Yankees Squeeze out win

For the 100th post of my blog the Yankees deliver a 6-5 win over the surging Angels. While the Yankees still didn't get many hits with runners in scoring position, they got the runs that they needed to escape Anaheim with a win. Granderson hit a 3-run home run off Santana followed by Cano's 2-run long ball two batters later. The go-ahead run would be scored by a Raul Ibanez triple and a Swisher sac fly. The offense still isn't where you want it to be but if home runs are the way the Yankees want to go, those home runs better be enough to win the ballgame. Like many others, I want the Yankees to play more small ball. This is where Gardner is so valuable to the Yankees. He gives them an additional dimension that they otherwise lack. Gardner is on his way back. He did some tee work and the Yankees think he should return by the time the Yankees come home to face Tampa Bay.

Ivan Nova gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings of work, with the big blows coming off the bats of Trumbo and Trout. Those who players are electric when in the lineup together. Nevertheless, Nova needs to improve on executing his pitches. He is still giving up a massive amount of home runs and extra base hits mainly because of poor fastball location. The player of the game goes to Cory Wade, who came in for 1.1 innings, striking out 3 and not giving up a run in the seventh when there were runners on first and third. Soriano made things interesting by putting two men on base to face Trumbo, who has killed the Yankees in this series. Trumbo made the final out of the game with a broken-bat pop fly to left field. The Yankees head to Detroit, taking 4 of 6 games on the west coast. on Friday CC Sabathia matches up with rookie Casey Crosby who is making his major league debut. Fister who was supposed to make the start, is back on the DL.

Yankees fall short in Crazy game

The first inning of tonight's game was one of the wackiest I've ever seen. Jered Weaver leaves the game in the first with a back injury. The Yankees score 3 runs thanks to two errors then in the bottom of the inning then the Angels come back to score 4 runs on five hard hit balls off of Hughes. The craziness in this game could have been avoided if Hughes didn't give everything away in the first inning. The Yankees offense showed their toughness by matching the Angels score in their at bats. However, they fell short in the ninth when Cory "Walk-Off" Wade gave up a home run to Mark Trumbo to give the Angels their seventh straight win. The Yankees lose a heart breaker where they got hits from guys who desperately needed them. They loaded the bases in the ninth but Jeter grounded out before Trumbo hit his home run in the bottom half of the inning. Teixeira continues to stay hot and Alex Rodriguez still can't get a hit with runners in scoring position.

Martin back in lineup against Weaver

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez LF
Nick Swisher RF
Eric Chavez DH
Russell Martin C

SP: RHP Phil Hughes (4-5, 4.94 ERA)

Kuroda Brilliant in Sweep of A's

Hiroki Kuroda came into the game badly needing a good performance. As I posted in yesterday's blog, Kuroda needed that win and there was a good chance it would come against a light hitting team in a pitcher friendly ballpark. I was right about that, but Kuroda managed to pitch eight innings of shutout baseball before handing it over to Rafael Soriano to close it out in the ninth with a 2-0 lead. Hopefully, Kurpda can feed off this start and continue it in his next start against the Tigers in Detroit where he will face a heavy hitting team with Cabrera and Fielder. This game certainly puts him in the right direction. When Kuroda is on, he can pitch a shutout, similar to AJ Burnett. However, his bad starts are usually stinkers where he allows 4+ runs.

Mark Teixeira continued his hot hitting today by going 2-4 with an opposite field RBI double to score Granderson in the seventh inning. By the looks of it, Teixeira has come out of his funk with another solid game offensively. The pitchers that the Yankees have to face this week will not be a spring picnic with Weaver tomorrow and Haren on the mound Tuesday. Andruw Jones finally contributed today with a long home run to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead which they would not relinquish. Jones is not a very valuable asset in my eyes, but what he did today helped the team. He can still hit the hell out of the ball every once in a while.

Tomorrow, Jered Weaver faces off against Phil Hughes, who has put it together lately himself. Weaver enters the game with a 6-1 record and an ERA south of 3. Pujols has been heating up lately so it will be interesting to see if he hits the Yankee pitchers hard this week.

Teixeira Shows Muscle

Saturday's game against Oakland was dominated by Mark Teixeira. Cano had a few hits and a home run, but Teixeira had a day that I have not seen from him since last season. He went 4-5 with two home runs and 5 RBI. If this game doesn't snap Teixeira out of his funk, there is something else seriously wrong with Tex. He had a day for the ages and for the first, maybe second, time this year he can put his feet up on the couch after the game knowing that he made a difference in the game. Cano continues looking like his old self with another home run and a double. I may have been wrong about A-Rod having a big day, as he went 0-3. However, he did get on base via walk and drove in a run with a sac fly to right.

CC Sabathia's control and location were not there today. He used too many pitches to get batters out and put many runners on base. CC always manages to get out of those jams though. He ended up going 7 innings and allowing only two runs, one of which came on a home run by Josh Reddick who continues his power surge. Cody Eppley and Cory Wade pitched two scoreless frames behind CC to give Sabathia his sixth win of the season.

The Yankees are beginning to look like a formidable team. Their hitting has become better and their pitching continues to improve from start to start. Tomorrow, the Yankees are going for a series sweep and will send out Hiroki Kuroda to face rookie Tommy Milone. Kuroda should fare well a pitcher friendly ballpark and a light hitting team. He needs to improve on his 3-6 record and pitching in Oakland will increase his chances of doing so.

Lineup against Colon

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez LF
Nick Swisher RF
Eric Chavez 3B
Chris Stewart C

SP: LHP CC Sabathia (5-2, 3.78 ERA)

Nova, Offense awaken in Win over A's

After seven strong innings from Nova and three home runs by the offense, the Yankees muscled their way to a 6-3 win over the Oakland A's on Friday night. Nova's off-speed pitches were working, and he went to them when he was in trouble. He left two pitches out over the place for Ka'aihue and Reddick to crush into the right field seats. The third run Nova surrendered was via sac fly for Kurt Suzuki. Overall, the seven inning, three run start for Nova was a successful one. He also struck out four in the Yankee win. Nova's record now stands at 5-2 with an ERA that needs to come down from 5.46.

The Yankee offense certainly did their part last night by powering their way past the starter Tyson Ross. The slugged three home runs and four doubles against the righty starter. Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher's bats finally came alive after Teixeira had a double and a home run and Swisher went opposite field for his round tripper. The offense managed to go 2-10 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight on base. A .250 average with runners in scoring position certainly isn't sparkling but it's an upgrade over where the Yankees have been over the last two weeks with runners on. 

Tonight, lefty CC Sabathia faces off against former Yankee Bartolo Colon in the second game of the three game set. Look for Alex Rodriguez to do well against his former teammate in the 4:05 YES start.

Where the Season Stands

The Major League Baseball regular season is just over a quarter of the way through. There have been some surprises in the division that the Yankees play in. People knew that Tampa Bay would be good and that Toronto would compete, but not one person had the Baltimore Orioles in first place a quarter through the season. Buck Showalter has found life in his young team, and players really take to Buck's methods. Still, I expect the Orioles to fade down the stretch. With the team they have, I don't see them competing for a playoff spot this year.

The Yankees are two games over .500 before a long west coast road trip that includes stops in Oakland, Anaheim and Detroit. They sit in fourth place in the AL East just in front of a surging Red Sox team that is slowly beginning to find its way. The Yankees will make the playoffs this year. Their lineup will be back to normal in a couple of weeks when Gardner returns. A-Rod's power is back, even though I'm not sure it went anywhere in the first place. Teixeira will get back on his way to a 30-100 season, even though I think his batting average will not be spectacular. Granderson will not have the year he had last year, but he is a consistent producer and plays a great center field at Yankee Stadium. The hitting will simultaneously fall in line with the pitching.

Yankee starters are not blowing anyone away. They give up a couple of runs every night, but lately the rotation has looked better since Hughes decided to show up. Kuroda and Nova are still big question marks. Kuroda lacks consistency which is what the Yankees expected from him when they gave him the contract. They signed him to be their number two starter and he has looked like a number four thus far into the season. Nova walks the tightrope every start. He gives up a lot of extra base hits but his strikeouts are up from last year. He has the ability to get out of jams and pitch himself to a win. Fastball location has been Nova's problem this year. His off-speed pitches have been great this season, but his fastball is hit or miss start to start.

One thing that I can praise Girardi on is his use of the bullpen. He knows how to operate a bullpen without exhausting his relievers. He stays away from using guys three days in a row and seems like every match-up he makes turns out as a positive for the Yankees. When Robertson returns, the bullpen will go back to it's usual dominance with Robertson working the eighth inning and Soriano closing games out, which seems to be the way to go after Robertson's shaky save opportunities.

The Yankees have not hit their stride yet, but when they do, expect them to climb atop the division to stay. When everybody starts to get going, people will be less skeptical about 2012. While it's not good to struggle for as long as the Yankees have, it's better to get it out of the way in the beginning rather than in September.

Feel Good Victory

Tonight's game was one that made me feel good and reassured as a fan. Pettitte pitched seven great innings, allowing only 2 runs on seven hits and 1 walk. He had eight strikeouts in tonight's performance and built on his previous start against the Reds. Pettitte's fastball averaged about 88 MPH, but if he locates it, the ball looks like its coming at 93 MPH and it deceives the hitter. He got into a bases loaded situation in the fifth inning but none of the balls that inning were hit hard. They were all bloopers and grounders that found grass.

This was a big night for the Yankee offense, particularly Alex Rodriguez whose power had vanished before tonight's game. He had gone 52 AB's without a home run and people were starting to think that it was the end of Alex Rodriguez, the power hitter. He proved everybody wrong tonight and smashed two home runs and drove in three runs to give the Yankees a comfortable lead. He squared the balls up and smacked them into the left/left center field seats. Mark Teixeira didn't get any hits tonight but he got on base three times via the base on balls. He drove in a run with one of those walks as well. Granderson belted his 14th homer of the season in the first inning to put the Yankees on the board and Jeter began to hit again, going 3-5. Swisher still seems to be in a funk which he needs to snap out of if he wants a sizeable contract this winter.

I had fun at the game. Watching A-Rod's home runs made it worth it for me, because I was one of the nay-sayers about Alex's power. Tomorrow is an off day before the Yankees start a long road trip to the west coast, making stops in Oakland and Anaheim before finishing the road trip in Detroit against Leyland's Tigers.

Teixeira back hitting third

Today's lineup against rookie Will Smith. I'm on my way to the game right now!

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Andruw Jones DH
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix LF

SP: LHP Andy Pettitte

Slowly Over the Hump

The Yankees played a well-balanced game tonight, from getting good pitching out of Phil Hughes to clutch hits by Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. The bullpen did its job tonight, firing three innings of scoreless ball. Soriano got into a jam with one out in the ninth but escaped the inning unscathed thanks to a brilliant play by A-Rod at third and an even more brilliant stretch by Teixeira at first to end the game.

Hughes wasn't dominant tonight by any stretch of the word, but he did what he had to do, limiting the capable Royals offense to two runs in 6 innings of work. Again, long counts and the lack of putting batters away hurt his outing. Girirdi did a great job matching batters up with his pitchers. Cody Eppley pitched a scoreless eighth thanks to another great play by Teixeira. Girardi is playing with his bullpen using his binder. Tonight, it worked well for the Yankees as the Royals managed to stay off the board after the Francoeur home run in the fourth inning.

The hitting is still suspect. After the Jeter single to drive in the tying run, the next three batters all made outs, one of which drove in the go-ahead run thanks to an RBI groundout by Granderson. What makes you scratch your head is that the Jeter single in the fifth was the last hit by a Yankee batter for the remainder of the game. To conclude, the offense still isn't there but tonight it managed to get just enough to prevent the team to going below .500.

Tomorrow I will be at the game, so a late post game reaction is likely. Andy Pettitte takes on rookie Will Smith in Smith's first career start in the big leagues. It should be interesting to see what the Yankee offense does against a pitcher they've never seen. Will their hitting shoes be on, or will Smith make the hitters look foolish?

Yankees Stinking up the Joint

For the third straight game, the Yankees have been hideous. They just aren't getting the big hit. They had a lot of opportunities tonight, with the most glaring a bases loaded, nobody out situation. There is nothing more to say. There is no hitting. They are getting hits to lead off an inning, but nothing after that. If they get a hit with two outs, nothing after that. They are getting about a hit per inning. The bats have been silent. Nobody is driving anyone in. Zilch! Nada! The offense is as anemic as possible. The Yankees fall to a .500 team a quarter into the season. They are now 21-21 and at the bottom of the American League East. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira look especially pathetic in this stretch. They can't buy a hit if it was served to them on a silver platter.

The bottom line with Kuroda is that he is an inconsistent pitcher. He can't keep the ball in the park and has a lot of trouble in first innings before the Yankees even get a chance to score. Freddy Garcia serves no purpose in the bullpen. They need a legitimate reliever to take Garcia's spot and cut Freddy. They need to bench Mark Teixeira and move Alex Rodriguez down in the lineup.

Girardi's hair is getting grayer. He is getting more impatient by the game and has to answer the same question before and after every game. It is comical how bad the Yankee offense has been this season. They are at the bottom of most offensive categories and find themselves with a high payroll and a mediocre record.

CC Fails in Final Game against Reds

CC was rolling until the seventh inning where everything unraveled. He allowed two solo home runs and capped it off with a based loaded walk to give the Reds the lead. The game was close until the ninth inning where Jeter made a fatal error, booting a ball hit by Jay Bruce. Eventually, the Yankees would go on to lose 5-2 and end the series with only one win. Andy Pettitte's pitching performance is the only thing that stands out in this series as a positive.

The Yankees struggles with runners in scoring position continued today. They constantly got the leadoff runner of only to strand all of them or ground into double plays. It seemed like every rally was killed by a double play. Ibanez gave the Yankees a temporary lead in the sixth by supplying a 2-run home run only to be erased in the seventh.

If the Yankees can't beat the sub-par Reds at home, you wonder if they can compete at all with the team they have. There is no energy surrounding the Bombers like there was in the past. Hopefully, Kuroda can get his act together tomorrow against the Royals, who counter with Felipe Paulino. Kuroda did not do well when he pitched in Kansas City two weeks ago, but based on his stinker in Toronto he can't possibly do any worse.

Ball stops rolling again

After what seemed to be a momentum changing win last night, the Yankees find themselves exactly where they left off before Friday. Once again, Ivan Nova gave up too much in six innings and allowed too many extra base hits. According to the YES Network, Nova has given up the most extra base hits out of any pitcher in the major leagues this season. That won't get the job done because the Yankees aren't scoring enough to cover up Nova's mistakes. After the Votto 3-run homer, I got the feeling that the game was over judging by the Yankees recent struggles offensively.

The offense went 2-7 with RISP, and got both hits in the ninth inning in an attempt to come back and win the game. The hitters strung together a few hits in the ninth, but overall are not producing with runners in scoring position. The ninth inning gives hope that the Yanks can turn their hitting skid around. Another issue that the Yankees face is their starters not limiting damage. If a Yankee starter gives up 3 runs, you hope that the Yankees can at least tie the game. They rely too heavily on the long ball and fall short in close games because they think more about the short porch than creating runs on the field.

Tomorrow's rubber game features two aces; it's CC Sabathia against Johnny Cueto. With two aces going at it, runs will be at a premium for the Yankees and. They need to capitalize by getting timely hits instead of thinking about hitting 5-run home runs.

Teixeira out again, Cano DH

Girardi said that he may rest Teixeira tomorrow as well because he wants to get rid of this cough once and for all.

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Raul Ibanez RF
Nick Swisher 1B
Russell Martin C
Dewayne Wise LF
Jayson Nix 2B

RHP Ivan Nova (4-1, 5.44 ERA)

Pettitte Dominates in Win

Andy Pettitte had not pitched in professional baseball for a year and a half before last Sunday, and tonight he gave the Yankees all they could have hoped for and more. Going eight strong innings, he allowed no runs and struck out nine batters. He gave up a meager four hits and worked with one run of offense through his entire performance. Pettitte to this point has been a godsend to the Yankees, who now have another formidable lefty starter in their rotation after shaky outings by Hughes and Kuroda.

What worries me is the Yankees continuous inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Tonight against Bronson Arroyo, the Yankees offense went 0-7 with RISP. The big blows of the game that sealed the deal came via home runs by Cano and Ibanez. The offense got it going in the eighth inning, but the team as a whole is still horrific with runners on. The bases were loaded with Yankees in the sixth inning and they didn't even manage to get a run across against an average pitcher. Teixeira getting the day off should help him gather his thoughts. He has been atrocious this year offensively and needed a day off.

Tomorrow afternoon, Ivan Nova hopes to improve on his last performance in Baltimore when he takes on Homer Bailey who is 1-4 on the season.

No Teixeira, Swisher at First

Today's lineup against Bronson Arroyo.

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Raul Ibanez RF
Nick Swisher 1B
Eric Chavez DH
Dewayne Wise LF
Chris Stewart C

LHP Andy Pettitte (0-1, 5.68 ERA)

Offense Fails to Show again

For the third straight night, the Yankees offense has looked completely anemic. They are not getting ANY hits with runners in scoring position and seem to be making sloppy plays in the field. Last night Kuroda got shelled against the Toronto offense, making people wonder if he really differs from Burnett. Kuroda is unpredictable start to start. He has a decent outing one day and five days later gets bombed. Hughes looked decent today despite getting a lot of runners on. He managed to escape all jams but one, which was the difference in the game anyway.

The offense has been atrocious. Over the Yankees last three games against the Orioles and the Blue Jays, they have scored a total of 4 runs. 4 runs in 3 games would not even get the win if CC pitched in three consecutive games. As a matter of fact, if the Yankees saved all four of those runs and decided to place them in one specific game of the three, they wouldn't even win one game with the four runs. Over their last three games the Yankees have been outscored 17-4. In that span, they have gone 2-25 with runners in scoring position. An .080 average with runners in scoring position will not win any games.

Mark Teixeira has continued to look awful at the plate. He will not get benched because of the enormity of his contract. Andruw Jones is atrocious at the plate this year. He swings at anything and has a tendency to not play hard. Russell Martin is hitting a mere .167 ON THE SEASON. That batting average deserves him getting sent down all by itself. He is not doing "great things" behind the plate either. He's had noticeably more passed balls this year. The team is just not clicking. Brett Gardner needs to come off the DL fast to end this Ibanez/Jones experiment in the outfield every night. The team looks tired. They look overworked. They look old. 38 games into the season, the Yankees look like they have played 150 games. It scares me to wonder where this team is headed in September.

Girardi can say anything he wants about "not getting hits when they are needed". Come the winter, if the Yankees finish the season horribly and don't make the playoffs, I expect upper management to make the call that is needed to be made regarding Joe Girardi as the manager of this baseball team. The competition the Yankees have in the American League is too good to mess up against. The Rangers have the most complete team in all of baseball. They have young impact hitters who hit mistakes and a pitching staff that is doing their job in the most home run prone ballpark in the American League.

CC Falters to O's

The quick series is a split for the Yankees. CC pitched all right but the Yankees hardly did anything against the lefty Chen. The only runs the Yankees managed to scratch out was courtesy of Granderson via home run. The Yankees have been too reliant on the long ball this year and don't do well in games where they can't display their power.

What's even more important is that Robertson is on the DL with a strained oblique. This is another major blow to the already Rivera-less bullpen. Everyone's spot gets knocked up a notch because of Robertson's absence. Soriano gets the ninth inning and everyone else will enter games because of match-ups. Aside from Soriano, the Yankees bullpen is a coin flip to see who pitches in what inning. Nova felt better today before the game and is hopeful that he can make his next start against the Reds this weekend at the Stadium.

The offense has been sporadic for the Yankees. They are not moving runners or getting productive at-bats. They rely heavily on the home run which doesn't come easily against a good pitcher. The rotation is a major question mark already after CC. Now, the bullpen which has been so lights out, also faces questions that will be difficult to resolve unless Robertson comes back after 15 days. Gardner is still at least two weeks away before he makes his presence known in the lineup, leaving the continued platoon of Ibanez and Jones in the outfield. Gardner's absence proves how much value he holds to the Yankees. The lineup is not the same without him. The excitement of the possibility of the stolen base or bunt hit isn't there. Runs aren't getting manufactured via small ball. This is why the Yankees lineup has been sporadic this season. They need Gardner back in the lineup and Robertson back in the bullpen if they want to contend this year.

Confused in Baltimore

Tonight's game against the Orioles just confused me. So many awkward things happened in the game. One moment you are elated as a fan and the next you are biting your nails. A wacky game that ended with a win is all that matters though.

Ivan Nova started the game tonight and pitched with less than great stuff. His fastball was elevated and when the balls were hit, they were crushed. One ball managed to crush Nova. A come-backer nailed him in his ankle. He would exit the game in the sixth inning after snagging a ground ball hit his way. The x-rays were negative and turned out that Nova had a contusion and sprain of his right foot and ankle. Later, the lefty Clay Rapada felt ill and was helped into the clubhouse. He was diagnosed with a viral infection. In the eighth inning, an Orioles reliever drilled Ibanez in his right elbow and Ibanez too would exit the game and get pinch-run for. The Yankees trainers sure earned their paychecks tonight. The Nova injury scares you more than the other ones because the Yankees once again will need another starter if this injury keeps Nova out for an extended period of time.

The offense came alive tonight thanks in part to Nick Swisher's big two run double in the fourth inning and Teixeira's home run later on in the game. I feel bad for Teixeira and wanted this blog to focus on his struggles. Instead, he hit a home run and a double and now I have to wait to dissect Teix until at least tomorrow.

Another puzzling fact was Girardi going to Soriano in the ninth instead of Robertson after stating that both relievers were available. He had proclaimed that Robertson was the closer but maybe this was strictly a match-up save situation.

Tomorrow night CC Sabathia goes up against Japanese pitcher Chen in the final game of the quick, two game set in Baltimore.

Lineup, rain permitting

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C

SP: Ivan Nova, 4-1, 5.02 ERA

Two Mistakes

On a day where Andy Pettitte made his highly anticipated first Yankee start of 2012, the Yankees ran into a wall while facing another veteran on the other side. Kevin Millwood flew under the radar but managed to out-duel Pettitte. The offense had two big opportunities to cash in but failed to do so after Jeter grounded into a double play twice.

Pettitte's start began promisingly as he did not allow a hit through 3.2 innings before giving up a home run to Justin Smoak that landed two rows into the left field seats. Pettitte mixed his pitches and got big outs, just like he has earlier in his career. His fastball settled within the 87-89 MPH range with most heaters going at 88 MPH. He got away from his curve which was a good pitch for him to start the game. His final line was 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB. 2 K, 2 HR.

The offense failed to support Pettitte in his highly anticipated return to the Yankees. They managed only one run against Millwood that came thanks to Russell Martin's bases loaded walk. Otherwise, the veteran right-hander fooled the Yankee bats all afternoon. Tomorrow, the Yankees begin a mini 2 game series in Baltimore where Ivan Nova will face off against Jason Hammel.

Rolling Along

Tonight was the third time in four games where the Yankees hitters beat up on ace pitchers. First,  the Yankees got to James Shields and David Price in the Tampa Bay series. Tonight, they faced King Felix who had not lost a game at the new Yankee Stadium in his career. He had a minuscule 0.38 ERA at Yankee Stadium tonight. The hitters were patient against Hernandez and tattooed him for four runs in 6.1 innings. The big blow came off Ibanez's bat in the sixth inning when the lefty hit a big three-run homer against King Felix. Jones added on in the eighth with a two-run shot of his own. Logan came on in the ninth but after a base-runner reached first, Girardi went to Robertson to close the game out, which he did successfully.

Cano continued his hot hitting tonight going 4-4 with an RBI single His batting average now stands at a healthy .308. When Cano is himself, he sets the tone for the rest of the team. His single in the first inning that drove in Granderson set the tone for the Yankees against Felix Hernandez.

In other news, the Yankees have sent down Eduardo Nunez after struggling in the field. They countered the move by taking Eric Chavez off the DL. Nunez needs to play every day if he wants to field well. I strongly believe that the Yankees moving him around all over the field had something to do with his errors.

Tomorrow, former Yankee Hector Noesi takes on Phil Hughes in the second game at the Stadium. It will be interesting to see how Montero does in the rest of the series against the Yankees. He made his presence known tonight as his home run against Kuroda was the difference for a while until Ibanez hit his homer.

Coming Through Big

Following a game where the Yankees new closer David Robertson, gave up the lead in the ninth to blow his first save of the year, the Yankees came back in a big way against an elite pitcher, David Price. CC Sabathia went eight strong innings, not allowing an earned run and stuck out 10 batters. His best pitches came later in the game, however Girardi went the safe way and called on Rafael Soriano to earn his first save of the season with Robertson pitching three straight games. Soriano too, pitched three nights but his outings were less stressful than Robertson's.

Robinson Cano had a huge night at the plate, going 3-4 with a long 2-run home run in the Yankees bullpen. Robbie has been heating up over the last week since hitting a grand slam in Sunday's game. When he is on, it is difficult to get a mistake past him. The Yankees ability to work Price's pitch count in the fifth inning led to the go-ahead runs scoring and ultimately winning the game for the Yankees.

Although this could have easily been a 3 game sweep, the Yankees managed to win two out of three, which is what you want to do against a rival team. It doesn't get any easier for the Yankees tomorrow when they find themselves facing Felix Hernandez. The Yankees will counter with Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda has been very hit or miss this season for the Yankees. With a light-hitting offense coming in, I expect Kuroda to pitch like he would in an NL West match-up.

UPDATE- 10:14: Gardner has re-injured himself and will not be in the lineup for another 15-25 days. It was the same injury he had when he initially went on the DL. The bone bruise is essentially gone. He won't pick up a bat for 10 days.

Lineup, Gardner suffers setback

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones LF
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Chris Stewart C

SP: CC Sabathia, 4-0, 4.15 ERA

Brett Gardner suffered a minor setback with elbow soreness and inflammation. Gardner had played two games at AAA and felt soreness in his right elbow following last night's game. He was sent for an MRI before the game.

Eric Chavez feels good after suffering whiplash last week. Now it is just a matter of getting cleared by MLB to get activated.

Houdini Act Fails Tonight

Tonight was looking like a great game for the Yankees. They had a 1-0 lead going into the ninth inning. The entire bullpen had pitched great and Phelps gave the Yankees some innings, stranding the bases loaded twice, with the second instance being saved by Boone Logan.

Robertson came into the game in the ninth inning for the save. He began the inning with his usual Houdini act. He loaded the bases and struck out Pena for the first out. Then BJ Upton lifted a sac fly to right field to tie the game. Not long after, Matt Joyce slapped a three-run home run into the second row of the right field seats. There went the lead and at that point, probably the game. Robertson is still learning the closers role. I won't jump to any conclusions. Not having Mo hurts and that was a situation where he probably would have gotten the job done. Surely Robertson will be upset with himself, but if he can adapt he can thrive in the ninth just like he did in the eighth.

The offense is also partly to blame. They left runners on after the first inning and failed to score after the Cano double. Niemann was good tonight. He went seven innings and allowed the one run, but you have to believe that the Yankees are capable of scoring more than one run against anyone in baseball. Tomorrow will be a good test to see how the Yankees will bounce back from tonight's disappointing loss.Their jobs get no easier as they go against lefty David Price. The Yankees will counter with their own lefty ace, CC Sabathia for a pitchers duel at the Stadium.

Different Tune, Same Result

Tonight was the first time in years where Mariano did not jog out of the bullpen to "Enter Sandman". Instead, it was David Robertson who got the call and came out of the pen to "Sweet Home Alabama". Mariano Rivera would have probably had a 13 pitch inning with at most, one runner on. Robertson loaded the bases before striking out Carlos Pena to end the game. Different tune. The result however, was the same as Yankees fans have experienced for years. While listening to the game on my MLB app at work, I was shaking when Pena stepped up. I knew that he would either strike out, or hit a big fly. I was pleased with the outcome. Robertson's ERA remains perfect even though he bent quite a bit tonight. Houdini did what Houdini does best.

The Yankees offense tonight was just what they needed. They got the big hits when runners were on. Ibanez had a monster game tonight, with two laser shots into right. Nova pitched brilliantly with the exception of the two solo home runs he gave up. He is striking guys out at a staggering pace, crushing his 2011 K rate per 9 innings. Teixeira may be coming out of his slump with a clutch RBI double to pad the Yankees lead for Robertson who ended up not needing the run anyway.

The fact that the Yankees got to James Shields and the Rays speaks volumes about this team. It shows that they are ready to fight back for getting swept out of the gate at Tropicana Field. The Yankees are carrying all of the momentum heading into game two of this series, which is a toss up. David Phelps will get his second start of the season and will go against Jeff Niemann.

Also, Andy Pettitte will make his debut at the Stadium on Sunday against the Mariners. Given that it's a day game and the fact that the Mariners have a light hitting offense, the odds are in Pettitte's favor. He loves pitching day games.

Finally Falling into Place

Today was a good day for the Yankees, both offensively and pitching wise. First, Hughes went 6.2 solid frames of baseball, allowing three earned runs on six hits and struck out seven batters. His fastball velocity was regularly at 93-95 and he mixed in a few 96 MPH fastballs. It was a good step forward for Hughes today, whose spot in the rotation may have been in jeopardy if he pitched a stinker with Pettitte destined for a return this weekend. In addition, you continue to like what you see from the Yankee bullpen. They allow a run in 2.1 innings pitched and remain one of the top three bullpens in the American League.

The offense really came alive today and it came from where the Yankees desperately needed it. The scoring outburst started with Cano drilling his eighth career grand slam off of starting pitcher Luke Hochevar. He would collect another hard hit single later in the game. It is a good sign to see Cano hitting hard line drives because it shows that his timing has become better. Swisher certainly did not skip a beat after being absent from the last six games with a tight hamstring. He hit a solo shot in his return from the bench. I sincerely think that his presence in the lineup gives the Yankees that added spark they need. Alex Rodriguez added to the Yankees fat lead in the eighth inning with a long 3-run home run into the left field fountain. Teixeira, going hitless, hit a couple of balls hard right at the outfielders today. He looks like he is settling into a groove. Today was a good day for the Yankees 3, 4, 5 hitters as they show promise heading back to the stadium to face the red hot Rays, who have lost their last two games at home. It will be James Shields against Ivan Nova on Tuesday as the series will be a good litmus test for the Yankees to see if they can carry their hot hitting into a series loaded with quality starting pitching on the opposite end of the field.

2/2

2-2, the record that the Yankees hope to have in Kansas City before they leave town. They have played two awful offensive games this series. The Yankees are now 1-4 in their last five games against Baltimore and Kansas City. These are two teams that the Yankees need to beat if they want to make it to the playoffs this year. They stand at 14-13 on the season. 1 game over .500. They are in fourth place in the AL East behind Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Toronto. They have lost 2 out of 3 games to the Royals, who had not won a home game in 10 tries before the Bombers came into town.

Something is missing from the team. There is no spark for the Yankees this season. Cano is not hitting and Mariano is out for the season. This doesn't seem like a team that has any motivation right now. The team needs a shakeup. They need to do something drastic to send a message to the players who aren't doing well early in the season. For the New York Yankees, 14-13 doesn't cut it when you're 27 games into the season and have the largest payroll in baseball. I fully expect the Yankees to make the playoffs this year, but it will be that much more difficult if they are playing marginally good baseball. The Red Sox of 2011 can tell you, every game counts. I just hope that the Yankees don't take a similar route this summer.

The End for the Greatest?

What was originally thought to be a twisted knee has turned out to be the worst. Mariano Rivera has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. Completely unbelievable. I have no words. I was in complete shock when the news was delivered and don't even know what to say. I love Mariano more than any other player on the team. Mariano is the classiest man in Major League Baseball.

This can't be the end for the greatest closer in history. Never mind that the Yankees lost this game, what matters is that the Yankees will not win without Mo. I am just stunned. His career can't end this way. His career should have ended by standing on the mound after a playoff win. I need to gather my thoughts. This is pretty raw and I can't develop this into writing.

BREAKING: Mariano Rivera Injured

Closer Mariano Rivera has apparently hurt his knee after going after a fly ball during batting practice. He immediately grabbed his right knee and looked in pain. Rivera was carted off of the field.

• UPDATE: Initial diagnosis for Rivera is just a twisted right knee according to KC doctors. Being sent to KC hospital right now for an MRI.

Nothing Working

The Yankees suffered yet another disappointing loss tonight after falling to the surging O's 5-0. Nova provided decent starting pitching after allowing five runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings. He snapped his 15 game winning streak to leave Roger Clemens' record of 16 straight wins as the Yankee record. He did not hit his spots tonight, and he payed for it with a home run for Markakis and Wieters. Between the duo, they had 3 RBI tonight. The starting pitching for the Yankees is becoming better, but now the offense is taking a break.

Tonight, the Yankees scratched out four hits off Jake Arrieta. With the right-hander going deep into the game, the Yankees offense continues to struggle. In the 3 game set against Baltimore, all they scored was 3 runs! That's pathetic for offense as good as the Yankees. Teixeira and Cano continue to struggle. Teixeira really worries me while I am hopeful that Cano snaps out of his slide. Teixeira is a shell of his former self in the early going. Nothing seems to be working for the Yankees right now. They aren't firing on any cylinders and need to get going as the heart of the season is about to begin in full swing. Maybe a trip to Kansas City will put the Yankees out of their misery as the Royals go into tomorrow's game winless at home. David Phelps gets the nod for the first start of his major league career. He will face Danny Duffy, who the Yankees kicked around in their only game that they faced him in last season.\

• Eric Chavez exited tonight's game in the 5th due to whiplash and a possible concussion. Look for the Yankees to make a move following this development.

A-Rod DH, Chavez at 3B

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez RF
Eric Chavez 3B
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C

SP: Ivan Nova, 3-0, 5.18 ERA

Sloppy loss for Bombers

Tonight all eyes were on Phil Hughes after another disappointing start last week in Texas. Tonight, Hughes took a small step forward by going 5.2 innings and allowing four runs on two home runs. It was his best start of the season but after Boone Logan came in to finish the inning, he allowed Hughes' last runner to score and things got out of hand when Nunez botched a ball in left field after going toward the ball like it would have been an easy play. I can't knock Nunez for his performance. Overall, he has been decent in the outfield over the last two games but something like this had to be expected at some point.

The Yankees bats were quiet once again tonight after a long Granderson home run in the first inning. They got men on but failed to score any of them. Cano's struggles at the plate continue as he went 0-4 and popped out with the bases loaded. He has not looked like himself this entire season but I know that he will explode, and soon. In tomorrow's rubber game, it will be Jake Arrieta starting against the undefeated Ivan Nova, who will be going for his 16th straight winning decision in the regular season.