Back in the saddle, baby!
Mike Mussina picked up where he left off, Alex Rodriguez had an eventful evening and Robinson Cano belted a three-run blast as the
Yanks clubbed the A's 7-1 on an oppressively hot night in the Bronx. Newest Bomber
Richie Sexson collected his first hit and run batted in with a clean single up the middle in the first and the relief corps of David Robertson, Edwar Ramirez and LaTroy Hawkins combined for three dazzling innings to give the Yankees their first win after the break.
Nice start, fellas.
The Good:Mike Mussina. The Moose may have been snubbed for the All-Star Game, but he continued to flash his first-half prowess. It was a rocky beginning for Mussina as the Athletics touched him up for a run in the first inning, but he settled down and cruised to the victory. Well, maybe not cruised since he retired the side in order only once, but you just got the feeling that Oakland wasn't going to put together enough offense on the night. At least, I did. Mussina's defining moment came in the fifth when the A's put runners on first and second with nobody out. But The Moose recorded a strikeout and then induced Emil Brown to hit into an inning-ending double play. Mussina upped his mark to 12-6 with this: 6 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.
Robinson Cano. It's July. It's hot. It was a home game. Time for Cano to shine! Actually, Robbie entered Friday night's game with one hit in his last 17 at-bats, but he ripped a tie-breaking three-run bomb in the third to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. The Bombers never looked back. It's been said many times by many people (I think I may have chimed in once or twice) that Cano is a strong second-half player. Well, I've got the numbers to back up the claims. Cano is a career .334 hitter in the second half. And we all know numbers don't lie. Cano finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs.
Alex Rodriguez. No one could ever accuse Rodriguez of being a wallflower. Rodriguez was all over the joint Friday night -- in the field, at the plate and on the basepaths. A-Rod scored the Yankees second run on Cano's three-run tater in the third and crossed the plate with the final run of the game with his 20th homer of the season in the sixth. But the scariest moment came in the first inning when Rodriguez was involved in a collision at home. A's right fielder Ryan Sweeney came up firing on a two-out single by Cano and delivered a seed to catcher Kurt Suzuki. A-Rod lowered his shoulder, but couldn't jar the ball loose and was called out. Thankfully, he was OK. Could you imagine if this team lost A-Rod for a spell? Again? I shudder at the hypothetical. Rodriguez finished 3 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base, 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in.
The Bad:Jose Molina. This was a toss-up between Molina and Brett Gardner (who also went 0 for 4), but I'll wag my finger at the Yankee catcher since he's a veteran. That's a pretty sorry reason, but Gardner has the built-in excuse of being a rookie. Molina shouldn't be this bad. June was Molina's best month this season (.257 -- not exactly stellar), but he's off to a horrid July. Molina came into Friday night's action with a .211 average for July and did nothing to up that number. Nobody expects Molina to bat .300 (that would be cool, though), but he's better than his season average of .220. Right? Molina finished 0 for 4.
The Ugly:Godzilla's demise? The news on
Hideki Matsui's ailing left knee isn't good. The knee swelled up earlier in the week and Matsui was examined by team doctor Stuart Hershon on Friday. Godzilla is set to visit with Scott Rodeo -- the man who performed arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in November. After Monday, "we'll have a better idea what direction it'll take," Cashman
said. "Surgery certainly has moved up on the list of options." Not exactly what Matsui and Yankee fans want to hear. I suppose it's just a matter of time before the
Barry Bonds rumors really get hot and heavy.
Joba Chamberlain (2-3, 2.62 ERA) will go against Sean Gallagher (4-4, 4.25 ERA) on Saturday afternoon. Gallagher came over from the Chicago Cubs in the Rich Harden deal and was impressive in his first American League start last week. Gallagher gave up two runs and struck out seven in seven innings as the A's defeated the Angels 9-2. This will be the 22-year-old's first look at the Yankees. Chamberlain was outpitched by Toronto's Roy Halladay in his last start, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings, as the Blue Jays downed the Bombers 5-0. Chamberlain is still searching for his first win at home as a starter. This will be Joba's first action against Oakland.
Let's see who makes a better first impression.
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