A-Nother Night Wasted

If Only He Could Pitch; Yankees out slugged 10-8

The box score will look amazing again. 4 hits in 5 trips. 2 Home Runs. 4 runs scored. 3 RBI. Another notch will be marked off in the loss column, because Alex Rodriguez can't pitch. The Yankees scored 8 runs and it wasn't enough. Another Yankees starter with a worthless effort, followed by a worn out bullpen that's already throwing batting practice before April has even ended.

It's one thing to have a bad series against the Red Sox. It's whole other thing when it's against the Devil Rays. I don't want to hear anything about upstarts or peskiness. This team loss 13 straight spring training games. How do you even go about doing that?

That time has come. It's time to get the Hendricks brothers on the phone and start working things out with Roger Clemens. Moves will have to be made fast to save this quickly sinking season.

The Yankees have already gone to their future by calling up Phil Hughes to start on Wednesday. Who knows what we'll get from him this quickly.

Dontrelle Willis and Carlos Zambrano become free agents after this season. The Yankees need to closely monitor any contract negotiations that go on. I don't see any possible scenario of Florida signing the D-Train. We have enough prospects from the Johnson and Sheffield deals to swing a deal for one of these guys. And know it's not giving up the future. Both of them are young, aggressive pitchers. I'd give just about anything to have Zambrano in pinstripes.

Brian Cashman made some solid moves this past off-season, but right now the overpayment for Kei Igawa is a complete disaster. I don't care what kind of success this guy had in Japan, he needs to be mastering his craft at Scranton right now. El Duque hadn't pitched ina couple of years, so he obviously had to go to the minors before making his Yankees debut. Igawa has, for the most part, looked like he hasn't pitched in two years either.

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A-Rod belted a solo HR in the 1st; lined a single to left in the 4th; singled again in the 6th, and smacked another HR, this time with a man aboard, in the 9th. He's had a hit in all 18 games this season and is hitting an even .400.

Igawa's control left him in the 2nd inning as he walked 3 batters. He then gave up a crushing 3-run HR to Rocco Baldelli. B.J. Upton, who had 4 RBI on the night, belted a solo shot off of him in the 4th.

The Yankees overtaxed pen is quickly falling in the ranks of AL staffs. Brian Bruney and Luis Vizcaino combined to give up 3 runs to put the game out of reach. All 3 were charged to Bruney.

Joe Torre finally woke up and gave Mariano Rivera an inning of work.