Yankees at Mets-Subway Series Round Two

The New York Yankees and New York Mets will take part in the Subway Series Round Two.  It begins tonight at 7:00PM from Citi Field.  Here are the lineup and some notes from both sides of the fence. 

Yankees Lineup:Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez, Ivan Nova.

Mets Lineup:Jose Reyes, Justin Turner, Carlos Beltran, Daniel Murphy, Angel Pagan, Jason Bay, Ronny Paulino, Ruben Tejada, Jon Niese. 

Johan Santana threw a bullpen on Wednesday.  He is back on the mound but controlling his own schedule.  I still would think it is doubtful for him this season but  you never know.  Taylor Buchholz has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and is out indefinitely.  That is very sad, he may never be the same although Zach Greinke was able to recover from social anxiety disorder. 

Ike Davis will attempt to run next week and if he can't then he will need surgery ending his season.  It is amazing this was all caused by running into David Wright on a pop up, he was supposed to be day to day and that was in May. 

Terry Collins said this afternoon that Wright hit off a tee today in Port St. Lucie.  Manny Acosta will not go on the DL today but they won't play the whole series a man short in the bullpen.  Lucas Duda will start tomorrow against Bartolo Colon and Willie Harris will be activated from the bereavement list on Sunday.  Harris and his wife lost the baby she was carrying, she was rushed into labor and they lost the baby, a very sad situation and thoughts and prayers go out to he and his family. 

Andy McCullough of the Star Leger is reporting that Dillon Gee is battling some dead arm, he is schedule to pitch tomorrow. 

The Yankees are still on schedule with Derek Jeter returning on Monday.  He is in trenton now working out and then scheduled for rehab games there tommorrow and Sunday.  Bryan Hoch reported that both Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano threw off a mound in Tampa today.  They both could be back after the All Star Break wtih Soriano the more likely.  It would be a huge boost to the depleted bullpen.

The Yankees are 11-4 in interleague play this season.  They have assured themselves of a 12th consecutive winning record against the National League.  They end interleague play this weekend against the Mets.  The Yankees have help with a National league pitching coach and catcher this year.  They have always been good against the NL though and I think it is more that the AL is a better league right now and has been for a while. 

Yankees at Cubs

The New York Yankees will be playing at Wrigley Field this afternoon against the Cubs.  The game is a 2:20PM start and will have Doug Davis for the Cubs against Freddy Garcia as the pitching matchup.  Here are the lineups for the game.  The Yankees haven't played in Wrigley since 2003 so this is a rare occurence.  It is a homecoming of sorts for Mike Harkey, Joe Girardi and Mick Kelleher, Nick Swishers day played for the Cubs and Curtis Granderson is from the area.  It should be a fun weekend.  The Yankees will also see old friend Alfonso Soriano who was traded for Alex Rodriguez. 

Yankees Lineup:Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Eduardo Nunez, Brett Gardner, Freddy Garcia.

Cubs Lineup:Kosuke Fukudome, Starlin Castro, Blake DeWitt, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Pena, Alfonso Soriano, Tony Campana, Koyie Hill, Doug Davis. 

It is interleague play in the National League ballpark so there is no DH, it is always interesting but also a little scary when the Yankees pitchers have to bat.  C.C. Sabathia enjoys it, he is a good hitter, A.J. Burnett has experience with it.  Joba also likes it but he won't get the chance as he is lost for the year.  It is scary because Chieng-Ming Wang got hurt running the bases and was never the same.  It is a different brand of baseball though and the Yankees will try to have them bunt and be very careful on the basepaths. 

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers-Lineup and Notes

The New York Yankees will begin a three game series with the Texas Rangers tonight weather permitting.  It has been raining off an on and right now it is raining.  The tarp is on the field at Yankee Stadium.  It will be C.C. Sabathia vs. Alexi Ogando if the game is played.  The Yankees have some things going on and here is the news and notes and also their lineup for the game. 

The Yankees will decide at 6:00PM if Derek Jeter will go to the disabled list or not.  He is trying to talk his way out of it and the Yankees are leaning that way.  The Yankees don't want to be shorthanded going to the National League parks starting this weekend.  The pitchers have to bat so there are more bench players used in the games.  Jeter feels he may only miss five or six days but the best bet is probably for him to go on the 15 day disabled list where he hasn't been since 2003.  The Yankees either way will be calling up Ramiro Pena, Eduardo Nunez will start at short and Pena will be the backup for now. 

The Yankees also have to make a decision on Russell Martin.  If he isn't able to play a couple of games in a row or he just can't play they may want to DL him also and call up Jesus Montero from the minor leagues.  It looks like though for whatever reason they don't want to do that.  Francisco Cervelli is the starter right now with Posada as the backup although Posada will not catch unless it is an emergency.  There is talk that they may even call up Gustavo Molina if they have too.  I don't see why they can't call up Montero and see what he has, he will only be the backup anyway and maybe he hits and you get to showcase him a little for a possible trade if the Yankees aren't going to keep him. 

The Yankees still need a starter for Thursday.  It looks like it will be Hector Noesi if he isn't needed in the next couple of days.  If he does pitch in the next couple of days then it will be David Phelps from AAA Scranton. 

Yankees Lineup:Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira(DH), Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada(1B), Nick Swisher, Eduardo Nunez(SS), Francisco Cervelli. 

The Yankees will announce something shortly after 6:00PM with Jeter, I would expect him to go to the DL and be eligible to be activated on the next homestand which will give him three home games to get to 3000 before they go to Citi Field. 

Yankees vs. Red Sox-Yanks looking to avoid the sweep

The New York Yankees have lost the first two games of this three game series against the Boston Red Sox.  The Yankees also have Russell Martin out with a back issue and then today learned that reliever Joba Chamberlain has a torn ligament in his right elbow and will almost certainly need Tommy John surgery meaning his season is over.  The Yankees were already without what was supposed to be their eighth inning guy Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano never got his season started and the Yankees are left with Mariano Rivera, Dave Robertson and Boone Logan.  They need some pitching help and unless they turn to the young guys in the minors I don't know that they are going to get it.  Mark Prior would of been an option but he is also on the DL.  Phil Hughes is currently making his way back, could the Yankees shift him back to the pen, I guess it is a possibility but who knows if they would do that again. 

It has been a really tough couple of days for the Yankees as they lost first place last night and they also lose some of their players now.  I don't know if the Yankees will do it but I would look for some pay back tonight with C.C. on the mound.  The Red Sox have become way too comfortable at Yankee Stadium and something has to be done about it.  I am not advocating throwing at anyone but throw inside and make them eat some dirt and if they get hit oh well.  The Yankees are going to need seven or eight inning out of C.C. tonight and hopefully they can scratch out some runs off of Beckett. 

Here is the Yankees lineup for tonight:  Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner, Francisco Cervelli. 

The Red Sox also may be getting some bad news today as second baseman Dustin Pedroia was sent back to Boston for tests on his knee.  He is out for today but they hope that is it, he indicated it is possible he may need knee surgery, if that is the case that would be a huge blow for them. 

The Yankees are 1-7 against the Red Sox this season, not very good but a few yrs ago they were 0-8 against them and ended up splitting the season series.  The Red Sox right now are the better team but they aren't that much better.  I see it as a confidence thing, the Sox know they will beat the Yankees and the Yankees aren't sure they can beat them. 

There is one other thing this year that suprises me so far, the Yankees are only a couple of games over 500 at home.  They need to get that great home field advantage going again.  They always had it at the Old Stadium and in the two years since this stadium opened they have had it but not this year.  That is going to need to change if the Yankees are going to go anywhere this year. 

The game is on MY9, YES has pre and postgame.  I wouldn't expect the game to start on time as thunderstorms are rolling through the area but we will see.  I would expect a delay of an hour or more which on getaway day for the Red Sox and with how long they play will be really fun. 

Yankees vs. Red Sox

Here are the lineups for tonights game between the two blood rivals. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez(DH), Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Eduardo Nunez(3B), Francisco Cervelli(C). 

Boston Lineup:Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Crawford, Scutaro, Drew, Varitek. 

The pitching matchup is A.J. Burnett vs. Tim Wakefield.  It should be an interesting night as it usually is between these two teams.  There are just more stories attached to this one though with what happened last night and now Varitek behind the plate with the knuckler which he has never been good at handling. 

I would look early for Burnett to set the tone inside and brush some of these guys off the plate and for the Yankees to be off an running everytime they get on base.  They won't run Cervelli or Teixeira and probably not Cano although I think he can even steal off of that combo, but most of the guys will be running.  Jeter, Rodriguez, Granderson, Nunez, Gardner, maybe even Swisher will be running. 

Yankees in Oakland for Memorial Day

The New York Yankees start a three game series in Oakland this afternoon which is Memorial Day.  They played a day game in Seattle yesterday and are playing another day game today in Oakland.  Here are the pitching matchups for the series and the Yankees lineup for today.

Bartolo Colon vs. Trevor Cahill-Today

Freddy Garcia vs. Brett Anderson-Tomorrow Night

A.J. Burnett vs. Gio Gonzalez-Wednesday afternoon

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner. 

The game is at 4:05PM today, enjoy the nice hot weather in the New York area and your bbq today.  I will have the postgame recap and some notes later on tonight. 

Yankees vs. Mets Subway Series Game Two

The New York Yankees and New York Mets will play game two of their three game Subway Series tonight at 7:00PM at Yankee Stadium.  The Mets defeated the Yankees 2-1 last night in a good pitchers duel between Freddy Garcia and R.A. Dickey not who you would expect in a pitchers duel.  The offense of both teams didn't do much at all and the Yankees were 1-10 with runners in scoring position.  Chris Capuano will pitch for the Mets tonight and A.J. Burnett for the Yankees.  Here are some news and notes and the lineups.

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez(DH), Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Nick Swisher, Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez(3B).  Brett Gardner and Jorge Posada are sitting this one out with the lefty starting. 

New York Mets:Jose Reyes, Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay, Fernando Martinez, Justin Turner, Josh Thole, Jason Pridie, Ruben Tejada. 

Gary Carter-former Mets catcher issued a statement today.  He has four small tumors in his brain.  Here is what he had to say.  "Earlier today, I learned that four very small tumors have been found on my brain, following an MRI on Friday at a West Palm Beach facility.  I am scheduled to be examined further Thursday at Duke Medical Center, and we will learn more at that time about my diagnosis.  My wife Sandy, and our children and family thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  We ask that you please respect our privacy  as we learn more about my medical condition." 

Jose Reyes leads the majors in triples with six, is tied for the major league lead in steals with 16, hits(59), multi-hit games(19) and tied for second in the NL in doubles with 13.  He is hitting 315 with one homerun and 15 RBI and has a 365 on base percentage.  He has played extremely well as well as Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez.  All three will be guys that the Mets can definitely look to trade as they unload some salary and try to build for the future. 

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN he heard that first round pick Matt Harvey could move up to AA Binghamton by June 1st.  He is in A Port St. Lucie and is 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA.  He has pitched 41 1/3 innings striking out 46. 

The Yankees have lost six games in a row at home which is the longest streak since they lost eight in a row at home in 2003.  They have played 25 home games so far this season which is the second most in the AL behind K.C. who have played 28 and tying for third most in the majors behind them, Cincinnati and the Dodgers. 

This current streak and the eight game losing streak in 2003 are the only two six game losing streaks or more at home for the Yankees since 1990.  They have lost each of their last two home series which is just the second time in the New Stadium that has happened.  The Yankees have had seven single season losing streaks of seven or more games since 1919 including one over the last 25 seasons. 

The Yankees are just 1-12 when losing after five innings this season and 1-14 when losing after six.  They are 1-16 after seven and 1-17 when losing after eight.  They are obviously a team that hasn't come back well, they need the lead and then hold on to it.  It shows how poor the offense has performed because they have been a team that comes back a lot especially once they get into the other bullpens but this season they have gotten worse as the game goes on and they rely too much on the homerun. 

Derek Jeter owns a lifetime batting average of 389 against the Mets.  It is the second best all-time among players with at least 150 plate appearances.  He has an active home hitting streak of 23 games which dates back to 6/28/2003.  Mariano Rivera needs one more appearance to reach 1,000 for his career.  He would be just the 15th pitcher all-time to reach that mark.  He will be the first to reach that total with one team. 

Yankees News and Notes from the past couple of days

The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night, it was the third time in four games they have lost to them this season.  The Yankees are in a rough stretch where they have lost seven of their last 10 games and fallen out of first place.  They trail the first place Tampa Bay Rays by two games in the AL East.  Here are some notes before the game tonight, some of them are also from postgame last last night. 

Joe Girardi had a team meeting after the game and all the coaching staff was also included.  He most of just really went crazy.  I don't think he can handle the sloppy play, it isn't just the losing it is the way they are doing it. 

Bartolo Colon pitched well again as he has for most of the season.  He refused to address his offseason surgery that has become a issue.  The reason it has come up was because the doctor that did it has been known to inject HGH into his patients, he says he never did it with athletes though.  Colon not addressing it though is raising some eyebrows, the Yankees didn't even know he had the surgery when they signed him.

The pitch selection of Joba Chamberlain was questioned during the broadcast last night.  Joe Girardi said after the game that even if he did question it he wouldn't say anything to anyone outside of the locker room.  He said the scouting reports are something they protect very well. 

Girardi said that Cano never got a good grip on the ball when he tried to turn two in the seventh inning.  Cano was also playing closer to first which meant he had to really run to get over to second which didn't help the matter. 

The Yankees said Buchholz was really good last night and it was tough to hit him.  They did also admit though that they had their chances and couldn't do anything with it.  The Yankees also haven't hit at all for two weeks though.  It will be interesting to see if they get it going against Beckett who they have had success against, they usually like fastball pitchers. 

Colon reached 100 pitches for the first time since June 1, 2008.  Russell Martin hit a homerun which snapped a streak of 45 at-bats without one.  It also snapped a 1-18 skid, He still leads all majjor league catchers with seven homeruns. 

Brett Gardner went 1-4 and is hitting 474 in his past five games.  He is hitting 422 in his last 17 games dating back to April 26th.  He and Granderson are really the only guys in the lineup hitting right now.  It is amazing that so many Yankees and really good hitters are in a slump. 

The Yankees decided to shuffle the lineup today.  They have Jorge Posada batting ninth and Swisher batting eighth, they have been the worst two hitters so why not drop them down.  The lineup tonight is Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada.  C.C. Sabathia goes up against Josh Beckett in the pitching matchup. 

In his last two starts Sabathia has a 4.85 ERA, 288 opponents batting average against, seven walks and eight strikeouts.  In his previous six starts he had a 2.25 ERA, 248 opponents batting average against, 11 walks and 36 strikeouts. 

The game is on FOX tonight and ESPN tomorrow night.  The Yankees/Sox draw primetime ratings and that is why you have the two night games on the weekend. 

Yankees vs. Jays the rubber game

The New York Yankes are playing the final game of their three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon.  The Blue Jays won on friday night and the Yankees bounced back to win last evening.  This is also the last game of a seven game homestand.  Here is the lineup and some quick notes. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner, Francisco Cervelli.  Ivan Nova makes the start and trys to get some momentum after pitching into the seventh inning for the first time in his career last time out. 

Cervelli was activated on Friday and will make his first start of the season today.  He broke his foot in spring training and rehabbed and came back a little earlier then expected.  He should play more now to give Russell Martin some rest so they don't wear him out.  Martin has been great but you don't want to burn him out. 

A.J. Burnett yesterday wasn't great but it was a good example of the difference in him.  Last year he would get frustrated and get out of control.  This season so far he has been able to fight through things, he knew he didn't have his curveball and early on he admitted it bothered him but he found a way to fight through it and earn the victory.  He finished April at 4-1 with an ERA under four.

Burnett recorded the 26th pickoff of his career yesterday ranking him fourth amongst active right handers.  Granderson lost a ball in the sun to lead off the game yesterday but didn't use that as an excuse.  He said it was hit harder then he thought.  He did admit the sun was troublesome until the seventh or eighth inning.  That is what you have to like about Granderson, he is a good guy and very accountable, he doesn't use excuses and comes to play every day. 

The Yankees were 4-9 with runners in scoring position yesterday after being 0-8 on Friday night.  The five runs were the most they scored this season without hitting a homerun.  They are a team that has mostly relied on homeruns and they need to have more games like this where they score in other ways. 

The combination of Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera pitched the last three innings the way they are supposed too.  They didn't give up any runs.  Soriano bounced back from a rough outing last time out and he vows he will have a better May after a rough April.  I still believe he will get better and really help this team and the bullpen will become a strength of the team. 

Yankees at Orioles-Easter Sunday Matinee

The New York Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in the second game of what is now a two game series.  The first game was washed away by rain.  Freddy Garcia will be on the mound against Jake Arrietta.  Here is the Yankees lineup.

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.

The Yankees will try to make it three wins in a row and sweep this brief two game series.  The Yankees will head home after the game and begin a four game series against the White Sox tomorrow night.  The game is on the YES network at 1:30PM. 

Everyone enjoy your Easter Holiday, those are that celebrating and the rest enjoy your Sunday Afternoon.  I will have postgame recap and news and notes later on tonight.

Yankees at Orioles-Lets try this again

The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles will begin what is now a two game series in Baltimore tonight.  The weather report there looks good for a game tonight.  I don't have any new notes from last night.  If I didn't say it already Buddy Carlyle was called up and Hector Noesi went down to AAA.  He was here for a couple of weeks and didn't pitch.  The Yankees want him to pitch every fifth day as a starter and may need him later in the year especially with three makeup games already needing to be played.  Here are the lineups

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner

Baltimore Lineup:Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Derrek Lee, Vlad Guerrero, Adam Jones, Mark Reynolds, Matt Wieters, Fox, Andino.  Bergesen is pitching for them so both teams just pushed back their starters. 

Enjoy the game tonight 7:05 on the YES network then they finish the series tomorrow afternoon in an Easter game at 1:05on YES. 

Yankees at Blue Jays-Yanks try to Rebound from a bad loss

The New York Yankees suffered a bad loss last night to the Jays.  They lost 6-5 in 10 innings but it was something that usually doesn't happen, the greatest of all-time Mariano Rivera blew a save and not just a save but a two run save.  The Yankees had a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning and he gave up four runs, a walk, a wild pitch and it just didn't look like Mo out there.  He did get a double play to keep the game tied and put it in extra innings but that just prolonged the agony.  Rivera didn't walk a batter all year to last night and those were the first runs he gave up so yes he is human. 

The Yankees tonight will send Bartolo Colon to the mound for his first start of the season.  He has been pitching in back of Phil Hughes all year and now will pitch in place of him.  Colon has pitched well but who knows what you will get out of him in his first start and how long he can go, I would say five or six innings and probably no more then 80-85 pitches.  Brett Cecil who grew up a Yankees fan will pitch for the Blue Jays. 

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Andruw Jones, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Curtis Granderson. 

Alex Rodriguez returns to the lineup tonight after missing a couple of games.  Eric Chavez filled in well for him but you can't make up for the absence of Rodriguez.  The Yankees are still hitting homeruns at a rate of two per game.  They have hit 29 for the season and lead all of baseball. 

The game will be at 7:07PM and it is on the YES Network.  The Yankees will be off tomorrow and play a three game holiday weekend series in Baltimore.  The Yankees still remain the only over 500 team in the division.  The Tampa Bay Rays who started off really badly are 8-9 and the Orioles are also 8-9.  The Red Sox are 5-11 and playing right now in Oakland.  Enjoy the game everyone and I will have the recap and some notes after the game.

Yankees at Blue Jays

The New York Yankees begin a brief two game series up in Toronto tonight.  A.J. Burnett makes the start against Kyle Drabek.  Drabek is who they got from the Phillies in the Roy Halladay deal and he is the son of former big league pitcher Doug Drabek.  Here are some notes and the lineups.

Yankees Lineup:Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  A-rod is still out with the sore back and oblique, hopefullly he will be back tomorrow night. 

Toronto Lineup:Escobar, Snider, Bautista, Lind, Hill, Molina, Patterson, Nix. 

It will be the first game back in the booth for David Cone.  He played for both the Blue Jays and Yankees in his career.  The Blue Jays lead the league with 21 stolen bases even though they don't really have speedsters in their lineup.  They are a team that will run a lot so Martin will get a workout. 

The Blue Jays activated Frank Francisco today their closer and sent down Jesse Litsch.  The Yankees are the only team in the AL east to have a winning record.  They are at 9-5, it is considered by many to be the best division in baseball.  This is the first roadtrip for the Yankees as they only played three games in Boston, otherwise all the games have been at home. 

Martin has only allowed three stolen bases in 117 innings behind the plate.  He is tied for fewest in the majors with backstops who have caught at least 100 innings.  He leads all catchers in baseball with four homers and is tied with 11 RBI.  He has been a great signing for the Yankees and if this continues you can bet he will be signed to an extension. 

Burnett has an eight game win streak in April tying him with Tim Lincecum of the Giants for longest active streak in the majors.  He has not lost a game in April in his Yankees career going 8-0 with a 4.04 ERA.  Nick Swisher is batting 526 against left handed pitchers this season, he came into the season with a career average of 260 against them. 

Robinson Cano has a nine game hitting streak going.  He is batting 351 with five doubles, three homeruns and nine RBI during the streak.  Bartolo Colon and Brett Cecil are the starters for tomorrow nights game.  The game tonight is at 7:07PM and will be on MY9 in New York. 

Yankees Vs. Rangers The Rubber Game

The New York Yankees will take on the Texas Rangers tonight in the third game of the series.  The two teams have split the first two games.  The Rangers won 5-3 on Friday night and the Yankees won 5-2 yesterday afternoon.  C.C. Sabathia will make the start looking for his first win of the year.  It is not his fault that he hasn't gotten a win as his ERA is at 1.45.  He will go up against Alexi Ogando who has not given up a run in 13 innings so far this season.  Here are some notes and the Yankees lineup for the game.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the first game Bob Sheppard ever covered.  He hasn't done a game in four years and that seems amazing because he was such a part of the stadium.  There are a lot of things that aren't the same since leaving the old Stadium and that is definitely one of them but time moves on.  April 17, 1951 was the first game he ever worked.  He did 121 consecutive postseason games including 62 games in 22 World Series.  That was all from 1951-2006, his first game was also the debut of Mickey Mantle. 

Kevin Millwood made his first start at Trenton today and pitched seven innings which was what the game went since it was a doubleheader.  In the minors they do two seven inning games when it is a doubleheader.  He pitched a one hit shutout throwing 88 or 89 pitches depending on who you talk too.  Millwood said it was a good first step. 

The Yankees will try to make it four out of four in series wins at home this season with a win tonight.  In the last six games Yankee relievers have held opponents to five earned runs over 23 innings.  That is good for a 1.96 ERA.  Joba Chamberlain has looked really good this year and has not allowed a hit in five of his eight appearances.  He has struck out nine and walked two in 8 1/3 innings. 

The Yankees lead the majors with 24 homeruns this season.  They have homered in 11 of the 13 games this season.  They have had at least two homers in eight of the games.  The Yankees have scored at least four runs in a major league high 11 games this season.  They are 8-3 in those games. 

Yankees Lineup: Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner.  Eric Chavez is taking A-rods spot, he must still be hurting, I am guessing he will be back in the lineup for Tuesday. 

Yankees vs. Orioles Game One of Series

The New York Yankees open up a three game series with the Baltimore Orioles tonight weather permitting at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees lost two out of three in Boston over the weekend and will try and get back on track.  Here are some quick notes and the lineup for tonight.

The Baltimore Orioles are off to a fast start at 6-3 and first place in the AL East.  The Yankees are 5-4 on the young season.  The Yankees pitching has been erratic and the hitting has gone cold.  They are going to score runs though and every team goes through slumps.  They still have scored 50 runs in nine games. 

A.J. Burnett is starting tonight and will try to go 3-0.  He is still undefeated in the month of April as a Yankees and although he looks better this season he was 4-0 to start last year before he collapsed.  I think the main difference is that this year when Burnett does get in trouble he isn't allowing it to snowball, he is competing more and working out of things.  In the past he has looked lost and like he has given up when the going gets tough. 

Burnett will face Chris Tillman tonight, Phil Hughes will be vs. TBA tomorrow night and Thurday night it will be Ivan Nova vs. Jake Arrieta.  Robinson Cano will receives his silver slugger award prior to tonights game.  C.C. Sabathia is off to the second best start of his career in terms of ERA but has nothing to show for it.  He 0-1 in three starts with a 1.45 ERA. 

The Yankees are tied for the major league lead with 18 homeruns this season.  They have at least one homerun in seven of the nine games and at least two homeruns in six of the games.  The Yankees are 4-1 this season when holding their opponents to four or fewer runs.  Yankees batters scored in five different innings in consecutive games on Friday and Saturday in Boston marking the first time they have done that since 7/21 and 7/22/2007. 

Curtis Granderson already has two homers off left handed pitchers.  He didn't hit his second homer off of a lefty until August 24th of last year at Toronto.  Alex Rodriguez needs one RBI to pass Ken Griffey Jr. on the all-time RBI list for 13th place.  Derek Jeter needs two hits to tie Barry Bonds for 32nd on the all-time hits list.