Yanks trade Melky to ATL for Vazquez

According to Buster Onley of ESPN, the Yankees have sent Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and $500,000 in cold hard cash to the Atlanta Braves for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan.

My first reaction: "No, not the Javier Vazquez from the ALCS-that-shall-not-be-mentioned."

My second reaction: This is actually a very good trade for the Yankees. After the Top 3 of CC, AJ, and Andy, there were question marks. Hughes and Joba were in line to fill the last spots in the rotation, and this sures up one of those spots. Now one of those two will head to the bullpen, and my money is on Joba (but more on that later, and likely all off-season). Vazquez comes in after posting a 15-10 record and a 2.87 ERA (keep in mind that was the NL, and the NL West, one of the weaker divisions in MLB). He also was second in the NL with 238 strikeouts.

The Yankees rotation now looks like this:

1. CC Sabathia
2. AJ Burnett
3. Andy Pettitte
4. Javier Vazquez
5. Hughes (or Chamberlain)

I believe that's the best rotation in the Majors, but I'm obviously biased.

The fact that they pick him for Melky (who despite being a fan favorite, was a career .269/.331 hitter with 36 career homeruns) and a minor league reliever, is a plus. Cashman is being very shrewd this off-season, making some bargain deals and short-term contracts. Vazquez is due $11.5 million this season, so after you take out the $3 million Melky will likely get in arbitration, that adds about $8.5 million to the Yankees payroll.

With Melky gone, and Gardner not exactly everyday left fielder material, the Yanks will likely go after someone to play left. Mark DeRosa is looking for about $6 million and can also play several positions, so he may be a target for the Yankees.

As John and I discussed, the worst part about this trade will be having to watch highlights of Game 7 of You-Know-Which-ALCS for the next 2 days, the first time Vazquez starts for the Yankees, the first time Vazquez starts against the Red Sox, and anytime Vazquez faces Johnny Damon.

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Yanks Close To Acquiring Starting Pitcher?

Numerous reports have risen that the Yankees are in "serious talks" in acquiring a starting pitcher. These beat writers don't know who they are in serious talks with or what team if it is a trade. These are two pretty important details to know... but Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Constitution Journal wrote in the comments section of his blog that he received an email from a NY beat writer asking if he heard anything between the two things of "something big" happening.

My guess is it's a trade for Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez's second chance as a Yankee. Lowe wouldn't make sense because he's old, coming off a bad year, and they could have got him last year. Vasquez makes more sense because he's young and a power pitcher, someone who could succeed in Yankee Stadium (even though he didn't in his first stint).

If anyone is gone it's Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner. The Braves have been looking for an outfielder and their has been speculation about trading these two.

This all comes after I speculated about the team's interest in Carlos Zambrano.

We will have a post if a deal becomes final.

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Yankees Inquire On Carlos Zambrano

As most of you would assume, the Yankees are still looking for another starting pitcher. Interesting report I saw on mlbtraderumors about the Yankees asking the Cubs the price for Carlos Zambrano. However, according to the NY Post report, the Yankees did not like the asking price. I would imagine the asking price was probably something like Melky/Gardner, Montero, and a pitching prospect. Zambrano has a no-trade claus and is paid a lot of money, and the Cubs are always looking to contend, so I doubt Zambrano is going anywhere.

I think the fact that the Yankees looked into the asking price of someone such as Zambrano is very interesting. The pitchers on the free-agent market are Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer, Joel Piniero, and Jason Marquis. So there are plenty of starters who can fill the role of a back end of the rotation guy. But why would the Yankees be looking to make a trade? There has been much speculation about trading Gardner and Cabrera and maybe the Yankees are seeing if they can get a big-time pitcher in return. Honestly, I'd like to see them keep Gardner, because he provides speed off the bench and is useful late in games. He was a tool that the Yankees didn't have in the few years before 2009.

All this is speculation, and many expect the Yankees to acquire a pitcher soon. I still think they ,will sign someone off the free-agent market, but it is interesting that they are checking the price on pitchers like Zambrano. Maybe Cashman surprises us with a big trade. But right now, I'm thinking they will sign a free agent.

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Granderson apparently headed to Yanks in 3-way trade

Multiple outlets, including SI's Jon Heyman and ESPN are now reporting that a deal that was rumored last night has been finalized and center fielder Curtis Granderson will be coming to the Yankees.

Granderson" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="224" height="240">Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

It is a three-team deal involving the Yankees, Tigers, and Diamondbacks. Here's how it breaks down:

Yankees get: Granderson (from Tigers)

Tigers get: Phil Coke and Austin Jackson (both from Yankees) and Max Scherzer (from Diamondbacks)

Diamondbacks get: Edwin Jackson (from Tigers) and Ian Kennedy (from Yankees)

Different reports differ slightly on whether the Diamondbacks give the Tigers pitcher Daniel Schlereth (better known as the son of ESPN football analyst Mark Schlereth)

If this trade goes through, it means a couple of different things for the Yankees.

1. The Yankees now have some leverage in negotiations with Johnny Damon
2. The Melky/Gardner combination in center field, despite being relatively successful last year, will not continue next season, unless they slide over to platoon in left or...
   
3. Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner may now be trade bait.
4. Say sayonara to Hidkei Matsui.
5. The Yankees won't be going after Matt Holliday or Jayson Bay (unless they were kidding about cutting payroll).
6. By trading 3 for 1, the Yankees open up 2 spots on the 40-man roster for other free agent signings.
   
7. Granderson will be your everyday centerfielder through at least the 2012 season, and possibly the 2013 season because of an option.
   
8. The Yankees pick up a very back-loaded contract: Granderson is due $5.5 mil in 2010, but that increases to $8.25 mil in 2011, and $10 mil in 2012.
   

We'll update with more as soon as more news becomes available.

UPDATE 3:45: No news as of yet, as they are apparently looking over medical records and physicals and things of that nature. I just had a couple of other thoughts:

• From the Tigers point of view, they get considerably younger and it makes you wonder if people like Miguel Cabrera and Maglio Ordonez are on there way out the door as well.
• While I was a little hesitant about giving up Austin Jackson, reading a Tweet from PeteAbe made me reconsider it a little:

  Look at the trade this way, #Yankees fans, the best you could have hoped for Jackson to be was Granderson. So get Granderson.

• With stats of .249/30/71 Granderson helps to make up some of the offense lost by Matsui and/or Damon leaving. You'd like to see a higher average and a better on-base percentage (.327 in 2009, .344 for career) especially if he bats towards the top of the order.
• Plugging Granderson in centerfield and possibly move Melky/Gardner to left vastly improves their outfield defense, which at times was horrendous.
  
• With Coke headed out, that means Mike Dunn, who the Yankees are very high on, will most likely get the chance to be the 2nd lefty out of the bullpen behind Damaso Marte.

UPDATE 5:00: John here, busy day for me today, but even busier for the Yankees. Just wanted to give my reaction of the trade. I thought the Yankees did a good job here. Despite giving away our best position player prospect, the Yankees sent Kennedy who is coming off a shoulder anuerysm and has shown inconsistencies in his development and Phil Coke (who I deemed the name Choke) for an All-Star centerfielder. So when it comes down to it, the Yankees made the right move.

It took me a while to deal with losing Jackson, but for a team looking to repeat, Granderson is probably the better option. Look what happened when we threw Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy into the spotlight in 2008. They stunk up the joint. It takes a few years for players to develop. If you can give up prospects for a relatively young and inexpensive player who is in the prime of his career and fills a need on the roster then you pull the trigger. The difference between this and Johan Santana a few years ago is the cost of Granderson, which Jim talks about above.

Now, as for Granderson, what I like about him is his defense, power, and his speed. I don't like his splits against lefties which is why I have mixed feelings about him. His average has also declined over the last two season. However, playing in a hitter-freindly park like Yankee Stadium, especially for a lefty, and with a little faith in Kevin Long, things may work out. And as Jim pointed out, Granderson in center Melky in left improves our defense tremendously.

Now we just have a few more questions which we kind of answered but we'll make a post later or tommorow. What does this mean for Damon and Matsui? And where does Granderson fit in the lineup?

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ALCS Game 6: Angels at Yankees

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (1-0, 2.84 ERA in postseason)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Juan Rivera LF
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: LHP Joe Saunders (0-0, 2.57 ERA in postseason)

TIME/TV: 8:20 p.m., FOX

Forty: The Yankees are trying to clinch the fortieth American League Championship in their illustrious history tonight.

Weather: There are clear skies in the forecast tonight, so we will have baseball in the Bronx.

History on the line for Pettitte: If Pettitte gets the win tonight, it will be his 16th postseason victory, which will be more than any other pitcher in the history of baseball,

Follow on Twitter @jgeant and @kayssuccessors to keep up with the action.

Enjoy the game everyone.

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GAME 5 ALCS: Yankees at Angels

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 2.19 ERA in postseason)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Maicer Izturis 2B
Juan Rivera LF
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SS
Pitching: RHP John Lackey (1-1, 1.38 ERA in postseason)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

For the Pennant: The Yankees can clinch their 40th pennant tonight, and their first since 2003 with a win. To do that, A.J. Burnett will take the mound for the Yankees while the offense will face John Lackey.
A-Mazing: Alex Rodriguez has driven in 11 RBI this postseason, and at least one in ever game. The franchise record is held by Scott Brosius (98) and Bernie Williams (96).
They've been here before: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, and Andy Pettitte were all on teh 2004 team (that's as far as I'll go explaining what happened). They know nothing has been won and have probably been itching to get back to this point the last six years.

As always Jim will be tweeting @jgeant and I may or may not be tweeting @KaysSuccessors. I've been slacking off on my tweeting since school started and I hate doing it from my phone because it kills my battery and I don't get good service in my room.

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Game 4 ALCS: Yankees at Angels

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (2-0, 1.23 ERA)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Juan Rivera LF
Howie Kendrick 2B
Kendry Morales 1B
Mike Napoli C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: LHP Scott Kazmir (0-0, 7.50 ERA)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

Get one out of the way: Even the most optimistic of Yankee fans couldn't have believed that the Yanks would go undefeated in the postseason, so a loss isn't entirely unexpected. I only wish that the Angels had actually won the game, instead of the Yankees losing it.

If the spit doesn't fit, you must acquit: An Angels fan blog posted a video that made it appear that Mariano Rivera spit on the baseball during last night's game. MLB actually took the claim seriously before deciding that it was an optical illusion, and there was no evidence that he spit on the ball. Expect a lot of signs and talk from Buck and McCarver when Mo enters the game.

Girardi using up bullpen phone minutes: After using all but one of his relievers on Saturday, Girardi went to the 'pen repeatedly yesterday. There is the decision that has been dissected all day, by everyone, including us, where Girardi took David Robertson after getting 2 outs on 11 pitches to bring in Alfredo Aceves. As we all know, Aceves lost the game after giving up a hit to Kendrick and a double to Jeff Mathis.

CC on 3: I'm going to give you the numbers that you will hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver will beat to death all night long. CC Sabathia pitched on three-days rest 4 times last season going 2-1 with a 0.83 ERA, before running out of gas and getting hit hard in the playoffs. Since 1995, a starter has started on three-days rest 85 times going 20-34 with a 4.65 ERA in 458 1/3 innings.

Get 1 in LA: If you look at the rest of the series, I believe that the Yankees only really need to win one game in Los Angeles/Anaheim. While I would obviously love for them to finish this in 5 games, if the Yankees can come home up 3-2, they'll be in great shape. With Games 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium and CC going in Game 7, on normal rest, I would feel comfortable as a Yankee fan.

I'm setting the over/under for the amount of times the fact that Sabathia is going on three-days rest is mentioned on the FOX telecast at 25, and I'm still going to go with an over.

You know the drill by now, follow at Twitter @jgeant and @KaysSuccessors.

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Game 2 ALCS; Angels at Yankees

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C

Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Maicer Izturis 2B
Mike Napoli C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: LHP Joe Saunders (0-0, 0.00)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

I wonder whether the weather will be nice: Since John is on his way to the game, I'm keeping a watch on the weather reports to keep him updated. He's had some pretty bad luck in the past with going to rained-out games. Off the top of my head, I remember him having to go back for Opening Day last year and missing a playoff game against Detroit because of a scheduling conflict after the game got pushed back a day. I, however, have never had a game rained out or had to go back another day, so maybe he should have brought me. But, alas, he's pulling the family card and going with his younger brother.

Bad spark plug: Chone Figgins, the Angels catalyst and lead-off hitter is hittless in four postseason games this year. If the Yankees pitchers can keep him off base, it will prevent him from stealing and getting the Halos's running game going.

Molina Time: As with Game 2 of the ALDS, Jose Molina gets the nod to catch AJ Burnett. The results were too good last time to warrant a chang, so Jorge sits again. But as was the case last time, Posada will be in there the second Burnett is done pitching. Plus, Molina will help keep the Angels in check on the bases.

Do you believe in magic?: The Yanks are trying to draw on some of the positive energy surround the 90's dynasty as Tino Martinez will throw out the first pitch tonight after David Cone did the honors last night.

Meeting of the Minds: There will apparently be a meeting between Girardi, Scioscia, and MLB officials at 7 to decide on the fate of the world. Or maybe just tonight's game.

Stay tuned for news on the state of the game. And if the game gets rained out, maybe I'll post John's text message. That is, if it's not just a string of curse words.

UPDATE 7:46: There will be baseball! Keep up with the game @jgeant on Twitter.

Enjoy the game and your Saturday night.

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ALCS Game 1: Angels and Yankees

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (1-0, 1.37 ERA)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Juan Rivera LF
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: RHP John Lackey (1-0, 0.00)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

Revenge is coming: The Yankees are looking to get back at the Angels for knocking them out of the playoffs in 2002 and 2005.

Weather Watch: It's gonna be a chilly night in the Bronx. Hopefully there are no delays or postponements that mess with the schedule, especially for John who is headed to Game 2, (hopefully) tomorrow.

CC for 3: Assuming the weather holds up, tonight will be the first of three starts for the Big Lefty.

Getting on the board: Winning Game 1 will be very important, to prevent falling into a hole, especially when they head to Los Angeles (or Anaheim, whatever you want to call it) for Games 3, 4, and 5.

As with the ALDS, follow updates on Twitter @jgeant, and maybe after John gets back from a Pep Rally @KaysSuccessors.

Oh, and definitely look on some commentary on Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. It's been a while since we had a little fun with them.

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99 Red Balloons

Red Sox 0 2 1
Yankees 3 7 0

WP: Sabathia (19-7)
LP: Matsuzaka (3-6)
S: Rivera (43)

Image by chris.ptacek via Flickr

PLAYER OF THE GAME: CC Sabathia. The lefty went 7, while striking out 8 and surrendering only one hit in a dominating effort.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera's catch against the wall on ball hit by Jed Lowrie in the third inning. It carried a lot farther than Sabathia thought it would, but Cabrera was able to snag it as he crashed into the center field wall.

TURNING OF THE GAME: Robinson Cano's home run. It got the Yanks on the board and was all the run support CC needed.

GAME NOTES:

• CC has been been worth every last penny so far this season. With the win today, he becomes the first 19-game winner in the majors. He last lost a game on July 28 against the Rays (when I believe John made a comment about the Yankees trading for Halladay because CC was "no ace"). He is 9-0 since and has gone at least 7 innings in 10 of his last 11 starts, and the Yankees are 11-0 in those starts.
• Robinson Cano sure is having a good bounce-back season after a disappointing campaign last year. His numbers in several categories, a .321 batting average, 24 home runs, 80 RBI's, a .352 on-base percentage, and slugging at a .519 clip are much improved over the .271, 14, 72, .305, and .410 from 2008.
  
• The Yankees only stole 2 bases today off of Victor Martinez, instead of the 7 they stole last night off of Captain Varitek. Brett Gardner proved his worth off the bench when he took 2nd base on a pitch in the dirt, stole 3rd base, and then, to borrow a Michael Kay line, got himself into, and out of, a pickle.
  
• This is win number 99 for the Yankees, and the Magic Number for the division is 1. The Bombers can try to win clinch the division and reach the century mark behind Andy Pettitte tomorrow afternoon.
• My Syracuse Orange defeated the Maine Black Bears 41-24, despite two onside kick recoveries and two successful fake punts by Maine. If the season ended today, we'd be Bowl Eligible, with a 2-2 record. Unfortunately, it doesn't and the undefeated South Florida Bulls come to the Dome next weekend.
  

TOMORROW:
Paul Byrd vs. Andy Pettitte
Red Sox vs Yankees, 1:05 PM

SEE YA!

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Johnny B. Goode: Damon and Yanks sweep Jays

Yankees 8 10 0
Rays 4 11 0

WP: Aceves (7-1)
LP:Rzepczynski (1-3)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon. With a 3-5 night at the plate with 3 RBI's and a home run, he helped spark the line up.

Image via Wikipedia

PLAY OF THE GAME: The catch by Melky Cabrera as he went back to the wall in the 8th inning in support of Phil Hughes.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: The 7th inning. The Yankees scored 4 runs to take the lead with a game-tying home run by Swisher and then 3 singles by Matsui, Damon, and Teixeira.

GAME NOTES:

• So now that this series is over, we can turn our full attention to the Red Sox series. Thanks to the Rays, the Yankees will go into that series 2.5 games ahead of the Sox.
• The bullpen situation: Hughes has pitched 2 straight days, but Mo did not pitch today. So Philthy may not be available tomorrow, but Mo can maybe get 4 outs tomorrow.
  
• I have the YES Network Postgame on as I'm writing this, and Bob Lorenz just said something about "doing his 'Sweating to the oldies' tape twice a day now." Is the not-talking-about-baseball thing (AKA the Michael Kay syndrome) contagious?
• PeteAbe says the Yankees told him that Muhammad Ali will be honored before the game tomorrow night. Upon hearing this, John and I set the over/under for Michael Kay boxing references at 7.
• The Yankees are 30-16 since the last time they played the Red Sox, so they are a very different team than they were in mid-June.
  

TOMORROW:
The Empire Strikes Back
Red Sox at Yankees
Smoltz vs Joba

And I am rooting for the Yankees not only because I am a die-hard fan, but because I already have a great headline for it if they do.


SEE YA!

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Yankees 5- Blue Jays 3

Yankees 5 10 0
Blue Jays 3 9 1

WP: Pettitte (11-6)
LP: Halladay (11-5)
S: Rivera (31)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mark Teixeira. Big Tex went 2-4 with a home run and an RBI. His home run in the 8th off of Doc Halladay was big as Hughes struggled a little bit in relief.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera's nice catch going back towards the wall. (In the interest of full disclosure, I missed the game because of work, and just stole that award from the YES postgame show.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon and Teixeira going back-to-back, belly-to-belly in the 8th inning off of Halladay.

GAME NOTES:

• This was Pettitte's first win since July 1. He had been struggling and suffered from a little bit of bad luck. But in his post-game interview, Posada said that Andy's cutter was working well tonight, and that's always a good thing.
• The Yankees finally figured out how to hit Halladay. In their last two games against the Cy Young award winner, the Bronx Bombers have scored 10 runs on 19 hits. That information from PeteAbe.
• Good news on the health front, as Ian Kennedy threw 25 pitches from a half-mound a little over 2 months after having an aneurysm removed from his right arm on May 12.
  
• The stats for the 2-5 hitters in the Yanks lineup: 7 hits, 5 runs, 4 RBI's. That's pretty good.
• Remember people, no matter how bad it gets, just remember: We could be Mets fans.
• Great game going on between the Red Sox and Rays. I'll be watching that closely.
  

TOMORROW:
Yankees at Rays, 7:07 PM at the SkyDome (same situation as Comiskey Park)
Mitre vs. Rzepczynski (thankfully, this blog has no audio portion, because I would have no idea how to pronounce that)

SEE YA!

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Got Melky?

Yankees 8 15 0
White Sox 5 11 0

WP: Sabathia (11-7)
LP: Buehrle (11-5)
S: Rivera (30)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera. He picked up the first cycle for the New York Yankees since Tony Fernandez in 1995. So Michael Kay will mention Melky whenever someone comes close to hitting for the cycle, instead of Fernandez.

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

PLAY OF THE GAME: There were a lot of great defensive plays in today's game, but I'll give it to Melky's diving catch.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: We can't give everything to the Melk Man, as the TPOTG goes to Johnny Damon's RBI single in the 4th inning that gave the Yankees the lead.

GAME NOTES:

• Cabrera is the 5th Major Leaguer this season to hit for the cycle and the first since Michael Cuddyer on May 22. And I was surprised by how quickly someone put up the fact that Melky had hit for the cycle on Wikipedia.
  
• This win helps the Yanks avoid the sweep and halt a three-game skid.
  
• Boston won a slugfest against the Orioles, so the Yankees remain 0.5 games ahead of them with only 4 days before the start of a 3-game set in the Bronx. Tampa Bay fell to the Royals, as they fall 6 games out of first.
  
• Derek Jeter tied Babe Ruth for the 4th-most games played as a Yankee with 2,084. Yogi Berra (2,116), Lou Gehrig (2,164) and Mickey Mantle (2,401) are ahead of him on the list.
  

TOMORROW:
Off-Day
Stay Tuned for a Michael Kayism

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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 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 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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