2010 Season record: 93-64

The Yankees opened up a big rivalry week and their final homestand of the season with a four game series against the Tampa Rays.  With the division title quite possibly hanging in the balance the Yankees continued to disappoint the Yankees Universe by continuing their late season slump.  The Yankees are 11-13 in the last full month of the regular season and have allowed Tampa Bay to overtake them in the AL East.

The first game of the series was an emotional one as a monument to recently deceased principle owner George M. Steinbrenner was unveiled in monument park.  The pitching match up pitted Matt Garza against rookie Ivan Nova.  The Yankees’ starter tossed five scoreless innings before he and the bullpen faltered in the 6th.  A 4-0 Yankees lead was suddenly gone, but the Yankees offense responded quickly with four runs of their own in the home half of the 6th. Curtis Granderson  homered twice in the game, including the game winner in the Bombers 8-6 victory.

The next game was a match up between two of the games best young pitchers, Phil Hughes and James Shields.  The Rays right-hander had dominated the Yankees previously this season (2-0, 2.77 in 3 starts), but the Yankees offense ruined his day this time around by tagging him for five earned runs. Hughes struggled with his control, but fought his way through six-plus innings to earn his 17th win. Robinson Cano and Lance Berkman led the offense with 2 RBI each in the 8-3 Yankees win.

The Yankees sent A.J. Burnett to the mound to clinch the series with a victory, but the inconsistent pitcher suffered another blow to his season.  This time around the culprit was from Mother Nature. The game was delayed for over two hours due to a rather impressive lightning show and heavy rains.  Unfortunately for Burnett, that meant he wouldn’t return after allowing one earned run in three innings pitched.  The Yankees bullpen was completely ineffective- four pitchers combined to allow six earned runs in six innings.  Meanwhile the Rays’ pitching excelled and Tampa Bay cruised to a 7-2 triumph.

The series finale featured a rematch of two of the top AL Cy Young contenders, CC Sabathia and David Price.  Unlike their faceoff in Tampa on September 13, neither pitcher was particularly sharp, especially Sabathia.  The big left-hander allowed seven earned runs in 5.1 innings.  Meanwhile, Price gave up an early 2-run home run to Marcus Thames, but the Rays earned a series split with a 10-3 victory.

After the clash with their new rivals the Yankees then took on their old rivals from Boston.  Andy Pettitte couldn’t make it out of the 4th inning as the Red Sox teed off on him in the series opener. The game turned out to be a slugfest as Jed Lowrie and Bill Hall hit 3-run homers early in the game and the Yankees responded with a season high six home runs, two each by Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.  However the Bombers bats came up short on the 10-8 loss.

Ivan Nova took the mound in the second game against Jon Lester.  Lester outshined the rookie by baffling Yankee hitters all day.  The Yankees managed just two hits off of Lester, who picked up his 19th win with seven shutout innings.  Nova on the other hand allowed four earned runs in just 4.2 innings pitched.  The Red Sox were thinking sweep after a 7-3 victory.

The series finale was a wild one in Sunday night prime time.  Phil Hughes faced off against Daisuke Matsuzaka in a surprising pitcher’s duel.  Hughes allowed a single run in six innings while Dice-K had one of his best starts of the season (8 IP 2 ER). A-Rod’s dramatic 2-run home run in the 7th had given the Yankees a 2-1 lead and prompted Joe Girardi to go to Mariano Rivera for a four out save.

After getting the final out in the 8th, Rivera ran into trouble in the 9th or I should say the Red Sox ran all over Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada.  Ryan Kalish and Bill Hall stole two bases each in the inning as the Red Sox rallied for a pair of runs and a 3-2 lead.

Then the Red Sox sent their dominant closer out to the mound, but Jonathan Papelbon also blew a save after he allowed an RBI single to Robinson Cano.  The Yankees came up with the 4-3 game winner the following inning when Juan Miranda walked with the bases loaded.

Positives:

After struggling for much of the second half, Phil Hughes has pitched to a 3.79 ERA in his last three starts.

The Kerry Wood deal keeps looking better and better.  The one time Cubs phenom has not been scored upon in 12.1 innings in September and has allowed just one earned run in 25 innings since his trade deadline acquisition.

Negatives:

The Yankees don’t have their fate in their own hands when it comes to the division title.  Tampa Bay owns the tie breaker having won 10 of the 18 games played between the two teams, so the Yankees need to win the division outright.

Mariano Rivera has been struggling as of late; the Yankees always unhittable closer has been getting hit.  The closer has two blown saves in September, and in his last 10 games has a 5.06 ERA allowing six earned runs in only 10.2 innings pitched.

The Yankees continue to have concerns with their starting pitching which has been very inconsistent over the last couple of weeks. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have a lot of thinking to do when it comes to setting the playoff rotation. Sabathia is without a doubt the game 1 starter, but after that it’s anyone’s guess.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will end the season with three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.  This is the Yankees last chance to put the ship back on the right track.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com

2010 Season record: 87-56

Heading into last week the Yankees were 2.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Tampa Bay Rays and were starting to remind the league why they’re the defending champs.  However, the Yankees hot streak hit a major cold front that saw them drop 5 of 6 to the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers

The week’s play started against the suddenly competitive O’s. The Yankees sent AJ Burnett to the mound to oppose rookie Brian Matusz.  Burnett had a decent outing, four earned runs allowed in seven innings, but he did not pitch well enough.  The Orioles lineup slowly chipped away at the Yankees right-hander and won the game 4-3.  The loss did come with one bright spot; Alex Rodriguez hit a solo shot and added a sacrifice fly to give him his 13th straight 100 RBI season, tying a MLB record.

In Game 2, CC Sabathia took the mound looking for his 20th win of the season.  However, when the game was finished it was Baltimore starter Jake Arrieta who walked away with the win.  Sabathia didn’t have his best stuff and as a result got knocked around by the young Orioles’ offense.  Sabathia allowed three earned runs in the first frame and left the game in the 7^th inning with the Yankees trailing the O’s by four.  The Yankees offense struggled too, going 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and as a result the Bombers lost 6-2.

In the final game of the series, the Yankees squeaked out their only win of the week.  Ivan Nova took the mound for the Bombers and once again performed well- two earned runs allowed in six innings pitched.  However, the rookie left the game with the Yankees trailing the O’s 2-1.  Thankfully for him, the Yankees weren’t done. With a man on and two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Nick Swisher came up to the plate and crushed a Koji Uehara pitch for a game winning 2-run home run.  Thanks to Swisher’s timely blast the Yankees avoided being swept by the Orioles at home for the first time since 1986.

After losing two games out of three to the Orioles the Yankees traveled to Texas to take on the slumping (2-5) Rangers.  Javier Vazquez went for the Yankees in Game 1 and was rather ineffective against the strong Rangers’ lineup.  The inconsistent Yankees starter was hit hard and was charged with four earned runs in five innings.  Despite Vazquez’s rocky outing, the Yankees still managed to maintain a 5-4 lead late in the game. However, it didn’t last long, Rangers’ outfielder Nelson Cruz came up to bat in the 8th inning and hit a game tying homer on the first pitch he saw from Joba Chamberlain.  And then déjà vu all over again happened.  Cruz came up in the 13th inning and hit a walk off home run off of Yankees reliever Chad Gaudin.

In the second game of the series A.J. Burnett (4 IP) went up against young right-hander Tommy Hunter (5 IP).  The two pitchers allowed only two earned runs, but walked three batters each and struggled to keep two of the best lineups quiet.  A long rain delay drove both from the game early, which left things up to the respective bullpens.  The Yankees lineup tagged the Rangers’ relievers for four runs but it was the Rangers’ lineup once again that had the last laugh.  The Rangers scored five times off the Yankees bullpen and won the game in a very embarrassing fashion.  Ian Kinsler had already tied the game in the bottom of the 9th off the great Mariano Rivera when Jeff Francoeur stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.  Rivera hit Francoeur with the first pitch he threw to him to force in the winning run.

In the final game of the series the Yankees were hoping to take advantage of Cliff Lee, who due to a bad back, was making his first start in nearly two weeks.  The Yankees Dustin Moseley matched Lee pitch for pitch and the game was tied 1-1 going into the 7th inning.  However, Moseley’s success ended abruptly as he was tagged for three runs.  The Yankees couldn’t get to Lee enabling Texas to win 4-1 and complete a three game sweep over the Bombers.  Prior to the three game set, the Yankees were the only Major League team not to be swept in a road series all season.

Pinstripe Positives:

Andy Pettitte made his first rehab start for the Yankees AA affiliate in Trenton.  The veteran left-hander tossed four scoreless innings and allowed just a pair of hits..  Manager Joe Girardi said that Pettitte will make one more rehab start and Hopefully will return to the Yankees rotation on September 19th.

Lance Berkman’s bat has finally awoken.  The former Astros’ All-Star slugger is hitting .450 (9-20) in his last 10 games.

Alex Rodriguez’s bat is also starting to come around.  The All-Star third baseman is hitting .346 (9-26) with a home run and 8 RBI in his last 7 games.

Negatives:

Jorge Posada has really been having an off year; he is batting .256 with 17 homeruns and 52 RBIs so far this season.  Posada’s struggles have  no end in sight, the Yankees catcher is hitting .185 (5-27) in his last 10 games.

AL MVP candidate Robinson Cano has also been scuffling at the plate of late.  The Yankees second baseman is hitting .233 (10-43) with no homers and 5 RBI in his last 10 games.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will now travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays in a huge three game series.  After that, the Yankees will then travel to Baltimore for another three game series with the upstart Orioles.  These next six games may very well determine who sits atop the AL East at season’s end.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

2010 Season Record: 86-52

The Yankees began the week tied with the Rays atop the AL East and were coming off a week in which they struggled.  But like the saying goes, “The great teams win when they have to.” and the Yankees did just that, reeling off an eight game winning streak.

In Game 1 the Yankees sent Dustin Moseley to the mound to oppose Oakland’s ace Trevor Cahill.  Moseley couldn’t make his way out of the 4th inning, but the Yankees hammered Cahill for eight earned runs in just four innings. The Yankees offense were led by the powerful bats of Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Marcus Thames, who combined to go 9 for 11 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs.  As a result the Bombers beat the A’s 11-5.

The Yankees potent offense kept the roll going in game 2.  Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, and Teixeira all went deep en route to a 9-3 victory.  Phil Hughes continued to get some of the best run support in the majors as he picked up his 16th win of the season.

Game 3 saw AJ Burnett show some signs of breaking out of his recent struggles.  Burnett allowed three earned runs in six innings struck out a season high eight batters.  The Bombers won the game 4-3 behind the continued dominance of Mark Teixeira’s bat.  The slugging first baseman went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI.

In the finale of the four game series the duo of CC Sabathia and Curtis Granderson completed the Yankees sweep of Oakland.  Sabathia allowed only one hit in eight innings of work and shutout the boys from the bay.  Granderson wasn’t in the starting lineup, but when Nick Swisher left with an injury, he quickly put his stamp on the game with a pair of home runs.  Sabathia picked up his 19th victory as the Bombers rolled to a 5-0 triumph.

Player of the Week, Mark Teixeira

After the Oakland series the Yankees welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays to “The House That George Built.”  In the first game of the series, starter Ivan Nova struggled on the mound.  The rookie starter allowed three earned runs in only 4.2 innings of work.  However the Yankees bullpen and offense overcame Nova’s bad outing.  The Yankees lineup collected 11 hits and scored seven runs, three of them driven in by the red hot Granderson.  The Bombers picked up their 7th straight win win a 7-3 victory.

The next afternoon the Yankees offense put up another seven spot, but it took Marcus Thames’ 2-run home run in the 7th inning to snap a 5-5 tie.  Unfortunately, the win wasn’t a complete success.  Javier Vazquez who was given a second chance as a starter struggled.  The right-hander allowed all five earned runs in just 4.2 innings and did not qualify for the victory.  For the second straight game, however, the Yankees pen bailed out an ineffective starter- this time with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The final game of the series saw the Yankees eight game winning streak come to an end as the Blue Jays pounced on starter Phil Hughes.  The neighbors to the north nailed Hughes for six runs in six innings and went on to a 7-3 win.  Despite the loss, the Yankees won their third straight series and maintained a 2 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Pinstriped Positives:

Even though the Yankees lost the final game of the Blue Jays series, the Yankees lineup got a boost with the return of Alex Rodriguez.  The All-Star third baseman went 2-5 and picked up his 98th RBI of the season.

Andy Pettitte threw a mid-week bullpen session and then a controlled game on Saturday, and felt good after both occassions.  He’s scheduled to throw a minor league rehab game for Double-A Trenton on Wednesday, 9/8.

Negatives and Concerns:

The Yankees starting rotation is still in chaos.  CC Sabathia is definitely the ace of the staff but questions remain as to the rest of the rotation.   The Yankees MUST have a healthy Andy Pettitte if they stand a chance of repeating.  Phil Hughes has been  very inconsistent in the second half.  A.J. Burnett has been up and down all season, with more bad starts than good ones.  Javier Vazquez, Dustin Moseley, and Ivan Nova have either been a regular starter or a fill-in, but none has inspired extreme confidence.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will stay in New York for the first part of next week as they take on Buck Showalter’s revived

Baltimore Orioles in a three game set.  Then the Bombers will head to Texas for what could be a playoff preview with the Rangers.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com

2010 Season Record: 69-42

The Yankees went through a disappointing 3-4 week against a pair of AL East foes, but remained ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the divisional race.

The Yankees kicked off the week with a three  game series against the very dangerous Toronto Blue Jays.  Game 1 turned out to be an offensive battle, as both starting pitchers were hit hard.  AJ Burnett lasted only 4.1 innings and gave up eight earned runs.  Toronto starter Brandon Morrow wasn’t much better; he lasted only 5.1 innings and allowed 5 runners to cross the plate.  In the end the Jays beat the Yankees 8-6 with the help of a major league record six doubles.

The Yankees were probably wishing they had saved some of Game 1′s output for the second game of the set.  Ricky Romero, who the Yankees pounded back in July, limited the Yankees to just two runs and a pair of hits.  The Blue Jays offense continued to roll over Dustin Moseley and the Yankees pen en route to an 8-2 win.

Suddenly the Yankees found themselves in 2nd place in the AL East as play began in the series finale.  A-Rod helped kick the game off on the right foot, finally belting his 600th career home run.  Derek Jeter went 4-4 on the day and  Phil Hughes allowed a single run in 5.1 innings before the pen shut down the Jays the rest of the way.  The 5-1 victory, coupled with the Rays loss to the Twins put New York back into a first place tie with Tampa.

After a day off, the Yankees took on their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in a big four game set at the Stadium.

The Yankees struggled offensively and defensively in the opener and the Red Sox took advantage.  Javier Vazquez streak of great starts ended with a 5.1 inning, three earned run performance that was magnified by Francisco Cervelli’s critical error.  Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz was solid in Boston’s 6-3 win.

In Game 2 the Yankees sent their big gun to the mound and CC Sabathia did not disappoint.  The Pinstripe’s ace threw eight strong innings and allowed just two earned runs.  Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano led the offense with two hits and an RBI each and the Yankees were able to turn the table on their rivals with a 5-2 win.

The Yankees kept the ball rolling in Sunday night’s prime time affair thanks to Dustin Moseley’s strong pitching performance.  The Bombers right hander went 6.1 innings, allowed only two earned runs and outdueled the much hated Josh Beckett.  The Yankees offense also did their part and smacked Beckett around the park.  Derek Jeter drove in thee runs and Lance Berkman enjoyed his first big day as a Yankee, going 3-4 with an RBI and two doubles.  The Yankees cruised to a 7-2 victory.

The final game of the series pitted Boston’s new ace, Jon Lester, against one of the game’s brightest stars in Phil Hughes. Unfortunately for the Yankees, it was a pitcher’s duel that Lester won.  Hughes survived a shaky first two innings and trailed just 2-0 when he departed after six innings.

Lester, Daniel Bard, and Jonathan Papelbon shut down a number of late opportunities and the Yankees could only manage a Mark Teixeira home run in the 2-1 loss.

Pinstriped Positives:

Despite a mediocre week, the Yankees still managed to gain a half a game over the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays fell to 1.5 games back in the division after going 4-6 over their last 10 games.  (The stretch included a 5 game losing streak.)

Robinson Cano’s bat is back on fire. The All-Star second baseman is 12-35 (.343) over his last 10 games.

Derek Jeter continued to snap out of his season long doldrums with a 13-40 (.325) streak.

Negatives:

Jorge Posada’s bat continues to be dormant; the Yankees’ catcher is just 6 for his last 33 which translates to a .182 average.  Posada’s time behind the plate hasn’t been much better as teams continue to run on him at will.  And to top everything off, he’s been bothered by a sore knee caused by a cyst.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will now take their show on the road as they first travel to Texas for a two game set with the AL West division leading Rangers.  Then the Bombers move on to Kansas City for a four game set with the Royals.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

2010 Season Record: 66-38

The Bombers opened the week on the road with a four game series against Cleveland before they traveled to Florida to take on the 2nd place Rays in a huge three game set.

The Yankees took three of four from the Tribe, outscoring them 28-10 in the process.

In Game 1, New York sent Javier Vazquez, arguably their best pitcher over the past couple of months, out to the mound.  The veteran right-hander did not disappoint.  Vazquez went 7 innings, allowed two earned runs en route to a 3-2 Yankees win.  Nick Swisher’s solo home run and Curtis Granderson’s 2-run shot provided the offense.

CC Sabathia took the mound against his former team in game 2, but came out on the wrong end of a 4-1 decision.  The Yankees ace didn’t have his best stuff, but battled (2 ER) through 7 innings.  Sabathia got little support from his teammates, however, as the Yankees were held to five hits and committed a pair of costly errors.

The following night the Bombers showed how dominate they could be against one of the better pitchers in baseball.  Cleveland sent All-Star Fausto Carmona to the mound, but the mighty Yankee lineup beat him to a pulp.

The Indians’ ace was pulled with two outs in the third inning after he allowed seven earned runs and 10 hits.  The stars for the Bombers’ offense included Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, A-Rod, Granderson, and Brett Gardner, who collected two hits each.

AJ Burnett took advantage of the run support, picking up his third win in the month of July.  Burnett struck out seven in 6.1 innings and did not allow an earned run.

In the series finale, the Yankees sent Dustin Moseley to the mound for his first start of the season.  After a shaky start, Moseley pitched extremely well, allowing a single earned run in six innings.  The Bombers gave him plenty of run support, blowing the game open with a 7-run 7th inning.

Cano hit his 20th home run of the season, while A-Rod’s 3 RBI gave him a team high 85.  Granderson continued to swing a hot bat since the All-Star break as he contributed a pair of solo home runs.

After their successful series against Cleveland, the Yankees traveled to the Tampa/St. Pete area to take on the red hot Rays.  The opener saw a strong performance from Yankees starter Phil Hughes.  The 23-yr old was cruising along until one bad pitch in the 7th inning.  It resulted in a 3-run home run by Matt Joyce and turned a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 loss to Rays starter Wade Davis.

The middle game of the series saw the Yankees bring out the heavy lumber.  Cano’s tape measure shot in the 9th inning was his 21st home run of the season and gave the Yankees a 5-4 victory.  Swisher and Teixeira homered as well as the Yankees overcame a shaky outing by Vazquez.

In the rubber game of the series, “Big Game” James Shields lived up to his nickname.   The Tampa starter didn’t allow an earned run over seven innings and struck out 11.   Sabathia surrendered three runs in 6.1 innings and the Bombers dropped the finale 3-0.  The series win moved the Rays to within one game of the Yankees in the AL East.

Pinstriped Positives:

It’s time to pay some respect to a Yankee who has done nothing but his job for his whole career. That’s right I am talking about Mr. Automatic- Mariano Rivera. Mo has been turning in yet another amazing season- a 0.93 ERA, 3-1 record and 22 saves in 24 opportunities.

The Captain, Derek Jeter, has started to swing the bat well again. In his last 10 games Jeter is 13 for 47, which is good for a .310 average.

Curtis Granderson has also been wielding a hot bat in his last 10 games, going  is 9 for 31 (.290) with 3 HR and 9 RBI.

Negatives:

A-Rod has really been struggling as of late; in his last 10 games he is 6 for 38 (.158).  His home run drought since hitting career #599 certainly has to be weighing on his mind.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will now head back home to take on the Blue Jays for 3 games and then have a much needed day off.  Then it’s time to face off against the hated Red Sox, who are in striking distance of 1st place (6.5 games back).

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Slide Pettitte into your DL spot if you still have one and drop Pelfrey and Burnett into the abyss. While you’re in the abyss, I suggest you snag a few starters that can give you some quality innings while you wait for injured players to return.  Get those fantasy football thoughts out of your head. Yes, Ryan Matthews is a beast, but you have to stay focused on baseball for the moment.

Brett Cecil: 8 wins, 68K’s, 3.99 ERA

The only hiccup in Cecil’s 2010 campaign was in mid June during Interleague play verses the Phillies,  Cardinals, and Padres. He is quietly having a strong season which is getting no respect from the fantasy community.  Add him to your roster, however pay close attention to matchups for the rest of the season.

Freddy Garcia: 9 wins, 61K’s, 4.37 ERA

If someone tried telling me before the season that Garcia would have 9 wins coming out of the All Star break, I would have called them a fool. Garcia has surprised fantasy owners that have been riding the wave and luckily for them, it may not crash until the end of the season.  He isn’t the greatest option but,  just like Cecil, can give you quality starts if you pay close attention to matchups.

Derek Lowe: 10 wins, 75K’s, 4.39 ERA

Lowe has been up and down all season but has solid numbers and plays on a first place ball club. He also has a solid pen locking down the eighth and ninth innings and has historically always pitched well in the second half of seasons.  Grab him quick because a strong second half is upon us and the win total will be high with Braves GM, Frank Wren, having brought on the offensive glove of Alex Gonzalez.

Ben Sheets:  4 wins, 84K’s, 4.53 ERA

I have been calling on Sheets all season long as a second half stud. He will be playing for the Mets, Phillies, or Cardinals and will pitch like the beast he once was. I sound like a broken record and have already snagged him on all of my leagues across the board. If he lands in an American League rotation, please disregard all of this praise.

Rick Porcello: 8IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB (July 17^th vs Indians)

Guess who’s back? Porcello returned to the big leagues with a vengeance and stomped his foot on the Cleveland Indians teepee’s.  He has the pedigree to turn things around on a puzzling 2010 season and it will only take one more solid start for fantasy owners to scoop him out of the abyss.

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also the Fantasy Editor for Baseballdigest.com as well as a columnist for Baseball Digest Magazine and Assignment Editor for Gothambaseball.com. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter , add him on Facebook and check out his Official Website.

2010 Season record: 51-31

The Yankees opened the week with the last place Mariners, but unfortunately ran up against two of the best pitchers in the game.  The opener was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel between potential All-Stars Phil Hughes and Cliff Lee.  The Mariners left-hander did his part, pitching his third straight complete game.  But the M’s tagged Hughes for six earned runs in 5.2 innings and went on to a 7-4 win.

The Yankees bats were even more anemic the next night when Felix Hernandez tossed a brilliant complete game.  Seattle’s “King” allowed just two hits and struck out 11 Yankees in the 7-0 victory.  Javier Vazquez gave the Yankees a quality start, but the M’s put the game away against Damaso Marte and Chad Gaudin in the late innings.

The Yankees avoided a three game sweep thanks to a great performance by their ace, CC Sabathia.  CC pitched eight strong innings, allowing only one earned run and beat the Mariners 4-2.  Alex Rodriguez  helped him out with a 2-4 night, including a home run and 2 RBI.

The Yanks licked their wounds and welcomed Toronto to the Stadium for the second half of the homestand.  But the Jays picked up right where the Mariners left off.

Starter Brett Cecil worked out of a number of jams and the Blue Jays bullpen shut the Yankees down as Toronto took game 1, 6-1 in 11 innings.  The Yankees did get a great pitching performance from A.J. Burnett, however Joba Chamberlain couldn’t hold the lead in the 8th inning and David Robertson and Chan Ho Park were miserable in the extra frames.

The Bomber’s bats came out with a vengeance in game 2, scoring 11 runs in the third inning.  The Yankee sent 15 men to the plate, including Brett Gardner who started the rally with a single and then broke the game open with a grand slam off of Ricky Romero.  As a result of the offensive explosion and another quality start from Andy Pettitte the Bombers cruised to an easy 11-3 victory.

In the final game of the series the Yankees and Jays got into a heavyweight fight, going back and forth, exchanging blows and scoring runs.  Both starting pitchers allowed five earned runs but in the end it was Marcus Thames who landed the knockout punch.  On the day he was activated from the DL, Thames stepped up to the plate in the 10^th and hit a walk off RBI single that sent everyone home happy.

Even though the Yanks had an off week they did manage to stay on top of the AL East, with less than three games separating them from the Rays and Red Sox.

Pinstriped Positives:

Mark Teixiera’s bat finally seems to have awoken from it’s slumber.  Over his last 10 games the slugger is hitting .342 with 2 HR and 9 RBI.

A.J. Burnett had his first quality start since May 30^th.   The return of pitching coach Dave Eiland seemed to do the trick.

Negatives:

Jorge Posada’s struggles have continued.  The Yankees catcher is hitting an even .200 in his last 10 games with no homers and 2 RBI.   He also had to leave Sunday’s game early with a sprained ring finger on his catching hand and was listed as day-to-day.

The bullpen continues to be a matter of concern for Joe Girardi.  Outside of Mariano Rivera, and even Damaso Marte, none of the Yankees relievers have been consistent.  Dustin Moseley was added to the mix over the weekend to shake things up.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are now out on West Coast for the rest of the first half of the season.  They are going to take on the Athletics for three games and then will have a rematch against the Mariners.

The Yankees are sending Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez to the All-Star game next week in Anaheim.  Yankees fans can go online and vote to send Nick Swisher to the game as well in the final vote.

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Tuesday, April 6th 2010

Rockies vs Brewers: Pitch Randy Wolf  & Ditch Greg Smith

The Brewers bats will pick up where they left off last season finishing third in the league in offensive.  Fielder & Braun will use Greg Smith as batting practice tonight.  Randy Wolf, at home, will provide a quality outing and earn the win.

O’s vs Rays:  Pitch James Shields & Ditch Kevin Millwood

Both teams will score plenty of runs tonight.  Do not start Kevin Millwood against a potent Rays lineup or you’ll be sorry.  James Shields took a few steps back last season, however he is still a quality arm. He pitches to a 3.75 ERA at home and has the offense behind him. I do think Shields will give up a few bombs tonight, because let’s not forget the O’s lineup is much improved from last season.

Red Sox vs Yankees: Ditch Jon Lester & Ditch AJ Burnett

These two AL powerhouses exchanged sucker punches Sunday night and will do so again this evening. I’m a huge Jon Lester fan and think he is extremely under ratted in baseball. That being said, bench him tonight against the Yankees. As you follow my “Pitch or Ditch” this entire season, you will see a trend starting to form-I don’t start pitchers against the Yankees or Red Sox. I’m not putting my fantasy teams in the middle of the “best rivalry” in sports.  AJ Burnett will get the nod against almost any ball club in baseball, but tonight he will rid the pine for my team because this Sox lineup can turn a six inning outing into home run derby at Fenway Park. Once again, this game will be won or lost in the teams bullpens.

Giants vs Astros: Pitch Barry Zito & Pitch Wandy Rodriguez

Both teams are poor offensive clubs and I’m starting to like the Bad News Bears offensive more than the Astros.  Zito and Rodriguez should be giving the nod on your fantasy clubs tonight because both will pitch solid.

If you would like to hear about the rest of the pitching match ups tonight, please tune into Gotham Baseball LIVE this evening from 5:30pm-7:30pm EST. Hawk & myself will recap these games and highlight the rest of MLB.

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also the Fantasy Editor for Baseballdigest.com as well as a columnist for Baseball Digest Magazine and Gothambaseball.com. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter and add him on Facebook.

Second guessers came out of everywhere as soon as Burnett started giving up hit/walk/hit batter, one after another. Had a fully rested Andy Pettitte or CC Sabathia been waiting in the wings it would have been one thing. But the second guessing in this case centered on whether or not Chad Gaudin should have started Game 4.

To put it simply, Chad Gaudin has no business having an impact on a World Series game. unless it game goes 12 innings or more. He certainly does not have any career portfolio to warrant getting a World Series start.

But because of a good four innings here or there, members of the media and Yankees fans spent a good part of last night (and I’m sure today) grousing about Gaudin not getting the start. Heck no one can even agree how to pronounce his name and you want him to start a possible World Series clinching game for you? And you know that if Gaudin had started and was bombed, the second guessers would be going in the opposite direction.

A.J. Burnett has driven all Yankees fans, and probably his teammates, crazy with inconsistancy. It’s not just from game to game, but inning to inning as was the case in the ALCS Game 5, when he pitched well after the 1st frame.

Be that as it may, Burnett was 3-0, 1.86 ERA in his prior starts on three days rest and was dominant in his Game 2 start. The decision to start him on three days rest was a no-brainer for Joe Girardi. And while I’ve questioned many of Girardi’s strategies, particularly involving the bullpen, he was on the money in deciding to go with just three starters in both the ALCS and World Series.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, Mark Teixeira reached base with his first hit of the series.  Alex Rodriguez then hit a deep drive off Twins’ closer Joe Nathan that landed well beyond the fence in center field for a game tying home run.  Seconds after the ball left his bat, A-Rod looked over at his teammates and pumped his fist.  It was a “jump on my back boys” moment for a player who won’t be hearing about post-season slumps any time soon.  Oh, and A-Rod drove in the Yankees first run too.

Then after escaping a bases loaded, no out jam in the top of the 11th, the Yankees celebration began when Teixeira hit a bullet off left-hander Jose Mijares down towards the left field corner.  The ball hit the top of the wall and ricocheted into the stands for a game winning homer.  And yes, A.J. delivered hiscompensatory pie.

The victory ended a wild night at the new digs and put the Yankees up a commanding two games to none in the best of five series.  Starters A.J. Burnett and Nick Blackburn got into a good ol’ fashioned pitcher’s duel before the Twins broke a scoreless tie in the 6th.  Burnett, who walked five on the night, issued a one out free pass to Delmon Young, who stole 2nd base as Carlos Gomez struck out for the second out of the inning.

Ron Gardenhire sent light hitting Brendan Harris up to pinch-hit for Matt Tolbert, who had to leave the game with a strained oblique.  Harris came through with a deep drive to left-center that eluded Johnny Damon and then caromed past Melky Cabrera for an RBI triple.  Burnett got out of further trouble by getting Nick Punto to ground out to end the inning.

The Yankees, who didn’t have a hit until Robinson Cano’s single in the 5th, came right back in the home half of the 6th.  Derek Jeter reached on a one out ground rule double and Damon followed with a walk.  Blackburn retired Teixiera on a pop up for the second out, but A-Rod singled to left to even the game at a run apiece.

The bottom of the Twins order had a big night and they came through in the clutch against Phil Hughes in the top of the 8th.  Gomez reached on a two out walk and moved to 3rd on Harris’ single to right.  Punto’s single to center put the Twins up 2-1 and knocked Hughes from the game.  Denard Span showed the top of the Twins order could be productive too when the lead off man singled off of Mariano Rivera for a 3-1 Minnesota lead.  Rivera kept it a two run game with a strike out of Orlando Cabrera.

Both teams blew big opportunities in the game due to base running mistakes.   Burnett hit both Young and Gomez with two outs in the 4th and Tolbert singled to right field. But Gomez rounded 2nd base too far and Nick Swisher alertly threw behind him to an awaiting Jeter, who applied the tag before Young could score.  A very “Timo Perez” moment in New York.

The Yankees had their own snafu as they appeared ready to win the game in the 10th.  Jorge Posada reached on a one out single and was replaced on the bases by Brett Gardner.  The Yankees top base stealing threat easily swiped 2nd base and then moved to 3rd when Nathan’s errant pick off throw sailed in center field.  Gardenhire elected to walk Jeter to set up the double play and the Yankees unwittingly obliged.

Damon hit a line drive that ticked off Nathan’s glove towards Cabrera at short.  Gardner misread the ball and took off for home.  Cabrera snagged the line drive and easily doubled Gardner off the 3rd as the Twins finally got a break.  But it was a break they couldn’t take advantage of, thanks in part to left field umpire Phil Cuzzi (pronounced Cuz-zee; and you know people in Minnesota will realize what that rhymes with).

Mauer sliced a fly ball down the left field line off of Damaso Marte and just out of the reach of Melky Cabrera, who had moved over from center field at the start of the inning.  The ball clearly landed several inches in fair territory before bouncing into the stands for what should have been a ground rule double.  But Cuzzi emphatically ruled it foul. Without a good angle to see it, no one from the Twins argued the call.

It seemed like it wouldn’t matter when Mauer and Jason Kubel stroked back to back singles, and David Robertson gave up another base hit to Michael Cuddyer to load the bases with no one out.  But with the infield playing in, Teixiera gloved Young’s hot smash for the first out.  Gomez then swung at the first pitch, as did Young, and grounded to Teixeira, who threw home for the force out.  Robertson and the Yankees were then able to breath again when Harris flew out to Gardner in center field for the final out of the inning.

And then the players took their roles and Yankees Stadium witnessed its’ 16th walk-off victory of the season.

Derek Jeter (breaking Lou Gehrig’s team hit record) and Mariano Rivera (500 saves) were honored prior to the game for the new heights they achieved this season, but it was some first year Yankees that combined for the victory.  Robinson Cano had tied the game up at 3-3 with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly that scored rookie Francisco Cervelli from 3rd base.  Eric Hinske, who had singled earlier in the inning, stole 2nd base, and moved to 3rd when John Buck’s throw sailed into center field.  Former Yankee Kyle Farnsworth intentionally walked Johnny Damon in order to face rookie Juan Miranda.

The Cuban native entered the game in the top of the 9th for Mark Teixeira and had just 15 big league at-bats.  He hit a ball sharply back up the middle that ricocheted off of Farnsworth and into foul territory on the 1st base side.  Miranda reached 1st base uncontested and raised his arms in a victory salute as Hinske scored the game winner.  He was then mobbed by his joyous teammates and then got the special treatment of pie ala towel courtesy of starter A.J. Burnett, who had pitched impressively for the second straight start.

Burnett’s consistency is one of the Yankees biggest concerns entering the post-season, but his last two starts have done a lot to allay those fears.  Last night he allowed just three hits over 6 1-3 innings and struck out 8 before leaving with two men aboard and the game tied at one apiece.  Phil Coke’s physical and mental errors put the Yankees down 3-1 and would have saddled Burnett with the loss had the Yankees not come from behind.

Nick Swisher chipped away at the lead with a long home run off of rookie Anthony Lerew in the 7th to cut the deficit to one.  Teixeira had earlier hit his 39th home run, tying him with the injured Carlos Pena for tops in the American League.

Game Notes

Brian Bruney had another effective outing, retiring four of the five batters he faced.  He also picked up the victory to improve to 2-0.

Yogi Berra, Tino Martinez, Reggie Jackson, David Cone, Bernie Williams, Tim Raines, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada were among the current and former Yankees that helped honor Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

David Robertson pitched for the first time since September 5 after sitting out with elbow trouble.  He faced three hits, retiring two and issuing a walk.

The Yankees conclude their regular season home schedule tonight with Joba Chamberlain going up against Robinson Tejeda.

The Yankees also had to be encouraged by the second straight good start by A.J. Burnett. Though he lasted just 5 2/3 innings in 95 degree heat, Burnett struck out 11 and limited the Angels lineup to two runs.  He ran out of gas in the 6th, allowing an RBI double to Gary Matthews Jr., followed by a walk to Mike Napoli.  Girardi sent for Damaso Marte to flip Chone Figgins around to the right side.  The dangerous switch-hitter already had three hits, but Marte retired him on a fly to right to preserve the lead.

After that it was all mix and match and keeping one’s fingers crossed.  The biggest surprise, to the pitcher himself, was when Girardi called on Ian Kennedy in the 8th.  It was Kennedy’s first major league appearance this season after missing most of the year due to surgery for an aneurysm in his shoulder.  It wasn’t pretty, butIPK got the job done.  He loaded the bases loaded with a pair of walks and a hit batter, but got Erick Aybar on a fly to Melky Cabrera in left to set things up for Rivera.

With a lineup that was missing Alex Rodriguez (rest), Jorge Posada (foul ball off his foot), and Nick Swisher (foul ball off his knee), the Yankees knew they would have to scratch and claw for runs.  Mark Teixeira stroked a one out double off Scott Kazmir in the 4th and tried to score two batters later when Shelley Duncan ripped a single to left off the glove of Figgins at third.  Despite the fact Teixeira had started to head back to 2nd base, 3rd base coach Rob Thomson waved Teixeira home, hoping to break the scoreless tie.  Unfortunately for Thomson, Juan Rivera made a perfect throw to nail Teixeira at the plate.

Hideki Matsui, who had drawn a walk, and Duncan both into scoring position on the play.  That’s when the guy you would least expect to deliver in the clutch, did just that. Robinson Cano came into the game barely hitting over .200 with runners in scoring position, but ripped a single to right to plate both runners.  WhenNapoli couldn’t handle the throw home, Cano moved to 2nd base.  The play would prove important when Melky Cabrera followed with a double to easily score his buddy for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

So perhaps the Yankees finally have some confidence in the home of the Halos.  What they definitely have is a six game lead over Boston in the AL East and a six game homestand ahead with the Sox and Kansas City Royals.

Game Notes

The Yankees have Thursday off before starting that 3-game set with the Red Sox.  Joe Girardi has shuffled his starting rotation, moving CC Sabathia to Saturday to give him an extra day’s rest.  Joba Chamberlain will go Friday night against Jon Lester.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, A.J. Burnett is just the third Yankee pitcher to record double digit strikeouts in less than six innings.  Chamberlain did it earlier this season (12 K’s) and David Cone performed the feat in 1998 (11 K’s).

Jerry Hairston Jr. left the game with a wrist injury when he checked his swing in the 7th inning.  Hairston hurt a popping sound and will go for tests today.

The Yankees took a quick 1-0 lead in the 1st inning when Derek Jeter picked up hit number 2,724 and eventually came around to score on a Mark Teixeira sacrifice fly. But it was short lived as Burnett couldn’t get anyone out in the top of the 2nd. Nolan Reimold tied the game with a solo home run to start the frame and Robert Andino put the O’s ahead with an RBI single. With the bases loaded, Brian Roberts, who to that point hadn’t achieved the same success this season as he had in the past against the Yankees, belted a grand slam over the fence in right-center field for a 6-1 Orioles lead.

Burnett allowed just one hit over the next five innings, but the damage was done. Rookie Brian Matusz improved to 5-2 by allowing just a run on four hits over seven innings. The Yankees added a couple of meaningless runs in the 9th inning on RBI hits by Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada.

Burnett was 5-0 with an ERA just over 2.00 from late June to late July, but since then he’s gone 1-5, 6.19 ERA in nine starts since. He’s also allowed a career high 24 home runs. In winning 18 games with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, Burnett was 10-4 after the All-Star break.

Hughes came on in the 8th to protect a 2-1 lead, but Jason Bartlett smacked his 13th home run of the season to tie things up.  It was the first earned run allowed by Hughes since August 4 and the first home run given up since June 10.  But Swisher, who had smacked his 25th home run of the season in the 1st inning off starter David Price, turned around to the left side against Dan Wheeler and hit a laser into the first row in right field.

A wild celebration ensued, the culmination of course being an A.J. Burnett delivered pie to the face.  Swisher, whose personality has helped turned the ball club from a corporate, button down philosophy to a more relaxed business casual, enjoyed every moment of it.

Alex Rodriguez‘ RBI single in the 6th had given the Yankees a 2-0 lead behind Chad Gaudin (6 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K), who was clearly having his best outing as a Yankee.  Through six scoreless innings he had thrown just 65 pitches and scattered four hits.  But Evan Longoria greeted him in the 7th with a lead off home run, his 30th, and Gaudin was pulled after a walk and single followed. Joe Girardi fully utilized his bullpen, bringing in Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney, and Phil Coke to strand both runners.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter’s hitless string continued as he only put the ball in play once.  His third straight 0-4 left him 0-12 in his last three games.

Mariano Rivera (2-2) earned the win after pitching a scoreless 9th inning.

From the Elias Sports Bureau – Nick Swisher tied his own AL record (2007), shared with Tony Clark, for most games (3) in which he has homered from both sides of the plate in one season.

Rays 1st Baseman Carlos Pena will miss the rest of the season after suffering two broken fingers on his throwing (left) hand.  CC Sabathia hit him with a pitch in Monday’s day part of the day-night doubleheader.  Pena currently leads the AL with 39 home runs.

David Robertson has been experiencing discomfort in his elbow and will be visiting Dr. James Andrews for further evaluation.

Joba Chamberlain will get his 3 inning stint tonight when he faces Jeff Niemann in the series finale (7:05 P.M. ET TV-ESPN).

The Yankees took control of the nightcap early, scoring eight times in the 3rd inning.  The Rays had taken a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning on back to back doubles by Gabe Gross and Evan Longoria, and Burnett had walked a batter in each of the first two innings.  But the Yankees bats went on the attack, knocking out Rays’ starter Andy Sonnanstine after just 2 2/3 innings.

Singles by Melky Cabrera and Jose Molina, sandwiched around a walk to Jerry Hairston Jr., loaded the bases with no one out.  Derek Jeter, still three hits behind Lou Gehrig for the franchise record, bounced into a run producing force out to tie the game at one apiece.  The Captain would go 0-4 for the game, finishing the day and night 0-8.  It was the first time he had ever gone hitless in a doubleheader.

Johnny Damon’s single to center put the Yankees up 2-1 and set the stage for Teixeira.  The Yankees best offensive addition of ’09, smashed a Sonnanstine delivery into Monument Park in straight away center to boost the Bombers advantage to 5-1.  And the Yankees weren’t done yet.  Hideki Matsui singled and Nick Swisher walked to put two aboard.  Sonnanstine retired Robinson Cano, but Cabrera’s second single of the inning brought home the sixth run of the inning and ended Sonnanstine’s day.

Hairston greeted Chad Bradford with an RBI single to left and Molina’s second hit of the inning plated the eighth and final run. Jeter than earned the unwanted distinction of making the first and last outs of the inning.

Burnett settled down after the first two innings, allowing just two hits and another walk over the next four innings.  He finished with eight strikeouts in picking up his 11th win.

The Yankees added three more runs in the 6th, including a solo home run by Teixeira, his 35th of the season.

Game Notes

While Derek Jeter didn’t move closer to Lou Gehrig’s hit record, he did pass Yogi Berra for third place on the team’s games played list with 2,117.  Only Mickey Mantle (2,401) and Gehrig (2,164) have played in more games in the Pinstripes.

Mark Teixeira has three multi-homer games this season and 24 for his career.

The Yankees are 39 games over .500 for the first time since 2004.  Meanwhile, the Rays have lost six straight to fall 16.5 games behind the Yankees in the division and 7.5 games back of Boston in the AL wild card.

Couple of more obscure stats from the Elias Sports Bureau, the Yankees have won 15 straight games in which they were tied after the 7th inning.  Only the 1906 NY Giants (16) have won more consecutive games.  The Yankees bullpen has won 12 straight decisions.  That’s just one less than the 2002 Atlanta Braves.

Chad Gaudin has the unenviable task of facing fireballer David Price when the series continues tonight at 7:05 P.M. ET

They would need plenty of offense to overcome a shaky performance by starter A.J. Burnett.  The right-hander had a live fastball and plenty of movement on his breaking balls, but his pitches either missed the zone or were meatballs devoured by the Orioles hitters like they were Dominick DiNapoli.  Fortunately the Yankees bullpen was outstanding, tossing 3-2/3 scoreless innings.  Damaso Marte earned his first win since September 13th of last season and just his second in Pinstripes.

Home runs by Robinson Cano and Posada off of David Hernandez had given the Yankees an early 3-1 lead, but Burnett quickly gave it back, allowing a game-tying 2-run double to Melvin Mora in the 3rd.  Posada was called out on strikes- well, he though he was!- but it turned out the count was only full.  Posada took advantage, taking Hernandez deep again for a 5-3 Yankees lead in the 5th.  But Burnett and the Yankees were looking at a deficit again in the home half of the inning when Luke Scott hit his 21st home run of the season with two men aboard.

Burnett didn’t make it out of the 6th inning, but the Yankees bats kept churning out runs against the O’s bullpen.  Alex Rodriguez tied the game with an RBI single off Chris Ray in the 6th, and one inning later Nick Swisher and Eric Hinske went yard against Ray to account for the final score. It was Swisher’s 13th home run in 25 games at Camden Yards.

The only thing left was for Mariano Rivera to pick up his 38th save, which he did when he got Scott to bounce into a game-ending double play.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter had one hit, putting him 9 behind Lou Gehrig as the all-time franchise leader for total career hits.

The Yankees are 36 games over .500 for the first time since the final game of the 2004 season.  Hopefully there are no omens from that.

Nick Swisher has 3 home runs this year at Yankee Stadium and 4 at Camden Yards.

Mark Teixeira drove in both Yankees’ runs, including an RBI single in the bottom of the 4th against starter Dustin Nippert.  But unlike their counterparts, the Rangers’ bullpen tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings to seal the win.  That included the 4th inning when, with two on and two out, Jason Grilli retired Alex Rodriguez on a weak comebacker to end the Yankees threat.

Girardi went to Coke to start the 7th after Burnett tossed 105 pitches.  He gave up back to back hits to David Murphy and Taylor Teagarden to start the inning and then a back breaking a 3-run shot to Chris Davis for a 6-2 Rangers’ lead.  Kinsler added his 2nd home run of the game off Robertson in the 8th to account for the game’s final run.

Game Notes

Jake Peavy will not pitch in the Chicago White Sox series at the Stadium this weekend.  It was originally thought that he might face Joba Chamberlain on Sunday, but he’s not ready to be activated after all.

The Yankees were limited to six hits, two each by Teixeira and Johnny Damon.

Andy Roddick threw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to the game.

WP – Tazawa (2-2)  LP – Burnett (10-7)

All that was missing was a Tarzan yell and Harvey Korman. Otherwise I would have been convinced that Carol Burnett, not A.J. Burnett, was on the hill for the Yankees this afternoon.  Fenway Park has been the bane of Burnett’s 2009 existence.  He was ripped to shreds for the 3rd time in the not-so friendly confines in a 14-1 Red Sox blow out.  Burnett has now allowed 20 earned runs in 12.2 innings in Beantown this year.

When the Yankees put two aboard with one out in the first against Boston starter and winner Junichi Tazawa, it appeared the Yankees bats were going to pick up where they left off Friday night.  But Tazawa retired Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui to end the threat, and it was all Boston after that.  The Red Sox immediately jumped on Burnett for 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st, 2 of them on a David Ortiz double.   And there was no letting up after that.  Alex Gonzalez opened the 2nd inning scoring by hitting his first Red Sox home run since 2006.  Kevin Youkilis went deep with two aboard later in the inning and just like that Boston had opened a 7-0 lead.

More of the same would follow as Burnett, Al Aceves, and David Robertson gave up 15 hits, including another home run by Youkilis as well as Ortiz’ 20th home run of the year.

Tazawa won his second game of the year with 6 scoreless innings, the Yankees finally breaking through on Nick Swisher’s solo home run off Daniel Bard in the 7th inning.   Even though they were down by a wide margin early, the Yankees had 12 hits and a number of opportunities.  They just couldn’t cash in any of them. Tazawa kept the potent Yankees lineup off balance with a mix of breaking pitches and low 90′s fastballs and the Yankees didn’t help themselves out either.  Robinson Cano was thrown out trying for a double in the 2nd when he didn’t break hard out of the box.  Instead of 1st or 2nd and 3rd with no one out, the Yankees settled for a man on 3rd with one out.  But Erick Hinske hit into bad luck by lining out to Victor Martinez at 1st base and Melky Cabrera flew out.

Speaking of Hinske, I have to wonder what Joe Girardi was thinking in playing in him left field after his disastrous display on Friday night.  After watching him misplay one ball after another, one has to wonder how he played nearly 30 games in front of the Monster when he was a member of the RedSox.  Girardi should have used the more versatile Jerry Hairston Jr. to replace Johnny Damon in the lineup.  Girardi already had plenty of pop in the order to make up for Damon’s absence.  Of course, when you give up 14 runs, your own lineup generally doesn’t matter much.

Game Notes

As expected, Johnny Damon sat out with a bruised knee after fouling a pitch off himself Friday night. But he told reporters he will return to the starting lineup for the series finale in prime time on Sunday.  CC Sabathia faces Josh Beckett in a highly anticipated match up.

Jacoby Ellsbury tied Tommy Harper’s team record for steals Friday night when he swiped his 54th base of the season.  Kevin Youkilis tied a career high with 6 RBI on Saturday.

Derek Jeter was 0-3, snapping an 8-game hitting streak in which he collected 19 hits.

WP – Tomko (2-2)  SV – Bailey (18)   LP – Burnett (10-6)

Let’s not beat around the bush, Brett Tomko was, is, and will always be a mediocre pitcher.  The Yankees finally came to that realization on July 21 and designated Tomko for assignment.  He wasn’t happy.  Last night, Tomko got a measure of revenge, tossing 5 scoreless innings in a 3-0 Oakland A’s win over the Yankees.  It was Tomko’s first win since July 4…when he was a Yankee.

Don’t be mistaken, the Yankees had their opportunities against their former teammate, but couldn’t cash in.  Mark Teixeira laced a 2-out double in the 1st, but was stranded when Alex Rodriguez flew out.  Birthday boy (38) Jorge Posada led off the 2nd inning with a single, but got no further than 1st base.  Derek Jeter and Ramiro Pena started the 3rd with consecutive singles and moved up a base on Johnny Damon’s fly out. But after a walk to Teixeira, A-Rod bounced into an inning ending 1-2-3 double play.

A.J. Burnett breezed through the first three innings, but after getting the lead off man in the 4th, ran into trouble.  Rajai Davis doubled, stole 3rd base, and scored on Kurt Suzuki’s single.  Scott Hairston followed with a single and the runners moved up on a ground out.  That’s when Burnett decided to hold on to the baseball.  The only problem was that he was already in his delivery.  The balk made it a 2-0 game.

Mark Ellis‘ RBI double finished off the scoring for the inning and for the evening.  Burnett went the distance, his 100th pitch being his last.  But the Yankees offense was flat and quickly went in order in the 9th against closer Andrew Bailey.

Game Notes

The Yankees 14-game homer streak came to an end.  It was the longest streak since a 16-game streak in 1994.  It was the 4th time this season the Yankees have been blanked.

Nick Swisher has reached base safely in 26 straight games.

The series continues tonight with CC Sabathia facing Vin Mazzaro.

WP – Gaudin (1-0)   LP – Camp (1-6)

The term “walk-off” has become over used in baseball.  It used to just apply to a game winning home run. Now it applies to anything that wins a game in a team’s last at-bat.  The YES Network even made the Yankees-Mets game of June 12- the Luis Castillo E-4 walk-off- an instant classic.  But then again, the Yankees have made their home headquarters the walk-off capital of the world.  They added to their collection this afternoon when Robinson Cano hit a one-hopper off the fence in right-center field, officially scored a single, in the bottom of the 11th to score Alex Rodriguez with the game winning run in a 5-4 Yankees victory.  It was Cano’s 2nd walk-off of the year.

Newly acquired Chad Gaudin made his Yankees debut and pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win.  A.J. Burnett started out sharply, but began overthrowing and 3 wild pitches later the game was tied 3-3 after 6.  The Yankees victory may not have come without a price though.  A-Rod reached based in the 11th when Shawn Camp plunked him on the elbow.  X-Rays after the game were negative, but A-Rod was in a lot of pain and may be out for Thursday’s opener in Seattle.  The Yankees also lost Derek Jeter earlier in the game after a Ricky Romero pitch hit him in the instep of his right foot.

After A-Rod’s bruising, Jorge Posada, who up until then had a miserable game behind, and at the plate (and also took a foul ball off his right hand) singled to left-center to set upCano’s game winner and eventual pieing by Burnett.  Cano’s 18th home run of the year had give the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the 4th.  Johnny Damon had earlier hit a solo shot of his own.

Burnett looked to be well on the way to his 11th victory when his lack of command got the better of him in the 6th.  He gave up 1-out singles to Randy Ruiz, who had homered earlier, and Edwin Encarnacion and promptly wild pitched them up a base.  After Raul Chavez singled to cut the lead to 3-2, Burnett struck out Joe Inglett for the 2nd out.  But with Marco Scutaro at the plate, Burnett uncorked another wild pitch to score Encarnacion with the tying run.

Game Notes

Phil Coke, David Robertson, Phil Hughes, and Chad Gaudin combined for 5 scoreless innings of relief.   Gaudin is now 5-10 between the Yankees and Padres.

Randy Ruiz has homered in each game since his recall on Tuesday.

With just one official at-bat, Derek Jeter’s 7-game hitting streak, in which he was 12-31, came to an end.  Robinson Cano, however, extended his streak to 10 games.

Mark Teixeira got the day before pinch-hitting in the 10th inning and remained in the game.  Nick Swisher started at 1st base, while Eric Hinske (0-4, 3 K’s) got the call in right field.