Yankees 8- Mariners 5

Mariners 5 12 2
Yankees 8 11 0
Box Score

WP: Brian Bruney (3-0)
LP: Sean White (2-1)
S: Mariano Rivera (19)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera. Melky went 1 for 3, but also drove in three runs out of the 9 spot in the lineup. Once again, he came through in the late innings with the game-winning double in the 8th inning.

Image via Wikipedia

PLAY OF THE GAME: Alex Rodriguez's home run in the 7th inning. His A-Bomb to deep left field gave the Yanks a 2-run lead (at least until Bruney blew it.) I thought it had a chance at the upper deck for a second there but it was a little too close to center field.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera's RBI double in the 8th inning. Bruney had just blown a 2-run lead. Matsui and Swisher got on before the Melk Man ripped one to center field.

GAME NOTES:

• I don't know how many times I heard that Mariano might throw the first pitch and the last pitch of the game today. I lost count at 20... and that was in the fourth inning.
• Alex Rodriguez is obviously back on track, as he had a home run and some nice plays in the field today. But, they still need to make sure they stick to the plan with giving him days off. He needs days off, there is no doubt about it. Mike Lowell had the same surgery, and now he's on the DL. Girardi and the Yankees need to make sure that doesn't happen to A-Rod.
  
• Joba did just good enough to get the Yankees through the game, but he needs to do more than that. And yes, I typed this before Paul O'Neil said this on the post-game show.
  
• Phil Hughes is a starter by trade, and now he's pitching out of the bullpen. He's been pitching brilliantly in relief, so why take him after only nine pitches? Nine! He probably threw more than that in the bullpen to warm up! Girardi did not need to go to Bruney there, but, instead of saving him for tomorrow, he threw 22 pitches and allowed four base runners and two runs. The two Phils (Hughes and Coke) are your best options behind Mo out of the bullpen right now.
  
• The Yankees pitching staff gave up 12 hits and 5 runs to a Mariners offense that has been struggling. Not good, but they pulled the win out anyway.
• And the Yankees pulled to 2.5 GB in the AL East after the Red Sox blew a 9-1 lead against the Orioles. If that ever happens to the Yankees, don't expect a blog update for a couple days.
  

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"No way, Michael Kay."- Mariano Rivera

TOMORROW:
Mariners at Yankees 7:05 pm at Yankee Stadium
Jarrod Washburn (4-5, 3.22 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte

(7-3, 4.38 ERA)

AND REMEMBER: VOTE TEX!

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Game 76: Mariners at Yankees

YANKEES (43-32, 2nd place AL East 3.5 GB)

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81).

MARINERS (39-36, 3rd place AL West 3.5 GB)
Ichiro RF
Branyan 1B
Lopez 2B
Griffey LF
Sweeney DH
Gutierrez CF
Woodward 3B
Johjima C
Cedeno SS

Pitching: RHP Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64).

TIME/TV: 7:05, YES.

Vote Teixeira: Ok, Kevin Youkilis has moved back into first place in the AL All Star Voting for the starting first baseman spot. WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN! I will not watch if Pukilis gets the starting nod over Tex. Go here to vote for Teixeira. Don't worry, I will be harping on this all night.

A-Bombs A-way: A-Rod seems to be fresh and ready to go, as he is 8 of his last 23 with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs.

New guy in town...well not yet: Eric Hinske is supposed to be arriving for tonight's game, but his plane is stuck in Pittsburgh, so there has been no roster move yet. If I was Hinske and was being traded away from the Pirates, I don't care if I needed to walk, ride a bike, or hitchhike, I would just get out of Pittsburgh as fast as possible.

Weather Report: We'll go to Ollie Williams for our forecast.

UPDATE 6:13: YES WE CAN! VOTE TEIXEIRA!

UPDATE 6:35: The Yankees are going to try and play this game, but the tarp is still on the field. And when they do start, Mariano Rivera will throw out the ceremonial pitch.

And I hope a foul ball hits Tony Romo in the head, I don't care if he's there with a sick kid or not.

UPDATE 7:00: Game will be delayed, first pitch scheduled for 7:45.

UPDATE 7:50: OK, so the game is now scheduled to start at 8:05. I spent the rain delay voting for mark Teixeira 75 times. (Hint, you can vote more than the "maximum" 25 times if you use different e-mail addresses.) And yes, I hate Kevin Youkilis that much.

UPDATE 8:00: I wonder if the first pitch thrower will throw it from the rubber?

UPDATE 8:05: WHAT!? Did he really just throw from halfway up the mound with Jorge in front of the plate? Come on Mo, I was joking with the last post.

UPDATE 8:17: I just had one of those What If? thoughts. Imagine Ken Griffey, Jr. in his prime playing 81 games a year in the new Stadium.

UPDATE 8:24: Wow! Now you can get Michael Kay anywhere! Who wouldn't want that?

UPDATE 8:29: So we're back to letting that ball drop in. Is there any reason they can't go out before the game and work on that for an hour? That happens much more often than it should.

UPDATE 8:39: Wait, I thought we were done playing the Mets.

UPDATE 8:43: Now I know why the Mariners have such a low team ERA, all their runs are unearned.

UPDATE 9:05: Ok, so he grounded into a double play, but you should still vote Mark Teixeira for the AL All-Star Game. He's change you can believe in. Kevin Youkilis was the starter last year, he's just more of the same.

UPDATE 10:03: This game is taking forever as the M's go the pen. O yea, Mark Teixeira was just up and I'm here to remind you to Vote for Him!

UPDATE 10:35: Hughes gets out of that inning with only 9 pitches. You have to send him back out there for the 8th right?

UPDATE 10:42: I think it's safe to say that A-Rod's hip isn't fatigued anymore.

UPDATE 10:53: This is why he should have left Hughes in. And how come Bruney doesn't have a patch on the back of his hat?

UPDATE 11:04: OK Michael Kay, I only mentioned the Hughes thing a half hour ago, and then again 10 minutes ago. Nice rip by Matsui.

UPDATE 11:05: Wow, I didn't think Swisher could bunt. He could have been called out for stepping out of the box, but the never make that call. I remember the White Sox lost the ALDS on a bunt like that in 2000 on a no-call. If I remember correctly, it was against the Mariners, so that ties in nicely.

And Melky continues to come through in the clutch.

UPDATE 11:09: Best part about this rally? We don't have to get asked whether the Yankees have a rally in their bones.

UPDATE 11:18: After all that, Mo better not blow this save. That would suck.

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YANKEES ACQUIRE HINSKE FROM PIRATES

Image via Wikipedia

The Yankees picked up Eric Hinske today in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hinske is no newcomer to the AL East as he has played for Toronto Blue Jay, Tampa Bay Rays, and Boston Red Sox. Brian Cashman gave up two young prospects, right-handed starting pitcher Casey Erickson and outfielder Eric Fryer, in the deal. This move is good because it gives us a veteran not named Angel Berroa off the bench. With Hinske coming in and Jose Molina close to coming back, Ramiro Pena and Francisco Cervelli may be headed back down to the minors to play everyday, but that remains to be seen.

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Michael Kayisms: "Rally in Their Bones"

We at Michael Kay's Successors have decided to do a new segment. We will do it every off-day and try to do it weekly. It will be on the less intelligent things Kay says in a game, or his phrases he has made famous to Yankees fans, which we will call "Kayisms." The purpose of these posts are to discuss how annoying and pointless these constant phrases really are, and to give the readers something entertaining to read on a slow Yankees baseball day.

We know there are many fans who will shake their head in disappointment and roll their eyes to the things Michael Kay says on air. From his his loud, ear-bleeding cackle to his home-run calling "See Ya's!" we set to ponder why he does such things and what he could do instead. At the very end of this segment (which we have no idea when that will be) we will have a poll on which Kayism is the most annoying. (Also vote on our latest poll on the right)

Today's Kayism: "Do the Yankees have a rally in their bones?"

We start out with this particular phrase because the 2009 season is quickly becoming the "rally in their bones" season for Michael Kay. With the Yankees major-league leading 23 come-from-behind victories, Kay's use of this phrase has become more and more prevalent. Very rarely does he not say this after the eighth inning in games the Yankees trail. Then one day Jim asked me, "what exactly does rally in their bones even mean?"

I gave him my best translation: "Do the Yankees have a rally in them?"

This would seem to make more sense and Jim agreed. But then he followed up with the tough part of the question, "Why bones then?"

Honestly, I have no clue. I mean think about it. Have you ever heard another announcer say that? Or a Little League coach say that when the team is down and needs a rally? I know I haven't. We looked it up to see if it was a real phrase and it is not. It is just something Kay totally made up on his own. It is probably one of the most nonsensical things I have ever heard said. I mean do they have a rally in their bones? Who the heck comes up with this stuff? And then the worst part is he beats that phrase into the ground more often than ESPN does Brett Favre stories.

I don't know what Kay is aiming for by saying this. Is he trying to be funny? clever? It has certainly gotten annoying. Maybe he just wants to come up with his own original phrases. Whatever the reason is, its caught our attention and has been added to the list of Kayisms.

So Yankees do us all a favor, and get out to leads early in the game, so we keep the ridiculous things Kay says down to a minimum.

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We're on Twitter and Facebook

Okay well today is an off day so there is not much to write about. But if you have a twitter and/or facebook we are on both sites. If you like our blog and enjoy our input you can follow us on twitter and become a fan on facebook. You will receive updates of new blog posts and updates of the blog on both sites.

You can follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/KaysSuccessors

or become a fan on facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Michael-Kays-Successors/103300891569?ref=nf

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RIVERA PICKS UP SAVE #500 Yankees 4-Mets 2

Yankees 4 4 0
Mets 2 5 0

WP: Chien-Mien Wang (about time) (1-6)
LP: Livan Hernandez (5-3)
S: Mariano Rivera (18, 500th of his career)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mariano River

Googie Man 14:33, 10 May 2006 . . Goo..." style="border: medium none ; display: block; width: 168px; height: 275px;">Image via Wikipedia

a. He picked up the 500th save of his career with a four out save while wriggling out of a jam in the bottom of the 8th. He also picked up the 1st RBI of his career by drawing a bases loaded walk against Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Alex Rodriguez getting the force at second on a bunt by Argenis Reyes. It was not only a nice play by A-Rod and a nice pick by Derek Jeter, but it kept the tying run out of scoring position.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Mark Teixiera RBI double in the first inning. It set the tone for the game after the first two games and gave Wang some breathing room before he even took the mound.

GAME NOTES:

• The Yankees showed up at Citi Field at the perfect time. The Yanks needed a little boost and the Mets were ready to play the part of a doormat.
• Today was not a dominating performance in any stretch of the imagination for Chien-Mien Wang, but he finally picked up his first win of the season. That will surely help him out mentally and he pitched well enough for Girardi to leave him in the rotation.
  
• The Mets are in trouble. They need reinforcements as soon as possible and they need to start executing the fundamentals better if they are going to succeed the way Mets fans want them to.
  
• Sad note as many of you may have heard, Billy Mays of OxyClean commercial fame passed away this morning. Mays poked a little fun at himself with some ESPN360 commercials a couple of months ago.

TOMORROW:
OFF DAY

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GAME 75: Yankees at Mets

YANKEES (42-32, Second Place AL East)
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Cabrera LF
Gardner CF
Wang RHP
Pitching: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-6, 11.20).

METS (37-36, Second Place NL East)
Murphy 1B
Cora SS
Wright 3B
Sheffield RF
Tatis LF
F. Martinez CF
Schneider C
Castillo 2B
Hernandez RHP
Pitching: RHP Livan Hernandez (5-2, 4.05).

TIME/TV: 8:05 p.m., ESPN.

No Pre-Game Notes we posted this way too late.

UPDATE 8:39: Just got in and the Yankees are winning 3-0. All I know is Tex has a 2-run double.

UPDATE 8:53: Anyone sick of the "Three Stooges" of ESPN yet?

UPDATE 9:10: Once again, Jeter proving he has improved his defense going to his left. A nice diving stop to get the double play.

UPDATE 9:15: Jon Miller is suggesting the Yankees move Jeter to third and A-Rod to center down the road. Who hires these clowns?

UPDATE 9:28: Melky plays the ball horribly off the wall, now it's 3-1 Yankees. That is the Mets first run this series. The fans sound excited there.

UPDATE 9:32: 3-2 after 4 innings. Wang struggling to throw strikes and leaving pitches up. If he weren't facing a AAAA team it could be worse.

UPDATE 10:00: Cano's been grounding into lots of double plays lately. Intentionally walking A-Rod works out in the Mets favor, Yanks waste the first two batters getting on. 3-2 going into the bottom of the 6th.

UPDATE 10:16: Coke and Hughes come in and gt the job done to finish the 6th. Line for Wang: 5 1/3 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 3 K's. I still think Hughes could have came in and got Martinez and save Coke for later in the game. But I guess Girardi really wanted the lefty-lefty matchup and didn't want to risk a W for Wang.

UPDATE 10:25: This has been a weird game. Livan Hernandez, a pitcher the Yankees usually dominate, has held them to 3 runs and 3 hits through 7 innings. I guess Cano isn't one of those who dominates him because they should ahve at least 5-6 runs if it weren't for his double plays. Hughes in the 7th, Bruney in the 8th, Mo in the 9th. That is what you are looking at right now for the Yankees. Question is, can they hold a one run lead for the next 3 innings? Big test for Hughes and Bruney right now.

UPDATE 10:39: Hughes striking Cora out looking with a runner on second to end the inning. Man, I can't wait till Pettitte retires, I think Hughes is finally coming around. Yanks need some insurance now.

UPDATE 10:57: Man, Cano can't catch a break. Another groundball to a middle infielder with runners on base. What a dissapointing game for him.

UPDATE 11:14: First and second 2 outs in the 8th, and Mo strikes out Omir Santos to get out of the inning. Three outs away from sweeping the Mets and getting his 500th save.

UPDATE 11:41: Mariano Rivera got an RBI walk off K-Rod that inning and now goes out to get his 500th save. All the Yankees thought it was hilarious...Jerry Manuel and K-Rod...not so much. Someone check Trevor Hoffmans stats to see if he got an RBI in his 500th save.

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Yankees 5 Mets 0

Yankees 5 8 0
Mets 0 1 0

WP: Burnett (6-4)
LP: Redding (1-3)



PLAYER OF THE GAME: A.J. Burnett.. Burnett took a no-hitter into the sixth, and his only hit he gave up in 7 innings of work was a single by Alex Cora. Burnett also struck out a season high 10 batters.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Melky's catch in the fifth inning. Melky went running toward the wall in left and had a little leap, and made a backhanded catch and running into the wall. The catch also kept the no-hitter in tact for one more inning.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Jorge Posada's home run. You knew the Mets offense wasn't going to get much going, so when Posada hit a 3-run home run in the top of the sixth, that pretty much secured the Yankees victory.

GAME NOTES:

• Nick Swisher hit his 14th home run of the season. 11 of his 14 home runs have come on the road.
• I did not notice the right-center gap is 415 ft. What were they thinking making the dimensions that big? That has got to be the biggest gap in any stadium in baseball. If not for that gap, Tex would have also homered.
• Brett Gardner had 5 hits last night. The Mets have 4 hits in this series.
• When things get bad for the Yankees, I am always told, hey at least you're not a Mets fan. I always thought this was just Mets fans overreacting on how bad they really are, but these last two games prove their point. It must be painful to watch this as a Mets fan. I mean there has only been 2 innings in both games where the Mets got a hit. If not for those two innings they would have been no-hit back to back games. Worse is they are playing cross-town rival Yankees who their fans obsess over trying to be better than. Chien-Ming Wang pitches tommorow. I guess that's the real test on how bad they are really playing.

Tommorow:

Yankees at Mets 8:05 PM ET Citi Field

Wang (0-6, 11.20) vs Hernandez (5-2, 4.05)

See ya!

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GAME 74: Yankees at Mets

YANKEES (41-32, Second Place AL East)
Gardner CF
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Cabrera LF
Pena SS
Burnett RHP
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (5-4, 4.24).

METS (37-35, Second Place NL East)
Cora SS
A Reyes 2B
Wright 3B
Church RF
Sheffield LF
Murphy 1B
Reed CF
Schneider C
Redding RHP
Pitching: RHP Tim Redding (1-2, 6.08).

TIME/TV: 7:10 p.m., YES, WPIX, MLB.

Kings of New York: The Yankees are 3-1 against the Mets and have outsocred them 35-15 in just four games.
Offensive Outburst: The Yankees scored 28 runs in the last 3 games and the team is hitting .328. They have 12 walks and 16 extra base hits.
Sick Bench: Both Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon will not play tonight because they both have the flu.
Milestone Watch: With the Yankees 9-1 rout of the Mets yesterday, Mariano Rivera still sits on save 499.

UPDATE 7:27: A-Rod has also been playing better defense lately. Good sign that he is back.

UPDATE 7:52: AJ Burnett works into and out of trouble there. (Thats another overused phrase, not just by Kay, but by alot of announcers)

UPDATE 7:58: Nick Swisher hit a bomb as he went oppo into left-center. 1-0 Yankees.

UPDATE 8:33: What a catch by Melky. A leaping, backhand catch running into the wall. That's the second play that Melky made that Damon would not have today.

UPDATE 8:46: Burnett's line through 5: 0 runs, 0 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts. Meanwhile Tex just scored on an RBI single by A-Rod. Tex hit a double off the 415 sign in rightcenter. I didn't know Citi Field had its own Death Valley. 2-0 Yankees.

UPDATE 8:50: HIP HIP JORGE! Posada hits an opposite field home run to left center and gives the Yankees a 5-0 lead. Posada had been struggling at the plate before that atbat. Maybe this gets him out of a slump. Tim Redding now out of the game. Stokes in for the Mets.

UPDATE 9:01: Well there goes the no-hitter. You had to figure he would lose it this inning since the YES booth would not stop talking about it.

UPDATE 9:24: We are seeing some great defense today. And an even more impressive Ramiro Pena the alst two days. A double earleir, and now a diving stop to get out Daniel Murphy. Speaking of Murphy, he can't catch a break. Melky robbed him of 2 hits and now Pena.

UPDATE 9:35: A.J. Burnett's night is done. Seven innings, 1 hit, 0 runs. 3 walks, and 10 strikeouts. Very impressive, yet again, he's facing David Wright, Gary Sheffield, and 7 bums.

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Yankees 9 Mets 1

Yankees 9 14 0
Mets 1 3 3

WP: Sabathia (7-4)
LP: Pelfrey(5-3)

PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME: Brett Gardner. Gardner went 5-6 with 3 runs, 2 RBIs, a triple and a solo home-run. He was a double short of the cycle and it was his first career 5 hit game.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Alex Rodriguez's 2 run home run in the 8th inning. He extended the lead to 7-1 and he passed Reggie Jackson on the all-time HR list. He also hit it the opposite field and it was the second consecutive day he hit a home run. He's back.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Top of the second inning. This could have been a harmless inning if it weren't for the Mets committing 3 errors this inning leading to the Yankees scoring 4 runs. Ironically, every Mets infielder except Luis Castillo made an error.

GAME NOTES:

• CC Sabathia's arm is A-Ok. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 8. It tied the most batters he has struck out in a game this season. Oh, he also had an RBI single as well.
• The Mets played awful baseball. They made 3 errors in one inning, balked before getting set, and gave up a HR to Brett Gardner.
• The YES network (or MY9 today) broadcasts are laughable compared to SNY. Michael Kay and David Cone are talking about Spudd Chandler and the 1930's and life without CY Young awards, so I flip to SNY to see what they're doing. Guess what? They're talking about the game going on inthe field. Darling was breaking down CC Sabathia's effectiveness, while Hernandez was giving analysis of David Wright's at bat. I flip back to YES and they are just jabbering on about nothing that has to do with the game on the field. And this was in the third inning. At least it's understandable if it's late in the game.

Tommorow: Yankees at Mets 7:05 ET Citi Field

Burnett (5-4, 4.24) Redding (1-2, 6.08)

See Ya!

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GAME 73: Yankees at Mets

YANKEES (40-32, Second Place AL East)
Gardner CF
Damon, LF
Teixeira, 1B
Rodriguez, 3B
Cano, 2B
Cabrera, RF
Cervelli, C
Pena SS
Sabathia, LHP
Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (6-4, 3.71).

METS (37-34, Second Place NL East)
Castillo 2B
Cora SS
Wright 3B
Sheffield RF
Tatis LF
Church CF
Evans 1B
Santos C
Pelfrey RHP
Pitching: RHP Mike Pelfrey (5-2, 4.74).

TIME/TV: 7:10 p.m., MY9, SNY

Round 2: They Yankees and Mets meet again, this time at Citi Field. The Yankees lead the series 2-1, and it was an unusual one that took place in the Bronx. The Yankees won the first game on a droppped pop-up by Luis Castillo in the bottom of the 9th. The Mets won the second game as Fernando Nieve shutdownthe Yankees. Then, the Yankees scored 9 runs off the best pitcher in the NL, Johan Santana, and won in a 15-0 rout.

Milestone Watch: Mariano Rivera has 499 saves and needs one more to reach 500. The only other player to record 500 saves is Trevor Hoffman (571).

Heating Up: Johnny Damon is 6 of his last 9 with 3 RBIs. A-Rod is 5 of his last 15 with 5 RBIs. And Brett Gardner is 19-56 over his last 26 games with a .422 OBP.

Birthday Boy: Today is Derek Jeter's 35th birthday. I'm guessing they'll show his birthday stats at some point in the game today.

Bad News for the X-Man: Xavier Nady pulled himself out of a minor league game yesterday with pain in is right elbow again. No tests were done on Nady today, but he is heading back to see Dr. Yocum in California. This news is not good, and Nady may now be lost for the season.

UPDATE 6:31: Tarp down and raining at Citi Field. Derek Jeter is also scratched from the lineup. He is battling a respiratory problem, as a sickness seems to be making its way through the Yankees clubhouse (Melky was sick, and Posada not feeling great). Gardner will leadoff and Pena will play short.

UPDATE 6:55: It is absolutely horrible outside right now. The power just got temporarily knocked out in my house so either it is going to be a long night, or we will play 2 tommorow.

UPDATE 7:28: Just read on Pete Abe's blog that the tarp is getting ready to come off. No word on when the first pitch will be, my guess would be around 8pm.

UPDATE 8:00 Looks like my guess was right as they are minutes away from having baseball start here tonight.

UPDATE 8:17: Yankees have decided to catch those bloopers between the leftfielder, centerfielder, and shortstop today. Nice slidng catch by Damon. And I thought Wright just hit a home run right now but Michael Kay just overreacted then blamed it on the ballpark.

UPDATE 8:25: Bloop single for Ramiro Pena to put the Yankees up 1-0. Sabathia up, I would love to see him get a hit...and he does its an RBI single haha I love this guy.

UPDATE 8:29: This inning is now getting sloppy for the Mets. Damon hit the ball right at the shortstop for a tailor made double play and he throws the ball away from Castillo and into leftfield. 3-0 Yanks now.

UPDATE 8:31: Mets playing like a Little League team now. Another error as the firstbaseman Evans bobbles and drops a groundball right to him. 4-0 Yankees.

UPDATE 8:40: Pelfrey's line last inning: 1 IP 3 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 K. Every infielder except Luis "I dropped the ball" Castillo made an error.

UPDATE 9:04: Sabathia's arm looks pretty good to me. Four strikeouts and no hits or walks after 3.

UPDATE 9:19: A nice backhand play by A-Rod to get David Wright out to end the inning. CC is dealin'.

UPDATE 9:27: There goes CC's bid for a no-no. If anyone was going tobreak it up it was either going to be Sheffield or Wright. Mets lineup is a bunch of nobodys. Sheffield solo homer makes it 4-1 Yankees.

UPDATE 10:02: Eight strikeouts for Sabathia. Ties a season high and any doubts on his arm should be erased now.
UPDATE 10:26: Brett Gardner, yes Gardner, hit a home run to right field. And Citi Field aint no bandbox. That's impressive. Four hits for Gardner, the first time in his career. Now this makes the decision tougher on me on who should be player of the game, Gardner or Sabathia?

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The Game That Wouldn't End ...Yankees 11 Braves 7

Yankees 11 16 1
Braves 7 13 3


WP: Aceves (5-1)
LP: Lowe (7-6)
S: Rivera (17)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Alex Rodriguez. Could he finally be out of his slump? He went 3-5 with 4 RBIs and a home-run today.

PLAY OF THE GAME: There was a lot of shoddy defense early on...but Mark Teixeira's diving catch in the eigth inning to rob Garret Anderson of a single was a "pretty play."

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: A-Rod's home-run. The home run put the Yankees up 2-0 in the first inning and established that he, alogn with the rest of the team, have finally awaken.

GAME NOTES:

• Everyday there is a new pitcher who wants to be the most frustrating to watch. AndyPettitte had an 8-1 lead and was only able to pitch 3.2 innnings. The rotation has not been awful of late, but they need to establish some consistency.
• Mark Teixeira was the only Yankee not to get a hit tonight. Hopefully if A-Rod is officially no longer slumping, he will start getting better pitches to hit and heat up again.
• Derek Jeter reached base 6 times and scored 4 runs. Probably the runner-up for player of the game.
• After losing the series to the Natinals and Marlins, Yankees win 2 out of 3 against the Braves.
• A-Rod said he would let Reggie Jackson know he tied him tonight. If they are as close as it appears, Reggie will probably not say anything publicly, but I just can't imagine him being happy with a known steroid user tying and passing his accomplishment he earned without any help from PEDs.
• Did Derek Lowe think he was still on the Red Sox. Did the Yankees think he was still on the Red Sox? I say this because this game finished jsut short of 4 hours, which is the norm in a Yanks-Sox series.

Tommorow: Yankees at Mets 7:05 ET Shea St...er...Citi Field.

Sabathia (5-4, 3.71) vs Pelfrey (5-2, 4.74)

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GAME 72: Yankees at Braves

YANKEES (39-32, tied 2nd place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Swisher RF
Gardner CF
Ransom 2B
Pettitte LHP

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.26).

BRAVES (34-37, 4th place NL East)
McLouth CF
Prado 2B
Jones 3B
McCann C
Escobar SS
Anderson LF
Francoeur RF
Kotchman 1B
Lowe RHP

Pitching: RHP Derek Lowe (7-5, 4.09).

I'm posting this too late to put game notes, as the Yankees are already up 2-0 on a double play by Tex and a home run by A-Rod.

UPDATE 7:29: Despite what he might say publicly, I think Reggie Jackson is probably pissed off, because I sure would be. Guys like him and Hank Aaron are being passed by guys who used illegal substances to enhance their performance.

Image via Wikipedia

UPDATE 7:48: Hey! Who's this guy and what has he done with Alex Rodriguez?

UPDATE 8:09: Now Michael Kay is commenting on how the bat boy does his job. It's only the 3rd inning and he's reaching for stuff to talk about.

UPDATE 8:13: My man Jonny Flynn (from Syracuse) just got picked 6th by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Draft.

UPDATE 8:39: The Yankees are piling it on here as Ransom shoots one into the gap to make it 8-1. And as of 2 minutes ago, MKS is now on Facebook, become a fan today.

UPDATE 9:02: So much for this being a blowout. Pettitte out.

UPDATE 9:47: This is John taking over. Unlike Jim, I probably won't write anything about the NBA draft in my updates because I am sure nobody from Quinnipiac will be drafted. Anyway, even though the Yankees are winning this game is pathetic. Up 8-1 you'd expect Pettitte to go at least 7, eat up some innings, and semi-rest the bullpen. Instead Aceves pitched, who you might need tommorow if Sabathia's arm is bothering him, and now Coke, Bruney, and probably Rivera if it stays at 8-6.

UPDATE 9:58: 2-run single for A-Rod. I guess those 2 days of rest are finally showing. He's now 3-4 with 4 RBIs.

UPDATE 10:09: Web Gem nominee for Mark Teixeira right there. I wonder how many hits/errors Teixeira has saved compared to Giambi last year? It seems like every other day Tex impresses with a nice defensive play.

UPDATE 10:50: I have the game recap all finished but David Robertson refuses to let this game end. He gave up a monster shot to McCann now an Anderson single. If Mo has to come into this game that would be very disapointing.

UPDATE 10:54: This is ridiculous. Robertson can't get the last out and now it is a save situation. 1 out to go with Mo coming in. First and second 2 outs, this game better end soon.

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Yankees 8 Braves 4...FINALLY!

Yankees 8 10 1
Braves 4 8 2

WP: Chamberlain (4-2)
LP: Medlin(2-3)
S: Rivera (16)...remember him?

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Joba Chamberlain. He did what he was supposed to do and kept the Yankees in the game. He looked like the future ace he is supposed to be and he had control, good velocity (93-94) and his breaking pitches were working.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Frankie Cervelli's home-run. It officially resurected the Yankees bats from the dead and it broke up a perfect-game, which would have been devastating.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Girardi's ejection. Way to get the team fired up. After Gardner was picked off (which he was safe on) Girardi got ejected farguing the call and the team responed well. The Yankees went on to score 4 runs that inning immediately following it, starting with Cervelli's homer.

GAME NOTES:

• Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami left the game after the third when he was struck by a line drive in the neck off the bat of Joba Chamberlain. he is listed day-to-day.
• The Michael Kay jinx prevails again, as he killed both a perfect game, no-hitter, and the Yankees hitless streak all in one inning.
• Mariano Rivera's appearance was his first since June 16. Yikes.
• If you want to see a sick action movie, go see Transformers 2. It was a tad bit too long, but it was awesome nonetheless. I'd advise watching the first one beforehand, so you see the characters develop, and to see if you would want to see the second.

That's it for tonight...See Ya!

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GAME 71: Yankees at Braves

YANKEES (38-32, Tied for 2nd place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Gardner CF
Cervelli C
Chamberlain RHP

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (3-2, 3.89).

BRAVES (34-36, 4th place NL East (but really with the Nationals in that division, it's basically last))
McLouth CF
Escobar SS
Jones 3B
McCann C
Anderson LF
Kotchman 1B
Francoeur RF
Johnson 2B
Kawakami RHP

Pitching: RHP Kenshin Kawakami (4-6, 4.42)

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m., YES, ESPN2.

BON VOYAGE VERAS: Jose Veras was traded to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations. Now, there are no specifics on who the cash considerations are going to, because I could not believe that the Indians are actually paying the Yankees to watch Veras give up runs.

RUSTY RIVERA: Mo hasn't pitched in 8 days.

ROAD TRIP: All 3 of Chamberlain's wins this season are on the road. Joba is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA on the road so far this season.

IF ONLY THE GDP WAS THIS HIGH: The Yankees have grounded into 60 double plays (GIDP for anyone who didn't get the joke) in 70 games this season, including 8 in the last 7 games.

HE'S DUE?: A-Rod continues to struggle (aka suck). He is 1 for his last 20 and his batting average as dropped/free fell from .256 to .207.

MAKE IT QUICK: The Yanks are 16-10 when the game is completed in under three hours, and are 22-22 when the game is over.

UPDATE 7:13: Jeter and Damon forgot they were in Atlanta. If this was at the Stadium, they Yanks would be up 2-0 already.

UPDATE 8:02: I guess they said this on-air before, but apparently the Yankees had a team meeting after the game yesterday. That's good because these guys need to wake up. Baseball is not a game where you can just try harder and do better. It's not football where you can just go hit someone, but they need to be sharper mentally and right the ship.

UPDATE 8:26: Well, Francoeur just bombed one to left center to put the Braves up 1-0. The way the Yankees are hitting, Joba better make sure it stays at 1-0.

UPDATE 8:36: Gardner just got picked off as our first and only base runner. Let's see Girardi get tossed.

UPDATE 8:38: Francisco Cervelli picked a good time to hit the first home run of his career.

UPDATE 8:42: If the 1st base umpire had not screwed up that call, the Yankees would be up 2-1, at least if you believe in the fallacy of the predetermined outcome, as Michael Kay would say.

UPDATE 8:52: That may just be the hit that breaks A-Rod out of this slump. An 0-2 pitch that he hits to right center that drives in the 2 go-ahead runs is big for a player's psyche.

UPDATE 8:58: I guess a guy named Joba would idolize a guy named Chipper.

UPDATE 9:04: Even Swisher getting in on the action tonight. Yanks up 4-1.

UPDATE 9:18: This is John taking over. Little jam here for Joba. His throwing error on that bunt by Kelly Johnson makes it first and second one out. Pinch hitter likely for the pitcher right now.

UPDATE 9:20: Pinch hit single for Prado, now 4-2 Yankees. First and third one out. That'll be it for Joba. Phil Coke coming in to face Nate McLouth, this is the biggest at bat of the game. The Yanks need this game desperately, too.

UPDATE 9:29: I leave my TV for 1 minute and I miss a great catch by Swish, which led to a sac fly for McLouth. Yankees escape with the lead still in tact. 4-3 Yanks in the eigth. This may also be the last update of the night. Again, we are 18-19 year old kids. We go out at night, and we are seeing Transformers 2 tonight. We will have the game recap probably around 1 am in the morning.

c9qkvai4uz

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Manny Mania

Manny Ramirez made a rehab start in the minor leagues in the midst of a 50-game suspension. From the way this story is being covered, it is like he is coming back from an injury. Well he isn't. In case you forgot, he is suspended because he took a banned substance (women's fertility drug), which many believe to be used after a cycle of steroids. Everyone is all happy he is comingback and ESPN was cutting into his at-bats, similar to when Roger Clemens kept coming back from retirement. I think this whole thing is more of a disgrace than the Yankees offense.

The man cheated and is suspended and he is still allowed to play in a minor league game. Yesterday on Around the Horn, LA Times columnist, Bill Plashcke made an excellent point. He said, "This is a joke, that is why I am not there covering it. He is suspended from major league baseball yet he is allowed to use Dodgers facilities, play for Dodgers-related teams, and use Dodgers funded bats and balls, that is absurd. Letting him play in the minors is like letting someone suspended from school have someone hand in their homework, take night classes, and have the teacher tutor them while they are out."

I agree wholeheartedly with Plaschke; it is absurd. I know the coverage of A-Rod was just as big as Manny's, but it seems liek Manny coming back is being taken in a lighter matter. Everyone is happy he is coming back and I just get the vibe that people are missing the big picture. He cheated and is still serving a 50-game suspension. Maybe if he did these "rehab" starts after the 50-game suspension I would not have a problem with it. But this a problem Major League Baseball needs to address. If Bud Selig truly wants to make an example out of the cheaters in baseball, he would have never let Manny Ramirez near a Dodgers-related facility during the time of his suspension. The minor leagues won't do anything about it too, because they are making tons of money off this.

Once again major league baseball fails to look at the real problem here and instead of a suspension, Manny ends up with a vacation.

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Yanks Offense Still on Vacation...Braves 3 Yanks 0

Yankees 0 4 1
Braves 4 7 1

WP: Hanson (3-0)
LP: Wang (0-6)...WTF!?!?!

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tommy Hanson. He wasn't great, but he held the Yankees to just 4 hits in 5.1 IP. He is just lucky the Yankees couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat knowing they had RISP.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Garrett Anderson's 2 out 2 RBI double. The hit extended the Braves lead to 3-0, which was plenty of insurance of the Braves.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Derek Jeter's inning ending double play in the sixth. It was the last chance the Yankees had with runners on base to get a rally going. Once that happened the Yankees seemingly just quit.

GAME NOTES:

• Yankees have lost 5 of their last 6 and are 4-6 in interleague play, a part of the schedule they normally dominate.
• Phil Hughes is better than Chien-Ming Wang. The Yankees cannot seriously be sending an 0-6 pitcher with a 12 ERA out against the Mets Sunday night on national television. But they will anyway.
• A-Rod still sucks. And he let a groundball get by him that he could have had which led to 3 runs for the Braves and he didn't get a hit. He's now our own Big Papi.
• This offense needs a spark. Shelley Duncan anyone?? I mean freakin Angel Berroa and Brett Tomko are on the team. They are not helping the team in any way possible.
• Are we still ahead in the wild card? Holy #%$! we are! I guess that's what will be playing for...that is if they decide to start winning again.

This team is a disgrace... SEE YA!

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GAME 70: Yankees at Braves

YANKEES (38-31, Second Place AL East)
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Cabrera LF
Gardner CF
Wang RHP
Pitching: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-5, 12.30).

BRAVES (33-36, Fourth Place NL East)
McLouth CF
Escobar SS
Jones 3B
McCann C
Anderson LF
Kotchman 1B
Francoeur RF
Johnson 2B
Hanson RHP
Pitching: RHP Tommy Hanson (2-0, 4.08).

TIME/TV: 7 p.m., MY9.

Is He Good Again, Yet? Chien-Ming Wang will be making his fourth start since coming off the DL. He is winless this season, and has a career high 5 losses already this season. He keeps "improving" but he has yet reached that level where he once was.
Don't Let Him On The Bases Either: It's been over a year since Wang last won a game, that is because of the LisFranc sprain of his foot sidelined him while running the bases in Houston last June. Wang will be batting in an NL park for the first time since that injury.
Powerless: The Yankees have hit one home run in their last four games. They have grounded into eight double plays during this time as well.
If This Guy Even Warms Up in the Pen, I am Turning the Game Off: Brett Tomko's line for his last three appearances: 3.2 IP, 6 hits 7 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts and has given up three home runs. What purpose does he, and Angel Berroa even serve on this team?

UPDATE: For anyone interested in Girardi's protest of Sunday's game, the MLB has decided to deny it. Therefore the game is final and will not be replayed from the eigth inning.

UPDATE 7:20: Three groundball outs and a 1-2-3 inning for Wang. What does he think this is, 2007? Great play by Cano to start the inning too. I thought McLouth was safe for sure.

UPDATE 7:37: Maybe if Wang was pitching well I would have to hold my breath with him running down the line. Anyway, not much the Yankees could do there with the bases loaded and Wang up. It's an automatic out, you have to pray for a walk.

UPDATE 7:48: Disaster averted here in the second inning. Wang got into some trouble then a high chopper toward first brought him and Teixeira in to catch it and neither one was called off. They almost collide but Wang caught it and threw it to first to Cano who just got there in time to cover the bag.

UPDATE 7:53: Leadoff double for Jeter. Michael Kay has a John Sterling moment calling he is going for three, then telling us no he held up.

UPDATE 8:13: 3-0 Braves as Wang is getting hit hard now. Garrett Anderson crushed a double into the right-center gap to drive in 2 runs.

UPDATE 8:27: Does anyone think the Yankees get bonuses if they leave runners in scoring position? Because this is ridiculous. Bases loaded and they can't get the hit.

UPDATE 8:47: "This ballpark is more for the pitchers."-Ken Singleton...I guess Chien Ming Wang is the exception.

UPDATE 8:53: Hughes is up in the bullpen with Wang up third this inning. I guess the Yankees think Sabathia will make his next start. Meanwhile Wang has his helmet on and a bat in his hands in the dugout.

UPDATE 9:01: Tommy Hanson is being taken out of the game after the pinch-hit walk by Matsui. Hanson is one of the up and coming arms in the majors and pitched really well today. This was not some nobody who shut out the Yankees. But it's still the Yankees and they had plenty of chances. They should have been able to put something together. Meanwhile Jeter is up and with the amount of groundballs and double plays he's had lately, don't let it come as a shock if that is what happens here.

UPDATE 9:05: I was really hoping I would be wrong folks. I really was. I thought if I said he would do it, it wouldn't happen. But it did. Derek Jeter: Captain of the NY Yankees and Double Plays.

UPDATE 9:07: Phil Hughes is in. He has really been coming around of late. I would love to see him in the rotation, but Wang probably lives another day, just had one bad inning. On another note, if the Yankees do in fact lose this game, enough is enough. Girardi needs to have a closed-door meeting with this team and address what is going on. They are playing awful baseball, offensively and defensively. In fact, the pitching has been much better. It's the other 8 players out there not performing.

UPDATE 9:36: I am ready to throw my laptop out the window.

UPDATE 9:43: Brian McCann just hit a BOMB. You'd think Brett Tomko was pitching with how hard he hit that one. Well if there was any chance the Yankees would have winning this game it all just went out the window. 4-0 Braves.

UPDATE 9:57: This team is hopeless. If anyone knows how to hit a baseball get down to Atlanta NOW.

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Donald Fehr to Step Down

After 25 years as MLBPA executive director, Donald Fehr is stepping down from his position. Fehr will most be remembered as Bud Selig's right hand man during the whole steroid scandal. Both him and Selig are responsible for baseball's drug problem as they knew it was happening but they decided to both turn the other way. MLBPA general counsel Mike Weiner wll replace him. (I'll be a little immature for a sec, but with his last name, steroids and urine test jokes are sure to ensue)



NOTES ON THE YANKEES AND AROUND THE MAJORS:

• Pete Abe from the LoHud blog has a few suggestions on how the Yankees can improve without making a trade.


• Joe Girardi is protesting yesterdays game on the lineup snafu the Marlins made. Girardi showed that the Marlins had two players put into the leadoff spot because of the double-switch. Girardi wanted Nunez, the pitcher, to be taken out, but it was Coughlan, the leftfielder who was removed. If the protest is upheld, they will play the game from that point, which was the top of the 8th, 6-3 Marlins, and Derek Jeter up at the plate.


• The book "Moneyball" was going to be made into a movie but production has been benched and it does not look liek the movie will be made. It was going to star Brad Pitt and directed by Steven Soderbergh.
• St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa earned his 2,500th career win as a manager. He is only the third manager in baseball history to accomplish this feat.
• The Boston Red Sox have placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled list. It is his second stint on the DL this season.
• Manny Ramirez is two weeks away from returning to the Dodgers after his 50-game suspension for using a banned substance. It is reported that he is finding his rhythm in is latest batting practice workouts.

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Marlins 6 Yankees 5...Time to Panic?

Yankees 5 8 1
Marlins 6 9 0

WP: Volstad (5-7)
LP: Bombko (0-2)
S: Lidstrom (14)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chris Volstad. Other than 3 runs in the third inning, Volstad did enough to beat the Yankees. They Yankees never got anything going after that inning, and continued to struggle offensively. Give credit to Volstad for buckling down after that rough third inning.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Cody Ross's solo HR off Brett Bombko (It's the nickname he got when he played for the Dodgers). Ross put the Marlins up 4-3 and never had to look back after that.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Hanley Ramirez's 2-run HR off Bombko (notice a trend). Aceves just shut down the Marlins making an emergency appearance after Sabathia came out of the game. But Ramirez changed everything with his home run. The home run sparked the Marlins to rally and beat the Yankees.

MICHAEL KAY QUOTE OF THE GAME:
(To Ken Singleton and Paul O'Neill) "You know when you guys had no doubt you would be major league players. When I played Little League everyone had no doubt I WOULDN'T be a major league player."

Can anyone picture Michael Kay playing any sport?

NOTES:

• Sabathia left the game after 1.1 IP with a tight left bicep. Hopefully it is nothing big, because this guy is the only person who I have confidence in.
• A-Rod went 1-4 with an 2RBI single and 2K's. Nothing great, nothing horrible. We'll see how he does against the Braves.
• Volstad is a guy who has some good stuff, but lately he has been roughed up and lost his last 4 starts. The Yankees couldn't get anymore than 3 runs off this guy. Their offense is struggling badly.
• I wrote how the Boston Red Sox series wasn't a big deal. That the team needs to put it past them and continue to play like they did beforehand. I don't know if that series completely depleted this team or what, because including the Red Sox series, the Yankees are 4-8. They are 4-5 in interleague play, usually a part of the schedule the Yankees dominate. Maybe it's been all the rain, but I feel like it's April watching this team play.

Tommorow is an off day. They will play the Atlanta Braves Tuesday.

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GAME 69: Yankees at Marlins

YANKEES (38-30, Second Place in AL East)
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Cabrera LF
Gardner CF
Sabathia LHP
Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (6-4, 3.67).

MARLINS (34-36, Third Place NL East)
Coghlan LF
Helms 3B
Ramirez 1B
Uggla 2B
Paulino C
Ross CF
Carroll CF
Volstad RHP
Pitching: RHP Chris Volstad (4-7, 4.75).

TIME/TV: 5:05 p.m., YES.

Losers: The Yankees have lost 6 of their last 10 games and are 5-6 in interleague play. 5 those games came against the Nationals and Marlins. Today will be the rubber game against the Marlins.
Ace of the Staff: The Yankees send CC Sabathia out to the mound tonight. Sabathia is 5-1 with a 2.92 ERA in his last eight starts. Sabthia is also 23-88 (.261) with 3 home runs and 3 doubles as a hitter. Not to shabby for a pitcher.
NYDP: The Yankees grounded into 3 double plays yesterday. Six in the last two games and eight in the last four.
At Least the Pitching has Been Good: Going into last night, the Yankees starters were 3-2 with a 2.76 ERA in their last six starts. The Yankees relievers have given up 1 earned run in their last 18 innings while striking out 20.
Suspension Reduced: A.J. Burnett's six game suspension has been reduced to five games. His suspension starts today.

UPDATE 6:13: Jim and I have been out most of the day, but I am back right now to find out some good and bad news. The good news, the Yankees are winning 3-1. The bad news, Alfredo Aceves is pitching the bottom of the third inning. It appears as if CC Sabathia was taken out of the game due to an injury. I have still yet to find out what the injury is but it cannot be good.

UPDATE 6:17: Michael Kay just announced on YES that Sabathia was taken out due to tightness in the left bicep. He is day-to-day. Hopefully this is not an issue that will put him on the DL. If he should go on the DL or miss a start, the Yankees ahve Phil Hughes to step right in.

UPDATE 6:47: Hanley Ramirez just hit a bomb off of Brett Tomko. I know Phil Hughes pitched one inning yesterday, but he is a starter and should be able to give them innings. Why isn't he out there pitching? In fact, why is Tomko still on this team? This guy should only be used in mop up situations.

UPDATE 6:58: I missed the first two games on TV, but they just showed the crowd at the stadium and that has got to be the first time I have seen people in the upper deck for a regular season Florida Marlins game. They must be happy the Yankees are in town.

UPDATE 7:01: Brett Tomko ALMOST pitched a scoreless inning. But instead Cody Ross falls just short of the upper deck. This is why I want Hughes in.

UPDATE 7:31: I can't watch this team. 6-3 Marlins on an RBI single by Cantu and error from Melky as the throw got away from Posada and Robertson backing up.

UPDATE 7:52: Well there was a 10-minute delay because the Marlins had a player who was ineligable because he was pinch hit for out on the field and something with the double switch. I don't know how it will effect the game, but the way the Yankees are playing, it looks like it won't make a difference.

UPDATE 8:14: The Yankees have the tying game on third after I wrote out out this whole thing about the Yankees season to date. So I wait before publsihing it, only for Jeter to ground out to end the game. Anyway, here is what I had written down before Gardner hit that triple:

The Yankees are 2-4 against the Marlins and Nationals. They have lost 6 of their last 10. They are four games behind the Boston Red Sox. By the end of the week they could be in fourth place. Our ace might be injured, our highest paid player is in the worst season of his career, and it could be worse if Willy Aybar and Luis Castillo didn't make errors to give the Yankees wins. Ladies and gentleman...your 2009 New York Yankees.

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Marlins 2- Yankees 1

Yankees 1 5 2
Marlins 2 5 0

WP: Josh Johnson (7-1, 7.O IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
LP: A.J. Burnett (5-4, 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)
S: Matt Lindstrom (13)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Johnson. It was a pitchers duel from the beginning, and Johnson won.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Dan Uggla's home run in the second inning. It gave the Marlins an early lead and they would never look back.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Damon's run-scoring error in the sixth inning. It put the Yankees down 2-0, which is a lot the way Johnson was dealing tonight. It was a routine play that he should have made.

MICHAEL KAY QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
Kay: My scorecard is starting to look like a guest list at my family reunion. Lots of K's.

GAME NOTES:

• The Yankees are now 2-3 in their last 5 games. In the last five games, they played the NATIONALS AND THE MARLINS! Somebody needs to call a closed-door team meeting and wake everybody up. This team has too much potential to be playing like this.
  
• The Marlins turned 3 double plays today, all killing potential rallies. They have been grounding into an awful lot of double plays, and I don't know what Girardi can do to fix it, but he needs to.
• The Yankees committed 2 errors today, and Damon's cost them the game. Stupid mistakes are costing them games, and it needs to stop.
• It seems like the bullpen is finally coming around. With Bruney coming back and Hughes stepping up, the roles are more defined and the results are better.
  

TOMORROW:
Yankees at Marlins, 5:05 pm Whatever they call this Stadium
C.C. Sabathia vs. Chris Volstad

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Game 68: Yankees at Marlins

YANKEES (38-29, 2nd place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Berroa 3B
Burnett RHP

Pitching: A.J. Burnett (5-3, 4.46)

MARLINS (33-36, 3rd place NL East)
Coghlan LF
Bonafacio 3B
Ramirez SS
Cantu 1B
Uggla 2B
Hermida RF
Ross CF
Baker C
Johnson RHP

Pitching: RHP Josh Johnson (6-1, 2.76)

Burnett on fire: Burnett is 3-1 in his last four starts, including last Sunday where he pitched 7 shutout innings against the Mets.

Passing the Babe: Derek Jeter is tied with Babe Ruth with 424 career doubles. Jeter's next double will move him fourth place alone behind Lou Gehrig, Bernie Williams, and Don Mattingly.

X-Man: Xavier Nady played 5 innings in a minor league game and his arm responded well to throwing the baseball. He may start a rehab assignment sometime next week.

UPDATE 8:09: Burnett picks up a hit after Pettitte got an RBI double last night. Maybe they should have had these two in the lineup against the Nationals.

UPDATE 8:25: Okay, so we're through 5 innings, and Josh Johnson has only given up one hit. To A.J. Burnett. Imagine if this guy throws a 1-hitter, and the only hit he gave up is to the opposing pitcher.

UPDATE 8:41: I just read this on Scott Proctor's Arm, and I just have this to say: We don't (descriptive adjective) want you either Jonathan (expletive) Papelscum.

UPDATE 8:51: Damon just flat out missed that ball. That was pretty pathetic. And the fact that the official scorer scored that play a double is stupid.

UPDATE 8:56: Damon should have made that play, but Burnett needs to suck it up and pick Damon up by getting out of this inning right now.

UPDATE 9:07: I've got a fever, and the only prescription, is MORE COWBELL!

UPDATE 9:12: I don't get why you can't assume the double play. This is the major leagues, they should be able to turn a Taylor-made double play. If they don't, why punish the pitcher?

UPDATE 9:29: This is why having a good bench is a good thing. It gives Girardi options. Which is why Nady or Swisher are not getting traded. And Brett Gardner is an automatic stolen base when he comes in.

UPDATE 9:47: In a matter of minutes, we will surely be asked whether the Yankees "have a rally in their bones."

UPDATE 9:55: And Cano grounds into another double play and the Yanks drop another one.

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Yankees 5-Marlins 1

Yankees (38-29) 5 13 1
Marlins (33-36) 1 3 0

WP: Andy Pettitte (7-3, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)
LP: Sean West (2-2, 4.0 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Andy Pettitte. He shut down the Marlins from the get-go. He let up only 3 hits and a walk. Most importantly, he gave them 7 innings, which is always good. This bullpen will pitch better when they don't have to go 4-5 innings a night.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera's home run in the third inning. It was a no-doubter to left field, and his first home run away from the Stadium (aka his firs REAL home run).

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Pettitte's RBI double in the second inning. When the opposing pitcher starts giving up double to the American League pitcher, it is not a good sign for the other team.

MICHAEL KAY QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
Paul O'Neill: There was a couple of times where the ball just clipped my button and there would be a tick noise and the umpire would jump right out and give me first base.
Michael Kay: Then it would be a good idea to wear really big buttons then. Like Mickey Mouse.

GAME NOTES:

• Despite scoring 5 runs and winning the game, the Yankees still left 11 runners on base. If they get a couple more big hits, the game is out of reach a lot earlier.
• The Yankees decided they were going to go back to working the count and drawing walks tonight, as they earned 6 walks after drawing only 4 in the past two days.
  
• Bruney and Tomko also did a good job out of the pen for the Yanks tonight, we need people to step up for the 7th and 8th inning roles.
  
• The X-Man, Xavier Nady, played four innings in right field and went 2-3 at the plate in a minor league exhibition game. Hopefully they can get him back before the end of this road trip, they need his bat in there since Matsui still can't play the outfield.
  

TOMORROW:
Yankees at Marlins
A.J. Burnett vs Josh Johnson (who I have actually heard of)

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GAME 67: Yankees at Marlins

YANKEES (37-28, 2nd place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Berroa 3B
Pettitte LHP

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (6-3, 4.52).

MARLINS (37-28, 3rd place, NL East)
Coghlan LF
Helms 3B
Ramirez SS
Cantu 1B
Uggla 2B
Paulino C
Hermida RF
Ross CF
West LHP

Pitching: LHP Sean West (2-1, 3.00).

Cy No-name: I've never heard of the Marlins starter, so it looks like it is going to be a long night.

A-Rod Homecoming: A-Rod will play the first regular season game of his career in Miami, his hometown. (Oh, so that's where the confusion about the World Baseball Classic comes from. I forgot that the border of the United States and the Dominican Republic ran through Miami).

.333 is a good batting average, not winning percentage: The Yankees are 3-6 in their last nine games.

Rain drops are falling on my head: So the Yankees leave here and it stops raining (it's still crappy, just not raining) and, according to PeteAbe, it is raining in South Beach.

Extra cavalry: With the game being in a National League park, there is no DH. So Matsui is available as a pinch hitter.

Vote Tex: Mark Teixiera needs help getting into the All-Star game starting lineup. If you needed any extra motivation, Kevin Pukeilus of the team-that-shall-not-be-named is in first place.

UPDATE 7:15: I just got back home, and the lineup is different. A-Rod will get today and tomorrow off. Jeter looked winded after running hard out of the box. I guess that's what happens when a guy used to playing everyday rides the pine for two days. And with that double, Jeter tied Babe Ruth on the all-time Yankees double list.

UPDATE 7:21: The Yankees are very adept at grounding into double plays to kill big rallies. They only push one run across when it should have been more.

UPDATE 7:23: I just realized that the last time the Yankees were here was Game 5 of the 2003 World Series. That was the game where David Wells only went 1 inning and the Yanks screwed up the rundown play that gave up two runs. I remember my baseball coaches going over rundown for 30 minutes the day after that happened.

UPDATE 7:30: Whoever is in charge of selling the naming rights for the Marlins and Dolphins stadium must really suck at his (or her) job.

UPDATE 7:32: Am I hallucinating? Did Angel Berroa just get a hit? And an RBI? On the same play?

UPDATE 7:33: Am I hallucinating? Did Andy Pettitte just get a hit? And an RBI? On the same play?

UPDATE 7:35: Great, now Pettitte has to run (if you can call it that) the bases.

UPDATE 7:40: Good to see that the Yankees finally tried looking at some film of the opposing pitcher.

UPDATE 8:36: Pettite got through the 4th inning with 68 pitches. He needs to get through 6 and maybe into the 7th.

UPDATE 8:42: Just looked at the box score and every Yankee is "at the party," as Ken Singleton would say. Everyone has a hit, which is weird with Berroa and Pettitte in the lineup.

UPDATE 9:10: Pettitte gets through 6 with 97 pitches, and 3 hits. He's been grimacing a lot today, so my guess is he's done.

UPDATE 9:25: Well, I was dead wrong about Pettitte, as he gets through the 7th.

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Yanks Embarass Themselves, Fans

Nationals 3 8 0
Yankees 0 7 0

WP: Stammen (1-0)
LP: Chamberlain (3-2)
S: McDougal (2)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Craig Stammen. This guy made his first big-league win a memorable one. Shutting out the New York Yankees.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Willie Harris's diving catch in the 7th inning to rob A-Rod of a double. Harris dove toward the wall and made a remarkable catch, also if you believe in the "fallacy of predetermined outcome" (sorry for the Kay phrase) A-Rod scores later in that inning.

HONORABLE MENTION: Brett Gardner's leaping catch in left-center field. Gardner made a spectacular catch and was roughed up a bit. It looked like he may have suffered a concussion, but it was the only play where the Yankees showed some heart all game.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Derek Jeter's pinch-hit at bat. Jeter was sidelined today with a stiff left ankle, but came out of the dugout with the bases loaded in the 7th inning to hit for Pena. He grounded out to short, ending any sort of rally the Yankees could put together.

QUICK RANT/NOTES:

• They played the [expletive of you choice] Nationals!!!!! They had 16 wins coming into the series on June 16th!!! If this team really is a postseason-caliber team they sweep this series, or win 2 of 3 at the least. All 3 games the Yankees looked very lackadaisical and have played awful, awful baseball. The only positive in this series was that our bullpen did not give up any runs. But its the freaking Nationals and shouldn't anyway, right?

• Joba Chamberlain. Starter or Reliever? I am all for Joba being a starter. I believe that a starter is more valuable as a reliever, and someone with Joba's stuff can be the ace of a staff in the future. But there has to be some consistency in his starts. There are days he is lights out, then there are days where he couldn't throw a strike if he had a GPS to tell him where the plate is. I always have said, failed starters become relievers. Well, at this rate, Joba may be pitching himself into the bullpen if he can't throw strikes and go deep into the games.

• A-Rod. I'm tired of ranting. This guy just plain sucks right now. Give him a day off.

• At least the Yankees are a very generous group. They let the fans who waited out a 5 1/2 hour rain delay sit in the seats close to the field and they let all fans with tickets to todays game get a free non premium seat ticket to a game of their choice. They also gave Stammen his first career win today, and they saved Manny Acta's job, for the next 3 days.

Tomorrow:

Yankees at Marlins

Andy Pettitte (6-3, 4.52) vs Sean West (2-1. 3.00)

SEE YA!

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