Game 57: Rays at Yankees

YANKEES (33-23, First place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: Andy Pettitte (5-2, 4.33 ERA)

Rays (29-29, Fourth place AL East)
Upton CF
Crawford LF
Longoria 3B
Pena 1B
Aybar 2B
Zobrist SS
Dillon DH
Kapler RF
Hernandez C

Pitching: Andy Sonnanstine (4-5, 7.07 ERA)

HE FOUGHT THE LAW: A.J. Burnett is awaiting the decision on his appeal from Major League Baseball. Burnett is scheduled to start tomorrow against the Red Sox and then Sunday against the Mets. Anyone else think it is fishy that MLB is deciding to make this decision today when the Yankees go to Boston tomorrow and Burnett is slated to start the first game? Why couldn't they have done this Friday?

WHY SO SERIE-OUS?: The Yankees are looking to win their fourth straight, and eight of their last nine, series.

ONE UP: With the Red Sox off tonight, the Yankees can move a full game ahead of Boston before the long-time rivals start a three-game set tomorrow.

BULLPEN AVAILABILTY QUESTIONS: With Burnett's status in question for tomorrow, and the still-shaky Wang pitching Wednesday, you have to think that Joe Girardi will be wary of using Hughes and Aceves out of the pen. And with Pettitte's recent issues with going deep into games, this could be a concern for tonight's game.

UPDATE 7:23: Jeter is moving much better at shortstop and on the bases than he did last year. Makes you think that he was beat up a little more than they were letting on last season. That play really helped Pettitte out a lot. He doesn't need to go loading the bases in the first inning.

UPDATE 7:26: Tex will reach the upper deck soon enough, that was a bomb. That sounded great and I was only listening to the TV, so I can only imagine what it was like at the Stadium.

UPDATE 7:44: Swisher with another bomb to right field. He has 12 homers on the season now and we're about a third of the way through the season. The way this park plays, if Swisher gets enough at-bats, he'll make a run at his career high of the 35 dingers he hit while in Oakland in 2006.

UPDATE 8:13: Well that lead went away pretty quickly. I walked into the kitchen for five minutes and all of a sudden Gabe Kapler is homering to tie the game. Pettitte is at almost 70 pitches and its only the fourth inning. So much for going deep into the ball game.

UPDATE 8:33: That's why the double play is the pitcher's best friend. Nice play by Jeter there to save Pettite. Now if the offense gets a run on the board this inning they can get him a win.

UPDATE 8:51: Wow, it did not look like Damon hit that ball that well at all, but the short porch in right is very forgiving. 4-3 Yankees.

UPDATE 8:58: So much for what I said before about Hughes possibly not being available.

UPDATE 9:03: Maybe that performance will get people to stop talking about Joba to the bullpen. But now we'll have to deal with Hughes to the bullpen questions.

UPDATE 9:24: Jeter now has 8 home runs through 57 games while only hitting 11 all of last season.

UPDATE 9:35: Cue Enter Sandman.