Peter Abraham reports that Justin Christian was optioned to make room for Brett Gardner, who is starting tonight in left and hitting leadoff.

Peter Abraham has it:

Baseball America with the report that Michel Inoa, the top Dominican Republic pitching prospect of the last decade has signed with the As for $4.25 million.

Here's an interesting, Yankee related portion:

Anyone who expected Oliver Perez to throw a gem versus the Yankees, raise their hand. Yes, I have my hand raised. Having had the guy on my fantasy team for seemingly all his bad starts (and benched for his good ones), I just knew he would find a way to burn me again...and he did.

The Yankees were able to muster very little against Oliver Perez yesterday, cranking out only 3 hits and I can remember only one that got out of the infield. That one, a 420 ft BOMB off the bat of Wilson Betemit, accounted for the only run that the Yankees scored. After Perez left the game, Pedro Feliciano came in and pitched a hitless eighth before giving way to Billy Wagner. Wagner gave up a single to Derek Jeter but got A-Rod on a fly-out, Posada on a grounder and Kd Betemit looking to end the game and give the the Mets a Subway Series win for only the second time in the rivalry.

As for the Yankees pitching, Darrell Rasner was in trouble for most of his time out on the mound but somehow wriggled out of trouble and gave up only 2 runs in 5 innings. One on a infield single from Luis Castillo and the other on a LONG home run off the bat of Carlos Delgado. Still, if you are a Yankees fan, you have to be very concerned with how Rasner has been pitching. 8 hits, 3 walks in 5 innings? That's a 2.2 WHIP...and I don't care how lucky you are, that's going to hurt you badly at some point. Clearly, the first 4 starts with a 1.80 ERA weren't indicative of Rasner's talent level...but he's certainly better than what he has shown in his last 6 starts (1-5, 6.47 ERA, .341/.391/.522/.913 line against). It doesn't get better if you narrow that range down to his last 4 starts....1-3, 8.20 ERA and .345/.406/.529/.935 line against. That is some scary stuff...and if the Yankees or their fans expect to win with that kind of production from one of their starters, they will be definitely be disappointed.

The Mets scored their last (and very important insurance run) off of David Robertson who made his first major league appearance.

The Times and Democrat reports that Yankees prospect center fielder Brett Gardner has been promoted to the Major League club.


Via Peter Abraham.

Peter Abraham reports that Ian Kennedy was activated from the DL last Wednesday and promptly demoted to Single-A Tampa. He'll have to work his way back into the Yankees' rotation.

"Right now we’re not really thinking of him," Joe Girardi told Abraham. "We like the way our other [starters] are throwing the ball. I mean, you have to earn your call-up. ... You have to earn your spot back. You have to pitch well to earn your spot back. He has to pitch well. He was optioned out, this is him getting right. This is like the other 175 players in the minor leagues, or however many there are."

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Chad Jennings (who else?) spoke with Alan Horne regarding yesterday's outing.

Chad Jennings reports:

Saturday's game came as advertised, as an expected pitchers' duel between Andy Pettitte and Johan Santana was just that. The Yankees defeated the Mets by a score of 3-2 in a game that featured two rain delays to go along with the stellar pitching. The Sox and Rays both lost, pulling the Yankees to within 5 games of the division lead and 4.5 of the wild card.

The game started out a litle shaky for Pettitte, who walked two straight batters in the first, but he got out of it without any damage. Ironically, the first run of the game came via a home run by Ramon Castro off of Pettitte in an inning he otherwise rolled through.

The Yankees went ahead in the 4th with back-to-back RBI ground outs by Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada. The Yankees added an insurance run in the 6th with a base hit by Robinson Cano that scored Alex Rodriguez to put the Yanks up by a score of 3-1. That run would prove to be needed as the Mets scored one in the bottom of the inning to pull to within 3-2.

Both pitchers left the game after 6 with impressive lines. Pettitte allowed two runs on five hits, striking out four. Santana allowed just four hits, but he did labor a bit as it took him 113 pitches to get through the 6th.

The game was uneventful after that, as both bullpens threw 3 innings of scoreless ball. Mariano Rivera picked up his 22nd save in as many chances.

The visiting team has won every game between these teams this season, and the Yankees will try to keep that going this afternoon as they send Darrell Rasner to the mound to face Oliver Perez. Barring a matchup in October, this will be the last game the Yankees ever play at Shea Stadium. Game starts at 1:10 E.T.

With the win today, the Yankees hit the halfway point at 44-37 and soon to be 5 games back of the first place Red Sox (4 GB on the loss side). Now, most fans would rather be in first place but consider that this is a noticeable step up from where they were last year (40-41, 10.5 GB in the AL East, and 7 GB in the Wild Card). They made a heck of a run last year and even with all of the injuries, pitching woes, offensive woes, and all of the sturm und drang that accompanies the Yankees, they are in a position to do the same this year. I think that the bullpen is in a far stronger position than previous years and while the rotation has obviously been bitten by the injury bug this year, the second half promises the hopefully healthy returns of help there (I am waiting on Carl Pavano myself). Combine that with a (hopeful) return to form from Robbie Cano, continued hot hitting from the heart of the Yankee order and and a little luck (and minimal injuries of course) and it should be another entertaining run.

Of course, this year, they also have the Rays to contend with as they head down the home stretch. They're tied with the Pirates right now in the ninth but with a win, will hop over the Red Sox to take over first place in the AL East (though they will have played 3 less games). In addition, there are a few more teams to worry about in the AL as the Central looks like it will be hotly contested as Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota vie for first there. LAnaheim is leading the West right now but they still look vulnerable to the As as the summer goes on.

Should be a wild summer in the Bronx...let's hope it's an enjoyable ride.

Peter Abraham reports that Yankees prospect David Robertson is now with the big league club. The move was made before today's game. Kei Igawa was sent back down and Oneli Perez was DFAed.

Yes, the title of this post is a joke. That said, Sidney Ponson did the job - and then some - on Friday night at Shea, holding the Mets to exactly zero earned runs over six innings of work. Yes, he walked four guys, to go along with five hits and 4 strikeouts. But, what matters is that all of those guys were left on base.

If you asked Yankees fans to bet on the outcome Ponson's performance tonight, before the game, let's just say that "6 scoreless" would not be a popular choice. Heck, "Yankees win the game" might not have even been a popular choice. But, regardless of Ponson's past, he's "earned" a second start now. Right? I think. Yeah. I'm going with that.

The Yankees bats came to life, putting together a streak of four consecutive innings of 2 or more runs from the fourth through seventh innings, giving them a 9-0 lead.

A suddenly hot Bobby Abreu led the charge, collecting four hits in as many at bats, with one of those being a double. He also stole 3 bases, scored a run, drove in 3 and walked once. Robbie Cano was 1 for 4, but his at bats counted. Besides a solo home run, he hit a sac fly that scored Jeter and a ground out that scored Abreu. That's 3 RBIs for the second baseman. Jeter (hit streak extended to 15 games) was big as well, going 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Jose Molina scored 2 runs of his own, as well as an RBI, finishing 2 for 3 with a walk.

Kyle Farnsworth, Jose Veras and Kei Igawa (promoted before the game) combined to pitch one scoreless inning a piece and shut out the Mets, holding them to eight hits for the game.

The Yankees and Mets will pick it up again tomorrow at 3:55 PM ET when Andy Pettitte (8-5, 4.04 ERA) will face Johan Santana (7-6, 2.93 ERA).

The Yankees made room on the roster for Sidney Ponson by placing Hideki Matsui on the 15-day DL, according to ESPN. The move was made after the first game of today's doubleheader with the Mets and is retroactive to June 23.

The Yanks also sent down Ross Ohlendorf after his rough outing this afternoon and called up Kei Igawa.

The first four innings of the opener of today's double header went alright for the Yankees, who held a 4-3 lead up to that point. It's the other 5 innings that were a horrible, ugly mess. For that span, the Yankees were outscored 12 to 2 as the Mets knocked Dan Giese out of the game and proceeded to score off of every pitcher the Yankees threw at them.

Giese came out to start the fifth, but was taken out after a walk, walk and single that loaded the basis. Edwar came in and allowed 3 runs to score. Giese's line? 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Edwar would throw 1 and 2/3 innings, charged with 2 earned runs. With the Mets leading 6-4 and 2 outs in the 6th with runners on first and third, Girardi opted for Ross Ohlendorf.

Like Ramirez before him, Ohlendorf would throw his own special blend was gasoline on the fire - perhaps a little more potent batch. After allowing an RBI single and walking Carlos Beltran to load the bases, he gave up a grand slam to Carlos Beltram, effectively putting the game out of reach at 11-4.

Ohlendorf pitched a scoreless 7th and was relieved by LaTroy Hawkins, who managed to allow 1 run in two innings of work.

Carlos Delgado absolutely victimized our pitchers, going 3 for 5 with a double, 2 home runs and 9 RBIs.

Meanwhile, we ended up scoring 6 runs - half of them in the third inning. A-Rod led the attack with a 3 for 4 day, with a home run, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Melky and Betemit each had 2 hits and Jeter extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a double.

The second game of the double header starts at 8:10 PM with a couple of old friends - Sidney Ponson (4-3, 3.88 ERA with the Rangers) goes against Pedro Martinez (2-1, 6.57).

Programming note: I'm going to be appearing on the "Seven Train to Shea" online radio show tomorrow, Saturday, June 28. The show starts at 1:30 PM ET and I'm set to call in at 2. They have a call in number, as well, on the show site, if you'd like to ask a question or share some thoughts. Should be fun.

From Peter Abraham:


It doesn't sound too serious, so hopefully if he does hit the DL, it'll be retroactive and for a short time.

Chad Jennings spoke with Mark Newman, who told him that prospect reliever Mark Melancon will "probably" stay in Double-A for the rest of this season.

He also said that J.B. Cox and David Robertson could reach the Majors, however.

If you catch the play by play of tonight's game on MLB.com's Gameday, keep an eye out for some pretty neat looking features. It's 3D man!

As expected, Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson will start during the Yankees double header with the Mets on Friday.

The Roanoke Times reports that the Yankees have inked their ninth round pick, right-handed pitcher Mike O'Brien.

Via Peter Abraham.

Wednesday night's Yankeee game was the antithesis of the previous night's, as the Yankees were able to push runners across and the pitching was nothing short of outstanding. Joba Chamberlain won his first game as a starter, pitching 6 and 2/3 scoreless innings, as the Yankees defeated the Pirates by a score of 10-0. The Red Sox and Rays also won, so the Yankees remain 5.5 and 4.5 games back, respectively.

Joba had his best starting outing to date, striking out 7. He got into a couple jams, most notably in the bottom of the 2nd, when Ryan Doumit attempted to score from second on a line drive single to right by Jack Wilson. Abreu made a perfect throw home, however, and Doumit wasn't even shown yet on the screen by the time Posada had the ball at home plate.

Every Yankee starter recorded a hit, with the exception of Joba Chamberlain, who walked in his first plate apperance. Derek Jeter went 3-3 and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Bobby Abreu had three hits, including a three-run homer in the 6th, and seems to be over a long slump. Melky Cabrera had two hits, and Robinson Cano was 3-5, including a solo shot. Cano has quietly raised his average to .241.

Russ Ohlendorf and Jose Veras pitched 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to close the game out.

The Yankees and Pirates will play the rubber match of this series this evening as Mike Mussina will face Paul Maholm. Maholm, if you remember, is the guy who struck out Billy Crystal in that spring training game. Game starts at 7:05 E.T.

The Pirates collected their first win against the Yankees since 1960, smoking them by the score of 12-5.

The Pirates spread the runs out, scoring between 1 and 3 runs in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th innings. As the home team, they didn't hit in the 9th. Darrell Rasner threw five innings, allowing 7 earned runs on 10 hits, 4 strikeouts and no walks. The score was 7-3 when LaTroy Hawkins entered the game, but he went ahead and put it out of reach, allowing 4 earned runs over 2 and 2/3 innings pitched. For whatever reason, Edwar came in and threw 1/3 of an inning, allowing 2 hits and an unearned run, as well.

Justin Christian, in the first Major League game of his career, went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBIs. He did bobble a ball in the field, though, earning himself an error. Cano was 3 for 4 with a double, 1 run and 1 RBI. Jeter scored a run and Abreu had a home run and 2 RBIs. It was Cano's first 3 hit game since a month ago, exactly, on May 24. Besides that, a pretty forgettable game.

Tomorrow at 7:05 PM ET, Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 2.36 ERA) starts opposite Zach Duke (4-4, 3.91 ERA).

Brian Cashman spoke at a Scranton Chamber of Commerce dinner on Monday night. He spoke about his time with the club and shared some interesting stories. Chad Jennings and Donnie Collins have the details.

No corresponding move yet as Johnny Damon (sore left arch) and Hideki Matsui (knee) are on the bench and can't play in the OF.

The lineup:

Cabrera cf,
Jeter ss,
Abreu rf,
Rodriguez 3b,
Giambi 1b,
Posada c,
Cano 2b,
Christian lf,
Rasner p.

Only 3 out of those 9 haven't spent time in the Yankees system.

Update: Billy Traber was optioned to make room for Christian.

Also, if you want to know more about Justin, who can run and is a pretty good defender from what I have heard, check out this piece from Chad Jennings. Obviously not a long term answer or anything of the sort, but you gotta feel for a kid who was undrafted, played independent ball and worked his way to the ML level, if only for a game or two.

When asked if Pavano could return before Phil Hughes, Brian Cashman told the Post: "I haven't asked, but it's possible. Pavano should be ready by August and Hughes in August." If Pavano happens to get himself healthy (for the moment), do you bother to trot him out there and see what he's got? Or do you just tell him, "no chance."