George's Yankees Blog

3:13:25 PM EDT

 

It was two years ago today that I created this blog. Writing it has been one of the most worthwhile and fun things I’ve done. In order to keep this growing, I am proud to announce that George’s Yankees Blog is moving to a new server under the domain name theyankeesblog.com. This will provide a bigger stage for my Yankees related writing and allow me to delve deeper into coverage of the team. The old game recaps that were the bread and butter of this blog will still be there. However, there will be more content aside from that as I’ll link to and provide my opinions on news, columns, and other Yankee-related notes as well as interviews I plan on conducting. I also will be writing this new blog under my real name (I’m not actually George Coztanza). The site is still being developed. I’m still working with the design of the site as well as some of the features. Anybody who is tech savvy and is willing to volunteer to help me with these is more than welcome. At any rate, the site is now operational in time for the postseason, so I think now is the time for the move. Thank you to AOL for hosting this blog over the past two years and thank you to my readers. I hope you will all follow me to the new site.

This blog will remain up for archival purposes.

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7:46:42 PM EDT The Yankees completed their regular season this weekend by dropping 2 of 3 to the Toronto Blue Jays, winning on Friday by a score of 7-2 but losing on both Saturday and Sunday by respective 6-5 and 7-5 scores. However, the final 2 games meant absolutely nothing. The Yanks took care of what little remaining business they had because their win on Friday clinched homefield advantage throughout the American League postseason. Coupled with the American League's homefield advantage in the World Series, the road to the title goes through the Bronx.

Mike Mussina was masterful on Friday night, giving up 1 run in 6 innings of work. It was an excellent final tune up for the postseason for Moose as he concluded the regular season with a flourish. Mike is due to pitch Game 2 of the Division Series for New York. This is always a critical contest in a 5 game series. Mike's recent success means nothing if he gets shelled on Wednesday night, but the Yanks can at least be confident that they are sending a starter to the mound who has it all working at this point.

Gary Sheffield hit a 3 run homer in the 4th inning to give the Yanks the lead for good. This blast broke a 1-1 tie. It shows that Sheff is getting his swing back as his lethal bat only adds to a great New York offense. Joe Torre has announced that Gary will start at first base for the Yanks in the Division Series. This move makes sense. Sheffield is getting his swing back. While he is learning the position on the fly, he appears to be taking to the position well since a struggle in Tampa Bay last Sunday. He's proven to be a quick learner. Despite his inexperience at the position, Gary might be a better option than either Jason Giambi and Craig Wilson. Neither man plays good defense, and Giambi's wrist injury makes it difficult for him to play. Wilson's value on the roster is his hitting against lefties, and Bernie Williams is better in that role and more trustworthy in the pressure of the postseason anyway. Andy Phillips plays good defense, but he is not much of a hitter. His lack of offense makes up for any defensive edge he has on Sheff, but with Gary's inexperience in the field, Joe Torre has decided to carry Phillips on the postseason roster as a defensive replacement for late innings. New York will have plenty of bats both in the lineup and on the bench. Phillips provides defense at first and can play elsewhere in the infield and the outfield in case of an emergency. Jorge Posada later capped agreat season by adding a 2 run blast for insurance.

Neither of the final 2 games was very noteworthy. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano both fell short of the American League batting title to Joe Mauer. Jeter ended at .343, and Cano finished at .342. Despite their losses, it is still pretty special to have a pair of middle infielders hit over .340. Derek still is the favorite to win the MVP. Robinson probably will have one on his future if he can build on his success in 2006. The most important thing is that they have helped their team win the American League East once again.

On Saturday, Jeff Karstens finished a nice 2006 season by pitching very well for the first 6 innings but allowed 3 in a 4 run Toronto 7th inning to take the loss. In Sunday's game, Jaret Wright and Kyle Farnsworth both were roughed up in a game that Joe Torre let Bernie Williams manage. It might have been Bernie's final regular season home game. However, his teammates were unable to win one for the legend. If the Yanks get Bernie one for the thumb in October, all probably will be forgiven.

New York received terrible news about Randy Johnson's fate over the weekend. His scary back ailment is actually a herniated disk. This leaves his status for the Division Series up in the air at best. Randy's outings have been a roll of the dice this season. However, he presents a better option in a big game than Cory Lidle. On any given night, Johnson can be the best third starter in baseball. New York's road is to the title is much easier with the Big Unit on the mound. His 2006 was something of a letdown. However, the team is paying him $16 million for him to perform in October. If he can return to his dominant form for the next few weeks, he will have been worth every penny. If he cannot even take the mound, that money will have been wasted.

The Yanks now shift to the postseason. They are one of the lucky eight teams that gets to keep playing past the regular season. The Division Series opponent will be the Detroit Tigers, a team that the Bronx Bombers should be thankful to play for a number of reasons. Those will be addressed in the near future. Tonight is one last night to celebrate and relax because the next month will be agonizing.

This will be the final game recap on this blog. I'll have more details on Monday. Many thanks to the folks on AOL who have supported this blog for the past two years. I'll always be thankful for the way this blog was treated on this server under two different names. I also would like to thank my readers who have supported me here and hope that they'll check back on Monday for the entry that will give the reason for this last paragraph. I promise this is not bad news.


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1:08:46 AM EDT The Orioles beat the Yankees tonight at Yankee Stadium by a 7-1 score. This was not a banner night for the pinstripers as Daniel Cabrera allowed only 1 hit while pitching a complete game. He did not allow a hit until there was 1 out in the 9th inning, and Robinson Cano singled. Bobby Abreu followed him and grounded into a double play to end the game. Darrell Rasner was roughed up in a rare rough outing for the rookie, which should damage any dreams he had of making the postseason roster. From New York's perspective, that's really all there was to say about this game. The only good was that Derek Jeter sat the game out so tonight did not hurt his chase for the batting title, and Cano was the one who got the hit to help his hunt. The Yanks can shake this one off. It was just a bad night in a game with little meaning. Congratulations go to Cabrera because New York had no answer for him. The youngster pitched the game of his life tonight.


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12:38:32 AM EDT The Yankees are now on a three game winning streak. New York defeated the Devil Rays on Monday night by a 16-1 score in the final game of a weekend series in Florida. The Bronx Bombers then came home and pounded the Baltimore Orioles by respective 5-4 and 16-5 scores on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. One thing is clear. The Yanks want to go into the postseason on a high note.

The Yanks had Monday night's game in the bag in the 1st inning as Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui both drilled 3 run homers in the opening frame. New York added 2 in the 2nd and 1 in the 3rd. Getting that kind of output from an offense almost guarantees victory. There really is not much analysis to be had. Abreu had 4 hits on the night. Matsui picked up 3. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano all had 2. Johnny Damon hit a homer, and so did Andy Cannizaro. Cannizaro's was the first of his career. That is the kind of nice moment that can happen in a game like that. September callups see action like Andy. Cannizaro is not much of a prospect. He will probably never have a significant impact in the Majors. However, he will always be able to tell his grandkids that he hit a homer for the New York Yankees.

Jaret Wright was very good for the Yanks. He pretty much ended what little doubt that he will be in the postseason rotation by allowing just 1 run in 6 innings of work, continuing what has been a huge September for him. Jaret is on a roll, and it has come at the best possible time. If he keeps pitching like this, the Yanks will be very difficult to beat in the postseason since the backend of the rotation is one of the relative weaknesses of the club.

On Tuesday night, the offense was not quite as productive. However, the Yanks were able to win because of Cory Lidle's work. The righty returned from a two week layoff by tossing 6.2 innings of 3 run ball. It was important for Cory to show that he is still capable of pitching effectively after such a long vacation because his postseason roster spot hung in the balance. It became even more important when it was revealed that Randy Johnson has been scratched from his last regular season start because of back spasms that have been bothering him all month. Had Lidle not adequately shown that he was fully healthy, Joe Torre might have had to call on a rookie like Jeff Karstens or Darrell Rasner to make a postseason start. Both rookies have performed well, but asking either to pitch in a game that could potentially decide the fate of New York's season would be a lot to put on a rookie who has not been part of the big club for more than one month. The team is optimistic about Randy's prognosis. However, back injuries are always scary. They are very fragile and can take a long time to heal. Even if Johnson is able to take the mound, the injury still could affect him. The last time the Yanks had an aging starter take a back problem into the postseason was Kevin Brown in 2004, and Brown did his best to make sure that the Yanks would not win the World Series. Such an injury to a key starter is something that New York is going to have a tough time overcoming. Lidle's start shows that they at least have some insurance in case the worst occurs.

On offense, Bobby Abreu was the star. Bobby drilled a 2 run homer in the 5th that gave New York the lead for good. Robinson Cano continued his surge to the batting title by going 2 for 4 and hitting a homer. Gary Sheffield came through in the bottom of the 8th by connecting with an RBI single that scored a critical insurance run. Sheffield also played a solid first base, showing signs that he might end up being there both offensively and defensively when the postseason begins. Sheff's run was big because Scott Proctor was called in to close out the game. Proctor allowed a run to turn a 5-3 game into a 5-4 win. Scott did not get his first career save without making the team sweat, however. Proctor's rocky outing came after a blown save in the only other time he was called on to protect a close 9th inning lead this season. He did get the job done in the end, but there do have to be some concerns with the way he has handled pressure, considering October is right around the corner.

Hideki Matsui returned to leftfield and did a fine job fielding his position. This is both good and bad news. It is good because it signifies that Hideki's comeback from a wrist injury is complete. It is bad because it probably means that Joe Torre will bench Melky Cabrera and take away from New York's outfield defense, which could come back to bite the team. It is useful that Hideki can play the position should the need present itself. However, he probably will be hesitant in the field as well as a defensive downgrade from Melky. The risk of injury is still elevated since he is still recovering. He might not dive for balls that he should go for. If he does dive, he could get hurt again. Matsui should put his glove away at least until the Yanks play without the DH in a National League park during the World Series unless the team needs to call on him.

Wednesday's contest was much like Monday night's game. New York's offense exploded against Kris Benson. The Bronx Bombers touched him up for 8 runs on 8 hits in 2.2 innings. Baltimore's bullpen wasn't much better, allowing another 8 runs the rest of the game. Jason Giambi returned to the lineup and had 3 hits, 5 RBI's and a homer. It seems the rest has been good for Giambi as his wrist was able to heal. Other New York homers were drilled by Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Johnny Damon. This was a diversified offensive attack as 11 Yankees had hits and 8 had RBI's. The offense should save some of this for the postseason. It is still good for them to be swinging well heading into the most critical month of the year.

Chien-Ming Wang picked up his 19th win for the Yanks. Wang wasn't at his best, but he was pretty solid, giving up 4 runs and 10 hits in 6 innings. This game was all about getting Wang some work. The game meant nothing and a win was already in the bag. The Yanks will need Chien-Ming to be sharp in the ALDS. Joe Torre has rightfully chosen Wang as his Game 1 starter. He has been New York's best starter all year. In the Division Series, the Game 1 starter is the only pitcher who will get 2 starts. They will be the opener and the do or die Game 5. The sequence of the other starters means nothing since they will only get one start. The pressure will be on the staff's new ace.

The Yanks continue to roll in their attempt to obtain homefield advantage in the American League postseason. There are four more days of relative relaxation. Then the real quest for 27 begins. The team looks great right now. However, they cannot let up. They have to maintain this level of intensity. They won't be facing Baltimore and Tampa Bay in the postseason. Only their best will be good enough.


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3:19:10 PM EDT

The Yankees were routed by the Devil Rays on both Saturday and Sunday at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay won Saturday’s game by an 8-0 score and Sunday’s contest by an 11-4 margin. Neither of these games matters all that much in the grand scheme of things aside from the race for homefield advantage in the American League postseason. There were, however, a few disturbing developments.

The pair of losses reflected directly on the pitching. Randy Johnson gave up 5 runs in 6 innings of work on Saturday. Joe Torre opted to give his big guns in the bullpen Saturday night off since the games were meaningless, and backend guys, Jose Veras and Octavio Dotel combined to give up 3 runs in 2 innings. Mike Mussina went on to be roughed up for 6 runs in 4.2 innings on Sunday. Ron Villone came in after Moose and threw gasoline on the fire by giving up 4 runs in only 0.2 innings. It’s almost impossible to win pitching like that. However, this should not be too much of a concern. These games will not be too damaging to either Johnson or Mussina, and Dotel, Veras, and Villone should play a minimal role on the postseason roster.

What should be something of a concern is that Mike Mussina had to leave Sunday’s game in the 5th inning after taking a liner off his left thumb. Mike was diagnosed with a bruised left thumb. He sounded optimistic that it would not cause him to miss time. It was not on his pitching hand so the assertation seems justified. However, the fact that a pitcher as important to the Yanks as Moose is absorbed an injury so close to the postseason is troubling. With Mussina in there, the top of New York’s rotation is tough to beat. Without him, Randy Johnson becomes the number 2 starter, and both Cory Lidle and Jaret Wright probably will have to be in the postseason rotation. Given how important pitching is in October, losing Mike for any period of time could be a deathblow.

Gary Sheffield had a very rough Sunday afternoon at first base, especially in Tampa Bay’s 6 run 4th inning against Mussina. Sheff came off the bag trying to catch an errant Derek Jeter throw, which resulted in an error on D.J. First basemen have to be adept at receiving bad throws and staying on the base to record the out whenever possible. Gary also showed his inexperience at the position, hesitating because he was unsure what base to throw to on a Carl Crawford grounder. This was scored a hit because it he fielded the ball cleanly, but in reality it was an error. The same can be said about a grounder later in the inning when Sheff came too far off the bag to try and field the ball. Robinson Cano picked it up, but nobody was covering first because Gary had ventured so far off the base. Those are plays that can kill teams in close games. The Yanks are giving Sheff a baptism by fire in the last week because they want him to start at the position in the postseason. These next few days will be a critical test for him. Sheff needs to show that he is a quick learner. If he makes any of these mistakes again or does not completely master most of the position’s nuisances by next weekend, Joe Torre will have to pull the plug on this experiment. Gary is a bright guy and a good athlete. He definitely can help the team at first base. Whether he can figure the position out in time for October probably will be a photo finish.

The Yanks send Jaret Wright to the mound today to try and leave Florida with a split. The Yanks are not making homefield advantage a key point. They have an experienced and battle-tested team that has proven that it can win in hostile environments. Resting key guys and seeing who can do what is more important. Still, having the decisive game in Yankee Stadium would be a nice luxury. The guys who do take the field on a given night need to show a little more urgency to make it happen.

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12:14:28 PM EDT The Yankees beat the Devil Rays last night in St. Petersburg by a score of 4-1, opening up what essentially is a meaningless weekend series. The game was significant because it featured the return of a pair of key players from injury, Gary Sheffield and Mariano Rivera. After one game, both men look primed to contribute when October rolls around.

Sheffield got his first start at first base and handled the position as well as the team could have hoped. There were no glaring mistakes, and he was even able to flash some leather, scooping an errant throw from Miguel Cairo out of the dirt. Sheffield is a former infielder so the adjustment to first base should not be that difficult. He is not going to become a Gold Glover by playing there in the last week of the regular season. However, all the team really needs from his defensively is an upgrade over Jason Giambi. That is hardly a tall order. Giambi's defensive game is terrible aside from scooping balls out of the dirt, and Cairo's throw shows that Sheff can do that. In the postseason, defense matters. One botched play can send a team home for the winter. If Gary can adjust to his new position adequately, the Yanks will have upgraded their defense. Sheff's offensive day was unimpressive as he went 0 for 3. He is going to need to work to get his timing back in this last week. As long as he can play defense like that, the Yankees can afford to wait for his bat to come along.

Rivera came back and pitched a shutout innning, which is even more important that Sheff's night. The Yankees are clearly happy to have Sheffield back since he makes them better, but they can win without him. They were able to weather the storm of the season because there were enough bats in the lineup to keep the offense productive. The defensive upgrade he will offer at first base will help, but it is also a luxury, not a necessity. The Yanks cannot win without Mo. The reason that they have been so successful through the years is that they have the best reliever ever pitching in close games, a guy who gets better as the stakes get bigger. The dropoff from Mo to anybody else in the bullpen is large. New York has a solid bullpen, but no other reliever is as dominant or embraces pressure like Rivera. Championship teams need to be great in close games. The Yanks have been because of Mariano. New York has other hitters like Matsui, Giambi, and Sheffield. There is no reliever in all of baseball like Mariano Rivera.

Chien-Ming Wang was the star of the game itself. The righty had a terrific postseason tuneup, going 7 innings and giving up 1 run. Wang is another guy that the Yanks will need in October. He needs to pitch like the ace he has been. He is the pitcher that New York can turn to with the most confidence when it needs a win. It is very good to see him closing out the regular season in top form. Robinson Cano and Aaron Guiel both hit homers for the offense. Guiel's put the Yanks on top in the 8th as he tries to convince Joe Torre to put him on the postseason roster. Given that Aaron can play all three outfield positions adequately and has done a decent job with the bat, he probably is not a bad guy to have.

The Yanks go to Randy Johnson today. This is just a day of work for R.J. The Yanks need to keep him sharp for October. There is little hope of him achieving any kind of consistency. He will either be great or terrible on the mound. New York just has to pray that he will be on in the postseason. If he leaves this outing without injury, it will be a successful one.


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11:14:41 PM EDT

The New York Yankees are American League East Champions for the ninth straight season. Despite a 3-2 loss last night to the Blue Jays in Toronto, the Yanks clinched the title because of Boston’s loss to the Twins at Fenway Park. A loss has seldom felt this good as the Yanks celebrated their championship north of the border

The game itself was a forgettable one. Sean Henn got the start for the Yanks. In 2005, Henn was bombed everytime he pitched for New York because he was afraid to challenge hitters, walking the ballpark in the process. The few times that he went after hitters, he left very hittable pitches to hit. Sean actually looked pretty good through the first 3 innings. In the 4th, he gave up a homer to Bengie Molina, then allowed a fluke hit and walked a hitter. Joe Torre showed a very quick hook, pulling Henn after only 3.2 innings for Brian Bruney, who allowed both inheirited runners to score on a single and a double. Joe probably should have left Henn in there. The game was essentially insignificant to the team. It was worth seeing whether Sean would crumble from the adversity or if he had learned from the disasters that were his 2005 starts. Melky Cabrera is a great example of a guy who was not ready in 2005 but was after another year of seasoning. This really is not a major deal, however. Henn is not a major pitching prospect like Phillip Hughes, Tyler Clippard, or even Jeff Karstens or Darrell Rasner. While he probably should have been given a shot to work out of his jam, Sean is not going to be a major contributor on the big league level. New York’s pitching was flawless for the rest of the night, holding the Blue Jays at 3.

The Yanks did not have much of a chance throwing Henn against Roy Halladay. However, the game did seem winnable after Halladay left in the 4th due to an injury. The Yanks had scratched a run off Halladay on a Robinson Cano double. They would only score 1 run the rest of the way as Davis Romero, Jeremy Accardo, and Brandon League got Toronto through the 8th with a Bernie Williams solo homer doing the damage. There was little doubt that B.J. Ryan would finish them off in the 9th. The Yanks had to be disappointed in their offensive effort. Some starters were being rested, but after Halladay left, they had a chance to pound the Jays’ bullpen and win the division on their own. The bats just had an off night.

Any negative feelings from that game immediately vanished when the Twins beat Boston in Fenway. That guaranteed the Yankees a ninth straight division title. This year has just been another step on an amazing run. New York overcame significant injuries to Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, and Robinson Cano. However, other players picked up the slack. The Captain, Derek Jeter, lifted the team, always coming through when making a play was the difference between winning and losing. Derek’s year was somehow better than his typical stellar season. He is the clear frontrunner to win his first MVP. When he was healthy, Cano took his game to another level. The 23 year old greatly improved his defensive game. He should win a Gold Glove some time in the near future. He also stands in the running for his first batting title. Robbie has the potential to become a special hitter. The sky is the limit for him. Melky Cabrera came up because of the injuries and thrived in an everyday role, playing stellar defense after a rocky start and becoming a dependable contact hitter, especially in the clutch. Bernie Williams turned back the clock, showing that he is not washed up by chipping in with the bat as a replacement for the missing outfielders. Mike Mussina also found the fountain of youth, pitching his best baseball since 2003. He’ll fall short of the magic number of 20 wins yet again, but he was brilliant this season. Like Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, another 2005 rookie savior, emerged in his second year in the Bronx, becoming the staff’s ace as the season progressed. Bobby Abreu fit right in with the team since he was acquired from Philadelphia at the deadline, wearing pitchers down with his great eye and giving the team terrific defense. These guys were written off by many at midseason. However, they kept grinding, and eventually put the division away in August during the defining moment of the 2006 season thus far, a five game sweep of Boston in Fenway Park. They found different ways to win, looking like a machine in the process. 

This is only the beginning. The Yankees are always judged by what they do in October. However, this was a necessary first step and should be celebrated. Division titles are something to be savored. Only six teams achieve them every year, and the Yanks have won nine straight. This team’s postseason outlook is bright. These guys resemble the dynasty teams in ways that recent Yankee clubs have not. They have a relentless lineup that wears pitchers down and is prolific at hitting homers but is diversified enough to score in other ways. The starting pitching is very solid. The bullpen is full of workhorses. The outfield defense is much better than in recent seasons. The roster has more experience than any they will face in October. Perhaps most important, there is a sense of focus with the team. These guys care about each other and want to win. The individuals focus more on the team than themselves. Clearly there are some exceptions as Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi’s self-serving quotes in the recent Sports Illustrated article show. Gary Sheffield is also aloose cannon. Kyle Farnsworth and Randy Johnson are liable to blow up at any moment. Mariano Rivera’s elbow does not sound like much of an issue, but if something flares up, the team has real problems. These teams are not as good as the dynasty squads, but they might bear the closest resemblance in the postseason field. The thing is that every other contender has problems. The Yankees look primed to make a run this October. On the surface, they’re the cream of the crop. They now get to rest, relax, and prepare for the Division Series. We’ll probably see a lot of the Columbus Clippers during the next week and a half as the big guns will play sparingly to stay sharp.

The first mission has been accomplished.

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1:21:15 AM EDT

The Yankees have done their best to put an ugly series against the Red Sox behind them, winning the first 2 games of a 3 game set against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto. New York took Monday night’s opener by a 7-6 score and Tuesday night’s affair by a 6-3 margin. These wins, combined with a Boston loss on Tuesday, brings the Yankees’ magic number down to 1. That means that unless the Yanks lose all of their remaining games and the Red Sox win all of theirs, New York will win the A.L. East. The Bronx Bombers showed resiliency in both games. They battled to make sure that recent sloppy play does not turn into a swoon that could affect the team’s confidence entering October.

New York was put into a 3-0 hole in Monday’s contest. However, that only meant that it was time for the big boys to show up. Alex Rodriguez hit a big homer to get the Yanks on the board in the 6th inning. That blast gave the Yanks confidence, cutting a 3 run defecit to 1. That set the stage for Derek Jeter to do what he does best in the 7th inning as the Captain came through when he team needed him the most once again, drilling a go-ahead 2 run homer. Throughout his career, Jeter has shown that stats really don’t mean much when one attempts to determine his value. He always seems to come through when he team needs somebody to make a play. There is nothing more valuable than that, and this year, it looks as if the media might finally recognize that Derek is the most valuable player in the American League. The Yanks scored 3 insurance runs in the top of the 9th to take a 7-3 lead. It turned what was a nailbiter into a laugher. However, every so often, there is a show as to why insurance runs mean more than increased sanity and cardiac health for fans. They seemed like an afterthought at the time, but those runs ended up being the difference between a win and a crushing loss.
The Yanks took that 4 run lead to the bottom of the 9th. One reason that they were in such good shape was their pitching. Darrell Rasner had not been at his best. However, he still grinded and battled his way to a quality 6 inning, 3 run line. That is all that can be asked of a rookie who does not have his best stuff. Rasner now has a 2.08 ERA and has to be considered for the postseason roster, considering he looks ready for the Majors both physically and mentally. He battled out there on the mound. Darrell gave way to Brian Bruney, who continued to earn JoeTorre’s trust and come closer to locking up a postseason roster spot of his own by pitching a shutout inning. Scott Proctor came on after that and tossed his daily shutout inning. This brought the 9th. Ron Villone started it. It was a good spot for Ron, a low pressure situation that would give him a chance to work out his recent problems and regain some confidence. However, it did not work out that way as Villone gave up 2 hits and only recorded 1 out. Octavio Dotel relieved him, coming on with the game on the line, a situation he is familiar with. However, if Villone lit a match, Dotel threw gasoline on it, giving up a 3 run homer to Troy Glaus, the only hitter he faced, turning a 7-3 lead into a 7-6 one. Dotel has clearly not recovered from his previous ailments. He is still working out the kinks. At this point, the Yanks would be foolish to expect him to turn things around in 2006. It is too late for that. Dotel simply has to be resigned because the team needs to try and make something out of the year it has invested in him. Letting him go would be a waste because he has done little to help the team. Mike Myers came on for Dotel and got an out before giving up a hit. Mike was not in an ideal situation, forced to pitch to righties. With Kyle Farnsworth unavailable, Joe Torre had to turn to Jose Veras. Veras allowed the tri-state area to take a sign of relief as he recorded the final out to end New York’s two game losing streak. This is nothing against Veras, who did a nice job as Columbus’ closer this season, but it’s tough to imagine anybody ever wanting to see Jose on the mound with a game riding in the balance in 2006 again. 

The Yanks had a fairly easier time on Tuesday. Jeff Karstens pitched another solid game for New York. It was a bit of a struggle for him as he gave up 10 hits over 6.1 innings. However, Jeff showed his grit by stranding most of his runners and only giving up 3 runs. He showed his guts much like Rasner did the night before. Jeff probably will not figure into the postseason plans. However, he has shown himself more than worthy for at least a chance to compete for a rotation spot in 2007. He has shown that he has the stuff and the intestinal fortitude to make it in the bigs. A young guy like him will only get better. The way Rasner and Karstens have looked in September has to make the team feel good about both pitching depth and the farm system in general. Both guys look like keepers, and Phil Hughes,arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball, is waiting in the wings for his shot, which could come as early as next year.

New York’s reliable catcher, Jorge Posada, started New York’s scoring by drilling a solo homer in the 2nd. It has been lost in all the news surrounding the team, but Jorge is quietly having another solid season. He is one of those guys that nobody will really appreciate until he is gone and the team has to find somebody as good to replace him, which will be a daunting task. Melky Cabrera made another plea to be left in the lineup by connecting on a 2 run single in the 4th. The game went to the 7th tied at 3, when Bobby Abreu drilled a game-winning 2 run homer to give the Yanks a 5-3 lead. There really aren’t words to describe how much the addition of Bobby has helped the team so there’s no reason to attempt. Hideki Matsui continued to show that he is back in the 8th inning, connecting on a solo homer to provide the final 6-3 margin. 

There is always a lot of talk in Yankeeland. In today’s edition of unnecessary distractions is a Sports Illustrated article about the center of attention himself, Mr. Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod displays his vast egohis hubris over his own limitations, his alarming sensitivity, and his overall scripted personality in his quotes. He also is not afraid to whine about his treatment by the New York fans, throwing the classy Mike Mussina under the bus in the process. This piece sums up why many people don’t like Alex. It’s frankly tough to defend him in the article.

Not to be outdone, however, is Jason Giambi, who uses the article as a platform to criticize his teammate to the press. That should only happen behind closed doors. He also likes to portray himself as a leader because of the tough love he sent in Alex’s direction. Giambi was not wrong to get into A-Rod’s face. Overly sensitive people like Alex need to be kicked in the rear end from time to time. However, Jason throws his teammate under the bus in the article to try and make himself look like some kind of great leader. The real kicker is when he portray’s A-Rod’s relationship with Derek Jeter as frosty, something that will only kick up the fury of the media, which has been trying to make a mountain out of that non-story for 3 years now. Giambi and Rodriguez have combined to make a lot of distractions for this team as it prepares for the postseason. Distractions abound in New York. The Yanks have seen worse. They will make it through this. However, the fact that two guys talk to the press like that when they should be focusing on World Series title number 27 shows what has been wrong with the makeup of this team since 2002. 

In good news, Gary Sheffield is set to be activated. Sheff should be seeing some time at first base upon his return so that it can be determined whether he can learn quick enough to play the position adequately in October. In reality, he should be competing with Giambi for the postseason starting job. With the offense as potent as it is already, Melky Cabrera should stay in the field to make the defense as good as possible. Giambi has not hit much at all lately, and his hitting against lefties has just been abysmal. He has already started his excuse machine about his wrist hurting him, a built in excuse that will make it easy for him to underperform. If Sheffield can close to the way he’s capable of, Giambi should be riding the pine. Sheffield is going to have a tough time learning to play first base, but it’s not like the options of Giambi or Craig Wilson are that much better. If Jason cannot produce, for the short run, he should be the odd man out. He can be a pinch hitter. While it might be doubtful that Joe Torre would bench such a star, it could very well be in the team’s best interest.

The Yanks are now one game away from joining the Mets as divisional champions. They should try and clinch as soon as possible. It will give the players a nice mental break after a long season. The games will not mean all that much, although getting homefield advantage would be nice. The Yanks did not get a break like that last season, and that at least played a minor role in their ALDS loss. This would also allow Joe Torre to rest up his key guys, getting them fresh for October. In addition, some young guys would get more experience and perhaps a chance to catch the team’s eye. The Yanks have a 2 foot putt on the 1st hole. There is still a long way to go to finish this round, but it behooves them to overcome the first obstacle as timely as possible.

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1:38:58 PM EDT

The Yankees lost a chance to win the A.L. East title yesterday after being swept by the Red Sox in the Bronx. Boston won the opener by a 6-3 score and the nightcap 5-4. The Yanks had a chance to win both games of the rivals’ third doubleheader of the season and second in two days. A sweep would have clinched a ninth consecutive division title for the Bronx Bombers. Instead, the celebration was delayed for a few days at least.

The key point of the first game came in the top of the 7th inning. The score was tied 2-2 as Jaret Wright and Kyle Snyder had both pitched superb games. Coco Crisp stood at first base with 2 outs and Ron Villone on the mound. Villone made a great pickoff move, freezing Crisp well off first base. Craig Wilson ran out to tag Coco, and Crisp went well outside the basepath to evade the tag and return to first. When a runner leaves the designated basepath to avoid a tag, he should be ruled out. However, Mike Estabrook disregarded this rule and called Crisp safe back at first. This was an egregious call that cost the Yankees dearly as Boston roughed up Villone for 4 runs after the pickoff that should have ended the inning. The game was pretty much over from there as Villone continued his recent tailspin. Ron has struggled so greatly that he should no longer be counted on in big spots. The performance of most relievers is very volatile. There can be dominant for stretches as Villone was earlier in 2006 and simply awful for others as Villone is now. Managers need to play the hot hand when dealing with their bullpens except for elite guys like Mariano Rivera. Ron should be banished to mopup duty until he regains his form. He has fallen off a cliff, possibly due in part to being arguably overused. At any rate, the new hot guy, Brian Bruney needs to slide into Villone’s spot as the games get bigger. There’s no question that the atrocious umpiring was the biggest reason for that loss, but Villone has to overcome that kind of adversity. His inability to makes him a major liability as we head into October unless he can get his act together in a hurry. The Yankees also have 9 men left on base to blame for the loss, including 3 in the 4th when New York loaded the bases with no outs against Snyder but could not deliver the knockout blow. 

The second game appeared to be going better for New York during most of the night. Mike Mussina was at his best, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings of work. His only blemish was a 2 run homer by Trot Nixon. Seeing Moose tune up for the postseason like that is a very welcomed sign. Unfortunately for the Yanks, their bats were cold against Kevin Jarvis. The young righty was able to lower his astronomical ERA to 8.00 by holding the Yanks to 3 earned runs in 5.2 innings.  New York was still in a position to win, but the team was let down by the bullpen as Scott Proctor, Mike Myers, and Kyle Farnsworth each gave up 1 run in 1 inning of work, turning a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 loss. Mariano Rivera cannot get back soon enough from an elbow injury that seems mild but is still alarming considering it deals with the elbow.

There really was not much to say about either of Sunday’s games. The Yanks let both get away from them thanks to a lack of situational hitting, poor relief pitching, and bad luck. It’s a good thing that they are so far ahead in the East because had these games been significant, the team would be reeling at this point, trying to recover for the stretch run. The Yanks can just brush these off, however. They still are in total control of their own destiny. At this point, the focus is October. This team just needs to work out all of the kinks.

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11:10:28 AM EDT The Yankees and Red Sox spilt the first of two weekend doubleheaders yesterday at Yankee Stadium. Boston won the first game by a 5-2 margin. The Yanks bounced back to take the nightcap 7-5. Now the teams' reward for playing a pair of games in one day is the chance to play two more on Sunday.

Boston's win was due mainly to a terrific outing by Josh Beckett, a rare sight this season. New York's only offense against the righty was a 2 run homer by Robinson Cano in the 2nd. Aside from that, Beckett was dominant. When an offense is kept off the board, the cause can either be a subpar outing by the offense or a completely overpowering pitching outing. This was a case of the second. Despite his struggles this season, Beckett is talented enough to take a game over by himself. That is why Boston acquired him in the offseason. He certainly showed the Yankees that this is true back in the 2003 World Series. He might not have performed this way in 2006, but yesterday's outing was a flash of what Josh is capable of. The Yanks had no chance yesterday against Boston's relatively young gun.

Chien-Ming Wang was solid in a losing effort. Wang pitched 5 innings of 3 run ball, not his best work but a decent Jaret Wright style outing. He kept the Yanks in the game on a day when he clearly was not in top form. The Sox had 9 hits, but Wang stranded them all, except for 3 in the 4th. The recipe was there for disaster, but New York's newly annointed ace left the game with his team still in it. That is the kind of outing that pitchers need to produce when they do not have their best stuff. The loss in this game guarantees that Wang will not win 20 games in 2006, which is unfortunate given how well he has pitched. His emergence has helped springboard the Yankees to a commanding A.L. East lead. He deserves 20 wins. However, that is only a number. Most important is the team's success. If he is really good enough, he will get there one day.

The one shining star for the Yanks in this game was Brian Bruney. The young righty struck out 5 Red Sox in 1.2 innings. His ERA stood at 0.63 after the game. Bruney has been a surprise success for the Yankees since he was called up from AAA. He has earned Joe Torre's trust and is now a key part of the bullpen. There is no question that he should be on the postseason roster at this point and play an integral role. Francisco Rodriguez and Bobby Jenks are flamethrowers who emerged from the minor leagues late in seasons to help their teams win championships in the past five years. Bruney has a chance to become the latest. For all that is made out of the Yankee payroll, Bruney is an example of why the team is successful. Brian Cashman knows what he is doing. Arizona dumped Brian, and the Yanks jumped on the chance to get a hard-thrower in his 20's. Now the Yanks are reaping the rewards.

The game was a sad one because it marked the end of Jim Kaat's broadcast career. Kaat, a longtime Yankees broadcaster, threw out the first pitch and made a brief stop in FOX's broadcast booth. Friday's rained out contest was supposed to be his last, but he stayed in New York for one last day to let his fans say goodbye. Kitty was a pleasure to listen to. His points about pitching were incredibly insightful. His stories about his playing days (He was a borderline Hall of Fame pitcher) were always pleasant, as was his demeanor. He also was a brilliant analyst and one who was not afraid to criticize when it was deserved, a trait that has sadly gone by the wayside in this day and age as announcers employed by the team are hesitant to become too critical. Perhaps the best praise I can give Jim Kaat as a broadcaster is that he told me as a fan things that I would not have picked up on my own. There aren't many who do that, and that is the top job of the broadcaster. Happy retirement, Kitty.

In the nightcap, New York's bats made sure that there would be no sweep. The Yanks scored 1 in the 1st to go ahead and 2 in the 4th, 6th, and 7th, erasing defecits of 3-1 and 5-3 to register the 7-5 win. Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada both had 3 hits, and Bernie Williams had 2 RBI's in a total team offense effort to pound Boston's pitching.

Cabrera raised his average to .288. He probably will lose a lot of playing time with Gary Sheffield set to return. That does not seem right. He has done a superb job filling in this year when the team needed him. He is the kind of guy whose game is built for the postseason. Melky is a contact hitter has thirved under pressure and plays good defense. Both of these things are essential to October baseball, much more than in the regular season. This is especially true of defense. Over the course of a 162 game season, a talented offensive player can outhit his mistakes in the field. However, there are not as many chances to do so in the postseason. One defensive lapse could be the difference between advancing and going home. Teams need to maximize their defense if itdoes not mean sacrificing too much offense. Melky has proven that he can hit, and he is a marked defensive upgrade over anything else that the Yanks can put in leftfield. This will not happen, but in the short term, the Yanks might be better off leaving Melky in the lineup instead of a player like Sheffield who is actually better. Melky's contact approach would make for a more diversified offense given how many boppers are already there. Three men need to prove that they are over wrist ailments, Hideki Matsui, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield. They should be split the two spots of DH and first base. Sheffield, a former infielder should be tried out at first to see if he can become a defensive upgrade over Giambi. The hot hands should be played. The odd man out for the day would stay as a pinch hitter for late in the game. It sounds insane to bench high-priced talent for a guy in Melky, who over the long haul is inferior. Giambi, Sheffield, and Matsui are elite hitters. Many would view removing one from the lineup as insane. However, for one month, defensive trumps everything else, considering how deep New York's lineup is. It's better to enter October with an offense worth 9 and a defense worth 6 than to go in with a 10 offense and a 3 defense. In 2007, Melky probably heads to the bench or back tothe minors because he cannot do as much as the big hitters, who will have enough time to use their offense to make up for defensive lapses.

Randy Johnson was iffy, giving up 5 runs over 5.2 innings. Randy has either been very good or very bad this season. There have been few solid but unspectacular starts for the Big Unit. Where Wang has been decent even without his best stuff, Johnson has not been good. We are past the point of being able to figure it out. Joe Torre and Ron Guidry just need to pray that Randy Johnson brings his good stuff to the mound in October. The only good from this thing is that the aging and fading star avoided injury in this contest. He needs to stay sharp and to stay healthy going into the postseason. Johnson was bailed out by both his offense and an effective bullpen as the emerging Bruney, Scott Proctor, and Kyle Farnsworth shut the Sox down over the last 3.1 innings to preserve the win.

The Yanks knocked 2 games off Boston's dim comeback hopes. They made it through Saturday exactly where they started. The only way that the Yanks can lose the division is if losses start to snowball, while Boston picks up steam. This series is somewhat dangerous because it could start an effect like that. By splitting these games, New York has made sure that this will not happen. With a sweep in today's doubleheader, the Yanks win the East. Even if they don't, Boston is on borrowed time in the division race. They need an absolute miracle.


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