Green Pinstripes

Lester Lays the Hammer on Yanks

2008-07-04T03:44:28Z

The offensive firepower lasted roughly 24 hours.

Andy Pettitte didn't have it for the first time in weeks, Derek Jeter made a costly error and Jon Lester spun a complete game five-hitter as the Red Sox whipped the Yanks 7-0 in the Bronx. The BoSox jumped ahead with two runs in the first and two more in the second and coasted to their first victory in six games. The Bombers reverted to their punchless offensive ways just one night removed from an 18-run outburst. The closest the Yanks had to a rally came in the first when they put runners on first and second with nobody out. But Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi both struck out with runners on the corners to end the threat.

The Good:

Dan Giese. A Yankee comeback never materialized, but Giese kept the dream alive with some fine relief work. Giese probably won't get another shot in the starting rotation (barring another injury), but he's pitched well coming out of the pen. Giese sports an impressive 0.80 ERA when coming in from behind the center field wall. Giese's night: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

The Bad:

Andy Pettitte. Jeter's error in the first didn't help matters, but the old lefty was off Thursday night. Pettitte labored and had trouble throwing strikes. The Red Sox had at least one runner on base in every inning and Kevin Youkilis' double in the fifth finally knocked Pettitte out of the ballgame. Pettitte has a tendency to follow up a string of great starts with a string of not so-great starts. Let's hope that trend doesn't continue. Pettitte lost for the first time in 10 starts with this: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 earned), 3 BB, 2 K.

Derek Jeter. It was a tough night for the Yankee captain. Manny Ramirez hit a ground ball to short in the opening frame for what should have been an inning-ending double play, but DJ's relay throw to first was off the mark. The miscue allowed Dustin Pedroia to score and gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Mike Lowell followed with an RBI-single to left and things quickly degenerated from there. Jeter also banged into a double play to snuff out a potential rally in the third. Mama said there'd be days like this. Jeter finished 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Ugly:

Are things that different? At this point last season, the Yanks were 40-41 and 10.5 games behind the first-place Red Sox. Things looked bleak in 2007, but the Yanks managed to get themselves together and made the playoffs for the 13th straight year. I've been more positive about the Yankees this season, but is my sunny outlook justified? True, three-fifths of the opening day starting rotation is missing (Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy) and Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and now Hideki Matsui have spent time on the disabled list, and still the Yanks are four games over .500. But they now find themselves 8 games back of Tampa, in third-place and have been playing the kind of baseball usually reserved for mediocre teams. Maybe it's their recent inability to score runs that has given me pause, but I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this team for the first time this season.

Darrell Rasner (4-6, 4.42 ERA) and Josh Beckett (7-5, 3.65 ERA) will do battle on Independence Day. Beckett defeated the Yanks twice in April and had a splendid June (2-1, 2.38 ERA in five starts). He's 3-2 with a 5.90 ERA in five career regular season starts at Yankee Stadium. Rasner pitched well in his last start against the Mets, but was tagged with the loss. The Ras is coming off a bumpy June (1-5, 6.47 ERA) and will be making his first appearance against the BoSox.

The Yanks need to regain their Powersurge so here's Overkill's classic to help them get back on track. Enjoy!

Yankee Bats Explode All Over Rangers

2008-07-03T02:46:10Z

Hank sure knows how to motivate.

Sidney Ponson was awful in his second start, but Jason Giambi drove in six and Alex Rodriguez scored four runs as the Yankees thrashed the Rangers 18-7 at The Stadium. The Bombers unloaded with nine runs in the seventh and followed that with a three-run eighth to bury Texas. It was an orgy of singles, doubles, homers and walks as every Yankee regular finished with at least one hit. Even rookie Brett Gardner got in on the act, picking up his first Major League hit and run batted in with a single to right in the seventh.

The offensive outburst snapped the Yankees mini-malaise at three games.

The Good:

Jason Giambi. The legend of the mustache continues. The Giambino stepped up to the plate in the third with the bases loaded and the Yanks down 3-1. Not for long. Giambi drilled a 2-1 pitch into the upper deck to give the Bombers a 5-3 lead. With one swing of the bat, Jay Jay equaled the Yankees offensive output in the past three games. But Giambi wasn't done. The Yanks blew a 6-3 lead and trailed 7-6 when Giambi batted with runners on first and second in the seventh. The Giambino laced a double into the left field gap to give the Yanks a lead they would never relinquish. I think it's time the Yanks waive their obviously discriminatory "no beard or long hair" rule and allow Giambi to grow his locks and chops. I'm tellin ya -- he would be an unstoppable offensive force! Giambi finished 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 6 ribbies.

Alex Rodriguez. The game was already out of hand, but A-Rod launched career homer No. 535 to cap the Yankees nine-run seventh. It wasn't one of the typical, high-arching boomers that Rodriguez usually hits -- it was a line-shot to the short porch in right. I guess that shows that A-Rod is completely locked in right now. Rodriguez finished 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs.

Edwar Ramirez. It may get lost in the shuffle of all the runs scored, but Ramirez really gave the Yanks a chance to rally back with two innings of shutdown relief. Edwar had a rough month of June (7.36 ERA), but he looked great in his first July appearance. Keep it up, Urkel. Ramirez picked up the win and upped his record to 2-0 with this: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The Bad:

Sidney Ponson. I guess lightning doesn't strike twice. Ponson wiggled out of trouble in his first Yankee start against the Mets and finished with six shutout innings and the victory. That wasn't the case Wednesday night. Ponson zipped through the first two innings, but then the wheels started to fall off. The Arubian Knight couldn't hold on to an early 1-0 lead and then blew a 6-3 lead by giving up two homers in the sixth. Shake it off, Sidney. Ponson was fortunate to pick up a no-decision with this: 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 HR.

The Ugly:

The end for Godzilla and Frankenstein? Hideki Matsui will be out until at least the All-Star break with that sore left knee. The Yanks had hoped to have Godzilla take batting practice this weekend, but that's not going to happen. "He did some work with the physical therapist and he hasn't gotten cleared to do anything," Cashman said. "Once the knee calms down, the swelling gets out of there, he'll start doing some work. But he's not there yet." Maybe I'm just being a nervous Nancy, but I get the feeling Matsui's season is sitting on a razor's edge. And the season may be over for Shelley Duncan. The Yankee sparkplug separated his shoulder making a diving catch Tuesday night for Scranton. "We're going to deal with some timeframe, it's just a matter of how long," Cashman said. "That's a lengthy injury. That's all I got right now."

The Red Sox head into the Bronx for a four-game set starting Thursday night. Andy Pettitte (9-5, 3.98 ERA) will go against Jon Lester (6-3, 3.48 ERA). Lester is 3-0 in his past five starts and hasn't lost since May 25 against the Oakland A's. But the young lefty was rocked for six runs and allowed two homers in his last start against the Houston Astros. Lester has had one career start against the Yanks and was ripped for seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. Pettitte was super in June, going 4-0 in six starts with a 3.76 ERA. Andy was won four straight starts and hasn't been on the losing side of the ledger in six weeks. Pettitte is 15-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 27 lifetime appearances against the BoSox.

First place may not be on the line this holiday weekend (damn Rays), but I don't think that will diminish the intensity.

Do you?

Kinsler Helps Rangers Steal a Win

2008-07-02T02:54:13Z

This is madness!

Joba Chamberlain, Dan Giese, David Robertson and Jose Veras combined for eight solid innings, but Ian Kinsler doubled off Mariano Rivera to open the ninth, swiped third and then scored on a Michael Young RBI-single as the Rangers outlasted the Yanks 3-2 at The Stadium. Kinsler was a one-man wrecking crew Tuesday night: he banged out two hits, worked out two walks, stole three bases and scored the winning run.

The Bomber offense continued to sputter, even though they doubled their run total from Monday night and managed more hits than in their previous two games combined.

This game was also a second-guesser's dream. Chamberlain labored through his four innings and threw 91 pitches, but you could have made an argument for him to go out for the fifth. But the pen pitched well, so that's a moot point. Also, Joe Girardi left David Robertson in to pitch the seventh against the heart of the Ranger offense after the Yanks tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. It was a bit sweaty, but the rookie rewarded his manager's faith in him by putting up a zero.

But the biggest head scratcher came in the bottom of the ninth. Wilson Betemit led off with a walk and Alberto Gonzalez came in to pinch-run. Melky Cabrera was up next and I assumed the bunt was on. It wasn't. Melky has been stinking it up at the plate and it was a situation that screamed for a sacrifice. Instead, Melky fell behind 0-2 and eventually bounced into a double play. Frustrating.

The Yanks have now dropped three straight and trail the first-place Tampa Rays by 7.5 games.

The Good:

David Robertson. When Michael Kay asked Ken Singleton if he was surprised Robertson was in to pitch the seventh, I responded with a "Yes!" out loud to no one. Well, Robertson shut me up by maneuvering through the meat of the Ranger order. It wasn't a clean inning -- in fact, Robertson dodged a few land mines -- but he struck out Young on a nasty curveball, got Josh Hamilton to line out to left and retired David Murphy on a fly ball to center. The performance should give D-Rob confidence the next time he's in a jam. Robertson's night: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB (1 intentional), 3 K.

The Bad:

Melky Cabrera. The Melk-Man is behind on his deliveries. Cabrera twice came up during Yankee rallies and both times made the final out of the inning. Melky flew out to left with runners on first and second in the fourth and flew out to center with runners on first and second in the sixth. True, both of those situations came with two outs, but sometimes you have to come through with a clutch hit. And Cabrera has been due. He's 0 for his last 18 at-bats and his average has plummeted to .240 on the season. At least there's nothing wrong with Melky's arm -- he gunned out Chris Davis at third in the second inning. Cabrera finished 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

The Bronx is no place for the wave. Here's the situation: Seventh inning, tie game, Rangers have a runner on second with one and Hamilton, the league's RBI leader, at the plate. The count is 1-2 and the crowd is on their feet. Are they cheering for the strikeout? Negative. They're doing the wave! It was a disgraceful display. I'm ashamed to be a Yankee fan today.

Sidney Ponson (5-1, 3.50) will try and avert the sweep and will match up against Luis Mendoza (1-2, 5.40 ERA). Mendoza has worked as both a starter and reliever for the Rangers this season. He's holding right-handers to a .194 average, but southpaws are hitting a robust .417 against him. This is his first look at the Yankees. Ponson started the season as a Ranger, but was let go for disciplinary reasons. The Arubian Knight spun six innings of shutout ball against the Mets in his first start as a Yank last week. Ponson is 8-2 with a 4.82 ERA in 17 career appearances against Texas.

Let's see if Ponson can deliver another shocker.

Yankee Offense Continues To Slumber

2008-07-01T02:30:10Z

Holding a team to two runs, with this offense, should be enough to win on most nights.

Monday wasn't one of those nights.

Mike Mussina was a strikeout machine, Alex Rodriguez hit one of the longest home runs you'll ever see from a right-handed batter at The Stadium and Jason Giambi legged out his first triple of the year, but Scott Feldman and friends put the clamps on as the Rangers squeezed by the Yanks 2-1 in the Bronx. The closest the Yanks came to an honest-to-goodness rally came in the second when they put runners on first and second with nobody out. But Jorge Posada flew out and Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera grounded out to end the threat.

Baseball is a game of numbers and here are some to chew on. In the past three games, the Bombers:

have scored five runs
have a team average of .138
have four extra-base hits
are hitting .167 with runners in scoring position

Add it up and they Yanks are lucky to be 1-2 in those games.

On a side note: the Yanks sent outfielder Justin Christian to Scranton and called up the speedy Brett Gardner. Brian has been high on Gardner for a while and even though he went 0 for 3, he swiped his first Major League base in the fifth inning.

The Good:

Alex Rodriguez. Yankee Stadium isn't really conducive to right-handed power hitters, but A-Rod is no ordinary power hitter. Rodriguez blasted a shot that bounced deep into Monument Park and went into the left-center field bleachers. The only player that I can remember actually hitting a ball into those bleachers was Juan Encarnacion (off Ramiro Mendoza in, I believe, 1998). I was watching that game with my brother and our jaws nearly hit the floor after his tater. But what was most impressive about A-Rod's shot was that it came on a 74-mile-an-hour curveball. The power generated was all No. 13. Anyway, the dinger was No. 534 for A-Rod, tying him with Jimmie Foxx for 14th place on the all-time home run list. It was also all the offense the Yanks would muster on the night. Rodriguez finished 1 for 3 with a walk, a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI.

The Bad:

1 through 8. The Rangers came into Monday's action with the American League's worst ERA (4.89), the highest batting average against (.280) and tied for the most hits allowed (822). And what did the Yanks do against this staff? They managed four hits and scored one run for the second straight game. Unacceptable! A-Rod gets a pass since he provided the run, but I'm holding everyone else in the lineup accountable for this loss.

The Ugly:

Always wear a cup. Jose Veras entered the game in the eighth and gave up a leadoff double to Michael Young. Josh Hamilton was up next for the Rangers and Jose Molina flashed the signs behind the plate. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Well, someone didn't remember the progression with a runner on second. Veras threw a fastball and Molina was expecting, well, he was expecting something else. The heater hit him square in the nads. Molina fell like a sack of potatoes as Young advanced to third. But give Molina credit, he went after the ball even though he was in obvious pain. I'm sure he'll be pissing blood tonight.

Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.03) will try and put the brakes on this mini two-game skid Tuesday night and will battle Kevin Millwood (5-4, 5.08 ERA). Millwood was a disaster in June, giving up 44 hits in 31 innings with a 6.10 ERA, but somehow finished 2-1. But I suppose that's an improvement since his ERA in May was 7.45. Millwood is 1-4 in six career starts against the Yanks. Chamberlain earned his first win as a stater in his last game against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Joba is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his five starts this season and is holding righties to a .194 average.

Time to get that first win in front of the home folks.

Perez Shuts Down Yankees

2008-06-29T20:25:43Z

On Saturday, the Yanks made the most out of their hits.

They couldn't repeat that feat Sunday afternoon.

Darrell Rasner held the fort for five innings and Wilson Betemit hit a gargantuan tater in the seventh, but Oliver Perez dominated in his seven innings and the pen finished it off as the Mets snipped the Yanks 3-1 at Shea Stadium. The Bombers managed only four hits on the day, but still had a chance in the ninth. Derek Jeter opened the frame with a single off of closer Billy Wagner with the heart of the order coming up. But Alex Rodriguez just missed a game-tying jack with a fly out to left. Jorge Posada followed with a groundout and Betemit went down looking for the final out of the ballgame.

But the story of the game was Perez. Ollie upped his career mark against the Yanks to 5-1 with seven shutout innings, including eight strikeouts and zero walks. How is this guy just 6-5 with an ERA hovering around 5.00 this season?

The Good:

Wilson Betemit. Hits and runs were at a premium for the Yanks and Betemit was the offense. Betemit got his first start at second base against the lefty Perez and responded by hitting a titanic solo shot that cleared the bleachers in left. Wil entered the game with a .235 career average from the right side, but he's batting a more respectable .260 this season. It was also his second homer off a left-hander this year. Betetmit finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and the lone RBI.

The Bad:

David Robertson. I don't want to dump on the newest Yankee reliever (after all, it was his first big-league game), but the rookie gave up a big run in the sixth. Actually, I question why Joe Girardi would go to Robertson in a 2-0 game in the sixth. I guess he wanted to get the kid's feet wet. In any event, Robertson managed to control his fear for the most part, but his wild pitch with runners on first and second was key and turned into a David Wright sacrifice fly. That put the Mets up 3-0. That meant a bloop and blast wouldn't get the job done. Yes, the Yanks managed to move back to that scenario after Betemit's home run, but it still was an important run. Or maybe I'm just being too critical. Robertson's Major League debut went like this: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP.

Melky Cabrera. Another day, another poor offensive showing for Melky. Sure, the Yanks managed only four hits on the day, but Cabrera's struggles at the plate continued. The Melk-Man finished 0 for 11 this weekend at Shea and has seen his average dip to .246 on the season. Melky finished 0 for 3, but reached on an error in the seventh.

The Ugly:

Fits and tantrums. Speaking of errors, Jose Reyes continues to show errors in judgment on the field. Melky hit a routine grounder to Reyes for what looked like the final out of the seventh, but Reyes was a bit lazy with his throw and Carlos Delgado had to come off the bag to make the catch. He didn't. The ball tipped off his glove and went into the Mets dugout for a two-base error. The miscue was charged to Reyes, but it was a play Delgado should have made. Reyes' reaction? He stomped around the infield and eventually slammed his glove to the dirt in disgust. Maybe he was upset with his throw (unlikely) or with Delgado's effort. Either way, his behavior was uncalled for and ridiculous. I was watching the game on YES (surprise, surprise) and Michael Kay and Ken Singleton ripped into Reyes. Singleton went as far as saying that that type of reaction wouldn't stand back when he was playing. I wonder if the guys on SNY were as critical. I also wonder how things will go down in the Mets locker room.

The Yanks head back to the Bronx for their final homestand before the All-Star break and welcome in the Texas Rangers for a three-game set beginning Monday night. Mike Mussina (10-5, 3.93 ERA) will go on three days rest and locks up against Scott Feldman (1-3, 4.60 ERA). Feldman has been Mr. No Decision lately -- he's 0-2 in his past eight starts. In fact, he hasn't won since spinning six shutout innings in a 4-0 victory over the Oakland A's on May 9. Feldman has made one career appearance against the Yanks and it wasn't a good one. He pitched 1/3 of an inning and gave up three runs on three hits for an 81.00 ERA. The Moose's last start in Pittsburgh was cut short after two innings because of the rainout so he'll get the call instead of Joba Chamberlain. Mussina is a creature of habit and hasn't enjoyed pitching on short rest in the past (4-4 with a 4.95 ERA in 10 starts), but this is the new, improved Mike Mussina. Moose is 4-1 in his past six starts and is 17-12 with a 3.76 ERA in 35 career starts against the Rangers.

The second half of the season has officially begun for the Yanks.

Let's see what they're made of.

Pettitte, Yanks > Santana, Mets

2008-06-29T04:31:18Z

Sometimes you just have to make the most out of your limited opportunities.

Andy Pettitte was a bulldog through six, Robinson Cano continued his resurgence with two hits and a ribbie and the bullpen put a bow on things as the Yanks edged the Mets 3-2 in Flushing. The Bombers managed only five hits on the afternoon, but they made them count. Jason Giambi put the Yanks on the board with an RBI-groundout in the fourth inning and Jorge Posada followed with a sacrifice fly to help build a 2-1 Yankee lead.

But the play of the game came in the fifth. The Metropolitans had Damion Easley on first and Jose Reyes at second with two outs and David Wright at the plate. For some reason, Reyes took too many steps off second. I'm not sure if he was stealing third or if he was bluffing or if he was trying to get a better secondary lead. Whatever the case, Pettitte whirled and picked him off at second. Inning over. You can't get into the business of predicting the future, but Wright blasted a homer to left when he resumed his at-bat in the sixth.

The Good:

Andy Pettitte. The lefty sage continues to impress. Pettitte doesn't have the sexiness of his counterpart Johan Santana, but he held his own in this pitcher's duel. Andy had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 20 when he allowed a solo shot to Ramon Castro in the second inning, but that didn't quell his intensity. The Mets had at least one baserunner in every inning against Pettitte, but No. 46 was able to keep the Blue and Orange at bay. Pettitte also battled through two rain delays -- one at the start of the game and another in the sixth -- and made the play of the game when he picked off Reyes in the fifth (his eighth pickoff of the season). Pettitte won his fourth straight and improved to 9-5 on the year with this: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HR.

Robinson Cano. Hits were scarce for the Yanks on Saturday afternoon, but Cano managed to pick up a pair. Robbie's first hit was a little dribbler up the third-base line that went down as an infield hit. Hey, they all look like line drives in the box score, right? But Cano regained his manhood with a clean RBI-single to right in the sixth to extend the Yankee lead to 3-1. Cano is working on a modest six-game hitting streak and is hitting .461 in those games. Glad to have you back, Robbie. Cano finished 2 for 4 with a run batted in.

Jose Veras/Kyle Farnsworth/Mariano Rivera. This seems to be the plan the Yanks want to implement when they have a lead in tight ballgames. They aren't concerned with the Rivera (who would be?), but Veras and Farnsworth are the wild cards. Well, things came up Aces on Saturday. Veras started the bridge to Mo with a scoreless seventh and Farnsworth zipped through the eighth. Then Rivera turned in his 22nd save in as many chances with a 1,2,3 ninth. I love it when a plan comes together. Here's the pen's combined effort: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

The Bad:

Melky Cabrera. I don't want to pick on Melky, but the kid continues to swoon. The Yanks didn't hit well as a team on Saturday (Santana was solid even though he was tagged with the loss), but Cabrera was the only regular who didn't reach base (via a hit or walk) or drive in a run. The Melk-Man hasn't let his offensive struggles carry out into center, but his average has dipped down to .249 on the year. Cabrera finished 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Godzilla is hurting. The Yankees are "cautiously optimistic" that Hideki Matsui's stint on the 15-day disabled list will be just what the doctor ordered and not a precursor to surgery. Matsui had his left knee drained for the second time this season on Friday. "He's been bothered by it, and it's a concern," said general manager Brian Cashman. "We DL'd him to give it some time to calm down. I think he's running at about 75 percent now, and hopefully we can get him back to 100 percent." Let's hope so.

Darrell Rasner (4-5, 4.50 ERA) will try and give the Yanks the sweep in their final regular season visit to Shea Stadium and will lock up against Oliver Perez (5-5, 5.29 ERA). Perez held the Yanks to two runs through 7 2/3 innings in an 11-2 Mets victory at The Stadium on May 18. But Ollie has given up 16 hits and nine runs in his past 11 innings. Perez is 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA in five career starts against the Bombers. Rasner was battered in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates and has had a putrid June. The Ras is 1-4 with a 7.00 ERA in his past five starts. Rasner will also be returning to the scene of the crime. His season was cut short last year at Shea when an Endy Chavez comebacker broke his finger.

It's payback time.

Ponson Shines as Yanks Take Game 2

2008-06-28T11:33:18Z

Much better.

Sidney Ponson twirled six innings of shutout ball, Robinson Cano went deep and drove in three and Bobby Abreu collected four hits and three RBIs as the Yanks pummeled the Mets 9-0 at Shea for a split of the two stadium doubleheader. How dominating was the nightcap for the Bombers? Kei Igawa came in for the ninth and actually put up a zero! It's now obvious that Igawa's role has been defined.

The Good:

Sidney Ponson. What a pleasant surprise! The Yanks really needed someone to give them a shot in the arm after absorbing a drubbing in Game 1 and Ponson was the guy. It wasn't easy and it wasn't necessarily pretty, at least at the beginning, but the Arubian Knight got the job done. The Mets loaded the bases with nobody out in the second, but Sid struck out Pedro Martinez, popped up Jose Reyes and got Luis Castillo to ground out. The encore in the third wasn't as dazzling, but impressive nonetheless. The Metropolitans had the bases juiced with one out and Ponson induced Ramon Castro to tap into the inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Sid also did the job with the bat: sacrificing Jose Molina to second during the Yanks two-run sixth inning. Ponson picked up his first win in pinstripes and upped his mark to 5-1 this season with this: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB (1 intentional), 4 K, 1 WP.

Bobby Abreu. El Comedulce started to heat up in Pittsburgh and his smokin bat made its way back to New York. Abreu went hitless in Game 1, but went to work in the nightcap. Bobby walked, swiped second and eventually came around to score the Yanks first run of the night on a Cano groundout in the fourth. Bobby kept the good times rolling with an RBI-single in the fifth to give the Yanks a 3-0 advantage and doubled home Derek Jeter in the sixth to pad the lead to 6-0. Abreu eventually capped the Yankee offensive outburst with a two-run single in the seventh. Four innings -- three RBIs and a run scored. Not too shabby. Abreu finished 4 for 4 with a walk, a run scored, 3 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases.

Robinson Cano. Robbie also began swinging a hot wand during the Yankees abbreviated stay in Pittsburgh and he stayed in the zone Friday night. Oh, he can still frustrate, especially when he swings at the first pitch in key situations, but the results were there. Cano came up with the bases full and nobody out in the fourth and gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout. Robbie reprised his role in the fifth (this time with one out) and hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Jeter. It wasn't very sexy, but Cano had two ribbies on two swings. Then Cano really dug in and ripped his sixth homer of the year to start off the seventh. It was his only hit of the game, but Canu looks like he's finally locked in. The hits should be coming in bunches now (hopefully). Cano finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs.

The Bad:

Melky Cabrera. Every Yankee regular had at least one hit or scored a run Friday night. All but one. Melky was the guilty party. Cabrera got off to a good start this season, but his average has really dipped in the past two months. The Melk-Man hit .299 with 5 homers in April, but has followed that up with a poor May (.234, one homer) and June (.228, one homer). The falling power numbers don't concern me, but Melky isn't a .230 hitter. Is he? Cabrera finished 0 for 4 with a walk (intentional).

The Ugly:

Awkward. Johnny Damon looks like he's recovered from his arch problem, but his slide into home in the fifth had disaster written all over it. Damon motored home on an Abreu single to right and (slid? fell? collapsed?) on the dish for the Yanks third run. Nothing JD does on the field would be considered "pretty" by anyone other than his closest and dearest family and friends, but he was lucky he didn't snap an ankle on that play.

It will be a battle of lefties on Saturday as Andy Pettitte (8-5, 4.04 ERA) will go against Johan Santana (7-6, 2.93 ERA). These two matched up on May 17 in the Bronx with Santana earning the victory in the Mets 7-4 win. Santana has a 1.87 ERA for June, but that hasn't translated into W's. He's 1-3 in his past five starts and is fresh off of giving up a grand slam to Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez on June 23. Still, Johan is 4-0 in nine regular season games against the Bombers with a 2.98 ERA and posts a 2.05 ERA in 5 lifetime appearances at The Stadium. Pettitte hasn't given up a run in 19 innings and is 3-0 with a 3.89 ERA in June. Andy is also 5-0 in his past seven starts and hasn't lost since that showdown against Johan and the Mets in May.

Time for some retribution.

Delgado Drives in Nine as Mets Smash Yanks

2008-06-28T04:20:27Z

What a horrific display!

Dan Giese couldn't regain the magic from his first start, David Wright picked up four hits and drove in three and Carlos Delgado turned the clock back to his salad days in Toronto with two homers and nine runs batted in as the Mets annihilated the Yanks 15-6 in Game 1 of a doubleheader in the Bronx. The Metropolitans banged out 14 hits, worked out 7 walks and also managed to leave 18 runners on base en route to the romp.

The Bombers were actually leading this one 4-3 heading into the fifth, but the Mets scored three runs in the top of the frame and put up five more in the sixth to blow the game wide open. Then the Blue and Orange added insult to injury with a four spot in the eighth. Every Yankee hurler was terrible on Friday afternoon (Giese, Edwar Ramirez, Ross Ohlendorf and LaTroy Hawkins) and gave up at least one run. Disgraceful.

I was at "the office" for this one and John and Suzy kept me informed for nearly five innings, but then my workload wrapped itself around my ankle and dragged me down to some great abyss. This happened to coincide with the Yanks pulling the chain on themselves and flushing this game down the toilet. Therefore, I will not round up this atrocity.

The Yanks did make some roster moves after the game, however. Hideki Matsui was placed on the disabled list (surprise, surprise) with a sore left knee and Sidney Ponson took his place (also not a surprise since he was slated to start Game 2). And Ross Ohlendorf, fresh off his horrific beating, was banished to Scranton and Kei Igawa (this guy just won't go away!) was called back up. The Big O must have really pissed off the Yankee brass if they believe Igawa can do a better job than he can.

And so the Mets sweep the final regular season series between their crosstown rivals at "old" Yankee Stadium.

Very sad.

Now let's never speak of this again.

More Pics From a Soggy Night in Pittsburgh

2008-06-28T03:56:00Z

The Yanks and Pirates were washed out Thursday night, but my brother and his girlfriend waited until the bitter end. They're diehards! Jen snapped off some more pictures so I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

More rain-soaked shots after the jump!

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Rain Halts Action in Pittsburgh

2008-06-27T02:47:56Z

That fickle mistress known as Mother Nature reared her ugly head Thursday night.

Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez ripped off four straight extra-base hits in the top of the first to give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead, but rain halted action after 2 2/3 innings with the Bombers up 3-1. The game will be made up July 10.

Two positives (if you're that type of person) from the game: Johnny Damon returned after missing the past two games and laced a double in his first at-bat. He didn't bust it going around the bases, but he he looked good enough to go. And the Bomber bullpen should be plenty rested come tomorrow's doubleheader.

The Yanks head back to New York and begin a four-game set with a doubleheader against the Mets Friday afternoon in the Bronx. Game 1 will match Dan Giese (1-2, 0.64 ERA) against Mike Pelfrey (4-6, 4.30 ERA). Pelfrey has had a solid month of June (2-0, 2.81 ERA) and hasn't dropped a decision since May 26 against the Florida Marlins. This will be his first look at the Yanks. Giese pitched well in his first-ever start against the Cincinnati Reds last week, but was charged with the loss despite not allowing an earned run in his 6 2/3 innings of work. Giese has issued only one walk in 14 innings this season.

Game 2 will be played in Flushing and features newest Yankee Sidney Ponson (4-1, 3.88 ERA) going against Pedro Martinez (2-1, 6.57 ERA). Pedro has been inconsistent since coming off the disabled list and was smoked for six runs in 4 1/3 innings in his last start against the Colorado Rockies. Martinez is 11-10 in 31 career starts against the Bombers with a 3.03 ERA. Alex Rodriguez is a career .302 hitter (16 for 53) against Pedro with one homer and four RBIs. Ponson has given up 29 hits in his past 15 innings and is 1-1 with a 6.60 ERA in his past three starts. But he has good career numbers against the Metropolitans -- 1-1 in three starts with a 2.86 ERA.

I would be thrilled if the Yanks earn a split.

Pictures From PNC Park

2008-06-26T16:36:16Z

My brother and his lady are in Pittsburgh this week to catch the Yanks in their road grays. Here are a few shots from Wednesday night's game, captured from Jen's cell phone. My bro rushed her out of the hotel so she forgot her camera, but I think these came out just fine. Enjoy!

Joba and Friends Smoke Pirates

2008-06-26T02:09:59Z

One good beatdown deserves another.

Joba Chamberlain earned his first win as a starter, Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a perfect night at the dish and Robinson Cano collected three more hits as the Yanks leveled the Pirates 10-0 at PNC Park. The offensive assault started in the first with a hard takeout slide at second base by Alex Rodriguez that led to two runs and reached its peak thanks to a three-run bomb off the bat of Bobby Abreu in the sixth -- his second dinger in as many nights.

Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Veras provided shutdown relief as the Yanks moved their record to 20-19 on the road -- becoming only the fifth team in the Majors with a winning mark away from home this season.

The Good:

Joba Chamberlain. The Yankee phenom is really starting to take to this starter bit. Chamberlain had three 1-2-3 innings during his 6 2/3 innings, but he was most impressive when he found himself in jams. The Pirates opened the second with two straight singles, but Joba worked out of it (with help from Abreu in right, who gunned down Ryan Doumit at the plate for the final out). The Bucs then put runners on first and second with one out in the fifth. No problem. Chamberlain choked off that rally without giving up a run. The final score doesn't indicate it, but those two innings were key moments in the game. The Yanks held a 2-0 lead in the second and a 4-0 lead in the fifth. If Joba gives up a run or two, it could have changed the tenor of the ballgame. Anyway, Joba earned the first of what should be many wins as a starter with this: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 hit batsman.

Bobby Abreu. El Comedulce is back! Abreu started off by legging out an infield single in the first and eventually came around to score the Yanks second run. Then Abreu took former Yankee T.J. Beam deep with a three-run shot in the sixth to help put the game away. Bobby capped off his three-hit night with an RBI-double in the eighth to give the Yanks a 9-0 lead and drove in his 50th run of the season in the process. Abreu has had a rough month (.212 average in June heading into tonight's action), but he's starting to heat up. Abreu has six hits in his past 13 at-bats. As sweet as candy, indeed. Abreu finished 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 4 ribbies.

Derek Jeter. The Captain is also starting to find his stroke. Jeter helped the Yanks jump ahead early with a booming double in the first and scored the first run of the ballgame. In the fourth, DJ got the green light on 3-0 and launched another two-bagger to give the Yanks a 4-0 lead. It's just a matter of time before Jeter gets his average above .300 (where it belongs). No. 2 finished 3 for 3 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI.

The Bad:

Alex Rodriguez. The Yanks banged out 16 hits on Wednesday night, but only one of those came from A-Rod. Oh sure, his takeout slide at second was key, but he's not on this team to do the grunt work. His job is to drive in runs! Yes, I'm being a complete idiot (more so), but there's really nothing to complain about on this night. Every Yankee regular had at least one hit and even Wilson Betemit picked up a hit after coming in as a late-inning replacement. I think A-Rod can take my good-natured ribbing. Rodriguez finished 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Ugly:

Two MIAs. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui both missed their second straight games. Damon is nursing a sore left arch and Godzilla's left knee is still hurting. JD said his injury has improved and he was hoping to start Thursday. Matsui had his ailing knee drained last week and was also trying to shake off a stiff neck. His status isn't clear. Justin Christian is doing a fine job filling in (he went 1 for 4 with a pretty bunt single Wednesday night), but the Yanks really need these guys back in the lineup.

Mike Mussina (10-5, 3.93 ERA) will go for the Yanks in the rubber game and will oppose lefty Paul Maholm (5-5, 4.41 ERA). Maholm has had an up-and-down season (2-2 with a 3.26 ERA in April, 1-3 with a 5.92 ERA in May and 2-0 with a 3.58 ERA in June). He's 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in one career start against the Bombers. The Moose will be pitching in front of the home folks (he was born in Williamsport, PA) and is 1-0 against the Bucs in his one career start. In that start, Mussina scattered five hits, struck out six and spun a complete game shutout.

A repeat performance would do just fine.

Bucs Pound Yanks Into Submission

2008-06-25T02:04:53Z

I guess there's something about the Yankees that brings out the best in NL Central teams.

Darrell Rasner was roughed up early and often, the relief work of LaTroy Hawkins and Edwar Ramirez may have been worse and Ryan Doumit and Adam LaRoche combined for six hits, three runs scored and four RBIs as the Pirates tattooed the Yanks 12-5 in Pittsburgh. The Bombers missed some early scoring opportunities, but the final score doesn't even come close to revealing how one-sided this ballgame was as the Bucos churned out 19 hits, nine of which went for extra bases, en route to the rout.

Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the seventh and Bobby Abreu went deep for the first time since June 8 with a meaningless two-run blast in the ninth. Those were about the only "positive" things to come out of this one.

The Yankees have played four games against the Reds and Pirates, two teams that are a combined 72-83 and -93 in run differential, and are 1-3 and have been outscored 21-13. This will not stand.

The Good:

Robinson Cano. I guess Robbie was one of the few Yanks who realized Monday's off day was over. Cano ripped an RBI-single in the fourth inning to bring the Bombers to within 3-1. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Yankees would get. I've probably speculated at least a dozen times that Canu was about to go on a hot steak. I'll speculate one more time. Cano finished 3 for 4 with a run scored and a ribbie.

Justin Christian. Who? The Bombers sent down lefty Billy Traber before Tuesday night's game and called up the 28-year-old outfielder to help spell the ailing Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. He made the most of it. Sister Christian picked up his first Major League hit with a single in the fourth. Then he popped his RBI cherry by driving in his first two Big League runs with a two-run double to left. It'll be a night the rookie will always remember so I'll forget about the error he made in the outfield. Christian finished 2 for 4 with 2 runs batted in.

The Bad:

Darrell Rasner. Looks like The Ras is starting to hit the wall. Rasner eked out a win in his last start against the San Diego Padres despite walking a season-high five in five innings. Well, he didn't walk any Pirates on Tuesday night, but he made up for it by allowing a career-high 10 hits through five. Rasner put the Yanks behind the eight ball early by giving up two runs in the first and never settled down after that. Darrell was a sparkling 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in May, but so far in June he's 1-4 with a 7.18 ERA. Not good. But Rasner did work out two walks in his two plate appearances. Could a start at DH be in the cards? I'm kidding of course. Rasner dropped to 4-5 with this: 5 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HR.

LaTroy Hawkins. The Hawk has been shuffled to the back of the bullpen deck, but he was called upon in the sixth with the Yanks trailing 7-3. It wouldn't stay that way. Hawkins managed to put up a zero in his first inning of work, but was charged with four runs before getting the hook with two outs in the eighth. On a positive note, LaTroy threw 49 pitches so it's a good bet he won't be used for the rest of the series. Hawkins' night: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

Edwar Ramirez. I'm not sure why Joe Girardi went to Edwar with two outs in the eighth and the Yanks down 9-3. Sure, Hawkins was bad and was definitely out of gas (if he ever had any to begin with), but it seemed like a strange situation to bring in the lanky right-hander. Anyway, Ramirez inherited a first and second situation and didn't get the job done. He looked out-of-sorts from the get go and when the final out was recorded the Pirates increased their lead to 12-3. They were meaningless runs in a lopsided game, but Edwar needs to find his chi if he expects to be in there when the games count. Ramirez's line: .1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

The Ugly:

Are you serious? The Yanks definitely need reinforcements in the starting rotation, but I'm not sure they want to go down this route. Seems like Carl Pavano (remember him?) may be ready to actually pitch come August. Yes, this August. The oft-injured Pavano is recovering from last season's Tommy John surgery and is snapping off curves from a mound. How bout that? Brian neatly summed up probably every Yankee fans' feelings on Pavano here. And I successfully baited him with a smart-ass comment in the comment section. I doubt Pavano will factor into anything this season, but you can't predict baseball. But GM Brian Cashman didn't seem too interested in Pavano pitching for the Yanks this season. "I haven't asked, but it's possible," Cashman said. Doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement.

Joba Chamberalin (1-2, 2.36 ERA) will be gunning for his first win as a starter Wednesday night and will go up against Zach Duke (4-4, 3.91 ERA). Joba pitched well in his last start against the Padres, but came away with another no-decision. Chamberlain has a 2.45 ERA in four starts this season and sports a 1.53 ERA on the road. The Duke is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his past four starts and is holding lefties to a paltry .213 average this season. This will be his first look at the Yanks.

Time to snap out of this NL Central funk.

A Little Game of Cat and Mouse

2008-06-24T17:26:58Z

Pitcher vs. Batter. Seems pretty straight forward, doesn't it?

Not when the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones get together.

In case you missed it, ambidextrous Yankees Single-A pitcher Pat Venditte and switch-hitting Ralph Henriquez danced a little dance on Sunday. Here's the clip. Enjoy!

Pettitte Sparkles as Yanks Turn Back Reds

2008-06-22T21:52:36Z

There may be a lot of wear and tear on the elbow, but the ol' lefty still knows how to win.

Andy Pettitte was splendid through six, Jason Giambi collected three hits and drove in two and Mariano Rivera nailed down his 21st save of the season as the Yanks bested the Reds 4-1 to avert the sweep. It took the Bombers a while, but they finally broke through against Cincinnati pitching with a run in the fifth on a Robinson Cano sacrifice fly and three more in the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Giambi and Jorge Posada to secure the victory.

The Good:

Andy Pettitte. The Yanks entered play on Sunday riding a mini two-game losing streak and had their best "stopper" on the hill. Michael Kay gave the stat on YES and in case you missed it I'll regurgitate it for you. Pettitte is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA this season when given the assignment to prevent a sweep. The lefty breezed through the first three innings and then wiggled out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the fourth by striking out Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. Rain halted action for nearly an hour after the sixth, but I think Pettitte was out of gas at that point, anyway. Pettitte extended his scoreless inning streak to 19 innings and picked up his third straight win. Pettitte moved to 8-5 with this: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 hit batsman.

Jason Giambi. The big guy's mustache looked thicker and darker for some reason on Sunday (Just for Men? Is it a fake?) and that translated to a perfect afternoon at the plate. Giambi singled in the fifth and came around to score the first run of the ballgame on Cano's sac fly. It was first time the Yanks held the lead in this series (how sad is that?). Then the Giambino delivered the death blow with an opposite field double just past the reach of Norris Hopper to stretch the Yankee lead to 3-0 in the sixth. Jay Jay rounded it up with a broken-bat single in the eighth. Giambi also made a nice throw to Derek Jeter on an Andy Pettitte pickoff in the fifth and swiped second in the second inning. There's nothing he can't do with that 'stache! Giambi finished 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored, 2 ribbies, a HBP and a stolen base.

Mariano Rivera. I know he's just a man, but he sure doesn't pitch like one. Rivera came into the game with a runner on second and two outs in the eighth. No problem -- he endued pinch-hitter Jose Valentin to hit back to the box. Things got a little interesting in the ninth -- the Reds brought the tying run to the plate with no outs -- but I never felt like Mo was going to blow it. Sure enough, The Sandman didn't disappoint. A fielder's choice, a strikeout and another grounder back to the box and the ballgame was over. Rivera has now converted on 21 of 21 save opportunities this year. Amazing. Rivera's line: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

The Bad:

Kyle Farnsworth. There's no shame in giving up a home run to Ken Griffey Jr. (I mean the guy has gone deep a few times in his career), but it was the 10th gofer ball Farnsworth has given up in 34 innings this year. That's just too damn many -- especially if you're being counted on to pitch late in games. It didn't get any better for Kyle. Brandon Phillips came up next and smashed a ball that Farnsworth deflected with his bare hand. It ricocheted to Alex Rodriguez, but his throw was wild and Phillips went to second on the error. But that wasn't the worst of it. Farnsworth left the game holding his hand. Turns out all Farnsy needed were some stitches and he doesn't expect to miss any time. And as much as it pains me to write, the Yanks need Farnsworth in the pen. Maybe not as the eighth inning bridge, but they do need him. Farnsworth's afternoon: .2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.

The Ugly:

The ~~Baby~~ Kid. I guess some grudges just never die. Ken Griffey Jr. was asked about his favorite Yankee Stadium moment since this is probably his last trip to the ol' girl. His response? "My favorite Yankee Stadium memory? It's leaving Yankee Stadium." Griffey has yet to forgive Billy Martin for yelling at him when his pop Ken Sr. was a member of the Yanks. Who cares that it was Billy Martin and not the Bombers organization that wouldn't allow Junior Griffey to run on the field when he was a lad. Or that the former Yankee skipper has been dead for nearly 20 years? Grow up, Ken. You're not a Kid anymore.

Monday is an off day as the Yanks head to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates in a three-game set beginning Tuesday night. It will be the Bombers first visit to the Black and Gold City since Bill Mazeroski's game-winning homer in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. I wasn't around back then, but ask any old-time Yankee fan about that Series and I'm sure you'll get a profanity-laced recap. Game 1 will feature Darrell Rasner (4-4, 3.64 ERA) against Tom Gorzelanny (5-6, 6.59 ERA). Gorzelanny has had a tough season, but June has been his best month so far (and that's not saying much: he's 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA). He picked up a no-decision in 5-4 Yankee victory last season in the Bronx, giving up four runs in 6 1/3 innings. Rasner snapped a personal four-game losing skid in his past start against the San Diego Padres, but he sports a 5.57 ERA on the road this season.

My brother is going to be in Pittsburgh for the Wednesday and Thursday games. I may get some pictures from PNC Park, but my brother and I are very similar -- absent minded and lazy. His girlfriend may be my best bet to get some snapshots.

Help me Jen. You're my only hope.