Game 139 - Yanks Complete the Doubleheader Sweep

The Yanks demonstrated yet again, why capitalism shall always overcome socialism. In the second game of the twin bill, the Bombers took the Tampa Bay Rays behind the woodshed and laid a beating on them, drubbing them to a tune of 11-1. The penny-pinching, cost saving, frugal and just outright cheap Rays dropped their 7th straight and probably flushed any chances at a wildcard berth, falling 7.5 games back of the Sawx. The Rays recently traded one of their better pitchers in Scott Kazmir and their bullpen has reeked all season of cutting corners with the payroll. Why the Rays management would skimp on such a talented team all season defies belief and I would imagine making it very hard to root for such a team.

Early, it appeared AJ Burnett's recent struggles were not behind him, as he was hit hard in the 1st inning, giving up 2 doubles as the Rays jumped out to a 1-0 lead. He quickly righted the ship and limited the Rays to only that first run, pitching 6 strong innings while striking out 8 and holding Tampa Bay to 4 hits.

Meanwhile, the Yankee offense exploded against Kazmir's replacement in the rotation, Andy Sonnanstine, in the 3rd inning. They put a huge 8-spot on the board, virtually putting the game in cruise control and allowed Joe Girardi to empty his bench and play a lot of the recent September call-ups. Every Yankee starter, with the exception of Derek Jeter, had at least a hit. Jeter, who needs 3 hits to tie Lou Gehrig for the all time Yankee hit leader, went 0-4 with a walk and 0-8 in the doubleheader. During the big 3rd inning, he made 2 of the 3 outs. Big Tex knocked 2 HRs, including one deep into Monument Park. Melky Cabrera and Jose Molina each had 3 hits apiece in the blowout. Molina reached base all 5 times, walking 2 times as well. Mysteriously, since the return of Brett Gardner began to lurk, Melky has begun hitting again. Apparently, Melky seems to need the extra motivation to keep the fire burning and produce. Let's hope the Yanks keep Gardner on the playoff roster.

Call-ups Edwar Ramirez, Jonathan "Smallest Glove in the World" Albaladejo and Michael Dunn each pitched an inning to wrap up the game. Dunn appeared to heading for another meltdown like his major league debut earlier in the week, when he walked 2 batters around an out. He settled down to K the final 2 batters, showing flashes of why this hard-throwing lefty is highly thought of in the Yankee organization. The win was Burnett's first since July, as he improved to 11-8 on the season.

Although The Captain went hitless today, he did pass Yogi Berra for 3rd on the All Time games played list in Yankee history. He just continues to reach milestones at this point in his career. There are some big names he's been passing, too. With the win, the Yanks division lead is a season-high 9 games and their magic number is down to 16.

Yankees Record: 89-50