Game 133 - CC, ARod Help Yanks Sweep Baltimore

The Yankees highest paid pitcher, CC Sabathia, limited Baltimore to 1 run in 7 innings, and their highest paid position player, ARod, went 3-5 with 4 RBIs to lead the team to a 10-2 victory and sweep over the sad-sack Orioles. Crooked Cap allowed a 1st inning run on a bunt single, a check-swing single and a SF by Nick Markakis. He got into more trouble in the 2nd when he loaded the bases on 3 singles with 1 out. He struck out the next 2 batters to escape the jam and finished up with 9 Ks. He improved to 16-7 on the season and leads the AL in wins.

For a while, it appeared the Yanks were going to waste CC's effort, as they struggled to come through with a big hit against Jason Berken, who came into the game with an unsightly 6.33 ERA. For 5.1 innings, Berken allowed 8 hits and 2 walks, but the Yanks left men all over the place. Only Eric Hinske's HR, his 2nd in 2 days, kept the game tied at 1 till ARod broke the tie with a 2-run single in the 7th.

To my horror, Brian Bruney came out for the 8th inning. Mariano Rivera was unavailable after saving the previous 2 games as Joe Girardi was saving Phil Hughes for the 9th. Why not a 2-inning save? Bruney didn't disappoint in scaring Yankee fans everywhere, allowing a 1-out dinger to Nolan Reimold to bring the Orioles within 1. Girardi, like Yankee fans everywhere, had seen enough, and brought in Phil Coke. He retired Markakis and Girardi brought in Hughes to get the last out of the inning.

In the top of the 9th, the Yanks erupted for 7 runs on 7 singles and 2 walks. Unlike last night, when they scored 8 of their 9 runs via the long ball, only 1 of the 10 runs tonight came on a HR. For the game, they pounded out 17 hits. Johnny Damon led the way with 4 hits. Robinson Cano, who's been absolutely en fuego, had 2 more hits, tying the Yankee record for hits in a season at Camden Yards with 17. He shares the record with Alfonso Soriano.

Phil Hughes struck out the Oriole side in the bottom of the 9th for his 2nd save. With the win, the Yanks moved 7.5 games over Boston, who lost to Tampa. Josh Beckett tossed another unimpressive game and was on the hook for the loss, but Boston tied it in the 8th before their bullpen coughed up 3 runs in the 8-5 loss.

Yankees Record: 85-48

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 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 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 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 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

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 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 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

Game 76 - Yanks Streak Reaches 6

The Bombers continued their winning ways, prevailing 8-5 over Seattle, despite their struggles with RISP and blowing two different 2-run leads. Joba Chamberlain squared off against Seattle's own flamethrower - Brandon Morrow (picked ahead of Tim Lincecum!). Both starters were less than impressive. Joba allowed 9 hits and 3 walks in only 5.1 innings, and repeatedly found himself in a full count on most hitters. He allowed a HR to the .133 hitting Ronny Cedeno and blew a 3-1 lead in the 5th, allowing the Mariners to chip away for 2 more runs to knot the score. Morrow wiggled through 3 bases loaded jams, minimizing the Yanks to 3 runs in his 4.2 innings of work, despite giving up 5 hits and 5 walks. The Yankees certainly didn't help their cause or provide Joba with a comfortable lead, starting the game 0-10 with RISP.

ARod gave the Yanks their second 2-run lead of the night when he absolutely crushed a high-inside fastball in the 7th. It wouldn't last long. Brian Bruney gave up 2 runs in the 8th after he relieved the impressive Phil Hughes who tossed 9 pitches in the previous frame. I guess Joe Girardi is intent on Bruney being his 8th inning bridge to Mariano. However, Bruney's been ineffective since his return from the DL. In 4.2 innings, he's given up 3 runs, 4 hits, 5 walks with only 3 Ks. Brian Cashman said today that the Yankees may be hampering Hughes long term as a starter, but the team's current needs require him to be in the bullpen. Perhaps it's time to let Hughes throw multiple innings, a la Mariano in 1996, and be the 8th inning reliever, at least till Bruney can rediscover his form.

Luckily, the Yanks had one more rally in them in the 8th. Melky Cabrera laced a run scoring double and The Captain followed by knocking in 2 more runs with a single to give the Yanks the 8-5 lead. They finished the game 4-16 with RISP. Better late than never. In the 9th, the great Mariano came on to record his 501st career save, characteristically ending it with a punch out. The Yanks honored Mariano before the game by having him throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Notes: Great night overall for Yankee fans. Boston blew a 10-1 lead to Baltimore, giving up an astronomical 10 runs in the 7th and 8th innings. What happened to the "best" bullpen in baseball? Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Papelbum were bitch-slapped in Baltimore's epic comeback. If I were a Red Sox fan, I'd want to throw up tonight. Thank the good Lord, I'm not. There's nothing to like about this smug team. They're so smug, they walked off the field in the 6th with only 2 outs! How embarrassing. Speaking of smug, the Rays won their 7th straight. Look out.

Yankees Record: 44-32 - season high 12 games over .500

Game 73 - Sabathia, Gardner Manhandle Mets

The Bombers blasted the Metropolitans, 9-1, to win their 3rd straight. They've scored 28 runs in their 3 wins, after only scoring a total of 18 in their previous 7 games. CC Sabathia, after being pulled in the 2nd in his last start for biceps tendinitis, pitched 7 solid innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits with 8 Ks. His lone run came on a Gary Sheffield blast, as the Yanks continued to donate to their favorite charity "Revive an Aging Slugger". It's Sheffield's 3rd homer of the year against the Yanks. Sabathia helped his own cause at the plate, too, going 1-4 with a run and an RBI single. Bret Tomko tossed 2 hitless innings to finish up for the boys from the Bronx.

With Derek Jeter sitting out with a respiratory infection, Brett Gardner took over the leadoff spot and looked like a man who doesn't want to go back to the bench. Gardner had his best day as a major leaguer, going 5-6 with a triple, HR, SB and 2 RBIs. Who says it's hard to hit HRs at the new Citifield? Melky Cabrera and/or Nick Swisher may want to stock up on their sunflower seeds, because Gardner has clearly regained his starting CF position.

ARod continued his recent hot streak, hitting a dinger for the 2nd day in a row and passing Reggie Jackson for 11th place all-time with HR # 564. It's bittersweet, though, as Reggie was a childhood hero of mine, and despite being an ARod apologist, I can't help feel his HR total is tainted with his steroid admission earlier this year. However, it's obvious the Yanks offense clicks when ARod is hitting.

The starting lineups looked like the Yankees B-team vs. the Mets C-team. The Yanks were missing Jeter, Posada, and Swisher from their lineup while the Mets were playing without Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado. It was real apparent that the Mets were fielding an inferior team during their embarrassing 3-error performance in the 2nd inning that staked the Yanks to a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Jeter's replacement, Ramiro Pena, had a nice day at the plate. He went 3-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in the Yanks 14-hit attack.

Of course, I can't finish my blog without reference to my 2 favorite subjects - Robinson Cano and RISP. Despite going 2-6 with a double, Cano stranded 7 men on base. Nothing astounds me more than his 42 RBIs on the season. He if could hit close to his average with RISP, he'd probably be leading the league without 70+ RBIs. As for the team, despite scoring 9 runs, the Yanks were an abysmal 3-17 with RISP. Thank God for the Mets porous defense and the long ball.

AJ Burnett will face off against Tim Redding in game 2. However, what looks like a mismatch on paper in the Yankees favor has proven to be anything but in this interleague rivalry.

Yankees Record: 41-32

Game 72 - Yanks Take the Chop Out of Atlanta

In a game that featured 18 runs, 29 hits, 11 walks, 4 errors and 11 pitchers, the Yanks prevailed 11-7 over the Braves. The contest lasted nearly 4 hours before Mariano Rivera came on to retire the one batter he faced for his 499th career save. The Yanks knocked out old nemesis, Derek Lowe, in 3+ innings, going up 8-1. Yankee starter, Andy Pettitte, would not be around the enjoy the benefits and generosity of the Yankee offense though, as he did everything in his power to get the Braves back in the game before he was knocked out with 2 outs in the bottom of the 4th. With the Yanks large lead trimmed to 8-6 and the tying runs on base, Alfredo Aceves struck out old, and I mean old Yankee killer, Garret Anderson.

Aceves pitched 2.1 shutout innings to improve to 5-1. Phil Coke followed up with 2 scoreless innings of his own. David Robertson came on in the final frame when he awakened the Braves bats before Mariano brought semblance to the night's festivities. Robertson allowed a HR to Brian McCann for the 2nd time in the series and gave up 2 hits between 2 strike outs, before Mo picked up the "easy" one out save because the tying run was on deck.

ARod, The Captain and Johnny Damon were the hitting stars of the night. ARod went 3-5 with a HR in the 1st, a walk, and knocked in 4 runs. Jeter went 4-5, reached on an error and a walk, stole a base and scored 4 runs Damon had his hitting shoes on as well, going 3-4 with a bases loaded triple, 2 walks and knocked in 4 runs, too. Even Cody Ransom, fresh off the DL, got into the act. He went 2-5 with a 2-out, 2-run double. He played for Cano, who was out with a sore wrist. Hmm, I can't remember the last time Cano got a 2-out run scoring hit. Maybe Ransom could be the motivation Cano needs. In all, the Yanks had seven 2-out RBIs.

Strangely enough, while the Yanks pounded out 16 hits, Tex and Swisher combined to go 1-11. Tex alone stranded a Cano-like 6 men on base, going 0-5. The Yanks gained a game on Boston, who were shellacked by the mighty Nationals, 9-1, in John Smoltz' 2009 and Red Sox debut. The Yanks close out these overrated and highly annoying interleague games with their metropolitan rivals this weekend.

Yankees Record: 40-32, 1 game up in the wild card

Game 71 - Joba, Yanks End Slide

Things looked grim, as the first 15 Yankees were retired through 5 innings. Despite a closed door meeting between the hitters, and Joba Chamberlain knocking out Braves starter, Kenshin Kawakami, with a line drive to the neck in the 3rd, the Yanks could muster nothing. Not even against Braves reliever, Kris Medlen, owner of an ERA just under a tick of 6.00. When Jeff Francouer took Joba deep in the bottom of the 5th, I'm sure a lot of Yankee fans, including myself, felt that could be the ballgame.

Brett Gardner finally broke up the perfect game with a leadoff walk in the 6th. However, all hope appeared dashed when Gardner was horrendously called out on a pickoff at first. Replays clearly showed Gardner beat the tag back to the bag. Joe Girardi jumped all over the ump for his terrible gaffe and earned an early shower. Girardi's boot finally awakened the slumbering bats of the Yanks.

Francisco Cervelli tied the game up with his 1st ML home run, providing a huge lift to an offense that was clearly pressing. With 2 out, hits by Jeter and Damon, and a walk to Tex loaded the bases for the enigmatic ARod. Struggling through a 1-25 slump, ARod quickly fell behind 0-2 in the count. After fouling off a pitch, he laced a single to right to knock in 2 runs and giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead on what was considered an endangered species around these parts - the 2-out hit with RISP.

Nick Swisher, who had a mysterious closed door meeting with GM Brian Cashman and Girardi earlier in the day and then found himself in the lineup after being initially left off of it, laced an opposite field HR to left to make it 4-1 Yanks in the 6th. Joba pitched into the 7th before he ran into trouble. The Braves rallied to make it 4-3 with Phil Coke closing out the inning, thanks in part to a circus catch by Swisher in RF. The Yanks would "rally" for 2 more runs in the 8th, despite Robinson Cano's best efforts to sabotage the whole inning. With the bases loaded, no outs, Cano embarrassed himself, yet again, by hitting it to 1B for a force out at home. Braves catcher, Brian McCann, hit Cano in the back in an attempt to double him up at first, leading to the 5th run. Swisher knocked in another run with an RBI groundout. Someone please tell me how Cano is still hitting 5th in this lineup.

There was a Brian Bruney sighting in the 8th, but with 2 outs, he ran into trouble, setting the stage for another rare sight - Mariano Rivera. Mo hasn't pitched in 8 days, but it didn't show in his performance tonight. He struck out all 4 batters he faced, recording his 16th save this season and 498th of his career. He even got to bat with the bases loaded in the top of the 9th, while the Yanks cushioned the lead to 8-4. Mo hit a hard liner to CF to end the inning, as his amused teammates were hopeful it would fall in for a hit. It's been awhile since these guys had any fun.

After starting the game 0-15, the Yanks ended it by going 10-20 after Girardi's ejection, with 2 dingers and scoring in every inning after the 5th. Joba improved to 4-2 on the season, 4-0 on the road. They'll face an old foe in Derek Lowe tomorrow in the rubber match.

Other AL East notes: Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay all won. Big Sloppy hit his 7th HR of the year, 6th this month, as the Sawx beat Craig "Yankee Killer" Stammen. They've never seen him before either, yet they proved it is possible to beat someone the first time a team faces a pitcher. That excuse is getting old for the Yanks. Other teams are beating these first timers like a drum, so why can't a club of the Yankees caliber do the same? Besides, they've faced the likes of Josh Beckett and Roy Halladay all the time and they still beat the Yanks regularly, so that "facing a pitcher the first time" theory is garbage. Pat Burrell helped Tampa beat his old team, the Phillies. I'm sure that will be a topic of discussion in Philly tomorrow.

Yankees Record: 39-32

Game 67 - No ARod, No Problem

The Captain was back in the lineup, ARod asked for a day off, and after two embarrassing losses to the Nats, the Yanks got a much needed vintage Andy Pettitte performance in a 5-1 victory over the Marlins.

Derek Jeter led off the game with a bomb to the deepest part of the park, hitting a 430 ft ground-rule double. If it stayed in the park it would've easily been a triple and perhaps an inside-the-park HR, bum ankle and all. That set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Bombers mounted a 13-hit attack with every starter having at least one hit. Jeter, Damon, Teixeira and Posada each had 2 hits, Melky Cabrera went yard and even the much maligned Angel Berroa had a run scoring double. Not to be outdone, Pettitte followed Berroa's hit with an RBI double of his own.

Berroa played in place of ARod today at 3B. ARod asked Joe Girardi for a day off, and according to Yankee announcer Michael Kay, there must have been some miscommunication between the 2, because ARod found himself in today's lineup when he came to the ballpark. ARod, Girardi and Yankee GM, Brian Cashman, had a sit down meeting and announced that ARod will sit the next 2 days due to fatigue. Let's hope that's all it is, but I still wonder if he's having issues with his hip.

Andy Pettitte looked like the Andy of old when he regularly would stop Yankee losing streaks. He pitched 7 strong innings and only gave up 3 hits. His control was excellent, as he walked none while striking out 7. His lone mistake came on a solo HR by Cody Ross. Pettitte scuffled his previous 6 starts, particularly with his command, but tonight he came out firing, as he kept the Fish off-balance. It's amazing how good Pettitte can be when his breaking ball is working and he can spot his fastball. I guess you can say that about all pitchers, but Andy has made a career of getting by like a crafty veteran, dancing in and out of trouble when all his pitches aren't working.

Brian Bruney made his second appearance since returning from the DL, retiring the side in the 8th and Bret Tomko went 1-2-3 in the 9th to finish up a successful start on the 9-game interleague road trip.

Other notes: Maybe it's not just the Yankees that lose to mediocre pitchers. Tampa Bay lost to the Mets as Fernando Nieve held them to 1 run in 6 innings. It was Nieve's first start since beating the Yanks last weekend.

Boston also lost to little known Kenshin Kawakami and the Braves tonight. Kawakami and his 4.54 ERA outpitched his more popular and famous countryman, Daisuke "The Dart Thrower" Matsuzaka. He held the Sawx to 2 runs on 2 hits in 6 frames. Matsuzaka lasted just 4 innings, giving up 8 hits, 4 walks and 6 runs. Terrible! If you had the over on the 100 pitches over/under tonight, amazingly enough, you lost! The Dart Thrower only threw 69 darts as the Braves came out swinging. Newly acquired Nate McLouth hit the game's first pitch for a HR en route to an 8-2 win. Even Matsuzaka admitted tonight he doesn't belong in the Sawx rotation.

Don't look now but the GNats have a 3 game winning streak, as they beat the Jays 2-1 in 11 innings. Who said this team can't pitch?

Yankees Record: 37-29 and 2 games back of Boston

Game 61 - The Popup Heard 'Round the World

In a game with more twists and turns then the Coney Island Cyclone, it was only fitting how the intraleague rivalry game between the Yanks and Mets ended tonight.  Before the start of the game, it looked like a total mismatch with Joba Chamberlain facing off against Mets pitcher, Livan Hernandez.  The depleted Mets lineup is missing Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado and Hernandez came into the game with an 0-3 record and 6.37 ERA against the Bombers.  It seemed the perfect recipe for the Yanks to put the Boston embarrassment behind them, but there's a reason why these games are played on the field and not on paper.

Amazingly enough, the first inning went quickly and quietly, as both pitchers retired the side.  Cano got things started with a homer in the 2nd - solo, of course, because Cano has no clue how to hit with men on.  I feel like a broken record when it comes to Cano, as he left 2 more men in scoring position tonight.  

Joba looked real good for 2 innings, but took a trip on the wild side in the 3rd.  He walked the light-hitting Brian Schneider and the punchless Alex Cora, before hitting the overmatched Fernando Martinez to load the bases for Carlos Beltran.  Joba walked him after a 10-pitch battle, tying the game at 1.  It looked like Joba would work out of trouble when he struck out the dangerous David Wright, but then he hit Ryan Church with a pitch, gift-wrapping 2 runs without a single hit for the Mets.  It also took him a whopping 43 pitches to get out of the inning.  

The Yanks took the lead for the second time in the 3rd on Mark Teixeira's league leading 20th HR.  The 2-run shot put the Yanks up 3-2.  Joba ruined the good mood in the 4th.  After quickly retiring the first 2 batters, he walked the equally punchless Luis Castillo and Cora (his 2nd walk) before getting out unscathed.  Unfortunately, that frame cost Joba another 25 pitches, giving him an even 100 on the night, only 52 for strikes.  It also ended Joba's night after 4 innings.  He only allowed 1 hit, but his 5 walks and numerous full counts did him in.  Joba and Jorge Posada didn't connect all night on signs, as Joba continually shook him off and Jorge wore out a path to the mound.  Jorge, at one point, barked at Joba, probably telling him to stop throwing breaking balls and throw his damn fastball.  Joba just wouldn't ease up on the slider tonight, despite having no control with it.  Why anyone with a plus 90's fastball would shy away from using it is astounding.

Enter Bret Tomko in the 5th - goodbye Yankee lead.  He got shelled for 4 runs, including a bomb to ol' Yankee buddy, Gary Sheffield.  The Yanks have been very charitable this week to struggling, overaged sluggers (see:  Ortiz, David).   The Captain, Derek Jeter, got one back in the bottom frame with a solo shot, bringing the Yanks within 6-4.  Hernandez, despite yielding 3 homers, was being efficient, not allowing the Yanks any rallies - until the 6th.  With 1 out, Cano singled (again, no men on) and Posada walked.  Mets manager, Jerry Manuel brought in freshly called up lefty, Jon Switzer, to face birthday boy, Hideki Matsui.  Last year, I saw Matsui hit a grand slam, live, at Oakland.  This year, I watched him take Switzer's first pitch on TV and deposit it into the rightfield seats.  With the game's 5th lead change, the Yanks went up 7-6.  

It didn't stay that way for long, as ol' man Sheff led off the 7th with a gapper for a double.  2 batters later, the game was tied.  In the bottom frame, both ARod and Cano (seeing a pattern here with this guy?) left a man on 2nd.  In the top of the 8th, Phil Coke quickly retired the first 2 hitters.  He retired the last 4 overall.  Joe Girardi then panicked.  Apparently, he spent most of his day reading Yankee blogs or listening to the sports radio about how he should have used Mariano Rivera in the 8th against Boston yesterday.  I thought Girardi was in a tough spot in yesterday's loss and gave him a pass.  Not today.  As soon as he called for Mo to face Beltran, I didn't understand why he would turn the switch-hitter around to bat left-handed at Yankee Stadium.  Mo walked Beltran and then gave up a run scoring double to David Wright.  Absolute terrible call.  And historically, Mo is not as dominant when he enters a game tied.  

Entering the bottom of the 9th, trailing 8-7, things looked grim for the Yanks as KRod entered the game, a perfect 16-16 in save situations.  The Captain provided a small window of hope as he singled with 1 out.  He stole second on Johnny Damon's strike out, leaving it up to Big Tex.  KRod pitched around Tex, bringing up ARod.  He fell behind ARod, and to my horrors, I was afraid he would walk ARod, too, and leave the fate of the game in Robinson Cano's hands.  It never got that far - on a 3-1 count, ARod lifted a popup towards 2B.  Angrily slamming his bat to the ground as he trotted to first, Mets 2nd basemen Castillo circled under the ball - and dropped it!  Jeter scored and Big Tex hustled all the way from 1B with the miraculous winning run.  It looked like the bad dream of a little leaguer and it's something I've never seen end a baseball game (the Bill Buckner play comes the closest thing to it).   

For one night - the sins of Cano, Rivera and Girardi could be forgotten as the Yankees bless their good fortune.

Yankees Record:  35-26    

Game 53 - Yanks Fail in the Clutch

The Yanks lost to Texas 4-2 and it can be contributed to 2 at bats that cost them the game.  With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 3rd and the Yanks trailing 4-1, ARod grounded into a double play on a 3-1 pitch that was likely ball 4 after Texas pitcher, Matt Feldman, walked the bases loaded.  Then ARod followed that terrible performance by striking out with Johnny Damon on 3rd and one out in the 6th.  It appears the Yankees are slumping again with runners in scoring position, which led to their mediocre start to the season.   

Andy Pettitte's performance wasn't any better - he surrendered 3 runs in the 1st and another one in the 2nd, but it could have been much worse.  He got out of a first and second with no out jam in the 3rd and walked the bases loaded in the 4th.  In 5 innings of work, he yielded 7 hits and 6 walks.  13 base runners!  He did record 6 Ks, which helped limit the damage.  

On the bright side, Jorge Posada homered for the 2nd straight game.  Brett Tomko pitched 3 scoreless innings, giving the Yanks a fighting chance to get back in the game.  He's sporting a 2.16 ERA in 8.1 innings and could be a valuable reliever who could hold the fort down and spare the rest of the bullpen.

Other notes:  Red Sox won their 3rd straight game, beating Detroit 10-5 and tying the Yanks for first.  Josh Beckett pitched a no-hitter into the 7th.   Of course, the Red Sox will dodge Justin Verlander tomorrow in the series finale.  God continues to shine on this overrated team.  They've already ducked Roy Halladay twice this season, but the earth would freeze over before Halladay's turn didn't come up in a Yankee series.  

How come every time I turn on the XM radio baseball channel, they're interviewing either Pirates GM Neal Huntington or their manager, John Russell.   The Pirates?  C'mon, the Pirates?  I keep hearing callers complain that all they talk about is Sox and Yanks, but I hardly ever hear these teams mentioned.  I would actually prefer some good Sox talk, besides the perfunctory Ortiz is in a slump banter, then to hear once again how the Pirates are rebuilding.

And the Pirates trade of Nate McLouth - did the Yanks get to kick the tires on that one?  He sure would have looked good patrolling CF in the Bronx.  

Yankees Record:  31-22

AROD Apoligist

When did ARod become the Britney Spears of baseball? Is anyone else sick of all the ARod talk? Is there any truth to the rumor that the new MLB Network will be called the ARod Network?

Enough already, please. The guy took steroids, we get it. The guy fools around with strippers and old, has-been singer hags - it's what athletes and rock stars do. The guy sun bathes in Central Park - so? Enough! Go find Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton or some other talentless hack. The Mick should thank God he didn't live in a time of mass media and internet.

I'm not condoning his actions at all - personally, I feel anyone caught doing steroids should be banned from any Hall of Fame consideration. I just don't want to hear it all day, everyday, on the sports radio. There has got to be something else to talk about. I'd rather listen to how the economy is affecting baseball and what the teams are planning to do about. Take Oakland for instance - they have $2 seats and $1 hotdogs for every Wednesday game this year, including Sox and Yanks.

Anyway, my wife thinks I've always been an ARod apologist. She may be right, but I always found myself pulling for the guy, hoping he'd do well for my team. I still think back to the infamous "Ha" incident in Toronto which he caught a lot of flack. If the immortal Derek Jeter did that, he would have been called a genius, win at all costs gamer and the heavens would have opened up and the angels would have sang, etc, etc. What really appalled me was the gutless, that's right, I said "gutless" act of Joe Torre not defending ARod for his actions. What Padre Joe, to quote Michael Kay, probably didn't realize was, the Yanks had the best record in baseball from that game on after Joe got his team off to another listless start. So, yeah, I've been an ARod apologist, but I must admit, this year will be pretty tough. I'm not sure I can even stomach it anymore.