record: 77-46

Game 122 - Yankees Hit the Batting Cages in Boston

The Yankee hitters took the Red Sox pitchers behind the woodshed and pounded them for 23 hits en route to a 20-11 victory. As great as the offense was, the Yankee pitching and defense were awful. Andy Pettitte, perhaps suffering from the effects of sitting 29 minutes while the Yanks batted in the 5th inning when they scored 6 runs, began to get tagged by Boston in the bottom of the 5th and 6th innings. He departed after 3 batters and no outs in the 6th and was charged with 7 runs, 5 of them earned. Despite Pettitte's shaky performance, he's been brilliant since the All Star break, but he only had 1 win to show for it. Tonight, he finally had support and then some.

Every Yankee in the lineup, including Johnny Damon's replacement, Eric Hinske, had a hit, scored a run and knocked in a run. Damon fouled a pitch off his knee in the top of the 1st and left the game with a deep bruise after striking out. ARod went 4-4, Hideki Matsui hit 2 HRs with 7 RBIs, Melky collected 4 hits and The Captain and Tex chipped in 3 hits apiece. In fact, everyone had at least 2 hits with the exception of the slumping Robinson Cano, who finished 1-6. They feasted on Sox starter, Brad Penny for 8 runs, highly touted rookie, Michael Bowden for a 7-spot, and reliever Ramon Ramirez for another 4. Manny Delcarmen got off cheap with 1 run and Takashi Saito was their only reliever to escape unscored upon.

The Yankee pitching didn't fare much better, they just weren't as bad as the batting practice pitchers Boston threw out there. Brian Bruney came in to relieve Pettitte in the 6th and was God-awful. Statiscally, he didn't give up any runs, but he allowed his inherited runners to score and inexplicably walked in a run with a 10-run lead. In the 7th, Joe Girardi had seen enough when Bruney loaded the bases with one out. Damaso Marte, on the DL since April, was activated before the game and got the final 2 outs of the inning and stranded all 3 runners. Sergio Mitre came on for mop up duty for the final 2 innings, and the Sox did just that - mopped him around for 4 runs in the 9th. He surrendered 2 bombs to Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek. Mercifully, the game finally ended.

The Yanks defense was a little sloppy in the blowout, too. Cano had a fielding error and his buddy, Melky, allowed a pop up to drop in the 6th inning, hastening Pettitte's departure. On one odd play, Hinske couldn't make a play on a Yoda Pedroia fly that hit the Monster. For some dumb reason, Yoda thought he could stretch a triple out of it, but Jeter played the rebound off the wall in shallow left and threw him out with the Sox down by 5 runs at the time. I don't watch the Sox much, but it seems Yoda is thrown out at least once a series against the Yanks trying to stretch a hit or steal a base. Is it possible he's a dumber runner than Posada?

With the win, the Yanks now lead the Red Sox by 7.5 games. It was the Yanks first win of the season at Fenway and their first since Mike Mussina won his 20th last season.

Yankees Record: 77-45

Game 121 - Yanks Take Series in Oakland

In a low hit, low scoring affair, the Yanks defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-2. In all the games I've watched at McAfee Coliseum it appeared to be another typical contest, whether it's because of the spacious foul territory or the damp air from the Bay Area fog. Both teams only mustered 6 hits apiece. Mark Teixeira accounted for all the Yankee runs with an RBI groundout to score Derek Jeter in the 1st and a 2-run HR in the 4th, his 31st of the season.

Yankee starter, Chad Gaudin, only allowed 1 hit in 4.1 innings, but his wildness and high pitch count earned him an early shower as he left the game with the bases loaded. Holding on to a 3-0 lead, Alfredo Aceves saved the game on his second pitch. He induced Kurt Suzuki, who's killed the Yanks all season, into a ground ball back to the mound for an inning-ending double play (pitcher-to-catcher-to-1B). Despite those heroics, Aceves nearly blew the game in the next 2 frames.

Aceves allowed a solo shot to Jack Cust in the 6th. It was Cust's first blast in nearly a month. In the 7th, after striking out the first 2 batters, he allowed 3 straight singles as the A's trimmed the Yanks lead to 3-2. Joe Girardi brought in Phil Coke to bail out Aceves. Then Girardi forgot to manage. Instead of having Coke go out for the 8th to face the switch-hitting Landon Powell and lefty masher, Cust, Girardi brought in his "8th inning" guy, Phil Hughes.

According to Girardi, there are no labels on his relievers, because he prefers matchups, but this move appeared otherwise. Hughes, for all his success out of the pen, does not handle lefties well. He walked Powell and Cust followed with a hard single to right, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with none out. In a curious move by the A's, they didn't bunt the runners into scoring position, and they paid for it. Rookie Tommy Everidge grounded into a double play to ARod, who stepped on 3rd and threw a one-hopper to Tex. Hughes retired the next batter to set the stage for Mariano Rivera.

Mo only needed 7 pitches to retire the side in the 9th, barely enough time for me to snap a picture of the great one, as he picked up his 36th save in 37 opportunities. The Yanks maintained their 7-game lead over the Red Sox as they conclude their 10-game road trip in Boston this weekend.

In the past 2 seasons, I've chosen my Yankees-A's games wisely, or more realistically, I've been lucky. I've been to 4 of the 6 games they've played each other in Oakland, and fortunately, the Yankees have won the games I attended and lost the 2 games I have not. My wife, a huge Oakland A's fan, gets pretty chapped, but I think I deserve this good run, especially after watching Marco Scutaro hit a walkoff, 2-run HR off of Rivera in 2007, after Rivera walked the abysmal Jason Kendall and had Scutaro down 0-2 in the count. It was the most painful loss I've ever seen in person.

Yankees Record: 76-45

Game 120 - Sabathia and The Captain Get Yanks Back on Track

The Captain continues to rake and their ace stepped up and halted their 2-game losing streak, as the Yanks prevailed over the Oakland Athletics, 7-2. Derek Jeter collected his 3rd straight 3-hit game and knocked in the go-ahead run in the 6th, as the Yankee bats finally broke out and rallied for 5 runs after leaving men all over the place in the first 5 frames.

CC Sabathia, with the exception of 2 solo shots in the 1st and 2nd innings, dominated an overmatched A's lineup. He tossed 8 solid innings, giving up 5 hits while striking out 7. He only needed 94 pitches as he relied mostly on his fastball. David Robertson came on in the final inning to wrap up the victory. For a moment, it looked like he contracted a mild form of Rick Ankiel disease, walking the first 2 batters on pitches that weren't even close to the plate, but settled down to retire the side, including 2 on Ks.

Through 5 innings, the Yanks left 8 men on base and went 1-7 with RISP. They managed to score their runs on an Adam Kennedy error and Jorge Posada's RBI ground-rule double. Posada, perhaps feeling the ghost of ex-Yankee, ex-Athletic, speedster, Rickey Henderson, thought he could reach 3rd when a pitch got away from catcher, Kurt Suzuki. He was gunned down by 10 feet easily, ending the inning and adding to his long, long resumé of stupid base running mistakes (I haven't forgotten about that non-slide against Boston, Jorge). Oakland was kicking the ball all over the place, committing 4 errors in the game, but the Yanks only managed 1 unearned run.

Meanwhile, The Captain has raised his average to .330, going 20 for his last 36. Do I smell an MVP push? I'm sure the sportswriters will once again overlook his season for one of the M&M boys of the Twins, despite their presence in the weak Central Division. Since he set the all-time hit record for shortstops, there's been debate whether or not he's the best SS of all time. He's one of the most consistent players I've ever seen, not to mention, one of the most clutch performers. He has 4 rings to his name and a World Series MVP. Though not the flashiest of fielders or noted for his range, he fields his position well and most Yankee fans will admit that they never have to worry when the ball is hit to his sure hands. Jeter's got my vote for greatest SS of all-time. He may not have the power seasons of Ernie Banks or ARod or the production of Honus Wagner and Robin Yount, but for the length of time he's manned the 6-hole with his steady production, no one's been better.

Yankees Record: 75-45

Game 119 - Tomko's Revenge is Yanks Embarrassment

Yankee castaway, Brett Tomko, mowed down the Yankees for 5 shutout innings en route to a 3-0 Athletics victory. Tomko, in his short stint as a Yankee, allowed 12 runs in 20+ innings and gave up 5 HRs, but felt he got shafted by his former team for the lack of work. Tonight, he got his payback.

Only Derek Jeter showed up to play, going 3-4 while the rest of the team went 4-29. The play of the game occurred in the 3rd inning, when ARod hit a tapper back to the mound with the bases loaded and 1 out. The A's turned the double play and escaped the jam. ARod showed piss-poor judgement swinging at the first pitch after Tomko just walked Mark Teixeira. The Yankees only other threat ended in the 7th when the clueless Jorge Posada watched a 3rd strike go by with 2 runners on.

AJ Burnett was the tough-luck loser, going the distance while only giving up 3 runs. All of the A's runs came in the 4th inning. Burnett surrendered 4 hits and balked in a run. Replays showed his cleats may have gotten caught up on the mound as he attempted a pitch. Despite pitching a decent game, manager Joe Girardi was getting peppered by the media with questions about AJ's performance. I think my first question would have been "how embarrassed are the Yankee hitters for not showing up against Tomko and Craig Breslow, 2 nobodies who have been released numerous times in their careers"? Who cares if Burnett gave up 10 runs - the Yanks were shut out by a last place team fielding a plethora of minor leaguers.

With the loss the Yanks division lead dropped to 7 games.

Yankees Record: 74-45

Game 118 - Joba, Pen Terrible in Loss to M's

With a chance to go for the jugular against Seattle for the 4-game sweep and increase their division lead after a Red Sox loss, Joba Chamberlain and the Yankee pen fell flat on their faces in a terrible performance against the worse hitting team in the American League. Seattle Mariners smacked them around for a 10-3 victory. All 10 of Seattle's runs came with 2 outs, as they touched Joba for 4 runs, Alfredo Aceves for another 4 and the newly acquired Chad Gaudin for the final 2.

Yankee pitching struck out 32 Mariners in the previous 3 games, but Joba could only muster 2 in his weak performance. After cruising through 2 innings, he labored in the next 3. Twice the Yanks gave him the lead, 1-0 and 3-2, but he surrendered 2 runs in the 3rd and 2 more in the 5th. He allowed 7 hits and 3 walks to the anemic Seattle lineup in 5 innings of work.

Aceves came into the game in the 6th to keep the game close. With the Yanks down by 1 in the 7th, he appeared to be on the verge of escaping a bases loaded jam, but hit the career .217 hitting Josh Wilson that led to a 5-run outburst in the inning. Gaudin came in relief and gave up 3 straight 2-out hits to blow the game wide open. Jose Lopez did most of the damage for Seattle, going 3-5 with 3 RBIs, but weak hitting throw away infielders Jack Hannahan and Wilson were a combined 4-8 with 2 RBIs. Hannahan is hitting .226 for his career and was traded this season from Oakland for a song. The Yankees pitchers inability to buckle down and get the final out of the inning was very disconcerting today.

Lost in today's lackluster performance was Derek Jeter setting the all time hit record for shortstops. He went 3-4 and passed Hall of Fame SS, Luis Aparicio, and now has 2, 675 hits at the SS position. He trails Lou Gehrig by 33 hits for the all time Yankee hits leader.

Fortunately, the Yanks loss this game while the Sox lost. With Boston's defeat to the Texas Rangers, they now trail to them in the wild card standings.

Yankees Record: 74-44

Game 117 - Swisher, Bullpen Lead Yanks Over M's

The Yanks scored 4 unearned runs in the 2nd inning, capped by Nick Swisher's 2-run HR, and the Yankee bullpen shutdown Seattle for the final 3.2 innings for a 5-2 victory over the Mariners. Starter, Sergio Mitre, had his best start as a Yankee, limiting Seattle to 2 runs in 5.1 innings. He was lifted with the bases loaded, but was bailed out by David Robertson, who struck out the next 2 batters.

Derek Jeter went 2-4 with 2 RBIs. His HR in the 9th gave the Yanks a 3-run cushion. It was his 4th HR of the month and 15th of the season after having only 4 HRs in June and July combined.

Robertson, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera combined for 8 Ks, as Mo nailed down his 35th save of the season. He retired Jose Lopez, who represented the tying run at the plate with 2 men on. The overrated Ichiro Suzuki helped bail out the Yanks in the 7th when he was inexplicably gun downed at 3rd for the final out on an unacceptable and unexplainable stolen base attempt with the go-ahead run at the plate with their only true power-hitter in Russell Branyan. Thank you, Suzuki, for continuing to demonstrate to me that your legacy is the most overblown in the history of MLB. And is he the most feminine player in baseball? What is with all the girly gyrations every time he comes to the plate?

It was the 5th straight victory for the Bombers and guaranteed a series victory over Seattle in their 4-game set. With Boston losing earlier in the day, the Yanks increased their division lead to a season-high 7.5 games.

Yankees Record: 74-43

Game 116 - Yanks, Tex Hit the 30-Mark

Mark Teixeira's 30th HR in the 9th inning broke a 2-2 tie en route to a 4-2 Yankee victory over Seattle, and with the win, the Yanks are a season-high 30 games over .500. Since the All Star break, the Yanks are the hottest team in baseball, going 22-6 and have catapulted to 6.5 game lead in the AL East Division.

Andy Pettitte, once again, pitched a hard luck no decision, giving up only 2 runs in 6 innings, while striking out a season-high 10 batters. Since the break, he's gone 1-1 in 6 starts, although he's only allowed 9 earned runs in 39.2 innings. The way he started the game, it didn't look like he'd be around for long. He surrendered 3 straight hits, allowing the Mariners their only 2 runs, before stranding a runner on 3rd by striking out the last 2 batters of the inning. Pettitte was particularly sharp, regularly falling behind batters, but he kept battling back with his sharp cutter. 9 of his 10 Ks were swinging.

The Bombers battled back with single runs in the 2nd and 5th innings. Both runs may have been prevented, but the Mariners shoddy defense let the Yanks back in the game. On a Jerry Hairston RBI fielder's choice, 2B Jose Lopez double pumped the throw, allowing Hairston to avoid the inning-ending DP. The Captain had a 2-out RBI single when Seattle's 3B, Jack Hannahan dove for the ball and blocked SS Josh Wilson's view, allowing it to scoot through the infield and allowing Melky Cabrera to score from second base.

Brian Bruney and Phil Hughes pitched the 7th and 8th innings. Hughes picked up the win to improve his record to 5-3. Tex led off the 9th with his game-winning HR and the Yanks tacked on an insurance run when Nick Swisher singled in Robinson Cano. Mariano Rivera's "cranky" shoulder must be better, hopefully, since he pitched a scoreless 9th to record his league-leading 34th save.

ARod missed his 2nd straight game, but this time, it was for back spasms and not his elbow that was plunked on Wednesday. Jorge Posada returned to the lineup and went 1-4 with 3 Ks.

Yankees Record: 73-43

Game 115 - Sabathia, Matsui Manhandle Mariners

After closing out the Toronto series, Derek Jeter and ARod were ailing from being HBPs, Jorge Posada got took a foul ball off his hand from a foul tip and Mariano Rivera's shoulder was feeling "cranky" according to Joe Girardi. To say the least, they appeared to be pretty short-handed in their opener against Seattle. No problem.

Derek Jeter actually played, going 2-4 with a HR to deep left in the 3rd. ARod and Posada got their rest and the Yankees offense made sure there was no need for Mo, crushing the Mariners in an 11-1 laugher. CC Sabathia cut through the weak-hitting Mariners lineup, tossing 8 solid innings. He limited them to 1 run on 3 hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters. Hideki Matsui had his best game of the season, going 4-5 with 2 dingers and 5 RBIs. ARod's fill-n, Jerry Hairston went 2-5 with 2 RBIs as the Bombers took advantage of a Boston loss earlier in the day to extend their division lead to 6.5 games.

The Crooked One only needed 104 pitches through 8, giving the bullpen a lift, especially with Sergio Mitre slated to pitch this weekend. Brian Bruney continued his resurgence with a 1-2-3 inning to wrap up the game. After a game like this, there's not much to complain or focus on, particularly with 2 mainstays out of the lineup. Reportedly, ARod likely will miss game 2 of the series, according to the YES Network.

Yankees Record: 72-43

Game 114 - Yanks Top Jays in Pyrrhic Victory

The Yanks outlasted Toronto in 11 innings, winning 4-3 on a Robinson Cano walkoff single. That is not a misprint - "Robinson Cano" finally came through with a game-winning hit. Prior to his walkoff, the Yanks were 0-7 with RISP. In the first inning, they went 0-4 with RISP after Derek Jeter was HBP and Johnny Damon doubled. ARod reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Posada hit a potential double play that would have killed the whole inning, but Jays 2B, Aaron Hill, bobbled the ball and could only get Posada at 1st, allowing the Bombers to score just 1 run.

AJ Burnett wasn't that sharp today, allowing 10 hits and 3 wild pitches in 6 innings. He only allowed 1 hit to Boston in his last start. The Yanks gave him a 3-1 lead on solo HRs by Damon and Cano, but he allowed Toronto to tie it up in the 6th. Randy Ruiz, in his homecoming to the Bronx, started the Jays rally with a single. He homered for the 2nd straight game earlier in the day (and now has 3 for his career). 2 more hits and 2 wild pitches in the inning brought the Jays even.

After that, it became a battle of the bullpens. Jays reliever, Brandon League, mowed down the Yanks for 3 innings. He entered the game with an ERA of 4.76, but for some reason, he's cut through the Yanks like a hot knife through butter for 8 shutout innings this season and 10 Ks. The Yanks went through the usual suspects, David Robertson, Phil Coke and Phil Hughes out of the pen, but the score remained tied through 9. The Yanks brought in newly acquired Chad Gaudin (pronounced Go-dan) and he immediately began earning Joe Girardi's trust. He tossed 2 shutout innings, striking out 3.

The Yanks, who only mustered 7 hits all day, rallied for the winning run in the bottom of the 11th, when ARod was HBP. Jorge Posada, staring a golden sombrero in the face with 3 Ks already, avoided it by lacing a single, leading to Cano's unlikely heroics.

The Yankee victory may have come at a cost though. Jeter left the game in the 3rd after being plunked right on the toe in the 1st inning. He's listed as day-to-day. Posada took a ball off his right hand and will be out of the lineup tomorrow. ARod's arm went numb went he was hit by a pitch in the final inning. He said he would not have been able to continue if the game went beyond 11 innings. He's scheduled for an off day tomorrow, so it sounds like the Yanks will be without 33% of their starting lineup tomorrow. Not all is bad luck though, as the Pinstripers are finally getting the luck that the Sox seem to enjoy. They're ducking King Felix Hernandez for a 2nd time this season in a 4-game set with Seattle. This is on the heels of finally avoiding Roy Halladay, who appears to always pitch against the Yanks in any Toronto series.

With the win, the Yanks improved to a season high 28 games over .500.

Yankees Record: 71-43

Boston - Detroit Get Into a Tiff

Here comes Boston. The Red Sox have beaten the Tigers in their 2 games since getting swept by the Yanks and engaged in a good ol' fashion brawl. Tigers rookie pitcher, Rick Porcello, hit Big Nugget Youkilis, and the crybaby charged the mound, swinging his helmet like a purse. How embarrassing. Porcello backed up slightly, then stood his ground and flipped the round-domed Youkilis after he flung his helmet like a little girl. It that was ARod, he would have been ripped by the media for his womanly actions.

Porcello shouldn't be faulted. Like Joba, I think these young pitchers get mesmerized by that huge cranium and that stupid batting stance where it looks like he's playing with a musical instrument. Is anyone more odd than Kevin Youkilis? I know no one is more embarrassing after that silly helmet throwing incident.

Game 113 - Back 2 Back Jacks Lead Yanks

The night began to look a lot like last night. The Yanks went up 3-0 after 2 innings, but Joba Chamberlain allowed the Blue Jays to tie it up in the 3rd on a Lyle Overbay bases loaded double. Joba gave up a solo HR in the 4th to Bronx-born and bred, Randy Ruiz, that put the Jays out in front, 4-3. Jays starter, Scott Richmond, settled down and pitched 6 innings and Jeremy Accardo pitched a scoreless 7th, as it looked like the tying run would elude the Bombers for the 2nd night in a row.

But this year's team is a far cry from the team of last season. The boys from the Bronx would have gone down quietly last year, but this team never thinks of quitting. Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada led off the 8th with back-to-back HRs to put the Yanks out in front. Godzilla hit a bomb to deep right, and Posada hit an opposite field shot that barely cleared the RF wall. The ball landed in a fan's mitt positioned right behind RF Joe Inglett's leaping glove. Replay review confirmed the ball landed over the fence without fan interference. The Bombers tacked on 2 more runs on RBI singles from Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon.

Joba looked strong for 2 innings, working quickly and appearing sharper than his last appearance against Boston. He ran into trouble in the 3rd, when he walked Inglett, a guy who has spent his career on the minor league shuttle bus. He hurt the Yanks last night, too, with an RBI triple. A single and another walk, Joba's only 2 free passes of the night, loaded the bases with 2 out. But Joba grooved a fastball to Overbay and he drove it into the right-center gap to clear the bags. Another grooved fastball led to Ruiz' shot in the 4th, but Joba settled down to pitch an effective 6 innings.

Brian Bruney, Phil Coke and David Robertson pitched 2 scoreless frames. Robertson picked up the win when the Yanks rallied in the 8th. Mariano Rivera came on in the 9th and allowed a dinger to Edwin Encarnacion to dead center. Good thing Melky and Damon tacked on those insurance RBIs. With Marco Scutaro as the tying run at the plate - Mo's ol' nemesis that beat him with a walkoff blast last season, Mariano struck him out to earn his 33rd save of the season and #515 of his career.

With the win, the Yanks remained 5.5 games ahead of Boston.

Yankees Record: 70-43

Yankees Record since ARod's return: 57-28

Yankees Record since I said they would have to go 60-40 in their last 100 games to make the playoffs: 34-17

Game 112 - Yanks Suffer Post-Dramatic Boston Syndrome

For once, the Yanks dodged a bullet against Toronto, just missing Roy Halladay. It seems every time they play the Blue Jays, even in the 2-game series last week, Halladay pitches against the Yanks. But the Yanks didn't take advantage tonight, and they appeared to take the night off after a dramatic 4-game sweep of the Sox this weekend. Problem is, the Bosox won their game tonight.

The game didn't start that way. Derek Jeter led off with a solo shot to CF. Sergio Mitre struck out 5 Jays through 2 innings. Mitre surrendered a solo shot in the 3rd to Aaron Hill and after the Yanks scratched out another run, things ran afoul for him in the 4th. With 2 men on and none out, Mitre fielded a comebacker and threw slightly wide of 2B. Robinson Cano couldn't handle the throw as a run scored and the Jays had runners on 2nd and 3rd. Cano was charged with the error, but it wasn't a good throw from Mitre. The Jays would score 2 more runs with Mitre allowing career utility player, Joe Inglett, to triple in the 4th run with 2 out. He has consistently demonstrated a lack of ability to get the 3rd out in innings. It has to be his inability to bear down, because he is not talented enough to let up.

The Yanks though, gave him one last shot. Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston, Jr. led off the bottom of the 4th with back-to-back HRs to tie the game. Mitre coughed it up one last time when Lyle Overbay crushed one in the 5th. Overbay's dinger would hold up, as the Yanks weren't able to push across the tying run, despite Alfredo Aceves tossing 4 shutout innings in relief. Are the Yanks trying to stretch him out as a starter?

Cano led off the 6th with a double, but was stranded. Jeter led off the 7th with a single, but Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira and ARod all K'd. Their last shot came in the 9th when Hideki Matsui hit a one-out single, but pinch runner Ramiro Pena was left stranded when Swisher struck out for the 3rd time to end the game.

The Yankees will have to ask themselves if they can afford to keep Sergio Mitre in the starting rotation. Granted, only 3 of the 5 runs were earned, but he is not able to nip innings in the bud, and it cost him and the team tonight.

Yankees Record: 69-43

Game 111 - Yanks Use the Broom on Boston

It began to Look and feel a lot like the Burnett-Beckett game when the Red Sox and Yanks swapped zeroes for 14 innings. Tonight's starters, Andy Pettitte and Jon Lester, matched donuts for the first 6 innings. Lester and Boston blinked first in the 7th, allowing an A-Bomb from ARod to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. The Yanks held the overhyped, overrated, Boston lineup scoreless for 31 innings when Andy Pettitte left the game after 7 shutout innings.

Newly acquired Victor Martinez connected for a 2-run blast off Phil Coke in the 8th, as another brilliant performance by Pettitte resulted in a no decision. Why Joe Girardi went with Coke instead of Phil Hughes is a great mystery. My first guess is that lefty Jacob Ellsbury led off the inning and he didn't want the switch-hitting Martinez to bat lefthanded at the Stadium - obviously, a bad calculation. My second guess is Hughes pitched in back-to-back games. However, he only threw 5 pitches and 4 pitches in those 2 games. Are they really protecting him this much?

The Bombers, though, never blinked, as the game changed on 12 pitches. Not even when the Bosox brought in Peter Gammons love child, Daniel Bard. Gammons, who waxes soliloquies and love poems about the hard-throwing Bard, must be crying in his pillow tonight after watching the rookie soil his pants. Bard allowed back-to-back bombs to Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira with 2 outs. It was the 6th time they've followed each other with a dinger, setting a club record. If you're curious, Mantle and Maris went back-to-back 4 times in their magical 1961 season.

The Yanks weren't done, making sure Boston understood before they left NYC who's the better team and crushing their short-term jubilance after Martinez' jack. Gammons' boy walked ARod and Sox manager, Terry Francona, brought in the freak with the rubber neck, Hideki Okajima to get his whipping. Jorge Posada slapped a double and Nick Swisher followed up with a 2-run single to give the Yanks a 5-2 lead with Mariano Rivera all warmed up in the bullpen.

The Great Mo though, insisted on making things interesting, as he always does against Boston. He allowed the talentless, overpaid bust, JD Drew, to leadoff with a single. He retired the next 2 before walking the fraudulent hack, Big Sloppy. Why he didn't challenge the bum is another mystery. Mo would retire Ellsbury for his 32nd save and give the Yanks a huge sweep of their division foe, increasing their lead to 6.5 games with 51 remaining.

Except for Thursday's 13-6 laugher, this had to be a mentally grueling series for the Yanks. For all of Boston's struggles at the plate, it's not like the Pinstripers were tearing the cover off the ball. They scored 1 run in 15 innings Friday and grinded out 1o runs Saturday and Sunday, going 3-20 with RISP. Josh Beckett was brilliant. Jon Lester was excellent, only allowing 1 run and he left with a lead. This series is a credit to the Yankee starters. Burnett, Sabathia and Pettitte combined to toss 22.1 shutout innings. The relievers weren't nearly as great, but they were pretty damn good - only allowing 4 runs in 14.2 innings of work in the series. For once, with the exception of Thursday's game, the Yankee pitchers challenged the Boston hitters and didn't look like a deer in headlights. Perhaps it helps that they weren't facing a performance enhanced Big Sloppy and all-time Yankee killer, Manny Ramirez.

Yankees Record: 69-42

Game 110 - Sabathia, Yanks Keep Bosox Scoreless

CC Sabathia tossed 7.2 shutout innings and the Yanks ran Boston's scoreless streak to 24 innings in their 5-0 victory over their rival. CC improved to 12-7 and pitched his best game to date as a NY Yankee. He limited the Sox to 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9. He retired his first 13 batters before walking Big Fraud Ortiz on a full count and held Bosox hitless for 5.2 innings before Jacob Ellsbury broke up the no-hitter. CC outdueled Clay Buchholz, who kept the Sox in the game by allowing 2 runs in 6 innings. Buchholz limited the need for Boston's beleaguered bullpen that's emptied its bullpen in 2 games this week. The Yanks have taken the first 3 games of the series and go for the sweep Sunday night.

The Yanks scored a single run in the 3rd on a 2-out, RBI single by Mark Teixeira. They added single runs in the 6th and 7th on a Jose Molina sac fly and Nick Swisher bases loaded walk. The Captain, Derek Jeter, finished the scoring with a 2-run HR that just grazed the top of the wall down the RF line. Jeter is now 3-17 in the series. Robinson Cano had 3 of the Yankees 9 hits, and was the only Bomber with multiple hits. He also collected his 30th double of the season. Despite all that, the only time he was retired came with the bases loaded and 1 out when he forced Tex out at home. Typical Cano. The Yanks also continued their typical ways with RISP, going a combined 2-12. Good thing Boston is struggling a lot worse.

After CC retired the first 2 batters in the 8th, Joe Girardi lifted him after 123 pitches. Phil Hughes struck out Nick Green for the final out of the inning. David Robertson, one of the rare relievers that did not see any action in yesterday's marathon, pitched the 9th. He matched CC's hit total, giving up 2 hits, but escaped the jam to preserve the shutout by striking out the King of Frauds, Big Sloppy to end the game.

Sunday night, it will be a battle of lefties, Andy Pettitte vs. Jon Lester. Pettitte has been outstanding since the break, but is he due for a setback? I'm thinking the Red Sox are due to break out, too. Hopefully, the Yanks will go for the jugular and put their foot on the throats of their division rival. Currently, their division lead is 5.5 games.

Yankees Record: 68-42

Big Sloppy Addresses Positive Steroid Test

Hey Big Sloppy - NOT. BUYING. IT. It took Big Sloppy Ortiz 5 days to address the media to say he never took or bought steroids and that he was "careless" when he bought supplements and vitamins in the past. Is he kidding with this? This is what his PR team came up with during the week? I wished someone in the media addressed why he was a talentless hack with Minnesota and came out of nowhere when he came to the Sox. I'm sure no one asked - the media slurps this fat fraud for some reason.

The MLB Players Association came to stand by Big Sloppy during the press conference. They tried to sell some hocus pocus voodoo stuff on the number of real positive tests that's really out there. They're claiming there's really only 83 positives and not 104 and that some could have tested positive more than once. C'mon guys - how were the feds able to confiscate 104 positive tests? I hope this rogue vigilante federal agent that keeps the slow trickle of releasing names keeps it up to smack the arrogance out of MLB and the misguided players' union. Keep protecting the guilty, MLBPA, you're only hurting those players that play the game the right way.

Game 109 - WOW!

ARod ended a marathon 15-inning scoreless duel against the hated Red Sox with a 2-run, walkoff HR, ending an improbable night and a long homerless draught. AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett kicked off a classic pitcher's duel, both matching zeroes and both working out of a 2-on, no out jam. By the time both starters left the game, there was still a long, long, way to go before this game would see its conclusion. Burnett held the Beantowners to 1 hit in 7.2 innings, a leadoff bloop single by Jacob Ellsbury in the first. Beckett went 7 innings and limited the Bombers to 4 hits - two by Hideki Matsui.

As brilliant as the starters were, Boston and NY's bullpen were just as impressive. The Yanks marched out Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera, Alfredo Aceves, Brian Bruney and winning pitcher Phil Coke, combining to toss 7.1 scoreless innings (1 out less than AJ), and limiting the Bosox to 3 hits. Boston threw everybody and the kitchen sink from their bullpen for 7.2 innings (2 outs more than Beckett): Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard, Ramon Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbum, Manny Delcarmen, Takashi Saito, and the losing pitcher in his major league debut, Junichi Tazawa.

Except for ARod's HR, there isn't anything to discuss about either team's hitting. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira combined to go 1-20. The bottom of the Bosox order went 0-19. Both teams walked 7 times, with AJ issuing 6 all by himself. This game was so strange, it even included a catcher's interference by the incompetent Jorge Posada. JD Drew made 2 beautiful running catches in RF in the 5th and 14th innings with a runner on 2nd. Even more incredulous, both teams thought they were getting a little squeezed by the home plate ump. Can you imagine if he was calling more strikes? This game might have gone 3o scoreless innings!

Some stats from the game:

* RISP: S0x 0-8 Yanks 0-11 Jeter was 0-3

* LOB: Sox 10 Yanks 12

* Batting: Sox 4-44 Yanks 9-51

* The side was retired 13 times, with the Sox sending 3 up and 3 down seven times and the Yanks six.

* The Sox struck out 13 times, the Yanks 14. Both catchers, Jason Varitek and Posada, led their team with 3 each.

ARod's HR was his 20th of the season and tied him with Harmon Killebrew for 9th place on the all time list with 573. It ended his longest season homerless draught at 73 ABs. The game lasted 5 hrs and 33 minutes and was the longest a game went scoreless ever between the Yanks and Boston (14 innings). It marked the 1st time the Red Sox went scoreless through 14 innings since 1916. That's was a period when Babe Ruth use to PITCH for them.

With the win, the Yanks now lead the division by 4.5 games.

Yankees Record: 67-42

Yanks Trade for P Chad Gaudin

Yesterday, the Yanks picked up SP Chad Gaudin from the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later. Gaudin is 4-10 with an ERA over 5.00. Living in the Bay Area, I got to watch Gaudin pitch numerous times in 2007 when he was with Oakland. I thought he demonstrated some solid stuff. He finished the season 11-13. He got off to a hot start, going 8-3, before tailing off at the end, especially in September, when he went 1-4. However, he tossed 199.1 innings this year after throwing only 64 innings the year before. I thought he looked tired and his fastball was flat, as the numbers proved towards season's end that year. Hopefully, he'll be able to give the Yanks some productivity and could be a much better candidate than Sergio Mitre in the 5th starter spot.

In another Yankee transaction, the River Avenue Blues blog reports the immortal Anthony Cleggett has been sent back down to Scranton and Ramiro Pena recalled. I hope everyone got a good look at Cleggett last night. It may have been your last.

Game 108 - Beantown 8, Bronx 1

The Bronx Bombers pounded the Beaneaters, 13-6, unleashing 8 games of frustration against their archrivals. After dropping the first 8 games this season, the Yanks finally put 1 in the win column and increased their division lead to 3.5 games. HRs by Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Jorge Posada and Mark Teixeira paced an 18-hit attack as the Yanks smacked around future Hall-of-Famer, John Smoltz. Cabrera's 3-run blast in the 4th led an 8-run inning that put the Yanks a ahead to stay and bailed out a struggling Joba Chamberlain. The Yanks batted for 37 minutes that must have been grueling for the Boston fielders.

Joba was not sharp, giving up 4 runs, 6 hits, and 7 walks in 5 innings of work. Things looked grim early. Yoda Pedroia and Damon swapped fence scraping solo HRs to RF in the 3rd and newly acquired Casey Kotchman gave the Bosox a 3-1 lead with another new Yankee Stadium special to RF. For the game, Yankee pitchers walked an astronomical 12 Red Sox batters. Boston left an astounding 15 men on base, led by Big Fraudy Ortiz, who left 8 by himself. The immortal Anthony Cleggett made his return to the Bronx, after getting shelled in his major league debut in the Yanks embarrassing 22-4 loss to Cleveland earlier in the season. I didn't think I'd ever lay eyes on him again, but there he was in the 9th inning, performing mop-up duty. I'll say it one more time - I'll be surprised if I ever see him grace a Yankee uniform again. 1 inning, 2 walks, 2 hits, 2 runs and he lowered his career ERA by nearly 10 runs!

Damon, Tex and Posada each led the attack with 3 hits. Posada atoned for his hideous non-slide at the plate in the 2nd when he was thrown out for his lackadaisical base running on a Nick Swisher single. If he slid, he would have been clearly safe. His 3-run blast in the 4th put the exclamation point in the big inning. Every Yankee starter had at least one hit. John Smoltz looked every bit the old man who's hung around 1-year too long in what is otherwise a brilliant career. Boston sacrificed ex-Yankee, Billy Traber, in 3.2 innings of relief to save their bullpen. Well played, Terry Francona, well played.

With the win, the Yanks improved to a season-best 24 games over .500 and guarantees a division lead after this series no matter the rest of the outcome. Hopefully, the Yanks saved some runs and hits for AJ Burnett tomorrow, who goes up against Josh Beckett.

Yankees Record: 66-42

Game 107 - Yanks Sweep Toronto

Sergio Mitre kept the Yanks in the game, despite only pitching 4.1 innings and HRs by Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon led the Bombers to an 8-4 victory over Toronto. The Yanks took both games in the short 2-game series, as they return home to face Boston with a 2.5 game lead after the Red Sox loss to Tampa Bay.

Mitre gave up 8 hits in his short stint, but limited the Jays to 3 runs. A HR by Adam Lind and single by Lyle Overbay in the 5th sealed his fate and ended his night. Alfredo Aceves picked up his 7th win when the Yanks rallied from a 1-run deficit with 4 runs in the 7th. Blue Jays rookie starter, Marc Rzepczynski, a soft-tossing lefty, kept the Yanks off-balance all game, limiting them to 2 runs and 3 hits through his first 6 innings of work with 7 punch outs.

After Rbcdfghjklmnpqrstvwxyzski (spelling is close enough) retired 11 straight batters, his luck ran out when Swisher led off the 7th with his game-tying dinger. Robinson Cano followed with a double in the gap, ending the night for the guy with the long name, and scored on Hideki Matsui's 1-out, pinch-hit RBI single. Damon and Mark Teixeira hit key 2-out RBIs to give the Yanks a 6-3 lead. After a Marco Scutaro HR off Aceves in the bottom of the 7th, the Bombers tacked on single runs in the 8th and 9th on an Eric Hinske pinch-hit sac fly and Damon's 19th HR of the season. Damon finished the game going 3-5 with 3 RBIs.

Phil Coke got the final 2 outs in the 7th, Phil Hughes pitched a scoreless 8th and David Robertson wrapped the game up in the 9th. I thought Joe Girardi made a couple of odd decisions in tonight's game. He pitched Hughes in back-to-back games, essentially making him unavailable against Boston tomorrow. After Robertson gave up a 1-out single, Girardi had Mariano Rivera begin to warm up with a 4-run lead. Can you say panic button? Geez, Joe, let a run or 2 score before you make your 38-year old reliever, who had to get a 4-out save yesterday, get up and throw in the pen.

Overall, the Yanks did all the little things that help teams win ballgames. Tex busted down the 1B line, avoiding an inning-ending double play to tie the score at 2. Melky Cabrera twice moved Cano over to 3rd with none out. Matsui and Hinske both did their jobs as pinch hitters and each knocked in Cano. Jose Molina, yes the Jose Molina, walked twice! Damon and Tex had their 2-out RBIs and the team was 4-9 with RISP. The bullpen only allowed 1 run and 3 hits in 4.2 innings while striking out 8 and walking no one. The Yanks also played flawless defense. Team efforts like this will lead to nice winning streaks as they ended their road trip 5-4, despite their road bump in Chicago.

The Pinstripers will attempt to end their 0-8 stretch against the Sawx. They have their pitching lined up with Joba, AJ, CC and Pettitte set to pitch in that order. Personally, I'm not feeling confident about the team's chances in this series and would be ecstatic with a split. My worries are these: Joba and Pettitte have pitched great since the break - they're both due for a let down. AJ and CC - which pitcher will show up? The dominant ace or the one who throws the occasional clunker, particularly against teams with winning records this season. Last, but not least, Mo is also due for a let down and came close against Toronto. Historically, he has a tendency to slump in August, and not to mention, Boston has his number.

I shudder to think what will happen if Boston sweeps or takes 3 out of 4. I'm guessing panic in the streets, or the airwaves, of NY.

Yankees Record: 65-42

Game 106 - Yanks Slay the Halladay Dragon

Prior to tonight, Roy Halladay was 8-0 in his last 10 starts against the Yanks, and 16-5 in his career. Make that 16-6. The Yankees and Andy Pettitte outdueled the notorious Yankee killer in a 5-3 victory. Pettitte defeated the Blue Jays for the 19th time in his career, as he pitched 6.2 solid innings. He limited the Jays to 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 6, finally earning his first win after the All Star break despite pitching well in his previous 3 starts. Luck was on his side, too, as the Jays laced 4 line drives right at his infielders, including 1 for a DP.

The Bombers jumped out quick on the AL All Star starter, putting 2 runs on the board in the first on an ARod RBI double and an error by Halladay allowed ARod to score on a Hideki Matsui grounder. It looked like the Yanks were going to get to Halladay early, collecting 5 hits in the first 3 innings. In the 3rd, with Mark Teixeira on 2nd after a double, ARod hit a shot down the 3B line that appeared destined for another RBI double. Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion dove to keep it in the infield for a single and Halladay was able to escape the jam. Halladay would cruise through the next 15 outs. Only Jorge Posada reached on a single, but he was quickly erased by a DP.

The Yanks finally struck for 2-out lightening in the 8th. Johnny Damon and Teixeira hit back-to-back HRs, providing what would prove to be the winning runs. In the bottom of the 8th, Phil Hughes allowed 2 straight singles before coming back with 2 Ks. Enter Mariano Rivera. He did not look good and perhaps is starting to feel the effects of his 4-out saves this year. He fell behind Vernon Wells before allowing a 2-run double to bring the Jays within 1 run. Matsui provided a little breathing room with the Bombers 3rd solo shot of the night off of Halladay in the top of the 9th. Mo made things interesting again by allowing 2 more singles in the 9th before escaping with a huge victory against Halladay. Especially with Sergio Mitre going on the mound for the Yanks tomorrow.

Yankees Record: 64-42

Game 105 - Yanks Salvage Series With Melky's Cycle

After blowing their second 3-0 lead in 2 days, it looked like the Yanks were going to be laughed out of Chi-town as another of their high-priced pitchers appeared to be failing miserably when the team needed him most. But Crooked Cap Sabathia hung in there after giving up 4 runs in the 3rd inning. He stuck around till 1 batter in the 8th, eventually giving up 5 runs on 10 hits, 7 of which were extra base hits, including back-to-back HRs to Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome.

Despite another subpar outing from Sabathia, Melky Cabrera saved the day with perhaps his greatest performance at the plate. He went 4-5 with 3 runs, 4 RBIs and hit for the cycle. No longer will Yankee fans see the name Tony Fernandez flashed on the YES Network as the last Yankee to hit for the cycle back in 1995 when a Yankee is threatening to hit for one. It will now read Last Yankee to Hit for a Cycle: Melky Cabrera, August 2, 2009. Melky hit a 3-run HR in the 2nd, led off the 4th with a double and scored, singled in a run in the 5th, and pulled off the cycle the hard way by leading off with a triple in the 9th. Melky's performance played a huge part in the Bombers 8-5 victory.

The Yanks pounded out 15 hits and walked 6 times and were 6-17 with RISP. That's kind of misleading though, since they started out 5-8 with RISP. They left 12 men on base, with Robinson Cano (surprise, surprise) striking out with the bases loaded with 1 out and Jorge Posada striking out with a man on 3rd and 1 out being the chief culprits. Cano left 7 men on by himself. Different game, same old story for Cano.

Phil Hughes entered the game with a runner on 2nd in the 8th. He bookended strikeouts around a Jim Thome walk. Manager Joe Girardi didn't want to take any chances at salvaging a win in the series and brought in Mariano Rivera. Mo would surrender an RBI single to Carlos Quentin, the final run charged to Sabathia, but he got the final 4 outs for his 30th save. It was the 12th time in his career and 7th straight year he's recorded at least 30 saves. With the win, the Yanks held on to their tenuous .5 game lead over Boston.

Yankees Record: 63-42

Game 104 - AJ is Absolute Joke in Pathetic Performance

The Yanks needed a solid performance today from AJ Burnett, who's been their best pitcher since his loss to Boston. The bullpen has been banged up lately and had to pitch 5 innings yesterday after Sergio Mitre's debacle. Instead, Absolute Joke Burnett got slapped around hard by the White Sox, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings of work. He allowed 6 runs to score in the 2nd inning. He only walked 2 - unfortunately, it came with the bases loaded twice and to the same hitter, Jayson Nix en route to a 14-4 pasting. The same guy batting ninth in the White Sox lineup carrying a mighty .231 batting average. Pathetic.

The Yankee hitters weren't any better, as they continue game after game struggling with RISP. They went 2-13 today and are now 12 for their last 62 for a .194 average. Things were so bad, the Yanks loaded the bases in the 6th with none out and only scored one run. It came on a bloop to LF from newly acquired Yankee, Jerry Hairston. Jorge Posada fell for Carlos Quentin's fake catch and was forced out at 3B. He continues to be one of the worse base runners I've ever seen. Cody Ransom signed his own death warrant, going 0-4 with 3 Ks, leaving 5 men on base. Cody, we hardly knew ye. Good riddance.

After Burnett's early exit, the Yankees marched out a myriad of relievers. None were worse than Phil Coke, who wouldn't be outdone by Burnett's 6-run inning. Coke got shelled for a 6-spot of his own, and he only retired 1 batter. Lefty Coke promptly surrendered 3 hits to the first 3 lefty batters he faced. He also issued the Yanks 3rd bases loaded walk of the day to Scott Posednik, another lefty hitter who has no power whatsoever, not to mention, they were down by 6 runs already at that point.

Leave it to the Yankees to wake up the Chisox bats after they'd been dormant in their 2 previous series. There's about 4-5 guys in their lineup I've never heard of either. With the Bosox beating up on hapless Baltimore again, the Yanks 3.5 game lead has dwindled all the way back to a half game. CC Sabathia and the Yanks better wake up tomorrow. They'll be facing Mr. Perfect, Mark Buehrle, himself. I'm smelling sweep.

Yankees Record: 62-42