Memory Lane

Today I experienced the perfect way to celebrate Memorial Day: heading to Yankee Stadium with great weather and witnessing a dominant victory. We were reminded of the brave men and women who gave their lives for our great nation, and we were reminded of how great the Yankees have the potential to be this season. Andy Pettitte continued his Renaissance-like season, Alex Rodriguez made another team pay after a poor decision, and the Yankees did what they had to do: take 3 out of 4 from the hapless Cleveland Indians.

Andy Pettitte has had some great moments and some great seasons as a New York Yankee. Everyone remembers Game 5 in 1996, and the three clinching victories during last year's title run, but this year is shaping up to be the finest of his career. The guy is a Yankee, and hopefully, a future Hall of Famer. If not for his three year stint with the Houston Astros, he'd be the franchise leader in victories. Andy mowed down the Tribe with ease for seven innings today, retiring the side at one point on five pitches. It really is a pleasant experience at Yankee Stadium when Andy takes the hill. Not only does it bring back memories of a great left-hander, but you're also watching one of the great starts to a season in Yankee history: 37 years old, 7-1, 2.48 ERA.

The bats were a little bit quiet in the early going today, similar to yesterday's game. And just like yesterday, the place erupted in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out, and a statistic popped up on the video board: "Alex is 4-4 with 14 RBI's and two grand slams when Mark Teixeira is intentionally walked in front of him to load the bases." I guess Manny Acta wasn't paying attention, as A-Rod cracked home run number 590 into Monument Park, where he will one day be enshrined. It was also his 20th grand slam, just 3 behind Larrupin' Lou Gehrig for the all-time record.

Robbie Cano continued his MVP-like season with a solo homer after A-Rod's salami, and Curtis Granderson is fitting right in the number two hole as he added yet another extra base hit. One cause for concern emerged as Derek Jeter left the game with a hamstring injury. As much as I like Ramiro Pena and Kevin Russo, the Yankees cannot afford to have Jeter on the shelf at all.

The Yankees took 3 out of 4 from the Cleveland Indians in this holiday weekend's wrap-around series. Anything less would have been inexcusable. They now play host to the last place Baltimore Orioles for 3, and based on the fact that the bats appear to be waking up, I'm calling it a "must-sweep" series. Javier Vazquez needs to have a good start tomorrow, and the Orioles' pitching should be no match for the Yankee offense, with or without Derek Jeter. With Tampa floundering atop the AL East, the Yankees have plenty of opportunities to gain ground as they take on Baltimore, Toronto, Baltimore, and Houston over their next four series.

Dumb and Dumber

Despite a bad loss to Boston and two disasters against the Rays this month, today's contest was by far the worst at Yankee Stadium this season. Several factors gave today's game this dubious honor. First, it was absolutely disgusting watching David Huff get hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of A-Rod. Of course, it involved A-Rod. Everything does. But it was really, really painful to see. You have to feel for the guy, especially with his family in New York to watch him pitch. Fortunately, he is OK and even called the Yankees to let them know about it.

That being said, on to the nightmare that was today's blown six run lead and a loss to one of baseball's worst teams. There are several culprits that we can blame. First, we'll start with CC Sabathia. I know he gave the team a good shot to win, leaving after 6 innings with a 10-5 lead, but he kept the Indians in the game. He blew a 3-0 lead and allowed the Indians to tie it, then gave up runs in consecutive innings after the Yankees had a couple of six run leads. CC looked like he had no control of his fastball, and I'm starting to wonder if he and Cervelli aren't having trouble getting on the same page. Aside from Javier Vazquez, Sabathia has been the least reliable starting pitcher this season for the Bombers.

The final two culprits earn the title "Dumb and Dumber today." DUMB: Yankees manager Joe Girardi. I completely agree that Sabathia did not need to come out for the seventh inning. It was a five run game, and Sabathia didn't have his best stuff. Fine. He brings in David Robertson. Also fine. And of course, Robertson gets ahead of a batter 0-2 and promptly plunks him. After giving up a run and getting an out, he comes out due to back soreness, so Joe calls on Sergio Mitre. Also fine. Mitre comes in and walks the first batter he faces, with the score still 10-6. Don't even consider the fact that Mitre has been a starter who can pitch several innings, but Girardi yanks him after one batter and brings in Damaso Marte, who retires Russell Branyan and comes out of the game.

Instead of sticking with Mitre, or even Marte, Girardi tries to set the record for the number of pitchers used in an inning and brings in Joba Chamberlain, who was absolutely awful. Four hits and a walk later, the Yankees had completely blown the lead and lost to the Indians. I can't tell what the problem is with Joba (DUMBER): he's either out of shape, a total head case, or the organization has completely ruined him with the starter-reliever switch every single season. The worst part of Joba's outing was the base hits he gave up to a bunch of no names.

I refuse to pick on any of the hitters today, even if they didn't hit for the last half of the game. You score 11 runs, you win the game. Especially when you give your "ace" a couple of different 6 run leads. This game was completely on two people: Joe Girardi and Joba Chamberlain. No one else. After starting the season 21-8, the Yankees are 8-12 over their last 20 games. Today was a bad, painful loss to one of the weakest teams in baseball. The next two games are absolute must wins against Cleveland. It will be completely unacceptable to do anything other than take 3 of 4 from the Tribe.

GRAND Return

Believe it or not, there's not much to complain about in Yankeeland after tonight's 8-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. These are the games they have to win, and Phil Hughes made sure that they got it done. Hughes was outstanding, Curtis Granderson made his return with a double and a walk, Mark Teixeira showed more signs of coming out of his slump, and Robbie Cano capped off the night with a grand slam to right field. Not to mention Nick Swisher continued his hot hitting, drilling one off the foul pole.

Before the game, I questioned Joe Girardi's selection of the lineup. He decided to give Alex Rodriguez a day off, which is fine, but he did it on a day when Chad Moeller started behind the plate. The bottom three hitters in the order were Brett Gardner, Ramiro Pena, and Moeller. Gardner contributed a sac fly, and Moeller cracked a late double.

Tonight's game was overshadowed by tragedy. As Curtis Granderson was recalled off of the disabled list, the Yankees said goodbye to the legendary Randy Winn, designating him for assignment. I'll miss his slow swings, his poor play in the outfield, and that sickening feeling I got when he struck out against Jonathan Papelbon to end a game last week. Fortunately, the Yankees found Kevin Russo at Scranton, so Winn can hit the road.

In other good news, Jorge Posada was seen today walking around the dugout without the boot on his foot, so his fractured bone is obviously healing very well. According to sources, he took some swings off of a tee and did some running. I think Granderson's return provided a lift, and you can imagine what Posada's return in a few weeks will do to this team. All in all, a great night for the Yankees, and a night on which the Red Sox and Rays both lost at home. The success must continue the remainder of this homestand, with six games left against the Tribe and the Orioles.

Bats No Good

Believe me, there was no bigger goat in tonight's Yankees-Twins game than starting pitcher Javier Vazquez, who was back to his normal, American League self. The Twins teed off on Javy, who looked nothing like the pitcher who dominated the Mets for six innings last weekend. Vazquez was bad, Chan Ho Park continued his disastrous Yankees career, and Chad Gaudin was welcomed back with a three run bomb off the bat of Jason Kubel. It's obviously pretty easy to blame the pitching staff for this one.

However, I'm going to take a different perspective on this one and blame the offense, specifically Alex Rodriguez. Mark Teixeira finally started hitting the ball, but the Yankees' number four hitter is mired in a terrible slump. In the first inning, I thought the game turned in the Twins' favor for good when A-Rod bounced into an inning-ending double play. How many times have the Yankees failed to knock in a runner from third with less than two outs? That's the kind of thing that good teams do. It really does not take too much to loft a fly ball to the outfield.

The pitching was bad tonight, but once in a while, the bats are allowed to have a slugfest. Jeter seems to be picking it up, and Teixeira has had some encouraging at bats over the last two nights. But now it's Rodriguez who is not pulling his own weight. Overall, the Yankees had a 3-3 road trip against tough opponents. Minnesota is leading the AL Central, and, say what you want, the Mets play pretty well at home. At the time of this posting, the Mets are two innings away from sweeping and shutting out the NL Champions for three straight games.

Now, it's time for the Yanks to put up or shut up. It's time for the bats to wake up, and the team to win seven straight games. I understand that's very unfair to ask of any team, but they host the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles over the next week. There is no reason that these teams should not be swept. Good teams have to beat the bad ones, and the Yankees will have plenty of opportunities over the next few weeks to prove what kind of team they actually are.

Twin Killing

There's not too much you can complain about when your favorite team wins two games in the same day, especially when it happens in the (denard) span of about three hours. Mariano Rivera picked up two saves, Andy Pettitte turned back the clock again, and the Yankees came through with a couple of clutch home runs in both ends of their game and a half doubleheader.

The second half of game one was over pretty quickly. Derek Jeter did his job as captain. According to several sources, he was keeping the clubhouse loose today, even sneaking into Joe Girardi's media session and asking if Joe was ready to push the panic button. Then, he cranked a solo homer in the sixth for the game's only run. A.J. Burnett got a win, despite pitching about 20 hours earlier, and the shaky bullpen held on for the 1-0 victory. You still get nervous with Robertson and Joba on the hill, but they got it done, and Mariano used every inch of Target Field to get through the ninth.

Finally, the nightcap was really just a fantastic baseball game. Once again, the Yanks relied on the gutty, gritty Kevin Russo to knock in a run, score another, and make a phenomenal catch against the left field wall, sending John and Suzyn into a frenzy. The Yankees missed some opportunities early, but Andy Pettitte kept the team in the game with eight solid innings. Watching him pump his fist and jump around after Joe Mauer's double play made me wonder if he was actually 37 years old, or if he's a 23 year old winning a 1-0 game at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.

The sequence from Mauer's double play to Nick Swisher's homer in the ninth could be viewed as a turning point in the season. Heck, Mark Teixeira even got two base hits, although he did get thrown out at second base by about 10 feet. But who cares? It's kind of funny how your opinion changes based on the result of the game. Had the bullpen faltered and the Yanks lost a couple of games today, all you'd be reading about was how bad the offense was. Instead, we're talking about great pitching and timely hitting.

Javier Vazquez goes for the sweep tomorrow, but I'm interested in another topic. I'd love to hear from my readers on this one: Is Andy Pettitte a Hall of Famer? My vote is yes. Obviously, as a Yankee fan, I am a bit biased, but you really have to take a look at his numbers and the fact that he has the most playoff victories of all time. I know, I know. He admitted to using performance enhancing drugs, but it was just one time, and he's the one guy who was completely honest to his teammates and Congress about the whole incident. In my opinion, Andy Pettitte belongs in Cooperstown one day.

Fat Chance

It's going to be a short post tonight...I can't take these ESPN games that start at 8:00 on a Sunday. They lead to frustrated, bleary-eyed Monday mornings in the office. The Yankees are on a complete downward spiral, dropping a series to the last place New York Mets after C.C. Sabathia was tattooed by Jason Bay, who increased his whopping home run total to 3 on the season. Once again, the Yankees' bats did not wake up until the late innings, and it was too little too late, as Alex Rodriguez failed to come through against the rain-dancing K-Rod in the ninth inning.

So congratulations, the Mets have won their World Series for 2010. This is not time for me to rip them apart. They did just take a series against my team, but they just act differently and take these games much more seriously than the Yankees do. Either way, the Yankees have no excuses for not taking at least two out of three in this series. Their bats have been silent for days, and other than Javier Vazquez, they have not had a solid start since C.C. Sabathia's outing last Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Thankfully, the team has an off day before a very difficult series at Target Field begins on Tuesday. Did anyone think that the defending World Champions would be 6 games out of first place before Memorial Day? This doesn't mean they're having a terrible season (they are still leading the Wild Card). The Rays are ridiculously good, meaning the Yankees have to battle the rest of the American League for a playoff berth.

Way Off the Mark

Tonight's blog entry will not get into specific details of the entire game this evening. As I am spending the weekend in Pennsylvania, thanks to our good friends at FOX, the Phillies-Red Sox game was the only one I had a chance to watch today. Believe me, it was fantastic to see Daisuke Matsuzaka come within four outs of a no-hitter. I can't really complain about Phil Hughes, because from reading up on the game, it seems like he had an OK start, and the Yankees didn't really hit the ball for about six innings, just like Friday's game. It was also completely shocking to see that Chan Ho Park allowed yet another run to jack his ERA over the 7.00 mark.

Tonight's blog is simply going to discuss something that needs to happen: benching Mark Teixeira. Maybe he needs an eye exam, or maybe he has something going on at home that is affecting his game. If that's the case, I'm sorry to hear that, but he needs some time to work through whatever is going wrong with him. It's either that, or the post-season was the worst thing that could have happened to him. You wonder if pitchers in the 2010 season are using scouting reports based on how horrible he was in October of 2009. Either way, Joe Girardi needs to man up and sit down Teixeira, who aside from a few single games has been absolutely terrible this season. For now, Juan Miranda must be the first baseman for the New York Yankees.

Sadly, the 2009 Yankees are not the 2010 Yankees. You can't do anything about injuries, especially to a young guy like Curtis Granderson. Not signing Johnny Damon was a mistake, and the Yankees are really depending on rookies and a back-up catcher with no power at all. They do lead the Wild Card by two games, but their hot start was really fueled by a super-human Robinson Cano, and lights out pitching. The pitching has hit a rough patch, Cano has really cooled off, and the other guys are not stepping up.

They don't have Phil Hughes in the eighth inning, because he's too good of a starter. His job was replaced by the inconsistent Joba Chamberlain. Hideki Matsui's great season at DH was replaced by a plethora of hitters who have not lived up to Matsui's success in pinstripes. Mark Teixeira was replaced by someone who can't hit. Johnny Damon has been replaced, for now, by Randy Winn, Marcus Thames, and Kevin Russo. Fans should not expect the late inning comebacks that we were used to last season. Instead, it seems that when rallies ensue, Randy Winn, Francisco Cervelli, or even Mark Teixeira are counted on, and they rarely come through.

I completely understand some humorous feedback I have received, calling my blog "bi-polar." You're probably right, but that really reflects the way that the Yankee season has gone thus far. At times, they've looked like the best team in baseball, with lights out pitching and enough hitting to go on a few winning streaks. But things have evened out, and the Yankees unfortunately look more like the '08 Bombers than last year's championship winning squad. It's a long season, things are still in good shape, but at this point, it's difficult to see much of a light at the end of this tunnel.

Where JAV You Been?

The Yankees' bats are still pretty dormant, but Javier Vazquez found himself in the National League again, leading to his dominant performance and a 2-1 Yankee victory at Citi Field. Congratulations go out to Kevin Russo, who came through with the first two hits of his young career, including a two-run double in the top of the seventh. Russo was one of the few Yankees who seemed to have a clue at home plate. On three different occasions, the Yanks had a runner on third and less than two outs. All three times, the Yankees failed to deliver a run, which almost became the difference in the game as Mariano Rivera was one base hit away from blowing it in the ninth. While many fans will blame injuries and a depleted lineup for the team's struggles of late, Derek Jeter failed twice in this situation, and Nick Swisher K'd when presented with the same opportunity.

Maintaining precedent, this victory did not come without a price. For those of you who did not see the game, Javier Vazquez was not just good. He was dominant. Over six innings, he allowed one bloop single to Angel Pagan. Maybe it was the National League, or maybe he's picked it up. His last three outings have consisted of a solid, seven-inning loss to Detroit, a relief victory over Boston, and tonight's W over the Mets. But again, the Yankees lost a pitcher to an injury in an NL park. Vazquez executed a successful bunt in the seventh, but did so while bruising a finger on his right hand. When will the injuries stop?

I'm going to try and stick with the positives tonight, and not harp on the failures of the offense since the Yankees did pull off a victory, and they remain 10 games over .500 despite their massive disabled list. Joba Chamberlain was outstanding tonight, retiring all five batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, including three strikeouts in a row to begin his outing. Mariano looked great against the first two batters, then kind of fell apart. Robbie Cano made a great play on a ground ball to end the game. Eventually, Mariano is not going to be able to do this any more. A scary thought, but it's reality.

The Yanks will throw Hughes and Sabathia over the next two outings. You have to look for the Yankees to take at LEAST one out of two, and win a series on the road. The Mets have been shaky, but their home record is solid. Losses by the Rays and Red Sox turn a Friday night into a solid one, thanks to tonight's unlikely heroes: Javier Vazquez and Kevin Russo, who has certainly earned himself another start in left field.

Not Even a Ray of Hope

Well, the good news is that tonight's game will not keep me up late like last night's bullpen collapse against the Red Sox, I was so angry I couldn't sleep. But tonight's result was pretty simple: The Tampa Bay Rays are a better team than the New York Yankees. All of their outstanding starting pitchers are younger than A.J. Burnett, who is atrocious. They DON'T have Javier Vazquez. They run, they run, and then they run some more. I guess that's what happens when you have several number 1 draft picks in a row.

Although the Yankees were down by six early on, they did give me a quick sign of hope when they brought Derek Jeter to the plate as the tying run. But then, I remembered it was Derek Jeter. He got ahead in the count 3-1 and quickly rolled out to shortstop. This season, a ground out to the left side of the infield can be referred to as a "Jeterian" swing, while a ground ball to the right side can be called a "Teixeirian" swing. Both of these guys are a complete joke, and in the most dire of situations with handfuls of injuries, they have failed to pick up the slack. What's really scary is the fact that Jeter's on base percentage is seriously hovering just above .300. That's pretty awful. Makes you really think about what the Yankees should do in the off-season. He might look good in a Cincinnati Reds uniform.

How about Marcus Thames? The guy is a hero on Monday night, a goat on Tuesday night, and then the biggest idiot in baseball on Wednesday night. Fittingly, he injured himself so poor Ramiro Pena could play right field. But how did he get hurt? He singled to left field and tripped over his bat running down the first base line. You'd think Brian Cashman might want to instill some kind of IQ test before we sign free agents. The injuries are really piling up, and unless they make a roster move, the Yankees currently have no available bench players ready for their series at Citi Field this weekend.

Nice to see David Ortiz hit his seventh homer of the year for Boston. He now has more than Alex Rodriguez. The Red Sox also got a stellar outing from Clay Buchholz, who pitched into the ninth inning. It's pretty scary to know that they are only 4.5 games behind the Yankees, although everyone declared them "dead" just a week ago. All in all, this Yankee team is obviously showing its age. The defending World Series Champions ended tonight's game with an outfield of Randy Winn (75 years old), Brett Gardner (playing well), and Ramiro Pena (utility infielder). Nice job not re-signing Damon.

Tomorrow's game becomes a must win, in order to salvage the home stand and maintain a season series lead over the Rays. Andy Pettitte has always been a stopper, but the Rays will counter with James Shields. I must apologize ahead of time for not putting up a post tomorrow night, as I will be in the Bronx for the first time this season. I thought about skipping my trip after the recent string of disappointing games, but I want to be able to tell my grandchildren that I got to see the great Randy Winn play left field.

A Joke of a Team

After the most pathetic game of the season, the Yankees need to question their General Manager and their Field Manager, coughing up another 5-0 game with a joke of a roster and a horrendous bullpen. Not only was Joba Chamberlain atrocious, Mariano was bad, but both were not helped out by a couple of errors and some questionable calls by the home plate umpire. The Yankees have had meltdowns in the eighth inning for three consecutive games. Joba looked horrific, yet Girardi left him in there to complete the inning.

Mariano did not look bad. He had strike three on Darnell McDonald, which was not called- he singled. Marco Scutaro hit a fly ball to shallow right field, but Marcus Thames dropped it. With two outs, he threw strike three to Jeremy Hermida, but it was not called by the moron behind home plate. Then Hermida served a pitch into left field over Randy Winn's head. Winn was positioned as if the Yankees were playing in the little league World Series.

The questionable behavior by Brian Cashman and the front office took place before the game. Seeing the need for a new arm, they called up Mark Melancon, who has done well at AAA Scranton. Fine. But instead of optioning out the disaster that is Boone Logan, they decided to send down Greg Golson. So tonight, with Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher nursing day-to-day injuries, the only available position player on the bench was the weak-hitting Ramiro Pena. Give me a break.

The Yankees got a miracle swing out of Marcus Thames two nights ago. Up until the ninth inning, Juan Miranda was having a solid night. But the Yankees cannot win games with all of these idiots at the bottom of their order, and Thames playing defense. Even when he catches the ball, it looks like a disaster. Tonight was by far the worst loss of the season for the Yankees. It doesn't get any easier with the first place Tampa Bay Rays coming to town. I think the most frustrating about the last three games is that they all seemed to be in the bag, only to have three consecutive eighth inning implosions. If not for hitting heroics on Monday night, the lead story on every channel would be how the Yankees cannot win with this bullpen. That story should still be resonating by Wednesday morning.

PAPELBUM

I was fully prepared to write a blog completely ripping the Yankees' bullpen, Joe Girardi, and their offense. Instead, Alex Rodriguez and Marcus Thames turned the night into a magical one as Jonathan Papelbon walked off the mound at Yankee with his head between his legs. The Yankees finally got a walk off victory, had their pie, and the Red Sox continue to look like a disaster.

The original blog posting was not going to rip Phil Hughes apart- he still left after five innings with the lead, despite his struggles. Phil is certainly allowed a shaky start or two. The original posting would have ripped apart Boone Logan, Chan Ho Park, and the Yankee offense for hitting nothing after the fifth inning. But our buddy Jonathan Papelbon changed everything. Girardi has a fascination with Logan, who continues to give up runs, and Chan Ho Park does not look like too much of a sinker ball pitcher, giving up bomb after bomb against Boston.

But now, we can talk about how gritty the Yankees are. They still managed to put up 11 runs against Boston despite not having four Opening Day starting players in their lineup: Granderson, Johnson, Posada, and Swisher. They absolutely embarrassed Matsuzaka, but took the next couple of innings off. Alex has certainly found his stroke, and Thames' defense has been brutal, but he still manages to put up an outstanding batting average. Tonight was certainly his second of two great Yankees moments: his debut homer off of Randy Johnson in '02, and a walk off against Papelbum.

Tonight's game was one that will be shown on the YES Network for years to come. Not just because it was the first walkoff win of the season, and not just because they beat the Red Sox. It's classic because it happened to Papelbon. As you can tell by the above photograph, the guy is really the epitome of class. This is the guy who questioned if Mariano Rivera should have been the AL All Star team's closer in 2008, and the same guy who does a rain dance when he actually manages to save a game. On Sunday, the Yankees lost a game because their closer faltered, and you feel bad for a guy like Mariano Rivera. But when a guy like Papelbon completely melts down and blows a tremendous victory for his team, it makes you feel great inside.

Finally, we must discuss the biggest point of the night: JAVIER VAZQUEZ BEAT THE RED SOX! GET OFF HIS BACK! OK, maybe he didn't do much to earn a victory, but he did pick up a big strikeout of Kevin Youkilis with runners on the corners and two outs in the top of the ninth inning. My only question is why he didn't come in until the ninth if he's out there to be the "long man." Chan Ho Park has offically spit the bit, but unfortunately, Alfredo Aceves is doing his best Randy Johnson impersonation and getting an epidural injection.

All in all, it was another classic Yankees-Red Sox game. Four hours, bad pitching, and some big time home runs. C.C. Sabathia goes for the mini two game sweep tomorrow night (weather permitting). The Yankees could really use some innings out of Sabathia, but they did manage to pick up a victory tonight without using Chamberlain or Rivera.

Alexander the Grand

As I am writing this blog entry, Joe Girardi and Damaso Marte ought to be taking Alex Rodriguez out for a steak dinner, and possibly performing whatever favors he requests. OK, maybe not all of that is happening, but he deserves it after his grand slam saved both of their rears. Joe Girardi's overmanaging, and Damaso Marte's ineffectiveness almost handed the Minnesota Twins their first win at Yankee Stadium since 2007. But Ron Gardenhire overmanaged as well, walking Mark Teixeira, and allowing A-Rod to break out in a big way as the Yankees finally returned home and got back on track.

I actually was pleased with A.J. Burnett tonight. Despite his early troubles, he escaped a bases loaded, no out jam, and pitched well enough to earn a victory. If Marte gets a lefty out, which is what he's paid to do, A.J. gets his 5th win of the season. Instead, the win went to Joba Chamberlain. What an admirable decision by the official scorer. Marte did nothing to deserve a win, while Joba struck out the side in the eighth inning of a three run game.

One point to complain about that had nothing to do with tonight's game: Sergio Mitre is pitching on Sunday. Not like he did a horrible job in Detroit last week, but I don't see why Javier Vazquez can pitch on short rest just to get the rotation in order. Maybe it will help Javy out. Instead, Joe Girardi thinks it's a good idea to let Vazquez pitch against the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium on Monday night. We all know what happened the last time that scenario played itself out.

The Kings of Clutch

On getaway day in Detroit, the Yankees looked like a team that was about two feet from hopping on the airplane, anxious to get out of one of the ugliest stadiums in all of sports. C.C. Sabathia was horrendous, and Justin Verlander continued to have his way with the Yankees, who swung at everything and anything in order to escape the Motor City before finally returning to the Bronx. The Yankees have played the fewest amount of home games in all of baseball, tied at 12 with the Atlanta Braves. The Boston Red Sox have played 23 games at Fenway, the Mets have 22 at Citi Field, and even the Rays have had 15 contests in the dump of a dome that they call home. Major League Baseball needs to be questioned in terms of the impartiality of their schedule-making team.

I'll start with this: the Yankees are banged up, there's no doubt about it. Three of their regular starters didn't play today: Johnson, Granderson, and Swisher. Why we acquired Johnson and Granderson is beyond me, but that's another discussion that you can probably find all over this blog. But the Yankees' lineup should still be good enough without those guys, but they're not and here's why:

1. DEREK JETER- Captain Clutch is playing like he's in a hurry to hit up his next party with Minka Kelly. How many times does he start a game by swinging at the first pitch and grounding out to shortstop or second base? He had a horrendous road trip, and the average has now dipped below .270. We can't give him a day off though, because we've seen what Ramiro Pena brings to the table.

2. MARK TEIXEIRA- The RBI's are getting up there for Tex, but the sub-.200 average is a disgrace for mid-May. If not for one big day at Fenway Park, which included a two run homer against an outfielder, his numbers would be downright awful. Tex is another guy who seems to be infatuated with grounding out to second base.

3. ALEX RODRIGUEZ- A-Rod has by far been the biggest disappointment in the Yankee lineup this season. He has just three homers, and none of them had very much impact on the game in which they occurred. I'm not sure if he's playing hurt and not telling anyone, or the PED withdrawal is really starting to catch up with him psychologically. Either way, he's got to get going.

4. ROBINSON CANO- This is not an attack on Cano, because he's still hitting way above .300. But it needs to be pointed out that he has completely cooled off in the month of May, contributing just about nothing to the offense. Needless to say, it's not his job to carry the team all the time.

All in all, the Yankees just looked like they did not want to be in Detroit all week. They were shut down by a reliever making an emergency start, Rick Porcello, and Justin Verlander. You could even argue that Jeremy Bonderman shut them down, since 6 of the 8 runs scored last night came against the bullpen, and they came on cheap hits. Joe Girardi has to be questioned after this road trip. The team just seemed satisfied with winning 2 of 3 against Boston, and really took the next several days off. With Tampa Bay ahead of you, it's not advisable to go through the motions until something better comes along.

Looking ahead...The Yankees finally return home for 7 games, but they are not against push over teams. They host the Minnesota Twins for three. The Twinkies, like the Yankees, stand at 22-12. We know the Yanks have owned Minnesota in years past, but something's gotta give for the Twins. Then the Yankees host two two-game series at home against Boston and Tampa. I think we know that anything can happen in any of those games. Then, the Yankees head across town to play the Mets at Citi Field. Despite their problems, the Mets are a solid team at home. All in all, things don't get easier for the banged up Yankees, who are trying to keep their heads above water until some of their regulars return to form.

Is He Alive?

In the ninth inning of Game 2 of today's split doubleheader between the Yankees and Tigers, a strange man began warming up in the bullpen during the top of the ninth inning. Despite having an 8-0 lead, the Yankees allowed him to pitch the bottom of the frame and finish the game. He wore number 42, and threw a devastating cut fastball. Apparently, his name was Mariano Rivera, who we have not seen on a mound since April 30th.

Seriously, the story of tonight was Phil Hughes. It is becoming incredibly enjoyable to watch Phil every fifth day. He throws nothing but fastballs the first time through the batting order, then starts in with the nasty breaking stuff. He has been absolutely unbelievable, and is turning into one of the top pitchers in baseball. Nice to see the Yankees batters break out, sort of. There wasn't much hitting at all until the ninth inning, aside from seeing eye RBI singles from Tex and A-Rod early on. Whatever...the Yankees broke their three game losing streak, and future Hall of Famer (cough, cough) Greg Golson got his first big league hit.

Thanks for checking in with the blog twice today. The Yankees have a chance to split with the Tigers tomorrow, but the weather forecast for Detroit is horrendous: non-stop rain all day. Would I mind a rainout? Not really...Justin Verlander is waiting for the Yankees. Last season, Verlander tossed a complete game shutout against the Yanks when matched up against C.C. Sabathia. Tomorrow's starters are the same. Either way, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to watch some games in the Bronx for a change.

Nothing's Changed

Nothing has changed with this team in the past three days. Guys still are unable to come through with the bats, and really, the Yankees have looked completely lifeless since Saturday's 14-3 drubbing of the Red Sox. This time, it was not Javier Vazquez's fault. If you want to find a positive from today, it was Javy, who was outstanding for 7 innings and gave the bullpen a break, since the Yanks play again in less than 3 hours. Of course, Joe Girardi's son, Boone Logan, did get to pitch the eighth inning, because the game wouldn't count unless he got to pitch.

It would be really easy for me to come on here and rip Ramiro Pena for going 0-3 and leaving 6 runners on base. One base hit at some point and maybe the game is totally different. But you can't complain about a number nine hitter who looks like he's been malnourished. Instead, it's guys like Jeter, Tex, and A-Rod, who are all still in a season-long funk. Jeter has been swinging at everything and doing nothing but hitting ground balls. Tex and A-Rod just don't look right at the plate, and A-Rod hasn't done much in any single game this season other than jog across the pitcher's mound. With Granderson and Johnson out, these are the players that have to produce. And they're not doing so at all.

Joe Girardi really has no idea what he's doing. I'll keep this blog post to a minimum because there's another game tonight, and there wasn't much to say today other than the fact that the Yankees cannot hit. Ramiro Pena can play defense, but he's one of the worst hitters I've ever seen. The Yankees just posted their lineup for Game 2 of this doubleheader. Pena remains in the lineup, playing shortstop so Jeter can DH. Plus you have Marcus Thames playing left field at the enormous Comerica Park...that should lead to a guaranteed three unearned runs. I don't get Cashman. I don't get Girardi. And finally, I don't get why the Yankees are constantly playing on the road. Tune in later for what will likely be another drubbing of the Yankees after a Game 2 loss.

Tough To Winn

If you read some of the past entries on this blog, you'll see that I've been calling for some answers from Brian Cashman. After tonight's lifeless loss in Detroit, I'm still looking for answers. John Lackey (the top of this past year's free agent class) won his fourth game for the Red Sox, Sergio Mitre stinks, and Javier Vazquez is pitching tomorrow. This has a three game losing streak written all over it. In addition to Mitre and his garbage outing, the Yankees are trying to win games with the Scranton Yankees rounding out the bottom of their batting order.

After Jorge Posada, who is finally back, Marcus Thames batted sixth this evening. Marcus Thames does nothing other than hit shallow fly outs to left field, botch plays in the outfield, and hit an occasionally infield single to the shortstop hole. Then you have Brett Gardner, who is sometimes fun to watch, but he's not going to continue hitting at a high average. He had chances to come through tonight, and could not. Finally, you have the dumbest acquisition of the off season batting ninth: Randy Winn. Winn could not come through with runners at the corners and one out in the eighth inning, popping up to third base off of Phil Coke, who is faring much better than Boone Logan and Damaso Marte this season.

Brian Cashman still needs to explain why Austin Jackson (.360 batting average), Phil Coke (three wins), and Ian Kennedy were traded for an outfielder who hit .250 last season. Granderson is rotting on the disabled list while Jackson is leading the American League in hitting. It's not like Melky Cabrera is doing well, but Javier Vazquez is garbage, and Boone Logan continues to WALK left-handed batters. Instead of re-signing Johnny Damon, who you knew would hit a home run tonight, Cashman signed the Carl Pavano of this year's free agent class: Nick Johnson. Johnson suffered a wrist injury, likely from ordering too many movies in his hotel room last week.

Three positives tonight: Mark Teixeira is still hitting bombs, David Robertson pitched and didn't give up eight runs, and Joba Chamberlain struck out the side in the eighth inning. Overall, the fact that the Yankees are 21-10 is a complete miracle. They started the season healthy, but now, they are falling apart and playing in the American League with a weak lineup and no bench whatsoever. For some reason, the team decided to say goodbye to Jerry Hairston and Eric Hinske, and tonight's bench consisted of Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo, and Francisco Cervelli. You'd love to be able to bat for Marcus Thames, Gardner, or Winn late in the game, but who can you send up?

All in all, I'm still looking for answers. Not signing Lackey, trading for Granderson and Vazquez, and signing Glass Nick Johnson is starting to make zero sense. Once again, the Yankees will be forced to make some mid-season moves just to get the bench together.

Party in the USA

OK, so the song title isn't that relevant. But for those of you who have been paying attention to Yankees' entrance music this season, you'd know that Nick Johnson comes up to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA," which he picked for his young daughter who really likes the song. Johnson woke up out of his pitch-taking slumber to go 3-3, including a bomb into the second deck, which helped the Yankees sweep the Baltimore Orioles. Yes, it's the Orioles at home, but winning these three games showed me a lot about what this team is made of.

They had catcher Jorge Posada for five innings in this series. The rest of the series saw Francisco Cervelli behind the plate, who worked well with the big three starting pitchers. Marcus Thames and Randy Winn took care of the outfield, coming up with some big hits and not ruining any simple plays. I took a look at today's boxscore and realized that the Yankees are winning games with three hitters in their lineup currently hitting below .200: Randy Winn, Nick Johnson, and Mark Teixeira. That says a lot about the team's pitching, and even more about hot hitters like Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, and Nick Swisher. The Yankees have also won four games in a row without the greatest closer in baseball history.

Things are not perfect in Yankeeland. Andy Pettitte left after the fifth inning with tightness in his forearm. The MRI only showed inflammation, but it's still alarming that three of the "Core Four" are experiencing injuries this early into the season. Pettitte may skip a start, which gives our boy Sergio Mitre an opportunity.

Of course, this blog loves to find something to complain about, and after today's game, that would be the bullpen. I thought Mitre was OK getting through the sixth and seventh, but he exited quickly after a two run homer. Other than Chamberlain and Mariano, who else can you trust? Aceves hasn't been great, but he's been somewhat effective. Boone Logan has a 3.00 ERA, but he does his best Mike Myers impression and walks lefties constantly. David Robertson has completely fallen apart before our eyes. Last October, D-Rob picked up two playoff victories, but this season, he can't finish innings and has an ERA above 14. If starters don't pitch into the eighth inning (like CC and AJ), the offense had better be ready for a slugfest.

Tomorrow is the first off day that I look forward to. For one, it gives guys like Jorge and Mariano an extra day of rest. Hopefully, they'll be ready to go in Fenway on Friday night. Josh Beckett is the perfect pitcher to allow A-Rod and Tex to break out. Sure, Mark has shown signs of coming around, but he and A-Rod each have just two homers. It's time for both of them, and it's time for the Yankees to bury the Red Sox.

Ye Olde Power Hitter

The Yankees have been showing their age over the last 48 hours, but the team continues to play baseball at an almost .700 winning percentage. Tonight's heroes were C.C. Sabathia (shocking) and Randy Winn, who showed signs of life, cracking a game-deciding three run bomb in the fourth inning. With Curtis Granderson out, Brett Gardner, Randy Winn, and Marcus Thames will have to step up, and they have done so thus far.

Tonight's game was quick and efficient, but it did not come without cause for concern. Jorge Posada was removed from the game with tightness in his calf. Sure, Francisco Cervelli is a spark plug on the field, but the Yanks are nowhere without Posada's veteran leadership. He's the guy who will get in your face if it doesn't seem like you're giving it your all, not the captain. Then, it was revealed that Mariano Rivera has been feeling pain in his oblique since Saturday, which forced the unreliable Joba Chamberlain to close out a 4-1 victory.

It's a fantastic sign that the team is playing well during a time when guys are banged up, and the 2-3-4 hitters are still not playing up to their potential. Somehow, the club remains 17-8, having spent the majority of its time on the road in this young season. It sure makes Joe Girardi look like a good manager when he has an ace on the mound who can go eight innings every five days.

Also of note, the Yankees have decided to skip Javier Vazquez's start this weekend due to an off day on Thursday. Great move. Seriously. All this head case needs is to start a game on Friday in Boston, get shelled, and ruin the Yankees' bullpen for another long weekend at Fenway Park. Friday night will be a huge test for Phil Hughes. The Red Sox have been struggling lately, but as we saw tonight, they have no problem putting up close to 20 runs when they're at home.