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 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 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 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

Game 98- Yanks End Homestand On a Good Note

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees Record: 60-38

Game 96 - Joba Pitches Yanks to 8th Straight Win

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees Record: 59-37

Game 89 - Yankee All Stars Lead Team in Win

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees Record: 52-37

AL All Stars Win World Series Home Advantage

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

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

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

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

Game 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 82 - Yanks Rally Falls Short

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees Record: 48-34

Game 81 - Aceves Restores Order

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees Record: 48-33

Game 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 68 - Burnett Loses in Pitchers Duel

AJ Burnett and the Yanks suffered a tough loss, stumbling to the Marlins and Josh Johnson, 2-1. Burnett and Johnson locked up in a good ol' fashion pitchers duel. AJ went 6.1 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, with 8 Ks. In the 3rd inning, he struck out the side on 9 pitches. At one point, he recorded 6 straight outs via the strike out. AJ's doom came in the 6th inning when Johnny Damon couldn't make the catch on a drive by Jorge Cantu, with his error leading to the Marlins 2nd run that proved the difference.

As great as Burnett was dealing, Josh Johnson pitched even better. He went 7 frames, allowing only 1 earned run on 3 hits. He only allowed an AJ Burnett bloop single that barely escaped a diving lunge by 2B Dan Uggla through 6 innings and retired the side 4 times. He finally surrendered the Yanks lone run in the 7th on a walk and 2 singles, but escaped further trouble by striking out Melky Cabrera.

The Yanks best shot to tie the game came in the 8th against the Fish's bullpen. Hideki Matsui led off with a pinch-hit single. With Brett Gardner running for Matsui, he swiped second. ARod came on to pinch hit and walked, giving the Yanks runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs and The Captain coming to the plate. After failing to lay down a bunt, Jeter banged into his 2nd double play of the day. For Jeter, king of the DP last year, it was his sixth twin-killing this season. The Yanks last gasp came in the 9th when Mark Teixeira led off with a single, but for the 2nd time this week, Robinson Cano ended the game on a double play. It was the 3rd DP of the game for the Yanks as their team-wide troubles continue at the plate.

Notes: Boston beat Atlanta 3-0, regaining their 3 game lead on the Yanks. Xavier Nady continues to rehab in Tampa and is scheduled to begin playing in minor league games next week. Phil Hughes pitched a dominating 8th inning, striking out 2. Damn, he looks good in the pen - although I'm still on record that he's a starter and belongs in the rotation.

Yanks Record: 38-30

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

Jeter Out Tonight vs. DC

Derek Jeter is sidelined for tonight's game, due to a sore left ankle. He believes he may have suffered the injury on a Gary Sheffield slide this past weekend against the Mets. There is no currently no timeline for his injury. Ramiro Pena will get the start tonight.

Game 63 - Yanks Blow Out Mets & Santana

In the "that's why you play the game" category, the Yanks handed Mets ace, Johan Santana, the worse start of his career en route to a 15-0 win.  Santana got shelled for 9 runs in 3+ innings.  Derek Jeter led the Bombers 17-hit attack with 4 hits.  Francisco Cervelli chipped in 3 hits of his own.  His first hit in the 2nd inning led to the Yanks first run, when he blooped a 2-out, 2-strike pitch to rightfield.  That hit may have doomed Santana, because he followed that up with run scoring hits to Jeter and Johnny Damon during a 40+ pitch inning that gave the Yanks a 4-0 lead.

The Pinstripers knocked out Santana in the 4th, scoring 9 more runs in the inning that was highlighted by Hideki Matsui's and Robinson Cano's HRs.  AJ Burnett followed up his stinker in Boston with 7 shutout innings, limiting the Metropolitans to 4 hits while striking out 8.  He wiggled out of a bases loaded jam in the top half of the 3rd after the Yanks gave him a 4-spot.  He struck out Yankee pest, Alex Cora, and then Fernando Martinez, before Carlos Beltran ended the threat by lining out to the Captain. 

After losing yesterday's game that looked favorably for the Yanks against a pitcher who hadn't started in the Majors since 2006, they were able to turn the tide today in the rubber match.  The Mets must have liked their chances with one of the best pitchers in baseball on the mound, but Santana didn't have his stuff today.  The long 2nd inning certainly did him in.  The Yanks improved to 8-1 in series clinching games.  With Boston's loss today, the closed within 2 games for the division lead.  99 games left in the season.  I'm predicting Yanks go 60-40 for their last 100 games to make the playoffs.  

Yankees Record:  36-27

   

Game 52 - Yanks Take Texas Behind the Woodshed

The score was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 4th, when Texas pitcher, Vincente Padilla, plunked Mark Teixeira in the buttocks.  It was the second time in the game he hit Tex, and you could see Tex shout at him "(Bleeping) throw the ball over the plate".  Unfortunately for Padilla, he woke the sleeping giant and he was very angry.  

With ARod at the plate and the bases loaded with one out, Padilla still had a shot to get out of the inning.  All he needed was a double play ball and it looked like ARod would oblige Padilla when he hit a grounder to second.  But Tex went in hard to the base with a vengeance, upending SS Elvis Andrus and allowing ARod to just beat the throw, avoiding the DP.  Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada would follow with run scoring singles and Hideki Matsui hit a 3-run blast, completing a 7-run outburst for a 9-3 lead.  Tex loved every minute of it, as he shed his usually calm and stoic persona and showing, dare I say, true emotion and fire.  I can only hope the Yankees will continue to show any kind of emotion and passion, which seemed to have disappeared with O'Neill, Brosius, Knoblauch and others of the 90's dynasty as they took on the boring, business-like persona in the latter years of Joe Torre's regime.  

AJ Burnett pitched well, despite nearly collapsing in the 3rd inning.  For the first 2.2 innings, he was in cruise control, until he walked a batter.  That was followed up by a double and 3-run jack by Nelson Cruz that gave Texas a brief 3-2 lead.  Burnett gave up 2 more hard singles and a long drive to deep center that finally getting him out of the inning, but he looked very shaky.  However, he would settle down again and pitch 7 strong innings with 8 Ks and one walk.  He even defended his teammate, Tex, nearly decapitating Nelson Cruz with a high inside fastball.  Both teams received warnings from the ump and it will be interesting to see if this bad blood will carry over tomorrow night. 

The Captain, Derek Jeter, banged out another 3 hits tonight and scored his 15ooth run of his career.  He collected his 2600th hit of his career yesterday, and with the 3 more tonight, has an excellent shot at passing Lou Gehrig for the all-time Yankee hit record later this season.  Gehrig had 2,721 hits in his career.  Posada also had 3 hits, including a 3-run blast and 4 RBIs, although his throwing error brought an end to the Yankees consecutive errorless streak at 18 games.  

But other things went well for the Yankees tonight, so well that even Brett Tomko and Jose Veras pitched a scoreless frame each, as the final score was 12-3.  They also didn't issue any free passes.  To Veras' credit, he won a tough battle against Ian Kinsler for the last out of the game, repeatedly challenging him on a full count after Kinsler fouled off numerous fastballs, instead of walking him.  Hopefully, Veras can build on this performance.  The Yanks need him till Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte return from their injuries.  

Yankees Record:  31-21 - best record in AL