The Roman god Janus was the deity of doorways, passageways, and life's transitions. In popular usage, Janus was used to characterize complicated two-sided beings or situations that displayed seemingly  contrasting or diametrically opposed characteristics. I can think of no better way to describe the Yankees of the tail end of August--really the entire year but neatly encapsulated by the last four days on the field, and as they leave their die-hard fans both ebullient and crestfallen within a span of less than 36 hours. The uplifting side of this year's Janus-faced Yankees could most accurately be described by the three-game sweep of Boston, narrowing their lead in the East to 5 games instead of leaving it at 7, 9, or 11 and really giving fans hope and justifiable optimism that the Yanks again had their act together, again were on the same page with pitching, clutch hitting and defense, and again were making that run. Tonight's Yankees reverted to the flip-side of Janus, the side that runs for the bus in their own stadium the day after said sweep of Boston, the side that makes adults ask, where was that team we saw just yesterday? The side that has fans hoping that the Yankees have enough wins book-ending the blowout losses to nearly any team on a weekly basis to carry them to the playoffs.

Tonight's loss was an abject disgrace, not only losing 9-1 and being two-hit by the Devil Rays--grotesquely embarrassing in their own right--but also by, of all people, Andy Sonnanstine? Andy Stinking Sonnanstine, for goodness sake?!? The Yankees hitters swung under everything he left up, and over everything he had below the knees. I haven't pulled it out in some time, but there's no better occasion than now--Horrible. Hhhhooooorrrrrrrrible. I can't ask the obvious question, will the real Yankees please stand up, because they both would, and I wouldn't know which one on which to use the shovel.  Hughes was terrible, leaving balls up in the zone and getting whacked for it, resulting in statistics remarkably similar to his first start--4 1/3 IP, seven hits, five runs four earned, four walks, four strikeouts on a very inefficient 94 pitches, 59 of which were strikes. He wasn't good at all. True, he has a learning curve at the age of 21 that I readily acknowledge. But while Hughes has good stuff, his stuff isn't so good, so dominant as to be unhittable by any stretch when left up and when he's behind in the count. Hughes is a couple years away, it would seem, from building up the arm and body strength to throw in the mid-90s regularly. In the meantime, he needs to have far better control, and certainly didn't tonight and it cost him and the team. But two measly hits off a guy, who regardless of the fact shut down the Red Sox, shut down a team that is first in the league offensively, who has hit him before? The Yankees should be ashamed and, if I were Torre, I would give them a 10 a.m. batting and fielding time Saturday morning, since most of them didn't appear to play a game, or anything worthy of being called a game, tonight.

Disgraceful.

Tomorrow, Jackson (4-12, 5.51 ERA) faces Ian Kennedy, who is making his first major-league start. No pressure Kennedy, just holding the line for your team in your first major-league start in the Mecca of baseball for a team that lost in ignominious fashion the night before. Again, no pressure. Let the Janus of the recent sweep of Boston stay for the rest of the season, please. Thank goodness Boston and Seattle lost tonight, but it's time to make your own chances and fortune, guys, instead of relying on the kindness of strangers. Let's Go, Yankees!

Hey Everyone! Welcome to the Heartland Digital Living Room, where tonight the Yankees send Phil Hughes (2-2, 5.35 ERA) to the hill against Andy Sonnanstine (3-9, 6.38 ERA) in the first of a three-game series. After sweeping Boston, the Yankees really need to continue their recent hot streak against Tampa Bay, no pushovers yet still a team that, at 26 games under .500, the Yankees should beat at least two of three. Lots of terrific sweep calls from HDLR regulars lucky and MW, great job people! It made up for all the Living Room destruction you and Mike performed while I was gone yesterday. BTW, creative use of the super glue. I didn't know it worked on household pets! As usual, hot dogs and beer are free. Grab a chair, get comfortable, and enjoy the game.  I'll be in and out with a couple errands to run, but should be around for a good portion of the game. Enjoy. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Update: Joba Chamberlain has been suspended two games for throwing up and in on Youkilis in yesterday's game, and will begin serving the suspension tonight. I treat this with a modicum of disappointment and a shrug. Worthy of a suspension? I don't think so. Yet the "Joba Rules" meant he might very well sit for two games, or at least tonight's, anyway. See you Sunday, Joba.]

The Yankees really came to play in this three-game set, and finished off the sweep today by taking it to the Red Sox, 5-0. Wang was masterful, allowing just one hit in the seventh, as Mike Lowell broke up his no-hit bid with a single. Chamberlain was very good before getting thrown out for allegedly head-hunting at Youkilis in the ninth in a 5-0 game (more on that below). Jeter went 4-4 to snap out of his slump in a big way this series, and the Yankees had their best pitched series in quite some time. That it came against the team with the best record in the majors made it extra important.

The Yankees got solo homers from Cano in the third and fifth, to nearly the exactly same spot in left-center, to make it Cano 2, Red Sox 0. In all three games, the Yankees scored first and early in the games.  Yet they got little going off the light-throwing Schilling, who hit 90 on the radar gun once (during the time I watched) and mainly threw in the mid-80s. It might have been why the Yankees were thrown off, since Schilling threw a ton of off-speed pitches, for strikes as he usually does, and his "fastball" was at a speed similar to Beckett's change-up. Schilling was effective through seven, but Wang was better--dominant as the game went on, in fact. He walked Drew twice and Varitek twice, but got stronger as the game progressed and didn't issue a walk after walking Varitek with one out in the fifth. Wang went seven, allowed the one hit, walked four and struck out five on 103 pitches, 63 of which were strikes. Impressively, Wang used his slider effectively to complement his sinker, and located his sinking fastball regularly at the knees. He was outstanding.

In the eighth, the Yankees opened it up on Boston to put it away, again scoring runs late in the game. Jeter singled off Okajima to cap off his 4-4 game, and Abreu ripped a 3-2 double to the right-center field wall, scoring Jeter easily, 3-0 Yankees. Boston intentionally walked A-Rod to face Matsui, and with a 2-2 count, after Matsui had ripped one foul down the right-field line on a hit-and-run, the Yankees pulled off a double steal, and Varitek threw the ball closer to Larry Bowa than Lowell, throwing it a good six feet to the foul side of third and sailing it past Lowell into left. Not only did Abreu score but A-Rod as well, spurred on by Bowa's aggressively sending him. Great call Bowa, 5-0 Yankees.

Things got dicey in the ninth, Chamberlain's second inning. In the eighth, Joba allowed his first extra-base hit, a double to right from Pedroia but escaped unscathed otherwise. In the ninth, after getting Ortiz to fly out to Damon in left, he sailed two consecutive pitches over the head of Youkilis, both hitting the backstop wall on the fly and probably going about 98-99 mph. Although he received no warning for the first, he was ejected for the second--though a warning from an umpire isn't necessary to prompt an ejection. He and Torre protested, in part I suspect since the balls didn't exactly give Youkilis a close shave. Me, I suspect that despite his claims to the contrary in the post-game interview, Joba was throwing at Youkilis. Whether or not he meant to throw near his head, I don't know, but I really doubt it. Yet Chamberlain has had outstanding control, locating both his fastball at top speed and his slider for strikes and strikeouts on command. I really doubt he was head-hunting, but I don't doubt that he was buzzing Youkilis. Boston has been throwing inside all series and plugged A-Rod, but it seemed that Clemens's plugging Pedroia yesterday would have taken care of both Pedroia's calling A-Rod's slide "cheap" a few months ago and that Matsuzaka nailed A-Rod. Regardless, count on this being addressed at Fenway in September.

Wang was the story today, period, and the Yankees' pitching was the story of the series, period. With the exception of Nuke's tough eighth yesterday, they all were excellent. Jeter's 4-4 day with a run upped his average back to .325, terrific. Cano's two homers carried the Yankees through most of the game, and he has 16 homers, 76 RBIs, and a fantastic .302 average after his early-season struggles. Matsui and Abreu were each 1-4, and Melky was 1-2 with a walk.

The Yankees now have Tampa Bay for three, then Wild Card rival Seattle for three at The Stadium after that. Hughes (2-2, 5.35 ERA) faces Andy Sonnanstine (3-9, 6.38 ERA) tomorrow night. Tampa Bay is no slouch, going 6-4 in their last ten. Yet it would be a huge disappointment if the Yankees didn't win this series, and they really should be thinking sweep. They avoid Kazmir, and face three pitchers whose ERA's are 6.38 (Sonnanstine), 5.51 (Edwin Jackson, who is 4-12), and 7.44 (Jason Hammel, who is 1-4). They also face three righties who are eminently hittable with their lefty-heavy lineup. Lastly, this not a time to allow any team, much less a sub-.500 team, to take games from them. Make this a huge home stand, guys, and carry the momentum from the sweep of Boston into a dominant, ground-gaining home stand.

Boston and their fans can fall back on the five-game lead they still hold, which is far from insurmountable but sizable nonetheless. They can salve the burn from this sweep with the fact that Man-Ram didn't play games two and three with a strained oblique, clearly making a still-good lineup rather less dangerous. They can certainly lick their wounds with the knowledge that although they were out-pitched and out-hit in every game (except the first, when each team had seven hits) and were badly outhit in games two and three, they were all competitive games. All these are true, and though the Yankees hit Schilling hard, they only had six hits and he left with the game 2-0. Yet anyone watching these games knew who was in control, and that was the Yankees, except for the first 6 1/2 innings of game one, which were back-and-forth. The Yankees availed themselves very well, got terrific pitching from the starters and relievers alike, got enough clutch hitting and more would have resulted in probably two blowouts. The Yankees, this series, looked for real, and after Detroit that's a most welcome change. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the stellar defense that Jason Giambi--yes, Jason Giambi--provided these last two games at first. He seems lighter as was mentioned in the comments of the Heartland Digital Living Room, and looked as sharp as he ever has at first for the Yankees. He may have saved several hits, a couple errors, and potentially a couple runs with his outstanding defense. Great stuff, Mr. Giambi.]

In yet another excellent pitching match-up, the Red Sox send Schilling (8-5, 4.11 ERA) to the mound to try to salvage a game against the Yankees and Wang (15-6, 3.95 ERA). The Yankees have won two close, well-played games and look for the Crazy Stein this afternoon. As lucky mentioned in a comment in the previous post, the Yankees haven't had the best of luck in either day games or sweep attempts, but today may be different. Man-Ram is out again with a bad back, and may miss several more games, not a good time for this to happen to Boston. No disrespect to the other players, but the lineup is starkly different without Ramirez playing, just as would be without Ortiz. Also, it's a very pivotal game, with the deficit in the East (still far from decided) hinging on outcome to make it either five or seven games that the Yankees will be behind. The Yankees would help themselves by doing what they have done in the two previous games--score early and play with the lead. They would also be well served if Wang pitches as he did his last outing, when he dominated the Tigers.  This one should be fun. As always, the beer and dogs are free. Grab a chair, get comfortable, and enjoy the game, everyone. I'll be around for the first few innings, then will miss a good stretch and might be back for the end. In my absence, as always, feel free to chin-wag. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Yankees Sweep!! Break out the Crazy Stein!! Great series for the Yankees when they needed it most. This was a well-pitched series all around, and Wang was really dealing today. terrific stuff. Jeter went 4-4, RC had to big bombs off Schilling, and the Yankees added three in the eighth off Okajima and thanks to Varitek's throwing error to seal the deal. Lots to talk about later, but I have some running around to do, so I'll post a game summary when I have some time to be contemplative about this big series. Five back in the East, which is not cinched yet, and a 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card. Great clutch baseball, Yankees! Great sweep calls, lucky and MW!! Fantastic!!]

While this game was more tense and frustrating than it should have been, and than what I clearly would have preferred it to be, it was nonetheless still entertaining and a good win for the Yankees, who squandered a lot of chances but managed to beat Boston, 4-3. Clemens was very tough in notching career win #354, in fact pitching a no-hitter through five before giving up a titanic homer to Ortiz (who else, without Man-Ram playing?) that cut it to 3-1 and ended the no-hit bid. It was a good thing that Clemens was that good, for although Beckett gave up a career-high 13 hits and struggled especially at the beginning, he settled in and pitched very well out of trouble. A-Rod hit his 508th career homer to tie The Big Hurt and his 44th of the year to make it 4-1 in the 7th, and the Yankees needed every bit of that. In the 8th with Nuke in, Youkilis hit a two-run homer to make it 4-3, raising my blood pressure perilously high. But Mariano came in for a four-out save, looking very dominant for the second straight night, to get the save. Yankees win, 4-3.

It was a strange game. The Yankees had four runs but 14 hits, while the Red Sox had three runs on four hits, and worked seven walks--five from Clemens--to make the game dangerously close. The Yankees left nine on, seven in scoring position. They seemed to have a plan against Beckett to swing at good first-pitch fastballs, and did so with success to work up Beckett's pitch count in the 2nd and 3rd. Beckett had thrown 46 pitches after 2 innings and 64 after three, but only 82 after five because the Yankees, despite the lead and having worked over Beckett, strangely continued to swing at his first pitches, allowing him to settle in. The Yanks got three in the second, all with two outs. Jorge singled to center with one out, Cano worked a good walk to make it first and second, two outs, when Melky the Clutch singled in Jorge, 1-0, with Cano going to third. With Damon up, Beckett threw a wild pitch that allowed Melky to advance to second, a big mistake, for Damon singled to left to score 2, 3-0 Yankees. But the Yankees stranded two, starting a painful string of innings ending with runners on base. In the third, A-Rod singled sharply to left but overran first way too far and was nabbed on a strong relay throw from Pedroia for the first out. This was both dumb and costly, for Matsui immediately tripled to left-center which would have plated A-Rod. Posada and Giambi then struck out, with the strikeout of Posada looking a bit outside but certainly close enough for him to have punched it to left to drive in Matsui, and again the Yankees stranded a runner in scoring position. Beckett then settled down until the sixth, when three singles loaded the based for the Yankees. But Damon grounded out to end the threat. After A-Rod's line-drive homer to left in the 7th, Matsui singled and Jorge walked, but were stranded when Phillips popped out, 4-1 Yankees.

In the 8th, Nuke entered and was shaky from the get-go. He was behind Ortiz 3-1, got it to 3-2 and retired him on a fly ball to center. He had Lowell down 1-2, but he singled, and Youkilis sat fastball and got it, cranking a no-doubt shot to left, 4-3 Yankees in an instant. Not good. Nuke then fanned Drew and was down 3-0 to Varitek, got it back to 3-2, then walked him to bring up the potential winning run. Yet Mariano entered and ended the drama, getting Fruity Pebbles on a tapper to the mound. He worked a 1-2-3 9th for his 22nd save of the year, and the Yankees exhaled in relief.

A-Rod was 2-4 with his big, clutch homer, his 44th of the year and 508th of his illustrious career, and now has 124 RBIs, an incredible year with 29 games left to go. Melky was 3-4 with a run and an RBI, his 58th of the year, and is batting a very good .295. Jeter and Matsui were 2-4, and they're hitting .319 and .305 respectively; Jorge was 2-3 with a run, and is batting .333. Damon was 1-5 against his former team with 2 RBIs, now with 51 on the year, and Giambi had a single. But the Yankees left 9 on, 7 in scoring position, and are fortunate that Clemens was excellent in a good pitchers duel. He went 6, gave up only two hits, a run earned, 5 walks and struck out two on 95 pitches, 56 of which were strikes.  Vizcaino worked a good 7th, allowing just a walk, Nuke wasn't good, getting behind batters and allowing the homer to Youkilis, but Mariano sealed the deal with 1 1/3 innings of outstanding relief work, throwing only 14 pitches. There's only so much I'll get on my whipping boy Nuke, who has been very good lately. But this serves as an unfortunate reminder that his inconsistency remains, that despite that golden arm, his control can be painfully erratic. Back to the drawing board, Nuke.

In the finale, the Yankees go for the Crazy Stein, with Wang (15-6, 3.95 ERA) facing Schilling (8-5, 4.11 ERA) in the third of three very good pitching match-ups. It's been a terrific, well-played series for the most part thus far, with the Yankees thankfully having their three best starters ready for Boston at the time when the Yankees needed them most. The Angels swept Seattle, putting the Yankees in a statistical tie with the Mariners for the Wild Card. The Yankees are also now six behind Boston for the East, a race which isn't over yet. Also the Royals, who are no slouches any more, beat Detroit for the second straight game, 5-0, giving the Yankees a little distance between them and the Tigers. Interested parties can and should look for the Heartland Digital Living Room tomorrow afternoon, and thanks for everyone who came around tonight again. It's been a lot of fun. Joseph at Statistician Magician did his own in-game blog tonight, and it was a lot of fun. Very good game tonight, guys, and keep up the good work gaining ground. Yield nothing! Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Let me send out a genuine, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been coming by to post comments, and to hang out in the in-game threads and comment during the games. It's been a lot of fun, and people's wit and passion really jazzes me up. When I started blogging, I really didn't think that I would have met and so frequently interacted with such a good group of Yankees and baseball fans as you all are. It's been a real privilege, and I've been humbled by your continued presence here. Many, many thanks.]

Hi Everyone. Welcome to the Heartland Digital Living Room. Clemens (5-5, 4.34 ERA) faces Beckett (16-5, 3.21 ERA) in another good pitching match-up. Man-Ram is out with a bad back, which was evident last night when he struggled down to first after hitting a single. With the Mariners struggling with the Angels [Angels are leading 4-2 in the top of the 6th], and the seven-game deficit in the East, the Yankees need all the wins they can get, especially when they can gain directly on division-leading Boston. Hot dogs and beverages are free, as always. Grab a chair, get comfortable, and enjoy the game.

N.B. It's possible that Joseph from Statistician Magician may be stopping by during the in-game blog, and since he's also doing an in-game blog, I'd encourage everyone interested to cross-post at his blog. He's a Red Sox fan, and/but (teasing, Joe) a good guy. As a pre-game note to any potential trolls, please don't troll here. Fans are welcome. Trolls are not. Enjoy. Let's Go, Yankees!

It's hard to over-estimate the importance of tonight's win. The Yankees lost three of four to Detroit over the weekend and, combined with the two of three lost in Anaheim, had a devastating 2-5 road trip against quality teams in late August. In the last game the Yankees got it handed to them squarely, 16-0 by the Tigers. This game was essential for the AL East and Wild Card standings, but also for morale. The Yankees needed to respond, and they did. Pettite pitched seven terrific innings, getting out of trouble and yet again, giving the Yankees the stopper performance that has been his trademark over his Yankee career and certainly this year. Joba Chamberlain came on in the eighth and was very good, and Mariano had a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the deal. Jeter broke a 2-2 tie in the 5th, with Matsuzaka rolling at the time having retired six straight and twelve of thirteen after Jorge's RBI double in the first, by cranking his ninth homer of the year to right-center.  After Varitek [with that big, clumsy "C" stenciled on his chest] tied it in the top of the seventh with a homer off Pettite, Damon cranked a homer off Matsuzaka to deep right field, 5-3 Yankees. You have to hand it to Damon. He's been playing great, has warmed up at the plate, and has played a good left field. He's again made himself a big positive for this team and, with him playing well in the lead-off spot and Melky in the 9-hole, the Yankees effectively have two lead-off hitters as the game progresses. Kudos to you, JD. You're coming up big.

Chamberlain worked a good eighth, allowing a walk and a single but striking out two, and again not allowing a run, and Mariano retired the side in the ninth without incident, getting Varitek [with that big, clumsy "C" stenciled on his chest] to strike out with a great cutter under his hands, getting Fruity Pebbles either looking or on a check swing, depending on which confused version of FP you ask, and got Lugo on a soft liner to RC. 5-3 Yankees.

Damon was 2-4 with two runs and two RBIs, hitting his ninth homer and upping his average to .266, great clutch night against your former team, JD! Jorge was 2-4 with an RBI double, now hitting .331 with 78 RBIs on the year. Jeter was 1-3 with his solo shot, his ninth, in the fifth with 59 RBIs on the year. Matsuzaka was good against the Yankees, but the Bombers wore him down, working up his pitch count as the game went on, and belting two homers off him. Pettite was very good and tough, going seven and giving up six hits, three runs earned, two walks and fanning six on 119 pitches, 70 of which were strikes. Key for him was pitching very well, again, out of jams. After allowing a lead-off triple to Lugo, and a one-out walk to Youkilis, Pettite minimized the damage, allowing the tying run on Ortiz's sac fly but fanning Man-Ram to end the threat. In the fifth, after allowing a one-out single to Pedroia, Pettite struck out Youkilis and Ortiz, got a double-play ball from Drew to end the sixth after Man-Ram's lead-off single, and retired three straight in the seventh after Varitek's homer to tie it at three.

Tomorrow, Clemens (5-5, 4.34 ERA) faces Beckett (16-5, 3.21 ERA) in another must-win for the Yanks. Big tonight, guys. Keep up the good work. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: After last night's win, the Yankees are now seven behind Boston in the East. Since Seattle lost again to the Angels, the Yankees are one behind the Mariners in the Wild Card. Big night and big win in a tight game yesterday.]

[Edit PS: Mike Mussina will be skipped for his next start Saturday in favor of Ian Kennedy, who seems by writers' description as a Mussina-type--low 90s fastball (a little higher than Mussina's), change, knuckle-curve and slider. I feel for Mussina, I really do. He's been a very good pitcher for most of his tenure with the Yankees, and he's had some big moments--Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS against Oakland was a gem in a do-or-die game, his three innings of masterful relief work in the 2003 ALCS classic against Boston were absolutely vital, and he was one strike away from a perfect game against Boston. But he's fading, and getting pounded in the process. It can't feel good for Mussina, who's a very smart man, a fierce competitor and expects a lot from himself. At the same time, the Yankees positively cannot afford any Kevin Brown-2005 style starts, where they're in a huge hole at the beginning of the game. I'm rooting for Kennedy, but know very little about him. The Yankees need him to be good, that's for certain. Thankfully, the precedent of Hughes and Chamberlain can give us hope that Kennedy will be.]

Hi Everyone! Welcome to the Heartland Digital Living Room (formerly known as the Heartland Virtual Stadium, via levelboss's creative mind but, after a democratic vote, has been changed to a name that Mike used). Again, the gates are open early because I have some running around to do before the game. The Yankees send Pettite (11-7, 3.69 ERA) to the hill tonight in yet another must-win game against Boston and Matsuzaka (13-10, 3.76 ERA). Hot dogs and beverages are free, as always. Grab a chair, get comfortable, and enjoy the game. My wife is working late, so I'll be with the kids, and therefore in and out during the game. But, as usual, feel free to chin-wag in my absence. Enjoy. Let's Go, Yankees!

This game got so bad that it precipitated an impromptu vote and name change for the in-game blog, from Heartland Virtual Stadium to the Heartland Digital Living Room, on Mike's suggestion. And so it shall be called. Tonight was another disaster, really way too late to have these weekly poundings. Mussina might not ever pitch again for the Yankees, though I won't rule out a spot start sometime in September. Nor can I say that this was exactly a surprise from Mussina, who has really faltered his last few starts. Henn, who was brutal in 2 2/3 IP of eight-hit, seven-run relief, really should never pitch for the Yankees again, period. Enough, already.

Bad, BAD night in a run-for-the-bus performance, yet again. I'm keeping the chin high and the faith as well, and believe the Yankees take at least two of three from Boston. Goodness knows they need to. Let's Go, Yankees!

Hey everyone, I'm throwing open the gates to the Heartland Virtual Stadium nice and early. Autograph seekers, please be polite to the players. Hot dogs and beverages are free, as always. Grab a chair, get comfortable, and enjoy the game. Here's hoping that Moose brings his "A" game, the bats are red-hot, and the series ends in a split before heading back to New York to face Boston for three.  I have some running around to do at game-time, so I'll pop in later. Feel free to chin-wag in my absence. Let's Go, Yankees!

I just checked out Bob Ryan's Sports Blog for the first time, not surprisingly after a reference from the great Pete Abraham on his blog, and it's quite good. Ryan wrote an outstanding piece about Scooter and included some terrific quotes, posted below, from Scooter taken from a book entitled O, Holy Cow! They're hilarious, and I hope they put a smile on everyone's face tonight. Scooter was one of a kind. Enjoy.

Oh man,
You talk about having fun broadcasting games.
That year, I mean there were home runs every day.
There was nothing but a lot of runs.
Makes it a lot easier.
All right!
Here's Lovullo.
Torey Luvollo.
I've been calling him "Tony."
And he pops it up.

Or this:
    
Friday
When I was forced to leave the game after six innings,
You now.
I almost came back in the 13th inning.
Moore.
I want you to know I was thinking of Murcer and Seaver there.

II

  I woke up.
  And it was like,
  Like a nightmare.
  I said,
  "Could the game still be going on?"
  And sure enough.
  I started to get dressed.
  And then the 14th inning came.
  If it had gone another inning,
  I'd have been there.
  Or this:

  All right
  A big hubbub right in back of the Yankee dugout,
  Dead center.
  Telly Savalas!
  We might have to ask him to put a hat on his head,
  It's shining up here,
  Some glare.
  But that's the thing lately,
  They say being bald is very sexy.
  All right,
  I tell ya.
  Just about everybody you want to name
  Will be here tonight.
  Cary Grant hasn't missed a game
  Here at Yankee Stadium at the playoffs.
  Frank Sinatra has been here.
  And we're ready.

  Or this:
   
  Two balls and a strike.
  You know what they had on TV today, White?
  Bridge On The Rover Kwai.
Everybody should have gotten an Academy Award for that movie.
I don't know how many times I've seen it.
About forty times.
Alec Guinness!
William Holden!
Three and one count.
I just heard somebody whistle.
You know that song?
That's what they whistle.
Nobody out.
And he pops it up.

Or this:

One ball, one strike,
Two out, two on.
The Yankees trail four to one
In the bottom of the seventh.
Michelle wants to say
"Happy Birthday to T-Bone."
That's his name: T-Bone.
The runner is leading away...

Or this:

Everything is named Walden up there.
Yeah.
Great poet.
Great, great poet...
Uh.
I gotta think of another one up the ---
It really is beautiful country.
I could very easily move up there.
I was thinking of Greenwich.
But I don't have enough money to move to Greenwich.
So I might move to Concord.
Or this:

What kind is it?
Ohhhhhh!
Pepperoni!
Holy Cow!
What happened?
Base hit!
A little disconcerting.
Smelling that pizza.
And trying
To do a ballgame.

Or this:

HEYYYYYYYY!
THAT'S IT!
HOLY COW!
HE DID IT!
HOLY COW!
LOOK AT JESSE BARFIELD!
I WANNA TELL YOU!
HO HO HO HO!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!
YOU GOT IT MURCER!
My heart.
My heart won't take it any more.
I'm tellin' ya'.
HOLY COW!
I MEAN,
THIS IS AN UNBELIEVABLE FINISH!
Are we on the air?
We're on the?
Hooooooooooooah.
WOW!
THIS YANKEE CLUB IS SOMETHING!
I TELL YA'
ATTA BOY, JESSE!

The up-and-down ride that is the Phil Hughes Experience reared itself again today, with The Kid looking rough early but settling in nicely later. The last two starts have been all or nothing with Hughes, seemingly inning by inning. He grooved two fastballs to Thames and Guillen for two-run homers, and Granderson's inside-the-park homer that bounced past Matsui to lead off the bottom of the first really hurt in the tight game. As it occurred Saturday morning, the bats were hot early but got shut down and evaporated again, failing to add on against the Tigers' bullpen after Jurrjens left the game with a shoulder injury and they touched up Durbin. Zumaya was dominant, acting like a colossal jerk when he fanned A-Rod to end the eighth. But Nuke LaFarnsworth has been really excellent lately--I never thought I'd be writing that, but big kudos to Nuke--having a terrific seventh and blowing away Inge and Maybin with a variety of high-90s fastballs and tight sliders, including a 92-mph slider to Maybin to finish him off that was practically unhittable. Keep up the good work, Nuke.

The Tigers scored three in the first off Granderson's inside the park homer and Guillen's shot, 3-0 Tigers. Giambi blasted a homer off Jurrjens to make it 3-1 in the second, and Jurrjens unfortunately suffered a shoulder injury, tough break for the kid. I never want to see injuries, especially to the young players, and not just for reasons of karma. Good young players are good for the game, and losing them is never something to cheer about. Thames's homer in the third made it 5-1, but Cano positively crushed one off Durbin to center to cut the lead to 5-4, giving the Yanks hope of overtaking the Tigers. Hughes really settled in nicely after the first three innings, going six and allowing only four hits, five runs earned, only one walk (an improvement from his last start against the Angels) and striking out six. But the early fastballs grooved hurt in retrospect, and the Yankees' offense got nothing--literally--off Seay and Zumaya, and Todd Stinking Jones got Cano for a 3-6-3 double play to end the game.

Giambi was 2-4 with his 12th homer, and has 29 RBIs. Abreu was 2-4 with another stolen base, his 21st of the year and his fourth in two games, and has upped his average to a very respectable .291. Cano was 1-4 with his 14th homer and now 74 RBIs, and Molina, Matsui, and Melky added base hits. But Damon and A-Rod were 0-4, A-Rod struck out twice and left two on in scoring position. Also, Melky, please, you're a good kid who hustles and I respect that. But running is always, always faster than sliding, and you've been told by the coaches about sliding especially head-first into first base. Please stop it! That foolish move probably cost the Yankees a lead-off runner in the eighth off Zumaya, and they really needed one.

Very good work from the bullpen again, with Nuke working a perfect 7th with two strikeouts, and the Viz allowing only a walk. The Tigers only had four hits, but the three homers off Hughes hurt a lot. Tomorrow, Mussina (8-9, 5.22 ERA, Jeez) gets another crack at Verlander (13-5, 3.94 ERA). If there were ever a game where the Yankees will need the bats big time, tomorrow, I fear, is it. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: The in-game open thread will now become a standard feature of blogging here at The Heartland, and will hereafter be known, thanks to level, as the Heartland Virtual Stadium. The response has been excellent, chin-wagging with regulars Mike, luckyleftie, levelboss, and Saif has been a real hoot, and the ideas and posts that people have had have been extremely thoughtful, insightful and often hilarious. It's been like watching the game with a bunch of buddies in the living room. Anyone interested in dropping by to chat about the Yankees games in-game, feel free to drop by for future games.]

[Edit PS: Although Seattle made it interesting by scoring two in the 9th, Seabiscuit, er, Texas won 5-3, doing the Yankees a big favor by keeping the Wild Card deficit at two games. Two games, people. This is far from insurmountable. Let's Go, Yankees!]

8/26/07 Yankees at Tigers--Hughes versus Jurrjens

For anyone interested in chinwagging about the Yankees game today, feel free to come by. I'll pop in and out during the game, and have a separate summary posted after the game. Enjoy.

[Edit: Jeter still has a sore knee and is sitting, as is Posada in favor of Molina. Giambi is at first today (10, 9, 8, 7...).]

[Edit PS: Saif, a commenter around here and elsewhere in the Yankee corner of the blogosphere, has kindly pointed out to me that the Tigers' scorer/central scrutinizer did not made Polanco's error on Saturday morning a hit, but rather gave the error to Thames, still too generous to Polanco in my opinion. Thanks for the notice, Saif.]

August 25, 2007 Yankees at Tigers--Wang versus Bonderman

As I was watching the first inning, a spontaneous in-game blog broke out. Sound the Alarm!

Top of the first, the Yankees get a good two-out rally to score 2. Abreu hit a two-out single, stole second with A-Rod up, A-Rod showed very good patience laying two sliders to work the walk, and Matsui smoked the first pitch to the left-center field wall, plating Abreu and A-Rod. Matsui now has 90 RBIs, and will be key for this club down the stretch. His bat backing up A-Rod is huge, and he's been money for two months now.

Bottom 1st: Hey, the Yankees got out Granderson. [Confetti and streamers falling.] Wang walked Polanco. Thames up 2-0, with Wang's two-seamer running in to Thames with a lot of movement, Wang got it back to 2-2, then fanned Thames but Polanco stole second, Jorge's throw off line. Ordonez is officially a Yankee killer, singling through the hole to left to score Polanco, 2-1 Yankees. Wang left that up and paid for it. He's now behind 3-1 to Guillen, still leaving pitches up, but works in two excellent sinkers to fan Guillen.

Top 2nd: Cano and Betemit out, Melky the Clutch is up but flies out to right. Wang needs to settle in; 20 pitches in the first is bad for him, and after this morning bad for the team.

Bottom 2nd: Measles, Mumps and Rabelo out on a fly ball to Abreu. Meanwhile, that play-by-play dope Mario Impembla actually booed when the camera showed a woman with a Yankees shirt on. What a homer and a clown. Seriously, go guess people's weight and age, already. Two outs and Inge bloops one past Cano for a "single." Those changes on 1-1 and 1-2 to Santiago were outstanding pitches, and Wang would do well to perfect that. Well done.

Top 3rd: Damon is working the count very well the last two nights, getting Bonderman to full before cranking one to right-center, well done JD after getting one up in the grill on 2-2. 3-1 Yankees. Meanwhile, Impembla and Allen are schmoozing with the Red Wings GM, totally adrift from the baseball game. They should do what the NFL did about 28 years ago and broadcast a silent game without broadcasters. Jeter out and Abreu up, nice 1-1 change from Bonderman froze Abreu, but Abreu came back to work a good walk, one on and one out for A-Rod. I'd love to see another tater from him. Abreu just stole second, he's really earning the right to be re-signed for the next year and beyond. Inge knocked it down, 1st and 3rd, one out. Matsui popped out for the second out, Posada up and, with a 1-2 count, A-Rod stole second, the third Yankees steal of the game thus far. Fly out to center ends the inning, but Damon's big blast adds on, 3-1 Bombers.

Bottom 3rd: Great jamming of Granderson by Wang. Polanco out on a weak chopper to Wang, two outs. That 1-1 pitch from Wang, 94 and at the knees, was nasty. 97 just off the corner on 1-2? Tremendous. Now 3-2, but Wang fans him. That's dealing.

Top 4th: Bonderman's throwing inside an awful lot tonight. Two down quickly, with Melky up. Three down quickly, and Wang gets to face the heart of the Tigers order. Bottom 4th: Wang is throwing very hard, hitting 96 and 97 on the gun, but Ordonez gets another hit. He's killing the Yankees. Nice play, A-Rod, on Guillen's liner. Measles, Mumps and Rabelo up, and the Yanks lose a DP opportunity when Cano sends one into the box seats on the relay. No harm, three outs and the top of the Yankees order up.

Top 5th: Damon out to left, Jeter needs to get it going, but got robbed by Polanco, two down. Abreu works another walk, and I'd be shocked if he's not running. A-Rod's pop-up ends the inning. Bonderman's pitch count is up to 86, and the Yankees need to be patient with him in the top of the sixth, which might be his last. Bottom of the 5th: Nice 2-1 pitch on Wang's hands, but Inge suddenly is a hitter again, singling to center and stealing second, another bad throw from Jorge; nasty change to Santiago on 1-1, 1-2 passed ball from Jorge, not having his best night behind the plate--crossed up? Passed ball gives Inge third, but Melky's terrific shoestring catch gets the first out. Granderson the Grand up, and a wild pitch scores the run, 3-2 Yankees, single, stolen base, passed ball and wild pitch. Ugh. Nice strikeout of Granderson, the slider gets him, two down. Polanco up and another tapper from him to Wang ends the inning, 3-2 Yanks. Um, some more runs would be nice, guys.

Top 6th: Matsui up and he goes to the opposite field with a single. Jorge flew out to left. Cano nearly blasted Bonderman with a single up the middle. Betemit the RBI machine up--that 1-0 pitch outside would seriously have been a strike last night--now 3-0 to Betemit, 3-1 and Betemit walks the bases loaded for Melky. Big moment here, the Yankees have Bonderman's pitch count up, the bases loaded, and need to add on here. Melky triples to clear the bases. Is this kid clutch or what?!? Now Damon hit a Granderson to drive in Melky, 7-2 Yankees. That's clutch hitting, that's the way to work over Bonderman, that's the way to cash in!! Jeter lined to short with the infield in, two outs, Abreu up and Bonderman out and Byrdak in, Abreu out but 7-2 is big. That's the way to add on, guys.

Bottom 6th: Wang has Thames 0-2 and is dealing, 1-2 and  Thames works a cheap single after being jammed. But the 4-6-3 DP erases that, and Wang's quick reflexes get Guillen. Wang has a quick inning, just as importantly holds the Tigers scoreless, and if he can work eight after last night, that would be enormous.

Top 7th: Matsui with a one-out bloop single Granderson couldn't get, Jorge's fly out carries, and Cano makes the third out. Wang needs to hold the door shut and give the bullpen a blow. Measles, Mumps and Rabelo out, one down, Casey chased a high fastball for the second out. Wang has fanned six and is throwing very hard. Three down, and Wang is dealing. This is a really clutch start, Wang has thrown 97 pitches and going eight tonight would be enormous.

Top 8th: Betemit and Melky down, Damon up...and down. 7-2 still, heading to the bottom of the 8th: One pitch, one out. 98 pitches through 7 1/3 for Wang. 1-1 to Granderson, that change-up is an excellent supplement to Wang's arsenal. Granderson walks, Polanco up, sinker 0-1, Wang has his "A" sinker tonight, and gets Polanco on a 1-6-3 DP. Phenomenal work from Wang, really dealing and giving them a great start. He should start the 9th, his pitch count is at 107, and he's been dominant.

Top 9th: Jeter out on a comebacker, Abreu up and singles to left, A-Rod now up, Abreu stole second and that clown Allen on Faux thinks this is rubbing it in. I disagree. Thankfully, Allen made up for it by acknowledging all the up and in pitches the Yankees batters have faced. A-Rod walks. Matsui flew out to shallow center, Posada up and out. Bottom 9th: Bruney in, three out, and the Yankees respond very nicely, beating Detroit soundly, 7-2. Wang, you were magnificent and got stronger as the game went on. You spared the pen, and pulled me back from an emotional ledge after this morning's game. I appreciate that. Mike, you also roped me in from the ledge after some blues, Yankees and non-Yankees, got me down, and for that I owe you a big thanks, buddy.

Wang was big tonight, allowing just five hits, two runs one earned, two walks and striking out six on 107 pitches (66 strikes) in eight great innings. Lots of good hitting tonight. Melky's bases-clearing triple blew the game open in the sixth, and he has 57 RBIs for the year. Matsui was 3-5 with a run and two RBIs, 90 RBIs on the year, hitting now .308. Damon's homer to right center  made it 3-1,  Abreu  was 2-3 with a run, two walks and three stolen bases, a huge night for BA. Great game, great response after this morning's dramatic loss, and the Yankees keep pace with Boston and Seattle. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Apparently the passed ball that Posada had in the fifth was from a good-moving split-finger--yes, a splitter--that Wang threw. Apparently he used to throw it in the minors. Scary thought, and I can't help but think that some discussions with Clemens may have precipitated using that again.]

[Edit PS: Texas beat Seattle 5-3, bringing the Yankees to within two games in the Wild Card.]

I consider myself a glass half-full kind of guy, usually willing to see the positive things even when the outcomes might be negative. I've stayed positive about this team throughout a season packed with early struggles and swoons, some occasional setbacks, some disastrous losses--extra-innings in Frisco when they battered Matt Morris but blew a lead and stranded 16, the 7-6 loss when the bullpen imploded and wasted a gem of a start from Pettite, the Seattle fiasco where Jerry Davis blew a stolen base call by three feet. We've had our share of body blows as fans, as the Yankees have, and have inflicted on themselves, as a team.

But last night's game had me scratching my head like very few others in recent years, actually preoccupying me before trying to sleep and on my mind this morning, unfortunately. What concerns me is not a creeping sense of giving up, for I won't nor do I believe the Yankees will. Instead, what concerns me is that this team will fall short, will continue to make a good push for the playoffs but fall short for several reasons. Despite a lot of highs, some tremendous play from the team and particular individuals such as A-Rod, Jorge, Jeter, Chamberlain and the lefty hitter collective after the All-Star break, I'm getting the sense more and more that this team may very well give us a season-long almost, a big bundle of what could have been, and a heaping helping of what wasn't.

There are a few things in particular that have weighed heavily on me since early this morning, when the Yankees lost what really was a great game with a terrible result. In no particular order, here goes.

1.) Despite clearly playing better than the first couple months, the Yankees are still inconsistent as a team. They run hot and cold. They play great then get positively blown out. They make a great run and winning streak, but fail to seal the deal for sweeps. Most mind-boggling for me, and this has been the case for the last several years as the dark underside of this team, despite accruing a tremendous wealth of hitting talent--they occasionally go south as a team, with everyone getting shut down or going cold all at once. They vacillate between extremes, rattling off chunks of runs in an inning or over the span of several games, or disappear in a vapor as if someone flipped a karmic switch, as they did last night. With the exception of last year's St. Louis team, those types of collective swoons practically never bode well for teams in the running for a title.

2.) Where have you gone, Ramiro Mendoza? The Yankees have lacked a good long reliever since Mendoza, and this is one aspect of those championship teams that is as overlooked as anything. The Yankees from 1996-2000 are rightly acknowledged as having set the bar high for having an excellent bullpen to shut the door after getting good starting pitching. But one key aspect was the flexibility of a guy like Mendoza, who not only was a good set-up guy, but also could go several good innings in the event of a starter's flame-out. Maybe Mendoza was an anomaly. Maybe he was a chance acquisition who turned out to have far more flexibility and potential uses than is reasonable to expect from, or inflict upon, most pitchers. Yet this has been something the Yankees really have needed since Mendoza's injury and departure--a guy who could hold it close for a prolonged stretch after a starter had a rough day, and spare the need to expend all the relievers. The result has been using all the other relievers to try to cobble together a win, and even if they pitch well as they did last night, they're tired and the team is left with hoping and praying that the next day's starter can go at least seven, or they're burning out some people. Combined with the current Joba Rules (with which I agree) and the unwritten Nuke Rules (which despite his "balky" back I don't understand the utter inflexibility at all), the pen is even shorter after an 11-inning, 376-hour day. I say that not to hate on Henn, who throws hard and really didn't make a bad pitch to Guillen on the homer. Maybe Guillen just guessed right. But the fact remains that the Yankees don't have a quality long reliever.

3.) Up-and-down starting pitching since the All-Star break has been the hidden underbelly of the Yankees' terrific resurgence, and it's being exposed more and more as the Yankees play better teams. Mussina has been terrible his last two starts, is in real trouble if he's not hitting spots, and is on the verge of being a 5th starter at best, if he's not there already. Clemens struggled badly last night, and though pitching out of trouble well last week against Detroit, has had to avoid trouble a lot. He's 45, is a gamer, and still a pretty good pitcher (and at times excellent), but inconsistency is inconsistency, and last night was a part of the overall problem. Wang has been good overall this year, and a very successful pitcher in his three years with lots of upside, but has struggled to locate his sinker the last month, and needs to sharpen his alternate pitches. When he's used to throwing a sinker 30 times in a row when he's on, and he's not on with the sinker, it's a problem, especially against good-hitting teams. Hughes is a kid who has loads of talent and is still learning on the fly, so it's expected and rather understandable that he'll face some adversity. Pettite had tough times in late June, but has largely been terrific, and has really been a clutch stopper for the Yanks. But overall, their ERA is a bit high, and as a staff, they've been good. But have they been championship caliber? Though they're much improved, I'd have to say no.

I could add more numbers, but won't for my own peace of mind. There are certainly some great pluses, especially the terrific offense as a whole, the resurgence of the lefty brigade, the outstanding youth infusion, and the fact that this team battles. I'm not overlooking those for a second. But among other things, I can't get these few points out of my mind.

Maybe this team still has a great run in it, and maybe this is just a spell when some starters struggle. But again, teams that are championship caliber have consistency as a trademark. They're reliable for the most part. I still don't know about this team. They have a lot of grit, play with a lot of heart, and I'm really very thankful that they've even made it this interesting after how badly they played earlier this season. But I don't believe that the continual need to have lights-out second halves is a good sign. It's a sign of inconsistency, of feast or famine baseball, that is usually just not associated with winning baseball. Good for wins, not for winning, if you know what I mean.

I haven't stopped believing, but I'm still seeing things and signs in this team that still trouble me, especially at this late stage, and with so narrow a margin for error--really bad for this team and something about which I'm increasingly fearful I'll be discussing in a post-season eulogy. I sure hope not.

Maybe I just need some coffee and a boost from one of you good people out there. Anyone?

As a capricious decision, I've jumped hip-deep into the in-game blogging experience, and I hope others will join me. Bring your beers, Diet Cokes, or other preferred coldies.

Top of the First: The Yankees really squandered a good opportunity to take the lead right away, with the failed double steal getting Melky, albeit closely, at third.

Bottom of the First: Clemens allowed the lead-off double to Granderson, looked like he was settling down, then gave up the line-drive blast to Ordonez. Ugh, 2-0 Tigers. Clemens is regularly behind batters to start the game, and I'm wondering if it's the effects of the four-hour rain delay. 17 pitches in the first for Clemens as he gets Guillen.  I'm interested to see how the lefties Matsui and Cano handle the lanky Miller. We'll see in a minute...

Top 2nd: Matsui worked a good walk on a 96-mph fastball just low; Cano was a bit overpowered, chopping out to second, Matsui to second; Phillips up--right now, Miller is locating the fastball better than the off-speed, especially struggling with his slider to righties--Phillips bangs an RBI single to right, 2-1 Tigers. Duncan up, this should be interesting...his force to second ends the second, but cutting the lead in half was a good response. Nice job, Phillips.

Rocket has a good splitter working early, fanning Rodriguez with it. Also, sharp while fanning Inge with a slider. 31 pitches thus far for Rocket, 14 in the 2nd. Obviously, if he can settle in and hold 'em here for a while, one has to like the Yanks' chances.

Top 3rd: Yankees appear very patient against Miller, but the 4-6-3 DP robs Melky of a single. MIller walks Jeter with two out, still failing to locate his slider and leaving his fastball high, which he'll hopefully do to A-Rod....and he does! A-Rod just ripped his 43rd homer to right-center, 3-2 Yankees! The announcers for Faux who cover the Tigers were just discussing the MVP race, giving the edge to A-Rod but rightly lauding Ordonez's play, when A-Rod crushed it on cue. Awesome. They're driving up Miller's pitch count--58 after 3 IP, 23 in the third, 3-2 Yankees.

Bottom 3rd: Rocket was very careful in walking Maybin after Maybin's big day off him last Saturday, the he stole second. Every first Maybin's had has been off Clemens--hit, walk, homer, stolen base. Do you think Rocket will bean him next time up..? Granderson's 11-pitch at-bat results in his 20th triple of the year, tying the game. He wore Rocket out. Polanco's groundout to Jeter gives the Tigers the lead, 4-3. Nice try by Duncan on the diving catch attempt, but when it hits your glove, you should catch it, period. Clemens got worked over, just as Miller did in the top of the frame. This appears to be a game the bullpens may be used early and will likely be decisive. Clemens threw 28 pitches in the third, and has thrown 59 overall. He needs the offense to have a good long inning, and to get a couple quick 1-2-3 innings.

Top 4th: Miller struggling, walking Matsui; but fanned Cano and got Phillips looking. Duncan again shows he can hit the high pitches, ripping a single to left. Damon has an 11-pitch at-bat but struck out stranding two. Yet the inning was productive in at least these two ways--Clemens got a much-needed blow, and Miller threw 26 pitches in the 4th, and has thrown 84. He's not long for this game.

Bottom 4th: Jeez, Clemens lost Rodriguez after having him 0-2, issuing only the 6th walk Rodriguez has had all year. This inning is huge. One has to think the Yankees will be well set up if they keep working over Miller and whoever mops up. But as levelboss said, can Clemens hold 'em? He's walking slowly, and I wonder if his legs are tightening up after the delay and the slow-moving game. he just walked Inge, first and second, after Rodriguez stole second. Maybin's up, and the Yankees really should have someone up in the pen, and it's a bit late for Gator to have made a visit to the mound. Good stop by Cano to get the force at second; Clemens needs to get Granderson here, big moment of the game. Another stinking triple to Granderson, 6-3 Tigers. Clemens doesn't have anything. If the Yankees don't have someone warming up in the top of the fifth, they're really asleep. Clemens is up to 80 pitches, and though you don't want to burn your bullpen in the first game of a four-game series, you also don't want this to slip away.

With one out, Jeter walked on four pitches and A-Rod blooped a single to left, with Jorge coming up. Big moment. Jorge's fly ball drops in as Raburn dives and misses, scoring two, 6-5 Tigers. Again Jorge comes through, brilliant. Byrdak the lefty in to face Matsui, Miller hit 100 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. Great patience by the Yankees, and they'll need a bit more offense with the way this is going. Again, Clemens is getting a blow, but will it help?

No offense to Miller, but the standing ovation from Tigers fans was ridiculous and entirely unwarranted. They must have exceedingly low standards for emotional rewards. Matsui singled in Posada, 6-6. Great comeback, but the Yanks desperately need some pitching.

Bottom 5th: Facing the heart of the order, Clemens gets Thames to pop up on one pitch, and gets Ordonez looking on a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner, great pitch, 2 outs. Guillen singled, but Clemens gets Rodriguez to pop out to right to end the frame. Surprisingly, Clemens was efficient, throwing "only" 15 pitches, 95 for the game thus far. My guess is if the Yankees take the lead in the 6th, he's definitely out. He may be anyway, 95 through 5 IP is a lot of work after a very long delay.

Top 6th: First 1-2-3 inning for the Yanks' offense. Does Rocket come out for the 6th? Nope, Ramirez in. Raburn just missed a homer to left on a change left up. After having Inge 1-2, Ramirez walked him. His change is either up, or off the plate and they're not biting yet. Man, Maybin is fast, beating out a sure 6-4-3 DP ball and bringing up Granderson, who's killing the Yanks tonight. Maybin just stole second off a pitchout and Jorge's strange double-clutch. Great clutch strikeout by Ramirez of the red-hot Granderson. Jeter, A-Rod, and Jorge up. Sounds like runs.

Top 7th: Grilli facing Jeter, this is a guy the Yankees really need to hit, since Grilli has a 5.73 ERA. Easy outs from Jeter and A-Rod, but a four-pitch walk for Jorge, with Matsui up. Matsui struck out, and I put a lot of that on home plate umpire Bob Davidson, who called a 1-1 pitch that skirted the right-handed batter's box for strike two, making Matsui extra-protective on the next pitch in. What a horrible call, Davidson. Even worse was not hitting a weakling in Grilli, who has had an atrocious year. That 5.73 ERA didn't come accidentally, guys.

Bottom 7: Chamberlain in, with Abreu now in right. Polanco flew out to center, Chamberlain then whiffed Thames on a slider that, instead of drifting outside, dropped straight down. Does he throw his slider two ways? It's not the first time I've seen that splitter-type action on it, awesome. He then led off Ordonez with a 101-mph fastball, and got him to pop meekly to Phillips for the third out. Suddenly this has turned into a pitchers' duel, and at this point in the year, who better to have out of the pen for the Yanks than Chamberlain? He's positively dominant. Bobby Seay (LHP) against Cano, who singled, sac bunt by Phillips sends Cano to second, Abreu lined a hot shot to Inge for the second out probably saving a run. Yet Damon again proves an all-night ****** for the slider way outside to end it with a strikeout, still 6-6. The Yankees have now stranded seven, and the big boys in the Tigers pen--Rodney and Zumaya--await.

Bottom 8th: Nuke's in and got Guillen to pop to Abreu on one pitch, started Rodriguez with a 98-mph pitch for a strike, and retired him on a comebacker, 2 outs. Nuke just whiffed Raburn on a series of great sliders. I'll hand it to Nuke. He was flat-out dealing. Too bad the "Nuke Rules" are he can't go more than one inning, and can't pitch back-to-back games. He was on tonight.

Top of the 9th: Melky led off with a single to left off Rodney; Jeter struck out on a change, but Melky stole second. Rodriguez hit his hand on Jeter as he followed throw on the throw to second. A-Rod's up with a runner at second, but whiffed on a change low, 2 outs. Jorge just struck out looking on two change-ups way outside, was fuming after the 1-1 pitch and just got tossed. What an ******* Davidson is, calling ******-*** pitches so far outside for strikes.******** horrible.

Bottom 9th: Vizcaino struck out Inge and Maybin, but allowed a single to Granderson who stole second, Polanco walked, but the Viz got out of it by getting Casey to pop to right. Extras.

Top 10th: Good patience from Matsui to work the lead-off walk, but Cano wipes it out with a 6-4-3 DP, two down, Cano's 14th double play this year. Phillips weakly grounded out. Bottom 10th: Mariano in against 4-5-6 hitters. They kept going away to Ordonez, but went inside on 3-2 and Ordonez doubled to left-center, bad decision, should have stayed away. Guillen's ground out sent Ordonez to third with one out, they intentionally walked Rodriguez and Raburn to get to Inge, then Mariano had Inge down 1-2, and he hit a liner off the end of the bat that Phillips made a terrific leaping catch, two outs. Mariano then fanned the rookie phenom Maybin, 3 outs and Mariano the Magnificent escapes. What a ball game!

Top of the 11th: Yankees go 1-2-3, yet again, as the bats just disappeared. I bet we see Henn. Faux Sports is terrible. They stopped telling viewers whether or not anyone is up in either pen. Horrible job broadcasting, and the two bozos calling the game are both homers (Petry and some other slob) and incompetent on key situations. Henn is in. Unless this goes 18 and they use starters, the Yankees need Henn to go the distance. Hmmmm...He just fanned Granderson, walked Polanco but they got him picked off, two outs. Casey singled, and Ordonez is up. Jeez. With a 2-2 count, Ordonez took a cricket swing and blooped a weak excuse-me hit into right, first and third with two outs. Guillen up, and he golfed one out of there to left, 9-6 Tigers, wretched loss. Awful, just awful.

I must say, though, it's been a pleasure hanging with you, levelboss, luckyleftie, and Mike for the game. I might do this again, but never, ever after a four-hour rain delay. I bet Jorge's still steaming over Davidson's pathetic calls. Jeez, what a loss. Everyone in the pen used again, little sleep for the team, Henn gags another one, Ordonez with the cheapest single I've seen in a lifetime, and the bats disappear after touching up Miller. Wretched.

First of all, everyone should head over to J's Baseball and the Boogie-Down Bronx blog and congratulate J for the birth of his son Cooper. This is great news, and the pictures of him are really adorable. We're really proud of you and your wife, J!

This was a heck of a response from the Yankees tonight, blasting a very good pitcher in Lackey, as well as a Grade A reliever (albeit one struggling) in Shields, in winning 8-2. Lots of clutch hitting tonight, a great offensive series for the Yankees, and Andy Pettite was simply clutch and masterful again when the Yankees needed him most. Pettite is now 68-32 for the Yankees when pitching after a loss, positively remarkable. Joba Chamberlain again blew away batters, striking out the side--including Vlad on three pitches--by using his outstanding slider as his out pitch in the eighth. The Yankees needed this win desperately, with Boston and Seattle both having lost, putting the Yankees five back in the East. It could have been worse.

Despite the result, it was a tightly pitched game for most of the way, with Pettite and Lackey dueling. The Yankees pushed across a run with some help from Lackey, whose poor throw (which really should have been an error) scored A-Rod, who walked and went to third on Posada's double, 1-0 Yankees. The Angels threatened in the bottom of the fourth, and the Yankees got some clutch pitching plus good fortune in a likely blown call to escape. With one out, Vlad doubled, Anderson walked, but Kendrick hit into a 5-4-3 double play that looked like he was safe at first. Yet Pettite escaped and cruised until the sixth, when Cabrera homered to left-center to tie it at 1. But again, the Yankees bounced back to take the lead in the seventh. Jorge, who had a huge night, started it off with a walk, Cano ripped a hanging curve from Lackey for a single to right-center, and Jorge went to third. Betemit scalded a ball right to Vlad, and the hard hit and Vlad's cannon rightly kept Jorge at third. Melky was then down 1-2 in the count, and just when doubt started to creep into my mind about whether or not the Yankees would capitalize on their opportunity, Melky hit a clutch single to right, 2-1 Yankees. Jeez, if Melky isn't money for being just a kid. Damon flew out to left, and Jeter singled to right to score Cano, 3-1 Yanks, but was tossed out at second to end the inning. But the Yankees hit in the clutch and showed a lot of grit.

Despite giving up a lead-off single to Kendrick, Pettite was in no danger in the seventh, his last inning. He was just great tonight, going 7 and yielding only five hits, a run earned, walked two and fanned six on 95 pitches, 59 of which were strikes. The Yankees blew it wide open in the eighth, adding on to put it out of reach. Abreu led off with a huge homer to dead center (one of several homers to dead center Abreu has had this year) to end Lackey's night, 4-1 Yankees. A-Rod then worked a 3-2 walk off the talented but struggling Shields, and Matsui ripped a double over the first-base bag, as the Angels did in the previous two games, second and third with no outs. Jorge then doubled down the left-field line, scoring both A-Rod and Cano, 6-1 Yanks, and chasing Shields. How much more can you say about Jorge, the guts of the ball club? The guy has been on all year, and really commands an additional two to three-year contract. Cano and Betemit flew out, then Melky's single to left plated Jorge, 7-1 Yankees.

Enter Joba Chamberlain, who has been ridiculous since being called up, every day making the organization's moving him to the bullpen even more genius. He promptly struck out Mathis, allowed a single to Willits, fanned Cabrera on a slider, and got Vlad in a tremendous match-up. He started Vlad with a slider that Vlad missed, 0-1. He then threw a 99-mph fastball that Vlad fouled off, and finished him off with a slider that Vlad missed by a mile. Huge, striking out the side and now having 14 strikeouts in 8 innings. Additionally, the beautiful thing about this, aside from his dominance, was Chamberlain being available for Friday's game with the off day tomorrow. Talk about money for being just a kid. The Yankees tacked on a run in the ninth, when Cano's single scored Abreu, 8-1. The Angels scored off Mariano, who allowed a couple typical Mariano singles, but the Yankees took an absolute must-win with a dominant performance. This big win also gave the bullpen a much-needed blow to get the redness off of their backsides.

The offense was again terrific against a very good pitching team in the Angels. Jorge was outstanding, going 3-4 with two runs and two RBIs (his 75th); Abreu was 2-5 with two runs and an RBI (his 87th) with his clutch homer (his 15th), and he's batting .288; Matsui was 3-5 with a run, upping his average to .304; Cano was 3-5 with a run and two RBIs (his 72nd), and he's batting a solid .308. The 5-7 hitters went 9-14 with four runs and four RBIs, really excellent. Melky was big, going 2-4 with two RBIs (his 54th). A-Rod was 0-2, but walked three times and scored twice. Damon was 2-4 and Jeter only 1-5, but had the big RBI in the 7th.

Way to bring back the W, Mike! You saw two great games. Huge, huge win. I really felt that the Yankees could win two of three, and they could have with some better pitching but didn't. Yet the offense has certainly shrugged off the doldrums of last week to hit some very good pitching against the Angels and Detroit. The bats certainly aren't the problem. Despite losing two of three, if someone told me that the Yankees would be five games back after the trip to Anaheim, instead of six or seven, I'd have taken it. That's where the Yankees sit, and they now face Detroit in the Motor City for four big games. Detroit will be without loud-mouth Sheffield, who has a sore shoulder. Great that the Yankees get to rest between series and gear up for a big set. I like the Yankees chances. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: With last night's win, Joe Torre passed the great Casey Stengel for second on the Yankees' all-time list for wins with 1,150. What a tremendous accomplishment for Torre, who has been much, and often unfairly, maligned. He's had his faults at times, either too quick or too slow a hook with some relievers, but he's helped to right a ship that was listing badly earlier this year. He's also shown some good and ultimately productive trust in people like Melky, Phillips, Betemit, and others, while getting Giambi and Damon to buy into playing less frequently, thus shoring up the bench immensely and rotating in other productive players--all on top of handling the toughest media circuit in American professional sports. Those are no mean feats for a guy continuing to earn his pinstripes despite winning four World Series titles. Hats off to you, Joe. You've been great for the Yankees, and deserve all the success you've earned.]

Thank God I had work to do, and knew that turning off the Yankees game after it became 12-5 was the best, sanest, safest, and calmest decision I could make. Thank God I had other writing to do, to spare me from myriad ways to lambaste the Yankees' pitchers (especially Mussina, who is really deteriorating as this year winds on) for this pathetically wretched performance tonight, in which the Yankees lost, 18-9. Thank God I didn't insist on diverting my attention with vain hopes of the Yankees scoring two touchdowns in a miraculous comeback. Thank God there are other things still left to do at this late hour and beyond to dissuade me from writing a single word after this sentence about just how incredibly poorly the Yankees pitched and played tonight.

This one was frustrating tonight and, as the game wound on, I couldn't help but think that the Angels would somehow squeak this game out, and they did, winning 7-6 in 10 innings. Thankfully, this wasn't a game in which the Yankees did something incredibly dumb that came back to haunt them--though there were several moments when self-imposed doom loomed. Nor was it a game when they simply gave the game away. Rather, the Yankees didn't cash in on enough of their chances, the Angels did theirs, each team got a few breaks, made several of their own, and a couple at the end went the Angels' way. Hughes started and though he had a rough second inning, he pitched quite well until the seventh, when he had control problems. Nuke and Mariano made things a bit scary but each wriggled out of trouble. Yet the Angels got two unlikely hits off Henn in the tenth--a ground-rule double from Kendrick down right field that was fair by less than a foot, and the game-winning single to right-center by Ryan Buddie, a back-up catcher hitting all of .091, that barely eluded Melky, dropping in painfully to score Kendrick.

The Yankees took the lead in the first when Jeter doubled to left-center with one out, and A-Rod hit a liner to Vlad in right that he trapped, allowing Jeter to score, 1-0 Yanks. The Angels scored three in the second. With one out, Matthews hit a slow grounder past Cano that Melky had to come way in on, allowing Matthews to take second. Hughes seemed distracted with Matthews and walked Kotchman and Kendrick on five pitches apiece to load the bases. Light-hitting catcher Mathis then ripped a hanging curve to left to clear the bases, 3-1 Angels. Hughes then settled down, cruising through the middle innings. The Yankees climbed back into the game slowly but surely, with Matsui banging a one-out triple off the center-field wall that Matthews, playing Matsui in right-center, nearly caught against the fence. Posada hit an RBI chopper to first to plate Matsui, 3-2 Angels. In the sixth, the Yankees took the lead on an A-Rod liner blasted off Bootcheck to left, his 40th of the year, 4-3 with no outs. Matsui then blooped a single to left and Posada took a 3-2 walk, and the Yanks appeared on the verge of a big inning. Yet as in the fifth, the Yankees grounded into a double play. Cano hit a hot one-hopper back to Bootcheck, who whirled and started a 1-6-3 double play. Phillips then flew out to right to end it. After Hughes rolled through the sixth, the Yankees got the lead-off man on again when Melky walked. But Damon hit a hot grounder down the first-base line, Kotchman stepped on the bag and threw Melky out at second--three double plays in three innings.

The Angels made it 6-4 in the seventh, chasing Hughes and touching up Vizcaino. Kendrick hit a looping single over Jeter to lead off, with one out Hughes walked the light-hitting Willits and was done. Figgins drove in Kendrick with a single to center to tie it, Cabrera singled to right to make it 5-4, Vlad, who was held mostly in check, grounded to short to score Figgins, 6-4 Angels. But the Yankees responded in the eighth when A-Rod singled to right, Matsui's chopper to first advanced A-Rod to second, and Posada, who was 4-9 off Speier with two homers, made it 5-10 with three homers with a deep blast to right, his 16th of the year to tie it at 6, great clutch moment for Jorge.  Yet Nuke almost squandered it, returning to form for the most part by getting way behind batters. He was behind Matthews 3-0, worked it back to 3-2, but the Yankees could have retired Matthews when he hit a foul pop near the stands. A-Rod went to the photographers' well and couldn't reach beyond, missing the ball as it landed on the track on the other side of the well. Matthews then doubled to right-center. Nuke then walked Kotchman on four pitches, Kendrick hit his first sac bunt ever, making it second and third with one out. Izturis pinch-hit for the catcher Mathis and scalded a hot shot to first. Betemit, in because Giambi pinch-hit for Phillips in the eighth, snagged it and threw out Matthews easily at home for the second out, a great play that saved Nuke and the game, temporarily. Nuke then fanned Willits on a check-swing strike that got Scoscia ejected. In the ninth, K-Rod retired Melky and Damon before walking Jeter, who then got into scoring position when K-Rod balked, his first ever. But Abreu couldn't lay off the 3-2 slider in, the only place where K-Rod throws a slider to lefties, and I was hoping that Abreu would lay off when he saw it coming in, but he couldn't hold off. Mariano came in the ninth and quickly set down Figgins and Cabrera. Vlad hit a single to left right where A-Rod would have been had he not been playing the line, Anderson hit a chopper in front of home that bounded over Betemit's head and into right, moving Vlad to third. The chopper had to travel about 120 feet in the air, really neither Mariano's nor Betemit's fault. But Mariano got Matthews on a grounder to second to send it to the tenth.

The Yankees went in order against lefty Oliver, and the Yankees countered with their own lefty Henn. To me, this was the right move. Rather than burn Mariano in a second inning in the first game of this big three-game set, the Yankees saved him for another day. Henn overwhelmed Kotchman, striking him out looking on a 2-2 fastball that the ESPN radar gun measured at 95 mph. Kendrick then hit his double down the line, and Buddie of all people hit the winning single to right-center. Jeez.

A-Rod had a big night, going 3-5 with two runs, three RBIs (118 for the year), and his 40th homer. Jeter had a good night, going 2-4 with a run; Posada was 1-4 with three RBIs (73 for the season) and his big homer in the eighth to tie it. Phillips was 2-3 with two singles, Damon was 1-5 and Matsui was 2-5. But the three double plays hurt the Yanks. Hughes's stat line was made to look worse from his walks and Vizcaino's allowing a couple singles. Hughes went 6 1/3 innings, allowed only four hits, five runs earned, five walks (way too many, as he struggled with his command in the second and seventh), while striking out four on 92 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. He threw harder than I've seen him throw, regularly hitting 94-95 on the radar gun, but his fastball appeared to tail away from lefties and into righties, though I'm not sure if by design or his adrenaline playing so close to home. Vizcaino struggled in relief, Nuke and Mariano made things scary but held it together, and Henn was saddled with the loss, though he didn't pitch badly.

Things don't get any easier tomorrow, with Mussina (8-8, 4.76 ERA) facing Cy Young candidate Kelvim Escobar (13-6, 2.68 ERA), who has been dominant. The Yankees need a gem from Mussina and more clutch hitting, which the Yankees did get tonight. But they couldn't make six runs hold up, and lost what might have been the best chance for a win this series. I'm still confident they can beat the Angels, but the Angels so rarely beat themselves that opponents need to take advantage of every opportunity they can. That the Yankees didn't tonight didn't really stem from poor play, but some hard-hit balls at people, and some good play from the Angels. It was honestly a well-played game, and hard in its own right to be overly mad about losing because it wasn't one single thing that did them in. But it was a hard loss nonetheless, especially because the Red Sox and Mariners won, dropping the Yankees to five back in the East and 1 1/2 back in the Wild Card, with Seattle having three games in hand. Just hang tight, Yankees, and don't hang your heads for one second. No one feels sorry for you, but more than anything, you don't have anything to be ashamed about losing this game. Keep playing hard and work for your own breaks. Let's Go, Yankees!

The Yankees turned a weekend that began with considerable concern among many fans, including me, into one in which they showed terrific mettle, won three straight against a good Tigers team and some good pitchers, and gained ground against the Red Sox. With contributions from a variety of newer and veteran Yankees, and some clutch hitting to add on as the game went along, the Bombers came from behind to take the fourth game and the series from the Tigers, 9-3. Wang wasn't at his best, but worked very well out of consistent and self-inflicted jams, Matsui drove in three, Betemit drove in four subbing for Jeter, Damon had a monster blast into the right-field upper deck, and the young dynamic duo of Chamberlain and Ramirez held the Tigers hitless as well as scoreless in the final third of the game to earn the Yankees an impressive game and series won.

The Yankees took the lead in the first when Matsui drove in Damon with the bases loaded, 1-0 Yanks. They made it 2-0 in the third when Abreu, who is increasingly wreaking havoc, singled to right, stole second, took third on A-Rod's ground out to short, and scored on Matsui's sharp single to right with the infield in. Yet Wang struggled in his final three innings, the fourth through the sixth. The Tigers cut the lead in half in the fourth when Guillen hit a ground-rule double down the left-field line, Raburn singled to right to make it first and third, Rabelo doubled to left-center to score Guillen and make it second and third with one out. But Wang worked out of the jam by fanning Inge on a 3-2 slider, and got the good rookie Maybin to ground to Cano, 2-1 Yankees.

The lead didn't last for long when the Tigers made it 3-2 in the fifth, again with Wang scrambling. Granderson singled to center, Casey's grounder to first pushed Granderson to second and he soon took third on a balk, when he got Wang apoplectic as he tried to steal third, Sheffield walked, Ordonez drove in Granderson with a single to left to tie it, the Tigers pulled off a double steal to make it second and third with one out, and a wild pitch from Wang scored Sheffield, 3-2 Tigers. But again, Wang pulled his own fat out of the fire, striking out Guillen and getting Raburn on a bunt attempt, 3-2 Tigers. Again, the Yankees responded right away, as they have so frequently the past couple months, tying it in the fifth. Abreu singled to center, A-Rod pushed him to third and reached second on an Inge error that popped up between Inge's glove and his naughty bits [for all you Python mavens out there!], and Matsui's second sac fly of the game scored Abreu, 3-3. The Yankees took the lead in the sixth when Damon cranked a Bonderman pitch low and in into the upper deck in right, golfing it way gone, 4-3 Yanks.

Enter Joba Chamberlain, who again was magnificent. he got loud-mouth Sheffield to pop up to Betemit at short for the first out, then struck out Ordonez on three pitches, blazing two fastballs up that Ordonez fouled off, then throwing a 98-mph heater low that Ordonez couldn't possibly have hit, which is saying something given the quality of player he is. Chamberlain then set Guillen down on his trademark slider in, really looking impressive as he buzzed through the heart of the Tigers' order for the second time in three games. The Yankees pushed across two runs with two outs in the seventh. A-Rod walked, Matsui struck out, Posada flew out to Granderson, the Tigers intentionally walked Cano for the second time to reach Betemit. The first time, Betemit lined out to right in the fifth, but cashed in this time, making Leyland pay for the decision by hitting a good pitch low and away off Miner to left to score A-Rod, 5-3 Yankees. Phillips then singled to center to score Cano, 6-3 Yanks, but the Yankees left the bases loaded when, after Damon singled, Melky grounded out to second, part of the twelve the Yankees left on base.

But the lead was secure. Ramirez came in the eighth and impressively struck out the side, using his great change-up to set down Raburn, Rabelo and Inge. The Yankees added three more two-out runs in the eighth, allowing Mariano, who was warming up in the pen during the eighth, to sit down and rest for the day. A-Rod hit a one-out infield single to third, Matsui flew out to right, Jorge walked, Cano ripped a single to right to load the bases, and Betemit cranked a 1-0 pitch to right-center to clear the bases, 9-3 Yankees. Ramirez worked a 1-2-3 ninth, and the Yankees finished off an impressive third straight win against the Tigers. So much for the naysayers, especially those who are Red Sox fans, who said that they learned the Yankees could beat sub-.500 teams. They also learned that the Yankees have a lot of grit, have a good bench and much improved bullpen, and can beat good teams, particularly out-pitching a good Tigers team.

The Yankees banged out thirteen hits. Though they left on twelve, six in scoring position, they had five two-out RBIs, four by the impressive Betemit. Speaking of whom, Betemit was 2-5 with the four RBIs, giving the Yankees excellent offensive production in the clutch in place of Jeter, who has a sore knee from the Bedard beaning. He and Phillips are giving the Yankees a very good problem, supplying some much-needed balance to the offense, defensive versatility, and impressive depth to the bench for the first time in several years. They've made Giambi's and Damon's places in the lineup no sure thing. Matsui was 1-3 with three RBIs, giving him 86 RBIs on the year; Abreu was 2-4 with two runs scored, and he's batting .287; A-Rod was 1-3 with two runs scored and two walks, batting .304 now; Cano had an identical stat line to A-Rod, and he's batting .309; Damon has sparked the Yankees lately, going 3-4 with two runs scored and the big, go-ahead homer in the bottom of the sixth, and he's now batting .262. You're starting to make me eat my words about getting rid of you, JD. Keep it up; I'll gladly take the helpings of crow if you keep producing. Andy Phillips continues to impress me, going 2-4 with an RBI, upping his average to .291. Wang wasn't his best but contributed a quality start, and worked out of trouble very well, going six innings, allowing nine hits, three runs earned, walking two and striking out six on 93 pitches, sixty of which were strikes.

But along with Betemit and Phillips, the kids Chamberlain and Ramirez have impressed and no doubt earned the trust of Torre and the staff. They worked in a pressure situation, with the game 4-3 in the seventh and 6-3 in the eighth, and absolutely nailed it shut. They were dominant against an excellent hitting team, and have shown that the Yankees may have a few bullpen options for a change. They've done far more than electrify the partisans; they've shown some guts with lights-out pitching, giving the staff some good problems to consider, as with the bolstered bench, and gained immensely valuable experience and confidence down the stretch when the Yankees have needed them most.

The Yankees roll into Anaheim, where they'll face the Angels late tomorrow night in the first of three against the AL West leaders--who split four games in Boston, including winning a 3-1 game today that moved the Yankees to within four of Boston. Hughes (2-1, 4.44 ERA) faces Dustin Moseley (4-2, 4.84 ERA) in the opener, and the Yankees would be well served if Hughes gives them a quality start. We all know how the Angels usually play the Yankees, so taking two of three in Anaheim would clearly be enormous regardless of whatever any other playoff contender does.  The Yankees showed a lot of heart the last three games, and showed us that they deserve some consideration from fans that they may very well have what it takes to get into October and go deep. They'll face some challenges and tough teams in the duration of the season but, if they play as they did the last three games, they can expect to be playing well into October. They have 38 games left to play, but are an impressive 27-11 in the last 38 since the All-Star break. Keep up the great work, guys. You're making believers out of us, certainly me. I'll be up late watching you, and I believe you'll make it worthwhile. Let's Go, Yankees!

Hosting my sister and my nieces, who are in town for a few days, I only got to see the top half of the third with the Cubs-Cards game in a rain delay, so I'll leave more of the details to all of you. Great to see that the Yankees won, 5-2, that Abreu hit the go-ahead homer in the sixth, that Clemens had a good start while surrendering a lot of hits, and that the relievers--including Nuke, who struck out two--were good. Mariano bounced back from his travails earlier this week for the save, terrific.

Posada was 3-4 with his homer in the second, scoring twice to raise his average to .336, Abreu's two-run shot in the sixth gives him 84 RBIs for the year, Cano had an RBI single in the sixth, giving him 70 RBIs, and Andy Phillips continues to contribute, himself driving in a run with a single in the sixth after Cano's RBI. Clemens surrendered ten hits in six inningsm but only two runs and no walks while striking out eight. Tomorrow, Bonderman (10-5, 4.65 ERA) faces Wang (13-6, 4.09 ERA) in a game that would be huge for the Yanks for several reasons. Winning three straight after Thursday's 8-5 loss would be great work against a good team, beating Bonderman would be nice payback from last year and, more importantly, good confidence against a good pitcher, the Yankees need to keep winning and they need to keep pace with the other contenders. They've responded very well after losing three straight, and have received good pitching and clutch hitting. More of the same, guys. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Beth's comment reminded me about the double play in the third, which is literally nearly all of the game that I saw, and worthy of particular mention in the post itself instead of my attached comment response. With one out and runners on first and third, Clemens struck out Thames with Maybin running, Clemens cut off the throw when Inge broke from third for home, and Clemens did the right thing by running right at Inge, running him back to third and practically running him over with the tag. Clemens kindly patted him on the back for the hard tag, but it was a huge play to get out of the inning, and one of the few times I've ever seen a team nail an opponent trying a delayed double steal. Great stuff, and a huge play given the tight game. Beth was right, it was one of the coolest double plays done.]

This was exactly what the Yankees needed to do, and they needed a little luck to instigate it. The Yankees shut down the Tigers 6-1 behind eight excellent innings from Pettite and some good offensive support. Chamberlain worked the ninth, about which I'm I was initially mixed, and the Yankees ended their three-game slide with an impressive win. With Boston splitting their double-header against the LA Angels of Superfluous Acronyms, on yet another blown save from GagMe in the nightcap, the Yankees moved back to within five games of Boston.

The Yankees went down 1-0 in the third on a bizarre play. Rayburn had an infield hit, and Inge cranked a 1-1 pitch to the left-field corner. With Rayburn rounding third, Matsui and Jeter got a typically good relay in order and Jeter's throw was both on line and appeared to be in time to get the speedy Rayburn, yet Phillips cut off the throw about twelve feet in front of home, ensuring the Tigers the run and the lead, in order to get Inge, who was running to third on the throw, out at third. Phillips cut off the throw, but the problem was that he cut off the throw presuming that someone was at second, and Cano wasn't, so his throw to A-Rod to get Inge was for naught because Inge stopped before third and beat A-Rod back to the bag at second. It was really poorly done. I don't know if the problem was both Phillips's and Cano's, for Cano was seemingly wandering near third and, if A-Rod wasn't cutting off the throw before home, what need was there for Cano--the entire infield, really--to be on the left side of the diamond?!? Phillips should have known the situation if he was going to cut off the throw. He should have known exactly where Cano was, and not presumed, as he appeared to do, that his throw to third would get Inge out. After walking Granderson, Pettite settled down to strike out rookie phenom Maybin and get loud-mouth Sheffield to force Granderson at second to end the Tigers' last real threat.

The Yankees responded in the bottom of the third, and got some luck in the process. Cano and Phillips singled to lead off. But Damon flew out to right, deep enough to get a tagging Cano to third. The problem was Cano was caught off second  not tagging, and couldn't advance on a play that precipitated a good talking-to from both Torre and, impressively, from Molina, who was schooling someone with speed how he, someone without speed, would have used his speed to advance to third. Good to see the veteran providing some good tutelage to a young Yankee, using his vast experience to tutor the player with the longer team tenure but far less major-league experience. Jeter then struck out looking on a pitch well inside, one of many highly generous calls from home plate umpire Chris Guccione, who was all over the place and granted Tigers starter Robertson a wide zone around the plate. Just when it appeared that the Yankees might squander another chance to plate some runners in scoring position, Abreu hit a 1-2 chopper to Guillen at short that appeared to be the inning-ending out, but it hit a divot in the dirt and caromed well over Guillen's head into center to tie the game and temporarily let Cano out of the noose. A-Rod then hit a ground-rule double down the left-field line that was fair by less than a foot to score Phillips, 2-1 Yankees.

Giambi blasted a solo homer to deep center to make it 3-1, part of a big night for Giambi. In the sixth, the Yankees plated two more. Matsui singled to right, Cano blooped a one-out single over Guillen, and Phillips pounded an RBI double past rookie Maybin, who didn't take a good angle on the ball, scoring Matsui and Cano and giving the Yankees a comfortable 5-1 lead. Giambi blasted an enormous homer halfway into the upper deck in right in the eighth to make it 6-1, and he's been very impressive coming back from his foot injury, providing the Yankees with much additional power and bench strength.

Pettite was dealing after the third, and gave the Yankees a big clutch start as has been his wont in the pinstripes. He was excellent and efficient, throwing 104 pitches--71 for strikes--in eight innings, allowing just five hits, a run earned, a walk and striking out five. He stranded Rayburn in the fifth by striking out Inge and Granderson in succession. He got defensive help from Matsui, who made a terrific running, snow-cone catch off loud-mouth Sheffield in the sixth, and had a 1-2-3 eighth to cap off a magnificent start to right the Yankees' ship. Chamberlain pitched the ninth, and at first, I questioned why, given the "Chamberlain rules" that mandate the day off for each inning and therefore ruling him out for tomorrow. But given the work that the rest of the pen has weathered lately, I understood Torre's move. More importantly, I believe, was getting Chamberlain work against such a good threesome for the Tigers to test Chamberlain, and he didn't disappoint, retiring loud-mouth Sheffield on a fly out to Matsui on one pitch, allowing a single to Ordonez, getting Guillen to pop out to Jeter, and impressively fanning Rodriguez on his nasty slider to end the game. I agree with Torre's move. It saves Vizcaino and Mariano for another day, it tested Chamberlain against good competition and he was up to the challenge, and it built his confidence in a good situation, when the game wasn't on the line.

Phillips was 3-4 with a run and two RBIs, raising his average to .285 after cooling off for a week; Abreu was 3-4 with an RBI, his 82nd, and he's batting .285 as well; Giambi had the two big solo homers, giving him 11 homers and 28 RBIs; Cano was 2-4 with two runs, bringing him up to .310; and A-Rod's RBI ground-rule double gave him 115 RBIs for his great, MVP year.

Clemens (4-5, 4.00 ERA) faces Durbin (7-5, 4.68 ERA) tomorrow afternoon as the Yankees seek to make it two straight. More of the same, guys--more clutch hitting and solid starting pitching against a guy who's been good on the road, but has been amply hit. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Today's win gave Joe Torre his 2,041st career victory as a manager, pushing him past Walter Alston into seventh place on the all-time wins list for managers. He continues to compile great accomplishments on his future Hall of Fame resume, and I couldn't be happier for him. He's been a great manager for the Yankees, and has earned everything he's gotten. Congratulations, Joe!]

The Yankees have dropped three in a row, losing to the Tigers 8-5. Mussina wasn't good at all tonight, surrendering a grand slam to Guillen in the first and two more runs in the second to put the Yankees in an early 6-1 hole. The Yankees chipped away a bit, and ratcheted up Verlander's pitch count, but never really threatened him or the Tigers, playing from three or more runs behind the entire game. The offense did fairly well against a good pitcher and, despite their numbers, a fairly good bullpen, but failing to get solid starting pitching sunk the Yankees tonight.

Abreu hit a great homer to dead center in the third to make it 6-3 with no outs, but the Yankees failed to mount the big rally they needed. With two outs in the fourth, Damon singled and Jeter ripped one to third, but Inge made a terrific stop to make the force at second to nip that particular opportunity in the bud. The Tigers added another run in the fifth. Guillen singled and, running on an 0-1 count to Rodriguez, got to third when Pudge hit a tapper in the spot that Cano vacated to cover the bag. With first and third and one out, Casey singled in Guillen, 7-3 Tigers. In the sixth, the Yankees had a shot to close the gap, Giambi singled with one out, Cano struck out looking on a pitch well outside, Melky singled to right, but Duncan (in to pinch-hit for Damon) struck out against the righty Miner (who replaced the lefty Byrdak as the Yankees installed Duncan) to end it. Rodriguez belted a homer off Villone in the seventh to make it 8-3, an even bigger hole out of which to climb. Though the Yankees scored two off closer Todd Jones in the ninth, it was too little, too late for the Yankees.

At least the offense wasn't slumping today. Though they left too many--11--on base, they had twelve hits and five runs. Going into today's game, I would have taken those stats (except for the LOB), not only after their offense has struggled the past two games, but also given the level of competition. Verlander is no slouch, having thrown a no-hitter this year and working like one of the best pitchers in the game. Today the Yankees really made him work, but couldn't push enough runners across to make it interesting. Verlander had thrown 75 pitches through three, and left with one out in the sixth having given up seven hits, three runs earned, a walk, only two strikeouts, and 119 pitches--good patience by the Yankees. Jeter was 2-4 with two runs scored and is hitting .326; Abreu was 2-5 with the homer and two runs; Matsui was 3-5 with a run, two RBIs (both with two outs) and a double off Jones in the ninth to give fans a ray of hope, and is batting a crisp .303 with 83 RBIs, a very good year for Matsui; Posada was 2-5 with an RBI, batting .334 now. But A-Rod was 0-4 and Cano 0-3, and the eleven left on really hurt.

But not as much as Mussina's awful start. He went five, gave up nine hits, seven runs six earned, walked two, and struck out two on 95 pitches. He was worked over in the first, made things worse in the second and failed to keep it close. His off-speed pitches missed frequently, making his fastball eminently more vulnerable to the pounding he got tonight. Nuke worked a scoreless sixth, but the fact that as a middle reliever now used in losing games this clown still can't or won't go more than one inning makes me sick. Not only is the guy still useless, he's still limited in what lump of a uniform he can even provide. The Yankees needed him to eat some innings, and he can't. Ridiculous.

Pettite (9-7, 3.93 ERA) faces Nate Robertson (7-9, 5.01 ERA) tomorrow night in another must-have game for the Yankees. Regardless of the fact that this guy is a lefty, he's not having a good year, the Yankees have hit him in the past, and he's ripe to be had. They also need far better starting pitching than they got tonight. I feared the two-year deal from the get-go for Mussina, given his age, declining production, increased number of iffy or worse starts, recent arm troubles, and clearly reduced velocity. The Yankees simply cannot afford such poor starts at this time of the year. Of course, it's a product of far more than Mussina's status in his career. But this was a genuine set-back tonight, sending the Yankees to their third straight loss at home. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: I was glad to hear a good amount of boos mixed in with some cheers for that slime Sheffield. His comments about Torre were way out of line, unsubstantiated, and really awful for someone universally acclaimed as a good man, a players' manager, and someone so beloved among current and former players to have to endure. Sheffield is a colossal idiot for what he said. I have no idea what Jeter and A-Rod (friends of Sheffield's) have said, if anything, to Sheffield about his nonsense, but if I were Jeter, I'd sever my friendship with him. Aside from taking swipes at Jeter and his bi-racial background, Sheffield brazenly insulted the manager who has been a staunch backer of Jeter's from day one. If he stays friends with Sheffield, fine, as long as he gave him an earful in private over Sheffield's stupidity.]

Well, that was disappointing. After mustering nothing off Bedard for seven innings, the Yankees stayed close enough that their ninth-inning, two-out rally could tie it at three. A-Rod singled off Baez to lead off the ninth, Matsui singled to center to charge the Stadium, Posada struck out chasing a high fastball again, Abreu (pinch-hitting for Phillips) grounded out to first to advance the runners but record the second out off lefty Jamie Walker, and Shelley Duncan cranked an 0-1 pitch to deep left to tie it at three, a huge and dramatic moment that rocked the Stadium.

Yet Mariano entered in the tenth and was off again, surrendering a lead-off double to Markakis that nearly went out to right-center, Tejada ripped an RBI double to left to score Markakis and, with one out, Mariano tried coming in on Huff in vain, as Huff ripped a pitch up for a homer, 6-3. The Yankees couldn't rally twice in two innings, and went down, 6-3.

Hughes struggled to put batters away and wasn't efficient, and hurt himself by allowing two runs to score in the fourth. With two on and two outs, Redman hit a 1-2 pitch to Phillips at first, and Hughes hesitated off the mound before trying to cover late, and probably wouldn't have had the speedy Redman anyway, but he dropped the toss from Phillips, allowing two to score and the Orioles to take a 3-0 lead that, with Bedard shutting down the Yanks, was very big. Hughes also worked very slowly with runners on base, and lacked strikeout ability to put the Orioles away, unlike Bedard, who was dominant. Hughes went five and allowed six hits, three runs two earned, two walks and struck out four on 94 pitches, 60 of which were strikes.

Big kudos to today's call-ups Henn and Ramirez for keeping the game within striking distance for the Yankees. They combined for four innings of three-hit, scoreless relief, with Ramirez using his excellent change-up to strike out three. Henn was sharp also. But one can only wonder if Mariano is healthy. As Pete Abraham points out, this was the time last year when Mariano developed the mysterious, never-explained sore arm, and that would be a back-breaker for the Yankees this year should he be hurt. Mariano insists he's healthy, and maybe he is and is just missing spots because he's just missing spots. But he's not been right for a few outings now, and this one cost the Yankees a chance to gain a game on Boston, who lost to Tampa Bay 6-5.

A-Rod was 4-4 to raise his average to .307, Duncan's big homer was his 6th of the year, and Matsui was 2-5 to bring his average to .299. But the Yankees lost the series to the Orioles, and Mariano's poor performance today officially has me concerned. The Yankees need to get right back on the horse with Detroit coming to town. Mussina (8-7, 4.50 ERA) faces Justin Verlander (12-4, 3.58 ERA). The Yankees really need to take at least three of four from the struggling Tigers, and the Yankees need the confidence boost of winning again after Cabrera and Bedard shut them down.

I'll add more later. Let's Go, Yankees!

According to the great Pete Abraham, the Yankees have called up Edwar Ramirez and Sean Henn, with Karstens and Brower sent packing in some form. He believes that Karstens was optioned to SWB, and is unsure of Brower was optioned or DFA'd. Given that the Yankees used everyone from the bullpen who was available last night, they could sure use some fresh arms and, given the poor performances from many of last night's pitchers, they could use some effective arms as well. Beth at Yankees Chick may have gotten her wish about never seeing Karstens and Brower in a Yankees uniform again. We'll see. I completely respect the guts that he showed trying to pitch on a fractured leg, but Karstens is just not major-league worthy in my opinion, and we've probably witnessed why Brower has pitched for eleven different major-league ball clubs. They're gamers, but I don't believe they have it.

Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Brower has been optioned back to SWB, where his previous work indicates he can be an effective pitcher, and is probably where he belongs--no offense to him.]

The day after Phil Rizzuto passed away, the Yankees showed no spark, losing 12-0 to the Orioles. Jeff Karstens was shelled, giving up five runs on five hits, four walks, and striking out one on 74 pitches in three laborious innings. He was awful, and the grand slam he gave up to Huff in the third effectively buried the Yankees, who struggled again to muster anything off Cabrera, who was wild but effective in shutting down the Yanks. Jim Brower was equally awful in two innings, allowing six runs four earned on five hits and a walk. The Yankees' bullpen was thoroughly used, with only Chamberlain and Mariano--who were not going to pitch tonight anyway--not used in the blowout. To make matters worse, the Red Sox scored two in the bottom of the ninth off Rays' so-called closer Al Reyes to beat Tampa Bay, 2-1 and go up five games on the listless Yankees. No hitting stars tonight, with Melky's 18-game hitting streak ending on a weak grounder in the ninth exemplifying the Yankees' futility. They worked a ton of walks, nine in all, but couldn't hit off Cabrera and the Orioles'  bullpen.

Tomorrow, Cy Young candidate Erik Bedard (12-4, 3.11 ERA) faces Hughes (2-1, 4.64 ERA) in the rubber game of the series, which the Yankees seriously need to take to keep pace. I can't say I'm entirely surprised about the result tonight, just the extreme to which the Yankees were blown out. Karstens probably deserved a look after pitching well in Spring Training and his injury, but he's just not the caliber of the other starters, and Clemens's suspension clearly hurt the Yankees tonight, who stood almost no chance as the game wound on. They'll need to respond well tomorrow afternoon, and they usually do, but games like this are a little late in the season to have. Hopefully, they got it out of their system, and can get back to their winning ways tomorrow. Let's Go, Yankees!

[Edit: Scooter, hopefully, would have been proud. Just as he was in the habit of leaving games that he broadcast early in order to beat the traffic to get home,