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It's over, Johnny. Sidney Ponson struggled, Bobby Abreu's miscue in right opened the door to a seven-run eighth inning and Dustin Pedroia and Jason Bay combined to knock in eight runs as the Red Sox pounded the Yanks 11-3 in the Bronx. The loss dropped the Bombers seven games back of the wild-card leading BoSox with 29 games remaining. The Yankees may still be mathematically "alive" for a playoff berth and I'm not one to give up easily, but that would require a serious run. And if you use your eyes, your common sense, you would realize that this team hasn't made a run the entire season. Why, or how, would they rip one off now? My brother and I were at my cousin's for this one and we were all hard pressed to come up with a positive spin for the rest of the year. I wish I could persevere through this latest setback and do my little roundup, but I'm tired. Sick and tired. So, no roundup. I knew there would come a year when the Yanks wouldn't make the postseason during their recent playoff run (and had a feeling that this could be it at the start of the season), but it still didn't prepare me for it. It's only fitting that I put up a final video/song for the Yanks and the 2008 season -- "Pull The Plug" by Death. Mike Mussina (16-7, 3.45 ERA) will go against Jon Lester (12-5, 3.49 ERA) in Thursday's afternoon finale. Again, I usually do a little "scouting" in this spot, but I'm just not up to it. And I don't think the Yanks are, either.
The doomsday clock has ticked a little closer to midnight. Andy Pettitte was off, Johnny Damon was the lone offensive bright spot and Alex Rodriguez had a horrendous all-around game as the Red Sox slapped the Yanks 7-3 at The Stadium. The Bombers blew two leads (albeit early one-run leads), allowed the bottom of the BoSox order to flourish and left a small army on the basepaths. Not the kind of things playoff-bound teams do to win ballgames. I was in attendance for what was probably my last visit to the House That Ruth Built Tuesday night and it wasn't a memorable one. Still, it was cool to engage in some witty banter throughout the game with Mr. Brian. I'm not going to round things up (I'm too distraught) and while I still want to believe, this team is making it incredibly difficult. I will dedicate a video for this team, however. Maybe it will motivate the boys in pinstripes. Sidney Poson will make the start Wednesday night with the fate of the Yankees 2008 season hanging in the balance. If that doesn't tell you what kind of year this has been, nothing will.
It wasn't pretty, but beggars can't be choosers right now. Darrell Rasner had nothing and David Robertson and Edwar Ramirez followed suit, but Johnny Damon ripped a three-run homer, Robinson Cano smashed the go-ahead tater and Mariano Rivera earned a four-out save as the Yanks outslugged the Orioles 8-7 to sweep the three-game set in Baltimore. The Bombers blew a 7-2 lead in this one, but never hung their heads and came through when it mattered most. The win kept the Yankees five games back of the Boston Red Sox in the wild card hunt.  I said about 10 days ago that the Yanks needed to go at least 7-2 during this nine-game stretch and while they fell short of my expectations (finishing at 6-3), they haven't fallen out of the playoff race. And they managed to cut the Red Sox's lead from 6.5 games in the wild card down to five games. There's still a chance here, people. The Good:Robinson Cano. It's going to be a disappointing season for Robbie no matter how he finishes out, but he can partly redeem himself if he can get on another hot streak. Cano drove in the Yankees first run with a booming double to right in the second and later scored on Damon's home run. Then Canu put the Yanks ahead to stay with a solo shot over the center field wall in the seventh. Cano started strong after the All-Star break, but has cooled off in August. Maybe this series in Baltimore gets him going again. Cano finished 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Johnny Damon. Never underestimated an athlete's pride. It's almost like Damon has been determined to make up for his shaky play in center during the Toronto series. So far he's doing a good job redeeming himself with the bat. Damon laced a three-run bomb in the second to give the Yanks their first lead of the afternoon at 4-2. JD also got the party started with a single to lead off the Yankees three-run fourth. Shame is indeed a powerful motivator. Damon finished 2 for 6 with 2 runs scored and 3 runs batted in. Mariano Rivera. You know things are nip and tuck when the Yanks turn to Mo for three straight days. But Rivera knows what's expected of him and he delivered once again. The Sandman closed out the first two games in Baltimore and it was more of the same Sunday afternoon. Rivera came in with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth and quickly disposed of Jay Payton. The ninth was a little more exciting, but Rivera wasn't rattled. Brian Roberts worked out a two-out walk, stole second and advanced to third on Ivan Rodriguez's throwing error. But Rivera calmly struck out Nick Markakis to end the game. All in a day's work. Rivera earned his 31st save of the year with this: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K. The Bad:Darrell Rasner. It started well for Rasner as he retired the first two Orioles he faced, but things quickly fell apart after that. Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff went back-to-back to give the O's a quick 2-0 lead after an inning of play. The Yanks battled back and gave Rasner a 4-2 lead and later a 7-2 advantage, but he couldn't hold it. In fairness, Derek Jeter and Xavier Nady's errors in the Orioles three-run fourth didn't help, but The Ras never had it. Rasner's location was off and his frustration level was running in the red. Just one of those days. Rasner got the offensive support, but picked up a no-decision with this: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R (3 earned), 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR.  Edwar Ramirez. Urkel came into the game to face the lefty-hitting Brian Roberts with two outs and a runner on third. Made sense. Ramirez's best pitch is his change-up and he was holding lefties to a .200 average this season. The Yanks were up 7-5 when Edwar entered, but Roberts crushed his 0-1 fastball over the fence in right-center to knot the score at 7-7. Very frustrating. Ramirez looked shocked after the homer and honestly I can't blame him. I didn't think that ball was gone off the bat. Still, it wasn't all bad for Ramirez as he came away with the win. That's why you can't predict baseball. Ramirez improved to 4-1 with this crappy line: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR. The Ugly:Home cookin? There are always a ton of pinstripe boosters in Baltimore when the Yanks come to town (it's the same story when the BoSox make it in), but it's almost shocking when you crunch the numbers. YES had a stat that should make every Oriole fan want to retch and vomit. The O's have drawn 1,630,651 fans this season. The Yanks have drawn 296,039 through the turnstiles and the Red Sox 355,237. Forty percent of the Orioles' attendance is made up when the Bombers and Sox hit Baltimore. For shame, O's fans. Monday is an off day for the Yanks as they travel back to New York and prepare to take on the Boston Red Sox in an important three-game series beginning Tuesday night (yes, they're all important now). Andy Pettitte (13-9, 4.17 ERA) will go against Tim Wakefield (7-8, 3.67 ERA) in the opener. Josh Beckett was originally scheduled to make this start, but the BoSox are pushing him back because of continued numbness in his fingers. Wakefield has been on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, but will be activated for Tuesday's game. The knuckleballer was pitching well in August before hitting the DL -- 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA in two starts. Wakefield is 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA in two starts against the Bombers this season. Pettitte was terrific in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays and it was good enough to give him his first victory in nearly a month. Andy has gone at least seven innings in his past three starts and is 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in three starts against the Red Sox this year. I'll be in the Bronx for Tuesday's tilt courtesy of Mr. Brian so that means a late night for me. Expect no roundup. In fact, I'm hoping I can make my train in time to get home. A three-hit shutout from Pettitte should do the trick.
Will wonders never cease? Carl Pavano earned his first win in over a year, Jason Giambi drove in three and the bullpen pitched four scoreless innings as the Yanks downed the Orioles 5-3 at Camden Yards. Alex Rodriguez doubled in the first run of the game and Hideki Matsui capped off the scoring with a solo homer in the seventh to give the Bombers their second consecutive win in Baltimore. The victory also brought the Yanks to within five games of the Boston Red Sox in the wild card chase.  The Good:
Carl Pavano. Every Yankee fan must have felt bile rise in their throats as Pavano trotted out to the mound in this game, but it is what it is. And since Pavano wears my team's colors, I'm going to divorce myself from emotion and put him in my "good" category -- no matter how rotten it makes me feel. The Yanks spotted Pavano a 2-0 lead in the first, which I thought was awfully nice of them. Pavano still got off to a rocky start though, allowing three hits in the first, but escaped without giving up a run (thanks to a nice double play orchestrated by Robinson Cano). But then Pavano pissed away the 2-0 lead by allowing three runs in the second. Lord knows what the reaction would have been if the game was played in New York (even though it seemed like Yankee fans outnumbered Oriole fans about 3-1 Saturday night). Still, Pavano regrouped and allowed the Yanks to retake the lead. His most impressive inning came in the fifth. Pavano drilled Kevin Millar to lead off the frame and then allowed a base hit to Jay Payton. But Pavano struck out the next three batters swinging, including Nick Markakis to end the threat. It wasn't pretty (in any way, shape or form), but considering it was his first big league start since Tommy John surgery and the Yanks need wins, it was good enough. Pavano picked up win No. 1 with this: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 hit batsman. Jason Giambi. The Giambino drove in the Yankees' second run with an infield single in the first (a very generous scoring) and then delivered the biggest hit of the night as he drilled his 25th homer of the season in the third. The two-run job got the Yanks right off the mat after the O's had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second. Giambi has been scrapping the past two months (.234, 3 HRs in July; .233 so far in August), but things may be turning around. Jay Jay has five hits in his last 11 at-bats. Giambi finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs. The pen. The Yankees knew the bullpen was going to play a big role heading into this game. And the guys were up to the task. The trifecta of Brian Bruney, Jose Veras and Mariano Rivera combined for four innings of shutout ball to help seal the victory. Bruney has looked sharp since coming off the disabled list (2.70 ERA in eight appearances), Veras has recovered since his meltdown against the Angels on Aug. 9 (1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 HRs) and Rivera, well, Rivera is Rivera and earned his 30th save of the year. Keep it going, fellas. The combined totals: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. The Bad:Bobby Abreu. The Yanks didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball (they finished the game with eight hits), but two players failed to get into the act. Ivan Rodriguez was one of them, but he had to deal with Pavano for most of the night, so he gets a pass. Sort of (see: Ugly). The Candy Man was the other. It's a bit harsh to give Abreu the goat horns since he went 5-for-5 on Friday night, but every game is different. I'm sure Bobby understands. Abreu finished 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.  The Ugly:Lucky break. The scene: the second inning. The situation: Markakis on first with two outs. The play: Melvin Mora strikes out swinging for the third out. Big deal, right? Well, the third strike hit the dirt and the catcher has to either tag the batter or throw to first (or second if you want to get technical) to officially record the final out. I-Rod did neither and trotted off the field (in fairness, the whole team was heading to the dugout). It was a rough inning for the Yanks (the O's scored three runs and took a 3-2 lead), but I-Rod has been in the league a long time (he's in his 18th season) and has to know the situation. Mora didn't think anything of it at first and looked like he was headed to the dugout, but then ran to first and then second. Markakis took third. When the smoke cleared (and YES came back from commercials) Mora was called out. Here's the official ruling according to home plate umpire Joe West: "The hitter walked toward the dugout to throw his bat and helmet away. He, in
doing so, has abandoned his effort to reach the next base. He's
called out, according to the rule." I think a lot of people fell asleep on that play and the Yanks were fortunate to get the call, but I-Rod could have made things a lot easier if he just tagged Mora after the strikeout. The Yanks go for the sweep on Sunday and will send Darrell Rasner (5-9, 4.93 ERA) against Daniel Cabrera (8-8, 4.98 ERA). Cabrera is having a rough August (1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in four starts) and is coming off a beating against the BoSox (4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 HRs). But like A.J. Burnett, he's a guy who seems to thrive against the Yanks. Cabrera is 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA in three starts against the Bombers this season. Rasner pitched well enough to win in his last start in Toronto, but picked up a no-decision in an eventual 2-1 heartbreaking loss. The Ras is 1-2 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts against The Birds this season. Rasner had a bad start in August, but has given up just three earned runs in his past 11 2/3 innings. Keep doing what you're doing, Darrell.
 Just when you think this team is out, they pull you back in. Mike Mussina was so-so and left the game on the wrong side of the ledger, but Xavier Nady singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth, Cody Ransom ripped a three-run shot in the ninth and Bobby Abreu banged out five hits as the Yanks upended the Orioles 9-4 in Baltimore. The Bombers launched back-to-back jacks twice in this one and scored six runs in the final two innings to keep themselves within shouting distance (six games) of the Boston Red Sox in the wild card hunt.  Life interfered (but in a good way) so I wasn't as "tuned in" as I usually am for this game. John and Suzy kept me abreast for the middle innings (as only they can) and I watched the final 1 1/2 innings, but no roundup. To make up for it, I'll provide a bonus pictorial to my usual two for this pathetic excuse of a writeup.  And the moment I thought would never arrive will arrive Saturday night. Carl Pavano (0-0, 0.00) will take the hill for the Yanks against Jeremy Guthrie (10-9, 3.15 ERA). Guthrie is having an excellent season despite hovering around the .500 mark. The righty is 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in August and has pitched into the sixth inning in all but two of his 27 starts this season. Guthrie is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts against the Yankees this season. Then there's Pavano. Pavano's last start was a good one (7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K) as he picked up a victory in the Yanks 8-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. Unfortunately, that game came in April 2007. I don't know what to expect from Pavano and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was disturbed watching him joke around on the bench during Friday night's win, but the Bombers are in a tough spot and they need him. May God have mercy on us all.
I've been putting up a brave front, but the end is nigh. Sidney Ponson had a terrible night, the bullpen was just as horrid, Marco Scutaro and Alex Rios combined for seven ribbies and Roy Halladay cruised as the Blue Jays thumped the Yanks 14-3 in Toronto. The final score doesn't even begin to illustrate what a thorough horse-whipping the Bombers absorbed Thursday night. The Jays scored at least one run in the first five innings, banged out 21 hits and put the exclamation point in taking two of three in the series.  I said last week that the Yanks needed to go at least 7-2 in this current nine-game stretch. Well, they are 3-3 so far and teetering on the brink of oblivion. If you stayed with this game until the bitter end, you are either a really die-hard fan or a delusional, crazy person. Maybe a combination of both. The Good:Hideki Matsui. There weren't a lot of positives to take out of this one, but Godzilla belted his first home run since coming off the disabled list. Matsui's three-run shot in the seventh got the Yanks on the board and proved that Halladay is indeed mortal. It was good to see Matsui go deep in his third game back, but it's hard for me to get too pumped up about it. Matsui finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and 3 RBIs. The Bad:Sidney Ponson and the rest. With Halladay on the opposing mound, the Yanks needed the Arubian Knight to be almost perfect. It didn't happen. Ponson wasn't just bad, he was really bad. There were a few balls that fell in front of Johnny Damon early on for hits, but they weren't the deciding factor. Maybe Brett Gardner makes those catches or Johnny D circa 2002, but Sir Sid was hit hard before getting the hook. And the bullpen provided little relief. David Robertson, Billy Traber and Chris Britton all gave up at least one run in their efforts. Edwar Ramirez was the only reliever to escape unscathed and he went just 1/3 of an inning. Ponson fell to 7-4 on the year, but the loss was a total team effort Thursday night. The combined totals: 8 IP, 21 H, 14 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR. The Ugly:Fat toad on the loose. This has nothing to do with Thursday's brutal loss, but a former Yankee was in the news recently and it wasn't for saving a cat from a tree. Hideki Irabu was arrested in Japan for assault. Here's the skinny:  Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was arrested yesterday for allegedly
assaulting a bartender after drinking 20 mugs of beer, a police official
said.
Irabu, 39, became angered after his credit card was rejected. He
then allegedly pushed the bartender against the wall, pulled his hair and
smashed at least nine liquor bottles at a bar in Osaka, western Japan, a police
official said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
The
bartender sustained no injuries. Irabu paid the bill with another credit
card.
The police official said Irabu admitted the assault. And my brother, cousin and I were wondering why he wasn't at the Yankees Old Timers' Game. The Yanks will head down to Baltimore and take on the Orioles for a three-game set beginning Friday night. Mike Mussina (16-7, 3.35 ERA) will lock horns against Radhames Liz (4-3, 7.47 ERA) in the opener. The O's are expected to recall Liz from Triple-A to make this start and a quick look at the numbers reveals why he was sent down. Liz was 2-3 with a 9.26 ERA in five July starts. Liz has made two career appearances against the Yanks and has allowed one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Moose has been a machine most of the season, but he's really turning it on in August. Mussina is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA in four starts this month, but hasn't fared well against his former team this season. Mussina is 0-2 with an 11.12 ERA in two starts against the Birds this year. Will it be the beginning of a hot streak or the beginning of the end?
The pulse may be faint, but it's still there. Andy Pettitte was just dandy, Johnny Damon rebounded from a terrible game Tuesday night with two hits and an RBI and Derek Jeter continued his hot-hitting as the Yanks turned back the Blue Jays 5-1 at the Rogers Centre. Jason Giambi and Xavier Nady gave the Bombers a quick 2-0 lead in the first on a sac fly and an RBI-single, respectively, and Brian Bruney pitched two perfect innings in relief to seal the win. Even Hideki Matsui got into the act as he collected his first hit since coming off the disable list.  The Good:Andy Pettitte. It's the formula every pitcher wants to use -- throw strikes and record outs -- and Pettitte had it working Wednesday night. The veteran lefty allowed only two hits through five innings and gave the Yanks another quality start. Pettitte's only hiccup came with one out in the sixth when he allowed three straight singles and a run, but he gathered himself and struck out Vernon Wells swinging and retired Adam Lind on a fly ball to left to end the threat. I thought Pettitte had expended all his energy in that inning, but he came out for the seventh and worked a clean inning. He probably could have came out for the eighth (his pitch count was at 83), but Joe Girardi turned to Bruney. It worked out. Pettitte moved to 13-9 with this beauty: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K. Derek Jeter. It's nitty-gritty time and that's Jeter's time to shine. DJ reached on an infield single in the first and came around to score, singled to left in the second and launched a two-run blast in the fourth to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead. Yes, it's been a down year for El Capitan, but he's starting to roll (and the Yanks desperately need guys to get hot) and has upped his average to .298 on the season. Better late than never. Jeter finished 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in. Johnny Damon. It doesn't erase the defensive ineptitude from last night, but Johnny D bounced back with a solid offensive game Wednesday night. Damon led the game off with a single to left and later scored the first run of the game. JD also brought in the Yankees third run of the game with a fielder's choice grounder to second in the fourth. I'm sure Damon's play in center Tuesday night was eating him alive and it was good to see him come out swinging. Damon finished 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs scored and an RBI. The Bad:Alex Rodriguez. It's been a rough series so far for A-Rod. Rodriguez fanned three times on Tuesday night and while he cut down on the K's Wednesday night (he struck out once), he was the only Yankee who didn't contribute with either a hit, an RBI or a run scored. He also had a few bad throws from third, but was saved by some nice plays by Giambi at first. The Yanks need to start clicking offensively and they really need A-Rod to get on board. Rodriguez finished 0 for 4.  The Ugly:Pick of the litter? The Yanks still haven't named a starter for Saturday's game in Baltimore, but that didn't stop the team from naming another possible candidate for the gig. Victor Zambrano could be in the mix to make that start. Zambrano tossed five scoreless innings in Trenton on Monday. He hasn't pitched in the Majors this season and is probably a long shot, but there are reports that Carl Pavano is "suffering" from a stiff neck and Phil Hughes was roughed up in his last start (3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HB). Girardi said he'll reveal the winner on Thursday. I'm guessing that Pavano will get the nod (if his neck is OK, that is). The Yanks aren't going to rush Hughes and Pavano has had more work than Zambrano (which goes to show you how inactive he's been). I'm all tingly with anticipation. The Yanks will try to take two of three on Thursday night and send Sidney Ponson (7-3, 4.19 ERA) to the hill. His opponent will be Roy Halladay (14-9, 2.64 ERA). Halladay has been nearly unbeatable in August (2-1, 1.14 ERA in three starts) and has been a one-man wrecking crew against the Yanks. Doc Halladay is 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in three starts against the Bombers this season and is 12-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 29 career appearances against the Yanks. Ponson hasn't been as dominating, but is quietly putting together a stellar August (1-1, 2.96 ERA in four starts). The Arubian Knight doesn't have good career stats against the Blue Jays (7-10, 4.59 ERA in 19 games), but pitches better north of the border. Sir Sid is 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA in eight career starts in Toronto. Play it again, Sid.
Oh, the humanity! Darrell Rasner made one mistake through 6 2/3 innings, A.J. Burnett was a strikeout machine and Johnny Damon committed a huge error that wasn't ruled an error in the eighth as the Blue Jays shocked the Yanks 2-1 in Toronto. This was a pitchers' duel from start to finish and the Bombers were in the lead for the majority of it. Unfortunately, this wasn't a boxing match and they didn't go to the judges to decide the winner. Actually, I don't know if the Yanks would have come out on top even if they did do that.  Bobby Abreu's hit-and-run RBI-double gave the Yankees a quick 1-0 lead in the first, but the bats were silenced after that. Alex Rodriguez led off the ninth with a bloop single over first, but was pegged out trying to take second. Some may question A-Rod's decision, but it was the right play. The ball was headed down the right-field line and Lyle Overbay made a great stop and an even better throw to nail A-Rod. Them's the breaks. Any loss at this point of the season is painful, but this one was like a shot to the temple. Let's do this quickly. The Good:Darrell Rasner. It wasn't as impressive as Burnett's 13-strikeout performance, but it was just as effective. Rasner worked out of a second and third, one-out jam in the first (set up by a Damon error that was ruled an error in center) and induced two double plays in the third and fourth as he breezed through six. But with one out in the seventh, Adam Lind drilled a 3-2 pitch over the wall in right to knot the score at 1-1. It was the lone blemish on Rasner's ledger. The Ras did everything the Yanks could have asked for, but I'm sure he would have liked to have that one pitch back. I sure wish he had it back. Rasner picked up a no-decision with this: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 hit batsman, 3 K, 1 HR. The Bad:Johnny Damon. JD may have scored the Yankees lone run Tuesday night, but his defensive lapses in center were the real story. Damon was charged with an error in the first, but Rasner was able to work around it. Too bad it didn't happen the second time around. Marco Scutaro smashed a drive to center with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth. Damon had to go a long way, but had the ball in his sites. Unfortunately, he couldn't squeeze it home. The ball tipped off Johnny's glove and Joe Inglett scampered home on the "double" to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. I realize the only reason Damon is in center is to get Hideki Matsui's bat in the lineup (Godzilla went 0 for 3 in his return), but he should have made both of those plays. Sometimes things just don't go your way. Damon finished 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Jason Giambi. Burnett was striking everybody out Tuesday night (actually Abreu and Robinson Cano were the only two Yankees who didn't K), but nobody went down more than The Giambino. Giambi struck out swinging not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times. For the sake of proper bookkeeping, the first three were courtesy of Burnett and the final one came against B.J. Ryan. In baseball lingo that's called the golden sombrero. Sounds nice, but it's not something anyone strives for. Giambi finished 0 for 4 with the 4 Ks.  The Ugly:Fading away? The loss dropped the Yanks 6.5 games behind the Red Sox and 5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the wild card hunt. That's bad enough, but a quick look at the standings shows the Bombers lead the Blue Jays by just one game for that final playoff spot. If the Yanks don't get their act together during these next two games in Toronto, they could find themselves behind three teams in the wild card chase. Andy Pettitte (12-9, 4.30 ERA) will try and get the Yanks off the mat Wednesday night against David Purcey (2-3, 5.93 ERA). Purcey hurled six scoreless innings in a 4-3 Blue Jays victory over the Detroit Tigers in his last start. Purcey has made as many starts in August (three) as he's made during the first four months of the season (three). This will be his first career look at the Yanks. Pettitte pitched seven solid innings in his last start against the Kansas City Royals, but picked up a no-decision in a 4-3 Yankee loss. Actually, Pettitte's past two starts have been no-decisions and both games ended in 4-3 Yankee losses. Pettitte is 0-2 in his last four starts and hasn't picked up a victory since July 26 against the Boston Red Sox. Time to turn the tide, Andy.
It always looks easy when this offense clicks. Mike Mussina got off to a rocky start but rebounded nicely and Alex Rodriguez, Xavier Nady and Jason Giambi all went deep off Brian Bannister within the first two innings as the Yanks pummeled the Royals 15-6 at The Stadium. The Bombers fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first, but scored six runs in the bottom half of the inning, four more in the second and one more in the third to cruise to an easy victory. Derek Jeter collected four hits and Cody Ransom smacked a pinch-hit home run in the seventh (his first plate appearance in pinstripes) to complete the assault. The Yanks shaved another game off Boston's wild card lead and now trail the Red Sox by five games.  The Good:Alex Rodriguez. The mood at the ballpark was hopeful, but guarded when A-Rod stepped into the box with two runners on and one out in the bottom of the first. The Yanks hadn't been scoring runs, were already down by three and had a knack for leaving runners on in bunches. Rodriguez erased the deficit and the apprehension with one swing of the bat. His 28th long-ball of the season drew the Yanks even and helped open the offensive floodgates. A-Rod has had a rough August (.200 with seven ribbies heading into Sunday), but broke out of it in a big way. Let's hope it's the start of a hot streak. Rodriguez finished 3 for 3 with 2 walks, 3 runs scored and 5 RBIs. Jason Giambi. The Giambino may have 13 career grand slams, but he's struggled with the bases loaded this season. Giambi had just one hit in 14 plate appearances with the sacks full this year, but that one hit was a home run. He got his second hit on Sunday and it also cleared the bases. Jay Jay's grand slam in the second gave the Yankees a 10-3 lead and really put the game on ice. Giambi has gone back to the 'Stache and so far it seems to be working. It's a total win-win. Giambi finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and 4 ribbies. Mike Mussina. The Royals didn't exactly scald the ball against Moose in the first, but still managed to push across three first-inning runs. The Yankee offense gave Mussina a three-run cushion after one, but No. 35 fell right back into trouble in the top of the second. Kansas City opened the frame with runners on the corners and no outs. Then Mike turned it on. Mussina wiggled out of the inning without giving up a run and shut the Royals down the rest of the way. In fact, The Moose was perfect after the second. The Yanks gave away what should have been a win in Mussina's last start in Minnesota, but the bats made sure that this one stuck. Mussina improved to 16-7 with this: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K. The Bad:Chris Britton. It didn't really matter and it's not like Britton is a premier pitcher in the league, but he should feel rotten about giving up a home run to the light-hitting Ross Gload. Gload entered the game with two homers on the year, but took Britton deep to right in the ninth for his third round-tripper of the season. Britton should feel even worse that it happened after a one-out walk. Again, it doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but a 15-4 win seems more convincing than 15-6. But that's just my opinion. Britton's afternoon: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.  The Ugly:Battered and bruised. Jeter has had a rough 2008 and just when it looked like he was turning a corner another minor setback. The Captain was gunning for his fifth hit of the day when he was hit by a pitch in the seventh. The ball appeared to catch DJ on the left elbow. Jeter took his base and later scored the Yankees 12th run of the afternoon, but left the game after that. I doubt this latest hit-by-pitch will keep Jeter out of the lineup (in fact, I would be downright shocked if it did), but it seems like No. 2 has been taking a beating this season. And an old friend seems ready to rejoin the Yanks. Hideki Matsui had 15 at-bats in a simulated game on Sunday and his left knee appears to be fine. "Every time he would get to bat, it would just blow up, but it hasn't this
time," Girardi said. "So far the knee is good and we'll make a decision
tomorrow (Monday)." I'm surprised that Godzilla was able to work himself back to the big club. I'm sure Matsui will only be used as a designated hitter when he returns and that could make for some interesting lineup decisions. Still, Matsui is a good clutch-hitter and the Yanks haven't exactly excelled in that department this season. Monday is an off-day for the Yanks as they head to Toronto and will begin an important three-game set beginning Tuesday night. Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.18 ERA) will go against A.J. Burnett (15-9, 4.67 ERA) in the opener. Burnett has won all three of his August starts despite posting an appalling 6.11 ERA. I don't know how teams beat up on this guy -- the Yanks can't seem to touch him. Burnett is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in two starts against the Bombers this season and is 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA in eight career starts against the Yanks. Rasner pitched well enough to win in his last start against the Twins (5 IP, 4 H, 3 R [2 earned]), but came up on the short end of a 4-2 Yankee loss. The Ras is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in two career starts in Toronto. In fact, Rasner's last "W" came against the Blue Jays in Toronto on July 12. I'll take more of the same please, Darrell.
It took nearly the entire afternoon, but a win is a win. Sidney Ponson spilled his guts out, the guys in the pen sparkled and Brett Gardner delivered the game-winning single in the 13th inning as the Yanks trumped the Royals 3-2 on a sun-soaked afternoon in the Bronx. This game was not for the squeamish. The Bombers fell behind (again), battled back (again), left a battalion on the bases (again), but this time they came out on top (surprise!). The offense continued to sputter and Joe Girardi continued to make questionable calls. I guess it was just business as usual for the 2008 Yankees.  How horrific were the bats? The two runs the Yanks scored in the seventh to tie the game were unearned. The Royals committed three errors (three!) and unleashed a wild pitch in the frame. Still, the Bombers need wins desperately right now so I won't dwell on the negative (see: Ugly). The Good:Sidney Ponson and the bullpen. No, it's not the name of some '70s prog rock group, but they did provide the soundtrack to this victory. Ponson delivered his fourth straight impressive start and relievers Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, Mariano Rivera and David Robertson held the Royals down the rest of the way. Marte was the only pitcher who didn't record an out on the day (he issued a walk to the only batter he faced), but it looked like he was squeezed on a 3-2 pitch. Anyway, I hope the Yankee offense took this crew out to dinner after the game because they were a huge part of Saturday's victory. Robertson came away with the "W" (and upped his mark to 3-0 on the year), but he all these guys deserve a pat on the back. The pitching totals: 13 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 1 hit batsman (Ponson), 1 WP (Ponson). Brett Gardner. The rookie put together the best game of his short Major League career Saturday afternoon. It's been a rough go for the rookie this season and he's looked overmatched most of the time, but his spirit is strong. Gardner pulled a double down the right-field line in the sixth for his first hit of the day and followed that with a single in the seventh. But the biggest hit came in the bottom of the 13th when he slapped a base hit to left to bring Robinson Cano home with the winning run. It was Gardner's second game-winning hit of the season. I'm still not sold on Gardner at the big league level, but he sure has a flair for the dramatic. Gardner finished 3 for 5 with a walk and an RBI. The Bad:Xavier Nady. I could make a case for almost every single Yankee batter in this space, but Nady is going to take one for the team on this one. X-Man worked out a walk in the fifth, but that was as good as it would get for him. Nady banged into a double play with runners on first and second and nobody out in the seventh that nearly killed a rally. X had a chance to atone for the twin-killing, but struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth. All total, Nady left six runners on base Saturday afternoon. Shake it off, X. Nady finished 0 for 5 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.  The Ugly:Wasted opportunities and strange decisions. The Yanks did nothing against Zack Greinke for the first three innings, but they rallied in the fourth. Johnny Damon singled to open the frame and Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu followed with base hits of their own. The Bombers were set up: bases loaded, nobody out and Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi waiting in the wings. Should be good for at least one run, right? Wrong! A-Rod struck out and Giambi bounced into a double play. The Yanks loaded the bases again in the eighth, this time with one out, and once again failed to score. Nady went down swinging and Robinson Cano flew out. Those were the two biggest wasted scoring opportunities (there were a few more, but I don't feel like reliving them). Then the bad decisions came. Ivan Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to begin the ninth. Gardner was up next and the situation screamed for a sacrifice. It was on at first, but Gardner fouled off a bunt attempt. Then Girardi called a hit and run on a 2-1 count. Gardner fouled the pitch off. A head scratcher. Gardner eventually walked. OK. Damon was up next and once again the situation cried "bunt!" It didn't happen. JD eventually struck out. I don't understand Girardi's logic. If Damon gets the bunt down, the Yanks would have had runners on second and third with one out and Jeter and Abreu coming up. The Royals would have had to either a) bring the infield in and pitch to Jeter or b) walk Jeter and pitch to Abreu with the bases loaded. Either would have been fine with me. The Captain eventually bounced into the inning-ending double play. It's been trendy to dump on Girardi (again, not without cause) and if Jeter got a base hit instead of grounding into his 150th double play of the season it wouldn't have mattered, but the thought process made no sense to me. And I won't even delve into Girardi's decision to go to Edwar in the ninth instead of Rivera. Some managerial decisions are hard, but these seemed like easy ones. Even to a scatterbrain like me. Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.30 ERA) will go for the Yanks in the rubber game and the Royals will counter with Brian Bannister (7-11, 5.36 ERA). Bannister has been in a real funk and hasn't won a ballgame since June 23 against the Colorado Rockies. BB gave up three home runs in his last start against the Chicago White Sox and is 2-6 with a 7.74 ERA in 11 road starts this season. Bannister is 1-0 with a 7.56 ERA in two starts against the Yankees this year. Mussina is coming off a tough-luck no-decision against the Minnesota Twins, but the Bombers came back to win that ballgame 9-6 in 12 innings. The Moose has gone at least seven innings in three straight games and is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three August starts. Mussina picked up a no-decision in the Royals 3-2 victory against the Yanks on June 9 (8 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K). Don't stop believin.
It was a depressing game on an equally miserable night. Andy Pettitte persevered through seven and Derek Jeter picked up three hits and an RBI after missing a game with a bruised foot, but Mariano Rivera came apart in the ninth as the Royals squeaked by the Yanks 4-3 at The Stadium. Rain delayed the start of this game for an hour and a half, but really it just delayed another agonizing loss. The Bombers fell behind 3-0, but battled back with a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh to even things up. That's the only positive I can point out about this team right now. When they fall behind (which seems to be happening on a nightly basis) they usually fight back. They don't come all the way back (usually), but they keep plugging away. It doesn't mean much in the end if you lose, but it shows me that they haven't quit. The Yankees had chances throughout the night and had another opportunity at the end. But Jason Giambi (sporting the 'stache once again) flew out with the bases loaded in the ninth.  Anyway, this isn't Little League and you don't get extra points for trying. The loss dropped the Yanks an amazing 10.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East and 7 games back of the Red Sox for the wild card. I'm not one to throw in the towel, but I think you can safely say that a division crown is an extreme long shot -- at best. In fact, I won't even mention where the Yanks stand in the East from now on unless the deficit has been whittled down to a handful of games. It's been a while, but I'm going to round this puppy up. The Good:Andy Pettitte. It wasn't a thing of beauty, but Pettitte kept the Bombers in the game. A leadoff walk in the second led to the Royals first run and they tacked on two more in the fifth. Actually, Pettitte managed to keep the damage to a minimum in the fifth. The Royals loaded the bases twice in the inning, but came away with only two runs and couldn't deliver the knockout blow. It looks like Pettitte is starting to hit the wall, but he still manages to put forth a good effort most of the time. Unfortunately, the Yankees need a little bit more help from their starting pitchers lately. Pettitte picked up a no-decision with this: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB (2 intentional), 1 hit batsman, 7 K. Derek Jeter. The Captain returned after a one-game absence and did his best to right the Yankee ship. Jeter drove in the first Yankee run with an RBI-single in the fifth and worked out a walk during a two-run rally in the seventh. Jete also kept hope alive with a two-out single in the ninth. I thought the recent call-up of infielder Cody Ransom meant that DJ's foot was worse than originally reported, but it seems to be OK. At least OK enough to play. Jeter finished 3 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base, a run scored and a run batted in. The Bad:Mariano Rivera. The Sandman usually hits the wall for a brief stretch in August and usually it doesn't matter. Usually. Oh, it matters this season. I checked the numbers and while there isn't any concrete proof to support my theory (Rivera's career ERA in August is 2.48 and opponents are batting .232 against him during the month), I'll stand by it just the same. And for whatever reason, it's been an almost automatic loss when Rivera hits the hill in a tie game this year. It was more of the same Friday night. Rivera struck out the leadoff man, but allowed a double to light-hitting Esteban German, an infield single to Mitch Maier and uncorked a wild pitch that brought German home with the eventual game-winning run. This isn't right at all. Rivera fell to 4-5 on the season with this: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP.  Justin Christian. JC didn't get into the ballgame until the ninth, but he played a big role in this one. Christian came in to pinch run for Wilson Betemit (who reached on a infield single to lead of the inning) and seemed poised to swipe second base. It didn't happen. Not only did it not happen, but the rookie managed to get picked off first for the first out of the inning. Unacceptable! Christian finished 0 for 0 with the gigantic pick off. The Ugly:Whoa! The Royals pushed across two runs in the fifth on Mark Teahen's ground-rule double, but they almost botched that up. John Buck scored the first run and put up his hand to tell German to ease up since the ball was dead. I don't know if German didn't see him or maybe just plum didn't believe him, but he kept up motoring. It was close, but Buck beat German to home plate and the two runs counted. Too bad. The Yanks really could have used a cheapie in this game. The Yanks also tweaked their roster before Friday's game. Richie Sexson was released to make room for Ransom and Melky Cabrera was sent to Triple-A. Brett Gardner will recalled and will take Melky's spot. The Yanks were hoping that Sexson would give them some added pop from the right-side when they picked him up off waivers, but it never worked out. Sexson also seemed to have trouble transitioning from an everyday player into a part-time one. Cabrera's playing time had dwindled in the past week or so and he wasn't exactly tearing it up when he was in the lineup. I had initially thought that Joe Girardi would start Johnny Damon in center with Gardner spelling him, but it was brought to my attention (and rightly so) that it would be foolish to bring up Gardner and not play him. Gardner got the start in center Friday and finished 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, but threw out German at home in the third. Sidney Ponson (7-3, 4.27 ERA) will try and give the Yanks (and fans) reason to hope Saturday afternoon. The Royals will go with Zack Greinke (9-8, 4.09 ERA). Greinke got off to a great start this season (3-0, 1.25 ERA in April), but hasn't been able to stretch that magic throughout the year. He's made two starts against the Bombers this season and is 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA. Ponson is coming off a tough-luck loss to the Twins, but has been solid in August (1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts). The Arubian Knight is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in three daytime starts this year. Can Sir Sidney give the Yanks a fighting chance the rest of the way?
It's hard to say goodbye. The dynamic sports talk duo of Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo have gone their separate ways. Here's a quick snippet from the Newsday article: 
The reasons for the breakup are multi-faceted, and somewhat murky.
Operations manager Mark Chernoff said all parties agreed "the show has
kind of run its course." But Russo said that was true only to a point.
He said he could have carried on but was motivated to explore other opportunities.
"Basically, I'm looking for a different challenge in my life," Russo
said. "I'm 48 years of age. This might be the last chance I'm going to
get for a challenge if I want to take it."
Russo swore on his children's lives that he has no firm agreement or
contract, but industry sources say he is likely to land at Sirius
Satellite Radio for a lucrative deal worth up to $15 million over five
years.
"I have four or five options," he said. "Sirius would be one of them
... Obviously, I'm not stupid. I'm not going to leave FAN unless I have
something relatively secure."
Their relationship had been strained for several months, but I didn't think it was going to end in a divorce. I know a lot of fans like to rip on Mike and the Mad Dog (and I'm guilty of that, too), but they really changed the landscape of sports talk radio. Were they arrogant? Yep. Were they sometimes way off the mark? You bet. But they were good at what they did. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'll miss listening to the godfathers of sports talk.
It all comes down to this. Well, not really, but the Yankees are about to embark upon their biggest nine-game stretch of the season. Nine games against three teams -- Kansas City, Toronto and Baltimore. Three teams that are a combined 15 games under .500 (174-189). That's the good news. The bad news is the Yanks are a combined 13-15 against those teams this year. A lot of people are ready to bury this team and really I can't blame them. The Yanks are playing like a mediocre club these days -- poor pitching, sloppy defense, horrible situational hitting and questionable baserunning. These guys are maddeningly inconsistent! One day the pitching is sold and the bats are silent. The next, it's the pitching that fails and the offense gets some hits. But some people want to make excuses. Yes, injuries have been a killer this year, but blaming them for the team's subpar play is loser talk. But Hank Steinbrenner seems very comfortable using them as a crutch. This news is a few days old, but here's a little snippet from the Marlboro Man in case you missed it: "I think it's very simple: We've been devastated by
injuries. No team I've ever seen in baseball has been decimated like
this. It would kill any team. Imagine the Red Sox
without [Josh] Beckett and [Jon] Lester. Pitching is 70 percent of the
game. Wang won 19 games two straight years. Chamberlain became the most
dominating pitcher in baseball. You can't lose two guys like that.
"It's not making excuses. It's reality."  I don't want to hear it. Tyler Clippard, Matt DeSalvo, Kei Igawa, Chase Wright and Jeff Karstens all made appearances in the rotation last season. Mike Mussina had an awful season and Carl Pavano made a quick cameo. They overcame it. Maybe Hank is covering for Joe Girardi. After all, Hank said he thought G.I. Joe was going to turn into "one of the greatest managers in the history of the game." I doubt that Hank would be this unforgiving if Joe Torre was still at the helm. And I'm tired of Boy George comparing everything to Boston. We're not on the playground here, Hank. Anyway, the season isn't over (last time I checked) and even though the Yanks find themselves 9.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East and 6.5 games in back of the Red Sox for the wild card, they still have a chance to pull themselves back into the race. The Yankees have six games remaining with both the Rays and the Red Sox and a 7-2 stretch (minimum) against these three teams could make those contests meaningful. Maybe I have my head in the clouds. Maybe I don't see the handwriting on the wall. And even though my shovel is ready and waiting, I'm not ready to bury this team. But the time to act is now.
Good beginning, bad ending. Darrell Rasner pitched relatively well, but Kevin Slowey was nearly flawless after the opening frame and Delman Young launched his second three-run homer in as many days as the Twins bested the Yanks 4-2 in Minnesota. Jason Giambi ripped an RBI-single off the baggy in right to give the Bombers an early 1-0 lead, but the offense went into a shell the rest of the game.  How bad was it? The Yankees scored their second run on what should have been the third out of the inning. Bobby Abreu K'd with runners on second and third, but Dennys Reyes uncorked a wild pitch on the strikeout and Ivan Rodriguez trotted home. The defense wasn't much better. Robinson Cano missed the bag on a potential double play in the fourth (I didn't see it, but John and Suzy were going off on Cano) that led to an unearned run and Giambi added another miscue which gave the team as many errors (2) as runs (2) Wednesday afternoon. I was listening at work for this one and it truly felt like a chore. I didn't witness it with my own eyes, but I know (I just know) the Yankees played terrible ball Wednesday. So, no roundup. The Bombers end this Road Trip From Hell with a 3-7 mark, stand 8.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East (as of this writing) and 5.5 games behind the Red Sox (ditto) for the wild card. And there are a few new injuries to boot. Dan Giese left the game in the sixth inning with a shoulder "stiffness." Giese is still scheduled to make his start Tuesday at Toronto, according to Joe Girardi. Derek Jeter was out of the starting lineup Wednesday with a bruised foot, but expects to play Friday night. Things are looking mighty bleak in Yankee Land, but I'm not ready to throw myself into the pit of despair. So, I'm going to dedicate Opeth's Bleak to the Bombers in hopes that it will exercise the demons. Thursday is an off day for the Yankees as they head home and prepare for a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals beginning Friday night. Andy Pettitte (12-9, 4.32 ERA) will go against Gil Meche (10-9, 4.24 ERA) in the opener. Meche is 4-0 in his past five starts and hasn't dropped a decision since July 2 against the Baltimore Orioles. The Royals have won seven straight games in which Meche has started. Pettitte pitched well against the Angels in his last start, but picked up a no-decision in an eventual gut-wrenching 4-3 Yankee loss Sunday. Andy has been scrapping a bit lately -- he's given up 17 runs in this past 17 1/3 innings. Pettitte is 1-0 with a 7.43 ERA in two starts against KC this year, but he's 12-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 21 career appearances against the Royals. Time to go on a run. Right?
There's still some fight left in these guys. Mike Mussina went seven strong, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter combined for six hits and two runs batted in and Alex Rodriguez smashed the go-ahead homer as the Yanks outlasted the Twins 9-6 in 12 innings. The Bombers blew three leads in this one, including Mariano Rivera's first blown save of the year, but battled back to snap a four-game skid.  I was "out on the town" for this one, but came home just in time to see Delmon Young slice a game-tying, three-run jack off Rivera in the eighth. The Sandman was due to mess up sooner or later and I thought it would spell the beginning of the end for the Yankees. But they proved me wrong. Xavier Nady followed A-Rod's blast with a two-run shot of his own to keep the Bombers' playoff hopes alive. The win kept the Yanks 5 games back of the Red Sox in the wild card hunt and cut the Rays lead in the AL East to 8 games. My eyes are red and stingy after this one and I really don't have a feel for the entire game so no roundup. I'm just glad the Yanks escaped with a victory. Darrell Rasner (5-8, 5.28 ERA) will go against Kevin Slowey (8-8, 4.07 ERA) in the afternoon finale. The Yanks touched up Slowey for four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings in an eventual 8-2 victory July 22 at The Stadium. Slowey is coming off a victory in Kansas City, in which he allowed one run on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, and is 4-4 with a 3.71 ERA in eight starts this season at the Metrodome. Rasner was skipped in the rotation Aug. 8 against the Angels, but came in to clean up Ian Kennedy's mess in the third (at least, he tried). The Ras threw 49 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits in a 10-5 Yankee loss. It will be Rasner's third start against the Twinkies this year. He's 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA so far. Rasner is 2-5 with a 6.25 ERA in eight road appearances this year. Can he become the Road Warrior the Yankees need?
These aren't good times, people. Sidney Ponson did all he could, but he gave up a two-run shot to light-hitting Adam Everett and Glen Perkins pitched eight shutout innings as the Twins blanked the Yanks 4-0 at the Metrodome. The loss dropped the Bombers to 2-6 on this current road trip, 9 games behind the Rays in the AL East and 5 games back of the Red Sox for the wild card.  The tone was set early on in this one. The Yanks couldn't come through with runners on first and third and two outs in the first, but their offensive impotence in the second inning was the killer. Robinson Cano led off the second with a base hit to center and later advanced to third on a throwing error by Perkins. Richie Sexon followed with a walk. The Bombers were set up: runners on first and third with nobody out in a scoreless game. But Ivan Rodriguez popped out to shallow center and Melky Cabrera grounded into a double play to end the threat. There was still a lot of baseball left, but the mood of the game had changed -- and not for the better. A lot may be made of Joe Girardi's decision to sit Johnny Damon and pencil Justin Christian as the leadoff hitter Monday night. I'll admit I was a bit surprised at the move, but it's not the reason they lost. The guys out there just aren't getting the job done and the Yanks aren't going to win games consistently unless the Derek Jeter's, Alex Rodriguez's and Robinson Cano's start coming through in key situations. My brother and I were watching the game at my cousin's house tonight and it's now late and I'm tired. Sick and tired. Therefore, no roundup. Frankly, there isn't a whole lot to write about. The Yanks are desperate for a win and will send Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.27 ERA) to the hill Tuesday night. Nick Blackburn (9-6, 3.60 ERA) will go for Minnesota. Blackburn is having a great August so far (2-0, 2.77 ERA in two starts), but the Yanks tagged him with a 12-4 loss at The Stadium on July 21. The Bombers banged out six runs (three earned) on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Blackburn pitched well in his first start this season against the Yanks, but was knocked out by Bobby Abreu's comebacker in the fifth inning during the Twins 5-1 victory June 1. Mussina has been lights out in August (2-0, 0.64 ERA in two starts) and will be making his third start against Minnesota this season. The Moose is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA against the Twinkies this year. Let's see if Mussina can give Yankee fans a reason to hope.
And so it goes. Andy Pettitte went seven gritty innings, but Joe Saunders was equal to the task and Chone Figgins dribbled the game-winning hit off Mariano Rivera in the ninth as the Angels edged the Yanks 4-3 in Anaheim. The Bombers jumped to an early 2-0 lead after one, but the Halos took the lead with three runs in the third. Robinson Cano tied the score with an RBI-ground out in the fourth. The remainder of the game turned into a battle of attrition. The Yankees had chances in the seventh and eighth innings to take the lead, but came up empty. Justin Christian doubled to open the seventh and was sacrificed to third. But Johnny Damon struck out and Derek Jeter popped out to end the threat. Alex Rodriguez doubled with one out in the eighth, but was thrown out trying to steal third base. It was a bang-bang play and A-Rod may have been safe, but the replay was inconclusive. And to be honest, I thought he was out with the naked eye. Anyway, the Yanks came away with no runs.  The loss drops the Yanks 8.5 games behind the high-flying Rays in the AL East, but keeps them 4 games back of the Red Sox in the wild card chase. The Good:Andy Pettitte. The Yankees needed a big effort from their veteran lefty and if not for one bad inning, No. 46 could have pulled out a win. But you don't get to drop your worst inning from the box score. Pettitte pitched in and out of danger for most of the afternoon, but he couldn't escape a very unlucky third inning. Gary Matthews opened the frame with an infield hit and Mike Napoli doubled just inside the third base line. Those were bad enough, but the next infield hit was the killer. Figgins laced a shot that was ticketed to center, but Pettitte got his glove out and almost snagged the liner. He didn't, however, and the ball bounced harmlessly to Jeter for an infield hit. If Pettitte made the play he may have had a shot at a double play or at the very least it would have been the first out of the inning. None of those scenarios happened. A run scored on the single and the Angels went on to score three runs in the frame (which also included an ugly balk by Pettitte). Still, Pettitte regrouped and gave the Yanks a solid outing so I'm going to dedicate Iron Maiden's The Trooper to him. Pettitte picked up the no-decision with this: 7+ IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K. The Bad:Damaso Marte. The Yankee lefty did some good, but it couldn't wash away his bad. Marte entered the game in the eighth inning with a runner on first and nobody out and retired Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Garret Anderson in order. That was the good part. It was a different story in the ninth. Howie Kendrick singled to open the ninth, but there's no shame in that. Kendrick is a good hitter and he's murdered the Yanks in his short career. Marte struck out Gary Matthews for the first out, but then committed his unforgivable sin. He walked the next batter -- Napoli. Now, Napoli has some pop and one day may turn into a decent hitter, but he entered Sunday's action with a .215 average. Unacceptable. That was all for Marte. He may not have given up the game-winning hit, but Marte played a big role in making it happen. Marte fell to 0-2 as a Yank with this: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K. Robinson Cano/Wilson Betemit. Robbie went hitless, but picked up an RBI, and Betemit struck out in a pinch hitting appearance in the ninth, but they aren't earning my contempt for their offense. No, their defense, or lack thereof, in the ninth is the reason I'm putting both of them in the corner. Rivera came in to face Figgins with runners on first and second and one out in the ninth. Figgins hit a weak ground ball between first and second. Betemit gave up on it too soon and retreated to cover first base. That was a mistake because every infielder should have tried to do everything possible to keep the ball from going into the outfield. Still, I don't think Betemit would have made the play and he felt it was his responsibility to get to the bag. OK. He was wrong, but OK. But I don't know what Cano was thinking on the play. He actually stopped and assumed Betemit was going to make the play. Cano had no other responsibility other than making a play on the ground ball. He hesitated and the ball trickled into right field for the game-winning hit. Inexcusable! The Ugly:Close call. The last thing the Yankees need is to have another pitcher go down with an injury, but it almost happened in the sixth. Anderson led off the inning with a line shot off Pettitte's right leg. Pettitte scrambled after the ball and made a nice play to get Anderson at first, but the greater concern was for Andy's health. Girardi and Stevey Donahue came out to take a look at Pettitte, but the big lefty shook it off and stayed in the game. Things have been dark in Yankee Land lately, but they may have shut off the lights if Pettitte was injured on that play. The Yanks will now embark on the final leg of this 10-game road trip from Hell with a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins. Sidney Ponson (7-2, 4.23 ERA) will go against Glen Perkins (8-3, 4.38 ERA) in the opener Monday night. Perkins has put together a solid season and it could have been even better if not for his two starts against the Bombers this season. The 25-year-old is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA against the Yankees, including a 5-1 loss at The Stadium in which he showed up second baseman Alexi Casilla for forgetting how many outs there were. Ponson is coming off two dazzling starts against two very good offensive teams (Texas Rangers and Angels). The Arubian Knight will be making his fourth start against the Twinkies this season (two with the Rangers, one with the Yanks). Sir Sid is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA this season against Minnesota and is 11-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 16 career appearances. He doesn't pitch as well at the Metrodome, though. Ponson is 5-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 11 lifetime starts under the dome. This may be the make-or-break series for the Yanks this season. The Twins are battling the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central crown (they're a half game out as I write this) and are 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the wild card berth. A poor showing in Minnesota and the Yankees could find themselves in a deeper hole (yes, it's possible to sink further). Time to see what the Bombers are made of.
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