Well, my fears have been quelled.  The All-Star break didn't hurt the Yankee bats and the Bombers reached the .500 plateau yet again.

And that's a good thing.

The Yanks blasted three homers for the second straight game and Andy Pettitte was good enough as New York dropped the Devil Rays 7-3 at the Trop.  Actually, the Yanks should have scored at least 10 runs on Thursday, but they tacked on runs as the game went on and that's something that has been sorely lacking this season.

The Good:

Bobby Abreu.  El Comedulce!  Abreu continued his steady climb toward respectability with a three hit game.  He gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead in the second with a run-scoring double and then belted a solo home run in the fourth to extend the lead to 4-1.  Abreu has quietly put together a modest 7-game hitting streak and is batting .368 in his last eight games.  Bobby finished 3 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBI.

Luis Vizcaino.  Mariano Rivera has taken Vizcaino under his wing and the results have been fantastic.  Andy Pettitte was fighting himself the entire game and when he was pulled with two outs in the sixth and the Yanks up 6-3, Vizcaino came in and slammed the door on Tampa.  His overall numbers still look horrible, but Vizcaino has been the most consistent bullpen option (outside of Rivera, of course) of late.  Vizcaino's final tally: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Alex Rodriguez.  A-Rod kept up his Superman impersonation as he ripped his 31st homer of the year.  If Rodriguez's second half is anything like his first half, the Yanks should be in pretty good shape for a playoff push.  A-Rod finished 1 for 3 with a walk, the ribbie and 3 runs scored.

The Bad:

Kyle Farnsworth.  Farnsworth didn't give up a run in his inning of work, but he continues to make every appearance exciting.  And by exciting I mean gut-wrenching.  He entered the game in the eighth with the Yanks up 7-3 and immediately walked Carl Crawford.  Unacceptable.  He then gave up a one out single which put runners on first and second.  Farnsworth managed to wiggle out of trouble, but Torre needs to strip him of any eighth inning duties.  It will cost the Yanks in the long run.  Farnsworth's seemingly innocent totals: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

The Ugly:

Can we talk?  The Yankees broke away from their hardline stance of not negotiating during the season and offered to discuss a contract extension with Alex Rodriguez on Wednesday.  A-Rod of course said no and wants to talk about his situation after the season.  It's the smart move for both camps, but what does Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and even Joe Torre think about the Yankees move?  All three of those guys have contracts that expire at season's end and the Yanks refused a possible extension.  I'm sure they will all say the right things about how it's no big deal, but you have to believe that there will be some hard feelings come this off-season.

The Meeting.  Remember Jason Giambi?  Well, his meeting with George Mitchell regarding steroids will take place in late July.  Giambi will be the first active player to meet with Mitchell.  Does this matter?  Or better yet, does anyone still care?

The Yanks will try and make it three in a row on Friday and climb above .500 again on the season.  Roger Clemens, who has been tremendous in his last two starts (1-0, 1.13 ERA), will get the call for the Yanks.  He'll go against the talented but inconsistent lefty Scott Kazmir.

The push toward a winning record begins again.