5/31 Minor League Report

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(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (30-21) lost to Durham (29-22) 9-1: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Greg Golson, CF: 1-for-5
Eduardo Nunez, SS: 2-for-3, 2B, BB, R
David Winfree, 1B: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (28)
Jon Weber, DH: 0-for-3, BB
Jesus Montero, C: 0-for-3, BB - now batting .229
Colin Curtis, LF: 1-for-4
Reid Gorecki, RF: 0-for-3, BB

Pitching:
Ivan Nova (L, 2-2): 5 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (4.11 ERA)
Mark Melancon: 1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (2.89 ERA)
Kei Igawa: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (5.28 ERA)

Pitches-strikes: Nova 93-59, Melancon 33-17, Igawa 60-39.
Groundouts-flyouts: Nova 6-2, Melancon 2-0, Igawa 2-3.

(Double-A) Trenton (29-21) lost to New Hampshire (32-20) 3-0: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Austin Romine, C: 1-for-4 - extends hitting streak to 12
Brandon Laird, 3B: 0-for-4
Daniel Brewer, RF: 1-for-3, 2B
Marcos Vechionacci, 1B: 0-for-2, BB
Kevin Mahoney, 2B: 2-for-3

Pitching:
D.J. Mitchell (L, 4-3): 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (4.99 ERA)
Wilkins Arias: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (3.16 ERA)
Eric Wordekemper: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (3.29 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts: Mitchell, D. 5-7, Arias 1-3, Wordekemper 3-0.

(High-A) Tampa (27-24) was off today.

(Low-A) Charleston (22-29) vs. Kannapolis (26-25) was rained out.

Don't Walk Tex To Face A-Rod

Here are the time it's happened:

• Today: Indians walked Tex to load the bases for A-Rod. He then hits another grand slam extending the Yankees lead from 2-1 to 6-1.
• 5/14/10: Twins walk A-Rod to load the bases and Alex turns a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead with a grand slam.
• 10/4/09: Tampa's Andy Sonnanstine walked Tex to load the bases in the top of the sixth. A-Rod then launched his second homer of the inning to cap off a 10-run rally by the Yanks.
• 9/22/09: Angels reliever Darren Oliver walks Tex to load the bases for A-Rod with one out in the ninth of a 5-5 game. A-Rod hits a sac fly and the Yankees go on to win 6-5.
• 8/18/09: The Yankees lead the A's 4-2 in the top of the sixth when Tex came up with Damon on second and Jeet on third, and the A's decide to walk Tex to load em up for Alex. A-Rod draws a walk to bring in a run.
• 6/28/09: The Mets walk Tex with two out and a man on second. A-Rod walks.
• 6/25/09: With the Yankees leading the Braves 8-6 in the top of the seventh, Braves pitcher (at the time) Boone Logan walked Teixeira intentionally to load the bases for A-Rod. Alex responded by hitting a two-run single off Peter Moylan.
• 6/12/09: Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked by Francisco Rodriguez in front of A-Rod. Alex then hit that popup that Luis Castillo dropped leading to a 9-8 Yankees victory. The ruling on the play was that A-Rod reached on an error, no RBIs, but the Yanks stole the game.
• 6/2/09:  Greg Aquino intentionally walked Mark Teixeira to load the bases for A-Rod. Rodriguez, who was now facing Luis Vizcaino, hit a hard grounder just off Asdrubal Cabrera's glove for a two-run single to give the Yanks a 5-1 lead.

That's 5-for-6 with 3 HR and 18 RBI. I'm not sure why Michael Kay forgot about the Castillo play when he mentioned on the air that A-Rod was 5-for-5 when Tex was walked in front of him, but maybe he was only talking about situations where the walk loaded the bases. Either way, walking Tex to face A-Rod has only led to pain for the other teams. Hopefully, they continue to keep making that mistake.

Montero Talks About His Early Season Struggles

From Wayne Coffey (hat-tip to Was Watching):

"I am worried about my hitting, but not that much," Montero says in front of his locker in the PNC Field clubhouse. Not even five minutes later, he says, "I'm not upset that I'm not hitting. I'm still the same guy ... trying to hit the ball hard every single time."

..."I have been working every single day in the cage," Jesus Montero says. "This is baseball; slumps will happen. I am working really hard to get out of it."

Yankees senior VP of baseball operations Mark Newman, and SWB manager Butch Wynegar don't seem too concerned either:

"In a lot of ways it's good for young players to hit these speed bumps, because this business is full of them, and life is full of them," says Mark Newman,... "He's one of the better young hitters we've had in our system since I've been here (22 years). I am confident that he will hit. Our baseball field personnel - the coaches and coordinators - think he's going to hit. You can't find anyone in our organization who doesn't think he's going to be a really good player."

..."He's got the ability, no doubt," Wynegar says. "He's got quick hands. He's got power. Now he just needs consistency in his approach. There are a lot of guys who know how to pitch in this league. He just hasn't made the adjustments he needs to make."

... "If he tastes a little failure here, learning how to grind it out can help him get to the big leagues," Wynegar says.

Overall I believe the Yankees are pretty content with what they have in Montero. Earlier today, Joel Sherman mentioned in his article about the Yankees chances of landing Cliff Lee, that the Yanks feel he's improved a lot behind the plate. He also had this quote from a veteran scout

“His body looks better, leaner, and he is moving better and quicker behind the plate. He also is throwing much better. He has shown indications he can catch.”

He's 20-years old, he's playing in Triple-A, and like Montero said above, slumps are going to happen. It's really no big deal and I'm glad to see the Yankees aren't too concerned either.

Jeter Leaves Game With Tight Hamstring (Updated)

UPDATE (7:15 pm): After the game Joe Girardi had this to say about Jeter's hammy: “We won’t really know more until tomorrow. He got hit in the back of the hamstring, and it stiffened up, so we said we’ll take you out, get some ice on it and see how it feels tomorrow.”

As if this team needed any more of this crap..... Derek Jeter left today's game after a single in the seventh with tightness in his left hamstring. Earlier in the game he was hit on the area by Indians starter Mitch Talbot, and didn't look too good running to first on the single. I'm sure he'll be fine and back in the lineup soon.

This Week in Yankees History (5/30-6/5)

This Week in Yankees History

May 30th-June 5th


May 30th

1884 - Former Yankees shortstop Rube Oldring (1905, 1916) was born. Rube hit .267 in 51 games for the Yankees with 2 tours with the team.

1894 - Former Yankees P Al Mamaux (1924) was born. On July 12, 1924, Al was purchased by the Yankees from the Reading (International League). He went 1-1 in 14 games in 1924.

1902 - Former Yankees P Louis McEvoy (1930-1931) was born. Lou went 1-3 in 34 games with 4 saves in 2 seasons for the Yankees.

1912 - After a minor fire at Hilltop Park, the Yankees play a separate admission, day-night doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s at the Polo Grounds The Yankee lost the morning game by a score of 7-1, the second game of the doubleheader was rained out.

1913 - The New York Yankees purchased 2B Bill McKechnie from the Boston Braves for cash. Bill hit .134 in 45 games for the New York Yankees before jumping to the Federal League in 1914.

1929 - The New York Yankees obtained P Owen Carroll, shortstop George Weustling and OF Harry Rice for the Detroit Tigers for veteran starter Waite Hoyt and shortstop Mark Koenig.

1938 - Before a crowd of 81,841 fans at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees sweep a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox by scores of 10-0 and 5-4. The game also featured a fistfight under the stadium stands between Yankees OF Jake Powell and Red Sox Player-Manager Joe Cronin, after they had been thrown out of the game. Jake Powell had charged the Red Sox P Archie Mc Kain, after he had hit him in the stomach. Joe Cronin came in from his shortstop position to protect his pitcher. That fight lasted for several minutes. The players were separated by the umpires and thrown out of the game. The visitors in those days had to approach their clubhouse through the Yankees dugout. The players and umpires broke up this second fight. Joe Cronin and Jake Powell were later fined and suspended for 10 days for their actions by the AL President’s office.

1956 - New York Yankees All Star CF Mickey Mantle hit a HR that came within a foot-and-a-half of leaving Yankee Stadium. It hit the face of the upper deck in right field, 370 feet from home plate and 117 feet in the air. Mantle also became the 1st player in MLB history to hit 20 HRs by the end of May, as the Yankees beat the Washington Senators by a score of 4-3.

1961 - New York Yankees hitters Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Bill “Moose” Skowron, each hit 2 HRs to lead the Yankees to a 12-3 rout over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Yankees C Yogi Berra also hits a HR for the Bronx Bombers. Yankees starter Ralph Terry was the winning pitcher, while veteran starter Gene Conley was the losing pitcher for the Red Sox.

1967 - Veteran Yankees P Whitey Ford announced his retirement from MLB baseball because of an elbow injury. His final Yankees appearance was a start in Detroit on May 21, but he lasted just 1 inning for the Yankees. He finished his Yankee MLB pitching career with a 236-106 record to be the all-time Yankee pitchers wins leader. He had passed former team leader Red Ruffing, who had 232 Yankee career wins during the 1966 AL season.

1977 - New York sluggers Graig Nettles and Reggie Jackson hit back-to back HR’s in 2nd inning to lead the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox by a score of 5-4.

1991 - Former Yankees P Jim Magnuson (1973) passed away (1946-1991). The New York Yankees claimed P Jim Magnuson from the Chicago White Sox in the 1971 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. He spent all of 1972 with the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA), having a 9-7 record, with a 3.48 ERA, with 3 saves for them. He was 10th in the International League in ERA and led his club. Jim finished his career in 1973, going 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA for Syracuse. Jim went 0-1 with a 4.28 ERA for the 1973 Yankees.

1992 - New York Yankees starter Scott Sanderson became the 9th MLB pitcher to beat all 26 MLB teams, as the Bronx Bombers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers by a score of 8-1. Scott Sanderson joined MLB hurlers Doyle Alexander, Rich Gossage, Tommy John, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Mike Torrez and Rick Wise, as MLB pitchers, who had defeated every MLB club.

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Game 51: Yankees vs. Indians

Regular Season Game 51

Yankees vs. Indians
Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time - 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS | XM: 176

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (30-20)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Juan Miranda DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner LF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (6-1, 2.62 ERA)

INDIANS (18-30)
Trevor Crowe CF
Mark Grudzielanek 2B
Austin Kearns LF
Travis Hafner DH
Jhonny Peralta 3B
Shelley Duncan RF
Matt LaPorta 1B
Lou Marson C
Jason Donald SS

Pitching: RHP Mitch Talbot (6-3. 3.73 ERA)

Yankees vs. Talbot

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Marcus Thames	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Curtis Granderson	1	1	0	0	1	4	1	0	1.000	1.000	4.000	5.000
Totals	3	1	0	0	1	4	1	0	.333	.500	1.333	1.833

Indians vs. Pettitte

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Grudzielanek	25	8	2	0	1	2	0	1	.320	.320	.520	.840
A. Kearns	13	6	0	0	0	1	5	3	.462	.611	.462	1.073
J. Peralta	13	5	1	1	2	8	2	0	.385	.467	1.077	1.544
R. Branyan	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.000	.000	.000	.000
T. Hafner	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667
M. Redmond	3	2	0	0	0	1	2	0	.667	.800	.667	1.467
T. Crowe	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	68	23	3	1	3	12	9	11	.338	.416	.544	.960

Data provided by Elias Sports Bureau via ESPN

News & Notes

- Andy Pettitte has made 19 starts against the Indians in his career and is 7-8, with a 4.41 ERA. He only faced them once last year and won. In 5 innings he allowed a run on six hits, walked five, and struck out one. Here are some of Andy's 2010 stats: FIP: 3.74, xFIP: 4.18, BABIP: .276, K/9: 5.55, BB/9: 2.78, HR/9: 0.62, GB rate: 48.3%.

- This will be Mitch Talbot's first career appearance vs. the Yankees.

- Jorge Posada ran the bases before today's game and said he's feeling good and is ready to return. He can come of the DL as soon as tomorrow, but the Yankees have not decided whether they will activate him or not. Girardi wants to see how he feels after today's running, and then will decide.

- David Robertson says his back is fine and could pitch today if the Yankees need him, but Girardi did say he expects to stay away from today.

- Robinson Cano has an 13-game hitting streak.

- The Yankees are 2-1 against the Indians this season. Last year they went 5-3 against the Tribe.

- Click on the team name for the Yankees or Indians 2010 batting stats.

- If you can spare a few minutes don't forget to come sign up for the forums. And like always, the chat room in the forums is open.

Stick around and discuss the game

as it happens in the comments section.

Sherman: Expect Yanks To Get Lee, But Not At The Deadline

From Joel Sherman:

The Yankees are just one of many teams that have begun to proceed as if Cliff Lee — not Roy Oswalt — will be the prize of the July 31 trade market.

That means they have increased their scouting attention on a pitcher they already were following closely because he projects as the best pitcher of the coming free-agent class. Remember that the Yankees had a scout on almost every start CC Sabathia made in 2008 in anticipation of the lefty’s free agency after the season.

One AL executive went so far as to say last week, “I have no doubt that the Yankees will sign Cliff Lee.”

...

But having their eyes on Lee does not mean the Yankees will be at the forefront of the derby come July 31.

Sherman then goes on to mention three reasons why he believes the Yankees will wait until after the season to add Lee. Here's a summary of those reasons:

1. The Yankees would rather do the same thing they did with CC and wait until the offseason.

2. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said “I hope we get back in this and that we have what we expected, Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee as a dynamic duo atop the rotation,” earlier this week. However, he then goes on to mention that they're 10 under .500 and last year they traded Jarrod Washburn when they were just 3.5 behind in the wild card race. He also says that "outside executives" believe Zduriencik is "much more likely to act [with Lee] than Astros owner Drayton McLane will with Oswalt."

3. The Mariners are looking for a catcher and he's not sure if the Yankees would be willing to trade Jesus Montero for Lee. Though he did say that they were willing to trade him for Halladay this offseaon. The Yankees believe more than ever that Montero will be a MLB catcher, and Sherman thinks that will be one of the main factors that stop them from trading him.
   

Basically, it all comes down to his belief that the Yankees would rather wait and sign him instead of giving up any prospects in a trade. And while I'm not too sure those reasons back up his main point, I do agree that it's much more likely that the Yankees will wait until after the year to get Lee.

That said, in the end it will all boil down to the situation the Yankees are in at the deadline. If they're rotation is healthy and they're playing well, they'll wait. But if for some reason they're in desperate need of a starter, and a trade for Lee might make or break their season, I could see them making a deal if the price was right.


It's late July and you're Brian Cashman. The Yankees are six back and in desperate need for a starting pitcher that can put them over the top. Zduriencik calls you and offers up Lee for a package of prospects centered around Montero. What do you do?

5/30 Minor League Report

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(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (30-20) lost to Syracuse (29-20) 6-4: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Greg Golson, CF; 0-for-4, BB
Reegie Corona, 3B-SS: 2-for-4, 2 2B, R
Eduardo Nunez, SS: 1-for-2, R, HBP - left game after being hit
Matthew Cusick, PR-3B: 1-for-1
Jon Weber, RF: 1-for-4, R
Chad Huffman, 1B: 0-for-3, BB, R
David Winfree, DH: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI (27), HBP
Jesus Montero, C: 0-for-3, RBI (21) - now batting .234
Reid Gorecki, LF: 1-for-3, BB

Pitching:
Romulo Sanchez (L, 2-3): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HB (4.78 ERA)
Mark Melancon (BS, 2): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, WP (2.33 ERA)
Jason Hirsh; 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (3.93 ERA)

Pitches-strikes: Sanchez, Ro 100-57, Melancon 12-4, Hirsh 35-20.
Groundouts-flyouts: Sanchez, Ro 9-6, Melancon 1-0, Hirsh 1-3.

(Double-A) Trenton (29-20) beat New Hampshire (31-20) 13-2: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Justin Christian, DH: 3-for-5, 3 R
Austin Krum, CF: 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (15), BB, 2 R
Austin Romine, C: 2-for-4, 2B, BB, 3 R
Brandon Laird, 3B: 3-for-5, 2B, HR (10), 3 RBI (50), 3 R
Daniel Brewer, LF: 1-for-5, HR (3), 4 RBI (21), R
Edwar Gonzalez, RF: 0-for-5, RBI (15)
Marcos Vechionacci, 1B: 2-for-5, HR (4), 2 RBI (14), R
Luis Nunez, SS: 1-for-3, 2B, BB

Pitching:
Lance Pendleton (W, 3-2): 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (3.54 ERA)
Josh Schmidt: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K (2.00 ERA)
Wilkins Arias: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (3.42 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts: Pendleton 10-4, Schmidt 3-0, Arias 0-1.

(High-A) Tampa (27-24) beat Bradenton (29-21) 14-5: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Jack Rye, RF: 2-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI (19), 2 R
Corban Joseph, 2B: 4-for-5, 2 HR (4), 5 RBI (34), BB, 3 R
Bradley Suttle, 3B: 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI (21)
Myron Leslie, 1B: 1-for-1
Trent Lockwood, DH: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R
Jose Pirela, SS: 2-for-5, RBI (19), 2 R
Addison Maruszak, 1B-3B: 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R
Ryan J. Baker, C: 1-for-4, RBI (2), R, HBP
Francisco Santana, LF: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI (5), 2 R

Pitching:
Shaeffer Hall (W, 1-0): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (0.00 ERA) - first start since being promoted.
Noel Castillo: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (0.00 ERA)
Philip Bartleski: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HB (3.86 ERA)
Trenton Lare: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HB (3.33 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts: Hall 4-3, Castillo, N 4-1, Bartleski 0-3, Lare 1-0.

(Low-A) Charleston (21-29) lost to Kannapolis (26-24) 7-1 in game 1 of their doubleheader: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Jimmy Paredes, 2B: 1-for-3, R
Justin Milo, LF: 0-for-1, 2 BB
Luke Murton, 1B: 1-for-3
JR Murphy, DH: 1-for-3
Francisco Arcia, C: 1-for-2, BB

Pitching:
Kelvin Perez (L, 2-3): 5 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (3.42 ERA)
Benjamin Watkins: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (4.30 ERA)

Groundouts-flyouts: Perez, K 4-9, Watkins, B 1-2.

Charleston (22-29) beat Kannapolis (26-25) 10-6 in game 2 of their doubleheader: Box Score - Recap

Batting:
Jimmy Paredes, 2B: 4-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI (17), 2 R
JR Murphy, DH: 0-for-2, RBI (11), BB
Zolio Almonte, RF: 1-for-4, RBI (18)
Luke Murton, 1B: 2-for-4, 2B, HR (7), RBI (29), 2 R
Deangelo Mack, LF: 1-for-4, R
Kyle Higashioka, C: 0-for-2, 2 BB, R
Hector Rabago, 3B: 1-for-4, RBI (4)
Kelvin Castro, SS: 1-for-4, RBI (14), 2 R, SB (6)
Raymond Kruml, CF: 1-for-2, 2 R
Pitching:
Michael Solbach: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, WP (3.66 ERA)
Ryan Acosta (W, 3-1): 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (5.89 ERA)
Ryan Flanneyr: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (3.04 ERA)

Burnett Sharp As Yanks Win 7-3

(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	5	0
N.Y. Yankees «	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2	x	7	12	1

WP: A. Burnett (6-2) LP: T. Sipp (0-1)

As much as this was a great victory for the Yankees today, it could easily been a very embarrassing loss too. Although yesterday's 13-11 loss was painful enough, this could have been even more devastating. But, luckily, it wasn't, as A.J. Burnett was great for 8 innings and the Yankees beat the Tribe 7-3 in convincing late inning fashion.

25-year old Justin Masterson got the start for the Indians, and, getting back to the embarrassing part, completely shut down the Yankees lineup for the first 6 innings. He only got into one jam in the 4th, when Mark Teixeira singled and Cano doubled, to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. But Swish then struck out, and Juan Miranda followed suit to once again leave runners on base.

It was really sad that the Yankees couldn't score a run for A.J. Burnett, who was pitching so good as well. Only an RBI single in the 3rd was his only blemish so far in the game.

The game was moving quickly, and going into the 7th, Cleveland still held a 1-0 lead. But that would change - and for the worst.

After getting 2 quick outs in the top of the 7th, A.J. hit Luis Valbuena, which then led to Lou Marson grounding to Derek Jeter. But, he made a bad throw and Marson reached, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. I don't think it was a horrible throw, in fact, I think Teix could have got it, but it was an E6. What are you gonna do.

This probably rattled Burnett, as the very next batter tripled, to bring in two more runs and make it a 3-0 Indian lead. Marson's run didn't count because of Jeter's error, but nonetheless the Yankees were now down 3-0.

So in the bottom of the inning, the 2009 comeback Yankees made a rare-apperance. And boy, was it great!

Nick Swisher led off with a single, and after Miranda struck out again, Gardner got up and singled as well, to move Swish over to 3rd with one out. Brett then stole, but Francisco Cervelli, struck out, and left it up to Derek Jeter to redeem himself for the error, and get the Yankees back in the game. And he did.

Jeet lined a two-run single back up the middle, to score both Swish and Gardy to make it 3-2. Masterson finally was out of the game, and Tony Sipp, the guy who gave up the grand slam to Cano on Friday, came in to try to get the final out of the inning. Let's just say he didn't get the last out in a way he had planned.

Curtis Granderson then came up and smacked a long double to right-center, moving the Captain to 3rd. And Mark Teixeira, as bad a slump as he was in, was on the mark today, crushing a long 3-run bomb into the left-field bleachers to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. It was so exciting, and such a confidence booster for the slugging first baseman. All it takes is one homer to get him back on track.

A-Rod then popped out, and the inning was over. But not before Teix left his mark. God, I love saying that.

Anyway, A.J. finished up his amazing outing in the 8th, and ended up allowing just 1 earned run on 5 hits, striking out 8 and not walking a batter. He had nasty stuff too, and befuddled the Indians lineup with it.

After tacking on two more runs in the bottom of 8th to make it 7-3, Mariano River came in and got a 1-2-3 9th inning, to seal a very exciting, and very nerve-breaking, victory for the Yankees.

Well, now the Yankees are at least guaranteed a split, and they'll try to WIN the series tomorrow, as Andy Pettitte will face Mitch Tallbot in the Memorial Day game of this 4-game set. Game time 1:05pm, and only on YES! Enjoy the night everybody. I know the Yankees will.

Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Derek Jeter, SS	5	1	2	2	0	1	1	.297
Curtis Granderson, CF	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	.230
Mark Teixeira, 1B	4	1	2	3	0	0	1	.221
Alex Rodriguez, 3B	3	0	0	0	1	1	2	.284
Robinson Cano, 2B	4	1	2	0	0	0	1	.362
Nick Swisher, RF	4	2	2	0	0	1	2	.315
Juan Miranda, DH	4	0	2	1	0	1	2	.231
Brett Gardner, LF	4	1	1	0	0	1	3	.289
Chad Moeller, C	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	.167
a- Francisco Cervelli, PH-C	1	0	0	1	0	1	2	.320
Totals	35	7	12	7	1	8
a-struck out for Moeller in the 7th
Batting
2B - Curtis Granderson (4, Sipp), Robinson Cano (16, Masterson), Juan Miranda (2, Lewis)
HR - Mark Teixeira (8, Sipp)
SF - Francisco Cervelli (2)
RBI - Derek Jeter 2 (31), Mark Teixeira 3 (34), Juan Miranda (7), Francisco Cervelli (22)
RISP: 4-9 (D Jeter 1-2, M Teixeira 1-1, F Cervelli 0-1, Gardner 1-2, J Miranda 1-2, N Swisher 0-1) 2-OUT RBI - Derek Jeter 2 (14), Mark Teixeira 3 (14)
SB - Brett Gardner (18, 2nd base off Masterson/Marson)
Team LOB - 6
Fielding
E - Derek Jeter (3, Throwing)

Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
A.J. Burnett (W,6-2)	8	5	3	1	0	8	0	3.28
Mariano Rivera	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	1.65
HBP - Kearns (by A.J. Burnett), Valbuena (by A.J. Burnett)
Pitches-Strikes - A.J. Burnett 115-71, Mariano Rivera 14-9
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - A.J. Burnett 9-7, Mariano Rivera 1-0
Batters Faced - A.J. Burnett 31, Mariano Rivera 3

PLAYER OF THE GAME: A.J. Burnett (8 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO, 0 BB)

HONORABLE MENTION: Mark Teixeira (2-4, HR, 3 RBI)