Yanks lose again to O's

The New York Yankees played a pretty lifeless game losing their 2nd in a row to the Orioles. A.J. Burnett got the start giving up 6 runs in the second inning and then settling down but it was too late by then. The Yankees didn't muster much offense until they scored a couple of runs in the ninth. Josh Towers pitched 2 innings for the Yankees giving up a run. Jose Molina caught A.J. Burnett so he can't use the catcher as an excuse, he is madly inconsistant from periods of starts but also inning to inning as if you take away the one inning today he was brilliant but they all count. I am starting to think more and more it is all mental with this guy. He has great stuff but at times he doesn't use it and when he starts getting hit around he really blows up, he can't battle through things. In the grand scheme of things the Yankees are fine and there is no need to panic but you have to worry about which A.J. Burnett will show up in the playoffs and at this point I think he has to be the game 3 starter behind CC and AJ. I am sure he will be the up the 2 starter though to split up the lefties but I disagree with that. He still has a few more starts to get going and hopefully carry it through October but A.J. would be the one cause for concern at this point. I am not so worried about Joba because he can be utilized out of the bullpen and at best he is the #4 starter anyway. The Yankees will try and salvage a game tomorrow with their ace CC Sabathia on the mound.

Orioles at Yanks

The New York Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles from the stadium this afternoon. After all the hoopla surrounding Derek Jeter and the Yankees for the last couple of days now its back to just being about baseball. The Yankees magic number is 14, they are now 5 1/2 games ahead of the Angels for best record and 8 1/2 ahead of the Red Sox for the division title. Here are a couple of quick notes and the lineup for todays game via the Lohud Yankees Blog. A-rod hit his 25th homerun last night the 13th time he has done that and 12th season in a row. Robinson Cano has 60 multi-hit games this season. The only player to have more is Ichiro who has 64. The Yankees ended a 10 game winning streak against the Orioles last night. A.J. after going winless in 6 straight starts will try to make it 2 in a row today and Molina for the 2nd straight time will catch him. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Hairston(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Duncan(DH) Cabrera(CF) Molina(C)

Derek Jeter is the alltme Yankees hit king

The New York Yankees took on the Baltimore Orioles tonight and in fact after a second rain delay are still doing so. The game isn't too important though, Derek Jeter is now the alltime Yankees hits leader. He struck out his first time up at bat but then he hit a single to right field in the third inning setting off a wild celebration. The crowd was amazing, i was a part of the history making night. The place just wouldn't let him breathe and he had to acknowledge the crowd several times, he also pointed up to his parents a couple of times. Andy Pettitte got the start and battled through 5 innings, I think it was only fitting that he started and Jorge Posada caught the game that Jeter set the record as these guys go all the way back to 1992 when they played together in A Greensboro. It is amzing to think that they are all still together and playing at a high level and trying to win their 5th championship. Derek Jeter will get many more hits and it will be a really big deal when he gets to 3,000 but this should be celebrated because in the storied history of the Yankees no player has ever had more hits then Derek Jeter. I am sure he will be happy to move on but it should be interesting to see what he has to say. There is not much for the Yankees to worry about now as they pretty much have everything sealed up. The Yankees won't play another meaningful game until game 1 of the playoffs.

Orioles at Yanks(A night to remember?)

It is September 11th and we should remember all of those who were affected by this terrible tragedy 8 years ago today. There will be a special pregame ceremony tonight before the game. The game doesn't mean much but of course the story is Derek Jeter who needs 1 hit to be the alltime Yankees hits leader with 2,722. I am sure they will do everything in their power to get the game in but it is pretty nasty out. I am heading out to the stadium soon and will try and do some Jeter updates live from there. There will be no notes today but here is the lineup via Peter Abraham. Jeter(SS) Swisher(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Cabrera(LF) Gardner(CF)

Pitching Matchups for Yanks/Baltimore series

The New York Yankees begin a 3 game series with the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Here are the pitching matchups for the series. Tomorrow- Andy Pettitte vs Chris Tillman Saturday- A.J. Burnett vs Brian Matusz Sunday- CC Sabathia vs Jeremy Guthrie The Yankees just swept Baltimore in Baltimore last week so I would look for the same although 2 out of 3 would be ok. The Yankees will enter the series 9 games up in the AL east over Boston and 6 1/2 ahead of Anaheim for homefield advantage. There pretty much is nothing left to play for except personal milestones like Derek Jeter needing one more hit to pass Lou Gehrig and become the alltime Yankees hits leader. A note from today was that Dave Robertson got good news from Dr. Andrews. He only needs to rest his elbow for 10-14 days and then he can begin a throwing program. It looks like he will be ready to go for the playoffs then which is great news as he has moved himself up the pecking order of the bullpen.

Where does Jeter rank

It was interesting today to hear and see all the people trying to rank Jeter among the all time great Yankees. I guess it is a fun time to do this and he should be up there. Mike Francessa isn't one to get caught up in this and he thinks 3,000 hits is much bigger but it is a fact that with his next hit Derek Jeter will be the all time hits leader for the New York Yankees and because it is the Yankees it is a big deal. I want to play a little game and see where everyone would rank the greatest Yankees and my list would look like this. 1. Lou Gehrig 2. Babe Ruth 3. Joe D 4. Mickey Mantle 5. Yogi Berra 6.Mariano Rivera 7. Derek Jeter 8. Whitey Ford 9. Bill Dickey Here are my top 9, 10 is really hard it could be a few guys. The reason I put Lou Gehrig ahead of the Babe is because he was a Yankee his whole career. Mo is the greatest there ever was so arguably he could be even higher but he is a pitcher. I would love to hear what everyone thinks about this and there own list, please put this in the comment thread.

A Historic Night in the Bronx

The New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by the score of 4-2 but that was just a sidebar. Derek Jeter collected three hits to tie Lou Gehrig for most hits in franchise history with 2.721. It was a great moment as he stood on first and the whole crowd gave him a standing ovation, the whole dugout was out on the top steps and even the Rays stood cheering on the top steps of their dugout. Derek Jeter did tip his helmet to the crowd and point up at his parents and yes his girlfriend Minka Kelly was also there. It is fitting that on this night his best friend Jorge Posada would have the game winning hit a pinch hit three run homerun in the 8th inning. Brian Bruney and Phil Coke closed out the game in the ninth inning. The Yankees completed a 4 game sweep and moved to 41 games over 500. The story of the game though is Derek Jeter. It really is amazing to have watched his whole career and start to realize how great he is. The thing about Derek Jeter is he is always about the team and winning and the next day. He never steps back and realizes what he has accomplished and I think that is part of the fans not doing it either. When you look at Derek Jeter you look at the intangibles and the rings and I think it is only fitting that he tied this record on a day the Yankees won the game so he can look at it as well I helped the team win. He said in the postgame how it was awkward for him when he tied the record because the team was losing at the time and it is hard for him to recognize an individual achievement. The stadium though was truly rocking and it was amazing to see his family in his box react and also his teammates and the opposing team, it showed how much of a class act he is when the other team was up cheering for him. The postgame was great to watch also as he handled himself well as always, I really enjoyed hearing Jorge and Andy and Mo as they have been together all these years and you can see how proud and emotional they were. I am going to the game Friday and I can't wait, it is going to be so electric and I can't imagine what it will be like if he does get a hit to break it. I have no doubt he will do it friday and wouldn't that be fitting for him to accomplish it on 9/11. Congratulations to #2 Derek Jeter for tying the record and breaking it soon. He is on his way to Cooperstown and being immortalized in Monument Park and it has been so enjoyable to watch him all these years. It isn't over yet and Derek has many more years left and more memories and it would be great to get the record on Friday and finish it off next month with another World Championship.

Rays at Yankees(Yanks go for the sweep)

The Yankees will be trying for a four-game series sweep tonight. They have won 12 of 15 overall and have the best record in baseball. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. Tampa Bay has lost a season-high seven straight games. They have fallen to 17.5 games out of first and 8.5 games out in the wild card. Joba Chamberlain has a 7.96 ERA in his last six games with opponents hitting .330 against him. In 26 innings he has allowed 37 hits and walked 17. Derek Jeter is in a 0-12 slump but if it wasn't for the record and the Yankees huge lead no one would even really notice. They are going overboard for this record but I guess there really isn't any other drama, this isn't even drama though, he will get it eventually. The Yankees will be looking to go 41 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 30, 2004 when they were 100-59. Alex Rodriguez 11 of his last 24 with nine RBI. The Yankees have allowed four runs on 17 hits and struck out 30 over 27 innings in this series. The Sandman has allowed one run in his last 31 innings. The Yankees are 61-1 when leading after six innings. The Yankees are 48-20 at home, winning 22 of the last 26. The Yankees are 39-13 since the All-Star break. That’s their best record since the 1938 team was 40-12. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Gardner(CF) Molina(C) Peter Abraham wrote earlier on his blog that when he got to the park Francisco Cervelli was out there early, this was at 2:30 this afternoon working on things with Tony Pena. This is great to see, hopefully he will succeed, I think the Yankees are teaching these young guys the right way and it is great to see the new players being passed the torch by the older players.

Yanks love pie

The New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays tonight by the score of 3-2. Nick Swisher hit a walkoff homerun in the bottom of the ninth to give the Yankees the victory. Chad Gaudin got the start and pitched really well going 6 strong and then tiring in the seventh. He gave up 1 run on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts. Phil Hughes who has been lights out gave up a solo homerun in the eighth but then Mo had a 1-2-3 ninth to set up the heroics. The Yankees were pretty much shutdown by David Price who was really good tonight showing the promise that he has. Nick Swisher hit a monster homerun to left field and A-rod had a rbi single. Derek Jeter went hitless once again disappointing many people and going through his longest hitless stretch of the season. He is now 0 for his last 13 and did not make himself available to the media after the game. That is very unusual for him so I wonder if it is getting to him a little bit. The Yankees magic number is now 15 and they are 40 games over 500. David Price became the first pitcher to strike out Jeter 3 times in a game since Curt Shilling did it on April 19, 2004. Nick Swisher's 2 homeruns were the 3rd time this season he has done it from both sides of the plate. Johnny Damon reached 100 runs scored for the 10th time in his career. Dave Robertson will meet with Dr. James Andrews on Thursday in Florida, that is never a good thing. This kid was really coming on this year so lets hope it is nothing too serious. Chad Gaudin has allowed 4 runs in 14 innings as a starter for the Yanks and they are 3-0 in those games. Joba Chamberlain will be on the mound tomorrow against Jeff Niemann. The Yankees will go for the 4 game sweep.

Rays at Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in game 3 of the 4 game series. The Yanks took a doubleheader yesterday by the scores of 4-1 and 11-1. Chad Gaudin takes the mound today against David Price. The Yankees start today 9 games ahead of Boston for first in the AL EAst and 6 1/2 ahead of Anaheim for homefield advantage. It appears they pretty much have everything clinched so the only real drama left is when will Derek Jeter break Lou Gehrig's all time hits record, it could be tonight. He needs 3 to tie and 4 to break it. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. The Yankees are at their high water mark for the season at 39 games over 500. They haven't been at 40 over since they ended the 2004 season at 101-61. Tampa has just fallen out of really quickly losing 6 straight and 7 out of 8 and also losing Carlos Pena for the year yesterday. Alex Rodriguez is 10 of his last 20 with 8 rbi's in his last 8 games. He is now batting a season best 282. Melky Cabrera has heated up again batting 413 in his last 13 games with 5 xbh and 10 rbi's. He is now batting 281 with a 340 on base percentage. Phil Hughes has not allowed a run in his last 12 1/3 innings. Is it possible he could stay in this role and they go out and get another pitcher. I doubt it as they have said all along he is a starter also. Mo has converted 39 of 40 and 35 in a row. The Yankees pitching held Tampa Bay to 2 runs on 19 hits in 2 games yesterday and they struck out 23. The Yankees are 21-4 in their last 25 home games. They are 47-20 at home, 41-13 with A-rod. It is amazing that 2 of those losses were to the lowly Nationals. The Yankees are 10-1 in games CC Sabathia has started since the all star break. If you were looking for a true ace you got one. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(DH) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Swisher(RF) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Hairston(SS)

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)