Nick Swisher led the Yankee offense today by getting five RBI on two hits. The grand slam that Swisher hit in the Yankees five run third inning was also his two-hundredth career home run. Swisher really likes hitting in the two-hole behind Jeter and in front of Cano. He gets fastballs to hit and can turn them around into the seats. In addition to Swisher's blast, Eric Chavez collected two more hits tonight with his thirteenth home run of the season. After not playing for three games in Toronto due to a stiff back, Chavez has continued his hot hitting which gives the Yankees an edge over their opponent even though Alex Rodriguez's presence is not in the lineup. Ibanez has started to heat up again after struggling in the batting average category for a couple of months. Derek Jeter extended his hit streak to nine straight games after an RBI double to drive in Ichiro in the seventh.
David Phelps was given the ball today in place of the injured CC Sabathia and gave the Yankees all they could have asked for. After a rough first inning in which he threw twenty-six pitches and gave up a run, Phelps settled down and managed to go five strong, staying within his pitch limit. If the Yankees get this again from Phelps in five days, they will have not missed their ace as much as fans thought they would. David Phelps is a viable option for the starting rotation next year out of spring training. Assuming Freddy Garcia doesn't resign with the Yankees and that Andy Pettitte goes back into retirement, Phelps can slide in as the Yankees fifth starter if they retain Hiroki Kuroda. Another surprise tonight was Derek Lowe. He was called on in relief of Phelps and provided the Yankees with four shut-out innings to collect a save. The Yankees could not have asked for a better all-around team game and that is what they got. 
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