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This script is getting a little old. Ian Kennedy didn't transform into a new pitcher and the offense continued to frustrate as the Rays downed the Yanks 5-2 in St. Petersburg. Tampa scored at least one run in four of the five innings Kennedy worked and the Bombers managed only three hits against Scott Kazmir. I listened to the first half of this mess at work and then caught the rest when I got home. But it was like watching a bad movie when you already know the ending so my attention span was lacking. But, I've got a job to do so I'll recap this like any other red-blooded American would -- really half-assed.  The Good:The pen. It's too bad the Yanks aren't hitting, because the way the bullpen is pitching a game can be shortened to five innings. The trio of LaTroy Hawkins, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez combined to toss three perfect innings Thursday afternoon. It's really a crying shame that this type of effort was wasted in a loss. The troika's vitals: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. The Bad:Ian Kennedy. Akinori Iwamura led off the bottom of the first with his third homer of the year and well, to bastardize a line from a guy no one has ever heard of, the die was cast. Kennedy managed to retire the next six hitters and wiggled out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam by giving up only one run in the third, but a two-run homer off the bat of Shawn Riggans in the following inning squashed any hope of victory. I usually try to stay upbeat, but I can't say I'm as optimistic about Kennedy as some fans are. Maybe I'm just in a sour mood. At least Kei Igawa's reign of terror is over. The Yanks really have no one else to turn to, so I-Kenn should get at least two more starts. There's nowhere to go but up, right? Kennedy fell to 0-3 with this penta-like line: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR. Johnny Damon. The Yanks aren't scoring runs and Damon isn't hitting. The two seem to go hand and hand. It's not fair to jump on Johnny D (there's plenty of blame to go around), but he's just 2 for his last 23 with zero walks. The guy at the top of the lineup sets the tone and right now that tone is off. Damon finished 0 for 5. The Ugly:A view from the bottom. It's still early and I don't really start paying close attention to the standings until after Memorial Day, but the Yanks are dead last in the AL East. And Tampa Bay is sitting in the catbird's seat. I never thought I'd live to see the day. Still, it's no reason to stick your head in the oven. The Bombers may be bringing up the rear, but they're just two games under .500 (20-22) and only 4.5 games back. At this date last season, the Yankees were also two games under (17-19) and in second place, but they trailed the first-place Red Sox by eight games. The Yanks will head back to the Bronx and host the Metropolitans for a three-game set starting on Friday night. Almost Yankee Johan Santana (4-2, 3.10 ERA) will get the start for the Mets and will go against Darrell Rasner (2-0, 3.00 ERA). Santana hasn't lost since April 12 against the Milwaukee Brewers, but has had two no decisions in his last three starts despite giving up a total of six earned runs in that span. Rasner has been a gift from above and has posted almost identical stats in his first two starts -- allowing two runs in six innings of work against both the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers. I'm sure Loge13 will be keeping tabs so give him a look-see if you want a Mets perspective on things. Friday's weather forecast in New York is supposed to be soggy, but I hope they manage to get the game in. The Yanks have an off day on Monday, but I don't think either team is gung-ho for a doubleheader. C'mon Mother Nature, be cool.
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It wasn't the offensive explosion everyone's been waiting for, but a win is a win. Mike Mussina continued his baseball renaissance, Robinson Cano collected four hits and Mariano Rivera got right back on the horse as the Yanks nipped the Rays 2-1 in Tampa. The Bombers scratched out only seven hits, but they made the most of them and sparkling defense from Melky Cabrera, Cano, Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi (it's true!) helped snap a mini two-game skid. The Good:Mike Mussina. The Magic Man continued to dazzle with his wizardly right arm. The Moose got into some trouble in the second, but a double play erased a leadoff single by Carlos Pena and after Cliff Floyd reached with two outs, Melky gunned out the husky lefty as he tried to advance to third on a base hit by Dioner Navarro. Mussina wouldn't allow a Tampa batter to get past second base the rest of the night. Moose is turning into the poor man's Greg Maddux and showed that confidence and location can sometimes trump speed and velocity. Mussina won his fifth straight game and improved to 6-3 on the year with this: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K. The following YouTube clip is for Magic Man Moose: Robinson Cano. Robbie is off the interstate! Cano drove in the first run of the ballgame with a two out, RBI-single in the fourth to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Canu also made some nifty plays in the field, including a nice running catch in the ninth inning to help preserve the Yankee victory. The offense has looked stagnant and stale lately (and they didn't exactly tear it up on Wednesday), but if Cano regains his stroke it should help turn the tide. Cano finished 4 for 4 with an RBI and is now batting .205 on the year. Bobby Abreu. It wasn't exactly a screaming line drive, but Abreu did provide the margin of victory for the Yanks with a two out bloop RBI-double in the fifth. It doesn't make up for his failure to drive in Jeter from third with one out in yesterday's game, but it'll do ... it'll do. Abreu finished 1 for 4 with a run batted in.  The Bad:Ross Ohlendorf. The O-man was summoned in the seventh with a runner on first and one out. His task -- protect a tenuous 2-0 lead. The results -- mixed. Ohlendorf gave up back-to-back singles that sliced the Yankee lead to 2-1. But fortune smiled on Ross and the Yanks when Jeter snagged a line drive off the bat of Gabe Gross and then flipped to Cano to double up Cliff Floyd at second. DJ was in the right spot at the right time and Floyd made a base running mistake. The results were positive and the box score won't show it, but Ohlendorf didn't look particularly good. Ohlendorf's line: .2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. The Ugly:Boss Jr. speaks again. Hank Steinbrenner continued to run his big mouth before Wednesday's game. The Yanks are obviously struggling and Boy George wasn't completely off with some of his comments. "The bottom line is that the team is not playing the way it is capable of
playing," he said. Fair enough, even though "bottom line" are weasel words. But Hank can't help confusing people. "I'm not saying they are not giving the effort, but they need to be playing
harder." Not really sure what that means, professor. Anyway, Joe Girardi held his first closed-door meeting before Wednesday's game and addressed the team for 30 minutes. G.I. Joe said it had nothing to do with Hank's comments. The Marlboro Man can say whatever he wants (he is in charge -- for better or worse), but it's comical that a guy who inherited the team from his pop says things like "These players are being paid a lot of money and they had better decide for
themselves to earn that money." And we're only in the middle of May. The Yanks will try and "earn" a split of the series on Thursday and will say hello to an old (young) friend. Ian Kennedy (0-2, 8.37 ERA) will make the start after an abbreviated stint in the minors. The Rays will send Scott Kazmir (1-1, 2.70 ERA) to the hill. Tampa battered Kennedy on April 4 for six runs in only 2 1/3 innings. Kazmir missed the first month of the season with an elbow injury, but signed a four-year extension with the Rays on Wednesday. The young lefty is 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA in nine career appearances against New York. Thursday's game has an unusual start time -- 4:00 in the p.m. -- so make a note of it. I-Kenn felt slighted when he was demoted and pitched lights-out in his
first start in Scranton. Let's see if that fire translates with the
big club.
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It was either going to be an uplifting win or a devastating loss. It was the latter. Chien-Ming Wang pitched his guts out and Hideki Matsui ripped a game-tying solo homer in the ninth, but Mariano Rivera gave up the game-winning hit in the 11th inning as the Rays edged the Yanks 2-1 at The Trop. Jason Giambi finished 2 for 2 with two walks, but the rest of the offense looks like it's in a fog. The Yankees have dropped two in a row and trial the first place Rays by 4.5 games in the AL East.  It's dogs and cats living together! The Good:Chien-Ming Wang. Holding a team to one run through seven should be good enough to earn a win. It should be, but not with the way the Yanks are swinging the bat. The Wanger was lucky he didn't earn another tough-luck loss. Wang almost worked out of a leadoff double in the fourth, but he left a two out, 0-2 off-speed pitch up to Erik Hinske that turned into an RBI-single. It was the only run Wang would allow. He deserved better. Wang's totals: 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K. Hideki Matsui. Godzilla provided the Yanks with their only offense of the night when he turned on a Troy Percival fastball with one out in the ninth to knot the score at 1-1. Homers like that can sometimes supercharge a team. Not this time. It just delayed the frustration. Matsui finished 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. The Bad:Mariano Rivera. It was bound to happen sooner or later -- I just wish it was later. Rivera hadn't allowed a run all season, but he ran into trouble in his second inning of work. The ageless Cliff Floyd (I can't believe he's only 35-years-old) led off with a single to get the ball rolling for the Rays. Jonny Gomes pinch ran for Floyd, swiped second, and then came around to score on a Gabe Gross single. Rivera will be fine, but the Yanks really could have used this win. The Sandman suffered his first loss of the year with this: 1+ IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Jose Molina. Remember when Molina was swinging a hot bat? Seems like a million years ago, doesn't it? Molina is 3 for his last 41 and his average has dropped from .346 to .203 during that span. Nobody expects Molina to hit .340, but he has to do better than .200. Bobby Abreu. Abreu had a chance to put the Yanks on the board in the sixth and failed miserably. Derek Jeter smacked a one out triple and the Bombers needed just a fly ball from Abreu to even the score at 1-1. It didn't happen. Bobby hit the ball sharply, but grounded out to short. Abreu has been solid in the clutch this season (he came into the game batting. 500 with a runner on third and less than two outs and had a .467 average overall with runners in scoring position), but the Yanks really needed to get that run in. Abreu's at bat was a microcosm of what is wrong with this offense right now. Bobby finished 0 for 4 with a walk. The Ugly:Power outage. Believe it or not (and if you've been watching, you can believe it) the Yanks have scored a grand total of two runs in their past 24 innings. Math isn't my strongest subject, but even I know that kind of run support isn't going to win you many ballgames. Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.36 ERA) will try and stop the bleeding for the Yanks on Wednesday and James Shields (4-2, 3.14 ERA) will try and keep the good times rolling for the Rays. The Moose has been dancing on a razor's edge, but has won four straight games and is 17-7 with a 3.44 ERA in 30 career starts against the Rays, including a 6-1 win on April 7. Shields is probably Tampa's best pitcher, but the Yanks have had tremendous success against him. In six career starts, Shields is 0-5 with a plump 7.83 ERA. Check out these Yankees career averages against him: Jeter (.389), Robinson Cano (.400), Melky Cabrera (.333), Abreu (.364), Matsui (.600), Johnny Damon (.500) and Molina (.667). Every player except Molina has at least 10 at bats against him. Let's see if those numbers translate into runs on Wednesday.
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The final score doesn't reflect how one-sided this game was. Andy Pettitte self-destructed in the fourth, the offense couldn't put anything together and Matt Garza showed why he was a former first round pick as the Rays foiled the Yanks 7-1 in St. Petersburg. Robinson Cano extended his modest hitting streak to seven games and Johnny Damon's RBI-ground out helped avert the shutout, but those were hollow achievements on this night. The loss drops the Yanks a game below .500 once again.  The Good:Alberto Gonzalez. The Bombers managed only six hits and Berto collected two of them. So much for the good glove, no stick scouting report. Gonzalez looks confident at the plate and is a solid defender who can play the entire infield. The kid has showed he belongs in the Big Leagues and shouldn't have to shuttle back and forth to Triple-A anymore. Let's see what happens. Gonzo finished 2 for 3. The Bad:Andy Pettitte. Baseball is a numbers game, but sometimes numbers lie. Pettitte entered Monday night with a 14-3 career record against Tampa and an 8-1 mark with a 3.30 ERA at The Trop. But that trend didn't continue. The lefty recorded five strikeouts in the first three innings, but things quickly came unglued in the fourth. Andy has faltered the second time through the order in three of his past four starts and that's not a good sign. I don't know if he's tipping pitches, getting fatigued or is just plain unlucky, but this pattern has to be rectified. Pettitte fell to 3-4 with this: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Hideki Matsui. Godzilla has been the most productive and consistent Yankee thus far, but he had a tough time Monday night. Matsui went down on strikes not once, not twice, but thrice! Hideki did work out a walk, but he still pulled off the hat trick. Matsui finished 0 for 3 with the walk. The Ugly:The time isn't right. The Yankee offense has been spinning its wheels without Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada and it looks like they'll have to make due without those guys for a little while longer. A-Rod's right quad has improved, but not enough to have him back in the lineup this week. Rodriguez had an MRI on Monday and the results will be compared to an earlier image. The Yanks need A-Rod's bat in the lineup in the worst way, but it's better to be safe than sorry. And it looks like Ian Kennedy's stay in Scranton will be a short one. The Yanks moved (banished) Kei Igawa to the bullpen and pulled Kennedy after just 12 pitches against Indianapolis on Monday. It's not official yet, but it looks like Kennedy will start Thursday against the Rays and Darrell Rasner will go Friday night against the Mets. Chien-Ming Wang (6-1, 3.12 ERA) will try and bounce back from his first loss of the year and will battle Edwin Jackson (2-3, 4.04 ERA). Wang shut down the Rays at The Stadium back on April 6 and owns a stingy 1.64 ERA on the road. Jackson will be making his third start against the Yanks in 2008. He's 1-1 with a 4.90 ERA. Time to get Wang and the Yanks back on the winning track.
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Rain made it a no go in Mo Town for the Yanks and Tigers Sunday. No makeup date was announced and the Yankees aren't scheduled to hit the Motor City again, but there are two options to make up the game. The Bombers could play in Detroit on July 24, which is an off-day following a six-game homestand at The Stadium before they head to Boston, or Sept. 1 before embarking on a nine-game road trip that will take them to Tampa, Seattle and Los Angeles. If they opt for the July date, the Yanks will be playing 27 straight games coming out of the All-Star break.  Obviously, New York would prefer a day game on the September date, but the Tigers would rather play a night game in July to capitalize on a higher attendance figure. I'm not sure who has the final say in the matter. Time will tell. The rainout means the Yanks can skip Kei Igawa in the rotation. Igawa is scheduled to pitch Thursday against the Rays, but the Yankees could go with Darrell Rasner on regular rest instead. It seems like a no-brainer to bump Igawa and reshuffle the rotation, but I'm not in charge. The Yanks will head to Tampa and take on the Rays for a four-game series staring on Monday. Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) will take the ball and go against Matt Garza (1-1, 4.91 ERA). Pettitte was scheduled to go on Sunday and owns a sparkling 14-3 career mark against the Rays with a splendid 3.62 ERA in 23 games. This will be Pettitte's third start this season against Tampa. He's 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Garza came over from the Minnesota Twins as part of a six-player deal this past offseason. In two career games against the Yanks, the 24-year-old Garza is 0-1 with a robust 6.75 ERA. This four-game set will be played under the roof in St. Pete so it looks like they'll be able to get the games in. But you can never predict baseball.
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It took five tries, but the Yanks finally got the best of Detroit. Darrell Rasner spun six quality innings, Derek Jeter went deep for the first time this season and the bullpen continued to post zeros as the Yanks dropped the Tigers 5-2 at Comerica Park. The Bombers pounced on Jeremy Bonderman early and Mariano Rivera notched his 10th save in as many chances this year. The victory pulls the Yanks back to the .500 mark at 19-19.  I was at a Communion bash for this one, so my roundup will be spotty. But that's never stopped me before. The Good:Darrell Rasner. Second start, same as the first. Rasner gave up a homer in the first inning again, but settled down and controlled the Tiger lineup for the majority of the afternoon. I think it's safe to assume that Rasner will be hanging around if he keeps sticking to the script: trust your stuff, throw strikes and work quickly. Rasner picked up win No. 2 with this: 6+ IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR. Derek Jeter. It's been a long time coming, but The Captain finally went yard. DJ's first inning wallop gave the Yanks a quick 1-0 lead and got the ball rolling against Bonderman. Johnny Damon has been getting most of the press with his hot-hitting at the top of the Bomber offense, but Jeter is also starting to heat up. Jeet is batting .385 in his past seven games. Jeter also made a nice diving stab off the bat of Edgar Renteria in the fifth that turned into a double play and snuffed a mini Tiger rally. Jeter finished 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Mariano Rivera. It's expected to watch Rivera slam the door on opponents in the ninth, but The Sandman is putting up awesome numbers so far this year (even for him). Rivera disposed of the Tigers on just 10 pitches Saturday and has yet to give up a run this season (or a walk). It's still early, but check out Rivera's stats so far: 15 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K, 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Keep doin what you're doin, Mo. Rivera's line: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. The Bad:Chad Moeller. Every Yankee regular reached base Saturday via either a hit or a walk, but Moeller has been scraping at the plate since he re-joined the Yanks at the end of April. Moeller is just 2 for 11 in the month of May. I know Chad was catching two straight days (including the dreaded day game after a night game), but I've got to keep the guys on their toes. Moeller finished 0 for 3 with a walk. The Ugly:Twice as nice. At some point the Yanks may want to bring in a priest (voodoo or Buddhist) to sweep out the club house. Another Bomber went down Saturday -- Wilson Betemit strained his right hamstring after booming an RBI-double to center in the fourth inning and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. It will be the second stint on the DL this season for the switch-hitting infielder. Alberto Gonzalez will take Betemit's place. I figured Gonzo would be back with the big club soon, but I didn't think it would be this soon. The rubber game will feature Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) and Nate Robertson (1-4, 6.64 ERA). Pettitte pitched well in his last start against the Indians at The Stadium, but didn't factor in the decision as Joba Chamberlain self destructed in the eight inning. Pettitte has had a tough time at Comerica Park during his career -- 2-3 with a 4.65 ERA in five starts. The American League has had its way with Robertson -- 52 hits in 40 2/3 innings -- but he earned his only win this season against the Yanks on May 1. Let's see if the Yanks can make it two in a row against the Cats.
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The bar was set low for Kei Igawa Friday night and the lefty pitcher meet those expectations. Kei Igawa was smacked around repeatedly, Wilson Betemit had a horrible night and a ninth inning rally fell short as the Tigers edged the Yankees 6-5 in Mo Town. Jason Giambi went yard and the bullpen continued to be the backbone of the team, but it wasn't enough to keep the Yanks from falling a game under .500 for the umpteenth time this season.  The yo-yo year goes on. The Good:Jason Giambi. The Giambino stroked his second homer in two days in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1. The Yanks would get no closer. I was a tad surprised that Joe Girardi opted for Giambi at designated hitter and sat the hot-hitting Johnny Damon, but the move worked out. To call Jay's season disappointing so far would be a gross understatement, but the big guy never lost his confidence. Good thing, because I stopped believing in him long ago. But maybe there's some life left in his bat. Giambi finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. The pen. Giardi has done a nice job utilizing the bullpen recently -- everyone he trots out there seems to toss goose eggs. Jonathan Albaladejo, LaTroy Hawkins and Edwar Ramirez got the call on Friday night and all three relievers kept the Yanks in the ballgame. It's unfortunate that the damage was too great to overcome. The mighty three combined for this sparkling line: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP. The Bad:Kei Igawa. Throw a soft-tossing lefty who keeps everything up in the strike zone against a team loaded with right-handed sluggers and you got yourself a recipe for disaster. Igawa gave up a double to Ivan Rodriguez to lead off the bottom of the first and you could just smell doom in the air. The Yanks didn't play good defense behind him, but that's not the reason Igawa was sent to the showers early. Igawa is slated to make his second start on Wednesday against the Rays in Tampa, but I wouldn't be shocked if a change was made before then. Sometimes box scores don't tell the whole story, but this one delivers on all of its ugly numbers. Igawa's night: 3+ IP, 11 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  Wilson Betemit. The switch-hitting infielder was reportedly cured of the conjunctivitis that sidelined him for two weeks, but you couldn't tell by his play at third base and on the basepaths. Betemit was charged with only one error Friday night, but he looked lost at the hot corner. He also got picked off first base after reaching on an infield single in the second inning. I think it's just a matter of time before the Yanks jettison either Wil or Morgan Ensberg from the roster. And so far it looks like Betemit has one foot out the door. Betemit picked up two hits on the night, but it wasn't enough to offset his poor defense. Betemit finished 2 for 4 with a run scored. The Ugly:And that makes six. Reliever Chris Britton was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Igawa on Friday night, but the burly right-hander will be back with the team by Saturday. Why, you ask? That's because Jonathan Albaladejo is headed to the DL with soreness in his right elbow. He felt his elbow bark in the sixth inning. Albaladejo will fly to New York and have an MRI performed. Hopefully, it's nothing serious -- he's done a good job this year. And if you're keeping track at home, JA is the sixth Yankee to hit the disabled list this year. Darrell Rasner (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will try and get the Yanks back in the win column on Saturday and will square off against Jeremy Bonderman (2-3, 4.17 ERA). Bonderman pitched his best game of the season in a win over the Yankees on April 30. Rasner was efficient in his only start against the Seattle Mariners and has no real numbers lifetime against Detroit (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K). The push toward .500 goes on.
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Solid starting pitching, four homers and shutout relief -- these are the three components teams use to win ballgames. Mike Mussina went five strong, Johnny Damon homered and doubled in the go-ahead run and the bullpen combined to throw four scoreless innings as the Yanks doubled up the Indians 6-3 to salvage one out of three against Cleveland.  The Bombers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in this one only to have the Tribe tie it in the fifth, but Damon's double in the bottom of the frame and back-to-back jacks by Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit in the seventh was too much for the Indians. The Yanks blasted four bombs in all -- even Jason Giambi went deep -- and evened their record to 18-18 on the season. I was at work for this one, but I was listening to John and Suzy call the action. I was also reading Brian's live blog throughout the afternoon. Let's round this bad boy up. The Good:Mike Mussina. The Moose continued to show he hasn't forgotten how to get batters out. Mussina gave up only one hit through the first four innings before hitting a rough patch in the fifth. You can complain that Mussina only went five (if you want to be pessimistic), but since this is his fourth straight solid outing and he's gone less than five innings only once this season, I'm going to be optimistic. I would have signed up in a heartbeat for a 10-win season from The Moose at the start of the year. Well, don't look now, but he's halfway there. Mussina improved to 5-3 with this line: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 hit batsman. Johnny Damon. Positively Damonic! Johnny D got the Yankee home run barrage going with a solo blast in the fourth inning. Then with the score tied at 3-3 in the fifth, Damon blooped a two-out, opposite-field double to bring in the go-ahead run. Check out this stat: in the Yankees wins this season, Damon is batting .377, but he's batting just .188 in losses. Keep on hitting, Johnny! Damon finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI.  The pen. The Yankees greatest strength so far this season has been the bullpen and the guys in the outfield flexed their muscles again on Thursday afternoon. The trifecta of Ross Ohlendorf, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera combined to shut down the Indians for four innings. Ohlendorf went two solid, Chamberlain showed no ill-effects from his meltdown Tuesday night and Rivera has yet to give up a run in 2008. The three relievers combined to produce this: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. The Bad:Melky Cabrera. There were only two Yankees who didn't reach base on Thursday and Melky was one of them. Jose Molina was the other, but he escapes the "bad" place since he was on the receiving end of an impressive pitching performance. The Yanks trotted out four hurlers and not one of them issued a walk. I'll give Molina some credit for that. Cabrera finished 0 for 3. The Ugly:Stuck at work. I was lucky enough to listen to the game while performing my duties (some fans aren't as fortunate), but it still sucked. I mean people still expected me to work for some reason. Are they crazy? There's a game going on! The Yanks are hitting the road and the first stop is the Motor City. Kei Igawa (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his first appearance of the year and will lock horns with Kenny Rogers (2-3, 6.27 ERA). The Gambler defeated the Yanks on April 29 in the Bronx, but he owns a 7.71 ERA at home and a 6.75 ERA at night so far this season. Igawa went 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA in Scranton and will be facing the Tigers for the first time. Give me a reason to believe, Kei.
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I guess you can't win 'em all. Chien-Ming Wang was good, but Cliff Lee was better as the Indians pieced together single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings and shutout the Yanks 3-0 in the Bronx.  I have to be honest Yankee fans, I've failed you once again. I stepped out with some friends after work and that means I get home after 11 o'clock in the p.m. My plan was to watch the game (which I recorded) when I got in, but I'm feeling much too weary. I've become everything I've ever hated. Therefore, no roundup, but Hideki Matsui did extend his hitting streak to 16 games with a base hit in the second inning. The Bombers will try and avoid the sweep on Thursday and will give that assignment to the resurgent Mike Mussina (4-3, 4.23 ERA). The Tribe will counter with Paul Byrd (1-2, 3.74 ERA). The Moose has won his last three starts and if you take out his two starts against the Red Sox (I know you can't, but I'm going somewhere with this), he hasn't allowed more than three runs in his other five outings. Byrd beat the Yanks on April 25, but he's 0-2 in four career starts at The Stadium (despite a respectable 3.46 ERA). The game is a businessman special (1:05 p.m. start time) so if you can, sneak away from work and catch some rays at the game. As for me, I'll be listening to the action at my desk.
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This isn't how the formula is supposed to work! Andy Pettitte pitched well after two subpar starts, Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano provided the lead, but Joba Chamberlain gave up a pinch-hit, three-run homer to David Dellucci as the Indians surprised the Yanks 5-3 in the Bronx. Hideki Matsui went 3 for 3 and extended his hitting streak to 15, but his perfect night can't take the sting out of this loss. The Yankees winning streak ends at three and they find themselves back at .500 on the year.  The Good:Andy Pettitte. The veteran lefty had a bit of a roller coaster night at The Stadium. Pettitte retired the first six batters he faced and was given an early 1-0 lead, but the home run bug continued to rear its ugly head. Jhonny Peralta ripped a two-run bomb in the fourth to give the Tribe a 2-1 lead. It was the fifth dinger Pettitte has given up in his past three starts. But Andy righted the ship and turned in a top-flight performance. Pettitte really wanted this one as evidenced by his animated discussion with Jorge Posada in between the sixth and seventh innings. I'm not sure what they were talking about, but I don't think it had anything to do with dinner reservations. He deserved a better fate than a no decision. Pettitte's line: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, 1 HR. Jason Giambi. The Italian Stallion returns! OK, there's only one Italian Stallion, but The Giambino was responsible for 66% of the offensive output Tuesday night. Giambi picked up a hustle ribbie in the first when he beat out a relay throw on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Jay Jay then doubled deep to left in the fourth to knot the score at 2-2. It's usually an accident if Giambi hits the ball the other way, but he actually looked like he was trying to shoot the ball to left on his RBI-double. Maybe this is the start of something big. Giambi finished 1 for 3 with a walk, a run scored an 2 RBIs. The Bad:Joba Chamberlain. It's going to happen -- Joba can't be perfect every time he toes the rubber -- but his pitch selection was a bit perplexing. Chamberlain threw his curveball way too much and his control was off almost from the get-go. How off was he? On one pitch, Jose Molina set up for a fastball on the outside corner, but Joba missed so badly inside that Molina didn't have time to react and the ball drilled the home plate ump Gerry Davis in the shin. Still, Chamberlain was one out away from pitching out of it, but David Dellucci turned on an inside fastball and deposited it into the right field seats. It actually wasn't that bad of a pitch, but them walks almost always come back to haunt you. Chamberlain suffered his second loss of the season with this: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.  Johnny Damon. It's a tad unfair to dump on Damon since he's been swinging the bat well, but I can't in good conscience have two "good" things and only one "bad" thing after a game like this. This isn't personal, Johnny, but I have to sleep well at night. Damon finished 0 for 5 with two strikeouts. The Ugly:It's only a game. Rivalries can sometimes turn heated, but they should never end this way. If you haven't heard, a 43-year-old woman in New Hampshire struck and killed a 29-year-old man with her car following an argument about the Yankees and Red Sox outside a bar. The woman, Ivonne Hernandez, allegedly gunned her car at a group of Red Sox fans after a chant of "Yankees suck!" started. Supposedly, she only wanted to scare the group, but she wound up killing Matthew Beaudoin. Hernandez refused to take a breathalyzer test. I don't really know how to segue from such stupidity. The Yankees made a roster move before Tuesday's game (there have been a lot of those lately) as Wilson Betemit was activated from the 15-day disabled list and infielder Alberto Gonzalez was sent down to Triple-A. Tough break for Berto, but I think it's just a matter of time before he gets called back up. I don't see the Yanks keeping Betemit and Morgan Ensberg on the roster for the entire season. It will be a battle of the undefeated on Wednesday night. Chien-Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00 ERA) will go against lefty Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96 ERA). Wang bested C.C. Sabathia and the Indians 10 days ago in Cleveland and will put his stellar lifetime record in the Bronx (29-9, 3.13 ERA) on the line. Lee has been God-like so far this season (37.2 IP, 19 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 32 K), but he's 1-2 with a 8.79 ERA in his career at Yankee Stadium. Should be a good one.
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