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.