Yanks/Indians Recap

The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians by the score of 10-5. CC Sabathia pitched 7 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits with 8 strikeouts. Dave Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Jose Veras finished it off but gave up a couple of runs and hits in the ninth. CC had a no hitter going until the fifth when a ball went up the middle and off his hand, he struggled a little after that but got through it. I know Jose Veras has no options but he just shouldn't be on this team anymore. Hideki Matsui led the offense by going 3-5, Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada had solo homeruns. Derek Jeter had a couple of hits and so did Robinson Cano. It does seem like pretty much everyone is hitting right now. Brett Gardner was the only guy in the lineup tonight that didn't have at least a hit. The Yankees are now 2 up in the loss column over Boston and rolling along. They have Phil Hughes on the mound vs Carl Pavano. The Yankees also will try and tie a major league record tomorrow for longest streak without an error at 17 straight games.

Yanks at Cleveland(CC Returns)

CC Sabathia gets the start tonight as the Yankees take on the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field or whatever it is called now. It will be interesting to see how he gets recieved, he did get traded although he turned down a deal the year before to stay in Cleveland. Here are the pregame notes and lineup as always from Peter Abraham of the Journal News. The Yankees have the best road record in the AL at 14-11. Derek Jeter has hit safely in 12 straight games and Mark Teixeira in 11 straight. Derek Jeter has also led off the yankees half of the first with a hit in 5 straight games. He has hit safely while leading off in 7 of the last 8 games. The Yankees have gone 15 straight games without an error which ties several teams for the second longest streak in major league history. The record is 17 straight which was set by the Red Sox from June 11-30, 2006. The Elias Sports Bureau had this information. The Yankees are 15-5 with A-rod in the lineup. They also now resemble their real lineup for the first time in a long time with Matsui and Posada also playing. Robinson Cano struck out last night for the first time in 54 plate appearances. The Yankees pitching has been the story, in their last 16 games they have gone 148 innings, 132 hits, 54 earned runs, 64 walks and 115 strikeouts. The team era is 3.28 in that span. CC is 3-0 with a 1.74 era in his last 4 starts. He did lost to Cleveland earlier in the year and this is his first time back to Cleveland. Derek Jeter needs 3 more runs scored to become only one of four active players to have 1,500 runs scored. The others are A-rod, Ken Griffey Jr and Gary Sheffield. Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle are the only Yankees that have ever done it. The Yankees are 12-6 in their last 18 games against Cleveland. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Gardner(CF)

Yanks/Cleveland recap

The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians by a score of 3-1 tonight. The Yankees now sit alone in first place for the first time since the last game of the 2006 season. Andy Pettitte started and gutted out 5 plus innings, leaving in the sixth with what is being called lower back stiffness. Alfredo Aceves came in and got out of a bases loaded no out jam by allowing only one run and then pitching 2 more scoreless innings. Mo came in and got the save in the ninth. Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera now have the most win/save combo in major league history with 59. Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersely previously held the record. Derek Jeter h.ad a couple of hits and so did Jorge Posda in his return. Mark Teixeira had a rbi groundout and Nick Swisher had a sac fly. A-rod had a hit, the Yankees will take on Cleveland tomorrow night with CC Sabathia on the mound in his return to Cleveland.

Roster move and a couple other injury notes

Kevin Cash was optioned to AAA-Scranton. They like Francisco Cervelli and want him catching CC Sabathia tomorrow. Jose Molina is going to catch in a game tomorrow and will be back soon enough. Xavier Nady starts a throwing program on Monday and Brian Bruney on Tuesday. The Yankees have not discussed Joba in the pen and Girardi said the great thing about presidential debates is that they end. I love that line, he is a starter and should be a starter, they will find a reliever if they have too but for the long run Joba belongs in the rotation. There is hope that Melky could be back in the lineup on Monday, he has really progressed in the last couple of days and says no need to go on the DL. You can hear audio of Jorge Posada on Peter Abrahams blog. He discusses how proud of Cervelli he is.

Yanks at Cleveland

The Yankees had a much needed day off yesterday and some of them enjoyed the Cleveland/Orlando basketball game last night. They start a 4 game weekend wraparound series tonight. Andy Pettitte is on the mound against Cliff Lee. Here are the game notes and lineup via Peter Abraham as always. The Yankees are a half game out of first in the AL east behind the Boston Red Sox but tied in the loss column. Cleveland is in last place in the AL Central but just swept the Tampa Bay Rays at home in a 4 game series scoring 30 runs. Cliff Lee beat the Yankees in the first homestand at the New Stadium pitching 6 innings with one run allowed. The Yankees really enjoyed Texas as usual hitting 392 with 15 extra base hits and walking 12 times and scoring 23 runs. The team batting average is 280 and now they get Jorge Posada back which will help even more. The Yankees team era is 5.01 which is the lowest it has been since April 16th. The Yankees have gone 14 games without making an error, I think the alltime record is 17 games but i have to check on that. Mo hasn't pitched since Sunday, so it would be nice to get him into a game. Derek Jeter has a 11 game hitting streak, Mark Teixeira a 10. Brett Gardner is 13 of his last 31 and Robbie Cano is 17 of his last 42. Yankees lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Gardner(CF)

Pitching Matchups for Yanks/Cleveland Series

Friday- Andy Pettitte vs Cliff Lee- A battle of two good lefties. Cliff Lee is only 2-5 but is sporting a 3.04 era. The game is at 7:00 on the YES network. Saturday- CC Sabathia vs Fausto Carmona. CC makes his return to Cleveland and I am sure he will be cheered but who knows. What happend to Carmona this guy went from great looking kid to struggling very quickly. The game is at 7:00 on the Yes network. Sunday- Phil Hughes vs Carl "American Idle" Pavano. The Yankees need to rough up the former Yankee as he had his way with them earlier in the year even though they won the game. Phil will try and continue his winning ways. The game is on at 12:40 on the Yes network and TBS. Monday- Joba Chamberlain vs TBA. The game is at 7:00 on the YES network.

Yankees News

The New York Yankees will enjoy a rare off day today in Cleveland. CC Sabathia arranged a big group of Yankees to attend the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game tonight. Jorge Posada will be rejoining the team tomorrow and be the starting catcher. I am going to guess that Angel Berroa may be done, at least we can only hope but they may get rid of Kevin Cash as they really like Francisco Cervelli and want to keep him around. Xavier Nady needs a little more time but it appears he could also be rejoining the team in the near future. Melky Cabrera is out for the Cleveland series but is not headed to the DL at this moment.

Yanks/Rangers recap

The New York Yankees defeated the Texas Rangers 9-2 tonight. They won the series two games to one. A.J. Burnett got the start going 6 shutout innings with 3 hits, 4 walks and 7 strikeouts. Jose Veras gave up a couple of runs, Dave Robertson got the two guys he saw out and Chien-Ming Wang threw two perfect innings. Chien-Ming Wang looked very good tonight which was a great sign. Mark Teixeira had a 2 run homerun to get them started in the first inning. Hideki Matsui hit two homeruns, Derek Jeter had 3 hits and 2 walks, A-rod had a hit, Brett Gardner had a couple of hits as well as Kevin Cash. Robinson Cano hit a homerun, everyone got into the act offensively and the Yankees moved into a first place tie with Boston. The Yankees also have the best record on the road in the AL and will enjoy their day off tomorrow before playing in Cleveland for four games in a weekend wraparound series. The Yankees also got good news before the game with the news that Jorge Posada will rejoin the team on Friday and Brian Bruney has no structural damage according to Dr. James Andrews. I am sure Bruney will be out for at least a couple of weeks maybe up to 3 weeks which is ok if he comes back and stays healthy the rest of the year. Melky Cabrera is also ok and may miss up to a week.

Game 47: Yankees at Rangers

Here is the game post via Peter Abraham of the Journal News. Game 47: Yankees at Rangers Posted using ShareThis

Washington Nationals at New York Mets

The Mets are hurting but luckily the schedule favors them now. They play 2 more with the Nationals at home then 3 with the Marlins and then the Pirates. Carlos Beltran won't play the next couple of games and hopefully he will be back on Friday, he has a bruised tibia. Jose Reyes just hasn't been getting better and today as well as Ryan Church were placed on the 15 day DL. Fernando Martinez the Mets promising outfield prospect was brought up. The Mets also sent cash to the Indians for SS Wilson Valdez who will also immediately be put on the 25 man roster. Livan Hernandez gets the start tonight and the lineup is as follows: Pagan(CF) Castillo(2B) Wright(3B) Sheffield(LF) Tatis(1B) Martinez(RF) Santos(C) Martinez(SS) Hernandez(P)

Game 46: Yankees at Rangers

The game notes can be found here via the link from Peter Abraham. The lineup is as follows for the Yankees: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cervelli(C) I don't remember if I mentioned this yesterday but Brian Bruney is on the DL and headed to see Dr. James Andrews which is never a good sign. David Robertson will be joining the team tonight to take his place. The Yankees also don't know when Marte will be back so the two guys who were counted on to be the 8th inning bridge have been out and looks like will be out for a while. I know some people will call for Joba but first you have to get Wang back which may take a while and Hughes is pitching well but has to keep it up also. Game 46: Yankees at Rangers Posted using ShareThis

Yankees weekly Minor League roundup

AAA- The Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees continue to be in first place. Austin Jackson who is the Yankees #2 prospect is batting 358 with 0 homeruns and 19 rbi's. It would be nice to see a little power but that is always last to develop and he plays a good centerfield. He has a 442 obp. In the pitching department we know what Dave Robertson and Mark Melancon are as we have seen them as well as Edwar Ramirez. Ian Kennedy is on the DL and Phil Hughes is in the major league rotation. AA- Jorge Vasquez is hitting 299 with 7 homeruns and 30 rbi's. He was signed out of the Mexican league just like Alfredo Aceves. Eduardo Nunez is batting 286 with 2 homeruns and 16 rbis. Vasquez plays 1b and Nunez is a SS. Pitching wise Christian Garcia is healthy and has pitched 9.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 walks and 8 strikeouts. He hasn't given up a run yet, the Yankees think highly of him but he has to stay healthy. Zach McAllister is 2-2 with a 2.25 era. He has pitched 40 innings giving up 33 hits with 13 walks and 27 strikeouts. A- Jesus Montero is batting 324 with 5 homeruns and 30 rbi's, he is the Yankees top prospect and is a catcher. Austin Romine who is also a catcher is hitting 289 with 4 homeruns and 21 rbi's. Austin Krum an outfielder is batting 300. Pitching wise Jeremy Bleich is 3-2 with a 2.94 era. Dellin Betances is 2-4 with a 4.87 era.

Yanks/Rangers recap

The New York Yankees defeated the Texas Rangers by a score of 11-1 today. Phil Hughes got the start and pitched brilliantly, he went 8 innings giving up 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. He wanted to finish the game but Joe Girardi didn't let him. I have a picture of him above from today's game. He won the WWE belt that for each yankees win whoever the player of the game is gets to keep it for the day. He was wearing it in the postgame interviews and was really proud of it. Alfredo Aceves finished off the game giving up a homerun but then retiring the next 3 batters to finish the game.

A-rod always has played great in The Ballpark at Arlington and today was no different as he went 5 for 5, 3 singles and 2 doubles with 4 rbi's. Mark Teixeira had a couple of more hits and a couple of rbi's. Derek Jeter had a hit and a walk, Johnny Damon had a couple of hits and a walk. Robinson Cano had a couple of hits and a couple of rbi's. Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher and Ramiro Pena all had a hit and Kevin Cash had 3 hits. Everyone in the Yankees lineup had at least one hit and they had the most hits they have had all season with 19.

The Yankees will play tomorrow night with Joba Chamberlain on the mound trying to get the Yankees on another winning streak. The only thing I didn't like about today's game was the Red caps the Yankees were forced to wear by MLB for Memorial Day. I just thought they were terrible and the Yankees shouldn't be wearing anything different then usual. I am fine with the flag in the NY but not red caps.

Yankees at Rangers

Texas is in first place in the AL West which is a suprise, we know they have the great hitting but Nolan Ryan has made their pitching better getting them to be more aggressive and pitch deeper into games. It will be interesting to see how they do against the Yankees lineup. The Rangers have a 8 game winning streak at home their longest since 2005. The Yankees have not made a error in 11 straight games which appears to be a team record, they are 22-6 when they don't committ an error. Mark Teixeira was 18 of 39 on the homestand raising his average from 203 to 268. He had 6 homeruns and 16 rbi's. Him and A-rod make quite a tandem, maybe the best in the game right now. Alex has 10 hits since coming back with 7 of them being homeruns. He has hit the ball hard several times with no luck. I am not worried though because you want your cleanup hitter to provide the power and he is also walking a lot which is good. The Yankees are 12-4 since he came back. A-rod loves hitting at the Ballpark at Arlington but I am sure he will be recieved with jeers as he admitted using steroids in his 3 years with the Rangers, it will be interesting to see how Tex is recieved. A-rod is a 329 career hitter at Arlington. The Yankees are 13-3 in Texas since 2005. Nick Swisher since May 1st has been dreadful going 7 of 61 which is a 115 batting average. He has 3 xbh and 5 rbi's. He has also struck out 24 times in that stretch. He has hit well on the road so maybe that will wake him up although Gardner and Cabrera may be in the lineup again. The Yankees only drew 2 walks against the Phillies and struck out 24 times which isn't very good, they need to be more patient although the Phillies had Cole Hamels and Brett Myers going which are 2 good pitchers. A-rod is only 3 homeruns behind Mr October Reggie Jackson for 11th on the alltime homerun list. Hideki Matsui is 6 of his last 42, Nady and Posada may be back in a week or so though which will help. Thanks to Peter Abraham for the game notes and welcome back to him after a week off, check him out at http://yankeeslhblogs.com/ Yankees lineup: Jeter(DH) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Swisher(RF) Pena(SS) Cash(C)

Pitching matchups for the Texas series

Today- Phil Hughes vs Matt Harrison Tomorrow- Joba Chamberlain vs Kevin Millwood Wednesday- A.J. Burnett vs Derek Holland Todays game is a 2:05 start on the Yes Network, Happy Memorial Day take time to honor all those veterans and soldiers currently serving our country. Matt Harrison and Derek Holland are young lefties, the Yankees usually feast on lefties but Harrison pitched a good game against them last year and I don't think the Yankees have seen Holland, they know Millwood well from his Atlanta days. The Yankees have been playing great baseball despite losing 2 of 3 to the Phillies and hopefully they can win 2 of 3 here. It will be interesting to see how Phil Hughes does against a powerful lineup, remember this is where he was throwing a no hitter in May 2007 when he tore his hamstring.

Yanks lose finale of homestand

The Yankees lost to the Phillies today by the score of 4-3, they had more ninth inning magic but couldn't win it this time. CC Sabathia pitched a solid game going 8 innings allowing 3 runs, the turning point of the game was when Brett Gardner dove for a ball and missed it and it turned into a run with 2 outs and then another run after that. I really thought with CC pitching the way he was just keep it in front of you and let it be first and third two outs. Mo pitched a scoreless inning as well as Jose Veras. The Yankees came from behind again in the ninth off of Brad Lidge who is clearly not the same guy he was last year and I wonder if he can get that back after these past two games. The Yankees best chance to win it was in the tenth when the had first and second no outs and Mark Teixeira hit into a double play and then they walked A-rod with a man on third and Pena lined out to center. The Yankees also had Johnny Damon thrown out at home earlier in the game in a nice play by the Philly defense. Cole Hamels was pretty dominant himself really silencing the Yankee bats for 7 innings. Big Tex had a couple of hits again one being a broken bat homerun to leftfield. Hideki Matsui continues to slump having a bad day going 0-4. A-rod was 0-3 with a walk. Derek Jeter went 3-5 and so did Melky Cabrera. Robinson Cano was 1-4 and his hit was big as it was to leadoff the ninth. Francisco Cervelli was 1-3. The Yankees now head to Texas to start a 7 game roadtrip, 3 in Texas and 4 in Cleveland before returning home. The Yankees are 1 game behind Boston for first place in the AL East which is amazing since they are 0-5 against Boston this year.

New York Mets at Boston Red Sox

The New York Mets have taken the first two of a three game series up in Fenway. The first game had Johan Santana on the mound doing his usual and of course the Mets didn't play too well behind him but did win the game 5-3 and last night was just a great game. Josh Beckett and Mike Pelfrey had a classic pitchers duel with the score 2-1 in the ninth and Papelbon in to save it. He was perfect up to this point and had a era under 1. Gary Sheffield led off the inning with a walk then Papelbon got David Wright and Jeremy Reed to strike out with gas. Omir Santos a journeyman minor league catcher steps up to the plate and smacked a fastball over the green monster for a 2 run homerun and the lead. It was reviewed but correctly called a homerun after review, it was originally called a double on the field. JJ Putz came on in the ninth because K-rod had serious back spasms and walked the leadoff guy then David Wright made a full body stop off a Jason Bay shot that was headed down the line for a double and probably tie game, he threw to second wildly but Luis Castillo made a great stop and kept his foot on the base for the out and then Ramon Martinez ended the game with a great play at shortstop. The game was great and the ninth inning just capped it off in spectacular fashion. The Mets will go for the sweep today with Tim Redding opposing Tim Wakefield.

Phils at Yanks

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees play the rubber game of a 3 game series this afternoon at 1:00PM. The game is on the YES network. The Yankees also finish off their 10 game homestand, they are currently 8-1 on this very exciting homestand that has featured 4 walkoffs, plenty of homeruns of course at this new bandbox, some great defense, great games and some good pitching by the Yankees. Here are the notes and lineup via Sam Borden who has filled in admirably for Peter Abraham, Peter will return tomorrow from his week off. Melky Cabrera's 3 walkoff rbi's this year are the most in a season by a Yankee since Claudell Washington had 4 in 1988. CC Sabathia's last start against the Phillies was his last start before becoming a yankee as he got rocked in the playoffs by them. Cole Hamels started slow but is 2-0 with a 2.31 era in his last 5 starts. This should be a great matchup of left handed pitchers. The teams have combined for 11 homeruns in the 2 games so far and the Yankees have pushed their errorless streak to 10 games which is best in the majors. Yankees lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Cabrera(RF) Matsui(DH) Cervelli(C) Gardner(CF)