It's all falling into place.
Shelley Duncan went yard, Robinson Cano knocked in three runs and Andy Pettitte won his first game in pinstripes this season as the
Yanks drilled Seattle 13-2 at The Stadium. Hideki Matsui collected three hits, scored three runs and gunned out Jose Vidro at the dish in the eighth and Jason Giambi continued his climb toward respectability with two more hits and three runs scored. And that 'stache of his is coming in beautifully.
The Bombers sent 13 batters to the plate during their eight-run fifth inning and coasted to their third straight victory. That's called a winning streak. It has happened before.
The Good:Andy Pettitte. It was a bit of a rocky beginning for Pettitte as he gave up two runs on six hits in the first three innings, but he settled down nicely and allowed only two hits the rest of his night. Pettitte also continued to rack up the K's as he struck out a season-high nine. It's hard to believe that this was the first home win for a guy who entered the game with a career 89-37 mark in the Bronx. Sometimes the first ones are always the toughest. Pettitte improved to 4-5 with this: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K.
Shelley Duncan. Frankenstein is loose! Duncan has been struggling in his limited playing time, but he got the Yanks off and running with a three-run golf shot in the bottom of the second. It was his first long ball of the season. I'm not sure if Duncan can recapture the stroke he had during his meteoric rise last season, but Friday night was a good sign. Duncan finished 1 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and 3 RBIs. And here's Overkill's cover of Edgar Winter's classic to honor Frankenstein's first clout of the year.
Robinson Cano. The final score doesn't show it, but the first half of this game was nip and tuck. The Yanks were holding a shaky 3-2 lead heading into the fourth until Robbie looped a two-run double to left to give the Bombers a 5-2 advantage. Cano was also involved in the Yankees eight-run fifth inning explosion (well, every Bomber was involved in that inning) with an RBI-single. It looks like Cano is starting to turn his miserable season around. Cano finished 2 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and three runs batted in.
The Bad:Derek Jeter. It's uncanny how often it happens -- a team puts up double digit runs and hits and one player is always left out of the festivities. Jeter was that guy Friday night. DJ was the only Bomber regular who didn't pick up a hit, but he did reach base twice via a walk and hit by pitch. I just have to keep all the guys hungry for more. Jeter finished 0 for 2 with a walk, a run scored and a HBP.
The Ugly:It's a dirty job.
Joe Girardi was suspended for this game for "his inappropriate actions, which included kicking dirt on umpire Chris Guccione" on Thursday night. The sentence was handed down by Major League Baseball vice president Bob Watson. You all remember Bob, right? He was the Yankee GM during their 1996 championship season. Watson was also known as a feisty competitor during his playing days (which were a little before my time). Anyway, why should a manger be suspended for a game after he was thrown out of one? Apparently kicking dirt is now a no-no. What's this world coming to?
The Yanks will try for their fourth in a row on Saturday afternoon and hand the job to Mike Mussina (6-4, 4.11 ERA). The Mariners will go with Carlos Silva (3-3, 4.91 ERA). Silva started the season at 3-0, but has fallen on some rough times. And it all started against the Bombers. The Yanks tagged Silva for eight runs on 11 hits May 4 and handed him his first loss. Silva hasn't won since Apil 17. The Moose had his five-game winning streak snapped in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles. Mussina was awful against the O's even though he was charged with only one earned run in his 2/3 inning of work. Mussina shut down the M's on May 3, scattering seven hits through six innings in a 6-1 Yankee win.
Let's keep the winning streak in tact.
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