Yankees win in extra innings

It took 12 innings for the Yankees to finally put away the Twins 7-6 in what turned out to be a very unusual game. It was the first extra inning win of the year, and their 3rd straight win.
Wang started and had trouble early on getting his sinker over for strikes. It was consistently low and outside. Wang usually goes deep into a game because he doesn't waste a lot of pitches, but that wasn't the case yesterday as he threw 92 in a little over 5 innings of work.
Since his 6-0 start, Wang has been struggling, and yesterday was no exception as he fell behind early. He lef in the 6th, clinging to a 6-5 lead. The normally perfect Ramirez gave up his first run of the season (a solo shot by Cuddyer in the 7th) and blew the save.

The rest of the pen held the Twins in check, and Mo nailed down the save (his 15th) in the 12th. Ohlendorf pitched 2 scoreless innings to pick up the win.

The Yankees scored in the top of the 12th as Damon, Jeter, and then Abreu singled to drive in the winning run.

Today Rasner (3-1 1.80) takes the mound at 2:10 (YES)

Rasner has been the most consistent Yankee starter, and with a little support, he would have been 4-0.


In the injury report, Posada has been throwing in Florida, and could rejoin the team and be behind the dish by Thursday.

In other news, Joba is scheduled to make his first MLB start on Tuesday against the always tough Blue Jays.

The Yanks wll be calling up another pitcher to take Joba's place in the pen, but that announcement hasn't come yet.





Go Yankees

5th in a row for the Yankees

This afternoon, the Yankees continued their fine play of recent days as they won their 5th in a row to move to .500, and get out of the AL East basement.

Best of all, they did it by coming back against the Mariners with a 4 run 8th inning, capped by Molina's RBI double. The team only managed to collect 8 hits, but half were doubles. The Yankees also were aggressive on the basepaths, stealing 2 bags off Mariners starter Washburn, who had not allowed a stolen base in over 100 innings.

It seems like they have been playing with a fire since A-Rod is back. The Yanks are done with the Ms this year, winning all 6 games.

Wang struggled with his control, and didn't figure in the decision. He was tagged with all 5 runs in his 6.1 innings of work.


Ramirez picked up the win with 1.2 innings of shutout relief, and Mo racked up save 12 with a 2 strikeout ninth.

Today, Rasner starts against the Orioles 1:35 on YES.



Go Yankees

Crowley is lucky to have a f&%$#@* job, Yankees win

I was watching the game tonight on YES, and the announcers started talking about the hitting instructor for the O's, former major leaguer Terry Crowley. Just some filler, nothing important. In the background, clear as can be, someone in the booth said "Crowley is lucky to have a f'ing job." Only he didn't say f'ing. He dropped the "F" bomb over the air. Someone has to learn that mics are pretty sensitive today.

As for the game, both the offense and the defense showed up on the same night. Rasner (4-0) pitched very well, tossing 7 innings of shutout ball with 6 strikeouts. Joba closed it out with 2 shutout innings and another 3 Ks.

On to the offense. A-Rod is back, and he is leading the Yankees as only he can. He hit another homer tonight, and a bad call by the umpires cost him a second one. When the umps blew the call against the Mets robbing Delgado of a HR, at least it was close. This was in the stands, as it hit the steps, and bounced out. To his credit, Alex took it in stride. He led the hitting attack with a pair of doubles (one should have been a HR) and a homer. The team totalled 13 hits and 5 walks, and pushed across 8 runs.

Oh yeah!!!

In Joba news, he pitched 2 innings tonight, and according to Girardi, this is part of the process of turning him into a starter.

Tomorrow, Kennedy (oy vey) pitches the rubber game against the O's (7:05 on YES.)



Go Yankees

Yankees lose, Jeter hurt

Just when it looked like the Yankees offense would be getting back on track with the return of A-Rod, the defense fell apart. Jeter's 2 out first inning error opened up the floodgates as the Birds pushed across 7 runs (6 unearned) in the inning. Mussina only recorded those 2 outs for his shortest outing since 1995. The bullpen allowed another 5 runs over the course of the game, resulting in a 12-2 drubbing. To make matters worse, Jeter was hit by a pitch on the hand, and left the game.

It's hard to find any bright spots in the game. But all is not lost. (I'm such a fan)

X-rays showed no breakage, so Jeter is day to day. A-Rod went 1-3 with a homerun. Abreu had a couple hits, and Giambi, of the gold lame thong, got two hits to raise his average above .200.

Rasner takes the mound today at 7:05 (on YES) as he tries to stop the bleeding.

Time to cleanse all bad thoughts and get ready to enjoy today's game. This is the start of a big streak. I have that feeling.

And, as for yesterday, here is a reasonable facsimile of the Joe Pepitone memorabilia at the Yesterday's Heroes Ballpark Cafe in Cape May. I couldn't find the exact picture, but you get the idea.



Go Yankees

So, what's going on with the Yankees?

Yesterday was rained out, so Rasner will miss his start as Pettitte takes the hill today against the rival Mets (1:05 on YES.) Amongst the fans this rivalry nearly equals that of Yankees-Red Sox. Pettitte was given the nod because he has always been a big game pitcher.

As much as I respect Andy, I think Giradi is making a mistake. He already pushed Rasner back to start the Mets series, and now he's pushing him back again. It's not just an issue of fairness, it's an issue of long term effect for the Yankees. While Pettitte, Wang, and Mussina have been doing well, the Yankees need 2 more dependable starters, and Rasner has done well in his 2 starts. I know the long term plans are for him to be a long reliever/spot starter but the rest of the staff is breaking down. He has earned the respect of a regular spot in the rotation. I don't know if he'll be there when Hughes comes back, but until he loses the job, it should be his.

At the quarter season mark, how does this team look? It's hard to give an accurate assesment. They are in last, but only 5 games off the pace. At only two (2) games under .500, they are not terrible. They have been wracked by injuries to key players. It's hard to score when 2 of the biggest bats are out, especially when their replacements are awful. The team struggles continue as half of the team is at or below .200.

But fans always look for the bright side, the light at the end of the tunnel. I've found the light. A-Rod is due back Tuesday, and Posada is starting to throw, so he is not far behind. Getting those big bats back in the lineup makes everyone better. Cano is showing some signs of life at the plate. The big 3 pitchers have delivered thus far. The pen has been strong, and Girardi seems to be using them well. Farnsworth is pitching like he should, and Joba and Mo are nearly lights out every time, while Hawkins and the rest are getting the job done consistently.

Lastly, quite a few teams in other divisions are having problems, so the all important wild card slot may be wide open.

I have hope they will get through this once the team is back at full strength, the Yankees will be back and challenge for the AL East title.

Go Yankees

Subway Series starts tonight

While it may get rained out, the two struggling teams from NY are scheduled to battle it out at 7:05 at the Cathedral on TV 9 in NYC. Santana faces Rasner as both squads look to get back on the winning track after both suffered humiliating 3 of 4 series losses to teams they should have spanked.
I suppose I should mention yesterday's game. Ian Kennedy took the ball against Scott Kazmir. Ok, one of the worst Yankees pitchers, against one of the best in the AL. Yankees hitters mired in an awful slump. As predicted before the game, the Yankees were going to get smoked, and they did. Kennedy left early enough that the Rays were held to only 5 runs, but the Yankee hitters continued to struggle at the plate, amassing 7 singles as the power outage continues. Half of the Yankee starting team had averages near or below .200.
The current Rays staff and team has reminded me of one of the most famous squads in MLB history--The Baby Birds. These were the young Baltimore Orioles of the early-mid 1960's that eventually became one of the best teams in the AL, dominating the league for many years. They featured good young pitchers, and decent hitting. This Rays team is showing that kind of potential.



Go Yankees

Pettitte to start tonight

Due to the rainout, Pettitte will start tonight against the hard hitting Rays at Tropicana Field.

In other news, Jeter was scheduled to bat clean up if the game would have been played against the Tigers. It would have been only the second time in his career that the Captain hit in that spot. The rainout may have changed the rotation. Girardi hasn't decided yet whether he wants Rasner to face the Mets on Friday, or go with Igawa as originally planned. The rotation against the Rays will be Pettitte, Wang, Moose, and Rasner, unless Girardi holds him back. Otherwise it will be Igawa against the Rays. Whatever game Igawa pitches, I hope the infielders wear Kevlar. They have had enough injuries this year.

And on the injury front, A-Rod is due back this week, while Posada is scheduled to work out with the team. Giradi expects Jorge back in the lineup on June 1st. Karstens has made some rehab appearances and may be back with the big club in a few weeks. That's the good news.

Now for he rest of the injury report.

Albaladejo will not require surgery, but he will need more than two weeks of rehabilitation at the club's Spring Training facility in Tampa, Fla. Betemit is on the DL along with Bruney and Hughes. This is not the team Girardi brought north with him. So many early injuries. : (

Go Yankees

Rasner Tames Tigers

YA real New York Post or Daily News style headline. Darrell Rasner pitched great yesterday afternoon at Comerica, and ended the Yankees winless streak against Detroit. Going back to last year, it was at 6 straight Yankees losses. Rasner, who has been a hard-luck guy, was injured last year in May, and missed the rest of the year. He was the last cut in this year's spring training but he just kept the faith. He worked hard, and made it back to the big club. He has been fantastic in his 2 starts this year, winning both, and pitching to a 3.00 ERA. If he keeps pitching like this, he'll be the surprise of the staff, and could easily slide into the number 3 hole vacated by an injured Phil Hughes, and a terrible Ian Kennedy.

Yesterday's game was a good one. The Yankees beat Bonderman. While he is inconsistent, he does have overpowering stuff. The Yankees jumped out to an early lead as Jeter homered (first of the year) in the top of the 1st and they never looked back. Detroit threatened a few times, but the staff followed the blueprint; 6 strong innings, on to Farnsworth, then Joba, then Mo (save 10 ERA 0.00) to close it out. To quote Hannibal Smith, from the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together.

Again, the offense did just enough to win. Giambi and Cano are starting to hit, and while 9 hits (4 for extra bases) along with 5 walks isn't a power explosion, it does indicate that the team may be coming out of the doldrums.

Today, Andy Pettitte (3-3) takes the mound. Andy pitched well enough to win last time out, but a late inning pinch HR against Joba cost the Yankees the game,and deprived him of the win. That's not going to happen today.

Game is at 1:05 on YES, and TBS.

Go Yankees

Igawa is horrible as Yankees lose

AAs predicted yesterday Igawa was going to be terrible. He lived up (or wold that be down) to the advance billing. He surrendured 11 hits in 3 innings of work, and wasn't helped by less than spectacular fielding. Betemit was terrible at 3rd, making them miss A-Rod as much for his great glove work as for his MVP bat.

The only good news, and it's hard to find any good new when the team is below .500 nearly a quarter of the way into the season, is that Cano and Giambi seem to be coming out of their protraced slumps. That, and A-Rod's workout went well yesterday. He is scheduled to come back with the big club on Thursday against the Rays. Posada has been working out, but is believed to be about a month away. Karstens is also due to make a rehab appearance or two, and may be back with the squad very soon.

Today, Rasner takes the mound at Comerica Park at 3:40 on Fox 5 in NY against the talented, but inconsistent, Bonderman.

Despite the Yankees mediocre play, they are still within hailing distance of the league leading Red Sox.

Just a few more days until:



Go Yankees