Tigers Near Pennant Behind Verlander Domination

Joe Girardi's "Make-a-Wish" lineup actually did worse than when Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were a part of it. Then again the Yankees had the unenviable task of facing reigning AL Cy Young/MVP Justin Verlander in the third game of the ALCS.

Though Verlander wasn't at his best, he was good enough to pick up the win in Detroit's 2-1 victory over the Yankees in Game 3. The Yankees made it exciting in the 9th when Eduardo Nunez homered off Verlander and Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano reached on 2-out hits against Phil Coke. But magic man Raul Ibanez had no magic this time around and struck out when he chased a 3-2 pitch out of the zone to end the game.

Delmon Young, who has excelled in the last two post-seasons against the Yankees, hit a solo home run off Phil Hughes in the 4th to snap the scoreless tie. After Hughes followed the gopher ball with a walk to Andy Dirks, the right-hander had to leave the game with a stiff back.

The Tigers doubled their lead thanks in part thanks to an Eric Chavez error that allowed Quentin Berry to reach safely to start the bottom of the 5th. Chavez got the start at the third base in place of the benched Rodriguez. Berry stole second base and scored easily on Miguel Cabrera's double off of David Phelps.

The Yankees pitching, as it has all post-season, did very well in Game 3. But with a punch-less lineup as soon as the opponent scores one run, the night was pretty much over. Slumps continued - Robinson Cano 1-30 (thought that is an improvement), Curtis Granderson 3-29, Eric Chavez 0-14.  The only hits the Yankees had on the night were a pair of singles by Ichiro Suzuki, who is one of the few batters left with some hits in him.

Verlander wasn't his sharpest, but was still better than most pitchers on their best nights. He allowed just three hits in 8.1 innings, hit 99 mph on the radar gun, and allowed just his second earned run in 24.1 post-season innings.

The Yankees will send CC Sabathia out Wednesday in hopes of putting off the end of the season one more day. The Tigers will go with right-hander Max Scherzer and Joe Girardi will try and figure out some lineup that might make some magic.  Otherwise, the Yankees will be hitting the golf courses sooner than they had hoped.

Yankees Get All the Bad Breaks in Game 1 Loss

Photo courtesy of CNN.com

The Yankees post-season went from the real to the surreal last night and I am still trying to get my head wrapped around it. Game 1 of the ALCS went from low to high to rock bottom in a manner of hours. It's been a rough year for the remaining members of the "Core Four" (Mariano Rivera's season ending ACL injury; Andy Pettitte's broken ankle; at least Jorge Posada was having fun last night at his wife's bff's wedding in Puerto Rico) and last night it got worse when the Yankees dropped the ALCS opener, 6-4 to the Tigers.

Raul Ibanez, amazingly, hit another desperation home run in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings. But in the 12th and final inning, the Yankees suffered a truly painful loss. Delmon Young had already put Detroit ahead with an RBI double off of David Phelps when Jhonny Peralta hit a bouncer up the middle.

Derek Jeter fielded the ball, lost his footing and hit the dirt. With no play, he quickly flipped the ball in the direction of Robinson Cano to keep the runners from advancing and roared in pain. And then he didn't get up. I truly believe every Yankees fan gasped at that moment. We all have seen Derek Jeter not get up once before and that's when he had his shoulder destroyed on opening day in 2003. (The dive in the stands he was able to get to his feet with assistance, even he was not quite sure where he was at that moment).

The next image of Jeter being helped off the field with no weight being put on his left leg told us all we needed to know. There was big trouble in the Bronx and after the game it was confirmed- Jeter had fractured his left ankle and is done for the post-season. A three month recovery period is expected, and hopefully, after further testing, no surgery will be needed. Ironically, it came on the 11th anniversary of the "Flip Play" in the 2001 playoffs.

There were a few factors that played into the gruesome ending of the evening. First, the Yankees could do nothing on offense for eight innings, leaving the bases loaded three times. They also did nothing after scoring four runs in the 9th inning. (Ichiro Suzuki delivered a 2-run home run prior  to Ibanez's blast.) A combo of Major League Baseball's scheduling with the Yankees propensity for long, extra inning games can lead to issues for a 38-year old with already beat up ankles and feet. And finally, had Nick Swisher not screwed up another play in the outfield, perhaps none of the aftermath would have taken place.

Outfielder or turtle? You decide. Photo courtesy of NY Post

David Phelps entered the game in the 12th (I believe a major mistake by Joe Girardi not staying with David Robertson for a second inning) inning and walked Miguel Cabrera. Though I hate walking batters I had no problem with that since I don't want Cabrera having a chance to beat me.

Prince Fielder hit a tapper to move to Cabrera into scoring position, which brought up Young. The DH, who killed the Yankees last season's ALDS (.316 3 HR 3 RBI), hit a laser to right field. Swisher appeared ready to make a running catch, but the next thing you knew the ball shot past him to the wall to score Cabrera. And of course, Swisher, the clown that he is (Have you noticed how I have totally had it with this guy?) then had to go into a roll as well. The Tigers added an insurance run when Andy Dirks' comebacker couldn't be handled by Phelps for a ribbie single.

Drew Smyly allowed a single to Suzuki in the 11th, but retired the final six men he faced to earn his first post-season win. His fellow rookie Phelps lost for the second time, after he had been on the wrong end of a 13-inning, 2-1 loss in Game 4 of the ALDS.

For most of the game it looked like the Yankees would be dispatched rather easily as they threatened against Tigers starter Doug Fister, but couldn't push a run across.

Yankees starter Andy Pettitte made the mistake of having one bad inning, the 6th, when he allowed a pair of runs and things got worse when Derek Lowe was charged with two more in the 8th for a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit.

Tigers closer Jose Valverde had a pretty miserable year and it continued when he came on in the 9th to close things out. He gave up a lead off single to Russell Martin and two batters later Suzuki his first career post-season home run to halve the lead.

Photo courtesy of LA Times

It appeared Valverde would still come out with a save when he retired Robinson Cano (now 2-28 in the post-season) and had two strikes on Mark Teixeira. But the Yankees first baseman worked a walk and a chant of Rauuuuuuuuuuuuuuul greeted Ibanez as he stepped into the batter's box. Ahead 0-1 in the count, Valverde hung a slider and Ibanez deposited it into the right field seats. A sullen Yankee Stadium crowd erupted into a joyous frenzy.

But the Bombers went back to being the Bombless in extra innings. Curtis Granderson drew a one out walk from Octavio Dotel in the 10th inning and pinch-runner Brett Gardner stole second.  But Dotel got Martin on a weak fly to center, and after Gardner stole third, he retired Jeter on a routine fly out to right. It was all downhill after that.

The game started out with such promise when the Yankees put Fister on the ropes in the 1st inning. With the bases loaded on walks, Alex Rodriguez hit a hard smash to the left side that shortstop Jhonny Peralta made a diving stop on and threw to second just in time to force Ibanez.

The Yankees mounted another two out, bases loaded rally in the 2nd inning on consecutive singles by Martin, Jeter, and Suzuki. Cano hit a comebacker off the right wrist of Fister and the ball ricocheted to Peralta who threw Cano out at first to end the inning (though replays showed that Cano was clearly safe.)

Pettitte meanwhile was cruising along. He struck out four and used a double play to get out of some trouble through the first five innings. But his luck ran out in the 6th when Austin Jackson led off with a scorcher that got trapped in the cutout on the right side by the ball boy. It was the one time a fan should have reached out and grabbed the ball for a ground rule double.

Pettitte retired Omar Infante and then intentionally walked Cabrera set up a double play possibility. But Fielder lined an RBI single to center to get the Tigers on the board. Young followed with a bloop to right that Swisher played on a hop rather than aggressively try to dive for it (which you have to do when your team isn't scoring). Cabrera took off immediately when bat met ball and scored easily. Down 2-0, Pettitte bore down and escaped further trouble.

Remarkably, the Yankees put Fister on the ropes again in the bottom of the 6th when Teixeira singled and Ibanez doubled to right. But Fister struck out A-Rod, and after a walk to Swisher to load the bases, K'ed Granderson and Martin. (Daniel Day-Lewis will soon be starring in "There Will Be Booing").


Notes

CC Sabathia could have come back on three days rest and pitched Game 3 of the ALCS, but at the moment Joe Girardi has him slated for Game 4. I think it's a mistake, but we will all see how things play out. The outcome of Game 2 could changes things.

Hiroki Kuroda goes against Anibal Sanchez in Game 2, and then Phil Hughes starts Game 3 in Detroit against Justin Verlander. Sabathia would go against Max Scherzer in the 4th game.

Girardi chose to pinch-hit for A-Rod once again, with Eric Chavez. The move made no sense since A-Rod was leading off the 8th and the Yankees were down four.

Baseball Digest | Tigers Need Max Effort From Scherzer In Game 2

Max Scherzer has been here before, in fact less than a week ago. Detroit Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander pitched one inning in Game 1 of the ALDS before rain suspended play and the Tigers lost to the New York Yankees when play resumed the following day. Down 1-0 in games, the Tigers turned the ball over to Scherzer, the “other” hard throwing right-hander in their rotation, for Game 2. The 27-yr old responded with 5.1 innings of no-hit ball as the Tigers evened the series at a game apiece.

Scherzer will take the hill in Game 2 with his team again down a game after rains affected the opener of the American League Championship Series on Saturday. The Texas Rangers edged Detroit 3-2 after a pair of rain delays limited the game’s starters, Verlander (4) and C.J. Wilson (4.2), to less than five innings.

Read the remainder of this free article, including updates on Delmon Young and Magglio Ordonez, at BaseballDigest.com.

Young Homer Puts Season On Arm Of A.J.

First cliche of the day - the Yankees have their backs to the wall. That's because Monday night, the Detroit Tigers' Delmon Young snapped a 4-4 tie in the 7th inning with an opposite field home run to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory. For the second straight night the Yankees rallied against Jose Valverde in the 9th inning, but came up short. So what do we know going into tonight's Game 4.

A. The game rests on the arm of A.J. Burnett. He can a hero or a zero. He came up with a huge game in the 2009 playoffs and he'll need to again tonight to send the series back to New York.

B. CC Sabathia was affected more from Friday's rain out than Justin Verlander. While Verlander wasn't sharp early, he dominated in the middle innings. Sabathia was off from the start. As good as he looked in the first two innings on Friday, that's how bad he was last night. Which plays in the next item...

C. Home plate umpire Jerry Davis was horrendous. His strike zone favored Verlander. Whether this was a case of seeing pitches from a lefty or righty differently or home field umpiring, Davis squeezed Sabathia and stretched the zone for Verlander. The proof is in the pudding via Brooks Baseball. Check out the pitch FX from the game.

D. Rafael Soriano was public enemy number one in New York at the start of the season. But after returning from the DL he pitched lights out baseball. That was until he surrendered Young's home run last night. Back to New York's Not Most Wanted list.

E. The Yankees big guns look more like water pistols. Mark Teixeira (1-11), Alex Rodriguez (0-10), Robinson Cano after Game 1 (1-8), Nick Swisher (2-12)

F. If indeed this is Jorge Posada's last hurrah, he's going out on top as an individual. The much maligned DH has been the most consistent Yankee through the first three games, going 4-8 with four walks (.667 OBP). Yes, he made a bad base running mistake in Game 1, what else is new, but he's shown that he should be moved up in the lineup for the remaining games.

G. Joe Girardi has done a horrible job of managing the series. He seems to be managing to not make a mistake, but he's made a bunch. Some examples - Bring in Luis Ayala in for the second straight day in Game 2. The Yankees were down 4-1 and could not afford to fall any further behind. But instead of bringing in one of his shut down relievers, he brought Ayala, who became less trustworthy as the season went on and had done a terrible job in Game 1. Sure enough the Tigers scored what proved to be a huge insurance run in the 5-3 win.

Girardi also left Sabathia in too long last night; clearly you don't want to go to the pen too early, but the left-hander's goose was cooked in the 5th inning. Yet Girardi sent Sabathia back out for the 6th and didn't pull him until he had given up another run.

Girardi made a smart move by flip flopping Cano and Teixeira in the lineup prior to the start of the series, but he's made no adjustments to the lineup to ride the hot hands.

H. Derek Jeter is overmatched against hard throwers. Though he has four hits in the series, Jeter has looked horrible against the power pitching of Max Scherzer, Jose Valverde, and at times, Verlander.

I. The Yankees are in big trouble.

FullCountPitch - A Decade Of Number Ones: Part I

Making draft selections is a gamble in any sport, but no more so than with the Major League Baseball draft that takes place every June. Teams stockpile high school and college players over a 50 round selection process. The majority will never get the chance to play in any Major League Stadium, while others will surprise and grow into a starring role.

The most pressure, of course, is to be the number one selection overall. For every Joe Mauer, there is a Brien Taylor or a Danny Goodwin, who was actually the top pick in two different years (1971, 1975). With that in mind, it’s time to take a look back at the first overall picks in the last ten years of the MLB amateur (Rule IV) draft.

Read the rest of the free article at fullcountpitch.com

Matt Bush Bryan Bullington Justin Upton Delmon Young

Twins Got A Loss Before They Started

Pitching is the key to winning in the playoffs - just look at the 2009 New York Yankees for a surefire example - but in this year's Yankees-Minnesota Twins division series it is the loss of an offensive player that could sway the series heavily in the Yankees' favor.

Twins 1st baseman Justin Morneau is one of the best hitters in baseball; a perennial 30-HR, 100-RBI guy who hits .300 to boot.

But there will be no Morneau in the ALDS or beyond. Morneau missed the remainder of the season after suffering a concussion July 7. At the time he was hitting .345 with 18 HR and 56 RBI in 80 games. The Twins hoped Morneau could be back at some point in the post-season, but that was ruled out as well after concussion symptoms returned this past Saturday.

The loss is devastating to a lineup which scratches out runs and is not laden with big boppers. Though they finished sixth in the major leagues in runs scored, the Twins rely heavily on the M duo of Morneau and Joe Mauer (I refuse to call them the M&M boys, there was only one set of them). The latter has also been banged up and returned to his pre-2009 power (when he banged out 28 dingers) of just 9 home runs.

Morneau's absence for the second straight post-season, he missed last year with a bad back, will certainly put more pressure on a Twins starting rotation that was not a model of consistency this year. Other than Francisco Liriano, who re-established his ace stuff, most of the remainder of the staff did not perform up to their usual ability and fell short of expectations.

The Twins will most certainly rely on small ball and their running ability to score runs against the Yankees. Teams have stolen with ease this year against the Yankees rotation and catching duo of Jorge Posada and Francisco Cervelli and the Twins should continue that trend. Delmon Young (.826 OPS 21 HR 112 RBI) could be an 'X' factor in the series after finally living up to the hype surrounding him while in Tampa Bay and Minnesota.

The Twins lost Joe Nathan to Tommy John surgery during spring training, but 6'11" Jon Rauch filled those big shoes as a steady closer. When he faltered, GM Bill Smith went out and got closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals to deepen the pen.

Finally, reading is fundamental and so are the Twins. The organization is the best at teaching the basics and no one has utilized those lessons in the majors better than old manager Tom Kelly and current skipper Ron Gardenhire.

Position Comparison

1B Mark Teixeira > Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer was in RF until Morneau's injury; his production dropped off substantially from last year (32 HR - 14 HR .862 - .753 OPS). Teixeira struggled all season until Kevin Long straightened him out and he went on a second half tear. Though he slowed in September due to thumb and foot injuries, he still finished with an .846 OPS and 33 HR, 102 RBI.

2B Robinson Cano > Orlando Hudson
Cano should either win the AL MVP award or finish second to Texas' Josh Hamilton. He had 200 hits for the second straight season and posted career highs in HR (29), RBI (104) and OPS (.914). He also played gold glove 2nd base. Orlando Hudson is a solid defender, but doesn't have much of a stick.

SS Derek Jeter > J.J. Hardy
Jeter had the worst offensive seasons of his career, but still managed to score 111 runs and was solid defensively, with a career low six errors. He started to come on in September after working with Long, finishing with 25 hits in his last 72 at-bats (.347). Hardy has been a disappointment after breaking out in 2007-2008 while with Milwaukee. He was limited to 101 games by injury and posted just a .714 OPS.

3B Alex Rodriguez > Danny Valencia
A-Rod put up another 30-HR 100-RBI year despite playing in just 125 games (123 RBI). He was also solid defensively. Valencia is developing into a nice player- his rookie campaign consisted of a .799 OPS, .311 AVG, 7 HR, 40 RBI in 85 games.

LF Delmon Young > Brett Gardner
The two are on par defensively, but Young's offense had a much greater impact on his team's lineup, especially when Morneau went down. Young posted career highs in virtually every offensive category. Gardner's speed can be a difference maker, but he must be more aggressive on the bases.

CF Curtis Granderson > Denard Span
Granderson was having a miserable season until Long once again worked his magic in mid-August. The result was a much more productive and powerful Granderson. Span had a horribly disappointing season after hitting .311 in 2009. This year he posted a sub-.700 OPS.

RF Nick Swisher > Jason Kubel
It's not by a lot, but Swisher wins out. He was a secondary MVP to Cano on the Yankees for much of the season. Kubel has good power, is a clutch hitter, but is better at DH.

C Joe Mauer > Jorge Posada + Francisco Cervelli
Mauer's power may be down, but the hits keep on coming. The health of his left knee could play a factor, but just like Jeter, he'll downplay it. Posada and Cervelli have had mediocre years on both sides of the ball.

DH Marcus Thames/Lance Berkman - Jim Thome
It's a toss up. Thames has been hammering righties and lefties. Berkman has hit better from the left side since a DL stint in September. Thome is still mashing the long ball, though Gardenhire might use someone else against lefties Sabathia and Pettitte.

Yankees Starting Rotation > Twins Starting Rotation
CC Sabathia should win the Cy Young. Andy Pettitte is a rock if healthy and Phil Hughes had a breakout year with 18 wins. Liriano has ace stuff and has backed it up. Carl Pavano has been a revelation. But the Twins have to be worried about a game 4 match up of Sabathia vs. Nick Blackburn.

Yankees Bench > Twins Bench
Yankees have more pop potential when called upon.

Yankees Bullpen - Mariano Rivera, Kerry Wood & Company a little > Twins Bullpen Matt Capps, Jon Rauch & Company
Rivera's post-season work speaks for itself and Wood has put up amazing numbers since joining the Yankees.

Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire > Yankees Manager Joe Girardi
Girardi has the World Series ring, but Gardenhire is the better in game manager. But he still hasn't figured out how to beat the Yankees, especially in New York.

Prediction: Yankees in Five.

The Unreliables

Starting pitching has troubled the Yankees more than any other issue this season. The bullpen is a close second. Both let the Yankees down last night in the Minnesota Twins 6-5 win at the Metrodome. After taking the first 2 games of the series, the Yankees dropped the final two and ended the road trip 3-4 to fall back under .500 (28-29).

Andy Pettitte blew three separate leads before Kyle Farnsworth lost the game in the 8th inning. Michael Cuddyer lead off the decisive inning with a double, his 9th hit in 18 at-bats in the series. Nick Punto delivered a perfect pinch-hit sacrifice bunt to move Cuddyer to 3rd and Delmon Young brought him home with a double to right. It was his 3rd RBI double of the game.

Alex Rodriguez lead off the 9th with a single up the middle off closer Joe Nathan, but Hideki Matsui bounced into 4-6-3 double play to erase any hopes. Jason Giambi then lined out to center as Nathan recorded his 15th save.

The Yankees got right to Twins starter Livan Hernandez in the 1st inning. With Derek Jeter aboard via a single, A-Rod belted a 2-outm 2-run home run for a 2-0 lead. It was his 8th home run of the season and #526 for his career.

Young's first double cut the lead in half and then the Twins speed tied it up in the 3rd. Carlos Gomez singled to right and advanced all the way to 3rd Base on Pettitte's errant pick-off attempt. Alexi Casilla then brought him with a safety squeeze which he also beat out for a single.

The Yankees took the lead back in the 6th, built on a single by Jason Giambi and a double by Chad Moeller. Melky Cabrera's broken bat single brought home one run and Johnny Damon singled through the right side to score Moeller for a 4-2 Yankees lead.

The Twins came right back though in their half of the 6th on an RBI single by Cuddyer and another RBI double by Young. A-Rod gave the Yankees their final lead when he doubled leading off the 7th, moved to 3rd on a wild pitch and scored ahead of a throw home on Giambi's grounder. But Pettitte would have none of it and served up Joe Mauer's first home run of the season to tie the game once again. Then the game fell into the giant hole that is the Yankees 8th inning relief.

Notes and News

Johnny Damon extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Derek Jeter is 5-13 in his last 3 games, but was thrown out last night by Cuddyer trying to stretch a single into a double.

A-Rod continues to love the Metrodome. He was 8-20 (.400) with a home run, 3 doubles, and 6 RBI.

Jorge Posada played in another extended spring training game and remains on track to be activated this week.

Jeff Karstens appeared to be close to returning to the team as a long man in the pen/spot starter, but he's back on the DL with a strained groin.

LaTroy Hawkins will have his suspension appeal hearing today.

June 2, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0		5	15	1
Minnesota	0	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	X		6	13	0

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	5	0	2	1	0	0	2	.293
Jeter, SS	5	1	3	0	0	0	3	.279
Abreu, RF	5	0	0	0	0	0	4	.292
Rodriguez, 3B	4	2	3	2	1	0	1	.300
Matsui, DH	4	0	1	0	1	0	3	.328
Giambi, 1B	5	0	2	1	0	0	2	.250
Cano, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	0	5	.220
Moeller, C	4	1	1	0	0	2	3	.254
Cabrera, CF	4	0	2	1	0	0	2	.270
Totals	40	5	15	5	2	2	25
BATTING 2B: Jeter (8, Hernandez), Moeller (4, Hernandez), Rodriguez (12, Hernandez). HR: Rodriguez (8, 1st inning off Hernandez, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Damon 2; Jeter 4; Rodriguez 7; Matsui; Giambi 2; Cano; Moeller 2; Cabrera 2. RBI: Rodriguez 2 (23), Cabrera (25), Damon (26), Giambi (28). 2-out RBI: Rodriguez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano; Jeter; Giambi; Matsui; Abreu; Cabrera. GIDP: Damon; Matsui. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING E: Pettitte (1, pickoff).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pettitte	7.0	10	5	4	0	2	1	4.21
Farnsworth (L, 0-2)	1.0	3	1	1	1	1	0	4.44

Minnesota	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gomez, CF	5	1	1	0	0	1	3	.280
Casilla, 2B	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	.328
Mauer, C	4	2	2	1	0	0	1	.319
Morneau, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.303
Cuddyer, RF	4	3	3	0	0	0	0	.258
Monroe, DH	3	0	1	1	0	0	1	.238
a-Punto, PH-DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.264
Young, LF	4	0	3	3	0	0	0	.273
Harris, SS	4	0	1	0	0	2	3	.249
Macri, 3B	3	0	1	0	0	0	2	.500
b-Lamb, PH-3B	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.250
Totals	35	6	13	6	1	3	13
a-Hit a sacrifice bunt for Monroe in the 8th. b-Walked for Macri in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Young 3 (10, Pettitte, Pettitte, Farnsworth), Macri (1, Pettitte), Cuddyer (7, Farnsworth). HR: Mauer (1, 7th inning off Pettitte, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Gomez; Casilla; Mauer 5; Cuddyer 4; Monroe; Young 6; Harris; Macri 2. RBI: Young 3 (18), Casilla (14), Monroe (19), Mauer (22). 2-out RBI: Young; Mauer. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Harris; Morneau; Casilla; Macri 2; Gomez. S: Punto. Team LOB: 7. BASERUNNING CS: Young (3, 3rd base by Farnsworth/Moeller). FIELDING Outfield assists: Cuddyer (Jeter at 2nd base). DP: 2 (Harris-Morneau, Casilla-Harris-Morneau).

Minnesota	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Hernandez	6.0	13	5	5	1	1	1	4.81
Reyes	0.1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2.50
Guerrier (W, 3-1)	1.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.00
Nathan (S, 15)	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.46

Hernandez pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

WP: Hernandez, Reyes.
Pitches-strikes: Pettitte 94-64, Farnsworth 21-13, Hernandez 107-65,
Reyes 12-6, Guerrier 20-13, Nathan 11-8.
Ground outs-fly outs: Pettitte 15-4, Farnsworth 1-0, Hernandez 9-8,
Reyes 1-0, Guerrier 3-0, Nathan 2-1.
Batters faced: Pettitte 31, Farnsworth 6, Hernandez 31, Reyes 3,
Guerrier 5, Nathan 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Reyes 1-1, Guerrier 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Gary Darling. 1B: Jerry Meals. 2B: Bill Miller.
3B: Chris Tiller.
Weather: 70 degrees, dome.
Wind: Indoors.
T: 2:54.
Att: 20,168.

The Unreliables

Starting pitching has troubled the Yankees more than any other issue this season. The bullpen is a close second. Both let the Yankees down last night in the Minnesota Twins 6-5 win at the Metrodome. After taking the first 2 games of the series, the Yankees dropped the final two and ended the road trip 3-4 to fall back under .500 (28-29).

Andy Pettitte blew three separate leads before Kyle Farnsworth lost the game in the 8th inning. Michael Cuddyer lead off the decisive inning with a double, his 9th hit in 18 at-bats in the series. Nick Punto delivered a perfect pinch-hit sacrifice bunt to move Cuddyer to 3rd and Delmon Young brought him home with a double to right. It was his 3rd RBI double of the game.

Alex Rodriguez lead off the 9th with a single up the middle off closer Joe Nathan, but Hideki Matsui bounced into 4-6-3 double play to erase any hopes. Jason Giambi then lined out to center as Nathan recorded his 15th save.

The Yankees got right to Twins starter Livan Hernandez in the 1st inning. With Derek Jeter aboard via a single, A-Rod belted a 2-outm 2-run home run for a 2-0 lead. It was his 8th home run of the season and #526 for his career.

Young's first double cut the lead in half and then the Twins speed tied it up in the 3rd. Carlos Gomez singled to right and advanced all the way to 3rd Base on Pettitte's errant pick-off attempt. Alexi Casilla then brought him with a safety squeeze which he also beat out for a single.

The Yankees took the lead back in the 6th, built on a single by Jason Giambi and a double by Chad Moeller. Melky Cabrera's broken bat single brought home one run and Johnny Damon singled through the right side to score Moeller for a 4-2 Yankees lead.

The Twins came right back though in their half of the 6th on an RBI single by Cuddyer and another RBI double by Young. A-Rod gave the Yankees their final lead when he doubled leading off the 7th, moved to 3rd on a wild pitch and scored ahead of a throw home on Giambi's grounder. But Pettitte would have none of it and served up Joe Mauer's first home run of the season to tie the game once again. Then the game fell into the giant hole that is the Yankees 8th inning relief.

Notes and News

Johnny Damon extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Derek Jeter is 5-13 in his last 3 games, but was thrown out last night by Cuddyer trying to stretch a single into a double.

A-Rod continues to love the Metrodome. He was 8-20 (.400) with a home run, 3 doubles, and 6 RBI.

Jorge Posada played in another extended spring training game and remains on track to be activated this week.

Jeff Karstens appeared to be close to returning to the team as a long man in the pen/spot starter, but he's back on the DL with a strained groin.

LaTroy Hawkins will have his suspension appeal hearing today.

June 2, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0		5	15	1
Minnesota	0	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	X		6	13	0

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	5	0	2	1	0	0	2	.293
Jeter, SS	5	1	3	0	0	0	3	.279
Abreu, RF	5	0	0	0	0	0	4	.292
Rodriguez, 3B	4	2	3	2	1	0	1	.300
Matsui, DH	4	0	1	0	1	0	3	.328
Giambi, 1B	5	0	2	1	0	0	2	.250
Cano, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	0	5	.220
Moeller, C	4	1	1	0	0	2	3	.254
Cabrera, CF	4	0	2	1	0	0	2	.270
Totals	40	5	15	5	2	2	25
BATTING 2B: Jeter (8, Hernandez), Moeller (4, Hernandez), Rodriguez (12, Hernandez). HR: Rodriguez (8, 1st inning off Hernandez, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Damon 2; Jeter 4; Rodriguez 7; Matsui; Giambi 2; Cano; Moeller 2; Cabrera 2. RBI: Rodriguez 2 (23), Cabrera (25), Damon (26), Giambi (28). 2-out RBI: Rodriguez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano; Jeter; Giambi; Matsui; Abreu; Cabrera. GIDP: Damon; Matsui. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING E: Pettitte (1, pickoff).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pettitte	7.0	10	5	4	0	2	1	4.21
Farnsworth (L, 0-2)	1.0	3	1	1	1	1	0	4.44

Minnesota	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gomez, CF	5	1	1	0	0	1	3	.280
Casilla, 2B	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	.328
Mauer, C	4	2	2	1	0	0	1	.319
Morneau, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.303
Cuddyer, RF	4	3	3	0	0	0	0	.258
Monroe, DH	3	0	1	1	0	0	1	.238
a-Punto, PH-DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.264
Young, LF	4	0	3	3	0	0	0	.273
Harris, SS	4	0	1	0	0	2	3	.249
Macri, 3B	3	0	1	0	0	0	2	.500
b-Lamb, PH-3B	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.250
Totals	35	6	13	6	1	3	13
a-Hit a sacrifice bunt for Monroe in the 8th. b-Walked for Macri in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Young 3 (10, Pettitte, Pettitte, Farnsworth), Macri (1, Pettitte), Cuddyer (7, Farnsworth). HR: Mauer (1, 7th inning off Pettitte, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Gomez; Casilla; Mauer 5; Cuddyer 4; Monroe; Young 6; Harris; Macri 2. RBI: Young 3 (18), Casilla (14), Monroe (19), Mauer (22). 2-out RBI: Young; Mauer. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Harris; Morneau; Casilla; Macri 2; Gomez. S: Punto. Team LOB: 7. BASERUNNING CS: Young (3, 3rd base by Farnsworth/Moeller). FIELDING Outfield assists: Cuddyer (Jeter at 2nd base). DP: 2 (Harris-Morneau, Casilla-Harris-Morneau).

Minnesota	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Hernandez	6.0	13	5	5	1	1	1	4.81
Reyes	0.1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2.50
Guerrier (W, 3-1)	1.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.00
Nathan (S, 15)	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.46

Hernandez pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

WP: Hernandez, Reyes.
Pitches-strikes: Pettitte 94-64, Farnsworth 21-13, Hernandez 107-65,
Reyes 12-6, Guerrier 20-13, Nathan 11-8.
Ground outs-fly outs: Pettitte 15-4, Farnsworth 1-0, Hernandez 9-8,
Reyes 1-0, Guerrier 3-0, Nathan 2-1.
Batters faced: Pettitte 31, Farnsworth 6, Hernandez 31, Reyes 3,
Guerrier 5, Nathan 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Reyes 1-1, Guerrier 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Gary Darling. 1B: Jerry Meals. 2B: Bill Miller.
3B: Chris Tiller.
Weather: 70 degrees, dome.
Wind: Indoors.
T: 2:54.
Att: 20,168.