Kuroda, Wise both Brilliant in Win

Today, the Yankees got fantastic performances out of two men who weren't even on the roster one year ago. Hiroki Kuroda and Dewayne Wise both sparkled in the Yankees win to stop a two game skid. Kuroda pitched seven strong innings of three run ball and struck out eleven batters. He tied a career high in strikeouts. Kuroda has been very on and off this year but lately, he has been showing ace-like characterisitcs. He is keeping the Yankees in games and giving them strong pitching, leaving other teams scratching their heads. The Yankees 8-9 combination of Robertson and Soriano were perfect as they retired all of the batters they faced.

The offense did not suffer a hangover from the night before. Cano went 2-4 with a home run, his eighteenth of the season. Also, Dewayne Wise showed the Yankees that he can be used on back-to-back days after pitching! He collected three hits with an RBI double and a solo home run of his own. Dewayne Wise has been an invaluable addition to this team after Gardner's elbow injury. He has provided them with speed on the bases and lately, a hot bat as well.

Tomorrow, the Yankees will celebrate their 66th edition of Old Timers Day. Also, Phil Hughes will try to close out the series against the White Sox with a victory.

The All-Star selection show will be at 1 PM tomorrow on TBS where they will announce the winners of the fan vote.

Disastrous Game in the Bronx

On a night so bad for the Yankees, the only positive of the night was Jeter passing Cal Ripken Jr. on the all time hits list. Other than that milestone, this is a game the Yankees will love to forget about, and hopefully fast. Adam Warren made his much anticipated major league debut tonight. That is the first thing that he will forget quickly. He went 2.1 innings and got smacked around by the White Sox after being spotted an early 4-0 lead. Warren gave it all back and then some. Giardiasis needed length out of Warren tonight and the rookie failed to give him that. After the game, we learned that Warren is being sent down to AAA and that J Mitchell will be called up for tomorrow night's game in the case that Girardi needs a long reliever. After frying the bullpen tonight, they have no choice but to make the moves. They even called up David Phelps for tonight specifically for long relief in case Warren didn't get the job done. The Cory Wade mystery continues. He allowed six more runs tonight in 2.1 innings of work and forced Girardi to call on Dewayne Wise to get the final two outs of the ninth inning.

The offense did its job tonight. Anytime the Yankees offense goes out ad gives the pitcher a 4 runs lead in the first inning, that has to be taken advantage of. In Adam Warren's case, he did not do so. They ended up scoring seven runs in the blowout loss but positive signs are coming from the offense, which scored runs with men in scoring position. This game looks a lot worse given the nature of last night's ninth inning loss. The Yankees need to salvage the last two games of the series to earn a split. Their pitching isn't good enough to keep giving games to the other teams in the AL East.

In hopes of avoiding a three game losing streak, the Yankees will send out right-handed Hiroki Kuroda. The pitcher is coming off a brilliant performance against the Indians. He will pitch opposite Jake Peavy, who has had a career year thus far.

Lineup, I'll be at the game!

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

SP: RHP Adam Warren

Questionable Managerial Moves cause Loss

The Yankees were in position to win tonight's game. Nova pitched a gem and the Yankees were up by two runs when they entered the ninth inning. Instead of using Robertson, Girardi kept Cody Eppley in the game who gave up a single to Alex Rios. Clay Rapada was called upon. He got a double play ball him to him but threw the ball into center field to make it first and third with nobody out. Girardi then called on Robertson to work his Houdini magic but no such luck tonight. The first hitter that Robertson faced belted a three-run home run to left field. After that batter, Robertson retired the next three hitters.

What was Girardi thinking? If he was going to Robertson to finish the game anyway, why not give him a clean inning to work with? I usually can't fault Girardi's use of the bullpen but tonight was just a classic example of why over-managing blows up in your face. Now, instead of Nova winning 10 games and the Yankees having a six game winning streak, they have lost the game when Baltimore and Toronto were losing. With the losses of CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, they need to gain as many games in the standings as they can so when they reach a cold streak, it does not affect them as badly.

I won't pin this loss on Girardi completely. Clay Rapada should have had a double play on the ball that was grounded to him. Robertson giving up the three-run bomb was a result of Rapada's inability to make a simple play. The Yankees will look to rebound tomorrow night as Adam Warren makes his first career start. He will face lefty Quintana who has never faced the Yankees.

Martin out with stiff back

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

Bad Day in the Bronx Despite Win

It all started in the morning. The game hadn't even been played yet. CC Sabathia would miss two starts because of a adductor strain. That was a manageable timetable for a team whose pitching was immaculate in the month of June. They would be able to overcome no Sabathia for two starts. Adam Warren was called up to start in CC's place and Freddy Garcia would be starting Friday's game against the White Sox. However, when the game started things would quickly change.

Andy Pettitte was cruising through the Indians lineup. He had given up one unearned run on an Alex Rodriguez error and had the lead going into the fifth inning. The first batter he faced, Casey Kotchman lined a ball off Pettitte's ankle and Pettitte was down. The trainer and Girardi came out. Pettitte threw a couple of warm-ups with hesitation. He was hurt. Girardi let him go because Andy is a bulldog. One pitch later, Andy Pettitte was out of the game and two hours later it was determined that he had a fractured ankle and would miss six weeks. No surgery is required so that is a good sign for the Yankees if you could call it that. Pettitte has been the Yankees second horse behind Sabathia. He was pitching better than he ever had pitched in his career and the Yankee rotation was thriving. With Pettitte out until August and CC Sabathia missing his next two starts the Yankees have some work to do to replace their aces in the rotation.

Suddenly, a starting rotation of Kuroda, Hughes, Nova, Garcia and Adam Warren doesn't strike fear for opposing teams. The five men will have to do without the aces of the staff. Garcia has been showing good signs as a reliever and Adam Warren is a strike thrower, but how long will the men get the job done? Warren is making his debut on Friday because Garcia pitched in relief today. I will be at the game Friday against the White Sox, and will witness a Yankee starting pitcher debut. I was high on Warren before the season started. He showed that he can get big-league hitters out in his spring training start against the Red Sox. I have hope in Warren. He is someone who the Yankees may be counting on in the future if he makes his presence known now.

BREAKING: CC Sabathia on DL, lineup

CC Sabathia has been placed on the 15 day DL with a grade 1 strained adductor muscle. He felt it in the fourth inning against the Mets on Sunday night but didn't tell the Yankees until his bullpen session yesterday. He will miss two starts and will return after the All Star break.

Freddy Garcia will return to the starting rotation in Sabathia's absence. He will make the start this Friday against the White Sox. Kind of scares me that Garcia is back in the rotation but maybe this time he will prove something. I will be at the game Friday so hopefully I won't be ripping hairs out of my head if Garcia gives up eight runs. Adam Warren should be getting called up in place of Sabathia on the 25 man roster.

Lineup against Ubaldo Jimenez:

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

SP: LHP Andy Pettitte

Hughes Brilliant in Win over Indians

Hughes came into today needing an outing that would cover up his horrendous start last week against the Braves in which he gave up four home runs in 4.1 innings. Tonight, Hughes came out and delivered just as he was doing before the bad start last week. He walked Choo to lead off the game, but after that he buckled down and didn't walk a batter the rest of the game. As a matter of fact, Hughes didn't allow a run in eight innings pitched tonight. He didn't pile up as many strikeouts as he usually does, but he still kept the Indians off the board for eight strong innings. Cory Wade was put into the game to finish it off and he didn't help the Yankees. He allowed four runs in .2 innings pitched. He has looked terrible lately and needs to work his kinks out before he costs the Yankees losses.

The offense came out swinging and they did it without needing a home run. The second inning was the inning that the Yankees broke out and scored three against sinker-baller Justin Masterson. He would allow another run after that inning. The Yankees scored five out of their six runs without hitting a home run. Alex Rodriguez just added on a home run in the seventh inning for the heck of it, and it was a long home run too! The Yankees got hits with runners in scoring position tonight and have looked better of late with men on base.

Tomorrow afternoon, Andy Pettitte faces a lefty heavy lineup that does not do well against left-handed starters. The Indians are 5-15 in games where they face a lefty. Pettitte will pitch against Ubaldo Jimenez who is starting to look like the Ubaldo of old. His velocity still isn't where it used to be, but he has learned how to get outs with diminished velocity.

Cano, Wise, Power Yankees past Tribe

The Yankee offense had their hitting shoes on today as they pounded Josh Tomlin who only lasted three innings, giving up six runs to the Yankee bats. Cano took advantage as he doubled in two runs in the first then crushed a solo shot to right in the third inning to give him 39 RBI for the season. Cano, who had been trailing Ian Kinsler in the All Star Game voting until the most recent ballot update has taken the lead in votes for AL second basemen. It's only natural that Cano should be the starter in the ASG. He is the best second baseman in the game and is respected as a player.

Dewayne Wise, who got the rare start in center field for Curtis Granderson had a big day at the plate. He drilled a two-run blast in the second inning to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead then had an RBI triple in the sixth inning to cap the Yankee scoring for the night. Girardi managed to push the right buttons in today's game. The backups had a good day at the plate, especially Wise.

Hiroki Kuroda made the start for the Yankees tonight, going seven innings. The right-hander allowed only one run on a sac-fly after he left the game in the eighth and struck out seven batters. Kuroda had everything working tonight. He was pounding the zone with all of his pitches and was able to use his splitter to get hitters out. Kuroda has found his comfort zone while playing in New York. In the beginning of the season, he was awful most of the time. Now, he is getting hitters out and having quick innings. Clay Rapada, who came in for Kuroda in the eighth got all three outs and one run scored on a sac-fly to Nick Swisher. Swisher made all three put-outs in the inning and was pumped after the inning was over. When you have a 7-1 lead and a home run, it's difficult not to show some enthusiasm. In Swisher's case he was just giddy. That guy loves playing baseball and always has a smile on his face.

Tomorrow night, Justin Masterson faces off against Phil Hughes. Masterson has been pitching well of late and Hughes looks to come back from a horrendous performance against the Braves last week in which he allowed four home runs in less than five innings.

Yanks Edge Mets to take Series

What was supposed to be a pitching duel between two of the best pitchers in baseball turned out to be somewhat of a slug fest for the Yankees. The Mets scored 4 of their 5 runs with two outs, just like they have been doing all season. The defense on both sides was terrible tonight. The Yankees, who entered tonight's game with the fewest errors committed in the league, made 3 errors behind CC Sabathia. Chris Stewart made two of the three errors. His second error however, should have been charged to Robbie Cano. Stewart made a perfect throw to second base and Cano let it trickle into center field. CC Sabathia was not great tonight. His pitch count climbed early and led to his eventual early departure. Cory Wade came in and surrendered the tying run in the sixth inning. After Wade, the rest of the bullpen was lights out, specifically Boone Logan. He has become a premiere reliever in the game.

To atone for his errors in the field, Cano came up in the eighth inning and drilled a solo home run past the big apple in center field. It was his 16th home run and it gave the Yankees the lead which would be the difference in the game. The Yankee offense scoring all their runs via the long ball still frustrates me, but what frustrated me even more in this game was the second inning. Teixeira gets held up at third base on a base hit by Raul Ibanez that should have scored him. He was halfway between home and third and would have scored easily on the throw based on where the ball was when he was between third and home plate. The run would have given the Yankees an additional run that would have helped them later in the game. Nevertheless, the Yankees win the game by a score of 6-5 and take 5 out of 6 from the Mets in the season series.

Tomorrow, the Cleveland Indians come to Yankee Stadium to play three games. Tomorrow's starters are Josh Tomlin for the Tribe and Hiroki Kuroda for the Bombers. The Indians have been playing well this year and the Yankees have won two in a row.

Lineup against Dickey in Finale

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

Bombers Win via Bombs

On a night where the Yankees desperately needed to get a win, their home run bats came alive against Chris Young and Jon Rauch. Young was rolling along in the game, having allowed only two hits through six innings. However in the seventh he walked Teixeira then Swisher hit a ball to right that Duda leaped for but came up empty, putting runners on second and third with no men out. Ibanez then drilled a 3-run blast over the wall in right field to tie the game at 3. Chavez then came up with the bases empty and provided the Yankees with a lead that they would come away with at the end of the game. They didn't score any of their runs by playing station to station baseball, however the home runs were enough to win this game for the Yanks.

Ivan Nova pitched better than the box score showed. His infield made two crucial errors behind him, one coming from Jeter and another coming from A-Rod. Only one run scored as a by-product of those errors but it drove up Nova's pitch count to where he had to get pulled after 5.2 innings. The bullpen did its job. Rapada pitched a third of an inning with men on base and escaped that. Later, Robertson came out to pitch his eighth inning and after walking two batters, struck out the next two. Robertson still makes you sweat. I think regardless of the role that's given to Robertson, he will always be a pitcher who creates jams then most of the time, escapes them. The Yankees have won their fourth game against the Mets, with the rubber game of this series slated for tomorrow night at 8:05.

It's a sexy pitching match-up for tomorrow's game. 11 game winner RA Dickey gets the ball for the Mets. He will oppose lefty CC Sabathia. Both pitchers are coming off complete game victories. The Yankees have not been great against knuckle-ballers in recent years and with Dickey pitching, look for it to become an interesting Sunday night.

The Chicken Man Brings Home Dinner Tonight

After Frank Francisco made remarks about the Yankees being "chickens", he faced a ton of criticism. The situation arose where he was needed to save a game against the Chickens. After facing some trouble, he managed to wiggle his way out of trouble against Granderson and Teixeira to end the game. His dumb remarks are backed up for today, but look for the Yankees to come out swinging tomorrow against Chris Young. After a night where they had a chance to come back to win the game, they will have something to prove tomorrow night.

The real reason the Yankees lost tonight was because Andy Pettitte gave up five runs in the first inning. There was a 53 minute rain delay and the lefty has had trouble in his career after delayed starts. After the first inning, he shut down the offense and went six innings. The Yankee offense kept getting runs but they didn't amount to anything important as they managed to lose to Niese and the Mets. Once again, they got runners on but came up empty aside from Cano in the eighth inning when he lifted a two-run blasr against Miguel Batista to lower the Yankee deficit to two runs.

Team Loss

The balls were flying out of Yankee Stadium today. Nine home runs were hit in today's game. Phil Hughes surrendered four long balls, as did opposing starter Tommy Hanson. The Yankee home runs were all solo shots. The one run they scored conventionally was on an RBI single by Granderson in the seventh inning. Following that at bat, Alex Rodriguez bounced into an inning ending double play with runners on first and third. Say what you want, but Alex Rodriguez has been terrible in key moments for the most part. He hurts the Yankee offense at times and his bat speed looks slower this year than it ever has.

Phil Hughes was terrible today. He went only 4.1 innings and allowed four home runs and six runs overall. His fastball was straight today. Combined with the humidity at the Stadium, that equaled trouble for Hughes from the first inning where he gave up three runs before his offense had a chance to swing the bats. After looking so good in their previous ten games, the Yankees have reverted to their old ways. The starting pitching in these two losses has been mediocre and the run scoring has been even worse. To make it even worse, Jason Heyward killed the Yankees in their two losses. This is a guy who was terrible before the series. There couldn't be a better time for an off day before meeting up with the red hot Mets in Citi Field on Friday for a three game set.

The Streak Ends

The Yankees have lost their first game since two weeks ago when they lost against Tampa Bay. Since then, they have gone a perfect 10-0 and they found magical ways of winning in late innings. More importantly, their starting pitching was near perfect. Tonight, Hiroki Kuroda went seven innings and allowed four runs. That's not a bad pitching performance but when the Yankees score one less run than the other team, it looks like a sloppy performance. Kuroda did not have his best stuff today. He gave up too many extra base hits and walks which ended up costing him a victory. The last run was a "bad luck" run which went off Teixeira's glove and ended up in no man's land. If that play is fielded cleanly, we could be watching extra innings right now.

The more glaring issue with the Yankees is their inability to score runs with men on base. They had chances handed to them in the middle innings. Two men were thrown out at the plate and the rest of the hitters didn't reach in crucial situations after Swisher's two-run double in the second inning. They went 2-11 with runners in scoring position. The offense is capable of doing a lot more than a lowly .182 batting average with men in scoring position. They just haven't gotten the job done in these situations.

Tomorrow, the Yankees look to begin a new winning streak as they send out Phil Hughes to face Tommy Hanson. Hughes has been great lately and looks to win his eighth game of the season.

A PERFECT TEN

CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter led the Yankees to their tenth straight win tonight. CC Sabathia went the distance allowing only two runs and struck out ten batters. Sabathia did not have his best stuff through the first several innings. However, in the bottom of the fifth the Yankee offense woke up against Minor and scored three runs for CC. Russell Martin was swinging on a 3-0 count and doubled into left field to score Alex Rodriguez. Minor loaded the bases and Derek Jeter came up to single the tying and go-ahead runs. The Yankee offense went 3-7 with runners in scoring position tonight and everybody contributed. After the fifth inning runs, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano both hit solo blasts to pad Sabathia's lead. The offense was able to tame Mike Minor after getting no-hit through four innings. They scored two more runs off of relievers and managed to win their tenth straight game! CC Sabathia gave the bullpen the night off so they will be ready to work tomorrow with a day's rest behind them.

Tomorrow, Hiroki Kuroda will go for his fourth straight win and the Yankees eleventh straight victory as he opposes veteran Tim Hudson. The Yankees are rolling so there's no telling when this streak will end. The Bombers are playing their best baseball of the year by and far, quieting all the nay-sayers from earlier in the season.

Yankees Love to Sweep



Soriano collects 13th save in Yankees ninth straight victory

Series against National League teams, that is. The Yankees have swept three against the red hot Washington Nationals and have now swept three series in a row. They entered today's game with eight straight wins. This streak had to end somewhere, and I was thinking that today could have been that day. Instead, the Bombers come back to New York tomorrow night with a nine game winning streak. They are also facing a team in the Atlanta Braves that they have swept in this nine game stretch. They are winning without getting hits with runners in scoring position too, which is puzzling. However, they are getting strong starting pitching in the month of June and have given themselves a comfortable lead in the American League East as they continue to mash NL East teams. The Yankees winning could have meant first place for the Mets or the Braves, but they all managed to lose when playing against the Reds and Orioles, respectively.

Ivan Nova gave the Yankees exactly what they needed after a 14 inning game. He gave them quality length at a quick pace. Nova went 7.2 innings, allowing only one run on a LaRoche home run in the second inning. Aside from that, he was able to escape a couple of jams. Otherwise, he had shutdown innings. He retired the side in the sixth inning on four pitches! Looks like Nova has figured something out. His fastball command has returned to where he wants it to be. Combine his plus fastball with a great slider along with a strong curve and at times he can be un-hittable. What is even more important is that the Yankee pitching was able to tame phenom Bryce Harper who collected three hits in fifteen at-bats. Nova's record grows to 9-2 with the Yankee victory, giving him the team lead in wins over Sabathia who pitches tomorrow night at the Stadium.

The Yankees were able to win today's game in a way that they have been winning a lot this year. They hit two solo home runs to account for half of their offense. One run was driven in via sac fly and the last run of the game came on a passed ball. 0-12 with runners in scoring position is embarrassing, but when you're winning that is able to be overlooked. Granderson continues his home run tear. He now has 21 home runs and still doesn't consider himself a home run hitter. Give it up Curtis. You have three stolen bases in 65 games. You are a home run hitter.

Tomorrow, the Yankees meet up with the Braves for a three game set at Yankee Stadium. CC Sabathia will oppose Mike Minor in tomorrow's game as the Yankees look to win their tenth straight game.

Streak Grows

After 14 long innings and every ounce of baseball played, the Yankees came out on top today against the Nationals thanks to Mark Teixeira's 2-run double in the top of the fourteenth inning. The game was started by Andy Pettitte who went seven strong innings and allowed two runs. Cory Wade came on to pitch the eighth and after quickly retiring the first two batters, Wade gave up a solo home run to Ian Desmond. The Yankees were able to go into the ninth inning tied thanks to a strong throw from right field from DeWayne Wise to home plate on a LaRoche single. Boone Logan pitched well as did the rest of the bullpen. Freddy Garcia was called upon to pitch the thirteenth inning and got out of the outing with his first win of the year. Soriano pitched the fourteenth and put runners on first and second for Bryce Harper. Harper grounded out to end the game as he went 0-7 in the marathon. He could not touch Andy Pettitte's pitches. Pettitte put Harper down on strikes three times before Harper made contact with one of Andy's pitches to fly out.

The Yankee offense was less than stellar today but they got the hits when they counted most. They were able to take a temporary lead because of a Chavez double in the sixth inning and Mark Teixeira blew the game open in the 14th inning with a two-run double that gave the Yankees the permanent lead of the game. They have now won a season high eight games and take on the Nationals tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 hoping for a sweep and a nine game win streak.

In tomorrow's game Ivan Nova will try to get his ninth victory against journeyman Edwin Jackson. Jackson's numbers against the Yankees aren't that impressive and Nova is coming off a great outing. The Yankee starting pitching is winning these games for them. Had Pettitte given up another run, the game would have been over in nine innings today. Also, the Yankees finally won a game in which they didn't hit a home run. This is the first such victory for the Bombers in 2012.

Day off for A-Rod

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

Off day for A-Rod probably means pinch hitting appearance later in the game. Smart maneuvering by Girardi.

Just Rolling Along

The Yankees entered Washington with a six game winning streak. The Nationals entered tonight with one of their own. One team would have to surrender that winning streak. The Yankees continued their in style, with strong pitching and hits with runners in scoring position. This was a collective victory for the club. Early on, Gio Gonzalez held the Yankees to two runs while trailing by one run. The Yankees elevated his pitch count and got him out of the game after a Jones singled to lead off the seventh inning. After Gonzalez was out, the Yankees hammered the bullpen for five additional runs, one of which was charged to Gio Gonzalez. Just when you thought they would win a game without hitting a home run, Curtis Granderson nullifies that notion with a solo shot to cap off the Yankees scoring in the eighth inning with two outs. Granderson now has 20 runs runs and trails only Josh Hamilton and Adam Dunn who both have 22 long balls. The Yankees went 4-8 with runners in scoring position, which is better than they have done all year.

Phil Hughes came into tonight's game knowing that he had little wiggle room against Gio Gonzalez who is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Hughes lasted six innings and gave up only one run against a hefty lineup that featured phenom Bryce Harper. This is the first start for Hughes where he did not surrender a home run to the opposing lineup. That's a big step forward for a fly ball pitcher who started the year terribly. He also notched nine strikeouts tonight, topping his eight that he got against Detroit in his complete game. David Robertson went on to close the game, making his first appearance since May 11th when he was placed on the DL. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out the final batter of the game.

Tomorrow, veteran Andy Pettitte goes up against Jordan Zimmermann as the Yankees try to stretch their winning streak to eight games. The two pitchers have almost an identical ERA as they have both had solid years. Pettitte will be making his first start as a 40 year old tomorrow afternoon.

Ain't it Sweep?

For the second straight series, the Yankees have swept the opposing team and have gone to a season high  six game winning streak. Tonight, the game had a similar outcome as last night's game. The Yankees found themselves losing after Brian McCann hit a two-run homer off Hiroki Kuroda in the fifth inning. It didn't take long for the Yankee offense to come right back into the game thanks to a single by Jeter to lead off the sixth followed by a home run hit by Granderson to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead which would be the final score of the game. Alex Rodriguez has turned a corner with men in scoring position after driving Jeter in from third in the first inning. He is slowly coming back to where he needs to be. The power comes sporadically but I'll take less power for more run producing singles and doubles.

Hiroki Kuroda was not sharp tonight. He fought through six innings and only gave up two runs but also allowed nine hits and two walks to go along with it. He evens his record at 6-6 for the year and continues to give the Yankees what they were expecting from him. The player of tonight's game in the pitching category goes to Cody Eppley. He worked with the tying runner on third base with one out in the eighth inning and induced a double play ball to retire Martin Prado. He should stay when Robertson gets activated on Friday.

The Yankees have won six straight and have a comfortable lead in the standings. They will look to continues their great baseball in Washington D.C. where they catch the hot Nationals. On Friday, Phil Hughes makes the start against lefty Gio Gonzalez, whom the Yankees have had some success off of when he played for Oakland. Gonzalez has been a top 5 pitcher in baseball this season and the Yankees will be put to the test as they try to break that trend.

A-Rod Breaks Record and Catapults Yankee Win



Rodriguez watching his grand slam leave the park



Mike Minor was dominating the Yankees tonight. He was getting strike calls that were questionable based on my MLB app and the Yankee hitters were doing their best to figure him out. Unfortunately that did not come against Minor. Instead, the Yankees beat up on the bullpen. Venters loaded the bases in the eighth inning and A-Rod came to the plate. He battled Venters and the count went to 3-2. A-Rod took the next Venters pitch deep into left field for his 23rd career grand slam, tying the Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig. The slam meant more than just tying an all-time legend. What was important about the home run is that it tied the game at 4. Two batters later, Nick Swisher would drive in the go-ahead runs on another long ball. The night was made more special by the grand slam that Alex Rodriguez hit and it helped the Yankees win. A-Rod has been terrible with runners in scoring position all year but tonight he gets a pass.



Swisher rounding the bases after hitting go-ahead two-run homer



CC Sabathia was not great tonight. He set the tone early by allowing a bases clearing double to Matt Diaz and gave up only one more run after that. He went seven innings after throwing over 25 pitches in the first inning. That's what a work horse gives you. CC Sabathia gives the Yankees length no matter how his night is. However, his last few starts have been sub-par and he needs to figure out his fastball command. After his laboring he ended up with the win because he left the game right before the six runs were scored.

 The Yankees now have the best record in the American League and hold a 5 game winning streak that began against the Mets. The Yankees will go for the series sweep tomorrow and send out Kuroda to pitch after his brilliant game against the Mets last week. He will go up against veteran Tim Hudson, who is 4-2 with an ERA just under 4.

Nova Continues Dominance

The Yankees entered the game tonight against the Braves winning 13of their last 17 games. They had just completed a sweep of the Mets and won the final game in walk-off fashion. Tonight, the offense appeared early and faded later in the game. The Yankees again could not get a hit with the bases loaded. Cano singled in A-Rod in the first, followed by an Ibanez solo shot in the second and the Yankees capped off the scoring on a wild pitch by Delgado in the third inning. Brian McCann hit the ball hard three times in the game but had nothing to show for it because of fantastic defense by the Yankees. Above all, the pitching is what got the Yankees through tonight's game.

Ivan Nova came off a fantastic effort against the Rays last week. He continued his dominance tonight, not giving up a run in seven innings pitched. He whiffed six batters and did not allow a runner to go past second base. Girardi pushed all the right buttons in the bullpen after Nova exited the game. He used four relievers to get the last six outs and the relievers all managed to put away the batters they were sent out to face. Boone Logan closed out the game with .2 innings to seal the win. Soriano was not used tonight after being used for two straight games in New York.

Tomorrow, CC Sabathia hopes to get back on the winning track as he faces Mike Minor who is 3-4 with an ERA of almost seven. Jones will probably get the start in left field as Minor is a lefty pitcher. It will be interesting to see the reception Jones gets from the fans who he played in front of for 12 years.

Lineup against ATL

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

Yankees Win in Walk-Off Fashion to Sweep the Mets

After Andy Pettitte gives up three runs in the third inning, the Yankees were essentially out of the game. Niese was brilliant at whiffing the Yankee batters. He killed every rally the Yankees had. In the seventh, however, Jones reaches on a Wright error and Martin homers in improbable fashion to give the Yankees two runs. In the eighth, the Yankees continued their rally with two more runs all started by a Jeter ground ball that he reached on and advanced to second on an error. A-Rod joined the party with a bloop single to short right field. Soriano entered in the ninth to close it out and allowed two doubles and the game was tied. Then, Boone Logan came into the game with runners on first and third with one out and got out of the inning with the defense of Cano making a throw from short right field to throw out Kirk Nieuwenhuis. In the bottom of the inning, Jon Rauch faced Russell Martin who had already homered in the game. On a 3-2 count, Martin drilled one out to left field and the Yankees walk off the Mets in dramatic fashion. The Yankees were lucky to sweep the Mets, as they were probably hoping for 2 out of 3 against a Mets team that has been successful early in the season. This was an overall brilliant game for the Yankees pitching and offense as Martin provides the power.

Tomorrow, the Yankees start their series against the surging Atlanta Braves and it will be Ivan Nova going for his eighth win against Delgado. The Yankees have now won 13 of their last 17 games.

Jeter at DH for finale

The lineup that will try to sweep a 3 game series against the Mets.

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

LHP Andy Pettitte (3-2, 2.78 ERA)

Teixeira Gives Yankees Permanent Lead

Phil Hughes did just as I had expected him to do on my video blog Friday afternoon. he went 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits and two walks. His pitch count was his enemy tonight. The Mets at bats were long and drawn out. At one point, Hughes was fighting hitters with 8-11 pitch at bats. Hughes inability to put hitters away is what is missing from his repertoire. He has the stuff. He has an above average fastball at times and his hook is devastating. If he were able to put hitters away efficiently, we wouldn't have any questions about his ability to be a starter.

Just as I was saying that Teixeira can't get a big hit if his life depended on it, he hits a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth to give the Yankees the lead for good. The offense was sparse tonight, which is to be expected after scoring nine runs last night. Alex Rodriguez still confuses you because of his warning track power. He hits a home run or two every two weeks and then his power turns into warning track power, which was on display tonight. The Yankees continue to be home run dependent and have yet to win a game in which they score in other ways than the one mentioned.

The bullpen was terrific behind Hughes. Wade got out of a huge jam in the eighth inning and Soriano flirted with the go-ahead run in the ninth before he nailed down his ninth save of the season. Tomorrow is a battle of southpaws as Andy Pettitte faces Jonathan Niese in an effort to sweep part one of the series against the Mets.

A-Rod at DH vs. Gee

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

SP: Phil Hughes (5-5, 4.96 ERA)

Yankees slug their Way to a Win

Fresh off of his no-hitter against the Cardinals, Johan Santana struggled mightily against the Yankee hitters. Robinson Cano did most of the damage against the lefty, smashing two home runs in a row off Santana. After Cano's second two-run shot, Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones decided to pitch in with home runs of their own. Three straight bombs were hit off Johan Santana but he still managed to go five innings despite his struggles. I stated in my video preview that the Yankee hitters have had success against Santana and that if they would be patient, they would succeed against him. Elvin Ramirez struggled when he was put into the game but limited the damage thanks to a double play grounder induced by Jeter.

Kuroda was brilliant tonight, going seven strong innings and allowing only one hit! I posted in my video that I predicted Kuroda would toss seven innings and if he pitched anywhere near how he pitched in his last few starts, he would be alright. The Yankee offense gave him run support that he wasn't accustomed to meaning there was no way he would relinquish the early lead given to him. The Mets success against Kuroda as a Dodger did not translate into success against him as a Yankee. Beltran and Reyes are no longer on the Mets, and that may have been where Kuroda had previously struggled against the Metropolitans. Based on his pitch count, I think that Girardi should have sent Kuroda out for the eighth inning but he only lasted seven. Kuroda was hit by a line drive off the bat of Daniel Murphy so the early hook may have been a result of that. I still believe that Girardi still doesn't have complete faith in Kuroda. He occasionally takes him out with low pitch counts and to me that's a sign of distrust.

Tomorrow, Dillon Gee and Phil Hughes face off at the Stadium. Hughes is coming off of the best start of his career while Gee has been inconsistent for the Mets this season. The Yankees should do well against Gee but Hughes will have to watch his pitch count and put hitters away to avoid drawn out counts.

Yankees lineup facing Santana

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

SP: Hiroki Kuroda

Yankees-Mets Video Preview

I preview the upcoming series between the Yankees and Mets at Yankee Stadium. I expect the Yankees to take 2 of 3 from the Mets who have been playing shotty baseball in the last week. Johan Santana makes the start against Hiroki Kuroda tonight.

Video does freeze in a couple of parts. Sorry about the quality. Will work on it for future videos. This was a trial for me to see how it would go.

Lightning Rod Falls Short Yet Again

On a night that started with a 20 minute rain delay, the Yankee bats went silent in key spots. Alex Rodriguez is always the scapegoat for Yankee losses but tonight he truly deserved the blame. He made a fatal error in the field and came up in a big spot, only to strike out. CC Sabathia gave up too many hits to a weak Rays lineup and didn't back up his defense when they made errors. If not for A-Rod's error in the field, CC would have gone seven innings allowing only 3 runs, which is a quality start. The Yankee bats had no shot at coming back from a 4 run deficit. They are too home run happy. They can't play station to station baseball like the Rays did tonight. The Rays hitters didn't hit one ball out of the park tonight but still managed to score seven runs! The Yankees scored 3 runs and one of them came via the long ball. A-Rod's sub par start to the season raises questions that will not be answered in a game where he goes 3-4 with two home runs. His problem more than any other Yankee is hitting with men on base. Cano, who has been terrible with the bases loaded grounded out to second base tonight.

The only lightning bolt that showed up to the Stadium tonight was before the game when the rain was coming down hard with one loud rumble of thunder. It was a disappointing loss as they all are, but I still had fun at the game with friends. The Yankees look to get back on the winning track tomorrow when Hiroki Kuroda faces off against Johan Santana, fresh off a no-hitter against the Cardinals. The Mets have had a lot of success against Kuroda, so getting through the first inning tomorrow will be key for the right-hander.

Lineup facing Price

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

Starting Pitcher: CC Sabathia

Super Nova Outstanding

Just three days after Hughes goes the distance and one day after Andy Pettitte goes 7.1 innings, Ivan Nova follows with 8 innings of one run ball. The one run he allowed was in the ninth inning after back-to-back triples by Jennings and Upton. That blip aside, Nova pitched one of the best games of his career. He continues the flow of the Yankees dominant starting pitching. Tomorrow, CC Sabathia has a big challenge to overcome as he faces David Price who has a 2.44 ERA. The Yankees go ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings with this victory and are that much closer to first place in the AL East.

Alex Cobb was very good tonight, only giving up 2 hits until the eighth inning. The thing is that the two hits were solo shots. One by Mark Teixeira and the other by Cano that just got into the stands. The Yankees hitting wasn't that flashy tonight but it did just enough to edge out a win over Tampa Bay. Swisher capped off the Yankees scoring in the eighth with an RBI double down the right field line that gave him 35 RBI, the team lead in that category. When your starting pitchers do the job, the lack of hits with runners in scoring position isn't as glaring.

Tomorrow a pair of aces square off as the Yankees try to sweep this series against Tampa. I will be at the game tomorrow to watch the pitcher's duel. It should be a good game. Last time the two pitchers faced each other, the Yankees rocked Price. This time, Price will be looking for revenge against the Yankee bats. The post-game reaction will be delayed tomorrow night.

Pettitte Turns Back the Clock

Andy Pettitte's performance is what will stand out after tonight. He provided the Yankees with 7.1 innings and allowed only 2 hits while striking out 10 batters. He no longer has his signature cut fastball but now uses that pitch as a slider with its decreased velocity. Pettitte has exceeded all expectations coming into his return. Aside from CC Sabathia, he has given the Yankees length and quality innings most of the time. Holding this scrappy Rays team to two hits in over seven innings of work is not an easy task but Pettitte rose to the occasion to give the Yankees their 30th win of the season, putting them in an basic tie for first place with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Martin hitting 4th inning grand slam

The offense woke up tonight. For the entire duration of the season, the Yankees have had breakout games from their offense and every time we ask the age old question: "Is this the hit that will get them going?" If tonight's offensive breakout against Shields isn't the spark that will catapult the Yankees into the stretch run then I don't know if they will ever be a consistent offensive team this year. Russell Martin had a big day at the plate by going 3-4 with a game changing grand slam in the 4th inning off of James Shields. Martin is finally hitting over .200 and hopefully his recent surge in hits will guide him through the rest of the season, where he can surely do damage and help the Yankees win games with his offensive potential. He is a 3 time all star. Martin didn't get chosen into all-star games by being a slouch. His bat was a large part of what got him those appearances.

Tomorrow night, Alex Cobb will make his second start against the Yankees of his young career. He faced them last year and they ended up winning the game well after Cobb left the game. Nova will try to keep the Yankees dominant pitching going as he tries to limit his extra base hits surrendered.

Going the Distance

If I told you before today's game that Justin Verlander would last 6.1 innings and allow 5 runs while Phil Hughes would go the distance and allow only one run, you would probably think that I lived on another planet. But, that very thing happened today. Tigers ace Justin Verlander did not have command of his fastball all day. The Yankees hitters took advantage of that with the long ball. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez both went yard off of Verlander. The ace gave his team length but did not give them quality length. This is the first time since 2008 that Verlander has lost three straight games. On the other side, this is the first time that in Hughes' career that he pitched a 9 inning complete game. He had a CG shutout last year in Chicago that was a 6 inning affair because of rain.

The Yankees offense mustered five runs off of Verlander in his outing. 3 of those runs were earned. They only managed to get one hit with runners in scoring position but that did not hurt them today. Alex Rodriguez hit a long, 447' home run to left center off Verlander for his 638th career home run. Jeter led off the game with a solo shot to set the tone for the afternoon. Robinson Cano hit an RBI triple and scored on an error by Miguel Cabrera at third base to give the Yankees their 4 run lead.

The Yankees head into their off-day with their heads held high after a 6-3 road trip, finishing strong against the Tigers. Phil Hughes' sparkling performance should set him off on a special run. The Yankees come home Tuesday to face the Rays. It will be James Shields against Andy Pettitte facing off on Tuesday night.

Can't get over the Curve

On a night where Kuroda pitched a great game, the Yankee bats disappered quietly into the night. Kuroda went seven innings, allowing only two runs after a long rain delay in the first inning. The Yankees tied the game in the eighth inning thanks to Swisher's RBI hit. In the bottom of the inning, Cabrera would tattoo an offering from Cory Wade to give back the lead to the Tigers. In the ninth, Valverde had nothing. He walked several and hit Alex Rodriguez by a pitch. Cano popped out with one out and the bases loaded and Teixeira drove a run in via bases loaded walk. Ibanez made the final out of the inning before the Tigers would walk-off the Yankees.

Girardi and batting coach, Kevin Long were both ejected in
the seventh inning after bad strike calls by HP umpire Bob
Davidson.

With one hit, the Yankees could have been celebrating a victory tonight. They had the bullpen relievers on the ropes almost the entire end of the game. They needed one hit that would give them a lead. The offense relies solely on the long ball, which is why they can't get clutch hits. A home run is a mistake, meaning they won't come the majoring of the time. They need to drive the pitch where it should be hit. A single could have won them the game. Instead, alcoholic Miguel Cabrera is pouring water over Omir Santos' head while the Yankees lose another game where they don't hit a home run. The Yankees have not won a game this year where they didn't hit the ball over the fence. In a span of over 50 games, you would think they would be able to win one without hitting a home run but they have not found a way to drive runners in without hitting home runs.

In the rubber match which the Yankees desperately need to win entering an off day, Phil Hughes goes against Justin Verlander. It will be a tough mountain to climb but if Hughes manages to keep Cabrera off the bases the Yankees should find a way to hit Verlander as they have in the past.

Regular Lineup

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: Hiroki Kuroda (4-6, 3.96 ERA)

Slugging their way to a Win

The Yankee offense woke up tonight against the young lefty, Crosby. Granderson hit a grand slam in the third that put the Yankees in front at the time. They would end up winning the game 9-4 with another home run by Alex Rodriguez and an RBI double by Andruw Jones. They went 3-8 with runners in scoring position and finally hit with the bases loaded. The offense scattered their runs tonight and made all the opposing pitchers work hard. There were times where the Detroit offense threatened with base runners but stranded most of them.

CC Sabathia worked hard tonight to get the win. He pitched seven innings and allowed three runs. His pitch count was very high in the third and fourth innings, but he managed to get quick innings afterward that could level out his pitch count. Clay Rapada loaded the bases in the ninth and that forced Soriano into the game who would make Miguel Cabrera ground into a game ending double play.

As a side note, congratulations to Johan Santana and the New York Mets on their first ever no-hitter. It makes me feel good to see the Mets proving people, including myself, wrong.

The Lineup

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

SP: CC Sabathia (6-2, 3.66 ERA)