The Yankee offensive explosion lasted less than one day.

The Bombers dropped the rubber game to the White Sox 4-1 on Thursday afternoon as the offense continues to struggle.  The loss drops the Yanks three games below .500 and 9 games back of the Red Sox heading into the weekend series against the Mets.

The Good:

The bullpen.  Rookie Matt DeSalvo was pulled with one out in the fourth and the trifecta of Luis Vizcaino, Ron Villone and Scott Proctor kept the Yanks in the game with 4.2 innings of shutdown ball.  Villone looked sharp in his first outing of the year (even though it looks like he packed on a pound or fifteen).  Scott Proctor also made his first appearance since serving his four game suspension and pitched well.

The Bad:

Matt DeSalvo.  The third career start was not the charm for the rookie.  DeSalvo struggled with his command and failed to make it out of the fourth inning.  Still, DeSalvo's pitches had tremendous movement and he battled even though his control was off.  He just couldn't get Jermaine Dye out today: Dye was 2 for 2 against DeSalvo with 3 RBI.  DeSalvo's first career loss looked like this: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR.

Hideki Matsui.  Matsui killed two rallies with inning ending double-plays in the fourth and sixth.  He finished 0 for 4 and left five runners on base. 

The Ugly:

Kyle Farnsworth on Roger Clemens.  It was just a matter of time before someone on the Yanks started yapping about Clemens' "family plan" package.  Farnsworth was on a Chicago radio station and said, ". . . if you're going to be part of the team you should be there always."  This from a reliever who has trouble pitching on consecutive days.  Farnsworth has a point, but he should have kept it to himself or, at the very least, kept it in the clubhouse.  Just shut up and pitch, Kyle.

The Yanks limp into Queens to take on the rival Mets on Friday.  Andy Pettitte gets the call and will take his 7-2 career mark against the Mets to the hill.  The Mets will counter with lefty Oliver Perez.

Maybe a weekend series with the Metropolitans will be enough to awaken the slumbering Yankee bats.