The offense didn't exactly explode, but they did enough to earn a split of the four-game set.
Mike Mussina turned in his second straight strong start and the bullpen slammed the door as a bizarre four-run sixth helped the
Yanks to a 5-2 victory over the Indians on a cold night in Cleveland. The Bomber bats continued to struggle as they mustered only five hits on the night, but it was enough to lift the Yanks back over the .500 mark at 14-13 as they ended their three-city road trip at a 5-5.
The Good:Mike Mussina. Smoke and mirrors, playing with fire, gutting it out -- whatever you want to call it, The Moose is getting the job done. He may keep you on the edge of your seat when he delivers a pitch, but you can't argue with the results. The Indians didn't even really tattoo Mussina during their two-run fifth inning. It ain't gonna be pretty whenever Moose toes the rubber, but if you're a Yankee fan, you have to sign up for this type of performance every fifth day. Mussina earned career victory No. 253 (tying Carl Hubbell for 41st place) and evened his record to 3-3 with this: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP.
The bullpen. Mussina pitched well, but he only went five. That meant the pen had to piece together 12 outs to get the job done. And they came through with flying colors. Jonathan Albaladejo was the first guy out there and got himself into a first and third, two-out jam, but escaped by striking out David Dellucci to end the inning. That would be the last time the Tribe would have any baserunners. Kyle Farnsworth, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera zipped through their innings to seal the win. Rivera earned his eighth save in eight opportunities. The pen's sparkling totals: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K.
Hideki Matsui. The Yanks didn't tear the cover off the baseball Monday night, but Matsui knocked in two runs. Godzilla's not-so-very-sexy ground out to first drove in Bobby Abreu from third to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the sixth. Matsui's RBI-double in the eighth was hit a little harder and capped the Bomber scoring. Matsui finished 1 for 4 with the 2 ribbies.
The Bad:Robinson Cano. If it reads like I'm kicking Cano in the ribs repeatedly, well, I guess I am. Cano continued to struggle at the plate and went hitless (again). Robbie did get on base on Monday, though -- he was drilled in the back in the fifth inning. Canu finished 0 for 3 and went 4 for 32 on the road trip. Maybe a return to Yankee Stadium will help turn things around.
The Ugly:Rally time? The Yanks had zero hits as they entered the sixth inning and were down 2-0. What transpired during that frame was one of the ugliest rallies on God's green earth. Melky Cabrera broke up the no-hitter with an infield hit between short and third. Jeter followed with another infield hit. Then Bobby Abreu lined a hard single to left (the only "real" hit of the inning). Alex Rodriguez stepped up with the bases loaded and nobody out and was plunked on a 1-2 pitch. Then Jason Giambi and Matsui hit back-to-back RBI-grounders to first for two runs. Morgan Ensberg finished the scoring with another infield single. The Yanks tallied four runs in the inning and only one ball left the infield. It's a good thing there aren't any style points in baseball.
The Yanks will back home on Tuesday (finally) to start a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers. Phil Hughes (0-3) will get the call for the Bombers and will go against former Yank Kenny Rogers (1-3). Hughes had his past start in Chicago cut short due to rain, but looked good in his two innings of work. The kid has been inconsistent to say the least, but he pitched well in his only start in the Bronx earlier this the year -- giving up two runs in six innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays. Rogers has been smoked so far this season and brings a bloated 7.66 ERA to The Stadium. The Gambler lasted only 3 1/3 innings in his last start against Texas and is 5-7 with a 6.45 ERA in 35 career games against the Yanks.
Time to tell Kenny it's time to run away.
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