No history but Yanks take 2

The New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the nightcap by the score of 11-1. A.J. Burnett got the start and pitched 6 innings giving up a run on 4 hits with 8 strikeouts. This was a huge game for him as he hasn't won in 6 starts but got the win tonight. This may be the game that gets him going and now he can finish strong and into the playoffs. Edwar Ramirez, Jon Albaladejo and Mike Dunn finished off the game. It was a good game to get the backups in as Ramiro Pena, Shelly Duncan and Francisco Cervelli all got into the game. Mark Teixeira had a big night with a couple of homeruns. The story of the game was Derek Jeter and he went 0-8 combined in the doubleheader and remains 3 hits shy of tying Lou Gehrig. The important thing here is that the Yankees took both games and now their magic number for clinching the division is at 16 and 19 for homefield advantage. The Yankees in a tight game in game 1 broke through late and Phil Hughes and Mo closed the game out in fine fashion as usual. Mariano now has save 35 in a row. Chad Gaudin will make the start tomorrow and maybe get through 5 but the Yankees bullpen is in good shape for tomorrow. The Yankees have gone 50-18 in their last 68 games. The Yankees are 36-22 against the AL East which is the best division in baseball. They have also won 24 of their last 30 against division foes. Yankee relievers since Aug 5th have gone 12-0 with 10 saves and a 3.34 era. The 12 game winning streak by the bullpen is a new franchise record according to the Elias Sports Bureau. 11 was the record before by the 1940, 61, 99 and 2000 teams. Austin Jackson who is one of the top prospects went 2 for 2 today to finish the regular season at 300. In 132 games he had 67 runs scored, 23 doubles, 9 triples and 4 homeruns. He drove in 65 runs and stole 24 bases in 28 attempts. He walked 40 times and struck out 123 times. He needs to cut down the strikeouts and walk a little more but he is only 22 and this was his first season in AAA. I am sure he will start there next year and go from there.

Yanks defeat Rays in Game 1

The New York Yankees played a nice clean game this afternoon in winning game 1 of a day night doubleheader. CC Sabathia pitched 7 great innings giving up a run and striking out 10. The Yankees offense woke up late and did the little things to win. I will write a post game about both games later. Here is the lineup for game 2. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Hairston(3B) Molina(C) A.J. Burnett starts and needs a win badly, the Rays lost Carlos Pena for the season when he broke a couple of fingers in the 2nd inning this afternoon.

Yanks and Rays play 2

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are playing a day night doubleheader today in the Bronx. It is Labor Day and what is better then a baseball doubleheader, well the fact that Derek Jeter could also break the all time franchise record for hits currently held by Lou Gehrig. Derek Jeter needs 3 more to tie and 4 to break it, so there is a pretty good chance he could do it today. CC Sabathia pitches the daygame with A.J. Burnett pitching the nightcap. A.J. needs to get a win as he has gone 6 starts without a victory and hasn't been pitching well at all. Here are the pregame notes and linup via Peter Abraham for Game 1. The Yankees start today with a 7 1/2 game lead on Boston for first place in the AL East and a 5 game lead on Anaheim for best record and homefield advantage. The Red Sox will finish their series with the White Sox today and Anaheim with K.C. It is Suzyn Waldmans birthday, happy birthday to her and continued success. CC Sabathia is 6-0 with a 2.45 era in his last 7 starts. Mo is cleared to pitch after missing 5 games with a sore groin. They may only use him in one game and Hughes may be the closer in the other, which doesn't seem to be a problem as he has done so well in that role. Shelly Duncan and Brett Gardner were recalled from Scranton, Gardner has been out with a broken thumb and they missed his speed, it will also help Melky who has been hot lately but seemed to be worn down before this recent hot streak. Shelly Duncan is a fan favorite so good for him. On a personal note him and Francisco Cervelli who is also up took pictures with my daughter a couple of weeks ago in Scranton so it is great to see them with the Yankees. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Swisher(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Hinske(DH) Cabrera(LF) Gardner(CF)

Yanks lose a ugly one

The New York Yankees probably played their sloppiest game of the season today in Toronto. They lost 14-8 to the Blue Jays finishing a roadtrip at 5-2 which overall is very good. They now head home for the start of a 10 game homestand with tomorrows doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will be pitching the two games tomorrow. The Yankees comitted 4 errors today but there were a few more miscues, they just looked terrible out there. Sergio Mitre got the start and in 4 1/3 innings gave up 11 hits, 11 runs, 9 earned with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. He wasn't as bad as the numbers indicate though as the defense really failed him with the errors and then several miscues that cost him runs also. It was just an overall bad day for the Yankees that thanks to their large lead they can just forget about and move on to the doubleheader tomorrow at the stadium and the huge crowds that will await them as they move closer to clinching and also Derek Jeter breaking Lou Gehrig's hits record. Mark Melancon pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up 1 hit and 1 run with 2 walks and a strikeout. Josh Towers finished out the game with 3 1/3 innings giving up 1 earned run on 3 hits and 1 strikeout. The offense wasn't bad with Derek Jeter getting 3 hits, Johnny Damon had 2 hits, Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher also had 2 hits. Nick Swisher had another homerun on the road. Hinske, Hairston and Cabrera all had one hit each. It can't be any better then a Labor Day doubleheader with Jeter playing both games and having a chance to break the alltime Yankee hits record.

Yanks at Jays

The New York Yankees will take on the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon inToronto. This is the final game of the 4 game series that the Yankees have taken 2 out of the first 3. This is also the final game of the 7 game roadtrip that they have won 5 out of 6. Sergio Mitre takes the mound for the first time since getting hit in the arm about a week and a half ago. He is trying to build off of that brilliant outing. Here are the pregame notes and linup via Peter Abraham. Jorge Posada is hitting 326 in his last 22 games with 15 xbh, 14 runs scored, 24 rbi's and 10 walks. Yankee relievers are 11-0 with 9 saves since Aug 5th. They have a 3.27 era in that stretch. The Yankees are 31-14 against left handers this season including winning 10 of their last 11. This seems to bold well for today as Brian Tallett is a lefty. Melky Cabrera is heating up again batting 406 in his last 8 games with 5 rbi's. He is now batting 277. The Yankees have hit homeruns in 106 of their 136 games this season. They are on pace for a team record of 253 after hitting 180 last season. Yes Yankee Stadium helps them but they also have a major league leading 95 homers on the road. Mo could be back today if needed, he has converted 38 of 39 save chances this season and 34 in a row. He has allowed one run in his last 29 innings. Phil Hughes in 3 save oppurtunities this season has pitched 4 2/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 6 strikeouts. Could he be the future closer, he could do it but they view him as a starter and I could see the same debate next yr as we had this yr with Joba. The Yankees are an incredible 36-12 since the all star break. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Hairston(3B) Cabrera(CF) Molina(C)

Yankees bounce back

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays today by the score of 6-4. Andy Pettitte made the start and wasn't great but did enough to win, he pitched 6 innings giving up 4 runs with 5 walks. David Robertson pitched a scoreless seventh, Brian Bruney got the first two outs of the eighth before allowing a walk and then Phil Hughes got his third save of the year by getting the last 4 outs and striking out three. The Yankees offense was much better today then yesterday. A-rod had a couple of hits and a rbi, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira each hit solo homeruns. Melky Cabrera had a rbi hit and Hideki Matsui had a pinch hit single. Derek Jeter had a couple of hits and a walk, he now is 7 hits away from breaking Lou Gehrigs record for most ever hits by a Yankee. Nick Swisher had a hit and a walk. Jorge Posada had a hit, walk and rbi. Eric Hinske had a hit. The Yankees will try to win the series tomorrow with Sergio Mitre on the mound, making his first start since that brilliant start he made over a week ago before leaving the game when he got hit by a ball up the middle. It will be interesting to see how he does on the longer rest and coming off of that outing. The Yankees will also try to end the roadtrip at 6-1 and head home for a holiday double header with CC and AJ pitching against the Rays. The Yankees are now 8 1/2 ahead of the Boston Red Sox and basically cruising to the division title.

Yankees at Jays

The Yankees will try and bounce back from yesterday's loss and start a new win streak. Andy Pettitte will be on the mound this afternoon at 1:00PM on the YES network. Here are a couple of notes and the lineup via the Lohud Yankees Blog, everyone enjoy their long Labor Day weekend. The Yankees remain 7 1/2 ahead of Boston for first place in the AL East but are now 6 games ahead of the Angels for homefield as the Angels gained a game yesterday. Derek Jeter is back today and is in a 3 for 17 slump, he needs 9 more hits to break Lou Gehrig's record so it looks like he will do that at home unless he goes crazy the next 2 days. Andy Pettitte is 4-1 with a 2.56 era since the break, in 59 2/3 innings he has allowed 45 hits and struck out 62. Mo threw 16 pitches in the pen and looked good according to Peter Abraham, we will find out more later. Josh Towers was called up and will serve as a long man I am sure with the bullpen taxed from the last two days and Mitre pitching tomorrow and then a DH on Monday. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Swisher(1B) Tex(DH) A-rod(3B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Hairston(LF) Cabrera(CF) Hinske(RF)

Yankees winning streak ends

The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays tonight by the score of 6-0. They came into the game knowing they were facing Roy Halladay and Joba was pitching on a innings limit so this was a hard one to try and say you were confident in winning. Ramiro Pena had the only hit for the Yankees. Joba Chamberlain pitched 3 innings giving up 3 runs, 2 earned on 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. It is really hard to judge his performances as he is out of the game so quickly, I don't know how the Yankees judge it but I guess they know what they are doing. Mark Melancon gave up a couple of hits and a run, Mike Dunn making his major league debut gave up a couple of runs and Jon Albaladejo and Edwar Ramirez also got into the game. The Yankees will play tomorrow afternoon with Andy Pettitte on the mound. They will attempt to start a new winning streak and then finish the roadtrip on Sunday before playing a Labor Day doubleheader at home against Tampa.

Yankees at Jays

The New York Yankees go for their 8th straight win tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. They will play at 7:00PM on the YES network. Joba Chamberlain makes the start and we will play how many innings will Joba go, my guess is 4. I would like to hear from everyone else so lets discuss it with the comments for this post. The Jays are sending their best pitcher Roy Halladay out to the mound who hasn't been the same since the trade deadline ended. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. The Yankees are 10-3 against Toronto this season. The Yankees with 7 players having 20+ homeruns are the most of any team since the 2005 Rangers. The Yankees also have 7 players with 70+ rbi's. Derek Jeter has 17 homeruns and 61 rbi's, I think he could join the party. Yankee relievers have allowed 3 earned runs and struck out 24 in their last 23 2/3 innings. Damaso Marte has pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings and not allowed a hit since coming off of the DL. Derek Jeter is 3 of his last 17 as he is nine hits away from breaking Lou Gehrig's record. The Triple A Scranton Yankees clinched a tie for first place in their division and will be in the playoffs again. MO will throw a bullpen tomorrow and be ready to go Sunday if everything is ok. Yankees Lineup: Damon(LF) Hinske(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Pena(SS)

Yanks win 7th in a row

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays tonight by the score of 10-5. Chad Gaudin got the start and after being staked to a 5-0 lead he did not do a good job, he should of been able to give the team at least 5 innings against a bad team but was only able to go 3 2/3 giving up 3 runs. Alfredo Aceves came in to get out of further trouble and then pitched a couple of more innings only giving up a solo homerun. Dave Robertson, Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte all pitched a scoreless inning, Marte and Robertson had a couple of strikeouts each. The Yankees offense continues to roll as they scored 10 runs for the second straight game and they have scored 8+ runs pretty regularly lately. Jorge Posada was the offensive star with 4 hits and a couple of rbi's. A-rod continued to be hot as he had a solo homerun and rbi single along with a walk. Hideki Matsui had a hit, rbi and walk and Mark Teixeira had a hit and a walk. Melky Cabrera had a couple of more hits to continue his hot hitting. The Yankees are on such a roll now you never think they are going to lose or are out of the game. The amazing thing about them is they jump out to a lead and when the other team gets close they come right back and pad the lead and close it out with their strong bullpen. If this team can get A.J. Burnett going they could be very very difficult to beat with CC and Andy Pettitte going strong and it looks like they will have Coke and Marte along with Phil Hughes and Robertson to get to MO. The Yankees will play game 2 tomorrow with Joba on the mound and the intrigue continues with that as we don't know how many innings he will pitch but I would suspect 4 since he pitched 3 the last time out.

Yankees News

The great Peter Abraham of the Journal News and Lohud Yankees Blog just provided some updates from the clubhouse. Mariano River will not pitch today and will throw a bullpen tomorrow. If he feels anything he will shut it down and try again in a few days. Jon Albaladejo is all beat up after getting conked in the head by a thrown ball from Edwar Ramirez that he missed. He was worried he wouldn't get called up but he recovered quickly. Joba when asked by Peter is he needed to get better stated that he has been pitching well, this guy has to stop believing that or something. Joba in my mind is immature and has to learn how to deal with stuff, maybe he just says that to the media but we can pull out the stats for him and show him just how bad he has been, Joba may not be needed in the playoffs but at the same time he may be needed so he has to pitch better and be ready to go for October. Derek Jeter wants the hit record over and done with as soon as possible, he is not one to get all caught up over this like everyone else even though it is a big deal. Joe Girardi will not hold him out so he can do it at home if that is the case.

Yankees at Jays

The New York Yankees take on the Toronto Blue Jays in game 1 of 4 tonight at 7:00PM on the YES network. The Yankees enter the game having won 6 in a row and 23 of their last 29 overall. They are 7 1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in first place in the AL East and 6 1/2 ahead of the Anaheim Angels for homefield advantage. They are creeping ever closer to clinching the 1 seed in the postseason. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham and his Lohud Yankees Blog. The Blue Jays were 27-14 on May 18 and in first place by 3 1/2 games. They have gone 32-59 since that point. They have lost 3 straight, 6 of 7 and 14 of their last 18. The Yankees have a run differential of +141 which is the best in the majors but according to the formula they should have 79 wins. Derek Jeter is 9 hits away from breaking Lou Gehrig's hits record. The Yankees have 208 homeruns, at this pace they would hit 253 which would break the franchise record which is 242 by the 2004 team. The major league record is 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. Johnny Damon has a 7 game hitting streak and is now hitting 293. A-rod has hit safely in 11 straight batting 419 during the stretch. He has 11 rbi's and his batting avg has climbed from 254 to 274. Phil Hughes who is the closer for now until Mo comes back has a 1.14 era in 31 relief appearances. In his last 10 outings he has pitched 10 innings giving up 0 runs, 3 walks and 14 strikeouts. I think he could be a dominant reliever but he needs to be a starter next yr and the only thing will be the innings, will it be like Joba this year. The Yankees have outscored their opponents 47-14 in the 6 game winning streak. Derek Jeter is only 3 of his last 13 and Hideki Matsui is 4 of his last 24 with 2 rbi's. Melky Cabrera has broken out of his slump going 10 fo his last 24 and now batting 274. Jon Albaladejo was called up today. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF)

Yankees/Jays pitching matchups

Tonight- Chad Gaudin vs Ricky Romero Tomorrow- Joba Chamberlain vs Roy Halladay Saturday- Andy Pettitte vs Brett Cecil Sunday- Sergio Mitre vs Brian Tallett This series should be interesting with 3 questionable pitchers for the Yankees. I would take a split of this 4 game series and could see that happening. I think Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre are battling for a playoff spot.

Yanks sweep another series

The New York Yankees swept the Baltimore Orioles tonight in Baltimore. The final score was 10-2. It was a 3-2 game until the Yankees broke it open with 7 runs in the 9th inning to put the game away. CC Sabathia has been pitching like an ace since the all star break and that didn't change tonight. He pitched 7 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits, he also had 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Brian Bruney got 1 out in the 8th inning and also gave up a homerun, Phil Coke got an out and then Phil Hughes came in to get the final 4 outs for his second save of the year. The offense was led by Alex Rodriguez who had 3 hits and 4 rbi's. Johnny Damon had 4 hits and a rbi, Nick Swisher had 2 hits and 2 walks and Hideki Matsui had a rbi single. Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano each had 2 hits with Melky picking up a rbi and Jose Molina and Eric Hinske also had a hit so it was a well balanced attack for the Yankee offense. The Yankees now lead Boston by 7 1/2 games in the AL East as they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays and lead Anaheim by 6 1/2 for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. The Yankees now head to Toronto for a 4 game series with Chad Gaudin starting tomorrow. The only bad news came after the game tonight that Mariano Rivera is out with tightness in his groin, he is going to rest for a few days and they will go with closer by comittee although I would expect to see Hughes in that role more often then not.

Yanks at Orioles(Yanks go for 2nd straight sweep)

The New York Yankees will take on the Baltimore Orioles tonight in game 3 of the 3 game series. The Yankees are going for their 10th straight victory over the Baltimore Orioles. They are 5 1/2 games ahead of the Angels for homefield advantage and 6 1/2 ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East. Here are the pregame notes and lineup as always via the Lohud Yankees Blog. CC Sabathia is 5-0 with a 2.64 era in his last 6 starts. He is 2-1 with a 3.10 era against the O's this season. Robinson Cano is 25 of 52 with 13 xbh, 7 homeruns and 17 rbi's against the O's this season. Cano has 7 xbh and 12 rbi's in his last 8 games overall. Alex Rodriguez has 71 rbi's this season. 35 of them have either tied the score or given the Yankees the lead. Derek Jeter is 2 stolen bases away from 300 for his career. Hideki Matsui is 3 for his last 19 with only 1 rbi. Nick Swisher is 26 of 85 at Camden Yards in his career with 13 homeruns adn 29 rbi's over 26 games. The average is 306 for those who don't have a calculator. The Yankee relievers have allowed one run on 8 hits over the last 16 1/3 innings. Derek Jeter needs 10 more hits to pass Lou Gehrig for most hits in franchise history. The Yankees are 71-33 since A-rod came off of the DL. Damaso Marte has thrown 3 1/3 scoreless innings since coming off of the DL. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Swisher(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Hinske(RF) Molina(C)

Yanks win 5th in row

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles tonight by the score of 9-6. A.J. Burnett got the start and had nothing as he went 5 1/3 innings giving up 6 runs. He hasn't won a game in over a month and it may be cause for concern now. He didn't pitch bad his last time out but tonight he just had nothing going. I would think now is the time for A.J. to get it together so he can head into the postseason with confidence, I would think he would be the game 2 starter but maybe he will be the game 3 starter the way it is going. The Yankees offense bailed him out with 5 homruns, 2 of them off of the bat of Jorge Posada who is 1 homerun shy of putting the Yankees at 7 players with 20 or more homeruns. Robinson Cano had 2 hits as he continues to demolish Baltimore pitching this season. He is batting I believe it is 481 against them now this season. The only guy in the lineup without a hit was Mark Teixeira. A-rod had a rbi single, Nick Swisher had a homerun and so did Eric Hinske in fact they went back to back. Melky Cabrera had 2 hits as he has been showing signs of life lately which is a good sign, Brett Gardner should be back somewhat soon but we will see what he can do when he comes back. The Yankees will be going for the sweep tomorrow night with their ace CC Sabathia on the mound. The Yankees are now 36 games over 500, they haven't been this far over 500 since they finished the 2004 season 40 games over. The Yankees have 30 games left this season, could they win 16 more to get to 100, it is looking pretty good but the only thing that is going to matter now is winning in the postseason and getting that 27th championship.

Yankees at Orioles

The New York Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles in game 2 of their 3 game series. The game is on at 7:05 on the YES network. The Yankees start the day 6 1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for first in the AL East and 4 1/2 ahead of the Angels for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Here are the pregame notes and lineup from Peter Abraham and his Lohud Yankees Blog. The Yankees are 10-3 against the Orioles this season and have won 8 straight. A.J. Burnett is 0-4 with a 6.03 era in his last 6 starts. He was 5-0 with a 2.01 era in his 6 starts. Burnett is 9-1 with a 4.61 era against the Orioles in his career. Robinson Cano is 22 of his last 48 with 5 homeruns and 15 rbi's against Baltimore this season. MO is 5 strikeouts away from 1,000 and one game away from tying Cy Young for the 20th most appearances all time. A-rod needs 2 more hits for 2,500 in his career. Phil Hughes in his last 9 outings has gone 8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks and 11 strikeouts. Johnny Damon has a 7 game hitting streak. Melky Cabrera is 6 of his last 15, Damaso Marte has not allowed a hit in 2 1/3 innings since he came off the DL. These guys are all hot. The guys who aren't so hot are Brian Bruney who has put 14 runners on base in his last 8 2/3 innings. Phil Coke has a 10.64 era in his last 14 outings. The callups are Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, Mark Melancon, Edwar Ramirez and Mike Dunn. Austin Jackson was named the International leagues rookie of the year today and Shelly Duncan was named the MVP. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(DH) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(LF) Hinske(RF) Cabrera(CF)