Who Needs It?

It would be easy to sit here and complain about Alex Rodriguez's journey to 600. He hit number 599 a week ago in the Bronx, and he's yet to crack one over the fence since then. But you'd really only be able to complain about it if the team was losing, and if Alex was in a slump. Alex Rodriguez has been a different person since last season. He doesn't try to do too much, and that homer will come when it comes. A-Rod had a beautiful at bat in the first inning, driving in the first run of the game with a single up the middle, and that's all AJ Burnett and the Yankees needed en route to an 8-0 route of the Indians. I would like to retract my statement last week involving the Yankees' need to trade for Fausto Carmona. If there's any question why, check last night's box score.

Mark Teixeira is really turning it on, and it looks like he'll have no trouble ending up with over 30 homers and 100 RBI's, despite another horrendously slow start. The most important thing tonight was not Alex's base hits (one of which went off the right field wall), not Granderson's clutch at bats, or Cano's unbelievable power, but it was the man on the mound, AJ Burnett. After his little tantrum back on July 17, Burnett has turned in back-to-back scoreless outings to win two consecutive games. With Pettitte out and Dustin Moseley starting Thursday's series finale, the Yankees really needed this one, and Burnett delivered.

The Yankees are now 17-6 in the month of July, which is the best mark in baseball. The problem they are having are the teams below them, Tampa Bay and Boston. Tampa, too, is 17-6 this month, and Boston picked up a huge sweep of the LA Angels. If you think about it, the Red Sox are almost picking up free agents at the trade deadline as their stars begin to come off of the disabled list: Josh Beckett, Victor Martinez, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia. Fortunately, the Yankees have a 7 game lead over Boston, so there's not a need to worry (yet). Tampa Bay is another story, and this weekend's series at the Trop will tell you a lot about the remainder of the 2010 season.

Despite enormous amounts of power in the Yankee lineup, it's more encouraging to see games like tonight won by timely hitting. The base hits by Rodriguez, Gardner, and Teixeira that gave the Bombers a 4-0 lead essentially put the game away in the second inning. It became a show of whether or not A-Rod would get it done. A-Rod, like many other power hitters, hits homers in bunches. Once A-Rod gets number 600 out of the way, expect him to reel off about 4 or 5 more in a week. Other than the end of Tuesday's game, the Yankees haven't NEEDED a home run from Alex at any point. When he has to, he's still come through with the big hit. It's just those final at bats of the game where you see him swinging out of his shoes a little bit.

Every article/video blog entry this week has ended with a trade deadline discussion. I'm not all that sure if the Yankees will be able to acquire anyone at this point, but Scott Downs and Adam Dunn are the two men I'd most like to see in pinstripes by August 1st. Downs, a left-handed reliever from Toronto, has been outstanding this year, and Boston is also vying for his services. Dunn, a perfect DH for Yankee Stadium, hits mammoth home runs and his on base percentage would be a perfect fit. Only a few days remain for Cashmoney to come through.

No Surprise Party

Tuesday, Alex Rodriguez had a chance to give himself a birthday gift by cracking homer number 600. Instead, the Yankees' reputation of failing against pitchers they've never seen before gained some steam, as rookie Josh Tomlin knocked off the World Champs for an embarrassing loss. Over the first two games in Cleveland, Jake Westbrook and Josh Tomlin have looked like Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Is it really a surprise that Tomlin beat the Yankees? Ask Sean O'Sullivan about last Tuesday at the Stadium, when the rookie was masterful over seven innings. Five days later, the Yanks destroyed him as a member of the Royals. Something about that "first time" just doesn't go right for this team.

CC Sabathia was not great Tuesday night, but he was good enough to win. He always gives the Yankees innings and keeps the team in the game, but that's tough to do when you don't score until the eighth inning. Once in a while, it's OK to lose a game. But when you play in the American League East, two in a row is just about unacceptable. Tampa Bay continues to win, and third place Boston still has one of the best records in baseball. It's VERY tough to sweep a four game series, but you'd really like to see the Yankees take the next two before a showdown in St. Petersburg.

Not a good sign to see that Jorge Posada was scratched from the lineup with a sore knee. This is no knock on Cervelli, because he was huge when the team needed him early in the season, but Francisco can't hold a candle to Jorge's bat. If the Yankees were to do something at the trade deadline, Adam Dunn is not a bad idea for DH. Jorge is going to have to catch for the rest of the season until, hopefully, Jesus Montero is ready next year. Cervelli simply cannot maintain solid offensive numbers over the course of a full season.

Alex is finally starting to look like he's pressing a little bit. I can't say I blame him much, but to his credit, his fly out in the seventh inning probably would have been in the seats in the Bronx, and this anticipation/distraction would finally be over. One positive came out of tonight: Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless eighth inning. If the Yankees can trade him away for a bag of sunflower seeds, the team would improve by the end of the week.

A Grand Night

The Inside Corner discusses Monday night's 3-2 victory in Cleveland, Alex Rodriguez's pursuit of homer number 600, and the idea of instant replay in Major League Baseball.

Royally Stupid

Today was another brutally long, yet important game in the 2010 Yankees season. Phil Hughes was not great, but he improved off his last start to pick up his 12th win of the season. Curtis Granderson showed signs of last year's power by cracking two homers, and Boone Logan has put together several impressive outings in a row to become a force out of the Yankees bullpen. Although Alex Rodriguez failed to crack number 600 at home, the Yankees' offense exploded and knocked off the Royals, 12-6.

It was a great game, the Red Sox lost again, and the Yanks finished the homestand with a 6-3 record. So why am I complaining? In the bottom of the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez had a chance to crack number 600 with the bases loaded, which also would have given him career grand slam number 22. Sadly, he was drilled with a 1-2 fastball in his left forearm and came out of the game. I thought the Yankees needed to retaliate, showing other teams that they won't put up with their best player being knocked down and hit in the same at bat. Instead, Chan Ho Park came in to pitch the ninth inning, walked a couple of guys, and showed no heart by not even coming close to drilling any of the Kansas City Royals' hitters.

This is not only Chan Ho Park's fault, but also the rules of Major League Baseball. What if Park hits a guy? Then, you are looking at a suspension. (Would it be bad to see Park suspended?) Seriously, the rules have gotten a little bit too tight for pitchers throwing inside, and umpires issuing warnings. Believe it or not, I would have liked to see Joba Chamberlain start the ninth inning and put one in somebody's ear. That's the way old time baseball was played. There's nothing wrong with it. At least Joba would have accomplished something positive after another horrendous eighth inning. Could the Yankees possibly consider sending him to Scranton to get his head straightened out?

Dan Haren was traded from Arizona today, but it was not to the New York Yankees. Instead, he went to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Joe Saunders and a cast of others. I like Haren, but he's not someone that causes you to want to give up all of your minor league talent. If all the D-Backs wanted was Joba, however, why couldn't the Yankees pull the trigger? Either way, I'm happy to see him with the Angels. Right now, the Angels are certainly not a playoff team, and we all remember what happened last year when the Angels pulled off a "steal" to pick up Scott Kazmir.

The Yankees head to Cleveland before a big series in Tampa next weekend. If Girardi puts him in the lineup, I guarantee A-Rod cracks number 600 in Ohio Monday night. No excessive flash bulbs, no standing ovations. Let's just hope the midges don't return at any point.

History on Hold

The Inside Corner blog discusses Saturday's frustrating loss to the Kansas City Royals, as well as what the Yankees need to do before the trade deadline to fix their starting rotation and bench.

Another Legend Passes

After a great victory which included two Yankee rookies homering in the same inning for the first time since 1929, the Yankee family was saddened by the death of yet another icon, former catcher and manager Ralph Houk. Houk spent 8 seasons with the Yankees as a backup to Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, and then had a successful career as a manager. Houk debuted as skipper of the Yanks in 1961, leading the team to his first of two consecutive World Championships. He won the American League pennant in all of his three seasons in his first stint as Yankee manager. Houk would then go on to pilot the Yankees again from 1966 until 1973, when he quit after the last game of the regular season. This is the third major passing that the Yankees have experienced in a week and a half.

On to today's game, the Yankees picked up a much needed victory over the L.A. Angels, and another game on the hapless Boston Red Sox. Javier Vazquez was great for four innings, and then a complete disaster after that. Although he wasn't good overall, he wasn't terrible. For a change, the offense and the bullpen bailed him out. Vazquez has lacked run support all season, and in his last start before the All Star Break, Vazquez left the game with a 1-0 lead after seven innings until Joba Chamberlain coughed it up in Seattle. Today, he left with a 6-5 lead and got some help.

Today, I witnessed one of the most interesting at bats I've ever seen in my life. Brett Gardner was ejected from the game in the seventh inning after complaining about an 0-1 strike call. He really did not deserve to be tossed, and Joe Girardi almost was given the gate for the second straight game. Once again, MLB umpires are on too much of a power trip and are ruining baseball. But the Yankees found a way to stick it to Paul Emmel: Colin Curtis. In the middle of someone else's at bat, Curtis stepped up, ran the count to 3-2, and hit his first big league homer. Earlier in the inning, Juan Miranda went deep. Curtis and Miranda were the first Yankee rookies to homer in the same inning since Lyn Lary and Sam Byrd in 1929.

The Yankees host the Royals for four games starting Thursday night, when CC Sabathia takes on Bruce Chen. You don't want to call these games "must-wins," especially with the Yankees still atop the AL East, but there is absolutely no reason that anything less than three out of four victories would be acceptable. On Saturday, Kyle Davies will take on Sergio Mitre. Davies, you'll remember, served up A-Rod's 500th homer back in 2007. If anything, at least Davies will have a chance to be the answer to an interesting trivia question, as will Colin Curtis after today.

Phull of Garbage

It's the same recipe for Phil Hughes and the Yankees again: mo' rest, mo' problems. That's not quite the way the Notorious BIG said it almost 15 years ago, but it's a similar concept for the Yankees' right-hander, who was embarrassed by the Angels in the Bronx Tuesday night. The Yankees were silenced by a pitcher they'd never faced before (shocking) in Sean O'Sullivan, who looked like Greg Maddux at Yankee Stadium after the first inning. All of a sudden, with Hughes' struggles and innings limit, it makes you wonder if the Yankees will be forced into trading away some prospects for a mid-season solution to their starting pitching woes.

It's tough to single out one hitter when the whole team struggles for eight innings at the plate, but let's continue to talk about Curtis Granderson. After noticing that Ian Kennedy defeated the Mets on Monday night, the Granderson acquisition keeps on getting worse and worse for Cashman and the Yankees. Phil Coke was at least a solid lefty, and Damaso Marte is on the DL. Austin Jackson has tons of potential and has a batting average about 70 points higher than the Grandy Man, and now, Ian Kennedy looks like he could have been a viable option for the Yankee rotation with Andy Pettitte out until late August.

The Yankees are really screwing up Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes with their innings limit rules. Hughes has been in the big leagues since 2007, so I guess I'm confused about why he still needs these limits. Hughes' worst start of the year (until Tuesday night) came against Seattle in late June, after he was skipped over by Joe Girardi and the Yankees' Brain Trust. Since then, he has been pretty shaky, including losing the All Star Game in Anaheim. Let the kid pitch. With Pettitte out, Hughes should not be skipped at all.

ESPN's Buster Olney had a great article about Derek Jeter on ESPN.com today. I respect Derek Jeter and am incredibly thankful for what he has done for this franchise. I greatly look forward to watching him get his 3,000th hit next season. In his article written before Tuesday's game, Olney discusses Jeter's .271 batting average. If the guy's name wasn't Jeter, what would YOU pay for a 36 year old shortstop who just finished up a .271 season? The Yankees have some serious thinking to do. Here's hoping Jeter turns it around and makes the decision even easier.

The Yanks have a tough one Wednesday afternoon. Javier Vazquez takes the hill for the first time in over a week against Joel Pineiro, who already wiped the floor with the Yankees way back in April. The Baltimore Orioles gave the Yankees a complete gift by coming back and defeating the Rays in extra innings, keeping Tampa Bay 2.5 games back in the American League East. If Vazquez can't have a strong second half, Hughes is on his innings limit, and Burnett continues to need a shrink, the Yankees may be in trouble. Of course, they could always call up Kei Igawa, who is riding out the last season of his well-deserved contract.

Winning Comes at a Cost

The Inside Corner's second video blog entry discusses the series victory over the Rays, Andy Pettitte's devastating groin injury, and what the Yankees can do to improve their short-staffed starting rotation.

Inaugural Video Blog

It's an historic moment in The Inside Corner's history, as yours truly has gone into the age of video blogging. The video blog covers one of the most tragic weeks in Yankees' history, as well as the first two games of a key series with the Tampa Bay Rays. Enjoy!

A Yankee Icon Passes Away

I was going to write a post ripping Joba Chamberlain apart for causing the last two Yankees' losses by blowing 1-0 leads in the eighth inning, but on a day like today, that's about all I have to say about it. Bob Sheppard, the longtime, legendary Public Address Announcer of Yankee Stadium, sometimes referred to as "The Voice of God," died Sunday morning at the age of 99. This is a major loss for the Yankee family, and I won't be surprised to see the team wearing black armbands for the rest of the season, starting today.

Sheppard came to Yankee Stadium in 1951, and hardly ever missed a game up until 2007, when failing health caused him to be absent from the American League Division Series. Sheppard was not there for the final game at Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees did the right thing. They went to Sheppard's home in Baldwin, and had him record the starting lineup, as well as a brief "valedictory," which was played on the video board during the seventh inning. No icon was synonymous with Yankee Stadium the way Bob Sheppard was.

He will always be enshrined in Monument Park with a plaque. He will always be heard at Yankee Stadium when Derek Jeter steps to the plate. More importantly, he'll be remembered by every Yankee fan who ever sat at Yankee Stadium, took a moment, and really listened to the announcement of the starting lineup. He was not a screamer, or a rooter, just a professional announcer with a one-of-a-kind voice. I'm looking forward to attending Old Timers' Day next Saturday, when the Yankees are sure to pay tribute to the only Public Address Announcer in sports who was almost as famous as the team he worked for.

The Embarrassment Continues

Over the last couple of weeks, the New York Yankees have really made their fans question whether or not they are capable of repeating as champions. Today, for the first time, I lost confidence in their ability to do so. Not only do they lack a bridge to Mariano Rivera (see Joba Chamberlain's inflated ERA), but they have a plethora of hitters who are having horrendous seasons that can no longer be considered "slumps."

Today, the Yankees had a one run lead after seven innings. AJ Burnett pitched a great game, and as he usually does, Joba Chamberlain coughed it up. Since the Yankees couldn't hit another starting pitcher with an ERA over 5, the game went to extra innings. David Robertson was good for one inning, and bad for another. Chan Ho Park continues to make me scratch my head in terms of what Brian Cashman and the Yankees saw in his ability to get batters out. There have been several losses that I've declared the "worst of the year," but today's game has to be right at the top.

The Yankees scored one run in 11 innings against Toronto today, so it's really difficult to write a whole blog entry about how bad everyone in the bullpen has been, minus Mariano Rivera. The team has several hitters that are having bad seasons. It starts with Mark Teixeira, whose average is right around .230. In the first inning, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher both get on base, and Teixeira follows with a slow dribbler to first base. Sure, Michael Kay, it's as good as a bunt, but Mark Teixeira is not getting paid to bunt. He's supposed to drive in runs and get the team off to a good start. Instead, he's making everyone regret the enormous contract that he received in December 2008, and it's concerning to think about 8 more seasons with Tex up there flailing at the plate.

Everyone is constantly saying that the Yankees need another bat. I'm not sure how one bat is going to fix this offense. I know in the offseason they will likely sign Carl Crawford and Jayson Worth. That's great, but what about this season? How is one bat going to fix the down years that guys like Jeter, Posada, Granderson, Teixeira, and even Rodriguez are having? If these guys aren't going to hit for average and they continue to leave runners on base, I don't think we need to worry about getting relief pitchers to get the ball to Mariano.

Brian Cashman really made some terrible moves in the off-season. We can't keep talking about them all the time. But the Curtis Granderson trade is looking like a horrendous deal, which may at some point become one of the worst in Yankee history because of Austin Jackson. Jackson continues to hit over .300 for the Tigers and is looking like a future Al Star, while Curtis Granderson is hitting a horrible .232, still cannot hit lefties, and has already spent about a month on the disabled list.

The Yankees will look to try not to embarrass themselves more this weekend by taking the next two against the Toronto Blue Jays. Doing so will allow them to salvage a 3-3 homestand, and it will keep them in first place. Do it for George Steinbrenner's 80th birthday, and be thankful that he's not around as much, or heads would be rolling and change would be in the air.