Wow what a win for Yanks

The New York Yankees won their most dramatic game of the season by the score of 4-3 in 11 innings. Mark Teixeira hit the walkoff homerun but A-rod had his heroics in the ninth off of closer Joe Nathan. A-rod hit a game tying 2 run homerun with 1 out in the ninth. Dave Robertson was another hero of this game as he got out of a bases loaded no out jam in the 11th. A.J. Burnett pitched well tonight although he did walk 5 and hit 2 batters. The bottom line is he gave them 6 innings only allowing a run. The bullpen wasn't so great as Phil Hughes gave up a couple of runs and even Mariano Rivera gave up a hit that scored a run which was charged to Phil Hughes. Damaso Marte gave up 2 singles to the only 2 guys he faced which were both lefties. The Yankees offensively couldn't do anything against Nick Blackburn who pitched one heck of a game. The Yankees now head off to Minnesota to face Carl Pavano the American Idle and try to sweep the series and head to the ALCS. I was at this game tonight and that is why I am not writing a lot as I am exhausted. I do have to say the stadium was amazing tonight, it was so loud and sounded like the old stadium, when A-rod hit the homerun it was amazing and then just the twists and turns and Tex hitting the walkoff set the place into a frenzy. The fans were great and it really was a great game to be at. I hope to have pictures tomorrow or maybe sunday depending on when I can download them. Dave Robertson by the way got the championship belt tonight.

Yanks at Rays Pitching Matchups

Tomorrow- CC Sabathia vs David Price Saturday-Andy Pettitte vs Jeff Niemann Sunday- A.J. Burnett vs Wade Davis This is the last series of the regular season and doesn't mean anything. The pitchers will only pitch 5 or 6 innings as a tuneup. The regulars may play tomorrow to try and get CC his 20th win but he won't be in there much longer then 5 innings. They just don't want to get hurt head back home and get ready for Wednesday's Game 1 of the ALDS.

Yankees walkoff with another win

The New York Yankees for the 14th time this season had a walkoff win and got to taste some pie. This time the hero was rookie catcher Francisco Cervelli, what a good feeling for him as he filled in so admirably earlier in the year when Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were injured. Chad Gaudin got the start and was good as he pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up 7 hits and 3 runs. He struck out 2 and had 1 walk. The Yankees are 4-0 when he starts even though he is only 1-0. Damaso Marte came on in the 6th in relief of Gaudin and got a strikeout. Brian Bruney gave up 2 hits and a run without recording an out as he continues to struggle. Phil Coke pitched a perfect inning and so did Phil Hughes with a strikeout. Mariano gave up a leadoff bunt single in the 9th but that was it. The offense was awake early by scoring 2 runs in the first inning on a Mark Teixeira double and Hideki Matsui single but after Tallett got taken out of the game in the 3rd inning they couldn't muster much offense until the 8th inning when Hideki Matsui hit a game tying 2 run homerun. Brett Gardner led off the ninth with a basehit and once again showed how valuable he can be in the postseason by stealing 2nd and getting to third on a Derek Jeter groundout. He scored the winning run on a Francisco Cervelli single and it was a great scene as Cervelli touched first and headed towards the outfield with all of his teammates chasing him. Francisco Cervelli has really shown the Yankees a lot this season and I don't see how he won't be the backup catcher next season. The Yankees now have a off day tomorrow and will head out to the west coast to start a 3 game series with Seattle on Friday. A.J. Burnett will try to get it together as he goes up against Felix Hernandez.

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.

Yanks lose in ugly fashion

The New York Yankees were hammered by the Boston Red Sox today by the score of 14-1. A.J. Burnett got the start and was awful giving up 9 runs in 5 innings. Alfredo Aceves came on in relief and wasn't much better. This is a game that there really isn't much to talk about, the Yankees want to forget about it and try and win the series tomorrow night with CC Sabathia on the hill against Josh Beckett. This is a ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast at 8:00PM. The Red Sox really do need to win this game to have any shot at the division and they are trying to hold on to the wildcard also, a Yankee win will pretty much put away the division. The Yankees are ending a long roadtrip and if they win they will be 7-3 on it, if they lose 6-4 so either way they had a good roadtrip. The story of this game at least to the reporters and in the papers tomorrow is going to be how A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada don't work well together. The last 2 games have been rough but Jorge caught most of the games before that where A.J. was on a great roll and no one said anything then. Jorge admitted today that they weren't on the same page at all but that will happen over the course of a long season. A.J. Burnett has been dreadful in Fenway Park this season and I have to believe it has become a mental thing, he pitched great against them at home the last time he faced them. The Yankees have to think now though if they face the Red Sox in the postseason about not letting A.J. pitch in Fenway. The Yankees are still 31 games over 500 and have the best record in baseball so they will throw this game away and come out tomorrow and try and get a win before heading home.

Yankees at Red Sox

The New York Yankees will take on the Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park at 4:10pm today. The game is a nationally televised game on FOX. A.J. Burnett will go up against Junichi Tazawa. The Yankees will be going for their 6th consecutive win against their arch rivals and try to push their lead in the AL East to 8 1/2 games. Here are the pregame notes and lineups via Peter Abraham and his Lohud Yankees Blog. The Yankees are 36-27 on the road. They are 9-2 in their last 11 games on the road. Derek Jeter is 16 of his last 26 and 19 of 35 on the roadtrip. He has 8 runs scored and 8 rbi's with 4 xbh. Jeter has a 8 game hitting streak and 6 straight multi hit games. Derek Jeter has gone a career long 105 plate appearances without a walk but maybe it is because he is so hot he is hitting everything. Nick Swisher has reached base safely in 29 straight games. The Yankees are 49-14 when they score first. Melky Cabrera is 6 of his last 12, this is a good sign because he was struggling and Brett Gardner still won't be back for a couple of weeks at least. Johnny Damon is out today but hopes to be back tomorrow Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Hinske(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF) Boston Lineup: Ellsbury(CF) Pedroia(2B) Martinez(1B) Youkilis(3B) Ortiz(DH) Bay(LF) Drew(RF) Varitek(C) Gonzalez(SS)

Yanks beat Halladay and the Jays

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 5-3 tonight. Roy Halladay started for the Jays and you figured it would be a tough night but the Yankees jumped him for 2 runs early and then after settling in they hit 3 solo homeruns late off of him. Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira went back to back in the 8th and Matsui hit one in the ninth. Andy Pettitte was good again although more balls were hit hard today and he did have an inning where he struggled with his control walking a couple. He ended up pitching 6 2/3 giving up 1 run with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts. Phil Hughes got the last out in the seventh and after giving up back to back singles to start the 8th he struck out the next two and gave way to MO. Mariano was not sharp at all tonight giving up a 2 run double before escaping. Then in the ninth he gave up another bloop hit and got away with a hanger to Bautista who hit the ball to dead center, if he hit it anywhere else it is a tie game. He was down in the count 0-2 to the final hitter and he popped up on another bad pitch. The Yankees offensively hit 3 homeruns for the second time in a row off of Roy Halladay, I guess they finally have him figured out. Big Tex, Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon had solo homeruns. Robinson Cano had 2 hits, A-rod and Big Tex each had 2 hits and a rbi. Tomorrow they will face a guy whose name I can't say and can't spell so I don't think the Yankees have ever seen him and Sergio Mitre may be making his final start for the Yankees. I would think the Yankees have to score some runs to win this game but we will see what happens. If they win they will be in first place to start the big 4 game series with the Red Sox. As I am writing this the Sox and Rays are tied in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Yanks avoid the sweep

The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox today by the score of 8-5. We expected to see a pitchers duel with Mark Buehrle and CC Sabathia but didn't get it. CC Sabathia gave up 4 runs in the third inning but then settled down and gave them 4 shutout innings. Joe Girardi I think pushed the envelope too far and brought him out for the 8th, he gave up a leadoff double and then was pulled. Phil Hughes came on to get 2 outs and then Mariano came on to get the last out but not before giving up a cheap rbi single. CC Sabathia has not pitched like an ace especially lately and that is a cause for concern. I know a lot of people are into this thing with him pitching too many innings over the last couple of years which is true but I don't buy it now because his velocity is still high and his stuff is good but his location has been off. I am expecting him to go on a Burnett run and maybe him pulling out the win today can get him going. He really needs to pitch like an ace the rest of the season and carry the Yankees to the AL east title. The Yankees offense was led by Melky Cabrera who hit for the first Yankees cycle since Tony Fernandez in 1995. He also had 4 rbi's. I am really liking Jerry Hairston Jr. as he can play anywhere and can do whatever you want, sacrifice, get a rbi, get some hits. He reminds me of the late 90s teams that had those role players that were so important. Derek Jeter had 2 hits and a rbi and Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and A-rod all had a hit. Damon also had a rbi. Nick Swisher had a couple of hits and a couple of walks, Jerry Hairston had a couple of hits and a rbi and also a sac bunt. The Yankees now head to Toronto with a off day tomorrow and then face off against Roy Halladay which won't be easy at all, they can't look ahead at the Red Sox though and have to at least get one win in Toronto.

Mets on winning streak

The New York Mets who have been in disarray with all the injuries and the off the field issues mainly with Tony Bernezard have won two in a row over the Houston Astros in Houston. The Astros were playing really good baseball coming into this series so this is a big series win for the Mets. I am one who thinks the Mets are done but as a Mets fan you do want to see them play hard and be competitive and you never know what could happen. The problem for the Mets is that they are behind so many teams that it would be near impossible to pass them all unless they win most of their games which is just too hard to do without their main guys playing. The longer this Bernezard thing goes on the worse it looks, it doesn't look like he is going to lose his job and really he should. I mean he has embarrassed the team with his antics but also he is in charge of player development and they have a horrible farm system, how he keeps his job I will never know. I would think though at the end of the year if they don't make it Omar Minaya, Tony Bernezard and Jerry Manuel will all be out and they will bring in a whole new regime and start over. It must be so frustrating as a Mets fan though as they were so close to making the world series 3 years ago and then collapsed the last 2 years in the final week and now the mess that has become this year.

Yanks sweep away Mets

The New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets tonight by the score of 4-2. Chien-Ming Wang got the start and finally recorded his first win of the season. He went 5 1/3 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. I don't know what to think of him because that is pretty good but he just doesn't go deep into game anymore, at least he got a win finally and hopefully can build on that. Phil Coke got a strikeout on the only guy he faced and Phil Hughes pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up one walk with a strikeout. Brian Bruney got two outs in the eighth but also walked two guys and Mariano Rivera got the final 4 outs for his 500th career save. Mo is now only the second guy in history with 500 saves, the other is Trevor Hoffman. Mariano Rivera also got his first Rbi of his career with a bases loaded walk. The Yankees didn't do much offensively, A-rod had a single and 3 walks, Jorge Posada had a hit and rbi and Mark Teixeira had a hit and 2 rbi's. Derek Jeter had a hit and 3 walks in his return from illness. The Yankees are now 3 games behind Boston in the AL East. They do lead the wildcard standings. The Yankees will have a day off tomorrow and then start a 3 game series with Seattle at the Stadium on Tuesday.

Mets even up Subway Series

The New York Yankees played a pathetic game today against the Mets. I guess you have to give credit to Fernando Nieves for pitching a good game but the Yankees sure know how to make no names look great. He pitched the game of his life and personally I didn't see any great stuff from him, the Yankees just embarrassed themselves. I still don't know what people see in Kevin Long but I would fire him. If GeorgeSteinbrenner was still around he would fire Long and Dave Eiland. The pitching is a mess right now as Andy Pettitte once again threw too many pitches and lasted just 5 innings giving up 5 runs and 12 hits. Alfredo Aceves came in and gave up a solo homerun to Gary Sheffield and that was it in a inning. Jose Veras actually pitched 2 scoreless innings but I hope he is the one that goes when Bruney is activated. There really are no good words to describe the way the Yankees are playing right now, they should have lost 5 in a row as they got a nice fat gift from the Mets yesterday and couldn't take that and run with it. They now have a rubber match tomorrow with A.J. Burnett vs Johan Santana. The Yankees need A.J. to come up with the best start of the year for himself and hope they can hit Santana a little but I wouldn't count on it. I am not going crazy longterm because the Yankees are 3 up on the Jays in the loss column for the wildcard and I have no doubt they will make the playoffs but they are showing right now they can't beat good teams. They lost 2 out of 3 to the Phillies at home, should have lost these two to the Mets and are 0-8 against the Red Sox, I hope this gets straightened out and a big win tomorrow would help but they don't get another crack at the Bosox for 2 months.

Yanks/Twins Recap

I am sorry for the lack of posts today but I was busy meeting Bernie Williams this morning and then got caught up in the Yankees game this afternoon. I will post a pic of me and Bernie later and talk about it a little. The Yankees had another great walk off win today, A-rod hit a 2 run walk off homerun. Mark Teixeira is looking good, he was 4-4 with 4 rbi's and a walk. I wonder if A-rod hitting behind him has anything to do with that hmmm?? Joba Chamberlain pitched 6 good innings, 2 runs on 3 hits. He is walking too many guys which raises the pitch count but he is getting better and better and he has a great era. The one thing about this team is I don't like how the offense is dormant for long stretches, I still think Kevin Long has to go. I do like how they come back though and never seem to give up. MO looked like the old MO today and Alfredo Aceves was sharp, I don't know why Joe continues to use Ramirez and Veras as I just think they are a waste and Melancon and Robertson would be much better and Phil Coke shouldn't pitch for as long as he did that is when he gets into trouble. The Yankees should be getting Bruney and Wang back this week and Posada in the next couple of weeks and Nady may even be back in 2 or 3 weeks and then that will really help them. A.J. Burnett starts tommorrow vs Kevin Slowey and really needs to have a strong start and get in the win column and then maybe someone will pie him. I think the Yankees can keep it going tomorrow.

Atlanta Braves at New York Mets

Johan Santana goes against Derek Lowe tonight in a premiere matchup. The Mets will be looking for their 8th straight win. Here is the lineup for tonights game: Reyes(SS) Castillo(2B) Beltran(CF) Wright(3B) Murphy(LF) Tatis(1B) Reed(RF) Santos(C) Santana(P) Carlos Delgado is out with his hip issue which seems like it will be an issue all year. He may not play to friday and their is a possibility of him going on the 15 day DL.

Yanks/Angels Recap

What a thrilling come from behind win for the New York Yankees. I was at the game and what a great game it was. Jorge Posada hit a 2 run homerun early and then had the game winning 2 rbi single in the ninth. Andy Pettitte started off pretty well but then fell apart in the sixth before leaving with the bases loaded and two outs. Mark Melancon came in and gave up a 3 run triple and wild pitch and all of the sudden it was 6-4 Angels but the gritty, gutty Yankees came back with 4 runs in the eighth and 2 runs in the ninth to win the game. Robinson Cano has been great and he had 3 more hits and some stellar defense. Mark Teixeira continued to struggle but had a walk to lead off the ninth, maybe that will get him going. Melky Cabrera and Ramiro Pena continue to play well but the bullpen is all messed up right now. The Yankees though got the win and that is all that counts, CC Sabathia will be on the mound tomorrow as the Yankees go for their 5th straight win. Brian Bruney played catch before the game and felt fine. A-rod was 1-6 again today and you can find more about his day from Peter Abraham on his blog and also the Associated Press. He is scheduled to play 5 innings tomorrow at third base. Peter Abraham also reported on his blog that Joe Girardi was meeting with Brian Cashman after the game and it would appear a move or moves are going to be made. I would think the bullpen could be changing again, Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras have been dreadful and I wonder if they will get rid of these guys. I am sure there will be some news tomorrow regarding roster moves. The Yankees are now 13-10 and tied with the Red Sox in the loss column and 1 game behind Toronto for first place, I don't think anyone thinks Toronto will keep it up.

Yankees Recap and Notes

The New York Yankees won their 9th straight game by a score of 4-3 over the Detroit Tigers. It is too bad this doesn't count but once again they had a strong day pitching which im sure will be much of the same during the regular season and should lead to many wins. I wouldn't be suprised to see the Yankees run off streaks in the regular season like they have in spring training. Joba Chamberlain got the start today and went 3 1/3 innings giving up 1 run, 4 hits and 5 strikeouts. He threw 61 pitches, he said after the game that he needs to stop nibbling although he feels great and is coming along. His biggest problem is he throws too many pitches but as he gets more and more experience that will come. He is the 5th starter so if he gives them 5-6 innings a game they will take it. Mo made another appearance and needed 12 pitches to get 4 outs but he did give up a hit today. Jon Albaladejo continued his strong work throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits with 1k. Edwar Ramirez gave up 2 hits a walk and a run in his one inning with 1k. It was his worst outing but he has looked good since coming back from his shoulder issue. Jose Veras pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout. Offense: Melky Cabrera had a good day going 2-3. Brett Gardner was 1-1 coming in later in the game, Johnny Damon was 1-3 with a rbi double. Mark Teixera was 1-2 with a rbi double and a walk. Juan Miranda hit a 2 run hr, Hideki Matsui was 0-2 but had a walk, Cody Ransom and Angel Berroa were both 1-3. The Yankees will travel to Port Charlotte tomorrow to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, CC Sabathia will stay behind and pitch in a minor league game while Alfredo Aceves will get the start. MO will take two days off, he said he feels great and only needs 5 or 6 more 1 inning appearances before the season starts. He said everytime out he feels stronger. Joe Girardi praised Phil Hughes saying he had a great spring, he was attacking the strike zone, they just ran out of innings for him in big leauge camp because he needs to pitch deeper into games, this isn't the last you will see of him this year you watch. I think he will have a bigger impact on the team then people think. I can see him going to AAA dominating and something happening whether its an injury or Joba struggling and he will be up with the team again. After the game the Yankees optioned Francisco Cervelli down to AA Trenton.

Wrapping up Arod Day

Tomorrow is the first official full team workout. Derek Jeter will meet the media for what he says is the one and only time regarding Arod. I think he will actually be more supportive then he ever has been, a lot of people are waiting to see. The Yankees and Arod think this will go away and it won't but eventually if the Yankees don't talk then there is nothing they can do. Hopefully the Yankees will get off to a great start and just have a great season. I am really sick and tired of this whole steroids thing and just can't wait for the games to start even the exhibition games so we can concentrate on that. I actually think Arod did pretty well, there are always going to be questions but the bottom line is he has said way more then anyone else has said including Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi who were forgiven. I said this to someone today and I really believe it that Arod could go out and cure cancer and people would still be killing him over it, he just can't win. The best thing for him is to just go out perform at a high level and win and stay out of the headlines.