Pitching Matchups vs the Jays & Tonight's Yankees Lineup

Game 1: Tonight @ 7:07pm | TV: YES | Radio: WCBS
RHP Freddy Garcia (5-5, 5.00) vs. LHP Rickey Romero (8-8, 5.47)

Game 2: Saturday @ 1:07pm | TV: YES/MLBN | Radio: WCBS
RHP Ivan Nova (10-6, 4.81) vs. LHP Aaron Laffey (3-2, 4.39)

Game 3: Sunday @ 1:07pm | TV: YES | Radio: WCBS
RHP Phil Hughes (11-9, 4.10) vs. LHP J.A. Happ (0-1, 6.35 with TOR)
And here's tonight's lineup... It's kind of an odd one.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones LF
Jayson Nix 3B
Russell Martin C
Ichiro Suzuki CF
Casey McGehee 1B

Rivalry Revisited: Yankees vs. Red Sox

After not meeting with each other since an exciting two-game series back on May 17th/18th, the Red Sox traveled back into the Bronx for a meaningful four game series against our beloved New York Yankees. Before I get started on my review of the weekend, let’s get a few things straightened out first.

1) Never count out the Boston Red Sox. We all hate their guts and can’t stand them, but don’t ever say their season is over until it truly is. They’ve been riddled with injuries all year and have stuck within striking distance nearly the entire time. There are six games in the last two weeks of the season against them, thus anything can happen. Without having to say it… I think everyone gets the gist of why to never count them out.

2) If you go to a Yankee game, why boo Lance Berkman? On Saturday, Berkman was hit by the boo-birds of Yankee Stadium after another 0 for 3 day (even though he walked and scored on Granderson’s triple). The man had been on the Yankees’ active roster FOR ONE WEEK AND HE WAS BEING BOOED ALREADY AFTER 20 AT BATS. I would expect this out of Phillie fans, not Yankee fans. Show the man some respect. Funny how things change after a 3 for 4 day on Sunday for the Big Puma.

Well, that’s about all I’ve got for a rant. Let’s get on to the series!

This series could easily have been a make or break for both teams. The Yankees had a chance to sink Boston and the Red Sox had a shot at nearly smelling first place in the AL East for the first time in the 2010 campaign. Here’s all five possible outcomes of the series… keep in mind that the Yankees were 6 games ahead of Boston going into Friday’s action. If Yankees swept Boston: 10 game lead If Yankees took three of four: 8 game lead If Yankees/Sox split: 6 game lead If Red Sox took three of four: 4 game lead If Red Sox swept: 2 game lead As we can all tell, a lot was on the line.

Javier Vazquez took the mound on Friday night to kickoff the series against Clay Buchholz. David Ortiz hit a solo shot in the 1st to give Boston an immediate 1-0 edge. Mark Teixeira answered with a blast of his own, a two-run dinger to put the Yankees in front for the first time. However, this would also be the last time the Yankees led on Friday. Vazquez didn’t have his best stuff and it definitely showed. After loading the bases with Sawx (no thanks to Cervelli missing a pop-up…), Javy walked Jacoby Ellsbury to force a run home and tie the game. Marco Scutaro would proceed to double and score two more to put Boston ahead 4-2. A relatively quiet game until the 5th, Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI single to bring New York back within a run. Unfortunately, Vazquez would cough up two more runs to rookie Ryan Kalish on his first homerun in the Big Leagues that would give Boston plenty of breathing room. Other than Cano’s 3 hits, the Yankees went down without much of a fight. Vazquez was charged with 6 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks through 5.1. Buchholz was good enough, surrendering 3 runs on 9 hits and 0 walks. Chamberlain, Wood, Logan and Gaudin combined for the final 3.2 allowing no runs.

Every fan felt great about Saturday’s matchup as John Lackey took the mound against CC Sabathia. Why feel so great? CC hasn’t lost at home since 2009. This was also the matchup of Game 1 of the ALCS (which I was at!) and CC outpitched Lackey handily. To be honest, things looked grim to open up the game. Victor Martinez launched a ball 407 feet to leftfield to lead off the 2nd and Mike Lowell had an RBI double to give Boston a 2-0 lead. After Lance Berkman worked a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning, Curtis Granderson tripled off the right-centerfield wall (narrowly missing a homerun) to get the Yankees on the board. Ramiro Pena completed the job by grounding out to 2nd which allowed Granderson to score and tie the game. Back to back RBI singles by Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada in the 5th would give the Yankees a 4-2 lead and a nice insurance run in the 6th on a RBI single by Pena would be more than enough. Sabathia was absolutely filthy, going 8 innings allowing only 6 hits, 1 walk and striking out 4. Although he’d only thrown 101 pitches, Girardi summoned Mariano Rivera for the 9th. Utilizing 8 pitches, the Red Sox were simply overmatched and the Yankees took game two.

This is a small interruption in the review. I’m not sure why people say the Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry has lost its steam. Perhaps it’s because the Yankees hold a somewhat large lead over the Red Sox in the standings? Or maybe it’s not filled with the same aggressive players from 2003 and 2004? Either way, sitting in the bleachers on Sunday night was definitely a show. I witnessed many fights and heard many “Red Sox Suck” chants as well as some graphic T-shirts and select word choices. I assure you all, the rivalry is still alive out in sections 201, 202, 203.

Sunday night baseball is always exciting, especially when it’s Yankees vs. Sawx. Sunday was no exception. In what was slated to be a rematch of the epic August 7, 2009 15 inning extravaganza in the Bronx, A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett were supposed to face off. However, Burnett was scratched after straining his back on Saturday and Dustin Moseley was given the nod. The Yankees struck first. Lance Berkman doubled in the 2nd and scored on a Brett Gardner infield single after a throwing error by Bill Hall from 3rd base (a throw that made Marcus Thames’ throw during the Cleveland series look just as good). Gardner would proceed to steal second and be singled in by the Captain, Derek Jeter. Hall would get his revenge in the 4th inning when he took Moseley deep to left to slice the lead in half. Once again, Mark Teixeira answered with a blast of his own, 417 feet into the bleachers in rightfield. Berkman hit an RBI double to score A-Rod to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. After Gardner struck out, Kevin Cash tried to pick Cano off at 3rd base. The throw hit Cano’s helmet and flew into leftfield. Robinson ran home as Beckett began to cry. Like clockwork, Jeter smoked a double into the right-centerfield gap to score Berkman and Granderson. Beckett would leave the game after 4.2 innings having given up 7 earned runs on 11 hits and 2 walks. Moseley worked into the 7th inning and was relieved by Joba Chamberlain. Moseley left to a standing ovation after an incredible spot start of 6.1 IP, 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 earned runs. Wakefield shut down the Yankees through 3 innings, but it was too little too late. Logan, Robertson and Rivera finished off the Red Sox and fueled a 7-2 victory.

The Monday matinee was an important game for Boston, mainly because they would either lose two games on the Yankees or be in the same position they were in when the series started. It was a duel of All Stars as Jon Lester faced off against Phil Hughes. I’ll tell you what, it was a hot day and painful to watch the Yankees get dominated. The Red Sox managed to score twice in the 2nd inning on an infield hit by Bill Hall and an RBI groundout by J.D. Drew. Austin Kearns managed to break up Lester’s mini-no hitter in the 5th with a single (Thank the Lord). Hughes would go 6 strong innings allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk. Lester went 6.1 innings letting up 0 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Monday was all about missed opportunities for New York. The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th, and Granderson, Jeter and Swisher all struck out. Mark Teixeira, exactly one year after homering off Bard to win the game for the Bombers, drilled a 416 foot bomb into the 2nd deck to put New York within one. Kearns would ground out with men on 1st and 2nd with two out to end the 8th. Derek Jeter managed to get to 2nd base in the 9th with one out, but Swisher and Teixeira both struck out against Papelbon and the Red Sox forced a split.

The Yankees could have easily won both games they lost, but that’s baseball for you. Anything can happen, and a lot of strange things did this weekend. At least the Yankees didn’t lose any ground to Boston.

Series Notes:

1) Mark Teixeira hit three homeruns during the series and has now hit 8 homeruns in his last 16 games. He’s also the only Yankee to hit a homerun against Boston this series.

2) Alex Rodriguez was hit in the shin by a Berkman liner during batting practice Saturday and didn’t play that day.

3) Other than Game 1 of the World Series, the last time CC Sabathia has received a loss at home was July 2, 2009 against the Seattle Mariners.

4) Red Sox and Yankees don’t meet again until September 25-27 in the Bronx. That is sure to be a huge series.

5) Yankees are 7-5 against Boston this year.

Yankee stats from the weekend:

• Record: 2-2
• OBP: .336
• RISP: .195 (8 for 41)
• Homeruns: 3
• Runs scored: 16
• ERA: 2.25

Red Sox stats from the weekend:

• Record: 2-2 OBP: .294
• RISP: .179 (5 for 28)
• Homeruns: 4
• Runs scored: 12
• ERA: 4.24

Series in Review: LA Angels... of Anaheim

… Phew ….

Following a well deserved off-day on Monday, the Angels came to the Bronx to take on the Yankees in a short two-game series.

Tuesday’s matchup appeared extremely favorable with Phil Hughes on the mound against Sean O’Sullivan. However, this was not the case. Phil Hughes has been fairly awful at home this year, posting a 4.74 ERA inside Yankee Stadium. Also, anybody and everybody that follows the Yankees understands that they simply don’t hit guys that they are seeing for the first time. I would venture to guess that these guys generally are amped to face the Yankees and throw a ton of strikes. The Yanks love to work the count and, for whatever reason, just don’t hit rookies well.

The game started off great as Nick Swisher smashed a ball deep to right to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st. After loading the bases, O’Sullivan allowed a fielders choice out to score Mark Teixeira and the Yankees held a 2-0 lead. I still remember listening to the guy next to me in the bleachers say, “Well, I guess Hughes will only have 2 runs to work with tonight.” He was right.

Maicer Izturis hit an RBI single in the 2nd inning and Torii Hunter added an RBI single in the 3rd to tie the game. Izturis nailed a 2-run shot to right to give the Angels the lead for good. Hideki Matsui would walk in the top of the 6th and Mike Napoli would homer to knock Hughes out of the game and give the Angels a 6-2 lead. Hughes would only go 5+ allowing 6 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks.

If it seems like I’m not talking much about Yankee hitting, that’s because they only had 6 hits all game and only 2 of them occurred between the 2nd and 8th innings. O’Sullivan ended up doing a fine job, backed by excellent Angel defense.

Matsui would tack on a 2-run homer and Napoli would add a 2-run double to secure a 10-2 win for the Angels. Trust me when I say that this was a tough game to sit through. The most exciting part was when a huge fight broke out in section 202 in the bleachers. About 20 people were kicked out from the game after a mosh-pit erupted with fists flying. I suppose the frustrations finally mounted!

Wednesday, on the other hand, was a spectacular day to go to the game! Javier Vazquez took the mound for the Yankees against Joel Piniero.

The Yankees struck first with an RBI groundout by Alex Rodriguez to score Derek Jeter. Jeter and Swisher singled and doubled to give the Yankees 2nd and 3rd in the bottom of the 3rd for Mark Teixeira. The Angels opted to go after Teixeira instead of A-Rod. Pick your poison! Tex ripped a ball into the right-centerfield gap to score Jeter and Swisher and give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Robinson Cano would proceed to hammer a 416 ft. bomb into the Yankee bullpen. Another RBI double in the 4th by Teixeira put the Yanks up 6-0.

Javier Vazquez was about to make things interesting, though. The 7,8,9 hitters in the Angels’ order would double, single and homer to make the game 6-3 in the 5th inning. Matsui would hit his 3rd homer of the year in Yankee Stadium and make the game 6-5. David Robertson came on in relief, loaded the bases, and escaped without further damage. The most interesting inning of the game was the bottom of the 7th. Juan Miranda punished a ball into right-center to extend the lead to 7-5. Curtis Granderson and Francisco Cervelli got on 1st and 3rd for Brett Gardner.

Gardner worked the count to 0-2 and voiced his displeasure about the strike-zone to the umpire. The condescending man in blue tossed Gardner from the game immediately. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a player tossed in the middle of an at-bat, but Colin Curtis was called upon to finish the at-bat. He worked the count to 3-2 and crushed a ball into the rightfield seats for his first career homerun. He was given a curtain call and the fans went nutty. It was truly awesome to see the kid get that great of an opportunity and capitalize. The Yankees went up 10-5, Joba Chamberlain gave one run back and Mariano Rivera closed the door.

Notes on the Series:
1) Phil Hughes’ ERA at home is now 5.24. Yes, he was an All-Star this year.
2) Alex Rodriguez continues to sit on #598.
3) Jonathan Albaladejo was called up from AAA and pitched 1.2 innings on Tuesday allowing 1 earned run.
4) Chan Ho Park is still awful.
5) Robinson Cano has 995 hits, 5 away from 1,000.
6) Hideki Matsui has homered in 5 of his last 7 games in Yankee Stadium. He still receives an ovation and will for life.
7) Yankees and Angels are 4-4 against each other this year.

Yankee Stats:
Record: 1-1
Batting Average: 21 for 71 (.296)
RISP: 4 for 17 (.235)
Homeruns: 4
Runs Scored: 12
ERA: 8.00

Angel Stats:
Record: 1-1
Batting Average: 29 for 78 (372)
RISP: 7 for 23 (.304)
Homeruns: 5
Runs Scored: 16
ERA: 4.76

Series in Review: Oakland Athletics

Great pitching and homeruns and webgems, Oh my!

With this being the last west coast trip of the season, the Yankees were looking to keep hot when they rolled into Oakland on Monday night. Well, that's exactly what they did. The Yankees, making their first appearance in Oakland since the Dallas Braden-Alex Rodriguez fiasco, swept the A's aside as they continued their dominating first-half of the season.

Keeping this S.I.R. fairly brief, Yankee pitching was absolutely spectacular this week. Javier Vazquez, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett were all very successful in shutting down the mediocre Oakland offense. Of the 27 innings pitched against the A's, the starters combined for 21.2 of them (CC with 7.2, A.J. and Javy with 7 each). What's more impressive? Surrendering only 4 earned runs on 15 hits and 7 walks and striking out 15. Yes, that's a WHIP of 1.04. This type of pitching will most certainly bring another world series championship to the Bronx.

And let's give even more credit where it's deserved... the bullpen was glorious for once. 5.1 innings pitched between Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson, and Mariano Rivera let Oakland earn one hit and no runs.

The Bombers certainly lived up to their name as well. Alex Rodriguez hit his 3rd grand slam of the season and 21st of his career on Tuesday night to blow the game open. As if that wasn't enough, he added a solo shot later on to ensure a victory. Mark Teixeira blasted a homer on Monday night to give New York a 3-1 lead and capped off the series with a tremendous three-run dinger last night to give the Yankees a 5-1 lead. Nick Swisher would have the only other homerun of the series hit by the Yanks. Derek Jeter, Francisco Cervelli, Curtis Granderson, and Ramiro Pena all had RBIs en route to the sweep.

The Yankees, particularly this weekend, flashed some serious leather and proved why defense is so valuable. A-Rod had a great diving play to his right to rob a double, he doubled off a runner at 1st, Teixeira caught two foul balls by sprinting all out in foul territory as well as a leaping grab, Granderson and Swisher had some tremendous catches in the outfield, and Jeter had some nice plays to his left. It's hard to describe how significant some of these plays were, but they really did make a difference in the games.

Notes from the series:

1) Andy Pettitte was named an All-Star on Monday to replace Clay Buchholz on the roster.
2) Robinson Cano, who was originally going to participate in the Homerun Derby, will skip it due to a sore back. That back injury forced him to sit out last night's game. He is 4 for his last 31. 3) Mariano Rivera will skip the All Star Game due to a bad knee and oblique.
4) Yankees are now 17-4 against Oakland since 2008.
5) A-Rod has 597 career homeruns. He also trails Lou Gehrig for most grand slams in a career by only 2.

Yankee stats from the series:

• Record: 3-0
• BA: 25 for 103 (.243)
• RISP: 7 for 21 (.333)
• Homeruns: 5
• Runs scored: 15
• ERA: 1.33

Athletic stats from the series:

• Record: 0-3
• BA: 16 for 91 (.176)
• RISP: 3 for 10 (.300)
• Homeruns: 0
• Runs scored: 4
• ERA: 5.00

Now that the Yankees have finished off Oakland to begin their road-trip 3-0, they will travel to Seattle to face the Mariners for a four-game set. Game starts tonight at 10:05 EST and can be caught on YES and WCBS 880.

The Empire Strikes Back: LA Series in Review

I must admit, seeing Joe Torre in Dodger blue still rubs me the wrong way.

In the highly anticipated matchup of two legendary teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers squared off in Chavez Ravine for a 3-game set this past weekend for the first time in 6 years. Not only have the Yankees and Dodgers met in the world series more times than any other combination of teams (11 times, Yankees winning 8), but the Dodgers swooped in and stole the coach that led the Yankees to 12 playoff appearances, 6 pennants and 4 world championships, Joe Torre.

As we all know, Torre wrote his widely criticized book, “The Yankee Years”, and unleashed clubhouse and behind the scene secrets that left some fans with a bad taste in their mouths. Others still love Torre and appreciate the winning mentality that he brought back to the franchise that was seemingly lost in the 1980s and early 1990s. No matter what, he is a talented manager and a winner that should never be forgotten in New York.

With that being said, let’s take a look back at the series that was.

Friday evening pitted CC Sabathia against Vicente Padilla and it certainly was a pitchers duel. Although Sabathia was not on his A-game to open up the evening, he would suffice.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, “walking the lead-off man will come back and get you”. Sabathia walked Rafael Furcal, Furcal stole 2nd, and Manny Ramirez would eventually single to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Padilla would allow and Alex Rodrigez double and Jorge Posada single to tie the game in the top half of the 2nd. After this, Sabathia and Padilla would exchange zeroes for quite some time. It seemed like a battle of wills as they sat down hitter after hitter, making few mistakes. Finally, Padilla cracked. Alexander “Emmanuel” Rodriguez smashed a famous “A-Bomb” deep into the leftfield seats to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

Sabathia would not give back the lead and continued to flash his brilliance all night. His final line was 8 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 1 ER, 7 K. And of course everyone in the stadium knew that when Colin Curtis came to the plate for CC in the 9th, they would be seeing the great Mariano Rivera put on a show. And boy did he ever. Rivera came on and struck out Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and James Loney to preserve the 2-1 victory.

On Saturday, Dodger fans would have the pleasure of watching A.J. Burnett trot out to the hill to pitch against Hideki Kuroda. This game showed immediate promise for the Yankees as Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson both reached base on walks and Mark Teixeira blasted a 3-run dinger. Burnett had a lead and hadn’t even touched the ball yet! The joy would soon depart.

Manny’s RBI double and Loney’s sacrifice fly would immediately put 2 runs back on the board for the Dodgers as Yankee fans popped Prilosec and prepped for the show. The Yankees would push across their final run in the top of the 3rd when Jeter scored on a fielder’s choice play to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.

Burnett loaded the bases with Dodgers in the bottom half of the 3rd and Loney tied it with a 2-run single. Russell Martin would ground into a double-play, but Manny scored to put the Dodgers on top 5-4. Burnett would escape without further trouble, but the first two batters of the 4th reached and Joe Girardi had seen enough. Burnett only lasted 3 innings allowing 6 hits and issuing 6 walks. 12 base-runners in 3 innings was just another horrible outing for Burnett.

Boone Logan would not help matters. Loney singled to bring home Furcal (Swisher gunned Kemp at the plate) and Casey Blake had an RBI double to break the game open 7-4. Chan Ho Park allowed two more runs in the 7th inning to make the game 9-4. To be fair, the Yankees had 12 opportunities with RISP and only came through twice. Overall, this was a night to forget.

However, the Sunday Night Baseball primetime game was truly UNforgettable.

In a battle of two great southpaws, Andy Pettitte and Clayton Kershaw took the mound in the rubber game of the set.

In the bottom of the 3rd, the action started. Reed Johnson doubled to leadoff the inning and then the “Bad News Bears” made an appearance. The Dodgers dropped three, yes three, straight bunts and reached base on ALL of them. Kershaw was safe on a throwing error by Pettitte and Johnson would score. Furcal bunted up the 3rd base line and A-rod couldn’t get him. Ronnie Belliard bunted to Pettitte and was safe after Pettitte looked to 3rd (A-rod wasn’t there) and fired another throwing error at Robinson Cano to score Kershaw. Yup, 2-0 just like that. Andre Ethier hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3-0. Thankfully, Pettitte would escape further trouble.

Maybe I spoke too soon… Reed Johnson doubled again, Kershaw moved him to 3rd, Furcal hits a sacrifice fly and Belliard hits a homerun. The Dodgers led the game 5-0 due to horrible defense and a less than stellar Pettitte.

Yankee bats looked lost at the plate due to the funky shadows falling on the field in awkward ways as Clayton Kershaw continued to dominate them. Finally, in the top of the 6th, Derek Jeter singled and Alex Rodriguez dropped an A-bomb in “Mannywood” to put the Yankees on the board.

Unfortunately, Joba Chamberlain would surrender an RBI double to Furcal and the Dodgers had their sights set on closing the series win on the Yankees.

Well, Joe Torre should know best that the Yankees are a resilient team. This is exactly why he put in his closer, Jonathon Broxton. Joe Torre wanted to beat not only the Yankees, but Steinbrenner and Cashman.

Teixeira looked baffled at the plate as he struck out swinging. Rodriguez singled on the first pitch of the AB to give the Yankees a small glimmer of hope. A-rod took 2nd on defensive indifference and Cano smoked a double into the gap to make it a 6-3 game. Jorge Posada, in an unbelievable 10 pitch AB, stroked a single to right. Men on the corners for Curtis Granderson and he worked a 9 pitch walk. The bases were loaded for the rookie Chad Huffman.

Believe… believe… believe… come on Chad!!!

Huffman ropes a single over Loney’s head into rightfield! Cano and Posada score and the Yankees trail the game 6-5! I’m not sure what they put in the water down in Scranton, but Colin Curtis had a tremendous 10 pitch AB before grounding to 1st. Loney stepped on the bag and fired home but it was too late. Granderson scored and the Yankees, seemingly snatched by the claws of defeat, were saved by Baby Bombers and came ALL the way back to tie the game! Broxton threw 48 pitches and his ERA jumped from 0.86 to 1.87. Dodger fans sat in disbelief. Francisco Cervelli would ground out to end the top of the 9th, but everyone in that stadium knew who was winning that night.

Mariano Rivera came on in the 9th and retired the side with 12 pitches. The frustration was mounting as Garrett Anderson was tossed for arguing balls and strikes. I’d say Torre misses having Mariano Rivera.

Teixeira singled to open the 10th and A-rod grounded into a force-out at 2nd. Torre summoned George Sherrill to face Robinson Cano. Cano was 0-11 lifetime against Sherrill despite hitting .304 against lefties thus far in 2010. On the 2nd pitch of the AB, Cano drilled a 2-run no doubter over the left-centerfield wall to give the Yankees an 8-6 lead, their first lead of the night. Joe Morgan asks, “Did you know Cano will win a batting title one day?”

Rivera trotted out for the 10th and the stadium was erupting with Yankee fans. Loney reached on an infield single and the tying run approached the plate. Russell Martin struck out looking and Reed Johnson struck out swinging. Johnson was abruptly tossed for creating a tirade over the strike-zone. Carroll would end the game by grounding out to Jeter.

Just like that, the New York Yankees had finished off the Dodgers and gone 4-2 on their road-trip after playing like a 2-4 team. Although he didn’t show it, Joe Torre was crushed that the Yankees had yet again gotten the best of him.

Notes from the series:

1) Alex Rodriguez and Joe Torre exchanged pleasantries Sunday before the game.
2) The Yankees finished interleague play with a record of 11-7.
3) Jeter, who has the most IL hits all-time, only hit .222 during IL play this year.
4) Rodriguez sits on career homerun #594.

The Yankees travel back home to take on the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays during their last home-stand before the ASG. Tonight’s matchup is Phil Hughes vs. Cliff Lee. First pitch 7:05 and can be caught on YES Network or WCBS 880.

Yankee stats from the weekend:

• Record: 2-1
• BA: 26 for 109 (.239)
• RISP: 6 for 25 (.240)
• Homeruns: 4
• Runs scored: 14
• ERA: 5.00

Dodger stats from the weekend:

• Record: 1-2
• BA: 25 for 94 (.266)
• RISP: 8 for 24 (.333)
• Homeruns: 1
• Runs scored: 16
• ERA: 4.67

Series In Review: Duel in the Desert

How many times did the 2001 World Series have to be mentioned during game broadcast this week? If Michael Kay ever speaks about it again…

In their first trip to the desert since 2004, the New York Yankees came into Arizona with the best record in baseball as well as the AL East lead by 1 game. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, trailed the NL West by 13.5 games and held the 5th worst record in baseball.

With A.J. Burnett taking the mound against former Oriole Rodrigo Lopez, hopes were as high as the desert temperature. However, this didn’t last very long. After retiring the first 2 batters of the game, Burnett was hideous. 5 straight hits, 3 of which were homeruns by Justin Upton, Adam Laroche and Mark Reynolds, made the game 5-0 Diamondbacks very quickly. Miguel Montero would double home a run in the bottom of the 2nd to extend the lead to 6-0.

In the top half of the innings, Lopez was pitching the game of his life. After cruising through the first 2 innings, Lopez surrendered a Brett Gardner single to lead off the 3rd. Burnett and Jeter moved Gardner to 2nd and 3rd then Nick Swisher tripled him home to get the Yankees on the board. Mark Teixeira would pop out to end the inning.

Following a 2-out walk to Justin Upton, Upton would steal 2nd and Montero would single him home to give the D-backs a 7-1 lead. That would be all for "Bad Burnett" as he would only go 4 innings allowing 9 hits and 7 earned runs.

An RBI double by Alex Rodriguez and sacrifice flies by Posada and Swisher would give the Yankees hope, but Justin Upton took Chan Ho-merun Park yard for a three run homer to cap off an offensive outburst for the D-backs. They would win the game 10-4.

The second game of the series gave the fans a great pitching matchup between Andy Pettitte and Dan Haren. Haren had never lost a game to the Yankees while with the Oakland Athletics and Andy Pettitte is on track for the coveted Cy Young Award.

The game started off spectacular for New York. Derek Jeter would stroke a single to open the game and Alex Rodriguez, who hadn’t homered in his previous 50 at-bats now, approached the plate. He was tied for the 2nd longest homerless streak of his career. Just as John Sterling finished explaining that, Rodriguez drove a ball into deep left-centerfield for a 2-run dinger to give the Yanks a 2-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Dan Haren would come to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs. Haren, yes… the pitcher, was batting .425 yet still seemed like a joke at the plate. Well, he roped a pitch into rightfield to score 2 runs to tie the game.

Following a Rodriguez RBI single in the 4th to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead, Haren and Pettitte would exchange zeroes until the 8th inning strolled around.

Esmerling Vazquez would relieve Haren as well as the Yankee hardships at the plate. Derek Jeter reached base on an infield hit and Nick Swisher doubled to give the Yankees 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Teixeira singled to score them both, making the game 5-2. After numerous hits by Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Colin Curtis and a sac-fly by Jorge Posada, the Yankees led the game 9-2.

Joba Chamberlain would escape the 8th with no damage and David Robertson would give back 1 run in the 9th but shut the door en route to a 9-3 victory.

The rubber match of the series showcased a starter who is starting to look like his old-self in Javier Vazquezand a starter who has completely lost himself in Dontrelle "D-train" Willis.

To say that this game was ugly would be an understatement. It was grostesque. Willis walked Jeter on 4 pitches to start the game and would advance him to 2nd with a wild pitch. Swisher would single to center to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Swisher would then be picked off 1st base before Teixeira and Rodriguez both walked. Robinson Cano would strike out swinging while Mark Teixeira was gunned trying to steal third.

Vazquez would start the game in similar fashion, walking Kelly Johnson on 4 straight balls. Stephan Drew and Justin Upton singled as Johnson was thrown out at the plate by Nick Swisher. Montero walked, Young struck out and Adam Laroche singled to right to score 2 runs before Montero was thrown out at third base.

Yes, 4 of the first 6 outs were made by mental lapses on the basepaths.

The Yankees would tie the game in the 3rd when Derek Jeter reached on an fielder’s choice (Javy out at 2nd) and Swisher, Teixeira and A-rod would all walk to tie the game. The Yankees didn’t even get a hit and scored. Cano grounded into a double play to end the top half of the frame.

Adam Laroche gave the D-backs a 4-2 lead in the 4th by singling home Montero and Young, but Javier Vazquez worked his way out of further trouble by retiring the side.

In the top of the 6th, Francisco Cervelli doubled to lead off the inning. Granderson singled, stole 2nd, and Brett Gardner grounded out to 2nd to give the Yankees a run as they trailed 4-3. Colin Curtis singled to bring home Granderson and the game was tied yet again. Jeter grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Damaso Marte surrendered a run in the 7th with one of the ugliest performances by a relief pitcher I’ve ever seen. He walks Young, balks and gives him 2nd base for free, throws a wild pitch to advance him to 3rd, and then allows him to score on a ball hit back TO THE MOUND.

A-rod was merely one of the saviors by tying the game in the 9th with a sac-fly to score Jeter. At this point, the game was basically painful to watch. With poor baserunning and pitching by both teams the score was 5-5 going into the 9th.

I can only imagine Girardi looked at the scoreboard of the AL East and noticed that every team had suffered a loss Wednesday night. With a chance to gain a game on Boston and Tampa, he decided the Yankees ought to go to Mariano. The decision panned out as Rivera held the game together to send it into extra innings.

On the third pitch of the 10th inning, Granderson drilled a 396-foot homerun into the rightfield seats as the Yankees jumped out to a 6-5 lead. Mariano Rivera would come to the plate in the 10th only to ground out to the 1st baseman.

The bottom of the 10th inning is where the world was reminded of how valuable and extraordinary Mariano Rivera truly is. Drew singled, Upton doubled to left and the Yankees walked Montero to face Chris Young. Rivera had successfully loaded the bases with no outs, and a hit would not only tie the game but most likely win it for the Diamondbacks. Young would foul out behind the plate to Cervelli for the 1st out of the inning. Adam Laroche, who was responsible for all 5 RBI, popped out to Rodriguez for the 2nd out of the inning. Mark Reynolds came to the plate and on a 2-2 pitch struck out swinging at the deadly cutter that has been responsible for Rivera’s continued success. Calm, cool, collected, as the rest of the Yankees fist-pumped and screamed in jubilance, Mariano Rivera acted as if what he had just done was routine. And to tell you the truth, it was. No other human on the planet could have mustered what Rivera did on Wednesday. The Yankees won 6-5 to take the series in the desert.

Series Notes:

• Rodriguez snapped his 50 at bat homerless streak and had 6 RBI.
• The Yankees improved their all-time record against Arizona to 12-7.
• Mariano Rivera’s ERA is now 1.03.
• Brett Gardner had 4 hits in the 10-4 loss.
• Colin Curtis picked up his first hits and RBIs in the desert

The Yankees have gained a game on both Tampa and Boston and now lead the AL East by 2 games. New York is set to play a 3-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend as Sabathia takes the mound tonight at 10:10.

Yankee stats from the series:

• Record: 2-1
• BA: 31 for 103 (.301)
• RISP: 9 for 29 (.310)
• Homeruns: 2
• Runs: 19
• ERA: 6.00

Diamondback stats from the series:

• Record: 1-2
• BA: 32 for 107 (.299)
• RISP: 8 for 23 (.348)
• Homeruns: 4
• Runs: 18
• ERA: 6.11

Series in Review: Yanks Best Mets for 2 of 3

Yankees @ Mets
Friday, May 21 – Vazquez vs. Takahashi
Saturday, May 22 – Hughes vs. Pelfrey
Sunday, May 23 - Sabathia vs. Santana

Mets @ Yankees
Friday, June 18 – Takahashi vs. Vazquez
Saturday, June 19 – Pelfrey vs. Hughes
Sunday, June 20 – Santana vs. Sabathia

Déjà vu? Not quite.

Although the last time the cross-town rivals played was only a month ago and the starting pitching match-ups were remarkably the same (even to the exact days), times have dramatically changed. On May 21st, the Yankees sat at 26-16 and 4 games back of the surging Tampa Bay Rays. The Mets, on the other hand, held a terrible 20-23 record. Those Mets trailed the Phillies by 6 games and kept the NL East cellar nice and warm.

The Mets took the first set by winning two of three in their home at Citi Field and haven’t cooled off since. 4 weeks later, the Mets were no longer playing for merely bragging rights and the Yankees were fully expecting an onslaught. This series meant much more due to the fact that the Mets had gone 16-4 since slaying the almighty Yanks. Now, the war was on.

Friday night seemed like the night for the Bombers to live up to their name. Having seen Hisanori Takahashi for the first time in May (everyone knows the Yankees don’t hit pitchers they see for the first time), they were bound to have scouting reports on the man and put up some good battles at the plate. This, however, was not exactly the case.

The Mets got on the board first thanks to a 2-out double by David Wright followed by an RBI single off the bat of Ike Davis to make it 1-0. Little did anyone know at the time that this was all the Mets would need.

Takahashi and Vazquez traded zeroes heading into the bottom of the 6th inning when the Yankees had their first real chance of the night. The bases were loaded for Jorge Posada after two singles and a walk. Posada looped one in the infield that nearly anyone in baseball could have beaten out except himself. The Yankees had more opportunities in the 7th and 8th innings when Francisco Cervelli led off with a double and Swisher led off with a single. In both innings, however, the Yankees went down quietly.

The Mets would score 2 runs off Chan Ho Park in the 8th and 1 run off Boone Logan in the 9th to take a 4-0 lead. Against Francisco Rodriguez, the Yankees would load the bases to no avail in the 9th as Derek Jeter struck out and Nick Swisher popped out to David Wright to give the Mets their 8th win overall and 3rd in a row against the Yanks.

Saturday brought us a matchup that we could see for years to come. Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey battled in the Bronx, but couldn’t manage to keep the ball in the park. On the 2nd pitch of the game, Jose Reyes took Hughes deep to right for a quick 1-0 for the Mets.

The Yankees would respond off Pelfrey by scoring on a double play ball hit by Teixeira to even the score 1-1. After Henry Blanco worked a walk in the 3rd, Reyes took a Hughes delivery out of the ballpark again to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.

Red-hot Brett Gardner led off the 3rd with a base-hit and Swisher would advance Gardner to 2nd. Mark Teixeira snapped out of what seems to be a season-long slump by crushing a 2-1 pitch deep to rightfield to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the 4th, Posada would work a walk to bring Curtis Granderson to the plate. On the 7th pitch of the at-bat, Granderson slammed what would be a game-winning homerun into the rightfield seats to give the Yankees a 5-3 edge.

Hughes would go 7 innings and hand the ball to Joba Chamberlain. Joba struck out Wright with a runner on 2nd to end the 8th and Mariano Rivera would save his 16th game of the year to give the Yanks a 5-3 victory.

The rubber game of the series in the Bronx as well as the 6-game subway series promised to be one of the best pitching matchups available in baseball today. Johan Santana would take the mound for the Kids from Queens and C.C. Sabathia would throw for the Boys from the Bronx.

The action started in the bottom of the 3rd and basically only lasted in that inning. Brett Gardner slapped an opposite field single, Derek Jeter reached on an infield single and Nick Swisher laid down a beautiful bunt that made Johan Santana and Ike Davis look like they were part of the Bad News Bears. Mark Teixeira would step up to the plate for possibly his biggest opportunity of the year to find his swing. With most fans being satisfied with a single, Teixeira went above and beyond expectations. He obliterated a 1-1 fastball into the left-centerfield seats to give the Yankees their 7th grand slam of the year and a 4-0 lead.

If not for a rain delay in the 8th, Sabathia would have gone the distance. He threw 100 pitches through 8 shutout innings surrendering only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. Mariano Rivera would come on to close the game and send the Mets packing.

Alex Rodriguez quietly had a very poor weekend going 0 for 11. This makes me wonder whether or not that hip injury is worse than the Yankees have told us. Alex has hit only 2 homeruns in the past month, the last one coming on June 3rd against Baltimore.

Yankee stats from the weekend:
• Record: 2-1
• BA: 25 for 98 (.255)
• RISP: 3 for 26 (.115)
• Homeruns: 3
• Runs scored: 7
• ERA: 2.33

Met stats from the weekend:
• Record: 1-2
• BA: 18 for 92 (.196)
• RISP: 4 for 18 (.222)
• Homeruns: 2
• Runs scored: 9
• ERA: 2.66

For what this is worth, the Yankees moved into sole position of 1st place for the first time since April 21st. The Yankees lead both the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox by 1 game in the AL East. The Mets now trail the Atlanta Braves by 2.5 games in the NL East.

Yankees vs. Phillies: Series in Review

Once again, the inconsistent Yankee offense came to the plate against Philadelphia this past series.

In a series that started off so promising, with a gutty performance by C.C. Sabathia and an offensive outburst against arguably the best pitcher in baseball, the New York Yankees were put down like dogs in the last two games. Not only were they put down like dogs, they were put down BY dogs.

Jaime Moyer is a 47-year-old (Yes, he let up 9 runs in 1+ inning against Boston last weekend) who throws an 81 mph fastball while Kyle Kendrick sounds like he should be racing a NASCAR on Sunday afternoons. Being at both Wednesday and Thursday night’s games, it’s also safe to say that the Phillie fans still haven’t changed much either. They are still rude and obnoxious and feel that they are entitled to say and do what they please. But that’s beside the point…

Reflecting on the series, there were no complaints about Tuesday night. Roy “Doc” Halladay, the man who has absolutely dominated the Yankees over his career with an 18-6 record, experienced a bit of his own medicine. Doc got knocked for 6 runs over 6 innings while surrendering 3 homeruns. The homers were significant due to the fact that he hadn’t surrendered a homerun to a lefty all year. Three lefties (Granderson, Swisher, Teixeira) took him yard on Tuesday en route to an 8-3 victory.

Sabathia, other than a rocky 4th inning, finally made a great start against a team other than Baltimore. Throwing first pitch strikes to the first 10 batters of the game, he would go on to strike out 6 of them. He lasted 7 innings letting up only 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. David Robertson and Chad Gaudin were also solid, retiring the Phillies in the 8th and 9th to close out the game.

And then Wednesday night rolled around…

As A.J. Burnett headed out to the mound, I’m sure every fan had one question on their mind. Which Burnett will make an appearance tonight? Well, it was the same A.J. Burnett that showed up for Game 5 of the World Series last year. Being generous, A.J. was terrible. He went 3.1 innings surrendering 6 runs on 6 hits including 4 walks. His command was not there and his 2-seam fastball didn’t show the same zip it has at home this season thus far. Yankee fans weren’t afraid to show their displeasure as he was booed walking back into the dugout.

Meanwhile, Father Time was on the mound for the Phillies. Jaime Moyer gave the Phillies an incredibly clutch start on Wednesday night to prevent them from dropping to one game over .500. He made all the Yankee hitters, with the exception of Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada, look like they were in diapers still. Let’s be honest, Moyer was 22 years old when Kevin Russo first came into the world as an infant. However, homage is due where it should be paid. Moyer went 7 innings only letting up 2 runs on 2 hits (solo shots by Cano and Posada). With the exception making some noise in the 9th inning with an RBI double by Rodriguez, the Yankees were put to sleep and lost the game 6-3.

However, I feel that much respect should be paid to Boone Logan and Chad Gaudin. Although subject to many of my criticisms and jokes, the two relief pitchers combined for 5.2 innings of no hit relief against the Phillies. Logan dropped his ERA from 5.06 to 4.05 and Gaudin dropped his ERA from 8.20 to 7.36.

The rubber game was last night and the Yankees couldn’t have asked for a better man to take the mound. Old Reliable, Andy Pettitte, got the nod and went face to face with Kyle Kendrick of the Phillies. Following in the footsteps of Moyer, Kendrick also flashed some brilliance by shutting down the Yankee offense. 7 innings of 1 run on 4 hits is a spectacular line for Kendrick and he took the crowd right out of the game. The red-hot Robinson Cano was responsible for the only run the Bombers could salvage with an RBI single.

Pettitte pitched respectably and kept the Yankees in the game, but to no avail. He went 7 innings allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7. Shane Victorino hit a big homerun in the 5th to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead and that was more than enough. Robertson recorded another great inning of pitching when he was summoned in the 8th. And then Joba Chamberlain came trotting out for the 9th… Joba didn’t record an out and was charged for 3 earned runs no thanks to his 2 hits and walk issued to start the 9th. Marte would be called on and he wasn’t much better. All three of the runners on base would score due to a single and various sacrifice flies as Marte retired only two batters. Park would finally get the final out of the inning. By the time it was all said and done, Philadelphia led 7-1 and that’s the way it would stay.

Notes from the series:

• Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup on Wednesday and Thursday as a DH.
• Derek Jeter, after 32 consecutive games of reaching base, did not walk or get a hit on Wednesday or Thursday.
• Before Joba entered the action yesterday, the Yankee bullpen’s ERA for the series was 0.00 through 8.2 innings. In the 9th inning, the ERA was 36.00.

Yankee stats from the series:

• Record: 1-2
• BA: 19 for 95 (.200)
• RISP: 6 for 19 (.316)
• Homeruns: 5
• Runs scored: 12
• ERA: 5.00

Phillie stats from the series:

• Record: 2-1
• BA: 21 for 99 (.212)
• RISP: 11 for 27 (.407)
• Homeruns: 3
• Runs scored: 16
• ERA: 4.00

The Yankees are tied with Tampa Bay for the best record in baseball as well as 1st place in the AL east with a record of 41-25. The Philadelphia Phillies are now 34-30 and trail the Atlanta Braves by 3.5 games for 1st in the NL East.

The Mets, arguably the hottest team in baseball, are marching back into the Bronx tonight for what promises to be a great series. Javier Vazquez and Hisanori Takahashi are going to the rubber tonight. All the action can be caught on MY9 or WCBS 880.

Three things for Phillies fans to keep in mind…

1) Last year the Yankees lost 2 of 3 against the Phillies in May
2) The Yankees beat the Phillies in the world series.
3) The Phillies are trailing the New York Mets in the standings...

Get off your high horses.

“Core Four” Lead Grand Sweep of ‘Stros

"Houston, we have a problem…”

It wouldn’t be uncommon to hear the famous Apollo 13 quotation leave the mouths of Astro fans after this weekend’s romping in the Big Apple.

Before the 2-time defending National League champions stroll into the Bronx on Tuesday night, the Yankees had business to take care of against the Houston Astros.

The Yankees wasted no time taking advantage of mistakes to take a lead at home on Friday as Brett Myers issued a bases loaded walk to Nick Swisher followed by yet another clutch two run single by Francisco Cervelli to take a 3-0 lead in the 1^st inning. With an RBI single in the 5^th by Mark Teixeira, this would be more than enough for Old Reliable.

Sitting on win #199 with the New York Yankees, Andy Pettitte was flirting with a historic accomplishment that only two other Yankees before him had achieved. Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231) had to make room for Pettitte (200) as the third pitcher in franchise history to win 200 games with the New York Yankees. Pettitte stifled his former team of three years with a plethora of pitches en route to his 8^th win of the year. He went 7.1 innings allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits (1 walk) while striking out 4. Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera came on to close the door for a 4-3 victory. With the win, Pettitte passed Whitey Ford for 58^th on the all-time wins list. We are only left to marvel at what this feat would have meant if Pettitte had never left for Houston.

The other half of the “Core Four” was absolutely sensational on Saturday. In the bottom of the 1^st inning, Derek Jeter slapped a ball into the Astro bullpen to quickly put the Yankees out in front 1-0. After a 438 ft. mammoth shot by Hunter Pence to tie the game, Jeff Keppinger doubled to give the Astros a 2-1 edge.

The wise ones have always said, “the leadoff walk will always come back to get you”. Saturday certainly wasn’t an exception. Jeter worked a walk in the 3^rd and advanced to 3^rd base after a bad throw that trickled into the outfield on his stolen base attempt. Swisher would single Jeter home to even the game 2-2. After Teixeira worked a walk and Robinson Cano beat out an infield single, Jorge Posada approached the plate. Not exactly a formidable hitter over the past two weeks, Posada had 4 hits in his previous 31 at bats (.129) since coming off the DL. On an 0-1 pitch, Posada drilled his 250^th career homerun in grand style. The grand slam into right-centerfield broke the game open and gave the Yankees a 6-2 lead. Incase that wasn’t enough; Jeter went opposite field in the 6^th inning with a 3-run dinger to make it a 9-3 game.

Javier Vazquez was great once again with a line of 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 6 SO. David Robertson and Chad Gaudin would each pitch a scoreless inning to shutdown Houston.

As if the weekend was exciting enough, the Yankees would continue the fireworks on Sunday. Down 1-0 in the 4^th, Robinson Cano smashed his 100^th career homerun to tie the game. Ramiro Pena, after an absolutely spectacular diving catch in the infield, brought home 2 more runs with a single to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Posada was given another opportunity with the bases loaded, and he didn’t disappoint. With a newly discovered confidence and swagger, Posada hit ANOTHER grand slam into the right-centerfield seats to give the Yankees a prominent 7-1 lead.

Until the rain started, Phil Hughes was impressive. Although his final line was somewhat weak (5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 6 SO, 2 BB), it wasn’t until the final two batters he faced that things went spiraling downward. Manzella’s two run single and Cash’s two run homer sent Hughes packing. Logan, Park, Chamberlain and Rivera would come on to finish the final 3.1 innings without surrendering a run and the Yankees would emerge sweeping away the Astros.

Notes from this weekend’s series:

• The Yankees improved their all-time record against the Astros to 8-1
• Derek Jeter has now reached base safely in 31 consecutive games via hit or walk.
• The Yankees are now 6-0 without Alex Rodriguez in the lineup this season.
• No Yankee has hit grand slams in consecutive games since Bill Dickey in 1937.
• After going 4 for 31 with 1 RBI in his previous 9 games, Posada finished the weekend 3 for 5 with 2 homeruns, 8 RBI, 3 runs scored and 2 walks.

Yankee Stats from the weekend:

• Record: 3-0
• BA: 23-93 (.247)
• RISP: 11-27 (.407)
• Homeruns: 5
• Runs Scored: 22
• ERA: 3.33

Astro Stats from the weekend:

• Record: 0-3
• BA: 21-110 (.191)
• RISP: 2-10 (.200)
• Homeruns: 3
• Runs Scored: 11
• ERA: 7.88

The Yankees begin a huge 3 game series against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight at Yankee Stadium. Yes, the last time the Phillies played at Yankee Stadium they walked off crying. Read more about this upcoming series in "The Series Ahead". First pitch 7:05 tonight on My 9. CC vs. Halladay!!