Two questions crossed most observers minds. What is wrong with the much-hyped phenom and will he ever be the same again?

The question of course was fair game after the Yankees juggled Joba Chamberlain from the bullpen to starter and back again, thoroughly messing with his head and career.

Few wondered if it was the dramatic increase of innings thrown the previous season when he was brilliant through the first half and merely mortal in the second.

However, with his spot in the rotation secure after a cooking accident by the resurgent Freddy Garcia placed him on the DL, Hughes once again showcased his mastery.

Truth be told, Hughes had already begin to turn the corner two starts prior when facing the Chicago White Sox. His fastball showed the type of zip not seen since the days of him charging out of the bullpen, leaving White Sox hitters defenseless in their attempts to square it up.

He was back to being the Hughes who the Yankees envisioned becoming a No. 1 starter when they drafted him at the ripe old age of 18. Without a set spot in the rotation, Hughes found himself heading out through the bullpen gates to keep the Yankees in the game against the Boston Red Sox.

It seemed to be an audition for Yankees management to see if Hughes would be up to the task if his number were called during the postseason. He failed the test, allowing the Sox to walk-off with the win.

Although the starts he has made since, most especially the one against the Minnesota Twins, an eight-inning, one-run outing where he flat out dominated leaves the Yankees with a few questions to ponder.

Sure Hughes was not beaming the ball through the zone in the mid 90s, but his 92 mph fastball gave the Twins hitters fits. They could not square it up, either just fouling it off or weakly hitting into the field for an easy out.

This outing comes just a few days after Bartolo Colon once again struggled in a start, this time against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Since arriving in camp for Spring Training, Colon was seen as a curiosity by management.

It was a low-risk, high-reward deal and Colon quickly emerged as the teams best pitcher, behind only C.C. Sabathia. The 38-year-olds resurgent season came about from his devastating two-seam fastball which moves the length of the plate, leaving hitters to do nothing but pound it to the ground. However, the results have not been kind of late to Colon.

He has failed to surpass seven innings in his last four starts and has surrendered five runs or more in three of his past eight starts. Colon looks tired on the mound, his fastball doesn’t quite have the bite like earlier this season and he is being forced to work for everything, leaving him with high pitch counts in the early innings.

With the Yankees all but assured of a postseason start, manager Joe Girardi must decide what is best for his team during the playoffs. Which pitcher should he trust?

Does he go with the veteran who looks to be running out of steam or the youngster who has compiled an ERA slightly above one over his past three starts — all wins.

The decision he makes will have a big impact on the outcome of any possible series. It could be the difference between advancing or being eliminated and once again falling short of the ultimate goal — a World Series Championship.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

Chamberlain was having a bit of a renaissance this season; not quite as good as his 2007 debut splash, but much more consistent than previous seasons in the pen. With the encouragement of catcher Russell Martin, Chamberlain added his top notch curveball, previously reserved for his time as a starter, to his bullpen repertoire. Until the addition, Chamberlain, like most relievers, was a two-pitch pitcher. (His duo being a fastball and slider, the latter used as his “out pitch”.)

Even with the loss of Phil Hughes (the Yankees actually got some good news today too; Hughes will begin a rehab assignment next week), the starting rotation had exceeded expectations thanks to veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. But the pen was struck a blow in spring training when Pedro Feliciano, signed to be the big guy against left-handers felt something very wrong in his shoulder. The original diagnosis was a rotator cuff strain, but further tests revealed a torn capsule in his shoulder. For now, Feliciano is using physical therapy to avoid surgery, but going under the knife is still a strong possibility. Feliciano’s loss has been magnified by fellow lefty Boone Logan’s inability to retire left-handed hitters this season.

Against general manager Brian Cashman’s wishes, the Yankees signed Rafael Soriano to a three year, $35MM deal. In the past Soriano has had elbow and/or shoulder issues after throwing back to back seasons with heavy workloads. The third time around was not the charm. Elbow ligament inflammation was the call by Dr. Doom, James Andrews, who the Yankees sent Soriano to after team doctors didn’t like the look of an MRI. Soriano is out indefinitely, so you can’t blame Cashman if he runs around yelling, “I told you so” to Randy Levine and Hal Steinbrenner, the two main backers of a Soriano deal.

So where do the Yankees turn now? David Robertson moves into the 8th inning set up role to Mariano Rivera, but then what? Luis Ayala, Lance Pendleton, amd Amaury Sanit aren’t names that inspire a lot of confidence. The Yankees had gotten effective pitching from Hector Noesi, but the Yankees see him as a starter and would really rather have him pitching every fifth day for the Scranton Yankees (Triple-A).  Relief pitching is always at a premium and with so many teams factoring in divisional and wild card races, GM’s aren’t looking to make too many moves right now. Especially to help the Yankees. For now the Yankees will have to look to within the organization to solve their unexpected bullpen weakness.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Salazar, who played for the 1984 pennant winning San Diego Padres, was leaning on the railing at the top of the dugout when he was struck. Thankfully, no brain damage occurred, but his left eye was removed Tuesday after undergoing three surgeries in attempt to save it.

AL East

Baltimore: What would a season be without Brian Roberts having some kind of physical issue? This spring it’s been his back acting up after a head first slide into 1st base tweaked something. Buck Showalter told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that Roberts has a 50/50 chance of playing this weekend.  First year Oriole Derrek Lee has yet to see game action due to tendinitis in his right wrist, but may also play this weekend. Pitcher Koji Uehara (sore elbow) is scheduled for a bullpen session, while catcher Craig Tatum’s fight to be the back up to Matt Wieters continues to be delayed by a sore oblique. Free agent pick up Justin Duchscherer is still a couple of days away from throwing as he continues to recover from hip surgery.

Boston: J.D. Drew was considering retirement earlier this year, but his nagging left hamstring inury feels great now and he’s ready to split outfield time with Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron.

New York: Joba Chamberlain is out indefinitely, but Sergio Mitre has begun to throw again after both suffered strained obliques. Francisco Cervelli has, for the moment at least, lost the back up catching job after he fractured his foot on March 2. He’ll be out until mid-April.

Tampa Bay: Reliever J.P. Howell is not expected back in the majors until May as he continues to rehab from shoulder surgery. Shortstop Reid Brignac missed some time last week with a sore groin, but is back in action. Jeremy Hellickson finally pitched in a game last Friday after missing time with a bad hammy.

Toronto: It’s slow and steady for possible closer Frank Francisco after his right pec tightened up on him while throwing. Having thrown in only two games this spring it is not likely Francisco will be ready for the season opener. That means Jon Rauch or Jason Frasor could open the season as closer. New manager John Farrell told the Toronto Sun, “While warming up in his last scheduled outing he felt some tightness in his right pec. He came in yesterday, threw long toss and another 15 pitches off the mound. He improved as far as the feeling goes but we’re going to work him through some long toss and continue on the flat ground.”

“We feel like if we can get him three or four games (additional) before we leave camp he’ll be fine. He’s not overly concerned or overly alarmed. He feels this is a spring training aches and pains type thing that he’s going through. The red flag is not up per se with Frankie.” The Blue Jays could also be without reliever Octavio Dotel who has been shutdown with a bad hamstring. Farrell also announced that former starter Dustin McGowan will work out of the bullpen when, and if, he’s ready to come back from a pair of shoulder surgeries. The one time highly regarded prospect hasn’t thrown in a Major League game since 2008. 2nd Baseman Aaron Hill has been slowed by a quad injury, but should be ready for opening day.

AL Central

Chicago: Jake Peavy continues his come back from last year’s surgery to repair a torn latissimus dorsi muscle.  After his last start on Monday, Peavy told ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla that he would be ready to go when the season starts. He may miss his next start though with a virus. Dayan Viciedo suffered a broken thumb when he was hit by a pitch on March 10 and is likely out a month.

Cleveland: Grady Sizemore hopes to make his spring training game debut this weekend or Monday. Sliding is the final piece of the puzzle in his recovery from microfracture knee surgery. Since that’s how he hurt the knee, he is concerned. “It’s probably the last thing we’re going to try out,” Sizemore told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a concern — since that’s how I hurt it, and the fact that it’s the leg that I’ll be landing on. We’ll want to do what we can to protect that in any way we can.”

Catching sensation Carlos Santana seems to be full recovered from his left knee surgery, but the Tribe is playing it cautious just the same.  It has included playing Santana at 1st base, something the The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes spoke to manager Manny Acta about. “It’s all about Carlos getting more at bats,” said manager Manny Acta. “We wanted get him as many at bats as possible, but with him coming back from surgery, you can’t throw him back behind the plate every day.

Outfielder Trevor Crowe has been bothered by a fatigued rotator cuff all spring, but hopes to test it out by throwing tomorrow. The injury has already cost him an extra outfield spot on the Major League roster. Pitcher Anthony Reyes made his spring debut this week after having Tommy John surgery back in 2009.

Detroit: The Tigers official website reported Monday that both infielder/outfielder Carlos Guillen and reliever Joel Zumaya will start the season on the DL. Guillen is still recovering from knee surgery, while Zumaya has been slow in coming back from elbow surgery.

Kansas City: Jason Kendall continues his rehab from off-season right shoulder surgery; he’s played in a couple of games, but is likely to start the season on the DL.

Minnesota: Closer Joe Nathan continues his comeback from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He’s appeared in six spring games so far, and although the results have not been good (5.1 IP 6 H 6 ER), he’s feeling good. If Nathan’s struggles continue into the regular season, manager Ron Gardenhire will simply go to Matt Capps to close. 1st Baseman Justin Morneau is seeing regular time after returning from lingering concussion symptoms. Catcher Joe Mauer appeared in his first spring game yesterday as the DH after sitting out due to off-season left knee surgery. The Twins M&M boys are expected to be ready to go on opening day.

Michael Cuddyer could play in his first spring game tomorrow after having a wart removed from his foot three weeks ago.

AL West

Los Angeles: Free agent Scott Downs was supposed to bolster the Angels bullpen, but he’s out indefinitely after breaking his toe on Saturday. The injury occurred while he was playing with his kids. 1st baseman Kendry Morales, who infamously broke his leg last season after hitting a game winning home run, has yet to play in a game this season. In fact, he’s yet to run the bases and is not likely to be ready for opening day. “He’s going to get his work in here and tomorrow he’s back out there on the progression,” Mike Scioscia told the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett on Wednesday. “He’s moving forward. He still has some things he has to do before he gets in games and running the bases is one of them.”

Oakland: A’s closer and former AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey is out indefinitely with a strained elbow. Bailey left Monday’s game in excruciating pain and paid a visit to renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Bailey and the A’s were relieved to find out it was just scar tissue that was causing the pain and the reliever should be able to begin throwing again next week. It’s unknown though if he’ll be ready for the season opener. If that’s the case, manager Bob Geren would use Brian Fuentes as closer.

Oft-injured Rich Harden has been out with a strained lat, but according to the SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, is scheduled to resume throwing tomorrow. Harden will start the season on the DL as will infielder Adam Rosales who is out until May after having foot surgery. Lefty specialist Craig Breslow is also questionable for opening day as he recovers from a hamstring strain.

Seattle: Closer David Aardsma has thrown on flat ground three times in his rehab from hip surgery, but has yet to step on a mound. Brandon League is expected to be the interim Mariners closer once the season start, though skipper Eric Wedge hasn’t announced his decision. New starting catcher Miguel Olivo missed two weeks with a strained groin, but caught a bullpen session yesterday, and barring a setback, should be ready for the M’s opener. Lefty Nate Robertson will be out a month after hvaing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow yesterday.

Texas: Nothing significant to note; a nice way to start 2011 for the defending AL champions.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

I’m hear to say the Yankees would be better off working a deal with Kansas City for their stud closer, Joakim Soria. You are now saying, “Why would the Royals deal Soria? He’s young, he doesn’t make much money.” And I would have to tend to agree with you, however, he won’t be making little money for long. At least not KC’s version of little money. Also, the Royals aren’t going to be a strong team any time soon, so why hold on to such a valuable commodity? One that will have an impact in 60-65 games.

Soria, who will be 27 in May, is signed through this season with the team holding option on years 2012-2014. The closer made $3M in 2010 and gets a bump to $4M in 2011. After that is when Soria starts to come in to more money. $6M in 2012, $8M in 2013, and $8.75M in the final year of the deal. That is not the kind of money KC likes to pay out. The Yankees, obviously, don’t mind it. Soria has been relatively durable, making over 60 appearances in three of his four big league seasons. He missed part of 2009 with shoulder soreness, but bounced back in fine fashion.

Teams win with starting pitching and any team that has Bruce Chen in it’s rotation is going nowhere fast. With Zack Greinke gone, KC’s starting rotation at the moment is Gil Meche (only 190 IP over the last two years due to injuries), Kyle Davies, journeyman Vin Mazzaro, Sean O’Sullivan, and one time prospect Luke Hochever. That’s not an 80 win starting staff.

Let’s start the deal off with Joba Chamberlain. Many of you will scoff or laugh, but hear me out. Chamberlain would be closer to his home, to his father, to his son. The Royals could/should convert Chamberlain back into a starter. One that would no longer have to answer endless “what’s wrong?” questions from the  New York media or pitch in front of the scrutiny of an over expectant Yankees Stadium crowd. Still just 25, the right-hander with a multitude of pitches could still be a succesful middle of the rotation starter.

The Yankees would also have to include one of their bigger pitching prospects- A Dellante Betances or Manny Banuelos or Andrew Brackman (the least likely to be dealt) perhaps. Maybe one of the catchers from the multitude the Yankees now possess. Money of course is also always part of the picture and the Yankees could help things along by picking up Meche and the final year of his contract. At best he’s the number five starter. At worst, the Yankees try to swing him somewhere else for a low level prospect. Soria would set up Mariano Rivera, get occassional save opportunities himself and take over when the closer of all closers calls it quits.

Getting back to Rafael Soriano…I’ve said before he’s a great pitcher and would be a great pick up for most teams. But the Yankees are not one of them. To pay closer money for three years for Soriano to be a set up man does not make sense.  Soriano is 4 1/2 years older than Soria and had serious elbow issues in 2004 (Tommy John surgery) and 2008. Both injuries occurred after two straight years of heavy workloads. I’m not saying he will have any health issues in 2011, but Soriano has made 141 appearances over the last two seasons, the highest back to back totals of his career.

Right now age and durability makes a Sori  deal a better risk than a Soriano signing. Finally, Soriano would also cost the Yankees a draft choice in this June’s amateur draft, which is reportedly loaded with talent, and that is something Yankees GM Brian Cashman, for the moment, refuses to do.

The bottom line is one way or another the Yankees could come up with a deal suitable for KC and comfortable to Cashman.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Padres have signed recently acquired Jason Bartlett to a two year contract extension worth $11M. The deal also has a vesting option for 2013.

Pittsburgh proved once again they’ll just about signing anyone by re-signing much traveled Jorge Julio to a minor league deal.

The hip surgery for Mariners closer David Aardsma turned out to be more complicated than originally thought so he may not be ready for opening day after all.

Scott Schoenweis told the Boston Globe he’s going to try to make a comeback this season.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

After watching three exhilarating games between both teams at Tropicana Field this week, baseball can not have enough of both teams facing each other.

It may not be Yankees-Red Sox, but it does not mean it is unwatchable. If anything, Yankees-Rays is better than watching that age-old rivalry.

When the Yankees and the Rays play each other, it is entertaining. It is rare both teams get outplayed when they play each other. Players find a way to step up, and both teams can come back to tie it after falling behind.

Count on good pitching when both teams play each other. That is a good thing. It makes the game watchable, and it reveals who come out strong in a tight game.

These three games exemplified why this series should be appreciated.

On Monday night, it was about pitching. CC Sabathia and David Price engaged in a pitching duel for eight innings. Not surprisingly, both drew no-decisions. It came down to the bullpen, and that’s where the Rays beat the Yankees.

The Rays used their best relievers while Joe Girardi decided to use his middle relievers in extra innings. The results were not an accident. Reid Brignac hit a game-winning home run off Yankees reliever Sergio Mitre to give the Rays a 1-0 victory.

One wondered how the game would fare if Girardi would use David Robertson or Joba Chamberlain in extra innings. It probably would keep the game scoreless, which is why Yankees fans questioned Girardi’s decision.

The Yankees manager explained he wanted to rest his best relievers after overusing them lately. From this writer’s perspective, that explanation came off lame. This was a case of him trying to prove what a genius he is by showing faith in his obscure relievers.

On Tuesday night, it was a slugfest. Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and Matt Garza started for the Rays. Neither pitchers pitched well, and they did not last long in that game. The Yankees scored six runs, but the Rays scored seven runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-6 lead.The Yankees came back to tie it at 7 in the sixth inning on Robinson Cano’s home run.

That game ended in extra innings again. Jorge Posada hit a game-winning home run in the tenth inning, but the Rays could have tied it if Carl Crawford did not run to third. Greg Golson threw the ball to Rodriguez, who tagged Crawford out to end the game.

On Wednesday night, it was about resilience.  The Yankees took a 1-0 lead, but the Rays responded with a two-run home run by Dan Johnson to take a 2 -1 lead. The Yankees regained the lead on a two-run blast by Curtis Granderson, which made it a 3-2 game. The Rays received another two-run dinger by Johnson to retake the lead at 4-3.

In boxing terms, both teams traded blows. In the end, it was the Rays that won the battle and won the war for this series.

It could have been easy for the Rays to be deflated after Derek Jeter tricked the umpire about being hit by pitch, which set the stage for Granderson to hit his home run. Whoever thought that has no clue about that team. There are always guys who find a way to get some runs after falling behind. They have done it all year, so there is no reason to think it should change now.

It is not an accident that both teams played each other well.  The Rays are 8-6 over the Yankees this season, and prior to this weekend series, the Rays took a 6-5 series lead. Games could have went either way. The Yankees had their chances to take the series lead this year.

When one looks at this matchup, it seems like it is a destiny both teams would face each other in the American League Championship Series.

They are the top two teams in baseball with due respect for the Twins and the Rangers. Despite injuries and struggles, both teams keep winning. It is not surprising both teams can not create a distance where they would get a breathing room in the division.

Both teams win almost every day. It says a lot about the talent and leadership. There is also something to be said about magic. Good things always seem to happen to them.

With the way both teams played each other all year, it would be a disappointment if they do not play each other in the second round.

The Yankees and the Rays feature drama that the Twins and the Rangers can not provide. Championship series should be about strong teams playing for a championship. It should not feature a team that got hot at the right time.

What is scary is both teams are capable of losing in the first round. The Yankees are going through injuries while the Rays do not have a deep starting rotation they used to enjoy. This could be problematic in a short series.

Here is another problem. For everyone anointing the Yankees and the Rays to the playoffs, the Red Sox showed they are not done just yet. They could crash in the postseason by going on a run that the Rockies are right now.

The Red Sox are six 1/2 games back in the division and six games in the wild card. Keep in mind the Red Sox have couple of meetings against the Yankees this month, so there is a good chance they could gain some games.

There is no question they received a boost after taking two of three against the Rays at Fenway last week.

It is going to be tough, but do not tell that to the Red Sox. They will not be fazed from that.

Next week’s Yankees-Rays matchup should tell who will win the division and who will fight out for the wild-card. Whoever takes three of four will have an edge to win the American League East.

Expect four games to live up to the hype. After all, why should it change now?

The hope is this is not the final time the Rays face the Yankees this year. What our national pastime needs is another serving of both teams in October.

Somehow, baseball fans will not have a problem with it.

They both use sabermetrics  to figure out who is going to play on a given night. They pride themselves by not being outworked by the other manager.

Too much has been made about this type of stuff. Players dictate who wins the game more than managers often times than not.

Monday night was an aberration. This game came down to managing. It was about which manager would use the right guy in relief.

Joe Maddon used Rafael Soriano, Joaquin Benoit and Grant Balfour. Girardi used Kerry Wood, Boone Logan, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre.

Soriano, Benoit and Balfour did their job by not giving up a run. Wood and Logan kept the game scoreless.

Gaudin struggled in the tenth inning by falling behind the count and loading up the bases, but Brad Hawpe bailed Gaudin out by striking out to end the inning.

Girardi changed the pitcher in the eleventh inning, but he used the wrong guy. He inserted Mitre to pitch in that  inning, and Reid Brignac hit the game-winning home run to give the Rays a 1-0 victory.

It was wrong to use Mitre in that inning. David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera were the right guys in that spot. Please spare this nonsense that they were not available.

In divisional showdowns, a manager should always use his best relievers in a tie game. That is what Maddon did. He used his closer and his setup guy to give the Rays a chance to win.

Now, he is doing this out of necessity. Besides Soriano, Benoit and Balfour, most of the Rays relievers are not good. The Rays knew they could not extend the extra innings any longer they should have.

Why did Girardi not get that concept? Maybe he does not know the Rays well, but any manager should use the best guys that can shut the Rays down. There is no question Robertson or Chamberlain would extend the game, and maybe the Yankees can muster in a run in the twelfth.

This was mind-boggling to say the least. This reeks of Girardi trying to be smart. There is no question he would have praised himself for saving Chamberlain or Rivera if the game went any longer. After all, this is a manager who acts like he invented the game of baseball.

Predictably, the Yankees manager acted defensive when several media members questioned his decision. That is the way he behaves if someone second-guesses him.

Girardi claimed he did not want to ride his best relievers. It appeared he does not want to take this game seriously. This is a bad approach, and it is insulting to the Rays that he would not take his team’s showdown with them seriously.

It is imperative that either team win as many games as possible in this two-week showdown. Whoever wins much will win the American League East. Winning the division matters a lot because that team will get home-field advantage in the American League playoffs.

It would behoove either the Yankees or the Rays to go play Game 7 at enemy territory. The Rays do not want to go play in the Bronx to determine their World Series hopes, and there is no question the Yankees  do not want to be in the position to play at Tropicana Field.

Maddon did this correctly. His best chance to win was to use his closer and his setup guy before he use others. Rest assured, he would be called out if he used Randy Choate, Andy Sonnanstine,  Chad Qualls, and Lance Cormier before he used his best relievers.

This is how a manager should do it. On a great night by his starter, the job of the manager is to go out and do whatever it takes to win that game. It is the least he can do.

David Price and CC Sabathia pitched great in a game their respective teams needed them to win. They came through by getting strikes and making quick work out of their opponents. When both guys showed signs of tiring out, they managed to get the outs they needed.

It would have been devastating for either starter had his team lost that one.

Price may not have gotten the victory, but he is glad his team won the game on his effort. Sabathia not only did not get the win, but his work was wasted after this loss.

Sabathia should be ticked off at his manager for having nothing to show for it.

It is rare managerial decisions determine who is in first place, but on this night, it did.

Girardi has a tendency to over-manage in some games, under-manage in others.  Or in some cases, he pulls off the daily double of doing both in the very same game.  Last night’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, which dropped the Yankees into second place in the AL East, highlighted some of those questionable moves.

The game was a great one, a classic pitcher’s duel that actually lived up to the hype.  Top AL Cy Young contenders CC Sabathia and David Price matched zeros over eight tense innings.  Then the game went to the bullpens and things got interesting.

To begin with, a common theory among SABRmetrics folks, and one that I, a non-SABRmetric guy agree with to a point, is that you shouldn’t wait to use your closer in a road game.  Mariano Rivera should have been used in the game, lead or no lead.  He’s the Yankees best reliever and despite how Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland felt about it (I’ll get into that in a bit), this was a huge game.  The Yankees didn’t want to put Rivera in a position to pitch more than one inning and that’s fine.  It seemed to have an affect on his blown save on Saturday after throwing two innings on Sunday.  But use your best your reliever, hope you get a lead, and let someone else try to close it out.

Girardi first went to Kerry Wood to pitch the 9th inning and Wood was outstanding.  He needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in order, two of them by strikeout.  He should have worked a second inning, especially with David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain unavailable, but Girardi pulled him after the abbreviated one inning stint.

Next in line was lefty specialist Boone Logan.  He came on to start the 10th and struck out the left-handed hitting Carlos Pena.  And was pulled.  While Logan’s numbers against right-handed hitters aren’t nearly as good as they are against lefties, he’s no slouch.  It wasn’t like he was going to face Evan Longoria either.  Those future Hall of Fame members Sean Rodriguez (.257) and Dionner Navarro (.200) were the scheduled hitters.  Instead Girardi went to the second to last guy in his pen, Chad Gaudin, who did a fine job of striking out Rodriguez for the second out of the 10th.  Then he ran into trouble.  He walked Navarro, gave up a single to pinch-hitter Dan Johnson, and then walked B.J. Upton to load the bases.  To his credit, Gaudin came back and struck out pinch-hitter Brad Hawpe to temporarily save Girardi’s bacon.

After the Yankees blew a good scoring opportunity in the 11th, Girardi went to his magic bag of tricks, which in this case is his match up book, and called on Sergio Mitre  to start the bottom of the 11th.  Huge game, first place on the line, and Girardi goes to the guy who hasn’t pitched in eight days and is the last guy on the bench.  His night would last only six pitches.  His 3-2 delivery was crushed by Reid Brignac into the right field seats for a 1-0, game winning home run.  And just like that, the Yankees were in second place.

As for how big a game this was – this curious quote from Eiland, courtesy of the Star-Ledger’s Marc Carig: “We want to win the division,” he said. “We want best record. We want home field. So we’re not even thinking or considering the wild card. The wild card is kind of a consolation prize. We’re not into that.”

Then why did you make decisions as if the game wasn’t important?  Especially after having lost five of the last six games.  It’s clear the AL East will produce two playoff teams and Girardi played the game with that knowledge well in hand.

Getting back to Girardi’s magic match up book.  It really first came to light in last season’s ALCS.  Girardi seemed obsessed with it in some games and ignored it in others.  Kind of like the way he manages in general, over or under.    Game 3 saw the Yankees blow a 3-0 lead as Girardi mismatched the moves made by his counterpart Mike Scioscia.  Each time he was spotted by the Fox TV cameras checking his book.  Instead of a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, the Angels were suddenly back in it, down two games to one.  Girardi had made similar moves in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins, but the Yankees won that one, albeit with some help from umpire Phil Cuzzi.

Game 5 of the ALCS was just the opposite for the Yankees skipper.  Possibly sensing that his match ups didn’t work in Game 3 (the Yankees won in a laugher in Game 4), Girardi basically sat on his hands in a 7-6 loss that sent the series back to New York.

Now, don’t get me wrong; the manager is not the guy throwing the pitches, swinging the bats, etc..  The Yankees have blown a number of offensive chances of late.  Pinch-runner Brett Gardner pulled a rock in last night’s game.  He stole second base with two outs in the 10th, but then got greedy and tried to steal third.  Unnecessarily. Stupidly.  And just like that a Yankees possible rally was dead.

But the manager is the guy to make the decisions and Joe Girardi better start making better ones or he and the Yankees won’t have a home field advantage for any playoff series this post-season.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

Box breakdown—Each 2007 Bowman’s Best box contains 3 mini boxes with 5 packs per mini box.  In each mini box you get a veteran autograph, rookie autograph and prospect autograph—this equals 9 autographs per full box.   Rookie cards are numbered out of 799 and prospect cards are numbered out of 499.

Parallels—Every card, base and autograph, has the following parallels:  Green (numbered out of 249), Blue (numbered out of 99), Gold (numbered out of 50) and Red (true 1/1’s).

Inserts—The only insert sets this release contains is a Barry Bonds card for his 756th home run and an Alex Rodriguez card for his for 500^th home run.

Rookie cards—Decent showing  for regular rookie cards in here.  Best ones are going to be Phil Hughes, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Hamilton, Alex Gordon, Hunter Pence, Troy Tulowitzki, Tim Lincecum, Homer Bailey and Ryan Braun.

Autographs—This is why you buy this series, and there are some nice ones you can pull.  Here are the bigger names:  Tim, Lincecum, Joba Chamberlain, Hunter Pence, Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton, Prince Fielder, Andre Ethier, Cole Hamels, Jim Thome, Albert Pujols, David Wright, Ryan Howard, Tom Glavine, Alex Rodriguez, Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw and Fernando Martinez.

The test of time—Great looking set overall.  It can be a bit annoying that all the cards only fit into large top loaders and you are always wiping off fingerprints from the surfaces but that’s a minor annoyance.  Getting 9 autographs per box is nice and with the impressive list you are bound to get a couple of good keepers on average.  Most online stores have this box at $180 but at auction sites you can usually get it for about $20 cheaper.  If you’re trading you are usually going to break even on this box for that price.  If you’re flipping it will be close, you are still going to need 1-2 above average pulls to break even.

Next week I will be taking a look at the 2005 Topps Total.

2010 Season record: 43-27

The Yankees opened up the week against last year’s World Series opponents, the Philadelphia Phillies.  Unfortunately for Yankee fans, the Bombers didn’t fair too well in the rematch and lost two out of three.

The Yanks opened up the week with an 8-3 victory over the Phillies that showcased their abilities to out hit and shut down other teams.  The game was supposed to be a pitchers duel between CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay, but only Sabathia showed up.

Halladay surrendered home runs to Mark Teixiera, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher after having allowed only three home runs all year.  Sabathia got tagged for three runs in the 4th inning, but settled down and didn’t allow another run in seven innings of work.

For the rest of the series against the Phillies the Yankees hitting and pitching struggled.  The Yankees lost Game 2 by a score of 6-3 to the crafty Jamie Moyer, who showed the Bombers just how much he still has at the tender age of 47.

Andy Pettitte went for the Yankees in Game 3 and pitched very well allowing two earned runs in seven innings pitched.  But the Yankees bullpen and offense struggled.  Joba Chamberlain gave up 3 earned runs without recording an out and as a result the Phillies won 7-1.

The Yankees then took on their cross town rival Mets and lost the first game which made it three straight losses for the Bombers.  However they quickly rebounded and won the last two games against the Mets and took the three game series.

The Mets won the opener 4-0 behind Hisanori Takahashi’s brilliant performance.  Takahashi pitched six innings of shutout ball and held the Yankees star studded lineup to just four hits.  To make matters worse for the Yankees they wasted another brilliant pitching performance.  Javier Vazquez allowed just one run in seven innings pitched.

In Game 2 the Yanks righted the ship and stopped their three game skid with the help of Phil Hughes’ strong performance.  Hughes won his 10^th game of the season by holding the Mets to three runs in seven innings.  The Yankees offense awoke from their slumber and got two-run homers from Teixeira and Granderson.  Chamberlain bounced back with a strong outing and the Yankees beat their rivals 5-3.

In the series finale the Yankees gained a split of the six interleague games with Mets with 4-0 victory.  CC Sabathia was dominant, limiting the Mets to four hits over eight innings.  All of the Yankees runs came off the bat of Mark Teixiera who hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana.  For the second time in a week Sabathia had beaten another team’s ace.

Despite the mini slump the Yankees still managed to take a one game lead over the struggling Rays in the AL East.

Pinstripe Positives:

After a slump in May, CC Sabathia has really turned up the heat in the month of June.  For the month, he is an amazing 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA.  On top of that Sabathia’s last two starts came against top tier teams.

In another pitching positive for the Bombers Javier Vazquez has continued to pitch very well.  In his past six starts Vazquez is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA, and one of those losses includes his last start when he only allowed one run in seven innings.

Negatives:

The Yankees got their perennial all-star third baseman back this week which is a good thing.  However, Alex Rodriguez has continued the slump he was in before his injury sidelined him.  In his last 10 games A-Rod is hitting .167 with no homeruns and 2 RBI.

A.J. Burnett is having another A.J. Burnett type season, which means at times he looks great and then at times he looks like he’s throwing batting practice.  In his last four starts Burnett has given up 23 earned runs.  As a result, Burnett is 0-4 with a mind blowing 10.35 ERA.

The Captain has also been bit by the slump bug.  In Jeter’s last 10 games he is batting .175 with 2 homers and 5 RBI.  Jeter, who has a career average of .316, is currently hitting .280 with 8 homers and 39 RBI.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are going to take their show on the road as they travel to the west coast to take on the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers.

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

It in fact turned out to be the perfect title, but not for the original reason I expected. Sometime during the 3 o’clock hour on Sunday, there was a blood curdling scream heard throughout the Metropolitan area. You know, the kind of scream you hear in movies. The kind of scream that scares all of the pigeons from their perches in Central Park.

The kind of scream you hear from Yankees fans when Mariano Rivera gives up the rarest of rares, a game losing grand slam. Rivera may have been screaming inside, but he did his best not to show it. Working for only the third time since April 30, Rivera was asked to protect a 3-1 lead by recording the final four outs of the game.

But after the Twins loaded the bases with two outs against Joba Chamberlain, Rivera walked pinch-hitter Jim Thome to force in the tying run. While fans and the media scrambled to figure out when it was that it had last occured, Jason Kubel then became the first major leaguer since Bill Selby (in 2002) to go deep against the Yankees closer with the bases loaded. A sure fire Yankees win turned into a 6-3 defeat before a stunned Bat Day crowd.

It was the Twins first win in the Bronx since 2007. Oh, for the record, May 6, 2005 was the last time Rivera issued a bases loaded walk. The A’s Keith Ginter was the lucky recipient on that day.

By now the pigeons should be back in the park.

Neil Diamond wasn’t the only one with a big hit during Opening Day at Fenway Park.  Off-season pickups Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro accounted for 5 of  the teams 12 hits, and knocked in a total of 3 runs and scored twice.  For a team that had some struggles in the bottom half of the lineup, Scutaro and Cameron provided a different outcome for at least a day. It is only one game, but it’s worth noting that one month ago this writer wrote that The Red Sox Offense Will Show Up.   I may eat my words within a few days, but for Opening Day, it was the right statement.

Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia struggled for their respective teams, and the game became a battle between the teams’ bullpens. The Red Sox won out with 4 scoreless innings of relief mixed in with bad outing by Ramon S. Ramirez. The Yankees bullpen struggled a bit more, with Chan Ho Park and Joba Chamberlain giving up runs.

Twitter was abuzz during Opening Day, as the Red Sox Single A Affiliate Lowell Spinners tweeted that the Red Sox lowered their magic number to clinching a playoff spot by 1!

Blogger Dan S. of 11th And Washington, posted the season finishes for the Red Sox and Yankees when they open the season facing off. The last Red Sox Opening Day victory over the Yankees in 1985 was the start of a 97 win season!

The teams have an off day today before Jon Lester and A.J. Burnett face  off in game two of the 2010 season.  For two starters that combined to win 28 games in 2009, the offensive outburst of Opening Day might be subdued with a potential pitching duel!

Michael Maher can be reached at Happybirthdayredsox@gmail.com.

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Joe Girardi and the Yankees fans got a good look at the future in players like Jesus Montero and Slade Heathcott and ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte in the unique intrasquad game.  The Yankees, whose lineup featured minor leaguers on both sides by the time the game concluded, topped their future (hey, at least they didn’t destroy their future) 9-6.

With the regular season starting Sunday night, that also means it was time for the Yankees to pare down the roster.  The 25-man roster to start the season looks like this:

Pitchers:

CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Javier Vazquez
Phil Hughes
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
Sergio Mitre
Damaso Marte
Alfredo Aceves
David Robertson
Chan Ho Park

Catchers

Jorge Posada
Francisco Cervelli

Infielders

Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Robinson Cano
Mark Teixeira
Ramiro Pena
Nick Johnson

Outfielders

Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Brett Gardner
Randy Winn
Marcus Thames

Manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman opted to go with Sergio Mitre as a long man in the pen rather than keep either Royce Ring or Boone Logan as a second left-hander in the bullpen.  Either could still be called up quicky if Damaso Marte’s cranky shoulder proves detrimental to the team as it did last season.

There was a big change in the team’s catching depth as well.  With Jorge Posada bothered by a stiff neck and Francisco Cervelli slowed by a sore hamstring, there was speculation that veteran catcher Mike Rivera might make the squad out of Tampa.

Not only didn’t Rivera make the team, he was on the verge of being released.  Rivera became expendable after former Yankee Chad Moeller was released by the Baltimore Orioles.  The Yankees quickly scooped him up as well former Diamondbacks catcher Robbie Hammock, and signed the pair to minor league deals.  Meanwhile Cervelli’s hamstring felt good enough for him to travel with the big squad.

* * *

Drew Sarver covers the Yankees for BaseballDigest.com and blogs at My Pinstripes.  He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

Perhaps that is why the Thurman Munson Awards Dinner, benefiting the AHRC New York City Foundation, which assists children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is still such a hit.  The 30th Anniversary event, held on Tuesday night at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York, sold out again, as attendees had the chance to meet the 2010 Award winners, including Joba Chamberlain, Lou Piniella and Darryl Strawberry, as well as other New York sports stars such as Knicks starting point guard Chris Duhon and Yonkers Raceway’s leading driver Jason Bartlett, who also won awards.

Champions all, which was the the theme of the evening.

Piniella was presented with the Legend Award for his “long and meritorious service to baseball.”

“It’s unbelievable,” said Piniella of the event’s staying power.  “Usually when somebody has an accident like Thurman did, maybe it goes on for a while and then things sort of drift away a little bit. But 30 years later, the charities that are benefiting from this event and the people that are honored here, it speaks volumes of how this city loved and respected this guy.”

Also on hand were three of Munson’s teammates, Graig Nettles, Goose Gossage and Ron Guidry, as well as Brooklyn Dodgers legend Ralph Branca and his son in law, former Mets manager Bobby Valentine.

Ron Guidry presents the 2010 Thurman Munson Award to Joba Chamberlain (Photo: Tom Berg)

Chamberlain, entering his fourth year in the Majors, was born six years after Munson’s death, but feels his presence as a Yankee.

“If you don’t know who he is, you’re not really a fan of baseball,” said Chamberlain.  “Just to see the things that he did and the passion that he played the game of baseball with and the passion for life and his family was truly incredible.”

“This guy was a professional with the way he played and the way he carried himself,” said Piniella of his former teammate and close friend.  “He was named the captain of the team and I think Derek Jeter is right after him, they haven’t had one since, so I think that speaks volumes.  We had such a good time with the guys we played with like Nettles and Sparky [Lyle] and Catfish [Hunter], Roy White, Willie Randolph…what a group of professionals we had over there…Gossage, I know I’m leaving a few out, I’m not doing it intentionally.  Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers…what a group. I wear my championship ring with pride. It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. I’d pay to do those years over again.”

Proceeds from the fundraiser, held annually since the untimely death of the Yankees captain in August 1979, go to  AHRC New York City Foundation, which helps serve children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Munson’s widow Diana has helped raise nearly $10 million for those afflicted.

Piniella, a previous Munson Award recipient, will receive the “Legend Award” for his long and meritorious service to baseball at the event, set for the Grand Hyatt in New York.

In addition to Chamberlain and Strawberry, two other sports stars will be honored with Munson Awards at the Dinner, including New York Knicks starting point guard Chris Duhon and Yonkers Raceway’s two-time champion driver Jason Bartlett (not to be confused with the Tampa Bay Rays’ shortstop of the same name).

Lynn Pike, the president of Capital One Bank, will receive the “Corporate Hero Award.”

For tickets and information, fans can call 212-249-6188 or visit http://www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/.

Among a long list of notable athletes to previously receive the Munson Award are: Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Willie Randolph, Mariano Rivera, Muhammad Ali, Yogi Berra, Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly, Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, Patrick Ewing,  Walt Frazier,  Mark Jackson, Charles Oakley, Bernie Williams, Arthur Ashe, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Willie Mays, Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Adam Graves, Tom Seaver, Harry Carson and John Franco.

With players such as Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Brett Gardner now entrenched in the major leagues the Yankees now have the task of replacing them in the system. In addition the trades the Yankees have made this past off season sent two of their top prospects to other teams in order to strengthen the big club.

It was an up and down year for the Yankees in the minor leagues as several of their top players experienced injuries such as Dellin Betances, Jairo Heredia, and Jesus Montero. Former first round pick Andrew Brackman struggled in his first professional season but found success at the end of the season out of the bullpen. Others however emerged such as the young Jose A. Ramirez who ended the year on the NY-Penn League championship roster of the Staten Island Yankees.

1. Jesus Montero – Young, big, and powerful are three words that can best describe catching prospect Jesus Montero who comes as no surprise to be number one on our New York Yankees top prospect list. The 6 foot 4 inch 225 pound right handed slugger has impressed at every level he has competed at.
2. Austin Romine – Coming in right behind the slugging Jesus Montero is the best defensive catcher in the organization in the form of Austin Romine. The Yankees selected the 21 year old catcher in the second round of the 2007 First-Year Player draft out of high school and made his professional debut later that season appearing in just one game where he went 1 for 2 with a RBI for the Gulf Coast Yankees.
3. Manny Banuelos – Probably the best left-handed pitching prospect the New York Yankees have developed since current Yankee Andy Pettite. Manny Banuelos was neck and neck with Arodys Vizcaino for the title of best pitching prospect in the Yankees organization but a trade solved that debate.
4. Slade Heathcott – One of the two members of the 2009 First-Year Draft class who made our Top 10 prospect list is outfielder Slade Heathcott. Although he appeared in only 3 games during the season with the Gulf Coast Yankees.
5. 

   Zach McAllister pitching for the Trenton Thunder - Photo Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner

   Zach McAllister – Zach McAllister was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3^rd round ove the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and made his professional debut later that season as a piggyback starter with fellow draft pick Dellin Betances.

6. JR Murphy – John R. Murphy is the second member of the 2009 Draft class to be named to the Top 10 Prospects. Murphy was selected in the second round of the draft out of high school. The 6foot 190 pound catcher then made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Yankees where he hit .333 in 9 games with a homerun, a double and 7 RBIs.
7. Andrew Brackman – As a former two-sport athlete in college the towering Andrew Brackman never has been through the regular off-season training routine that typical pitchers went through, in addition sitting out a season due to Tommy John surgery he did not have his best stuff in 2009, but the Yankees still liked what they saw from his development.
8. Wilkins DeLaRosa – Originally signed as a right fielder with a killer arm DeLaRosa’s bat was not able to come around and the Yankees moved him to the mound in 2007.
9. Jeremy Bleich – Selected in the supplemental round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft the left-handed pitching Jeremy Bleich made his professional debut pitching 3 innings allowing 2 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4 for the Staten Island Yankees in September of that season.
10. Ivan Nova – Ivan Nova is a guy that Yankees fans could see sometime soon in the Bronx. The young right hander signed on July 15, 2004 as an International Free Agent and then made his United States debut in 2006 with the Gulf Coast Yankees.

Other Names to Know

Beyond the top ten prospects are several players that could break into the list next year such as right-handers Jose A. Ramirez, DJ Mitchell, Christian Garcia and Hector Noesi. That latter was added to the 40-man roster this past off-season. Infielders Bradley Suttle and Corban Joseph are also names to follow in the minors. Newly signed catcher Gary Sanchez has yet to get into a game but could be on the list next season after making his professional debut. In addition the young Kyle Higashioka has the ability to be great defensive catcher as well as become a good hitter.

Check back throughout the week as we take a closer look at the Top 10 New York Yankees Prospects

At first glance, this signing looks like an incredible pickup for the Red Sox. In 2009, Lackey pitched well against all of the AL East teams except for the Tampa Bay Rays. In his career, he has pitched well against the AL East and interleague teams. Lackey will join Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka to top off the first four spots in the rotation.

Even Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe cannot ignore this impact signing has in the arms battle with the New York Yankees.

A rotation of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka and either Clay Buchholz or Tim Wakefield would be better than what the Yankees have right now in CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, TBA, TBA.

While Abraham’s assessment discounts the real possibility that Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes will continue to develope and improve, the reality is the Red Sox rotation is now stacked with pitchers who have shown the ability to succeed for full seasons and continue that success in the postseason.

The biggest concern for John Lackey’s 5 year deal with Boston is probably with his health. Lackey started each of the last two seasons on the disabled list, but avoided the DL once in the rotation. He made 24 starts in 2008 and 27 in 2009.

The question that arises now, with the Mike Lowell to Texas trade potentially hitting a snag due to Lowell’s thumb injury, will Clay Buchholz become expedible in hopes of acquiring a third baseman to fill Lowell’s shoes? How 43 year old Tim Wakefield responds to back surgery could play a role in Buchholz’s future in Boston as well.

After a relatively quiet Winter Meetings for Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox, it seems Christmas has come early for Red Sox fans!

The Yankees scored three runs in the 9th inning and beat the Philadelphia Philles 7-4 before a sold out, raucous Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies had gotten off the mat in the bottom of the 8th when Pedro Feliz hit a game tying solo home run off of Joba Chamberlain. But after Brad Lidge retired the first two Yankees in the 9th, Damon lined a single on the 10th hit of the at-bat.

With Mark Teixeira up, the Phillies employed their usual shift with third baseman Feliz positioned more like a shortstop. Damon took off for second, beating catcher Carlos Ruiz’s throw. After a momentary hesitation, Damon broke off for the unoccupied third base and reached it uncontested.

The play was huge. With Damon on third, Lidge would be more reluctant to throw his slider in the dirt. Lidge, who appeared to have turned his regular season struggles around during the post-season, hit Teixeira. Alex Rodriguez then drilled a fat fastball off the left field wall to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead. Jorge Posada provided some insurance with a 2-run double and Mariano Rivera nailed down the save.

Damon’s defense had come into question earlier in the game when he play Feliz’s catchable ball on a hop and made a weak throw home as Ryan Howard scored to tie the game at two apiece.

In actuality, Howard never scored as he never touched home plate. It was just part of a bad night for home plate ump Mike Everitt who had a wandering plate all night.

Jimmy Rollins led off with a base hit up the middle, and then Victorino worked a walk to put runners on at first and second with nobody out and Chase Utley stepping to the plate. Utley popped out in the infield for the first out of the inning. Howard followed with another pop up. Jayson Werth struck out swinging…Phillies had first and second and nobody out, and they don’t get anything…that’s not acceptable! Sabathia did a great job getting out of trouble though. It was at a point in the game where the Phillies could have done some real damage, and they were not able to capitalize. However, they were not out of the game yet, because they are a team of comebacks. Chase Utley homered in the seventh, and then Pedro Feliz homered in the 8th with two outs off of Joba Chamberlain to tie the ballgame up at four.

It appeared that everything was working in the Phils favor going into the ninth inning, and it seemed that the Phils were ready to come up in the bottom half of the ninth to win it, but first they had to get through the top of the ninth. Brad Lidge came on and looked impressive as he got the first two outs, but then he crumbled. Johnny Damon had a great at bat against Lidge, and it was all downhill from there, and before you knew it, the Phils were coming up in the bottom of the ninth with the score 7-4 and facing Mariano Rivera. Obviously the task was too tall to come back again, and the Phils magic was gone. The Phillies will try to find that magic once again now down 3-1 in the series, as they will have to win three in a row to become repeat champions. Cliff Lee takes the ball for the Phils tomorrow night, and he will try to send the series back to New York. I have no hero or goat in this one, because in my mind, the Yankees simply outplayed the Phillies, and it was not anything anyone on the Phils did to blow this one.

Joe Saunders, who performed so well in Game 2, blanked the Yankees through three innings, but trailing 1-0 in the 4th, the Yankees broke through.  Robinson Cano drew a lead-off walk and Nick Swisher followed with a bust-out-of-a-slump single to left.  After Melky Cabrera successfully sacrificed the runners over, Saunders walked Derek Jeter to load the bases.  Johnny Damon got the Yankees off the schneid with runners in scoring position with a base hit to left field for a 2-1 lead.  After a single by Mark Teixeira loaded the bags again, Saunders walked Alex Rodriguez to force in the third run of the inning.  After that it was all up to Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera.

Pettitte allowed an RBI single to former teammate Bobby Abreu in the third, but was spotless the rest of the night. His biggest challenge came in the 6th when Torii Hunter reached on a two-out single and Vlad Guerrero followed with a double.  But Pettitte knocked down Kendry Morales’ comebacker and threw him out at first to escape the jam.

Pettitte received a standing ovation after he allowed a one-out single to Juan Rivera in the 7th and departed in favor of Chamberlain.  The right-hander bridged the gap to Rivera by retiring pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar to keep the game at 3-1.

The Sandman actually looked human in the 8th inning when he gave up a two out RBI single to Guerrero to cut the deficit to 3-2.  But the Angels, so sound fundamentally, gave the Yankees some breathing room in the home half of the inning.

After a walk to Cano, Nick Swisher laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.  Howie Kendrick dropped Scott Kazmir’s throw to first for an error and the Yankees were in business.  Cabrera followed with another sac bunt, which Kazmir “sky hooked” into right field for a run-scoring error.  Teixeira’s long sac fly to center gave the Yankees an insurmountable 5-2 lead.

In the 9th, Rivera retired Kendrick on a ground-out and Juan Rivera on a fly-out before striking out pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. for the final  out.  Rivera strode off the mound, exchanged hugs with Jorge Posada, and the Yankees’ celebration was on.

Game Notes

Game 1 of the World Series is Wednesday night.  The Yankees will send the ALCS MVP, CC Sabathia, out against his former Indians teammate Cliff Lee.

The Yankees and Andy Pettitte trailed Carl Pavano and the Twins 1-0 after six innings.  That’s right, the former “American Idle” had blanked the Bombers on just two hits up to that point.  Pettitte was nearly Pavano’s equal, having not allowed a base runner through four innings, and just one earned run and three hits.  That’s when the Yankees newest Mr. October, at least for round one round of the playoffs, struck.

Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with out in the 7th and drilled a 3-2 fastball high atop the wall in right-center field for a game tying home run.  In seven career post season game against the Twins, Rodriguez has now driven in nine runs. Pavano bounced back to strike out Hideki Matsui for the inning’s second out, but Jorge Posada went the opposite way for a solo home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The Yankees bullpen then took over as Pettitte exited with one out in the bottom of the 7th. Joba Chamberalin allowed a double to Delmon Young, but retired Brendan Harris and Jose Morales to preserve the lead.  Phil Hughes would need a little luck in the 8th inning to do the same.

Nick Punto doubled to lead off the inning and Denard Span followed with a bouncer back up the middle.  Derek Jeter cut the ball off, but had no play on Span at first.  But the Captain alertly spun and threw home to keep Punto at third.  He did more than just that.  Punto had gone half way down the line and was now caught in between.  He scurried back to third but Posada’s throw beat him to the bag and A-Rod applied the rally crushing tag.  Instead of runners on the corners with no one out, the Twins merely had a man on first with one out.  Ron Gardenhire, hands a top his head in frustration, looked on in exasperation, his team having run themselves out of another potential big inning.

Hughes retired Orlando Cabrera for the second out and Joe Girardi sent for Mariano Rivera to face Joe Mauer.  Rivera shattered Mauer’s bat as the soon to be AL MVP grounded out meekly to Mark Teixeira for the final out of the inning.

Posada and Robinson Cano added RBI singles in the 9th and, after allowing a lead off single to Michael Cuddyer, Rivera retired the next three batters for a four-out save and sent the Yankees back to the ALCS for the first time since 2004.

Series Notes

Alex Rodriguez was 5-11 (.455) with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in the series.

The Yankees three starting pitchers – CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte combined to allow three earned runs in 19 innings.

Johnny Damon was just 1-12 in the series and swung and missed his way to the “Golden Sombrero” in Game 3.  It comes on the heels of a 22-89 (.247) last month of the season.

Andy Pettitte tied John Smoltz for the most career post season wins with 15.

Joe Mauer was 5-12 (.417) with two walks, but his RBI in Game 3 was his only one in the series.