Dude. Just call the darned game.

It's September 11, a cold, rainy, windy, icky night.

Derek Jeter has broken the hits record--which is what about 80% of the fans paid way, way over market value to see...then again, you can't place a value on it...yadda yadda...

Anyway.

The Yankees, barring an Angels 1995-like collapse (in which case their problems become many), are going to the postseason.

The Orioles are going golfing in October.

It's nearly midnight, and the two teams have to play again at 1 PM the next day.

They have already played not just five, but six innings. The Yankees lost their lead, but they also had their at bat.

It's a 10-6--not a tied or even a close, even by 09 Yankee standards, game.

Why, on earth, was the game not called?

I know New York is the city that never sleeps and all that, but seriously?



Also worth noting here: via various updates on Twitter tonight, even when the game restarted at 12.40, with about 900 fans still in attendance, ushers were still checking tickets.

Dude, I know you're bored, but really?

I know New York doesn't have a reputation for being the friendliest city in the world, but seriously?

If the few hundred people in attendance can't be allowed to move down to the lower level in an empty stadium, I'm not sure what to say. I'm not talking about moving down to the Legends seats; I'm just talking about moving down from the grandstand.

These things make me a very, very grumpy fan.

Yankees Sweep Baltimore; Rivera out with Tight Groin (Postgame Notes 2 September 2009)

View my complete recap at The Yankee Universe

• Marc Carig and Pete Abraham are reporting that Mariano Rivera has tightness in his groin and will miss a few days but could be back by the weekend.

• Sabathia struggled early--five hits in two--but picked it up afterwards and held Baltimore to one run.

• The Yankee offense exploded for seven runs in the 9th.

• All Eric Hinske does is come off the bench and hit HRs.
  

Bombs and Bullpen back Burnett (postgame notes 1 September (!!) 2009)

For a full recap, please check out my post on The Yankee Universe any time after midnight.

Notes:

• Handed leads of 3-1 and then 5-3, Burnett could maintain neither, and while he only walked two, he did surrender eleven hits.

• The offense was Bronx Bombing at its best: five home runs, from Robinson Canó (who's hitting somewhere around .480 against Baltimore), Jorge Posada (who hit two, including one after he forgot the count and thought he had struck out!), Nick Swisher (whose home/road splits in the words of Girardi are "mind-boggling"), and Eric Hinske.

• Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera combined to hold the Orioles scoreless for 3.2 innings.

• The Orioles have been mathematically eliminated from AL East contention tonight.
  

Pettitte takes Perfecto into the 7th (Postgame Notes 31 August 2009)

Throughout his career, Andy Pettitte has been known as a second half pitcher.

That was never more apparent than it was tonight, where Pettitte pitched eight two-hit innings of baseball--he took a perfect game into two outs in the seventh and lost it only when Jerry Hairston Jr did his best Bill Buckner impression at third, filling in for Alex Rodriguez.

The Yankees scored their own five runs--it's a road game, so of course Swisher had a home run and was a triple away from the cycle--but the story of the game is easily Pettitte.

Pettitte was so good that even when he did lose the perfect game and the no-hitter (lost on a clean single), and the game was only 2-0 at the time, Pettitte still got himself out of the inning without allowing a run. Pettitte would allow a lead-off home run to Melvin Mora, but by that time the Yankees were leading by five.

Pettitte's ERA since the all-star break is 2.56--and despite CC Sabathia having lost only one August game in the past two seasons, one could make the argument right now that Pettitte is pitching better than anyone else on the Yankees' staff.

In the end, tonight's game is exactly what should have happened when the team with the league's best record plays one of the cellar-dwellers: Good pitching, enough offense and the other team never really has a chance.

(For what it's worth, though, Brian Bruney has quite a bit of work to do to if he really really wants to be on that postseason roster...)

What's Another Walk Off? (Postgame Notes 20 July 2009)

Walk off hits for the Yankees this season:

Melky Cabrera (3)
Alex Rodriguez (1)
Jorge Posada (2)
Johnny Damon (1)
Luis Castillo (1)
Hideki Matsui (1)

Nine walk off wins this season and we're in the middle of July.

All of last season, the Yankees had nine walk-off wins.

There's something in the air this season. There's got to be. The Yankees are 16-5 in their last 21 games.

In the past four games the Yankees have scored only 11 runs--and this at the New Yankee Stadium in the middle of summer.

The Yankees are also 4-0 in that time, which includes a sweep of the first-place Tigers. Some decent pitching--starting and bullpen, indeed, and Sergio Mitre can worry about being Sergio Mitre and not any sort of stopper.


Sure the Yankees have issues, like that Chien Ming Wang felt pain in his shoulder while playing catch today and is now shut down until Friday, but walk off wins--not including ones won on pop-ups--have a way of making those worries disappear.

At least, that is, until the next game.


At any rate, the last time the Yankees were this many games above .500 was the last day of the 2007 season.

It's good to be there again.

This One's For the 'Pen: Yankees win 9th in a row despite injury to Joba (Postgame Notes 21 May 2009)

Even when things go wrong for the Yankees now-a-days, they're going right.

Leaving the game in the first with an injury, Joba Chamberlain being hurt could have been the ultimate blow that quashed the Yanks' winning streak.

It wasn't.

Instead of giving in, the Yankees offense took advantage of an ineffective Adam Eaton, scoring seven runs early and not looking back.

The bullpen fashioned three solid innings from Alfredo Aceves, two and a third bend-but-don't-break innings from Jonathan Albaladejo, one and two thirds pretty-darn-good-considering innings from José Veras, and one good ole' fashioned inning from Mariano Rivera and won their ninth in a row.

Just think, even as recently as two weeks ago, the idea of the bullpen having to pitch 8.1 innings would have sent the Yankees' universe into a tailspin.

Even the lingering specter--that of Joba's injury--was alleviated with the announcement that x-rays were negative and Joba had a bruised knee.

Now, there's no saying whether or not the knee's going to swell much or otherwise make life miserable, but it's not broken and the injury is not to a shoulder or an elbow. All things considered, it's the best possible outcome for such an injury.

The Yankees, on the strength of three straight doubles in the first and home runs from Robinson Canó, who excelled out of the two-spot tonight, and Hideki Matsui, swept the Orioles.

This may seem unremarkable, but then when one remembers that the Yankees may have missed out on the playoffs last year due to their inability to beat cellar-dwelling teams, this is a refreshing sight.

At the very least, even if Philadelphia comes in and sweeps the Yankees (which, obviously, I hope does not happen), the Yankees will still have gone 7-3 on a 10 game home stand.

They have not one nine in a row since 2007; AJ Burnett and co. have a chance to make it ten in a row tomorrow.

***

I'm headed to the game tomorrow evening. Section 118, row 28. If you're going, stop by and say hi.

Yankees vs Orioles, 21 May 2009: A Liveblog

4.35 PM: Some really interesting going-ons today

1) The White Sox and Padres had worked out a Jake Peavy deal, but it looks like Peavy didn't like the idea and used his NTC to get out of it.

2) The Brewers and Padres pulled off a Tony Gwynn Jr-for-Jody Gerut trade.

3) The Minnesota Twins are currently up on the ChiSox 20-0 and there's still another inning to play.

4) Yankees lineup, from @Yesnetwork:
Jeter SS
Canó 2B
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera LF
Cervelli C
Gardner CF


I'm not entirely sure why Canó is batting second, but I am assuming Johnny D is just getting a night off.


4.50 PM: I'm always wrong. From LoHud:

Josh reports that Phil Hughes will get another start. Hughes will start Monday in Texas. Chien-Ming Wang will pitch a minor league game tomorrow.

“We just want to see him have the stuff he had in the bullpen,” Girardi said.

Johnny Damon wrenched his neck jumping for Adam Jones home run yesterday. He is sore but Girardi hopes its only one day. “He’s a little sore.”

It doesn't seem like Damon's hurt too bad, but even so there's no being too cautious, especially with a neck.


5.40 PM: There's a rumor going around that Phil Hughes has asked to go to the bullpen when Wang returns to the rotation. If/when I get this from an official source I'll say so. For now, it might just be pointless rumblings.

5.42 PM: Now I'm hearing it was Girardi per WFAN.

5.57 PM: Phil Coke is a game time decision after getting hit on the shoulder yesterday.

7.03 PM: Yeah, old news now, but Peavy officially rejected the trade.

7.17 PM: Joba kind of couldn't get out of the way of an Adam Jones liner; he's in the game now, but we'll see if there are any effects.

7.19 PM: It looks like the Yankees are going to go to the bullpen. We have to hope that Joba's injury is not serious. And that the Yankees can piece this together with the bullpen.

7.31 PM: Guess Robbie's okay hitting second out of the line up.

7.41 PM: Melky is so clutch. Even lets the runs score before getting tagged out. 4-0 Yankees and Aceves and co. have some breathing room.

7.48 PM: I don't know which of the Yankees scouts signed Aceves, but he deserves a huge bonus check.

7.57 PM: Robinson Canó has three RBI and it's only the second inning. That ball probably doesn't get out at the old park, but it is at least a gapper.

8.11 PM: Ken Singleton asked Michael Kay if he remembered Ramiro Mendoza and then corrected that to Mario Mendoza, but an Aceves/Ramiro Mendoza comparison here seems more apt.

I'm not sure how much longer the Yanks let Mendoza Aceves go, but that might depend on what the Yanks do in the bottom of the inning.

8.14 PM: The longer we go without hearing about Joba, the more I worry.

8.27 PM: Can we give Aceves a medal here? And how the heck did this team go so long without a long man, given what Aceves has done? It's like Ramiro Mendoza spawned.

8.35 PM: Looks like Aceves is coming back out to start the fifth. I can't say I'm entirely fond of this idea. He's thrown 50 pitches so far. I know he's a starter, but he threw two innings last night

8.37 PM: And I am wrong yet again. Albaladejo is in. And he promptly serves one up to Brian Roberts. Now 6-1 Yanks.

8.40 PM: Only an eight pitch inning there. I can live with Roberts' solo HR, especially if the Yankees can tack on. Also, it means Albaladejo should be okay for the sixth, too. And then would you go Veras-Bruney-Mo? Or Veras-Bruney-Bruney? Or Veras-Bruney-Tomko? Or any combination thereof in which you can stay away from Phil Coke who is slightly injured?

8.49 PM: I know it's a bandbox, but as long as the Yanks keep hitting absolute bombs like that, I'm okay with it.

9.02 PM: And now it's a 7-3 game as Wigginton has a PH double. Albaladejo really needs to get the last out here before Baltimore gets any closer.

9.04 PM: That works. Yanks head to the bottom of the sixth with a four run lead. This would not have happened if the Yanks needed 8 innings from the pullpen as recently as three weeks ago.

9.11 PM: Word from YES is Joba X-rays are negative and he has a bruised right knee. That could have been so much worse.

9.15 PM



You see where that "I" is supposed to be in the big Mac sign?

Pujols took that out.


And A-Rod grounds out with the bases loaded. So unclutch.

(Photo credit Matthew H Leach/St Louis Cardinals)

9.20 PM: Markakis with a solo shot and now 7-4 Yankees. Albaladejo is likely gassed, but I'm not sure you can trust Veras with a three run lead. Guess we're gonna find out.

9.32 PM: Yankees could have used a run there but it was not to be. Somehow they have to fashion six outs out of the remaining relievers and I don't know if they go to Mo after a four out save last night, albeit a 14 pitch only appearance.

9.41 PM: Veras worked into and out of trouble there. The Yanks will go to the ninth with a three run lead.

9.48 PM: George Sherrill looked good there. It is now up to Mo. We'll see if there's any effects from last night.

Yankees Ride Back to Back to Back Home Runs to 8th Straight Victory (Postgame Notes 20 May 2009)

When things go right, they really go right.

For instance, today was likely Phil Hughes' last start before Chien Ming Wang comes back to the rotation. He needed to impress.

So he struck out nine in five innings while only walking one.


Nick Swisher had been slumping something awful at the Stadium.

So he hit a home run, which was only the first of three back-to-back-to-back home runs that the Yankees hit in the second inning, each getting progressively bomb-ier.


After Hughes' short outing the Yankees needed a good performance from the middle relievers.

So Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke combined to throw two and two-thirds scoreless innings (with some help from Johnny Damon).


After Mariano Rivera got the last out in the eighth, Yankees fans were praying for an insurance run or two so that Mo didn't have to sweat the ninth.

So the Yankees scored six runs in the bottom of the inning--and every runner to reach scoring position in the inning scored.

And then Mo pitched the ninth, anyway, saving Albaldejo, Bruney, Tomko and Veras for another day.



Add it all together and the Yankees have won eight straight, with the guarantee that they will gain on somebody as Toronto and Boston are also doing battle (and it looks like Boston will win).

The Yankees have guaranteed themselves a winning record on the homestand, which could be important as Philadelphia, which comes to town on Friday, is not exactly a pushover.

Yankees vs. Orioles, 20 May 2009: A liveblog

5.08 PM: Kevin Cash gets the start tonight with Hughes on the mound. Otherwise the line up is the same as it's been for most of this winning streak. As they say, if it ain't broke...

Swisher could really use a day off; my guess is that Gardner's shoulder is probably still bothering him.

No word on how the Yanks made out in the kangaroo court. Maybe later.

6.57 PM: Aha! Here we go:

The Yankees held their first Kangaroo Court since 1995 this afternoon at Yankee Stadium, with Mariano Rivera - the elder statesman of the clubhouse - doing the honors as judge. Xavier Nady served as the secretary and court stenographer, and Derek Jeter, A.J. Burnett and Johnny Damon served as the jury.

[...]

The guys seemed to love the process. Nick Swisher did a television interview in Detroit shirtless and Burnett hit him with a $20 fine for that. Phil Coke's wallet was $30 lighter as a result of the home run he served up to the Twins' Joe Mauer. Coke pointed to the drive off the bat, thinking it was a fly ball that could be easily tracked by center fielder Brett Gardner, but the ball carried out and hit the netting over Monument Park. Johnny Damon was fined $100 for showing up late to court, blaming New York City traffic. But no fine was crueler than this one -- Alex Rodriguez got hit for being late ... for the season. "

From Bryan Hoch


For the first time, in a long time, it's way easy to fall in love with these guys.



7.17 PM: Whoa. Guess Phil doesn't want to lose his spot or something. We can have eight more of those? Please Phil?


7.23 PM: Mark Teixeira is on all sorts of fire.

7.27 PM: After an A-Rod HBP, Matsui lines into a DP. Still, Yankees head to the second with a 1-0 lead.

Some sad news: the wife of pitcher Scott Schoenweiss was found dead. Thoughts and prayers are with his family.

7.40 PM: An odd play there to end the second inning, but no harm as the double came before the walk. Not the domination of the first inning, but getting out of it without letting runners score is not something Hughes was able to do last year--or the last time he played Baltimore.

7.45 PM: Now, Swisher just hit his first HR at the new Stadium (finally!), but did you see the air time Markakis got at the wall?

7.47 PM: And now Robbie Canó makes it back to back. Chicks dig the long ball.

7.49 PM: Guess Melky heard me. Three jacks in a row! Alas, I don't think Cash will keep the streak alive, but you never know.

7.56 PM: Interesting to see what Phil does here.

8.04 PM: Again, Hughes gets out of trouble. Runners on the corners with no one out, he gets a strikeout and then a strikeout-throw-em-out double play. Still 4-0 Yankees.

8.12 PM: Two walks and then an RBI single from Canó and now it's 5-0 Yankees.

8.14 PM: Melky just fouled one off his...junk. Ouch. Looks like he's staying in. Ballplayers are pretty tough.

8.22 PM: Deep two run shot for the Orioles. Yankees lead now 5-2, but Phil's got to make some pitches. Don't let the Orioles back in this one.

8.28 PM: That wasn't quite the inning the Yanks wanted to give Guthrie. Kay barely had time to get the trivia question answered.

8.35 PM: Phil doesn't get a call on a pitch and next thing Jones hits it out. Phil's got 8 K's, but has thrown over 80 pitches and isn't yet through the fifth.

8.37 PM: That's nine strike outs for Hughes. Hard to decide what to make of the performance. Not dominating by any stretch; he's thrown too many pitches, but we're through five and the Yankees still have a two run lead. Yankees fans will sit a lot easier if the offense can score some more runs, however.

8.42 PM: Thanks to a double play from A-Rod, Guthrie threw only 7 pitches that inning. The Yanks need to get him out of the game and get into Baltimore's bullpen, but their not doing themselves many favors. Still, a two run lead is still a two run lead.

8.51 PM: Nice inning for Aceves, with some considerable help from Johnny Damon's throwing arm. Yes, you read that right.

8.54 PM: Really wish Yanks would stop swinging at the first pitch there. Guthrie's at 90. 91. Make him work.

8.56 PM: So are the Yanks trying to avoid Baltimore's bullpen? Or something?

9.02 PM: Aceves is ace. Speaking of which, we need a catchy nickname for the shaved heads of Bruney, Coke and Aceves. "The three guys that can get outs" doesn't quite have a ring to it.

9.10 PM: Man, the Yankee offense kinda went dead, didn't it? Here's hoping the bullpen can (continue) to do its job.

9.13 PM: And Adam Jones hits Coke with a liner back to the mound and Coke can't find the ball. Tying run is now at the plate.

9.16 PM: "Mo how close are you?" That's all you need to know about Girardi's faith in Veras.

9.19 PM: Asking Mo for a four out save here.

9.31 PM: Robinson Canó has lifetime pretty bad numbers with the bases chucked, but if there was ever a time to get an RBI, even just one, that was it. Well done. 6-3 Yankees.

9.35 PM: Melky keeps the carousel moving.

9.37 PM: Kevin Cash gets in on the action with a sac fly. 8-3 Yankees.

9.39 PM: Some more Jeterian clutch. Now 10-3 Yankees. They need a home run to cap it off.

9.43 PM: Okay, no home runs that inning, but six runs scored anyway, 11-3 Yanks, and Mo doesn't have to pitch the ninth. If Albaladejo can't get it done I'm sure one of Bruney or Tomko can.

9.45 PM: Okay, Mo is still in there. I know the bullpen's been problematic...but I have to believe this was Mo's call.

9.49 PM: Mo serves up a solo HR but in an 11-4 game, that's not a huge deal. They have won eight in a row now.

CC Dealing, Teixeira and A-Rod Smashing, Yankees Winning (Postgame Notes 19 May 2009)

A Yankees fan could get used to this.

For his third start in a row, CC Sabathia was great--tonight going seven innings giving up just three hits and one earned run; two of the hits and the one run in the first inning.

For the second game in a row, both Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez homered, and for Alex, it was his fourth game in a row with a home run.

The two sluggers are getting it done--while Alex hasn't been getting the singles or the doubles that Teixeira is, he's making up for them with home runs, most of them no doubters in any stadium.

While this game turned into a laugher, for most of the game, it was a tight 2-1 score.

Sabathia's dominant performance might not seem so important, but at the time it was. Baltimore scored one run in the top of the first; the Yankees responded with two via an A-Rod jack in the bottom of the inning, and then neither team did much of anything.

At one point Sabathia retired 12 straight birds while the O's starter Bergesen retired 13 straight Yankees, and it seemed the game would end up a good, old fashioned pitcher's duel.

That, however, did not count on Baltimore's bullpen.

After the first two Yankee baserunners reached in the seventh, O's manager called upon once-highly-touted-closing-prospect Chris Ray. A single, error, double and home run later, he was unable to record a single out, and the score had gone from 2-1 to 9-1.

The good news continued for the Yankees, as Brian Bruney was able to enter in the eighth inning for his first appearance since going on the DL and pitched a one-two-three inning.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what the $200 million team looks like.

A starting pitcher that keeps the team in the game (or, in CC's case, is utterly dealing), an offense that does enough against good pitching and crushes bad, and a bullpen that comes in and does it's job so proficiently that you don't notice.

The Yankees have now won seven straight, and are five games over .500 for the first time this season.

Yankees vs Orioles, 19 May 2009: A Liveblog

5.39 PM: Sabathia's on the mound for the Yanks and Matsui is back in the line up, batting fifth as DH. Alex Rodriguez is also playing third; hopefully, then, the Yanks won't need the defense they needed last night!

Also, Brian Bruney is slated to come off the DL and the NY Post is reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers will play in the Bronx next year.

5.56 PM: Apparently Michael Kay is not too fond of AJ Burnett's walk-off pies. I am not quite sure how to express this politely, but I'll try. These guys are paid to play a game. They're having some fun with it. It's not like murdering babies out there. So what. the. hell. is the big deal if they eat a few whipped cream pies?

6.26 PM: No word yet on who's getting the hook for Bruney. The Yanks are taking a while with this one...but can it be all that hard to go eeny-meany-miny-mo between Veras, Edwar and Albaladejo?

6.45 PM: And Edwar Ramirez is the lucky winner of the Scranton Express!

7.15 PM: Not entirely sure why CC didn't field the ball right there. Baltimore has two on and none out.

7.19 PM: Nice effort by Teixeira to try to get the double play at home, but Roberts is simply too quick. 1-0 Baltimore, two outs.

7.31 PM: Alex Rodriguez has homered in four straight games. I could so get used to this.

7.37 PM: I am a rare breed, a Yankees/Nets fan. There should be more of us, given our teams, you know, share a channel.

7.43 PM: 1-2-3 inning for CC. The first ball was hit hard, but the second was a harmless fly out and the third a strike out. 2-1 Yanks after 1.5.

7.48 PM: Eight pitch inning for the O's there. Canó's liner was ticketed for center field, but it was caught. Swisher's slumping something horrible; Cabrera had a ground out.

7.56 PM: Sabathia seems to have found the magic juice. I could get used to this, again.

8.03 PM: So we're headed to the fourth inning...I think this time last night we were still in the first.

8.05 PM: Alfredo Aceves, Brian Bruney and Phil Coke are sitting next to each other in the bullpen. This otherwise unremarkable occurrence is notable because they all have shaved heads. Aceves is the only one, speaking as a female, that can pull it off.

8.10 PM: Have I mentioned that I like this CC?

8.16 PM: It's good CC's doing what he's doing because the Yankees' offense hasn't done anything since A-Rod's homer.

8.29 PM: A single and a walk for the O's, but CC works out of further trouble.

8.35 PM: Someone oughta tell the Yankees offense it's, you know, okay to reach base.

8.40 PM: Six pitch inning for CC. Maybe the offense does something now. Maybe not. We'll find out.

8.58 PM: Yanks missed an opportunity there. But hey, at least they got some baserunners. Maybe next inning they'll score.

9.09 PM: CC through seven good innings, but the pitch count is up there. Tough call to send him out for the 8th or toss Bruney right into the fire.

9.24 PM: Hey look! Another run! 3-1 Yankees.

9.28 PM: A hit by Jeter scores two and the Cervelli scores on the throwing error by Adam Jones, and it's now a 6-1 game. And one doesn't need to worry about who pitches the 8th--perfect time for Bruney to get an inning, though CC probably wants it himself.

9.32 PM: That was awesome, utterly crushed by Teixeira. He's playing like he's worth $180 million of late. Now Bruney can let the O's score three runs next inning and not even break a sweat (but I doubt he so chooses).

9.46 PM: Oh Brian Bruney, we have missed thee.

Yankees Ride Three HRs, Good Bullpen to Victory (Postgame Notes 10 May 2009)

It was some old-fashioned Bronx Bombing that won the game for the Yankees today.

Joba Chamberlain continued to struggle in the first inning--giving up a three-run home run to Aubrey Huff in the first--but he settled down after that, and the Orioles did not score another run.

It was not Joba's best effort, but six innings and three runs is both enough for a quality start and a win, and the Yankees got just that.

To be quite honest here, Joba's putting together a quality start was the best possible retaliation for Aubrey Huff's home run fist-pump (which itself was a retaliation for Joba's fist pump). It puts Joba on a higher plane, above the fracas and hubbub about an issue that really should not matter.

For the Yanks, they received solo home runs from Mark Teixeira in the first, and Robinson Canó in the seventh, but the biggest blow was Johnny Damon's three-run home run in the seventh with two outs.

The important thing here is, perhaps, not that Damon hit the home run (he's had an XB hit in each of his last seven games), but how the runners got on base before him.

Francisco Cervelli has not played even a week in the Majors, and is certainly not in there for his bat, but when he does put bat on ball, he does the little things right. Like today, when he hustled down the line to beat out an infield single--I'm not quite sure I remember the last time a Yankee catcher had anything resembling speed, but with two outs, that single play changed the outcome of the game.

Derek Jeter followed with another infield single, though with Melvin Mora playing back, that nubber was more obviously going to be an infield hit than Cervelli's--which had been grounded to the second baseman.

With those two on base, the Yankees' hottest bat came up to the plate, and did his thing.

It's probably not much of a surprise that Damon's playing for a contract here, but if he keeps hitting like this it won't be a very hard question to answer.

The bullpen today, in Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera did their job. They may be the only relievers that Girardi can trust, but that trust is not misplaced. Rivera's earned it over a fifteen-plus year career; Coke's done it in a few months.

***


I would like to wish all mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day.

Yankees at Orioles, 10 May 2009: A Liveblog

1.43 PM: Have a massive, massive migraine. Will do the best I can.

Solo HR there for Teixeira, and thus Joba has a lead.

1.44 PM: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

1.58 PM: Three run home run for the Orioles there. Joba's thumb looks like its bothering him, but Girardi doesn't seem to want to admit it.

2.16 PM: Nothing doing there. Canó has a one out double, but Melky grounds out and Cervelli pops out.

2.23 PM: What is it with Joba and the first inning?

2.46 PM: Joba struggled with his command there but was able to get a GIDP to end the inning.

3.18 PM: Ugh. Just ugh. It's the @$#@$ Orioles.

3.50 PM: Robbie Canó just hit a solo HR and it's now 3-2 Orioles.

3.54 PM: Cervelli playing that game right; his hustle makes him safe at first. I wasn't aware catchers could run.

3.59 PM: If you're going to extend a hitting streak, do it right. Like a three-run home run on a 3-2 count with two outs in the seventh to put your team up, 5-3.

4.11 PM: Phil Coke may be the one reliable pitcher in the Yankees' bullpen till Bruney gets back. Even Mo has had his share of struggles.

4.22 PM: Girardi may not have faith in anyone other than Coke, but the faith in Coke is not misplaced.

Game 30: NY Yankees at Baltimore Orioles

Greetings! Elizabeth here from Blogging the Mystique to pinch-blog for Rebecca, who's at her brand-new nephew's snip-snip bris.

I missed the top of the 1st because my Firefox was refusing to load, so let's start things off with the...

Bottom of the 1st
Alex Rodriguez did not homer in his first at-bat today, so the masses can start booing him again.

Important Yankee notes:

Brett Tomko is at Oriole Park at Camden Yards after being called up today in place of David Robertson, who must be racking up the frequent flier miles this season. I still say don't sleep on the kid. He's got good, strikeout stuff. Meanwhile, Brett Tomko will get another chance to prove himself after struggling with multiple teams.

Two hard-hit balls so far for Hughesy. Man, that Adam Jones can hit. My brother's the world's biggest Orioles fan and the kid was on the moon after Jones came to the Orioles for Mr. Disabled List Erik Bedard.

I'd like to see a lot more of Nick Markakis popping out this season. The right-fielder my brother called a "Greek God of Baseball" is quickly becoming an elite player. Watch for him in St. Louis this July.

(How goofy is Cervelli's throwing motion back to the pitcher?)

Nice inning for Hughes, despite the double over the bag. He threw 16 pitches.

Top of the 2nd
Nice to hear Michael Kay backpedaling about his "driven deep to right field" calls on mid-range pop flies.

...Except he just did it again.

It's pretty clear that tonight's HP umpire (Jeff Nelson--no relation) isn't going to call that ridiculous inside pitch tonight. Pitch FX tells me that at least three of the Yankees hitters' strikeouts last night were on balls in the hitter's own batter's box.

I'm puzzled as to why an umpire's never whacked Robbie in the head for tapping his shin guards.

The Yankees really shouldn't be helping out Eaton. Newsflash, Bombers: he's not a good pitcher.


Bottom of the 2nd
Hey, there's Luke Scott. I was wondering where he was last night.

Kay and Singy talking about Girardi's unpopularity in the Bronx lately. Kay mentioned Girardi hoping he'll be embraced--"turn the team around," he said. It's been my opinion that Girardi is creating a toxic atmosphere for his team--that his weakness is not in his in-game managing but in how he manages the personalities on his team. I hope he can release some of the pressure he appears to put on his ballclub, but I'm not sure how someone like Girardi would go about doing that.

Big error by Swisher. Luke Scott had stopped at third and Swisher inexplicably decided to throw all the way to home plate, missed every single cutoff in the process. Now the Orioles have 2nd and third and no one out. 1-0 Orioles

Phil Hughes is in big danger of the wheels falling off his start, here. I really love that phrase, don't I? And I always use it incorrectly.

Bases loaded. Still no one out.

Sac fly for Brian Roberts. 2-0 Orioles. The Yankees should be able to make these runs up against Eaton. Should being the operative word.

Oh for goodness sakes... 3-0 Orioles. Who are these Yankees?

4-0 Orioles. I need to stop live-blogging here. I'm really bad luck. I still think the Yankees can make the runs up, though. The next inning or so should give us a clue about whether or not the offense shows up. Meanwhile, how soon is Wang coming back?

I'm assuming the rest of this eight-year contract isn't going to be so cringe-inducing. Right? Right?

Is Aceves warming up yet? 7-0 Orioles on Aubry Huff's 3-run home run. I don't think the Yankees should be able to make up this deficit, but it would certainly be nice if they did.

Why is Edwar warming up and not Aceves? In case he has to come in mid-inning?

I'm going to interrupt this lovely evening of baseball to pimp out my newest blog post: Thank You, Selena Roberts

Classy. Boo a 22 year old kid off the mound.

You know how sometimes you're watching your favorite team play and the opposing team sends in reliever after reliever and every single one boasts phenomenal numbers? Yeah. I wonder what opposing fans think when they see the Yankees bullpen door open?

Thanks, Ramirez. I'm sure that Hughes could have done that. 8-0 Orioles

Cue the sarcastic claps and the YES music....

Top of the 3rd
In case anyone is unaware, I'm the world's biggest Melky Cabrera fan. To that end...

That was a brilliant pitch by Cy Young contender Adam Eaton. Melky was just a little bit late on it.

The Yankees are really making a statement with their bats, aren't they?

Bottom of the 3rd. Seriously? That's all?
Nice play by Cano. Coulda used a few of those last inning.

I really do love Baltimore. The inner harbor is beautiful. Camden Yards is beautiful, too.

How great is the Yankee pitching this year? 9-0 Orioles. The good news is the Yankees only need 10 straight solo home runs to take the lead!

Top of the 4th
Rebecca will be back in a few.

Leadoff walk to Tex. Hey, if Teixeira and Alex get really hot at the same time, do you think the nickname "Tex-Rod" will catch on?

No? Well I'll try it.

So why is Brett Gardner on the Yankees' website under All-Star voting? How can I change this? Do you think I could start a grassroots "Vote Melky" campaign?

Hey! Tex-Rod walked! (It's catchy, right?)

Ducks on a pond!

Remember when everyone thought Swisher could hit for average? 9-1 Orioles on the sac fly by Swish.

Remember when Cano was hitting? GIDP. End of the inning.

Bottom of the 4th
Is it me or does Edwar often look completely clueless on the mound? Veras gets the same look on his face. It certainly doesn't make me feel great.

This game is virtually unwatchable. See what I do for you guys? Do you see? This is called sacrifice. 11-1 Orioles

Top of the 5th
Melky! Hey, Melky! Hi! That was a nice hit!

*ahem* Sorry. I get a little bit carried away. Double by Melky. He's now hit in 12 out of his last 13 games.

Little bit of comic relief there as Cervelli scares the bejeezus out of himself by letting his bat fly against the wall.

A fun little Melky stat for you: As a starter this year, Melky is now hitting .348 going into today's game.

2-run homer for Damon as the Yankees baby-step closer. 11-3 Orioles. And that was made possible by Melky's double. I'm just saying.

Well, I'm out, guys and gals! Rebecca will take her blog back. Enjoy the rest of the massacre game!

9.26 PM: Well now, that was a long day. I feel bad for my nephew...today was the bris, if you know what I mean, and now this! But if you'd like to see a picture of aunt and nephew you can see so here.

Yankees at Orioles, 8 May 2009: THE RETURN OF A-ROD (*cue spooky music*)

3.37 PM: Is it a coincidence that the sun is shining up here in the Bronx today and the Yankees are down in Baltimore?! I think not!

3.37 PM: Per Rotoworld, Melancon down, Cash up, and someone else is gonna get the good ole' DFA for A-Rod, though we don't know who yet (probably Berroa, but at the moment would prefer Veras). No word on Molina's MRI, either, though if Cash is up you can bet Molina is DL-bound.

3.38 PM: Pete Abraham has some stark splits on Mariano this year.

My inclinations were not (apparently) wrong; Mo is getting hit more this year. The weird thing is, the command's there--he still hasn't walked a batter. So it's likely a consequence of lost velocity and he is coming off of shoulder surgery. However, if the trend continues, say, into June, it's a legitimate cause for major concern.


3.40 PM: Don't forget to Vote for Swisher for the All Star game.

3.48 PM: Like Posada, Molina has a grade 2 strain (though different muscle) and is on the 15 day DL

3.54 PM: If we ignore the obvious black hole at C (no offense Francisco, you're still a prospect, just not ready quite yet), how sweet does this line up look?


Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Canó 2B
Cabrera CF
Cervelli C

4.07 PM: For those of you that follow the minors: De la Rosa to Trenton; PJ Pilittere to SWB

6.10 PM: Per WFAN, Ian Kennedy's vasospasm was a symptom of an aneurysm in his harm, and he will undergo surgery to correct it.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery if this is in fact true.

7.12 PM: Welcome back to the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez. Can we have some more of those early-inning non-clutch home runs?

7.19 PM: Robbie's still struggling, but he's been working the count. The hits will come.

7.28 PM: So, apparently, Cervelli has a cannon and we just didn't know it.

7.36 PM: Between Cervelli, Posada and Molina, Cervelli wins the footrace and it’s not even close.

7.41 PM: Nothing doing there--leadoff single by Melky, then a sac bunt, but neither Jeter nor Damon could do anything. Still, Guthrie's pitch count is already up to 46.

7.47 PM: I like this CC Sabathia.

7.53 PM: A-Rod swung at a couple of pitches outside the strike zone there. Perhaps trying to do a little too much.

8.02 PM: "I'll never believe Brian Roberts again". I LOL'd.

8.05 PM: Now, if only Nick Swisher could hit like that AT Yankee Stadium!

8.08 PM: Rob Thompson pushed Swisher there which is why he was out...Cervelli with his first ML base knock.

8.21 PM: I'm not sure some of these strikes are actually strikes, but the ump is calling them for both sides, at least.

8.27 PM: THIS is the CC the Yankees paid for. It's a marvel to watch. A wonderful marvel.

8.38 PM: Even when Melky Cabrera is making outs, he's still working the count and hitting the ball hard.

I like this new Melky.

8.54 PM: It wasn't a home run, but Johnny Damon is an RBI machine right now.

9.07 PM: Young pitchers should be forced to marvel at CC's performance tonight.

They Won't Go 0-162

Sorry, ledge-jumpers, but the Yankees will not go 0-162 in 2009.

The Yankees won their game today, and they did so in style: good pitching, good defense, solid hitting and old-fashioned Bronx Bombs.

Today was a day for the newcomers; AJ Burnett became the first Yankee starter this season to record a strikeout (he had six of them), Mark Teixeira had his first Yankee home run, and Nick Swisher had five RBI. Ramiro Peña, in his first major league at bat, had a single and later came around to score on a Robbie Canó hit.

Some of the more familiar faces had decent games, as well--Canó had three hits including a two-run home run and four RBI, and Mariano Rivera made his first, efficient appearance of the season.


Go figure tidbit from LoHud: Jeter and Damon got on base 11 times in the first two games and the Yankees lost twice. They were 0 for 9 today and the Yankees score 11 runs.


If you're watching the postgame, or if you watched it, you could hear Nick Swisher blasting the music...he should be starting. Really. Really.

Yankees at Orioles, 9 April 2009: A Liveblog

10.33 AM: Things you learn at a Passover Seder: Abe Alvarez, an actor who has appeared on multiple episodes of Law and Order tells this story:

When Reggie Jackson was a guest star, once, he had trouble learning his lines, so he asked Abe, a die-hard Yankees fan to help him. He said, "Abe, I really need help. If you help me, what can I get you?".

Abe said, "Opening day tickets."

Reggie responds, "All right, if I become a Yankee I'll get you season tickets!"

Reggie never came through.


10.37 AM: Nady, Posada and Matsui sitting today. While Posada and Matsui certainly need time off, at least as the season starts, and Swisher needs some playing time, the line up today does seem a bit short, and after the last two games, Burnett has a lot of pitching to do.

10.49 AM: Fans are already panicking. I wish I could tell them to calm down, it's only two games, but that might ruin my sense of Schadenfreude.

11.59 AM: Just recieved a text that Nick Adenhart (P) of the Angels has been killed in a car accident. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Adenharts, the Angels, and all who knew him.

12.43 PM: Nothing like walking down Arthur Ave on a warm spring day in the Bronx and hearing classical music blaring out of the speakers of a passing car...

1.16: Some have made a good point: Joba would do well to take a lesson from the Adenhart tragedy. Well, not just Joba. Anyone that's gotten into a car after just one too many.

1.41 PM: Strike out for Jeter. Looks like the Yankee hitters are the ones that have been doing all the striking out.

1.46 PM: Yankees offense goes down without a fight. Cue the panicking. Bring on Burnett.

1.49 PM: Great catch by Damon reaching into the stands.

1.52 PM: First K of the year for Yankees pitching!

1.54 PM: Second K of the year! Strong inning from Burnett.

1.59 PM: Another 1-2-3 inning for Yankee offense. This inning, down on eight pitches.

2.20 PM: After Gardner's single and Molina's walk the Yankees are unable to bring home a run as Jeter sacrifice bunts and Damon grounds out.

2.30 PM: An RBI single for Brian Roberts and Baltimore leads 1-0. Yankees fans everywhere sigh, "here we go again".

2.35 PM: Burnett in a big spot early in the game, bases loaded and two out. Seems to have lost the zone.

2.38 PM: And with a K of Aubrey Huff, Burnett escapes further damage. Cue the "OMGFISTPUMP"-ers.

2.41 PM: That'll keep the boobirds quiet for a bit. Home run to dead center from Mark Teixeira. Welcome to the Yankees, kid.

2.48 PM: It's a day for Yankee newcomers as Swisher goes yard and the Yankees take a 3-1 lead.

3.03 PM: Burnett showing some trouble: Home run from Luke Scott followed by single for Pie. He's already at 68 pitches and it's only the fourth.

3.06 PM: Burnett really getting hit hard here. Nice throw from Molina to nab Pie, but the Yankees still only have a one run lead. Burnett may be overthrowing a bit.

3.08 PM: Burnett avoids more trouble with an easy grounder. Yankees would do well to build more than a one-run lead, however.

3.16 PM: Not the offensive inning the Yankees needed.

3.20 PM: Nice strike out and nice inning for Burnett.

3.33 PM: Like I said, good day for Yankee newcomers. Swisher drives in Teixeira and the Yankees take a 4-2 lead; Swisher responsible for three of those runs.

3.38 PM: Wow. What should have been a slow grounder that would get the force out at home with the bases loaded, Bass and Moeller cannot complete the play and two Yankees runs come home. 6-2 Yankees, one out, runners on 2nd and 3rd.

3.41 PM: RBI single from...José Molina! 7-2 Yankees.

3.45 PM: And that, ladies and gentlemen, was why Jeter was moved from the 2-spot. Still, Yankees score four and now have a considerable cushion.

3.55 PM: From the article on the crash that killed Nick Adenhart, courtesy of CNN.com, "The minivan's driver fled the scene and was later arrested, Brower said. Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside will face charges of manslaughter, felony driving under the influence and hit-and-run, he said". Babies killing babies?

3.58 PM: Great inning for Phil Coke. He could be a real weapon out of the bullpen.

4.07 PM: Robbie Canó hits a two run bomb. Guess the Bronx Bombers are out in full force today.

4.17 PM: Nice, easy inning for José Veras. I know some people are worried about the Yankees' bullpen, but I think they'll be fine.

4.24 PM: In his first AB, pinch-hitting for Jeter, Melky Cabera strikes out on three pitches. I know there are a lot of Melky defenders out there, but I've been fairly impressed with Gardner out of the eight/nine spot so far.

4.33 PM: Great job by the Yankee bullpen today.

4.34 PM: Ramiro Peña, in his first big league at bat, gets his first major league hit! Congratulations to him.

4.39 PM: Canó has had a heck of a series. He could potentially be the most underrated bat in the Yankee line up if he keeps this up.

4.41 PM: Swisher now has RBIs four and five. Think maybe he wants to start?

4.51 PM: Mo with the K a perfect, fitting end for the first win of the season.

Yankees Look to Even Record with First Win

[Due to the holiday, I will be unable to cover this evening's game]

The Yankees will try for their first win of the season today, sending their is-he-or-isn't-he-an-ace pitcher, Chien Ming Wang, to the mound in Baltimore.

Wang lead the Yankees' rotation in wins in 2006 and 2007, winning 19 games each of those years, and was on pace to do so again in 2008 before a foot injury cut his season short. He has not appeared in a regular season game since last June, when he was injured rounding the bases in an interleague game in Houston.

The other thing fans will likely be watching is how Mark Teixeira responds (again) to the boos, which were probably much greater than he imagined they would be on Monday. While Teixeira is an admitted slow-starter, his 0-4 on Monday, including an AB with the tying run on third, did not exactly make the greatest first impression. Even so, it's a very long season, and Teixeira will more than likely prove his worth.

The Yankees should, perhaps, be thankful that hey are starting the season in Baltimore--this morning, in New York, there were snow flakes.

Welcome spring, indeed.

Happy Passover to those who observe it; I'll try to post something after the game, but, alas, cannot make any promises.

Yankees show Some Fight; Not Enough to Overcome Poor Pitching (Postgame 6 April 2009)

It was an inauspicious beginning for a team whose strength this year is supposed to be their re-vamped pitching staff and new slugging first baseman.

CC Sabathia did not make it out of the fifth inning, surrendering six runs and not striking out a single batter, and Mark Teixeira had an o-fer at the plate.

Although, in the long run, all that matters from this game is the "L" result, one should not ignore that the Yankees did show some heart-heart that came from two long-missed old timers in Matsui and Posada.

If you think the Yankees haven't missed Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada, just think about where the team would have been without them at the plate today.

Still, the thing everyone will take from this game, is that the Yankees' pitching, which was supposed to be stellar, pitched as though someone forgot to tell them Opening Day games actually count. It's so early in the season, however, that to consider it anything other than a fluke at this point would be a gross mishap. Should the Yankees pitch like this for the next two weeks, well, yes, then there's an issue.

Before you crawl out on the ledge, however, remember this: the Yankees got swept in their very first series in 1998, and then went on to win 114 games.

Will the Yankees win 114 games in 2009? Probably not, but it just goes to show, a heck of a lot can and will happen between Opening Day and September 30...

Opening Day Liveblog: Yankees at Orioles

4.27 PM: I've done it! Made it back from class before the first out. And look at that! Jeter hitting lead off in his first AB goes deep in the count and lines a single to center. The weather in New York might be awful, but I am in a pretty good mood right now.

4.30 PM: Boos for Teixeira, but I guess that was expected given how many thought he might go to the Orioles.

4.31 PM: Lead off single by Jeter wasted. Cue the ledge crawlers.

4.36 PM: CC gives up a hit! Stop the presses! CC is a massive bust in New York!

4.37 PM: CC walked someone! The 2009 season is already over!

4.45 PM: CC and Jorge can't agree on this 2-2 pitch to Mora. I imagine that this will be less of an issue as the season moves on.

4.42 PM: Melvin Mora lives in Baltimore year round. Now tell me, if you lived in Baltimore, would you recognize Mora if you passed him on the street?

4.46 PM: Two wild pitches for Sabathia this inning...good play by Ransom to get the out at home. Ransom had plenty of time and didn't rush the throw.

4.47 PM: Great stop by Jeter and the Yankees get out of the first inning, score still 0-0. How awesome would it be if Jeter had a career year in 2009?

4.53 PM: Nady's hitting eighth? Can we say major unrealistic expectations for this line up?

4.56 PM: Goal for third inning AB: have the baserunner, you know, get past first base, by any means necessary.

5.02 PM: Much better inning for CC. Nice and easy.

5.07 PM: Would love to see Gardner go here...

5.09 PM: That'll do nicely! Great hit and run, perfect execution! The speed in Gardner really is something, and I can't wait to get a full season of that!

5.11 PM: The first run of the 2009 Yankee season! A manufactured run, old school! The excitement builds!

5.13 PM: Ball carried well off of Matsui's bat but not quite enough. Still, one run for your team is always better than none. Would love to see some insurance runs, but this game is three innings long. There's plenty of time.

5.20 PM: Did Posada really have shoulder surgery? That was a Molina-esque throw, even if the base was stolen on Sabathia.

5.21 PM: Sabathia working himself into trouble. Maybe he just likes living dangerously.

5.23 PM: Now 2-1 Orioles. Sabathia not looking good this inning at all, but 2-1 is not exactly a blow out. Neither is 3-1, as the score is now.

5.31 PM: Yankees not exactly putting up an offensive fight against Guthrie, but there's still plenty of time.

5.34 PM: Hot shot by Ransom but great defensive stop from Mora. Guess it's one of those games.

5.37 PM: Yeah, not the best pitching performance ever for Sabathia. One has to hope that the hot-water-bottle-on-abdomen is not the hint of an injury.

5.44 PM: Zaun just got under that one, good play by Damon, and still, a shaky performance at best from CC.

5.45 PM: That double play may have been a gift from G-d.

5.50 PM: Johnny D with a stand up triple! Any other part of the park and the score is 3-2. A little interested in Sabathia's use of the heat pad. I can attest to the miraculous, wonderful power of heating pads. I even have the burn marks to prove it.

5.53 PM: I'm not so sure I like Matsui batting clean up over Posada with the injured A-Rod. I'm still not sold Matsui's swing is back, but Posada's arm looks decent thus far. I'm sure there's a really basic reason for hitting Matsui clean up that I'm just missing.

5.59 PM: Ayayaya, not looking pretty. Nice try by Ransom, but 'nice try' isn't quite enough when the games count.

6.01 PM: You get the feeling the Yankees may only be seconds from disaster.

6.06 PM: Yeah, not good.

6.08 PM: 5-1 is a different ballgame than 3-1, especially in the fifth inning. Thinking optimistically, though, the Yankees lost their first three games in 1998...

6.13 PM: Not quite the way Sabathia wanted to debut with the Yankees, I'm sure.

6.18 PM: NICE play by Gardner! Great catch, and great throw. Yankees have quite a bit to do offensively, but you have to start somewhere. Also worth noting, CC's first start last year: 5.1 IP, 6 hits 5 runs 5 earned runs 2 homers 3 walks 7 Ks. He was certainly more ineffective this time around, but it goes to show that Opening Day starts do not necessarily mean anything.

6.21 PM: Rallies have to start somewhere, right? First Yankee HR of the year off of Jorge Posada's bat. Are we sure he had surgery in the offseason?

6.23 PM: STOP THE PRESSES! Robbie Canó just walked!

6.24 PM: And now Canó scores on a nice piece of hitting by Xavier Nady, and a 6-3 ballgame is a different affair.

6.32 PM: Bad judgment from Nady. Can't quite blame Nady if he thought the ball would get through, but even so a 6-3 game can be tied on one swing; a 6-1 game can't. Here's hoping the 'pen does its job and the Yankees go back out in the seventh and get three more runs.

6.39 PM: Teaching moment: How not to (try to) steal a base.

6.45 PM: Uehara, the starter for Baltimore tomorrow, is the first Japanese player in Baltimore's history, which begs the question: how many teams have never had a Japanese player?

6.52 PM: Speaking of Japanese players, jack from Matsui and now we're back to a one-run game.

7.00 PM: Okay, now I get the Matsui clean up thing. The staggered line up must not be a whole lot of fun for Dave Trembley...

7.04 PM: If there's one time not to hit into a double play, that was it. Stillm two innings to make up one run. It's doable, provided the bullpen does its job.

7.10 PM: Lead off walks don't count as pitching doing its job...

7.11 PM: Double plays help, though!

7.16 PM: Swisher gets the pinch-hit, and now we get to see Ramiro Peña on the basepath and at third.

7.17 PM: Not a great bunt from Gardner, but it gets the job done and now tying run at third with just one out and Jeter at bat.

7.19 PM: And Captain Clutch was not very clutch.

7.23 PM: Dramatic moment, for sure. And Teixeira's day may perhaps be as discomforting as Sabathia's, 0-fer and a heck of a lot more boos.

7.30 PM: And Cesar Izturis may have quelched the Yankees' hopes.

7.43 PM: Not a very good appearance from Bruney, either. For a team that's supposed to be built on pitching, this is, erm, quite the game.