Yankees notes on a long day

Here are some notes from the games today, it was a long day at the ballpark but all worth it for the Yankees who managed to win both games.  The second game was over before it started as the Yankees scored 12 runs in the first inning. 

Nick Swisher will be the DH in the second game and will come in on a .336 roll with 32 RBI over his last 38 games. He went 3 for 4 in the 8-3 win in the first game, including a two-run homer. He’s up to .266 overall. His slow start is a distant memory.  He got three more hits in the second game capping his great day with six hits overall.  He had another homerun also, I don't think he will get to 29 again this year but he may come pretty close. 


“It’s so funny,” Swisher said. “People are like, ‘What are you doing differently?’ I don’t know, man. I just feel like I’m trying to be myself again, man. I’m just trying to go out there and compete every single day. I don’t feel like there’s anything specific; I think (it’s) more mental than anything. But either way, I like where I’m sitting right now.”

The bottom five in the order — Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Chris Dickerson and Francisco Cervelli — went 10 for 19 with six runs scored, two doubles, one homer and six RBI.  In the second game everyone just flat out hit. 

“We expect all our guys to hit, but it seemed like the bottom of the order did a ton of damage today — Chavez, Posada, Dickerson and Cervi,” Joe Girardi said. “They had big days today and were on base a lot and drove in a lot of runs for us. Those contributions are extremely important because it can’t always be the guys in the middle. You get a big day from Swish, too, which is great. So it’s always nice when everyone is contributing.”

Girardi said he didn’t know what to expect when Chavez returned Monday. But after seeing him go 2 for 4 in the opener, Girardi said, “He looks pretty good to me.” Chavez told me after the game that his injury wasn’t as much a fractured left foot as it was a bone separation. He has had a good year when he has played this year.  If he can stay healthy he can be a huge plus for the team as he is also very good defensively.  He is a six time gold glover a third base.  His problem has always been that he can't stay on the field. 

Bartolo Colon didn’t have his good two-seamer and didn’t provide as much distance as usual, but he only gave up two runs in five innings. Colon, by the way, is now 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA with Cervelli behind the plate.  Cervelli is also on a run with CC Sabathia, I guess this is why he has stayed as the backup catcher when Jesus Montero is starting to tear up AAA. 

“I think on a day when he didn’t have his ‘A’ stuff, he limited the damage and got us a win that we needed,” Girardi said.

Cory Wade continues to provide a boost out of the bullpen. His ERA is at 2.08 over 15 outings after giving up one run and two hits over three innings.  If they can get Soriano back and pitching like he did last year that would also be a huge boost.  Soriano looked great in the second game.  He pitched only his second 1-2-3 inning of the season, the other one was on Opening Day. 

The Yankees will try and win the series tomorrow with Freddy Garcia pitching against Chris Tillman.  The Yankees will try to wrap up the homestand with a 7-3 record and three straight wins over the Orioles to win the series.  They won the first two series of the homestand over the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. 

The Yankees are two games behind the Boston Red Sox but five games up on the Anaheim Angels.  They are seven up in the loss column.