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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.
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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.
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What started out as a pitchers' duel turned into a disaster. Dan Giese looked good until his arrant throw led to four runs, his counterpart Daryl Thompson put up zeros through five in his Major League debut and his bullpen mates contributed with four innings of shutdown relief as the Reds blanked the Yanks 6-0 in the Bronx. Is this 2008 or 1976?  Giese was impressive in his first big-league start and seemed poised to breeze through the seventh without giving up a run when he fielded a comebacker with a runner on first. But his throw to second was wide and pulled Robinson Cano off the bag. Instead of two outs and nobody on, the Reds had runners on first and second and no outs. Alex Rodriguez had a chance to pick up Giese on the next batter, but he missed the tag on a potential double play grounder and only recorded one out. A-Rod may have had a better chance to pull off the twin-killing if he went to second instead of trying to nab Ken Griffey Jr. running toward third. Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess. Anyway, Giese eventually gave up a two out, two-run single to Edwin Encarnacion and picked up the tough-luck loss. Still, it was a solid outing and Giese will get another chance to impress. The loss was the second straight for the Bombers and they have been held to just two runs in the first two games of this three-game set. The Good:Derek Jeter. The Yanks only picked up seven hits on the afternoon and Jeter had two of them. DJ's single in the third extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Jeter is still hitting well below his career average of .316, but he's due to heat up. The Captain is a career .336 hitter in July and has a lifetime average of .322 in the second half. Jeter finished 2 for 5. The Bad:Jose Veras. The Yanks were down 2-0 when Veras entered the game in the seventh, but the righty reliever couldn't keep the Reds in check. Corey Patterson, not really known for his stick, blasted a two-run bomb off Veras to give Cincinnati a 4-0 lead. You could almost feel the air being taken out of the Yankee balloon after that hit. Veras has been great in June (2-0, 1.93 ERA coming in), but he didn't get the job done Saturday afternoon. Veras' line: .1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.  Billy Traber/Ross Ohlendorf. The Yankee offense provided little fight after falling behind 4-0, but the Traber-Ohlendorf tandem didn't help on their end. Traber started things off by allowing two one-out singles and Ohlendorf finished it off by allowing those runners to score. On paper, Traber's herky-jerky motion should be hard for lefties to pick up, but it just hasn't translated on the field. Ohlendorf throws hard, but can't seem to throw strikes and when he does, they are usually straight as an arrow. Frustrating. Traber's day: .1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Ohlendorf's deceiving vitals: .2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. The Ugly:Missed opportunities. The Yanks had a chance to blow this game open early on, but couldn't capitalize on their scoring chances. The Bombers loaded the bases in the second inning thanks to a leadoff double by A-Rod, an infield hit by Hideki Matsui and a Jason Giambi walk. Thompson was on the verge of mental and physical breakdown, especially after failing to cover first on Matsui's grounder to first baseman Joey Votto. But the rookie right-hander struck out Jorge Posada, popped up Cano on the first pitch and struck out Melky Cabrera to escape unscathed. The Yanks mounted another threat in the third when Johnny Damon led off with a walk and Jeter followed with a single. But Thompson got Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Godzilla to fly out to every corner of the outfield for another scoreless inning. Sometimes you have to give credit to the pitcher (they're getting paid, too), but the Yanks should be embarrassed that a kid making his first-ever start (in Yankee Stadium no less) turned them away like that. Unacceptable! Andy Pettitte (7-5, 4.29 ERA) will try and avert the sweep and will do battle against rookie Johnny Cueto (5-7, 5.19 ERA). Cueto was impressive in his first big-league start, striking out 10 Arizona Diamondbacks and earning a win in a 3-2 victory. But he's dropped two in a row, has walked 11 batters in his past 12 innings and has given up 18 gofer balls so far this season. Pettitte hasn't lost since May 17 against the Mets and owns a 0.60 ERA with 15 strikeouts in his past two starts. He's 3-3 in nine career starts against the Reds with a 4.05 ERA. Remember guys, this isn't the Big Red Machine of '76 you're facing. Oh, and for all you basketball junkies out there, Arin It Out is holding a Mock NBA Draft Contest. The winner gets $50. If you possess the power of second-sight (or think you do), give it a whirl.
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You can't win 'em all, I guess. Mike Mussina was good, but Edinson Volquez was better and Jolbert Cabrera and Joey Votto combined for seven hits and three RBIs as the Reds slipped by the Yanks 4-2 at The Stadium. This was a well-played game on both sides for the most part, but Johnny Damon's blunder on a fly ball to open the fifth proved costly. It goes down as a double in the box score, but Damon should have had it. Hey, these things happen. Cincinnati would score three runs in the frame, capped by an inventive slide at home plate by Cabrera for the Reds fourth run.  The loss snaps the Yankees winning ways at seven. The Good:Robinson Cano. I almost wasn't going to give Robbie the nod since he made a lazy error in the fourth, but he did pull the Yanks to within 4-2 with an RBI-single in the seventh. The Yankee Universe is still waiting for Cano to start hitting in spades and maybe his two-hit Friday night is the genesis. It has to happen soon, doesn't it? Cano finished 2 for 3 with a run batted in. The Bad:Bobby Abreu. The offense is starting to round into shape so this has flown a bit under the radar, but Abreu is struggling at the dish. Bobby leads the Yanks in RBIs with 44, but he's hitting just .205 in the month of June. He hit .330 in May. Time to start turning things around, Bob. Abreu finished 0 for 4. The Ugly:Polls are stupid. Derek Jeter was voted as the most overrated player in the Majors in a Sports Illustrated survey of 495 big leaguers. DJ came in at No. 1 with 10% of the vote, followed by Barry Zito with 9% and Alex Rodriguez and J.D. Drew finished tied for third with 7%. Ridiculous. I'm not a huge fan of polls or lists or surveys. Sometimes they are fun, but most of the time they are done just to get a reaction. They get the blood boiling and before you know it, people are arguing about something that can't be proven right or wrong. But it's amazing to me that Jeter's peers would think of him as overrated when he plays hard every day and has had a tiny bit of success during his career. Go figure. Anyway, to show how stupid these surveys can sometimes be, SI asked the same MLB players this question last week: "Among current major leaguers, which player would you pick to build a team around?" A-Rod came in first with 14% and Jeter came in second with 12%. It's a battle of the unknowns Saturday afternoon at The Stadium. Dan Giese (1-1, 1.23 ERA) makes his first career start and will go against another virgin -- rookie right-hander Daryl Thompson (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Giese is filling the void left by Chien-Ming Wang (for now) and has pitched well in his limited duties as a reliever. Giese pitched 2/3 of an inning against the Reds (during his stint last season with the San Francisco Giants) and gave up a homer to someone (my research proved futile) for a 13.50 ERA. This will be Thompson's first sniff of the big leagues. He was 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA in four starts at Triple-A (that's the Louisville Bats if you're interested) and 3-2 with a 1.76 ERA for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts this season. Time to start a new streak.
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Who said stealing was a crime? Joba Chamberlain was stellar until he was removed when his pitch count struck 100, Melky Cabrera swiped two bases and scored a run and the bullpen brought it on home as the Yanks edged the Padres 2-1 on a gorgeous afternoon in the Boogie Down. The Bombers completed the sweep of the Padres and picked up their lucky seventh win in a row.  Runs were at a premium Thursday afternoon and the Yankees proved they could squeeze 'em out even when limited to a fistful of hits. Jose Molina drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and Alex Rodriguez singled in the go-ahead (and eventual winning) run in the sixth after Derek Jeter singled, stole second and advanced to third on a Bobby Abreu ground out. You don't have to be flashy to win ballgames as the Yanks finished the day with four stolen bases and took eight total in the three-game set. I was at work for this one, but John and Suzy kept me in the know so I'll round this puppy up. The Good:Joba Chamberlain. I thought it was foolish to move Joba from the pen to the rotation (and I stand by my theory), but that switch is paying dividends right now. With Wang out and the fifth starter job up in the air, the Yanks need Chamberlain to cement his role. And so far, so good. Chamberlain started hot, striking out the first two batters en route to an easy first inning. Things got hairy in the second, however, as Adrian Gonzalez singled, Chase Headley doubled and then Tony Clark walked to open the frame. But Joba dug deep and escaped the bases loaded, nobody out jam with no runs as he recorded two strikeouts and tagged out Gonzalez on a nifty block of the plate when a pitch skipped away from Molina. Again, I didn't "see" Joba's performance, but it sounded like he was in total control. The only downer was that Joe Girardi pulled the kid with two outs in the sixth. You can't predict the future, but Joba was one batter away from qualifying for his first win as a starter. Next time. Chamberlain's no-decision: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K.  Melky Cabrera. The Melk-Man returns! Well, sort of. Melky has been struggling at the plate (.222 average during June heading into today's action) and he went hitless, but he made up for it with his eye and his legs. Cabrera drew a one-out walk in the fifth and promptly took second and third and eventually scored the tying run on Molina's sac fly. The hits can't be far behind, right? Cabrera finished 0 for 2 with a walk, a run scored and 2 stolen bases. Mariano Rivera. They say time waits for no man, but Rivera may be the exception to the rule. The Sandman's resume speaks for itself, but he may be putting together his best season ever. Yeah, that sounds ridiculous since we're only in June and he's had some fantastic years, but the guy looks otherworldly in 2008. Rivera mowed down San Diego in the ninth for his 20th save in 20 opportunities this season. Rivera's afternoon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. The Bad:Jason Giambi. The Yanks only managed five hits on the day and five starters clocked in 0'fers, but the Giambino pulled off the hat trick. Jay Jay struck out in all three of his at-bats Thursday (but reached on a hit-by-pitch in the fourth). I hope this doesn't mean the mustache is history. Giambi finished 0 for 3 with the 3 whiffs. The Ugly:Fluid drained. Hideki Matsui and the Yanks are downplaying his barking left knee, but I don't like what's going on one bit. Godzilla had the knee drained of fluid on Wednesday and said he was available to pinch-hit today. Girardi said Matsui would have played if Thursday's game was at night so that's a good sign. Still, I'm feeling paranoid with the rash of injuries the Yanks have had this year. I hope this thing doesn't linger. The Yanks will welcome in the Cincinnati Reds for a weekend set beginning Friday night. Mike Mussina (10-4, 3.87 ERA) will face phenom Edinson Volquez (9-2, 1.64 ERA). Volquez has been a shining light for the Reds after coming over in a trade with the Texas Rangers. Eddie has recorded 105 strikeouts in 88 innings this season and is holding righty batters to a paltry .153 average. The Moose has four wins in his past five starts and has held Ken Griffey Jr. to a .156 average in 45 career at-bats. Should be a good one.
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The winning continues. Darrell Rasner snapped a personal four-game losing skid, Alex Rodriguez went deep for the fourth straight game and Mariano Rivera notched his 19th save of the year as the Yanks stopped the Padres 8-5 at The Stadium. Johnny Damon and Wilson Betemit contributed with three hits apiece to help lead the Bombers to their sixth straight victory.  And I must be honest with you gentle reader, I missed most of this contest. I met some friends for what seems to be a once-a-week gathering for drink and food and that means I don't walk through the door until after 11 o'clock in the p.m. (if I'm lucky and catch the early train). But this game was delayed for a little over an hour because of rain, so I walked in just in time to catch Kyle Farnsworth give up a solo homer to Chase Headley -- the youngster's first career jack. Luckily, it didn't factor into the final score. And if you didn't hear, the Yanks made a move on the pitching front. New York signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league deal on Wednesday. The Texas Rangers waived Ponson on June 6 because of disciplinary problems. He must have been a real pain in the ass because his numbers were pretty solid for Texas -- 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA. Ponson pitched briefly with the Yanks in 2006 and went 0-1 with a hefty 10.47 ERA. "I just think it's an obvious move," Cashman said. I don't know about that, but I suppose it can't hurt to give Ponson a shot. And the injury bug bit the Yanks again on Wednesday. Hideki Matsui missed tonight's game with inflammation in his left knee. Godzilla had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after the 2007 season, but said that the current soreness isn't as serious. Let's hope so. The Yanks will go for the sweep on Thursday afternoon. Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 2.48 ERA) will go against right-hander Josh Banks (2-0, 1.29 ERA). Chamberlain pitched well in his last start against the Houston Astros, but picked up a no-decision in the Yanks 2-1 victory. He's still gunning for his first win as a starter. Banks has made two career appearances against the Bombers (0-0, 4.50 ERA). Banks is holding lefty batters to a .217 average this season. Is a lucky seven in a row in the cards for the Yanks?
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Summer is almost here and it looks like the boys in pinstripes are finally hitting their stride. Andy Pettitte was terrific for the second straight start, Jason Giambi cranked two homers and Alex Rodriguez added another as the Yanks stomped the Padres 8-0 in the Bronx. This one was over early as the Bombers picked up two runs in the second, five in the fourth and added one more for good measure in the eighth. The Yanks have now won five in a row, 10 of 13 and moved five games over .500 for the first time this season.  The Good:Andy Pettitte. The loss of Chien-Ming Wang means that everyone else on the pitching staff needs to step up and the cagey lefty did his part on Tuesday night. The Padres were overmatched almost from the get-go and their only threat (as it were) came in the seventh when they put runners on first and second with one out. But by then Pettitte and Co. were up 7-0. A-Rod and Melky Cabrera made some sparkling plays in support of Pettitte and the old vet was a strikeout machine as he matched his season-high in K's with nine. Nice work, No. 46. Pettitte improved his record to 7-5 on the season and passed Ron Guidry for fourth place on the all-time Yankee win list with his 171st in pinstripes. Andy's night: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 WP. Jason Giambi. The big guy just keeps on mashing. Giambi's solo shot to right gave the Yanks a 2-0 advantage in the second and his two-run bomb in the fourth extended the lead to 4-0. The Giambino now has 17 homers on the year, which ranks him second in the American League. Jay Jay also upped his season average to .268 with his two-hit night. Keep on keepin on, Jason. Giambi finished 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod got the offense off and running when he led off the second inning with his 13th homer of the year. Rodriguez had a good night at the plate, but he really impressed with his play in the field. A-Rod made a pretty backhanded stop on a grounder at deep third in the sixth, planted his feet and, with one foot in foul territory, gunned out Edgar Gonzalez at first. Rodriguez made another nifty play down the line in the eighth as he flagged the grounder and then delivered a jump pass to Wilson Betemit (who made a snazzy scoop) to nab Adrian Gonzalez at first. I guess it was a bad night to be a Gonzalez. Rodriguez finished 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI.  The Bad:Melky Cabrera. Oh, Melky, Melky, Melky. The Yanks have put up 21 runs in the past two games and you have zero hits to show for it. The Melk-Man was the only regular who failed to tally a hit on Tuesday night. It wasn't all bad, however, as Melky made a diving catch to end the fourth inning. Still, it would be nice to see Cabrera contribute offensively. Melky finished 0 for 4. The Ugly:Sloppy seconds. San Diego's Craig Stansberry had a rough night at second base Tuesday night. His error in the fourth on a potential inning-ending double play helped the Yanks score three more runs during the frame. Stansberry actually botched another potential DP on the very next batter, but managed to get the force out at second base and was spared another error. But for good measure, Stansberry managed to pick up that second error in the seventh when he bobbled a weak ground ball off the bat of Hideki Matsui. Stansberry hasn't seen a lot of action at second base for the Padres this season and his performance Tuesday night might be a reason why. The Yanks made a roster move before Tuesday's game. Wang was placed on the disabled list and lefty reliever Billy Traber was called up from Scranton. Traber started the year as the only lefty in the pen, but was sent down after lefties batted a sizzling .375 against him. Now he's back to reprise that roll (the roll as the lone lefty reliever that is, not left-handed batting practice pitcher). Traber jumped right back into the fray Tuesday and retired lefty Adrian Gonzalez (even though it was because of a great play by A-Rod). Let's see how long Billy can stick around this time. Darrell Rasner (3-4, 3.64 ERA) will look to bounce back from a poor performance in Oakland and will go against last season's National League Cy Young Award Winner Jake Peavy (5-3, 2.64 ERA). Rasner has dropped four straight decisions after starting out 3-0, but he's pitched well at home. The Ras sports a 2-1 record in the Bronx with a 1.71 ERA. This will be his first look at San Diego. Peavy came back from a stint on the DL last week and held the Los Angeles Dodgers scoreless through six innings in a 9-0 San Diego victory. Peavy is holding righty batters to a .180 average this season and is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his lone career start against the Yanks. This will be his first visit to Yankee Stadium. Let's make it a bad one.
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The news came in Monday afternoon and it wasn't good. Chien-Ming Wang was diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament of the right foot and a partial tear of
the peroneal longus tendon of the right foot. The Yankee ace will be in a protective boot for at least six weeks.  "This is a significant one, there's no doubt about it," Yankees general
manager Brian Cashman told WFAN."Hopefully while he gets through the healing
process and the rehab process, we can give him some purpose to get back to help
us like he did in '05, when he missed a significant portion of time in the
second half with a shoulder injury. It's up to us to make sure that he's coming
back for a reason." I seriously doubt Wang will be back this season. Brian Bruney also injured the Lisfranc joint in his right foot earlier this year and may rejoin the Yanks in late July. If he does and is effective, then maybe there's a possibility that The Wanger could do the same, but my gut instinct tells me it won't happen. But I'm not a doctor and I hope I'm dead wrong. So, now what? It's not like you can search the waiver wire and replace your No. 1 starter. The short-term solution could be Dan Giese or Jeff Karstens. Giese has been solid since being called up and was a starter in the minors. Karstens is back from a groin injury that sidelined him during spring training and pitches tonight for Scranton, which lines him up for Wang's spot on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. Then there's always Kei Igawa (heaven help us). As for the long term, the sexy choice floating around would be to trade for C.C. Sabathia. I'm not sure what it would take to bring C.C. from Cleveland (or if the Indians are ready to unload the big guy), but I'll bet dollars to donuts that the two teams will be in heavy discussions in the coming weeks. The other guys immediately mentioned were free agent Freddy Garcia, who had rotator cuff and labrum surgery last August, and Brad Penny. Peter Gammons reported on ESPN Insider that the Dodgers were talking about sending Penny to the Yanks for Robinson Cano, but Penny was scheduled to undergo an MRI on his aching right shoulder Monday. It doesn't look like he'll make his next start. And then there's the dream scenario (other than Wang magically waking up and feelin fine tomorrow) where Ian Kennedy and/or Phil Hughes recover from their injuries, pick up the slack and pitch the way the Yanks envisioned they would at the beginning of the year. Man, that would be sweet. One thing's for sure, no one is going to feel sorry for the Yanks. Management and the team's baseball "people" will have some serious decisions to make if the Bombers are going to survive Wang's injury. Heads may be down in Yankee Land today, but remember fans: What does not kill me, makes me stronger.
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I guess nothing will come easy this season. Chien-Ming Wang scattered six hits through five before leaving with an injury, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada went deep and the bullpen pitched four innings of one-hit ball as the Yanks torched the Astros 13-0 to sweep the weekend series in Houston. Roy Oswalt and Wang traded zeros for nearly three innings, but the Bombers broke through in the third on Posada's bases loaded walk and Robinson Cano's shattered-bat, two-run single to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead. Then they kicked down the door by scoring eight runs with two outs in the sixth to put the game away.  The Bombers finished the six-game road trip with an impressive 5-1 mark and have won 9 of their past 12 games, but the Wang injury casts a bit of a shadow on the positive vibes. Wang said he suffered the injury rounding third base, but he went in standing up at second on a Johnny Damon infield single earlier in the sixth inning. It was an awkward play and any other runner would have slid in that situation, but Wang would have probably done more damage if he hit the dirt. In any event, Wang turned up lame rounding third on a two-run, RBI-single by Derek Jeter. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, and the Yanks will have an MRI performed on Monday in New York, but Joe Girardi doesn't expect Wang to make his next start. Wang earned the win and moved to 8-2 on the season. The Good:Jorge Posada. Jorgie got the Yanks on the board in the third with a gritty two-out at-bat. Posada battled back from a 1-2 count, took a close pitch on 2-2 and eventually worked out a walk with the bases juiced to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. It may sound ridiculous to say that a bases loaded walk was a big play in a 13-0 final, but if Oswalt gets that call the inning is over and who knows how the rest of the game works out. Posada also capped the Yankee scoring in the sixth with a two-run bomb to give the Yanks an 11-0 lead. Jorgie was perfect on the day and finished 2 for 2 with 3 walks, a run scored and 3 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez. The reigning MVP did it with the stick and the glove on Sunday. A-Rod launched his 12th round-tripper of the season in the sixth to extend the Yankee lead to 9-0. Rodriguez knew he got all of it off the bat, but I'll be honest, I didn't think it was going out. A-Rod probably hits the highest homers in the league and those have a tendency to fool me. Oh, well, I'm an idiot. Rodriguez also made a nice diving stop with runners on the corners and two outs to snuff out a Houston rally in the third. A-Rod finished 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 runs scored and 3 runs batted in. Robinson Cano. Everyone is waiting for the Yankee second baseman to bust out and maybe his two hit day on Sunday does the trick. Cano didn't really tear the cover off the ball on his first base hit and his second one just stayed inside the chalk down the third base line, but two hits are two hits. Robbie also worked out a bases loaded walk in the eighth. C'mon Canu -- time to get hot. Cano finished 2 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and 3 RBI.  The Bad:Melky Cabrera. It never fails. No matter how many runs are scored there's always one guy who fails to get into the act. Melky was that guy on Sunday. The Yanks banged out 15 hits, but Cabrera didn't lay claim to any of them. It wasn't a total loss for Melky -- he drove in the final run on a ground out in the eighth. If Melky was hitting higher than .258 on the year, I may have been able to let his 0'fer slide. I'm firm, but fair. The Melk-Man finished 0 for 5 with an RBI and 2 strikeouts. The Ugly:I can hit with my eyes closed. Roy Oswalt was lit up for seven runs through 5 2/3 innings on Sunday, but he went 2 for 2 at the plate. It's a good thing there aren't style points in baseball because Oswalt looked like me on his second single. Oswalt was out in front, reached for the ball and with his eyes snapped shut, stroked a base hit to center. The slow motion replay captured the "fluid" swing in all its glory. Good stuff. The Yanks are off on Monday as they head back to the Bronx and prepare to take on the San Diego Padres for a three-game set beginning Tuesday night. Randy Wolf (5-4, 3.83) will go against Andy Pettitte (6-5, 4.64 ERA) in the opener. Wolf has put together a solid season for the underachieving Pads and hasn't lost since May 17 against the Seattle Mariners. He's 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA in his past five starts. Pettitte was brilliant in his last start against the Oakland A's and is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA in four career starts against San Diego. Don't look now, but the Yanks could be in the middle of the hot run everyone has been waiting for.
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