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.