CC and Yankees Storm Past M's

The weather didn't look promising for a ball game today, but good things happen when CC Sabathia toes the rubber at Yankee Stadium. The big man's outing was cut to six innings by a rain delay, but Robinson Cano and the Yankees rained on the Seattle Mariners' parade 10-0.

Sabathia improved to 17-5 and 10-0, 2.46 at Yankee Stadium this season. Austin Kearns snapped a scoreless tie when he hit a solo home run off Luke French in the 4th and inning later the Yankees' MVP busted the game open.

Cano, also a front-runner for league MVP, smacked his second grand slam of the season in the 5th for a 5-0 lead. "Don'tcha know" was done though. The one time monumental failure with the bases juiced, came up again with the sacks full the very next inning and delivered again. This time with a 2-run single for an 8-0 lead. For the season, Cano has delivered 21 RBI and is 8-13 (.615) with the bases loaded.

Sabathia meanwhile limited the M's to three hits and struck out eight while not walking a batter. The left-hander is 13-2 since June 1.

Notes

On the 49th anniversary of Roger Maris become the first major leaguer to reach 50 home runs in August, Jorge Posada also homered. It was Sado's 258 career home run in Pinstripes, one behind Alex Rodriguez. Oddly the team is 12-0 without A-Rod this year.

Derek Jeter picked up career hit 2,891. He scored his 1,662 run, which put him 14 runs behind Mickey Mantle for 3rd place on the franchise list. The Captain's 930th walk placed him 4 back of Roy White for 6th on the team top 10.

Austin Kearns has been an afterthought compared to the acquisitions of Lance Berkman and Kerry Wood, but the outfielder has quietly and successfully gone about his business. With a 1-4 day today he's 14-41 (.341) with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 doubles, and a .989 OPS.

BD.com - A-Rod to DL, Javy Should Follow

Written for BaseballDigest.com

Shortly after the Yankees 9-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners this afternoon, the team announced it had placed Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day DL with his troublesome strained calf. The Yankees would be wise to have Javier Vazquez join him on the sideline.

The Yankees were able to overcome the right-hander's shortest outing since May 1, when Vazquez also lasted just three innings, by beating up on Jason Vargas and the Mariners' bullpen.

Vazquez was diagnosed with a dead arm several starts ago and has regressed rapidly. His last five starts have gone from bad to worse - 6.1, 5.1, 4.1, 4, and 3 innings pitched. He's been tagged for 16 earned runs in 20 innings and has seen his ERA rise from 4.45 to 5.05 since July 10. He's also been ripped for 35 hits during the stretch and has walked 12 batters to boot.

Dead arm, tired arm, call it what you want, it's not something a pitcher can work through. What it does, however, is wear out the bullpen. The Yankees got exceptional work from the pen today, specifically the beleaguered Chad Gaudin who shut down the M's after entering the game in a 4-4 tie.

When Vazquez has no velocity, which has been the case in his last five starts, he has to be perfect with his location. That's just as hard to do as it sounds. And when Vazquez doesn't hit locations, home runs are sure to follow. Today it was a pair from Ichiro Suzuki and a monster upper deck shot, the first in the new Yankee Stadium, to right field by Russell Branyan.

I had a Twitter discussion a short time ago with Jack Curry of YES, who felt there was no need for the Yankees to bring in another starting pitcher. I disagreed then and I do now. How long the call up will last remains to be seen, but Ivan Nova has been summoned from Scranton to take A-Rod's place on the 25-man roster and is scheduled to start Monday night in Toronto.

With Andy Pettitte probably not back until early September and A.J. Burnett's continued inconsistency, the Yankees should definitely take a long look at Nova or another minor leaguer. Brian Cashman's daily to-do list should also include checking the waiver wire for a decent starter. While they're not likely to land a top notch starter, perhaps a serviceable arm will be available.

With an off day this coming Thursday, manager Joe Girardi is also likely to revise the rotation so that Burnett and Vazquez are not throwing on back to back days.

Speaking of waiver wires, the Detroit News reported earlier today that both Johnny Damon and Brandon Inge have been placed on waivers. Stop before you start, the Yankees do NOT need Damon back. It shouldn't even be up for discussion.

Inge, on the other hand, should be a player the Yankees put in a claim on. The third baseman is pretty slick with the glove, and though he doesn't hit for average, he does have pop; he had career highs in HR (27) and RBI (84) last season. Inge's numbers are down this season, but he missed a large chunk of games with a broken hand. The former catcher could also be used in that position in a pinch- he caught 60 games as recently as 2008, and has some outfield experience as well.

In the meantime, Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena figure to split the bulk of the work at third base. Nunez had his first major league hit and RBI in this afternoon's contest.

Yankees Bow Down To The King

Won-Loss records in baseball aren't indicative for starting pitchers. Just look at Felix Hernandez. "The King" dominated the Yankee for a third time this season, yet has the same number of wins (9) as the bumbling, stumbling, inconsistent A.J. Burnett.

His royal pitchness has allowed one, I said one, earned run in 26 innings with 31 strikeouts against the supposedly potent Yankees lineup. The Yankees have hit just .176 (16 hits) in the three starts.

Burnett put the Yankees in an immediate hole last night when he gave up the first of two bombs to Russell Branyan to give the Mariners a 3-0 lead in the 1st. The audible groan from the crowd was expected since the King was toeing the rubber for the M's.

Just that quickly a team can lose it's good feeling. The Yankees just took 3 of 4 from the Tigers, but now after losing the opener to an inferior Mariners team, the Yankees are in danger of losing the three game series. You can't have much confidence, again, in Javier Vazquez these days. His loss of velocity has returned along with an associated lack of pinpoint control. This is a problem.

Vazquez's last four starts have regressed from 6.1 to 5.1 to 4.1 to 4 innings pitched. He's allowed 16 earned runs in those 20 innings. By the way, Vazquez also has the same number of wins as the King.

Jorge Vargas, wow..9 wins too, gets the start for the M's today. He limited the Yankees to a run over 7 innings in his previous start (no decision) against them this year. He's got a 4.15 ERA in three career appearances, two of which were starts.

There will be no Alex Rodriguez in the lineup tonight either. One at-bat is all A-Rod lasted last night after his calf prevented him from doing more than loping down to first base. Can't even imagine why he was in the lineup at all; his calf couldn't have felt that good beforehand. A DL trip is a definite possibility as well as a look at the waiver wire again. In case A-Rod is out for a substantial amount of time you really don't want Ramiro Pena's bat in the lineup on any consistent basis (esp. when Francisco Cervelli is in there too).

Is Edwin Nunez the Yankees heir apparent to the Captain? Who knows, but Nunez will get a look while Lance Berkman is on the DL with a sprained ankle.

Back with more later.

In the meantime, whose better than Eric Clapton and BB King?

Joba Robba Javy, Now What?

Joba Chamberlain burst on to the scene in 2007 as a fearless, fist pumping, triple digit throwing right-hander who took no prisoners. Boy, have things changed.

Last night's meltdown in Seattle cost the Yankees their seven game winning streak and made fans once again wonder what happened to the previous version of their cult hero. Javier Vazquez may be wondering too since he went toe to toe with Felix Hernandez and exited after seven innings with a 1-0 lead. But he could only helplessly watch as the Mariners pulled out a 4-1 victory due to another under performance by the "chosen one".

The Mariners loaded the bases in the 8th on a pair of hits and an intentional walk (after Chamberlain threw a wild pitch). Chamberlain quickly fell behind 2-0 to Jose Lopez and was forced to come in with a fastball. He got it up in the zone and Lopez launched it out for a game winning grand slam.

Joe Girardi said afterward that he would stand by his 8th inning guy, but you have to figure that Brian Cashman is working behind the scenes to possibly change the Yankees late inning scenario.

The 2007 version of Chamberlain is something the current version can't possibly live up to. An instant folk hero, the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera, and all of the other plaudits thrown out there by fans and the media. (One afternoon host in particular.)

You might not want to ponder the thought, but it's quite possible that Chamberlain isn't that good. That he's an average pitch, or even above average but not as good as the previous incarnation.

Of course it didn't help that the Yankees themselves messed with the kid's head last year, shuttling him between the pen and rotation. Limiting his innings so that even if things were going well he would be removed after three innings because of a pitch count. We all knew he would be better off throwing six innings every 5th day at Scranton, but the Yankees insisted he stay up with the big club. Not only did it mess with Chamberlain psyche and approach, but as a result it unnecessarily taxed the bullpen.

Chamberlain's 2010 season is a bit misleading though if you strictly go by his ERA (5.79). Prior to last night he had three straight scoreless appearances and has two other strings of five or more games without allowing a run. Though holds are not always a true reflection of a performance, Chamberlain has been scored upon only once while recording 18 holds. That figure is tied for the top mark in the American League with Kip Jensen and Daniel Bard.

But when he's bad, Chamberlain is as bad as you can get.

Last night's debacle was the fifth occurrence that Chamberlain has allowed three or more earned runs. Two of his four losses have come when he entered with a lead. I am no fan of Sabermetrics, but for those of you who are, WAR is a big stat. That's Wins Above Replacement. Per Baseball-Reference.com, a WAR of 8 is an MVP, 5+ is All-Star quality, 2+ is a starter, 0-2 is a reserve and less than 0 is less than a replacement player (literally someone from Triple-A or a bench player).

Chamberlain's WAR was 1.2 in 2007 and 3.2 in his full rookie season of 2008. But this year it has dipped all the way down to -0.8. By comparison, Chan Ho Park's is -0.5, and we know how horrible he has been.

So if you're Cashman what do you do?

You get someone else to throw into the 8th inning mix and ease back on the reins on Chamberlain. If you're Joe Girardi, you throw him in the 7th or 6th innings and look for more consistency and confidence. You get Chamberlain to stop chugging a Red Bull as he's exiting the bullpen. (That really can't help, ya know?) You mix and match as you would in other innings rather than rely on one guy.

Damaso Marte has quietly pitched very well over the last two months. With two aboard and one out in the 8th last night, it was a perfect opportunity to bring Marte in to face Russell Branyan, who strikes out against left-handers with alarming regularity. The Mariners have no right-handed hitter sitting on the bench who strikes fear in the hearts of opponents. Girardi could then have countered with David Robertson or whomever to face Lopez.

The reliance on one pitcher to handle a set up inning is absurd. But that's a story for another day.

Relievers to take a look at:

Scott Downs, Tor: The left-hander is much more than a lefty specialist and can close games when needed. Downs' teammates Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp would be lesser options.

Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson, SD: Neither is necessarily available especially with the Padres in the race in the NL West. But one may be if the Padres can acquire another piece to help their team in the stretch run (Hey, Jed Hoyer..Kei Igawa can be your's).

Brad Ziegler, Oak: A righty specialist.

Bobby Jenks, Chi: The White Sox closer is nuts, but still can be nasty most of the time. With Matt Thornton in the Chisox pen, Jenks may be available if Chicago falls out of the race by the trade deadline.

Who else do you think could help?

Hughes Sends Yankees to 7th Straight

The day started out with the Yankees losing out in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, but ended nicely when Phil Hughes dominated the Seattle Mariners en route to a 6-1 win. It was the team's 7th straight win and the best Hughes has looked since he beat the Mets on June 19.

Much of the day, much of mine anyway, reading/hearing/tweeting about how the Yankees were about to land Lee and virtually lock up the AL East race. That all changed in the late afternoon when the Mariners passed on the Yankees offer and sent Lee to Texas as part of a six player deal.

David Purcey, who faced the Yankees as a Red Sox rookie in 2006, replaced Lee as last night's starter. At one point he retired 13 batters in a row before the Yankees finally broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning. Leading 1-0 on a first inning by Mark Teixeira, the Yankees loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a Jose Lopez error. Alex Rodriguez brought home one run with a sac fly off reliever Chad Cordero and Robinson Cano followed with a two-run triple up the alley in right-center. After a walk to Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson made it a 5-1 game with an RBI single.

Teixeira would add another solo home run, his 17th, in the 8th inning, but Hughes and company would need no more. The right-hander became the third Yankees pitcher to earn his 11th win by scattering six hits over seven innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out five and exited after 109 pitches.

Notes

Mark Teixeira may have turned the corner back to respectability. Since June 27, Tex has gone 14-41 (.341) to raise his average to .243, and has four home runs and 11 RBI.

According to the Elias Sports Burea, Hughes, CC Sabathia, and Andy Pettitte are only the 3rd trio of AL teammates to have 11 wins before the break. '70 and '71 O's are the other teams to have accomplished the feat.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is

Alex Rodriguez didn't know the inning, didn't know the day but he knew enough to hit a 2-run home run in the 8th inning Thursday to give the Yankees a 4-2 win.

A-Rod looked bewildered as he returned to the dugout after snapping a 2-2 tie with his 595th career home run. He had good reason to be. CC Sabathia revealed during the post-game that A-Rod thought it was the 9th inning and was wondering why he wasn't being greeted at home plate.

It gets even better though. YES' Kim Jones grabbed A-Rod for a quick on field interview as soon as the game ended. A-Rod talked about how the Yankees ran into great pitching on Friday and Saturday. Uh..that was Tuesday and Wednesday.

So while A-Rod's head might not have been in the game, his bat certainly was. The Mariners had tied the game in the top of the 8th. With two men aboard, Jorge Posada committed a costly passed ball that moved both runners into scoring position. CC Sabathia then allowed a 2-out, 2-run single to Russell Branyan to tie things up. Sabathia probably would not have had a chance for the win had Branyan not been caught between 1st and 2nd for the inning's final out.

Mark Teixeira singled off closer David Aardsma with one in the 8th to set up A-Rod's game winner, a smash to the opposite field. Mariano Rivera then came on to record his 18th save of the season.

Chicago back in the day.

Forget LeBron, Felix is King of New York

Today marks the start of the NBA free agent frenzy with LeBron "King" James as the grand prize. But it was "King" Felix Hernandez who was in the spotlight last night, blanking the Yankees on two hits in tossing a 7-0 complete game shutout.

The Mariners have struggled this year, but the Yankees had the misfortune of having to face two of the top pitchers in the game, Cliff Lee and Hernandez, in the first two games of a three game series. While the Yankees managed to put four runs on the board against the soon to be dealt Lee, they couldn't do anything last night.

Yankees starter Javier Vazquez scuffled for much of the night, but limited the M's to three runs over six innings. But Damaso Marte and Chad Gaudin gave up two runs each as Seattle blew the game open.

Michael Saunders entered the game with five home runs in 102 at-bats, but went deep twice to drive in three runs. Russell Branyan and Milton Bradley also homered to help the Mariners improve to 33-44.

Hernandez walked three, including Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in the 1st inning. But he retired Robinson Cano on a fly out to end Yankees threat. Mark Teixeira led off the fourth with a double, but the King stranded him there. He struck out A-Rod, one of 11 K's on the night, got Cano to fly out again, and retired Jorge Posada on a ground out to keep it a 3-0 Mariners lead.

Notes

Gaudin, who gave up Bradley's 2-run shot in the 8th is the likely candidate to be designated for assignment today when Dustin Moseley is recalled from Scranton. Moseley's contract gave him the ability to opt out of his deal beginning today (7/1).

Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee became just the third teammates in the last 25 years to toss back-to-back complete games against the Yankees.

CC Sabathia faces Ryan Rowland-Smith in the series finale today at 1 p.m..

photo courtesy of NY Daily News

M's Ace Makes Bats Sick-Lee

Cliff Lee's days in a Seattle Mariners uniform may be numbered, but he's making the most of it. And so is the M's front office, licking their chops at the possible prospects they could get back for the 2008 AL Cy Young winner.

Lee wasn't at the extreme top of his game last night, but he still threw his third straight complete game to beat the Yankees 7-4 at the Stadium last night. In doing so, Lee became the first pitcher to accomplish that feat since Randy Johnson in 1998.

Nick Swisher hit a pair of solo home runs and the Yankees rallied for a pair of runs in the 9th when Lee tired a bit, but for the most part the Yankees went down pretty meekly. The normally inoffensive Mariners also gave him plenty of run support, knocking starter Phil Hughes out of the game with two outs in the 6th inning.

Hughes, whose last start was skipped to slow his innings progression, wasn't sharp from the start. He had plenty of life on his fastball, but left it and his breaking pitches up in the zone.

The M's scored single runs in the 2nd thru 5th innings before breaking the game open with three runs in the 6th. Franklin Gutierrez homered and he and Ichiro Suzuki drove in two runs each.

Until the 9th inning the Yankees only legitimate threat was in the 2nd when they put two aboard with one out. But Lee got rookie Chad Huffman to bounce into an inning ending double play.

Notes

Lee, who beat the Yankees twice during last year's World Series, lost (3-1) to the Bombers during interleague play like season and is 5-4 lifetime with a 4.72 ERA in 10 career regular season starts against the Pinstripes.

Marcus Thames is getting closer to returning to the Bronx. He'll start a rehab stint at Scranton on Wednesday.

Dave Eiland was back with the team last night, with Mike Harkey resuming his bullpen duties. Eiland is still staying private about what kept him away.

Joe West was the home plate ump last night and was soundly booed about his Yankees-Red Sox slow play comments earlier this year. West really deserves to be booed in general.

Traveling Again

We'll be traveling again for the next two days, so there won't be much posting. The Yankees trail 3-2, what else is new, right now to Seattle. We know there's no playoff hope, but it would still be nice to win some games. Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi have hit solo home runs.

Traveling Again

We'll be traveling again for the next two days, so there won't be much posting. The Yankees trail 3-2, what else is new, right now to Seattle. We know there's no playoff hope, but it would still be nice to win some games. Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi have hit solo home runs.

Pardon me, have you seen my swing?

After Friday night's Seattle slumber party, things looked much more promising after the Yankees solid win on Saturday. Then came Sunday, which practically looked like a mirror image of Friday night's loss. The 2007 season is one step forward and two steps back.

Saturday night was a feel good story. Matt DeSalvo, who had a miserable 2006 season, both on and off the field, picked up his 1st major league win with 6 2-3 solid innings. It remains to be seen how he'll handle the rest of the league, but DeSalvo owns the Mariners, having allowed 1 run in 13 2-3 innings over 2 starts. If not for the Yankee's leaky pen, he would be 2-0.

Even better than the game was his on-field interview with Kim Jones of the YES network. After he mentioned that he thought he had to hit in his next start (assumed he was facing the Mets), Jones informed him that in fact he was facing the White Sox on Thursday. His innocent response of "I am?" was the perfect example of a young player's love for the game.

Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, and Jorge Posada had 3 hits each as the Yankees pounded M's starter Miguel Batista en route to a 7-2 win. Then came Sunday.

Jarrod Washburn is a seasoned, World Series champion pitcher. So when he beats ya, it is at least somewhat respectable. But when Horacio Ramirez stomps ya, you need to start re-evaluating your season. Ramirez dominated the Yankees over 8 innings as a member of the Braves in 2006. This time he allowed just a run on 5 hits in 6 1-3 innings. Jeter, who seems to be the only guy hitting consistently with men in scoring position, drove in the only run.

Andy Pettitte allowed 2 runs in 7 plus innings, but must feel like he's got the weak hitting Astros lineup behind him. Pettitte's been a victim of no run support and a shoddy bullpen in most of his starts.

The Yankees had one last chance in the 9th when Hideki Matsui doubled off of M's closer J.J. Putz. But Putz, who had already struck out Jason Giambi to start the inning, K'ed Posada and Doug Mientkiewicz to preserve the win.

~~~

The Yankees finished the season 3-4 against the Mariners, who pulled a game over .500 with the win.

With the Red Sox rallying from a 5-0 deficit to beat Baltimore on Sunday, the Yankees dropped to 8 games back of 1st place.

Pardon me, have you seen my swing?

After Friday night's Seattle slumber party, things looked much more promising after the Yankees solid win on Saturday. Then came Sunday, which practically looked like a mirror image of Friday night's loss. The 2007 season is one step forward and two steps back.

Saturday night was a feel good story. Matt DeSalvo, who had a miserable 2006 season, both on and off the field, picked up his 1st major league win with 6 2-3 solid innings. It remains to be seen how he'll handle the rest of the league, but DeSalvo owns the Mariners, having allowed 1 run in 13 2-3 innings over 2 starts. If not for the Yankee's leaky pen, he would be 2-0.

Even better than the game was his on-field interview with Kim Jones of the YES network. After he mentioned that he thought he had to hit in his next start (assumed he was facing the Mets), Jones informed him that in fact he was facing the White Sox on Thursday. His innocent response of "I am?" was the perfect example of a young player's love for the game.

Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, and Jorge Posada had 3 hits each as the Yankees pounded M's starter Miguel Batista en route to a 7-2 win. Then came Sunday.

Jarrod Washburn is a seasoned, World Series champion pitcher. So when he beats ya, it is at least somewhat respectable. But when Horacio Ramirez stomps ya, you need to start re-evaluating your season. Ramirez dominated the Yankees over 8 innings as a member of the Braves in 2006. This time he allowed just a run on 5 hits in 6 1-3 innings. Jeter, who seems to be the only guy hitting consistently with men in scoring position, drove in the only run.

Andy Pettitte allowed 2 runs in 7 plus innings, but must feel like he's got the weak hitting Astros lineup behind him. Pettitte's been a victim of no run support and a shoddy bullpen in most of his starts.

The Yankees had one last chance in the 9th when Hideki Matsui doubled off of M's closer J.J. Putz. But Putz, who had already struck out Jason Giambi to start the inning, K'ed Posada and Doug Mientkiewicz to preserve the win.

~~~

The Yankees finished the season 3-4 against the Mariners, who pulled a game over .500 with the win.

With the Red Sox rallying from a 5-0 deficit to beat Baltimore on Sunday, the Yankees dropped to 8 games back of 1st place.

Sleepful in Seattle

Sleepful

sleep·ful

1. Able to easily nod off while watching the Yankees play in Seattle.
2. Going through the motions. Uninspired while playing the Mariners.
3. A condition caused by a manager that no longer inspires his team.

You've probably surmised by now that last night's Yankees-Mariners game was a borefest. The game took just 2:19 to play since the Yankees did absolutely nothing at the plate. Was that Jarrod Washburn or Sandy Koufax on the mound for the Mariners? That's how ridiculous the Yankees looked in getting blanked 3-0 nothing. Consider that 2 of their 6 hits were bloop shots by Jorge Posada that barely made it out of the infield. Josh Phelps and Alex Rodriguez had the only 2 good shots all night and only one of them was a hit.

The key to the Yankee's success is working the count, but time and time again last night they swung at the 1st pitch. Some players you expect to show no selectivity - i.e. Robinson Cano, but when Bobby Abreu hasn't walked in 12 games, you know that things are not going smoothly.

Right now the majority of the team does not have a plan when they go up to the plate. Just look at the individual batting averages other than Jeter, Giambi, Posada, and A-Rod. Whether that falls on Joe Torre, Kevin Long, the individual players themselves, or a combination of all of the above, something has to change soon. This team's pitching staff has proven not to be good on its own to win ball games. That situation gets exacerbated when the team doesn't hit. And let's not forget they're not the greatest fielding team in the world either.

The climb back to .500 continues again tonight with another 10:00 start.

~~~

Darrell Rasner was quite ordinary in his 2 innings of work as he struggled with his command. Kenji Johjima blasted a 2-run HR off of him to completely ruin his evening.

Scott Proctor and Brian Bruney combined for 3 scoreless innings out of the pen.

Sleepful in Seattle

Sleepful

sleep·ful

1. Able to easily nod off while watching the Yankees play in Seattle.
2. Going through the motions. Uninspired while playing the Mariners.
3. A condition caused by a manager that no longer inspires his team.

You've probably surmised by now that last night's Yankees-Mariners game was a borefest. The game took just 2:19 to play since the Yankees did absolutely nothing at the plate. Was that Jarrod Washburn or Sandy Koufax on the mound for the Mariners? That's how ridiculous the Yankees looked in getting blanked 3-0 nothing. Consider that 2 of their 6 hits were bloop shots by Jorge Posada that barely made it out of the infield. Josh Phelps and Alex Rodriguez had the only 2 good shots all night and only one of them was a hit.

The key to the Yankee's success is working the count, but time and time again last night they swung at the 1st pitch. Some players you expect to show no selectivity - i.e. Robinson Cano, but when Bobby Abreu hasn't walked in 12 games, you know that things are not going smoothly.

Right now the majority of the team does not have a plan when they go up to the plate. Just look at the individual batting averages other than Jeter, Giambi, Posada, and A-Rod. Whether that falls on Joe Torre, Kevin Long, the individual players themselves, or a combination of all of the above, something has to change soon. This team's pitching staff has proven not to be good on its own to win ball games. That situation gets exacerbated when the team doesn't hit. And let's not forget they're not the greatest fielding team in the world either.

The climb back to .500 continues again tonight with another 10:00 start.

~~~

Darrell Rasner was quite ordinary in his 2 innings of work as he struggled with his command. Kenji Johjima blasted a 2-run HR off of him to completely ruin his evening.

Scott Proctor and Brian Bruney combined for 3 scoreless innings out of the pen.

Emerald City Preview

Yankees vs. Seattle

The Yankees and Mariners split a 4 game series that ran last weekend into Monday. The M's took the bookends, with the Yankees taking Saturday and Sunday.

Pitching Match Ups

Tonight - Darrell Rasner vs. Jarrod Washburn
A rematch of last Sunday's 5-0 Yankees win. With Lou Piniella no longer at the helm, there is less of a likelihood of last Sunday's blad blood carrying over into this series.

Saturday - Matt DeSalvo vs. Miguel Batista
A rematch of Monday's 3-2 Mariners come from behind win. Hopefully Gerry Davis isn't on the umpiring crew. Who is the idiot that scheduled this for 10:00 EDT on a Saturday?

Sunday - Andy Pettitte vs. Horacia Ramirez
Ramirez came over from the Braves for Rafael Soriano this past winter. He beat the Yankees the only time he faced them (8 IP 1 unearned run) in June, '06.

~~~

Jason Giambi is expected back in the lineup tonight, but Johnny Damon will most likely sit out with his sore right calf.

Emerald City Preview

Yankees vs. Seattle

The Yankees and Mariners split a 4 game series that ran last weekend into Monday. The M's took the bookends, with the Yankees taking Saturday and Sunday.

Pitching Match Ups

Tonight - Darrell Rasner vs. Jarrod Washburn
A rematch of last Sunday's 5-0 Yankees win. With Lou Piniella no longer at the helm, there is less of a likelihood of last Sunday's blad blood carrying over into this series.

Saturday - Matt DeSalvo vs. Miguel Batista
A rematch of Monday's 3-2 Mariners come from behind win. Hopefully Gerry Davis isn't on the umpiring crew. Who is the idiot that scheduled this for 10:00 EDT on a Saturday?

Sunday - Andy Pettitte vs. Horacia Ramirez
Ramirez came over from the Braves for Rafael Soriano this past winter. He beat the Yankees the only time he faced them (8 IP 1 unearned run) in June, '06.

~~~

Jason Giambi is expected back in the lineup tonight, but Johnny Damon will most likely sit out with his sore right calf.

Slip Sliding Away

Yankee Stadium was still abuzz last night from the announced return of Roger Clemens and the great effort being put in by rookie starting pitcher Matt DeSalvo. But one of the worst umpiring decisions in a long time put an abrupt end to all the good feelings.

The Yankees lead 2-1 after 7 thanks to a magnificent 3-hit performance turned in by DeSalvo. Don Mattingly, filling in for the suspended Joe Torre, went to Kyle Farnsworth to start the 8th. With 2 out and none on, Jose Vidro reached on a broken bat infield single. Mike Hargrove sent in Willie Bloomquist to pinch-run and the game turned on a dime when Bloomquist tried to steal 2nd.

Jorge Posada's throw was off-line to the 1st base side, but Robinson Cano brought the tag down quickly on Bloomquist's behind, well short of 2nd base. Except 2nd base ump, Gerry Davis, didn't see it that way. Bloomquist was called safe and scored moments later on a bloop single to right field by Kenji Johjima to tie the game. 1 inning later Mariano Rivera surrendered a solo HR to Adrian Beltre and the Yankees were done.

To make matters more annoying, Davis admitted after the game that he blew the call. Since neither Cano or Derek Jeter, who was backing up on the play, put up any argument, Mattingly, who can't see from the dugout, didn't come out to protest the call.

DeSalvo allowed a run on 2 hits in the 1st inning, and then allowed just one more hit after that. He kept the M's off balance with a mixture of a low 90s fastball, and breaking and off-speed pitches.

Bobby Abreu drove in a run with a ground out in the 1st, but failed to come through in the 5th (grounding out with 2 on, 2 out), 7th (grounding out with 2 on, 1 out), and in the 9th (struck out looking to end the game with the tying run at 2nd).

Slip Sliding Away

Yankee Stadium was still abuzz last night from the announced return of Roger Clemens and the great effort being put in by rookie starting pitcher Matt DeSalvo. But one of the worst umpiring decisions in a long time put an abrupt end to all the good feelings.

The Yankees lead 2-1 after 7 thanks to a magnificent 3-hit performance turned in by DeSalvo. Don Mattingly, filling in for the suspended Joe Torre, went to Kyle Farnsworth to start the 8th. With 2 out and none on, Jose Vidro reached on a broken bat infield single. Mike Hargrove sent in Willie Bloomquist to pinch-run and the game turned on a dime when Bloomquist tried to steal 2nd.

Jorge Posada's throw was off-line to the 1st base side, but Robinson Cano brought the tag down quickly on Bloomquist's behind, well short of 2nd base. Except 2nd base ump, Gerry Davis, didn't see it that way. Bloomquist was called safe and scored moments later on a bloop single to right field by Kenji Johjima to tie the game. 1 inning later Mariano Rivera surrendered a solo HR to Adrian Beltre and the Yankees were done.

To make matters more annoying, Davis admitted after the game that he blew the call. Since neither Cano or Derek Jeter, who was backing up on the play, put up any argument, Mattingly, who can't see from the dugout, didn't come out to protest the call.

DeSalvo allowed a run on 2 hits in the 1st inning, and then allowed just one more hit after that. He kept the M's off balance with a mixture of a low 90s fastball, and breaking and off-speed pitches.

Bobby Abreu drove in a run with a ground out in the 1st, but failed to come through in the 5th (grounding out with 2 on, 2 out), 7th (grounding out with 2 on, 1 out), and in the 9th (struck out looking to end the game with the tying run at 2nd).

Sky Rockets in Flight

Afternoon Delight

Darrell Rasner gave the Yankees a boost Sunday with when he shut the Mariners down for 5 plus innings. But the crowd was a huge lift by Roger Clemens in the 7th inning. No he isn't the new set up man out of the pen, but the Rocket is back in pinstripes. Yankee's PA announcer Bob Sheppard asked fans to direct their attention to the owner's box during the 7th innings stretch. It was there that Clemens, speaking over the PA system, announced he was returning to the Bronx for another season in pinstripes.


Needless to say the capacity crowd was sent into a complete frenzy. Suddenly the inept Yankees starting rotation looks a bit more formidable. Now if we can get Boomer Wells back we'll have the 2002-2003 rotation (and yes I am definitely kidding). Clemens will get a pro-rated deal of $28 million depending on when he joins the big club. He inked a minor league deal in the meantime as he prepares for a late May/early June return. Clemens wasting no time in getting used to the feel of the uniform as he threw in the outfield after the game, wearing a pair of uni pants and a Yankees cap.

Brian Cashman looked like the cat who ate the canary as he stood near Clemens. He realizes that the Rocket could be the player to help turn the Yankee's season around, and quite possibly, save his job.
The announcement was the perfect capper to a wild afternoon in the Bronx. One day after Chien-Ming Wang nearly threw a perfect game, Rasner,Scott Proctor, Sean Henn, Kyle Farnsworth, and Brian Bruney combined to put another 9 goose eggs. The Yankees may not have gone with, what seems like the prerequisite, 5 pitchers, but Proctor threw behind the Mariner's Yuniesky Betancourt in the top of the 7th. While a scoring a run earlier in the game, Josh Phelps had gone out of his way to knock over M's catcher Kenji Johjima. Mariner's starter Jarrod Washburn sent a message the next Phelps batted, by plunking him in the side. Proctor than retaliated, sending both benches and bulpens on to the field before order was restored. Since both sides had been warned after Phelps had been hit, both Proctor and Torre were tossed from the game.

Bobby Abreu had his 2nd multiple hit game in the last 3 games and drove in a pair of runs. Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, and Miguel Cairo, give Robinson Cano a day off, each had two hits as well. Matsui passed 2,000 hits in his Japanese and American careers, giving him a place in Japan's Golden Player's Club. A player must have 2,000, 200 wins or 250 saves for entry.

It was originally thought that Rasner would be sent down after the game to make room for Monday's starter, Matt DeSalvo, but Torre said the team would wait until Monday before making that decision.

Sky Rockets in Flight

Afternoon Delight

Darrell Rasner gave the Yankees a boost Sunday with when he shut the Mariners down for 5 plus innings. But the crowd was a huge lift by Roger Clemens in the 7th inning. No he isn't the new set up man out of the pen, but the Rocket is back in pinstripes. Yankee's PA announcer Bob Sheppard asked fans to direct their attention to the owner's box during the 7th innings stretch. It was there that Clemens, speaking over the PA system, announced he was returning to the Bronx for another season in pinstripes.


Needless to say the capacity crowd was sent into a complete frenzy. Suddenly the inept Yankees starting rotation looks a bit more formidable. Now if we can get Boomer Wells back we'll have the 2002-2003 rotation (and yes I am definitely kidding). Clemens will get a pro-rated deal of $28 million depending on when he joins the big club. He inked a minor league deal in the meantime as he prepares for a late May/early June return. Clemens wasting no time in getting used to the feel of the uniform as he threw in the outfield after the game, wearing a pair of uni pants and a Yankees cap.

Brian Cashman looked like the cat who ate the canary as he stood near Clemens. He realizes that the Rocket could be the player to help turn the Yankee's season around, and quite possibly, save his job.
The announcement was the perfect capper to a wild afternoon in the Bronx. One day after Chien-Ming Wang nearly threw a perfect game, Rasner,Scott Proctor, Sean Henn, Kyle Farnsworth, and Brian Bruney combined to put another 9 goose eggs. The Yankees may not have gone with, what seems like the prerequisite, 5 pitchers, but Proctor threw behind the Mariner's Yuniesky Betancourt in the top of the 7th. While a scoring a run earlier in the game, Josh Phelps had gone out of his way to knock over M's catcher Kenji Johjima. Mariner's starter Jarrod Washburn sent a message the next Phelps batted, by plunking him in the side. Proctor than retaliated, sending both benches and bulpens on to the field before order was restored. Since both sides had been warned after Phelps had been hit, both Proctor and Torre were tossed from the game.

Bobby Abreu had his 2nd multiple hit game in the last 3 games and drove in a pair of runs. Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, and Miguel Cairo, give Robinson Cano a day off, each had two hits as well. Matsui passed 2,000 hits in his Japanese and American careers, giving him a place in Japan's Golden Player's Club. A player must have 2,000, 200 wins or 250 saves for entry.

It was originally thought that Rasner would be sent down after the game to make room for Monday's starter, Matt DeSalvo, but Torre said the team would wait until Monday before making that decision.