Raul Delivers Again

After coming off a game the Yankees had a shot of winning yesterday against the Angels, they make up for it tonight. Phil Hughes gave the Yankees a great outing tonight, giving up two runs in seven innings of work. Hughes was able to stay away from an elevated pitch count and his quick seventh inning gave the Yankees bullpen a breather that they desperately needed after a weekend where they were used in every game and in every spot. While Hughes did not factor into the decision tonight, it was his hearty performance that made a late inning comeback possible. The Toronto starter Henderson Alvarez gave his club almost as much as Hughes did by surrendering two runs in six innings. However, all of that would be for naught as the Yankees were able to abuse the Blue Jay bullpen in the eighth inning.

Raul Ibanez came into this game in a slump. He had not been getting hits regularly in a while. In the eighth inning with the bases loaded, he drilled a grand slam into the second deck in right field to give the Yankees a 6-2 lead against the Blue Jays, a lead that was just comfortable enough against an explosive Toronto lineup. Cano keeps raking, extending his hitting streak to a career high nineteen games. Cano is a force in the lineup and the Yankees brass needs to give him his payday before the price gets too steep in free agency where essentially every team will want him. The Yankees continue to roll by winning their Major League best fifty-fifth game of the season. The Yankees could play .500 baseball the rest of the season and still probably win the division even though you wouldn't want them to go that route.

CC Sabathia makes his first start tomorrow night since going on the DL with a strained adductor muscle before the All-Star break. Opposing the big lefty will be Toronto southpaw Brett Cecil who has been very inconsistent for the Jays over his last two seasons.

In other news, Brett Gardner suffered a setback in his road to recovery after going on the DL in April. After playing in a rehab game yesterday, Gardner felt soreness in his injured elbow. He will go for additional testing and Brian Cashman will be under pressure to acquire a true outfielder.