What a disgraceful display!

Mike Mussina was bludgeoned again, the bullpen was a disaster and the Yanks only managed three hits as Detroit embarrassed New York 16-0 in the Motor City. 

So much for a sense of urgency in the Bronx.  The Yankees dropped three out of four against the Tigers this weekend and finished the road trip at a pitiful 2-5.

The loss basically drops the Yanks out of the AL East race as they now sit eight games behind the Red Sox.  The wild card chase has also become more interesting.  The Yankees now stand 2.5 games behind Seattle (as of this writing) and only one game ahead of the Tigers for the last playoff spot in the American League.

The Good:

Good?  There was nothing good about this game!  OK, I guess I can't throw in the towel.  Brian Bruney.  Bruney was the only Yankee pitcher who didn't allow a run on Monday night.  Yea!  It was Bruney's second straight solid outing since being recalled from Triple-A late last week.  Bruney's totals: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

The Bad:

Mike Mussina.  It was easy as 1, 2, 3 for Mussina on Monday night.  The Moose gave up one run in the first, two runs in the second and three runs in the third.  Exit Mussina, stage left.  To say that Mussina was terrible would be a gross understatement.  The Yanks just needed Mussina to be decent, not brilliant, and he couldn't deliver.  The question now is -- now what?  Do the Yanks give Mussina one more shot?  His next start would come Saturday against the Devil Rays.  Mussina is 16-7 in his career against Tampa Bay with a 3.50 ERA.  Or do they flip a coin and give his spot in the rotation to Ian Kennedy, Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens or (insert a name here)?  The way Mussina has looked lately almost any other pitcher would be a better option.  The Moose's putrid totals: 3 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Sean Henn.  Nobody was expecting Henn to come in and be lights out (at least I wasn't), but you have to do a better job than this.  Henn was all over the joint on Monday night.  You could hang the wash on all the line drives Henn gave up and he nearly walked the ballpark.  Henn came in and turned a disappointing loss into a first-class ass whipping.  I wouldn't count on seeing the Yankee lefty trotting out of the pen anytime soon.  Henn's totals: 2.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R (7 earned), 5 BB, 4 K.

The Ugly:

This entire game.  Face it, this contest was over as soon as Mussina hit the hill for the Yanks.  It's amazing how one man can sap the strength out of an entire team, but that's exactly what Mussina did to the Yanks on Monday night.  In his last two starts, the Yanks have given up a total of 34 runs.  Coincidence?  I think not.

The Yanks return home and will take on the Red Sox in a now anticlimactic three-game set starting on Tuesday night.  Once again the Yanks will turn to Andy Pettitte to stop the bleeding.  Pettitte has been the shining star of the suddenly dismal pitching staff.  The "stopper" is 5-0 in August with a 2.06 ERA.  The BoSox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the hill.  Matsuzaka is 2-0 against the Yanks this year, but has an ERA of 6.92 in those two games. 

Hey, it can't get any worse.

Can it?