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.

Say It Ain't So, Sammy

Roger Maris lives!  It appears 61 HRs in a season is still the "real" record, as the New York Times broke a story today that Sammy Sosa is one of the 104 who tested positive for steroids in the "anonymous" testing back in 2003.  There are just 102 more names to be discovered, as ARod was implicated before the season started.  As for Sammy being fingered, I AM SHOCKED - not really. 

Sammy mysteriously hit 66, 63 and 64 dingers in 3 separate seasons and finished with 604 in his career.  Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds also surpassed the magical 61 number, but both have been linked to steroid use as well.  Sosa is also well known for his sudden lapse of understanding the English language during the infamous Congressional hearings regarding steroid use, as he used an interpreter and played the stooge.  He was also suspended in 2003 when his corked bat exploded one day.  Ol' Sammy tried to cover it up by saying it was his batting practice bat.  Uh-huh.  

When will Bud Selig take a stand and re-crown Roger Maris as the true home run champion?  And, when will we get the rest of the cheats on that fateful list?

Game 64 - Yanks Rally For CC

The Yanks led 2-0 after 3 innings, but it looked as if they were taking the lowly Washington Nationals for granted, as they started the game 1-7 with RISP.  CC Sabathia cruised through the first 4 innings till he faced the Nats' daunting bottom of the order.  Ex-Yankee rejects, Alberto Gonzalez and Wil Nieves both singled with one out, and the very light-hitting Anderson Hernandez hit his 2nd career HR, first since 2006, to give the Nats a 3-2 lead.  

Washington starter, Shairon Martis, held the Yanks to 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings, despite walking 5 batters.  He looked as though he could have walked every lefty batter in the lineup, if the Yankees had let him.  He was bailed out twice by Hideki Matsui's weak dribblers with RISP, ending potential threats.  

The Yanks finally woke up from their slumber in the 7th, rallying against ol' Yankee reliever, Ron Villone for 2 runs.  Doubles from Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano (yes, there was a Cano sighting with a RISP), gave the Yanks a 4-3 lead.  Both doubles were aided by the horrendous fielding of criminal CF, Elijah Dukes.  Cano finished the day an impressive 4-4 to raise his season average to .309.  

CC improved to 6-4, pitching 7.2 innings with 2 Ks - his only mistake the 3-run shot to Hernandez.  Brian Bruney, fresh off the DL, came on with 2 out in the 8th to retire his only batter.  The great Mariano finished up the 9th for his 497th career save, 15th this season.  Besides the lack of clutch hitting, the only other thing to mar the Yankees win was Derek Jeter leaving the game in the 8th due to soreness in his ankle.  

Yankees Record:  37-27 

Bruney Activated Off of DL

Brian Bruney was activated off the DL today, but in  a surprising move, the Yanks designatedt the hard-throwing Jose Veras for assignment.  They can either waive or trade him in the next 10 days.  If he clears waivers, the Yanks would send him back down to Scranton-Wilkes Barre, however, I doubt a live arm like Veras' will last long on the waiver wire.  

It's a shame Veras could not repeat last year's performance out of the pen.  I was surprised he was DFA'd instead of the 35-year old Bret Tomko, who got lit up this weekend by the Mets.  Tomko probably would have a better shot at passing through waivers, too.  The Yanks other option was sending David Robertson back down to Triple A, but Robertson has become one of the Yanks reliable arms out of the pen and deserved to stay with the big league club.

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 62 - Feels Like Early April Again

Apparently, there was no hangover for the Mets and their embarrassing blunder from the night before, as they came out and slapped the Yanks like a red-headed stepchild for 17 hits in a 6-2 win. Andy Pettitte, for the 5th time this season, averaged 2 runners per inning, but unlike other games when he tapped danced his way out of major trouble, it finally caught up to him today. In 5 innings of work, he surrendered 12 hits and 1 walk for 5 earned runs. If it weren't for Chien-Ming Wang's issues, perhaps the Yankees would consider removing Pettitte from the rotation.

The only thing worse than Pettitte today was the Yankee hitters. Facing the little known Fernando Nieve in his 12th Major League start, and first since 2006, they only mustered 4 hits off of him. ARod closed the Yanks to within 2-1 with a solo shot in the bottom of the 2nd, but they never got any closer. They didn't score again till the 7th on The Captain's infield single. Mets relievers Sean Green and KRod limited the Yanks to Jeter's single in 2.1 innings to close out the game and putting yesterday's blunder behind them.

The Yanks continued their rehabilitation program for aging sluggers. For the second day in a row, Gary Sheffield went deep. This coming on the heels of allowing Big Sloppy Ortiz to hit 2 HRs in the Boston series.

As for taking away any positives, Jose Veras made a rare appearance, pitching 2 shutout innings. He allowed 3 hits, but one hit fell in when Brett Gardner slipped in the OF. He K'd 2 batters without any walks, lowering his ERA below 6.00.

To top off the terrible day, the Yanks fell 3 games behind Boston, as they did what the Yanks failed to do - slap around a young pitcher they'vw never seen before, scoring 5 runs in the first inning. So what's the Yanks excuse now?

Yankees Record: 35-27

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