Yankees Win 6-5: Mussina looks good

On friday night, Mike Mussina won his league leading 8th game this season, and lowered his ERA to 4.26.  After a rocky first inning in which he allowed 4 runs (only 2 earned), he settled down and only let 2 more runners reach base over his final 5 innings.  He struck out 5 and walked one, continuing one of his best seasons keeping runners from receiving the free pass.  So far this year, he is allowing only 1.5 BB per 9 innings and 3.3 K/BB.  Both of these are in the top of their categories in the league, and are one of the main reasons why Mussina has pitched so well this year.  After Mussina was taken out, the bullpen held the Twins to only one run, a Morneu HR, and that was also the only hit.  Rivera came in the 9th, and walked one but struck out 2.  Abreu, A-Rod, and Matsui, each went 3-4 and Abreu also scored 4 of the Yankees 6 runs.  Ever since Alex has come back, the Yankees have looked strong on offense and last night, they played exceptionally well.

Notes:  It was announced that Joba Chamberlain will make his first start of the season on tuesday.  He will be the 4th "young gun" to take the mound for the Yankees this season.  So far, only Ranser has panned out.  Ironically, he was the player that nobody expected to be a starter.  Morgan Ensberg was designated for assignment this afternoon, and Scott Patterson was called up to replace him.  With A-Rod back, the Yankees don't need another backup 3B, and with Joba moving to the rotation, the Yankees need all the bullpen help they can get with Patterson.  Maybe Ensberg will go off on a probably much needed vacation.

Player of the Game:  Although there were three players with three hits, only one of them had 4 runs.  Bobby Abreu picks up tonight's award for player of the game with 3 hits, 4 runs and a walk.  His averaged jumped 10 pts, just from tonight alone. 

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Posada to Return

Good News for all, Jorge Posada is on pace to return to the Yankees sometime next week.  Chad Moeller and Jose Molina have been adequate players in his absence, but without Posada behind the plate, the Yankees just haven't been the same.

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Yankees are Hot: Win 5th straight

After falling to a season low 5 games under 500, the Yankees responded with 5 consecutive wins including a sweep of the struggling Mariners.  Led by great starting pitching by the young stars, Rasner and Kennedy, and solid pitching by Pettite, Mussina, and Wang, the Yankees managed to have their first 5 game win streak.  When they didn't get great pitching, they got strong hitting.  With back to back 12+ run performances, it is tough to lose, under those circumstances.  The Yankees have new life, and as they have in the previous 3 seasons, are heating up as the temperature rises.

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Yankees Win 2-1: Cano is Clutch

After Ian Kennedy finally had a good performance, the Yankees floundered on offense, and never found their rhythm.  However, they did win a close game that needed to win, and potentially rectified their season.  Kennedy pitched a solid 6 innings, allowing only one run, and got out of the jams he used to break down in.  Jose Veras and Kyle Fransworth pitched the 7th and 8th innings and allowed only one hit over that span.  That took the game to the 9th, where the Yankees called upon Mariano Rivera, to keep the score tied at 1-1.  As he has done so well throughout his career, he shut down the opposition, and sent the game to the bottom of the 9th.  After Matsui singled to left, both A-Rod and Giambi struck out swinging.  Abreu hit for the struggling Shelly Duncan, and drew a walk, advancing Matsui to scoring position.  Cano stepped to the plate and saw an oppourtunity to change the flow of his personal season, and his team's.  He pulled through in the clutch. and hit a game winning single.  

Notes:  Matsui scored both of the Yankee's runs last night and Johnny Damon went 3-4.  After a strong first two games for Alex, he struggled miserably and went 0-4 with 2 Ks.  The Yankees now play the Seattle Mariners who they have always played well, and should take 2 out of 3.  They need to do this and will hopefully sweep.  Manager Joe Girardi was ejected in the bottom of the 9th for arguing a foul tip.  It was a pleasant change of pace to see the Manager finally show some passion, after Torre's passive coaching style.

Player of the Game:  Damon went 3-4 but tonight it is all about Cano.  A game winning single and a potentially season changing hit.  If the Yanks and Cano both start heating up, everyone will look back to this hit.

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Alex is Back

In 2 nights, Alex has hit 2 HRs (really 3) and is 4-7 with 4 RBI.  Not bad for a guy with a quad injury.

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A-Rod to return

After a hitting a HR on saturday, and playing well in a practice game.  Alex is poised to return on tuesday when the Yankees play Baltimore.  Barring any setbacks, A-Rod should play DH on tuesday and then be worked into the field slowly.  The Yankees don't want to push him again and have him be injured for another 20 days.

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Yankees Lose 7-4: Farnsworth blows it

Well not really.  He gave up 3 runs on 2 HRs in the 7th, to give the Mets a 6-2 lead.  After Pettite left after the 6th, after throwing 116 pitches, Kyle Fransworth relieved him, and promptly blew any chance that the Yankees had in winning this game.  It is sad though, because Farnsworth has pitched well all year but folded in a game the Yankees needed him most.  The Yankees offense played well, scoring 4 runs off of Santana, but 2 of them were solo HRs late in the game.  Had they been able to do that earlier, then maybe they might have had a shot.  

Notes:  Petties record has dropped to 3-5 now and the Yankees have lost the las 5 games in which he starts.  He was supposed to be the #2 man behind Wang this year, but he has not been even close to that.  Maybe he is still distracted by Roger Clemens.  In any case, the prospect of a David Wells comeback is looking more and more promising.  Giambi went 2-4 with a HR.  His AVG has risen now to an astounding .193.  He has to get this up to around a .250 at least.  

Player of the Game:  Derek Jeter went 3-4 with an early 2 run blast and gave the Yankees an early lead.  The captain performed his best in a big game, and the Yankees needed him to do so.  With Giambi heating up, and A-rod returning after tonight's game, if Jeter can keep this up, the Yankee offense should jump-start itself into a winning team.

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Breaking News: Yankees and Mets Postponed

For everyone looking forward to tonight's matchup between Darrell Rasner and Johan Santana they are out of luck.  The game has been postponed due to rain.  This opens up a number of options including a day-night cross-town doubleheader in a few weeks when the Mets and Yankees play again.  However the most likely scenario is a doubleheader sunday afternoon and evening.  As of now, Rasner's turn will be skipped and he will start wednesday while Pettite will make his regularly scheduled start tomorrow.

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Yankees Lose 5-2: Ian again

After a stellar few games in the minors, Ian Kennedy returned to the majors, only to sink again.  He allowed 5 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings.  At least the 5s are consistent.  If it was a sign, he gave up a HR to his first batter and then another to Shawn Riggins in the 4th.  That amounted for 3 runs, while the other two came on sac flys, one by Carl Crawford and the other by B. J. Upton.  After the 5th, Hawkins, Veras, and Ramirez came in to close out the final 3 innings, and did not allow one hits.  Hawkins even struck out the side.  The Yankees rallied in the 7th and had runners on first and third with two outs but Giambi lined out to center to end the inning.  The Yankees never threatened the rest of the game.

Notes:  In 13 innings, the Yankee bullpen only allowed 3 runs, 2 of which came in the first game.  In the last 3 games, they only allowed one run in 8 innings.  That is pretty solid for a team that in the pre-season no-one expected to have any bullpen help at all.  In the 4 games against the Rays, the Yankees could only muster 6 runs.  They are gonna have to start scoring some serious runs if they ever want to win a game again.  

Player of the Game:  Today, it is actually a tie.  Both Melky and Jeter went 2-4 with one RBI so it is a tie.  On a side note, after Giambi's great game a few nights ago, he went 0-4 with 4 runners left on base.   

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Yankees Win 2-1: Mussina the new ace?

Over the past 5 starts, Mike Mussina has been the best pitcher on the Yankees and one of the best in baseball. He has won 5 in a row, and lowered his ERA to under 4 (3.99 is still under a 4). The Yankees could only muster 2 runs against James Shields, however Mussina pitched well enough to give the Yankees a chance to win. Had they been able to score more than 1 run tuesday night, they would have won then also. Robinson Cano went 4-4 last night, and had the first RBI of the night. Abreu added another in the 5th and the bullpen held in the 7th to seal the deal for the Yanks. With runners on first and second, and only one out, Ross Ohlendorf got Gabe Gross to line into double play. After that Joba got the job done and stuck out the side, and Rivera responded to his loss with a dominating performance. Still though, the Yankees have lost 2 out of three so far to the Rays, and if they lose tonight, then it will be a horrible series loss for the Yanks.


Notes: Can was on fire going 4-4 with an RBI. It took this insane performance just to get his AVG back above .500, for the first time since GAME 1. It's amazing that the Yankees have put up with him for the past 40 days and Giambi is still under .200 also. Once these guys heat up, there will be no stopping the Yankees.

Player of the Game: It has to go to Cano. 4-4 on a night when only 2 runs were scored, it's obvious it is him. Even if it was a 13-0 blowout, Cano would still be the award winner tonight.

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Yankees Lose 2-1: Rivera blows it

Despite a superb start by Chien-Ming-Wang, the Yankees could not win a close game that they had to.  Wang only allowed one run in 7 innings, but the Yankees could not manage to score even one run on an equally excellent performance by Edwin Jackson.  In-fact they only got 5 hits against him, two of which were by Jason Giambi.  It took some drama by Matsui to tie the game, but the offense looked awful in extra-innings and thus the Yanks eventually lost.  In the last 2 games now, the Yankee offense has mustered only 2 runs against the Ray's pitching, both of which were against relievers.  If they can't start scoring, then they will be in major trouble.  Giambi went 2-2 with 2 additional walks. That amounts for 45% of the Yankee's baserunners yesterday.  He has shown significant signs of improvement in the last week and if he is good, then the Yankees will be too.

Notes:  Mariano Rivera allowed his first run yesterday, probably in the worst time possible.  It was bound to happen eventually though, although the Yankees would have rather had it in a 7-3 game instead of a 1-1.  Derek Jeter his his 3rd triple of the year.  He had all of 4 all season last year.

Player of the Game:  Despite the better statistical performance by Jason Giambi, Hideki MAtsui is tonight's player of the game.  He hit the game tying HR off a tough closer, and gave the Yankees some life that they desperately needed.  

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David Wells

David Wells has recently expressed interest in re-joining the Yankees and they have responded with a round-about answer that neither denies that they are interested nor accepts it.  Wells had some of his best years as a Yankee, while pitching a perfect game and winning one world series title.  In his first year when he came to the Yankees, his win total jumped by 5 and is ERA dropped by almost one full point from 5.14-4.21 in 1997.  The following year, in 1998, he had what was probably his best year ever when he went 18-4 with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 163 Ks to only 29 walks.  That is approximately an 8:1 ratio.  He also threw 8 CG and had 5 shut outs.  He pitched a perfect game that year, and was the ace of the staff that won 125 games and the world series.  After this amazing year, the Yankees promptly traded him for "All-Star" Roger Clemens, which may be a trade the Yankees now resent.  

After bouncing around for a few years, Boomer returned to the Yankees for the '02 and '03 seasons.  In 2002, his ERA dropped by .7 from his previous year from 4.47-3.75 and his win total again jumped by 14 games for a 19-7 record.  During his second stint with the Yankees, Wells posted a 34-14 record, an approximate 3.90 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  Over his 4 year career with the Yankees, he went 68-28 and never threw less than 200 innings in a season.  In fact, in his career at the stadium, Wells has a 3.70 ERA and an outstanding 45-20 record with 13 complete games.

While Wells is old, and his numbers have declined, he can sill pitch.  He was one of the clutch players during his stint with the Yankees, and his rubber-arm is always ready to pitch.  I have always been a fan of Boomer and he should be given another chance.  His numbers have always improved when he came to NY and this should happen again.  In a time of change, and new young players, The Yankees need an old star to lead these young guys.  Even if he doesn't start, having him in the bullpen would be huge for this team.  If Ian Kennedy can't live up to expectations then Wells will be need more than ever.  I would leave to see Boomer stand there in George Steinbrenner's box and announce that he is back.  

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Ian Kennedy to Return to Rotation

After spending the last few days gaining back his confidence, Ian Kennedy will in all likelihood be called up to replace Kei Igawa thursday morning, and subsequently make the start that night.  This sets the stage for his "come-back start", which will most likely be a good representation of the rest of his season.  If he does not pitch well, then it may be back to the minors soon.  This will set up a Rasner, Pettite, Wang weekend stint, which will hopefully be a good chance for all these 3, especially Rasner, to see how they perform on the big-stage.   

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Yankees Lose 6-5: Igawa can't perform

After being given a new chance, Kei Igawa was as poor in this start, as he was last year.  He allowed 6 runs in only 3 innings. and 11 hits in the process.  He struck out nobody but also walked nobody, so I guess it balances out.  As bad, as Hughes, and Kennedy have been this year, this start by Igawa may be the worst of them all.  He showed signs of life last year, but his role is at the best in the bullpen.  He can make a spot start every so often, but his place is in Triple-A.  Someone needs to tell Girardi this, and as soon as possible.  

The Yankees were down 6-2 going into the 9th, when Todd Jones stepped in to make things interesting.  Wilson Bettemit started things off with a double and then advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch.  An RBI groundout by Cano cut the deficit to 3.  Then, a single by Damon and another wild pitch put him on 2nd with Cabrera at the plate.  He advanced Damon to 3rd, and scored on an RBI single by Jeter.  Abreu doubled and then Matsui was intentionally walked.  This put Shelly Duncan to the plate with runners on first and second and the Yankees down 6-5.  Sadly though, Duncan flied out and the rally ended.  Thus, the game ended.

Notes:  Jason Giambi hit his 2nd HR in as many games and went 2-4.  Since falling to a horrible .150- AVG, Giambi is 5-14 and risen his AVG 33 pts.  Alabadejo relieved Igawa at the start of the 4th, but left in the 7th with a right hand injury.  He hasn't been great but he has been decent in the bullpen.  Maybe the Yanks should stick Igawa there and bring up Kennedy.  Matsui ended his 17 game hit-streak when he went 0-4.  He had an oppourtunity in the 9th, but was intentionally walked, probably because he has been so hot.  To top it all off, the Bullpen pitched 6 scoreless innings.

Player of the Game: Finally Jason Giambi shines.  Too bad the Yankees couldn't take the last step to win.  He went 2-4 with a HR and an RBI.  Giambi is starting to heat up right now, just when the Yanks ned him most.  He usually tends to pick up in production towards the middle of May, and maybe now we are starting to see him in the process.

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Yankees Win 6-3: Avoid Sweep

Mike Mussina pitched OK, but well enough to win his 4th straight start, and get the Yankees off the slippery slope of losing.  After 4 very strong innings, he lost it a little in the 5th, giving up 3 runs and allowing the Indians to tie it up.  However, the Yankees scored one in the bottom of that inning and the bullpen shut down the Indian offense the rest of the way.  Ross Ohlendorf pitched two innings of shutout ball and since his loss against the Indians 2 weeks ago, he has thrown 6 1/3 scoreless innings with 7 Ks.  Joba Chamberlain rebounded after his blown game two nights ago, and showed a little emotion at that.  Lastly, Rivera came in and got his 9th save of the season.

The Yankees hit four home runs and scored 6 runs. the first time they broke the 5 run mark, during this series.  Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano each hit HRs, which may show signs of them breaking out of their slumps.  In addition, Wilson Bettemit and Johnny Damon also hit the long ball yesterday.  The Yankees, as a team, only struck out twice yesterday, and drew 1 walk.  That means, they put the ball in play 31 out of 34 plate appearences.  

Notes:  The Yankees are back at .500 now.  They have not yet been either 3 games over or 3 games under .500.  Thats a decent start, but they can't expect to make the playoffs in the American League with a 83-79 record.  They need to step it up.  Hideki Matsui extended his hitting streak to 17 games now and went 2-4.  Also, David Wells is rumored to have an interest in joining the Yankees, and knowing the Steinbrenner family, they will probably have an interest in signing him.  We will keep you posted.

Player Of the Game:  Robinson Cano went 2-3 with a HR, 2B and an RBI.  He scored two runs, and played a solid second base yesterday.  He is now riding a mini 4-game hit streak where he has risen his average 25 pts tooooo... 175.  Not great, but it is a start.

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Yankees Lose 3-0: Wang is defeated

For the first time all season, Chien Ming Wang lost yet pitched a solid game in the process.  He went 7 strong innings, and under normal circumstances gave his team a chance to win.  However, when you pitch against super-man, its tough to get a win.  Cliff Lee has been superb this year, and any opposing team should be afraid of him.  He is a likebale guy and a great story for baseball this year.  Back to the Yankees though.  With Wang's start, it marks the 5th solid start by Yankee pitching in a row, yet they are only 3-2 over this span.  When the starter gives up 3 or less, with the Yankees offense, they have to win.  Not only that, but you at least have to score.  It was the first time the Yankees got shutout since they played Baltimore on April 19.  

Notes:  Hideki Matsui went 1-4 last night, and extended his hitting streak to 16 games.  His average has gone up 18 pts over this span.  Thats pretty good for a guy everyone thought was washed up and out the door after this season.  Maybe he is this years Jorge Posada.  The Yankees are currently 4 games behind the first place Red Sox.  Last year, they were 8 games back.  It isn't panic time yet, but if they can't get back on track, it may start to be soon. 

Player of the Game:  Not much to choose from but I'll give it to Bobby Abreu.  He is the only real choice as he was the only player with even 2 hits.  He struck out once and went 2-4.  Cano also had a hit, which is a good sign for him to help jump-start his production.  So-far, he has just stunk.  

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Yankees Lose 5-3: Joba is human

After a superb start by Andy Pettite last night, Joba Chamberlain showed the first signs of becoming a struggling star.  He has pitched great so far, but last night showed why he is only human.  The sad thing though i that it came in a game the Yankees needed to win. 

Lets focus on the good though.  Pettite pitched great for the first time in 2 starts, allowing only 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings.  He struck out 6, the highest in any one game this season.  This marks 4 excellent starts in a row which is a good sign for Yankee pitching.  They are going to need solid starting pitching if they want to win, especially in the playoffs.  Jason Giambi  went 1-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.  His average is now .157, YAY.  Its good to see him get some RBIs, but if he can't get his average above .250, he and the Yanks will be in trouble.  Bobby Abreu had 5 at-bats yet only put one ball in play.  He struck out twice, and drew two walks.  He has been playing so good though, he is allowed one off-night.

Notes:  Derek Jeter had his 4th error of the season.  Last year, he had 18 and is on track for that again.  Hideki Matsui went 3-3 and extended his hitting to 15 games.

Player of the Game:  Hideki Matsui went 3-3 with one walk and one run.  He didn't put up any huge power numbers.  But he was on base 4 out 4 times.  Although you would expect a little more power from your 4 hitter, he helped to set the table last night, and with Giambi hot, maybe thats all he needs to do.

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Updating Kennedy

Yesterday, Ian Kennedy dominated in Triple-A, going 7 1/3 and only allowing one hit.  Not bad, eh.  If he can pitch this well in his next start, he will be back up with Yankees as soon as the rules allow.  This will be in approximately 6 days.  I have been a big fan of Kennedy, ever since his first start last year.  Maybe this all he needs.  To gain a little more confidence, and then get right back to the big leagues, and pitch like we all expect him to.

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Yankees Sweep: Rasner pitches well

Darrell Rasner look liked an ace, and the batters were teeing off against Carlos Silva all day yesterday, as The Yanks finished off the seep of the Mariners winning 8-2.  After allowing a two run homer in the first, Rasner pitched 4 scoreless innings and only allowed 3 hits in that span.  After the early deficit, the Yankee rebounded in the 3rd and rallied to score 6 runs, including back to back home runs by Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano.  Melky now has 6 HR and is batting a shade under .300.  He has certainly played well in A-rod's absence.  After the Yanks tacked on two more in the 4th, they began the cruise to an 8-2 victory and their first 3 game sweep of the season.  

Notes:  Hideki Matsui extended his hitting streak to with his RBI double in the 3rd, en-route to a 2 hit 2 RBI performance yesterday.  Melky and Cano hit back to back shots yesterday.  If they can keep this up, then the Yanks will be in good shape.  The bullpen pitched 9 scoreless innings this weekend, something they needed to do.  All the anylysts were ranking on the Yankees bullpen this year, but they continue to perform well.

Player of the Game:  Hideki Matsui had 2 RBIs and 2 hits, and continued his current hitting streak.  Derek Jeter did have 4 hits but I think Matsui barely edges him out for todays Player of the Game.  Matsui also had one run scored and is thriving in the 4 spot this season, batting .385.  

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Ian Kennedy to return to Minors

The Yankees just announced that Ian Kennedy will return to the minor leagues after a very sub-par first month.  With the addition of Darrel Rasner and the loss of Kennedy and Hughes, the Yankees will try to work with a 4 man rotation for some time, while Kennedy works out some bumps in his game.  This puts a lot of pressure on Rasner, because if he can't perform, then the Yankees will be down to 3 starters.  This will certainly make for interesting baseball.

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Yankees Win 6-1: Mussina Wins Again

In another solid performance by Mike Mussina, the Yankees won back to back games and will go for the sweep this afternoon.  Mussina went 6 innings and allowed only one run while striking out 5.  The Yankees needed this victory to climb back to .500 and will hopefully be able to finish the sweep today.  Mussina allowed 7 hits in the 6 innings, but no walks, and only threw 84 pitches.  The Yankees didn't need him to risk a 7th inning, so in a good move Girardi relieved him and let the bullpen finish the deal.  Mussina closed out strong, striking out the side in the 6th, something he normally does not do.  If Mussina can be this good over a long stretch of time, the Yanks will be a much better team.  Johnny Damon had a two run home run in the 6th to put give his team a 5 run lead, and they never looked back.  Abreu had an early RBI single in the first, and a 3 run rally in the 3rd gave them an early 4 run lead.  If the Yanks can sweep today, it will give them much needed momentum going into Detroit who just sweped them at the Stadium.  Winning 2 out of 3 would be a big help in Detroit.

Notes:  Darrel Rasner makes his season debut today, the 3rd young starter that the Yanks have sent to the mound this year.  Hopefully he will fare better than the other two.  So far, in 9 starts with the Yankees he is 4-4 with a low 4 ERA.  The Yankees don't need him to be great, as he is the #5 starter, but anything better than Hughes would be an improvement.  Matsui extended his hit streak to 13 games, but oddly his average has gone down 11 pts from ,328-,317.  Mussina won his 3rd straight start to improve to 4-3 on the season.  During this stretch he has average 6 innings a start with a 2.50 ERA but only 3 Ks.  He has been solid so far and should continue to play well the rest of the year.

Player of the Game:  Johnny Damon sealed the deal in the 6th with his 4th HR of the year.  He had 3 runs also, including an early one in the first.  He went 3-5 with 2 RBIs but also had a K.  That is ok though, 'cuz he did have 5 at bats.

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Julio Franco Retires

It was recently announced that  Julio Franco will retire from Major League Baseball, since he has not heard from any MLB team interested in him.  He was released from the Mets earlier this year, and after playing in Mexico for the past month, has decided to retire.  He played 23 years in the MLB accumulating over 2500 hits and 173 HRs.  He had recently expressed a desire to play a game when he was 50, but it doesn't look like that will happen.  He played in Japan during the strike shortened '94 season, and then returned their from 97-01. He was a 3 time All Star, and was also the oldest player to hit a HR when he was 48.  Over his 26 year professional baseball career, he had 4229 hits.  Franco was a solid player and a true veteran.  Maybe someone will sign him in two years and he can get his wish to play at 50.  This season just won't be the same without him.

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Yankees win 5-1: Wang Looks Strong

Wang pitched 5 scoreless innings only allowing one run in the 6th, and then the bullpen came in and shut down whatever was left of the Mariners.  It was good to see Farnsworth pitch a perfect 7th, something I haven't seen in a while, and strike out two in the process.  Joba and Rivera closed out the last two innings in a fashion that Yankee fans are getting used to by now.  If the starting pitching can be this good, then there is no stopping the Yanks.  Melky Cabrera hit a two run double in the second to give Wang an early lead, and Morgan Ensberg and Jose Molina put it away in the 8th.  The Yankees only had one extra base hit and still won.  This is the small ball the Joe Girardi brought to the Yankees.  They are going to have to learn how to do this if they want to win in the playoffs.

Notes:  Matsui extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the first inning.  That hit also gave the Yankees a one run lead in the first.  Farnsorth pitched a scoreless 6th giving him his 4th scoreless inning in his 5 last attempts.  Over that period he has allowed only 3 hits, 2 walks, and has an amazing 8 Ks.

Player of The Games:  Melky Cabrera had a second inning 2-run double.  This gave the Yankees an early 3 run lead that Wang and his team definitely needed.  He has performed well this season and should continue to do thrive in the one-slot.

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Yankees Get Swept

For the first time in over 40 years, the Yankees were swept at the Stadium by the Tigers.  What started off as an embarrassing first two games, ended in a horrible loss, one which the Yankees needed to win.  Ian Kennedy followed the trend that he and Phil Hughes started, and didn't even get to the 5th inning. It has been tough so far for the young starters and now Darrel Rasner gets to take a crack at it tonight.  Maybe he can break the trend.  Abreu hit an important 3 run homer in the first, and Kennedy pitched well for 2 2/3, but struggled in the 3rd and Girardi didn't want another mishap after two hits in the 5th.  If Kennedy can just figure out how to escape a jam then he could be a solid pitcher.  Until then though, it is going to be a long season for him.  

Notes: Hideki Matsui extended his hitting streak to 11 games, hopefully he can keep that up.  Wang starts tonight, so far he has been a great pitcher this year and the Yankees really need a win to end the losing streak.  If anyone could do it, it is Wang.

Player of the Game:  Bobby Abreu went 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBIs last night all in the first inning.  It was certainly important for the Yanks to get an early lead to help out the young starter.  Too bad it didn't work out in the end.  It was only Abreu's 2nd HR against left handed pitching as a Yankee.  If he can produce this more consistently, then the Yankees may survive without A-Rod and Posada for the next few weeks.

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Rangers Win!! Still a long way to go.

The Rangers pulled off a clutch victory last night 3-0, and showed a little life after being embarrassed in the first 3 games.  Jagr scored the first goal and then got absolutely pummeled afterwards.  Thats what a leader does though, put his body on the line for the good of the team.  Lundqvust stopped 8 shots and a penalty shot in the first period to keep his team in it, something he had not done in the previous 3 games.  Then he stayed perfect for the rest of the game.  In total he was perfect for all 29 shots and even one penalty shot.  Brandon Dubinsky scored another clutch goal in the 3rd and Lundqvist played tough until Jagr sealed the deal with an open net goal with less than a minute to go.  It is important now for the Rangers not to get too cocky after this one win.  Obviously confidence is important but there is a reason only 2 teams have ever done this hockey and 3 teams in the history f sports.  It is nearly impossible to come back from being down 3-0 but one win is a good start.  We will have to see how they do back in Pittsburgh.  If they can win that one, they are one step closer to doing the almost impossible.  See you in game 5.  

Game 5 preview:  As long as Lundqvist can keep Pitt scoreless they can't win.  It's tough to ask for that, but thats what the Rangers need.  Jagr and Shannahan need to be the veteran leaders and step it up and the defense needs to be solid.  Don't be afraid to start a fight and then don't be afraid to finish it.

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Updating Hughes: Out to July?

The Yankees have just reported that an MRI exam has revealed Phil Hughes has a stress fracture in one of his ribs.  He will be out for the next 4 weeks and then be reavulated in early June.  Brian Cashman has stated that the Yankees will prepare to be without him until at least July.

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Yankees Lose 6-2: Pettite looks poor

In an astonishing performance last night, Andy Pettite pitched sub-par his usual, allowing 5 runs in 6 innings. He gave up an early run in the 2nd and two more in the 5th, however the Yankees were not even able to keep pace with the Tigers for those first 5. After the 6th, two more runs scored for the Tigers and the Yanks hopes were done.  Hakwins followed with a scoreless 7th, Farnsworth gave up one in the 8th, and Edwar Ramirez pitched a scoreless ninth.  So far, Ramirez has pitch 4 innings with a perfect 0 for ERA. Last year, he pitched great early but then rapidly went downhill from there.  Hopefully Ramirez can stay this good in the bullpen.  With Hughes out, who knows where Joba may be soon (maybe in the rotation) and the Yankees could need a new set-up man.  To top it all off, the offense looked horrible for the second night in a row.  Without A-rod and Posada this could be a long few weeks.

Notes: Jason Giambi had an early sac-fly and Melky Cabrera followed that up without an RBI single.  These two, along with Cano are going to have to step it up in the now depleted lineup.   It was also announced that Phil Hughes will be out until July.  It looks like there were bigger problems to the youngsters than being new to the big-leagues.  Darell Rasner will probably take his spot in the rotation, unless Hank has his way and Joba gets "promoted"

Player of the Game: Melky Cabrera went 2-4 with 2 RBIs last night, and was basically the Yankees entire offense.  He is not a number four hitter but he should continue to play solid ball and get and RBI every other night or so.

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