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.