It wasn't easy and it wasn't without its controversy, but the Yanks finally won on Wednesday night, 10-5 over the Blue Jays  in Toronto, to end their 5-game losing skid.

The Yankees used the bookend approach as they scored five runs in the first inning and four runs in the ninth en route to their best offensive performance in nearly a week.  However, the Bombers rookie Tyler Clippard was shaky during his five inning outing and the Yanks had to piece together four innings from four different relievers to secure the victory.

But, this game will be remembered for Alex Rodriguez's "fake out" on Blue Jays third baseman Howie Clark in the ninth.  With two outs and A-Rod on first, Jorge Posada lifted a high pop to the left side.  As Rodriguez jogged toward third, he yelled, "Hah!"  This confusion caused the ball to drop leading to another Yankee run as Matsui scored from second on the play.  Bush league?  The Jays thought so, but I don't care.  The Yanks needed this win.

The Good:

Johnny Damon.  Damon led off the game with a homer to jump-start the Yankee offense.  He later collected his 2,000th career hit with a single to left.  I still think it's just a matter of time before Damon hits the DL for the first time in his career, but so far he's still getting the job done.  He finished 2 for 5 with the ribbie and a run scored. 

Robinson Cano.  Cano was a doubles machine as he ripped three of them in the ballgame.  He finished a perfect 4 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Maybe this will ignite Cano's game.

Alex Rodriguez.  A-Rod's base hit in the ninth extended the Yankee lead to 7-5 and his "vocal skills" opened the door for three more runs.  Hey, whatever gets the job done.

The Bad:

Tyler Clippard.  The Yanks spotted Clippard an early 5-0 lead and the rookie almost gave it all away.  Clippard struggled with his control and gave up 2 homers during his five innings.  He earned his second win of his career, but it sure wasn't pretty.  His final line: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 2 HR.

Derek Jeter.  It didn't factor into the final outcome, but Jeter had a rough night.  He finished 0 for 4 and struck out three times.   

The Ugly:

Phil Hughes.  The Yanks learned on Wednesday night that Hughes suffered a Grade 3 sprain on his left ankle last Friday and will miss an additional four to six weeks.  This is a horrible setback for the rookie and the Yanks.  He won't throw off a mound until late June or early July.

The Yanks are off on Thursday as they head to Boston for a three-game set beginning on Friday night.  It will be Chien-Ming Wang against the knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

I'm sure A-Rod will hear plenty of "Hahs!" during the weekend.

Yanks Scrap But Still Fall Short

[May 29, 2007 at 10:09 PM] The struggle goes on. The Yankees wasted another quality effort from Andy Pettitte and dropped their fifth game in a row on Tuesday as the Blue Jays edged the Yanks 3-2 in Toronto.   The Good: Andy Pettitte.  Pettitte deserved... - Continue Reading

Yankees Drop 4th Straight

[May 28, 2007 at 11:07 PM] The Yankee season has now reached DEFCON 3. The Yanks dropped their 4th in a row, this time in Toronto to the Blue Jays 7-2, and have fallen seven games under .500 and into a last-place tie with the Devil... - Continue Reading

Angels Sweep Yanks

[May 27, 2007 at 4:17 PM] It was shaping up to be a good day for the Yanks.  Mike Mussina struck out the first four batters of the game and backup catcher Wil Nieves drove in the first two Yankee runs. But, this is the... - Continue Reading

Halos Three-Run First Stands Up

[May 26, 2007 at 4:00 PM] The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Yankees received solid starting pitching, but were unable to muster any offense against Kelvim Escobar as the Angels three-run first was enough to defeat the Yanks 3-1 on a... - Continue Reading

Angels Continue Their Mastery Over Yanks

[May 26, 2007 at 3:01 AM] The Yanks have been in unfamiliar territory so far this season (under .500, double-digit deficit in the standings, uncertainty in the starting rotation), but one thing has remained constant. The Angels still have their number. Rookie Tyler Clippard pitched... - Continue Reading

Matsui and Yanks Kick Schilling Around

[May 23, 2007 at 10:32 PM] Two out of three ain't bad. The Yankees jumped on Curt Schilling early and Andy Pettitte continued to shine in his second tour of duty in New York as the Bombers blasted the Red Sox, 8-3, on a beautiful... - Continue Reading

Tavarez Kills Any Yankee Momentum

[May 22, 2007 at 10:49 PM] What a difference a day makes. The Yanks were feisty and aggressive on Monday night, but they pulled a 180 degree turn and were flat and lethargic on Tuesday night as they lost to the Red Sox, 7-3 in... - Continue Reading

Spunky Yanks Down BoSox

[May 21, 2007 at 10:39 PM] The switch has been flipped. The Yankees used power, speed and energy to defeat the Red Sox, 6-2, in the first of a three game set at The Stadium on Monday night.  The Yanks belted two homers, stole four... - Continue Reading

Rookie Clippard Leads Yanks Over Mets

[May 20, 2007 at 11:26 PM] It was all setup for the Mets to sweep the Yankees on Sunday night, but rookie Tyler Clippard had other ideas. The Bombers were going with their 11th different starting pitcher, but Clippard exceeded everyone's expectations and helped guide... - Continue Reading

Struggling Yanks Lose Again

[May 19, 2007 at 9:23 PM] The nightmare continues for the Yankees. Starting pitcher Darrell Rasner left the game in the first inning with a broken finger and the Yanks couldn't find any relief as they dropped another to the Mets, 10-7, on a cold,... - Continue Reading

Yanks Fall to Mets as Offense Continues to Struggle

[May 18, 2007 at 10:15 PM] My optimism regarding this season is starting to fade. The Yanks dropped the first of six meetings with the Mets this season, 3-2 at Shea, as the Yankee bats continued to misfire.  The loss drops the Bombers four games... - Continue Reading

Garland, Dye Put Yankees to Sleep

[May 17, 2007 at 5:17 PM] The Yankee offensive explosion lasted less than one day. The Bombers dropped the rubber game to the White Sox 4-1 on Thursday afternoon as the offense continues to struggle.  The loss drops the Yanks three games below .500 and... - Continue Reading

Wang, Late Offense Help Yanks Earn Split

[May 17, 2007 at 12:28 AM] It took some time, but the Yankees finally put together a quality start with some offensive firepower. That recipe gave the Bombers an 8-1 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday night and a split in the day/night doubleheader in... - Continue Reading

Pale Hose Take Game 1 of Doubleheader

[May 16, 2007 at 4:45 PM] Johnny Damon struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game Wednesday afternoon. That at-bat symbolizes what the Yankee offense has been lately: dormant. The White Sox defeated the Yanks 5-3 in the first of two in... - Continue Reading

Washout in Chi-Town

[May 15, 2007 at 10:20 PM] The Yankees were rained out of their game Tuesday night in Chicago.  The White Sox and Yanks will play two on Wednesday.  No word yet on who will take the hill in Game 1, but I'm guessing it will... - Continue Reading

This Date in Yankee History

[May 14, 2007 at 5:58 PM] The Yankees are off tonight so I thought I'd rev up the time machine and relive a game I attended on this date: May 14, 1996. The Yanks were beginning an eight game homestand in the Bronx.  Their record... - Continue Reading

Pettitte's Effort is Wasted in Seattle

[May 13, 2007 at 10:46 PM] I have to believe that the Yankees will eventually piece together solid pitching with timely hitting. Because this is becoming extremely frustrating to watch right now. The Yanks wasted a solid performance from Andy Pettitte en route to a... - Continue Reading

DeSalvo Earns First Big League Win

[May 13, 2007 at 3:26 AM] This entry will be brief. One of the "joys" of working overnight is being able to listen to the Yankees when they are on the left coast.  The Yanks had just scored their second run in the second inning... - Continue Reading

Washburn Subdues Yankees

[May 12, 2007 at 12:45 AM] At least it didn't take long for the Mariners to beat the Yankees. Jarrod Washburn shut down the Yankees in Seattle Friday night, 3-0, in a game that took only 2 hours and 19 minutes.  I was listening to... - Continue Reading

Rangers Bomb Yanks

[May 10, 2007 at 4:36 PM] Well, Yankee mediocrity lasted one ballgame. The Texas Rangers finally defeated the Yanks Thursday afternoon, 14-2, in a game that was a pitcher's duel until the fifth inning.  Then all hell broke loose.  It was the Rangers first win... - Continue Reading

Yanks Move Back to .500

[May 10, 2007 at 1:48 AM] At last, the Yankees can be called mediocre again. The Yanks evened their record at 16-16 Wednesday night as they continued their mastery over the Texas Rangers with a 6-2 victory in the Bronx. The Good: Mike Mussina.  Mussina... - Continue Reading

Pettitte, A-Rod & Company Bury Rangers

[May 8, 2007 at 10:42 PM] Joe Torre shuffled the lineup before the start of Tuesday night's game against the Texas Rangers and the results were good. Very, very good. The Yankees blasted the Rangers 8-2 as the slumping Bobby Abreu was dropped from third... - Continue Reading

Yanks Drop a Heartbreaker to M's

[May 7, 2007 at 11:47 PM] The good news is that the Yanks may have found a diamond in the rough in rookie Matt DeSalvo. The bad news is that the Yanks wasted DeSalvo's impressive performance. The Seattle Mariners picked up single runs in the... - Continue Reading

The Return of The Rocket

[May 7, 2007 at 1:17 AM] I've been away for a few days.  Anything new with the Yankees? The answer, of course, is unequivocally yes.   I was away for a wedding this weekend (beautiful day Bert and Chrissy), but I was able to see... - Continue Reading

Yankees Complete Doubleheader Sweep

[May 4, 2007 at 12:06 AM] MAY-be it was the month of April that was keeping the Yanks down. Okay, that was a pretty weak attempt at a pun, but whatever the reason (George's statement, starters returning from injury, full moon) the Yankees continued their creep... - Continue Reading

Yanks Take Game 1 in Texas

[May 3, 2007 at 6:25 PM] The Yankees are now 2-0 in May. It's all about perspective, people. The Yanks took the first of two against the Rangers Thursday by the score of 4-3.  It was a game the Yankees probably would have lost in... - Continue Reading

Pavano Seeks Second Opinion

[May 3, 2007 at 3:42 AM] The news gets worse and worse. Carl Pavano will be visiting Dr. James Andrews on Thursday, a man no athlete wants to see, regarding the pain in his forearm. Pavano hasn't pitched since April 9 and in all probability... - Continue Reading

Yankees Whack Marty Miller

[May 2, 2007 at 6:00 PM] Who? You may not know him by name, but you know his work.  Marty Miller was the newly appointed "director of performance enhancement" for the Yankees.  In simpler terms, he was the conditioning coach.  Key word there: was. The... - Continue Reading

Yanks Blast Rangers But Lose Hughes

[May 2, 2007 at 1:49 AM] Honestly, I really have to question whether someone has put a hex or curse on the Yankees right now. Phil Hughes was on his way to delivering a no-hitter, in only his second Major League start, when his left... - Continue Reading