Add Us:     MySpace     Facebook     StumbleUpon     Twitter

Archives

You are currently viewing archive for September 2009.

Posted by: Patrick
A.J. Burnett logged his third consecutive solid start and Juan Miranda played ninth inning hero as the Yankees topped the Royals, 4-3.

Burnett went 6.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) over 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 8. His ERA in his last 3 starts is 1.89. Not a huge sample, but we'll certainly take it.

In just his 5th career start, Anthony Lerew held the Yankees scoreless through 5 innings. The team finally got on the board in the sixth, when Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run to tie the game at one.

In the sixth, however, Phil Coke would not have his best inning. After Burnett walked a batter and retired one, Coke was called and Alex Gordon reached on a bunt single back to the pitcher. The next hitter, Josh Anderson, hit the ball back to Coke and he made a throwing error, allowing a run to score and the runners to move to second and third. Would you believe? Yes, another ball hit to Coke by Mitch Maier. He got the out at first, but the runner scored at home. Finally, someone - in this case, Yuniesky Betancourt - hit the ball away from Coke. It was a ground ball to A-Rod, who took care of it and the inning was over.

» Read More

Posted by: Seamus
Despite the fact that Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada were the only regulars who started in Monday night's game against Kansas City, the Yankees were still able to come up with a convincing 8–2 victory.

Joe Girardi gave most of his regular starters the day off as the Yankees have already clinched the A.L. East, homefield throughout the playoffs and the best overall record in baseball this season. Girardi did opt to play Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada, who went a combined 4-for-6, including a grand slam by Cano that blew the game wide open in the seventh.

Chad Gaudin gave the Yankees another solid start, allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs in 6 and 2/3 innings of work. Gaudin is now 2–0 with a 3.54 E.R.A. as a Yankee and you start to figure that Girardi will find a way to squeeze him onto the postseason roster somehow.

Ramiro Pena had a day he'll never forget as he hit his first career home run in the fifth inning. The Yankees pretended to give Pena the silent treatment when he came back into the dugout before Jorge Posada jumped up and hugged him, followed by the rest of his Yankee teammates. Pena was 2-for-4 in the game and drove in two runs.

A.J. Burnett will take the mound tonight and will make his final start of the regular season against the Royals' Anthony Lerew, who will be making just his second start of the season. Game starts at 7:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 48–25, Patrick: 41–20, Andrew: 12–11
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that David Robertson has been given the go-ahead and will pitch tomorrow.
Posted by: Seamus
Wrapping up the American League East Division title had been all but a formality for quite some time now, but the Yankees finally put the nail in the coffin this afternoon in poetic fashion, defeating the Red Sox 4–2. The Yanks had actually assured themselves of having a better record than the Angels with yesterday's victory, so they have locked up home field throughout the playoffs as well. The victory was also the 100th this season for the Yankees, making it the first time since 2004 that the Yankees hit the century mark.

The Yankees actually trailed during a good portion of this game and didn't go ahead until Hideki Matsui put them on top 3–2 with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth. Mark Teixeira added a little insurance with a home run in the bottom of the eighth.

Andy Pettitte pitched six strong innings and kept the Yankees in this one, allowing two runs on seven hits. Pettitte passed the baton over to the bullpen before the seventh and the pen gave Joe Girardi three scoreless innings. Mariano Rivera closed things out for his 44th save of the year.

Pretty amazing that the Yankees were able to finish with a 9–9 head-to-head record against the Sox this season after starting out 0–8. It's also pretty awesome that they were able to wrap up the division with a win over their rivals. This is actually the second time in the last five seasons that they've done that, the last time being in 2005 as they clinched the East at Fenway on the second to last day of the season.

The Yankees will go out and have a little fun tomorrow night against the Royals, as there are still six games remaining left on the regular season schedule. Chad Gaudin will go up against Luke Hochevar beginning at 7:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 47–25, Patrick: 41–20, Andrew: 12–11
Posted by: Andrew
CC Sabathia pitched seven shutout innings and the Yankees - who had numerous opportunities to score - were able to push across three runs in their 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Sabathia struck out eight, walked two and only allowed one hit to earn his 19th victory of the season. Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera each pitched a scoreless inning to secure the victory.

The Yankees left 12 men on base as a team, including not scoring after loading the bases with no outs in the fifth inning. In fact, they didn't have a hit with runners in scoring position until Johnny Damon's two-out, two-run single in the eighth to give the Yankees insurance runs.

The Yankees scored the game's first run in the bottom of the sixth on Robinson Cano's solo home run the banged off the top of the left field wall. It was the only run Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed in seven innings, despite walking five and allowing six hits. The Yankees' runs in the eighth came against Billy Wagner.

With the win, the Yankees earned their 99th win of the season and reduced the magic number to clinch the American League East to one. Andy Pettitte gets the start tomorrow afternoon, as New York looks for the sweep.

Recap records: Seamus: 46–25, Patrick: 41–20, Andrew: 12–11

Andrew Fletcher regularly blogs about the Yankees at Scott Proctor's Arm.
Posted by: Patrick
On his Twitter, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure reports that Major League Baseball has declared heralded 21 year old Cuban pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman a free agent. It's assumed that the Yankees will make a play for the lefty, whose fast ball reportedly tops out in the triple digits.

Via Mike Axisa.
Posted by: Patrick
The Yankees offense got off to a good start against Red Sox starter Jon Lester on Friday night, thanks to an A-Rod RBI single in the first that scored Jeter. In the third, Mark Teixeira singled to lead off the inning and A-Rod brought him right back home with a two run shot to make it 3-0.

Hideki Matsui then singled and, after Jorge Posada made the first out, Robinson Cano doubled placing Matsui at third and Nick Swisher walked to load the bases. Melky Cabrera hit a line drive back to the pitcher which unfortunately hit Lester in the quad and knocked him out of the game with a run scoring on the play. Lester is day to day. Derek Jeter grounded into a fielder's choice against the man who replaced him, Hunter Jones, which brought Cano home and that would be the fourth and final run of the inning. Yankees up 5-0 after 3.

Joba Chamberlain pitched well. The Red Sox didn't get their first hit or run until the 4th inning with 2 outs, when Victor Martinez hit a solo home run. The Yankees came right back in the bottom half of the frame with a Jorge Posada RBI singled that scored A-Rod.

The Red Sox tacked two more on when David Ortiz hit his 27th home run of the season in the 6th. But, like clockwork, the Yankees came right back with another two runs in the bottom of the 6th. They came on an A-Rod double (scoring Johnny Damon) and a Posada single (which brought A-Rod home). Mark Teixeira scored Jeter on an RBI single in the seventh to make it 9-3, Yankees.

» Read More

Posted by: Patrick
Following the cap he did last year for New Era, the hat company has once again partnered with the director to create "Spike Lee Joint 2.0," a new Yankees cap aimed at celebrating the team's World Series victories. It's $59.99 direct and has the Yankees world title years displayed all over the top and back of the cap.

Personally, I think it's cool. At the end of the day, it's just a hat. I think it's taken a little too seriously by some. If people want to rock a green Yankees hat or some artistically driven one, more power to them. Wear what you like.

Via Ben Kabak.
Posted by: Patrick
The Chicago Sun-Times says that reliever Octavio Dotel would like to return to New York. His first choice is the Mets and his second is... well, that other team. After getting healthy in New York, Dotel has put together two good seasons for the White Sox.

Via Ben Nicholson-Smith.
Posted by: Patrick
Mike Puma of the Post talked with Brian Cashman who said that David Robertson may be ready to return next week against the Rays or Royals. Robertson had a successful 30 pitch bullpen session yesterday and will have another session today.
Posted by: Patrick
Baseball America has tallied up the win/loss records for the Minor League teams of all Major League organizations and the Yankees teams had a combined winning percentage of .552 (381-309), good enough for second place behind the Giants and their .590 (411-286).

Via Mike Axisa.
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that Jerry Hairston Jr. has tendinitis in his left wrist, according to the results of the MRI he had today. He was given a cortisone shot and is day-to-day.
Posted by: Patrick
According to a press release, Anthony Claggett has been claimed by the Pirates. He had been DFAed about 10 days ago.

Via RiverAveBlues.
Posted by: Seamus
On Wednesday the Yankees did something they hadn't done in five years, which is win win a series in Angel Stadium as A.J. Burnett and company were able to hold on for a 3–2 victory. The win gives the Yankees a 6.5 game edge over the Angels for home field advantage throughout the playoffs and cuts the Yankees' magic number to clinch the A.L. East to 5 games (Boston won in Kansas City).

All 3 Yankee runs came in the 4th inning, as back-to-back RBI knocks from Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera helped the Yankees jump out to a 3–0 lead. That was all the offense the Yankees would get, but it was all they would need as the Angels were only able to pick up lone runs in both the 5th and 6th innings.

A.J. Burnett put 10 Angel runners on base in his 5 and 2/3 innings of work, but only two were able to come around to score, mostly thanks to the fact that he struck out 11 batters. The bullpen was solid, throwing 4 and 1/3 scoreless innings higlighted by the return of Ian Kennedy. Kennedy, who missed most of the season due to an aneurysm in his arm, worked himself into a bases loaded jam but escaped after getting Erick Aybar to fly out to left.

Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 42nd save of the season.

The Yankees will have the day off today and will begin a weekend series Friday against the Red Sox. The Yankees can clinch the A.L. East with a series sweep. CC Sabathia will go up against Jon Lester in the series' marquee pitching matchup on Friday night beginning at 7:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 46–25, Patrick: 40–20, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that Jerry Hairston Jr. was taken out of today's win after feeling pain in his left wrist. Apparently, this wrist has been causing him trouble on and off this season, since a dive he made when he was playing for Cincinnati this season. Hairston underwent an MRI around 10 days ago and then he was given a cortisone shot to help with the inflammatory. He'll have a second MRI tomorrow.
Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that X-rays done on the right foot of Jorge Posada have come back clean. Posada had fouled a ball off of his foot during last night's game, but remained in the game, throwing out a base stealer in the ninth.
Posted by: Patrick
The Yankees bashed their way to a 5-0 lead after 4 and 1/2 innings on Tuesday night. All of these runs came on homers. An A-Rod two run shot (scoring Teixeira), a Posada two run homer (Matsui) and a Matsui solo home run. And through 4, starter Chad Gaudin had things well in tow, holding the Angels scoreless on 3 hits and 1 walk.

But, the fifth inning was not his friend. After retiring the first two hits, he allowed a solo home run to Chone Figgins, a double to Maicer Izturis, walked Bobby Abreu and allowed an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero. Joe Girardi went and got the book and brought out Alfredo Aceves, who retired Torii Hunter with runners on first and second to bring the fifth to a close.

The Angels came right back in the sixth, causing more trouble. An RBI single and a two out, bases loaded walk, cut the Yankees lead down to 1. Alex Rodriguez made a great, diving play down the line to retire Vladimir Guerrero for the final out.

After Aceves retired the first hitter in the seventh, Girardi turned to Damaso Marte, who promptly allowed a double to Kendry Morales and was just as promptly removed from the game. Phil Hughes was next in line and he retired the next two batters to end the 7th.

» Read More

Posted by: Patrick
Sponsored by Peter Abraham, here's some news that caught in interest:

Robertson on the Road: David Robertson had a bullpen session earlier today and it's sounding good. He hopes he'll need just one more such session before he's able to return.

Pettitte Earning Incentives: Abraham calculates that Pettitte will finish the season with a total salary of $10.5 million when all the incentives are counted. The deal worked out well for all sides, I'd say.

Nady Back: Xavier Nady is back with the club and will travel with the team for the rest of the season. Nady, out for the season after Tommy John surgery, will mainly be a source of moral support.

The Power of Mo: Finally, I couldn't let this joke pass, because it made me laugh. Panama President Ricardo Martinelli will be throwing out the first pitch for the September 25th game against the Red Sox. Abraham says: "If you’re the president of Panama, one would assume that staying on the good side of Mariano Rivera is key to retaining power. One word from the Sandman and you’re out." Ha.
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees continue to struggle in Angel Stadium. On Monday night they were outdueled by Joe Saunders and company en route to a 5–2 Angels victory. With the Rangers winning, the Yankees will still have to wait at least one more night to clinch a postseason berth. A loss by the Red Sox, however, puts the Yankees' magic number to clinch the A.L. East at 8 with 11 games to go (13 for Boston).

The Angels jumped ahead early and would lead from there on, as back-to-back doubles by Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter put them up 2–0 in the first.

The Yankees' only offense came via two solo home runs, one by Alex Rodriguez in the seventh and one by Hideki Matsui in the eighth. Both homers were neutralized, however, as the Angels would answer back with one run in the following inning each time. An RBI double by former Yankee Juan Rivera in the eighth capped off the scoring for the night and made it 5–2 Angels.

Joe Saunders was the better pitcher in this one (8.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R), but Andy Pettitte put in a respectable performance, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings as he kept the Yankees in the ballgame. Brian Bruney and Jonathan Albaladejo each gave up one run and two hits in relief, as they pitched the seventh and eighth innings respectively.

The Yankees will get another crack at clinching their 15th postseason birth in 16 years, as Chad Gaudin will go up against Ervin Santana tonight at 10:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 45–25, Patrick: 39–20, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
In a 5-4 victory over Dave of Pride of the Yankees, Dan of Pinstripes, Pa. came away with the crown in the 2009 Yankees Bloggers Fantasy Baseball League. The pair tied in saves with 3 each. This proved pivotal as a tie would have gone to Dave who had the first tiebreaker (ERA) locked up. Congratulations to Dan!

Thank you to everyone who participated this season. Here are the final standings:
Rank  Team              W-L-T    Pct    GB
1. Dan (PA) 92-102-16 .476 21.5
2. Dave (POTY) 104-97-9 .517 13
3. Eric (PP) 116-83-11 .579 -
4. Greg (SIH) 101-100-9 .502 16
5. Patrick (YB) 108-93-9 .536 9
6. Aziz (POTY) 113-84-13 .569 2
7. YankeeGM 110-88-12 .552 5.5
8. Steve (M2M) 86-112-12 .438 29.5
9. Andrew (SPA) 82-114-14 .424 32.5
10. Seamus (YB) 78-117-15 .407 36
Posted by: Seamus
Joba Chamberlain was torched by the Mariners Sunday afternoon as he continues to struggle, and the Yankees left Seattle on a losing note after taking a 7–1 pounding from the M's.

The Yankees had intended to use Joba for 5 innings but he lasted only 3, getting rocked to the tune of 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. The big blow in this one was a three-run homer by Ken Griffey Jr. in the second that blew the game open and gave Seattle a 7–0 lead.

Once Joba was taken out of the mix, the Yankees actually outscored the Mariners 1–0 over the last 6 innings, thanks to a great cleanup job by Sergio Mitre. Mitre pitched the last 5 innings of the game, allowing just one hit and retiring the last 13 batters he faced (15 of 16 total).

Offensively the Yankees didn't get much, aside from a 3-hit day from Mark Teixeira who is starting to sizzle again and an RBI double from Jorge Posada, who returned Sunday from his 3-game suspension.

A loss by the Rangers' clinched at least a wild card tie for the Yankees, but the Bombers will have to wait at least one more night to officially seal a trip to the postseason as their magic number is still at 1. The Yankees will be in Anaheim tonight and will try to solve their Angel Stadium woes. Andy Pettitte will be facing off against Joe Saunders at 10:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 45–24, Patrick: 39–20, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
As we mentioned yesterday, this year's rookie hazing theme was 1960s Batman. Peter Abraham has the picture.
Posted by: Patrick
CC Sabathia was cruising on Saturday night, having allowed no runs and 3 hits through the first 4.2 innings. Then, we all got a bit of a scare when a liner back to the pitcher struck CC in the chest. It's a good thing he's such a big man: a shorter pitcher might have taken the ball in the face.

But, that was the only way the Mariners would be able to score. After Franklin Gutierrez reached first on the play, Jose Lopez hit a grounder to A-Rod that turned into a throwing error, leading to an unearned run. Sabathia then retired the final seven batters that he faced, yielding to Brian Bruney for the eighth.

Bruney and Jonathan Albaladejo threw back to back scoreless frames to end it, but not without a little drama. Bruney put runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out before settling down, while Albaladejo had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs before he did the same.

The offense gave the pitchers plenty of margin for error. Mark Teixiera drove in the first run, scoring Johnny Damon on his third triple in five games.

Hideki Matsui added a solo homer in the 4th, breaking the record for most home runs in a season by a Yankees DH. Don Baylor, with 25 in 1984, had set the previous mark.

» Read More

Posted by: Patrick
Tyler Kepner of the Times has a feature on Mariano Rivera's emotional consistency with Phil Hughes talking about the closer and their relationship.

Via Joseph Pawlikowski.
Posted by: Patrick
As hinted at earlier in the day, Ian Kennedy has made his way back to the Majors and will be utilized in spot starter or long relief roles, reports Peter Abraham. Great moment for Ian. In May, he had surgery to remove an aneurysm. Now, in September, he's with the big league club.
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham has a nice article on the relationship that Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano have. Cano has been Jeter's double play partner more times than any other second baseman.

"I have to be one of the blessed guys in the world," Cano said. "You look at second basemen in Boston or Kansas City or other teams and they don't have a guy like Jeter next to them or a first baseman as good as Teixeira. A-Rod, he's always talking to me. I look around and I can't believe it." ...

"There have always been rumors or talk, that's New York," Cano said [about claims of indifference or laziness]. "Jeter always would come up to me and talk to me and tell me to ignore it. When people said I was lazy, he came up to me and said, ‘I know you're not lazy.' That meant a lot to me."
Posted by: Patrick
Kennedy's Rapid Ascent: Ian Kennedy's surprising return from aneurysm surgery may continue all the way to the Majors, reports MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. He's made starts for Single-A Tampa and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the last week or so and the team is so pleased with his progress that he might see some time with the big leaguers before this season is out.

Pettitte Feeling Good: Hoch also spoke to Andy Pettitte and after a bullpen session, he's feeling good. He'll start Monday.

Old School Batman Rookie Hazing: Every year, the rookie Yankees are dressed up in some sort of costume as part of the annual rookie hazing. This year? the 1960s TV show "Batman, according to George A. King at the Post. Mark Melancon gets to be the caped crusader with Ramiro Pena as the Catwoman and Mike Dunn as The Riddler. Video coordinator Anthony Flynn will dress as Robin, message therapist Lou Potter takes on The Penguin and radar gun operator Brett Weber gets the coveted robes of The Joker. Once the team lands in Anaheim, CC Sabathia will take all of them out to dinner.
Posted by: Patrick
At times this season, A.J. Burnett has been brilliant. Unfortunately, the consistency hasn't exactly been there. On May 22, his ERA was 5.28. On July 27, it was 3.53. Before last night's game, it was 4.33. For his last 10 starts, here is the number of earned runs he allowed in each one: 6, 1, 6, 3, 9, 3, 3, 0, 7 and 0. 0-3, we can work with. The 6s, 7 and 9... not so much. In that span, he was 2-5 and the team was 5-5.

Out of his 29 starts this season, he allowed 0 runs on five occasions, 1-3 sixteen times, 4-6 five times and 7 or more three times. Suffice to say, now would be a good time to string together some nice starts before the postseason.

You can count last night as a "nice start." 7 innings, 7 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. Yes, the Mariners have one of the worst offenses in the game (28th in runs scored, as I write this), but you have to take what you can get.

Mariners' starter Felix Hernandez was right there with him against baseball's highest scoring offense, holding the Yankees to two runs, only one earned, over nine innings pitched. He allowed 8 hits and walked one.

The Yankees scored in the first when A-Rod hit a sac fly that scored Jeter. In the sixth, Johnny Damon led off the inning with a single and then made it all the way to third on a passed ball. Mark Teixeira did his job, bringing Johnny home on his own sacrifice fly.

This led to Mariano Rivera coming out to close down a one run win in the ninth. Things started off great. Two batters up, two strikeouts. Mike Sweeney was inserted as a pinch hitter and doubled, to put a runner on second for Ichiro. Ichiro did what we'd done only 9 other times this year: hit a home run. He took a pitch that was a ways outside and deposited it into the seats for a two-out, walk-off Seattle win.

» Read More

Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that Lonny Frey, considered the oldest living Yankee, has passed away at the age of 99. Mr. Frey, an infielder, played with the Yankees in 1947 and 1948. Our thoughts are with those who were close to him.

Tommy Henrich, at age 96, is now thought to be the oldest living former Yankee.
Posted by: Patrick
The multi-talented Bernie Williams has been nominated for a Latin Grammy, reports Peter Abraham. His "Moving Forward" album has been nominated in the "Best Instrumental Album" category.
Posted by: Patrick
Chad Jennings reports that first baseman Juan Miranda is the latest September call-up for the Yankees. This is because Triple-A Scranton's season has come to an end as they were swept in the Governors' Cup Finals.

Miranda, 26, hit .290 with 19 home runs, 82 runs batted in and a .369 OBA in 122 games. He was a September call-up last year, as well, and saw action in 5 games, going 4 for 10 with 1 double and an RBI.

Congrats to Jennings on another great season of SWB Yankees coverage.
Posted by: Patrick
The Yankees blogosphere is losing one of it's most active members as Peter Abraham is headed to the Boston Globe to cover the Red Sox and blog for Boston.com. Alex Belth has his usual way with words in light of the occasion. Check that out and congrats to Mr. Abraham.
Posted by: Patrick
Danny Wild and John Torenli of MLB.com report that the Class A Tampa Yankees and the Short-Season Class A Staten Island Yankees won their respective league titles on Wednesday.

Tampa took the Florida State League championship in the fifth, final game of the series, beating the Charlotte Stone Crabs, 5-2. Meanwhile, Staten Island topped the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 5-2, to finish at the top of the New York-Penn League.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is facing elimination after dropping the first two games in the Governors' Cup Finals. They'll need to sweep the next three games to win the International League Championship.
Posted by: Patrick
Yahoo! Sports mentions that Jason Bartlett and Derek Jeter are attempting to become the second and third shortstops, since 1900, to end a season with at least a .325 average, 15 home runs and 25 stolen bases. The other one would be Hanley Ramirez.

If the season ended now, Jeter would have it, as he is hitting .332 with 17 home runs and 26 stolen bases. Bartlett is hitting .327, but needs one more homer and one more stolen base.
Posted by: Seamus
The fireworks from Wednesday night's game fortunately did NOT come in the form of fisticuffs, as all the excitement in this one came from a late-inning rally that culminated in another walk-off win for the Yankees. This time it was Francisco Cervelli who delivered the final blow, a base hit to left that scored Brett Gardner from third to give the Yankees a 5–4 victory over the Blue Jays.

The Yankees jumped ahead 2–0 early, but the Blue Jays tied the game with two runs in the third and went ahead on an RBI ground out from Rod Barajas in the top of the sixth. A sac fly by Adam Lind off of Phil Coke (run charged to Brian Bruney) in the seventh made it 4–2 Jays.

With the Yankees running out of outs and trying not to lose their fourth game in six days, the red-hot Hideki Matsui sent a pitch from Scott Downs into the right field seats for a game tying, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

The game remained tied going into the bottom of the ninth after Mariano Rivera. Brett Gardner led the inning off with a base hit, which set up a rather predictable steal of second. Gardner was then moved over to third on a Derek Jeter groundout. That set the stage for Francisco Cervelli, who was able to deliver his first career walk-off RBI as he slapped a ground ball into left field to score Gardner from third.

The Red Sox came up with a late rally at Fenway against the Angels, but with the Rangers losing, the Yankees' magic number to clinch a postseason berth is now just 4.

The Yankees will have today off, just as they will every Thursday for the rest of the way. They'll be in Seattle on Friday to kick off a very late west coast trip agains the Mariners. A.J. Burnett and the Yankees will get a crack at the young Felix Hernandez, who is 15–5 this season with a 2.52 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15. Game starts at 10:10 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 45–23, Patrick: 38–19, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
According to an MLB issued press release, Jorge Posada, Jesse Carlson and Shelley Duncan will all receive three game suspensions. Earlier in the day, it had been reported that Posada and Carlson would each receive 4 game suspensions.

Posada and Carlson have elected to serve theirs, but Duncan has appealed. FInally, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, Edwar Ramirez and Rod Barajas of the Jays were all fined.
Posted by: Patrick
Update: It's three games and not four.

Mark Feinsand reports that both Jorge Posada and Jesse Carlson of the Blue Hats received four game suspensions and fines of $3,000 for their participation in last night's brawl.

Peter Abraham says that Shelley Duncan may get three games, as well.
Posted by: Patrick
As you may have heard, the Yankees and Blue Jays had a little fight in last night's game. It started with the Yankees hitting two batters. Starter Sergio Mitre hit Edwin Encarnacion in the sixth and Mark Melancon hit Aaron Hill in the back in the eighth.

In the bottom half of the inning, Jorge Posada came to the plate and Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Carlson put one behind him. It wasn't really close to hitting him, but it served it's purpose and Jorge was not pleased, as the two exchanged words. Posada took a couple of steps toward the mound and the benches began to clear. But, it died there and Jorge walked.

Brett Gardner doubled, allowing Posada to score. When he did, Carlson was positioned in somewhat of an awkward spot, more in front of Posada's path than behind it. Jorge brushed the pitcher. The video clip shows him sticking his elbow out, but the clip itself shows Carlson barely move when touched. Should it have happened? Absolutely not. The Blue Jays are 20 games back in the Wild Card race and 26.5 back in the American League East. The Yankees are in first by 6.5 games. Your eye has to be on the prize, which is not preserving your pride against the Blue Jays, but winning the World Series. But, Posada is human and so it goes.

MLB.com has video. ESPN has different angles and analysis from the Baseball Tonight crew.
Posted by: Patrick
Somehow, Sergio Mitre has now made four starts against the Blue Jays, despite having made only eight starts this season. His ERA against the team, including tonight's start? 10.59. By comparison, his ERA in his four other starts is 4.63. His line tonight? 5 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He's 3-3 now - all 3 losses have come against, you guessed it, Toronto.

Meanwhile, the Yankees were stranding base runners like crazy against Roy Halladay. 11 hits, 1 walk, 6 innings... 2 ER. They both came on singles. Brett Gardner brought in Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter scored Nick Swisher.

The Yankees bullpen wasn't all that great, either. Though, to be fair, it was the trio of Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon and Michael Dunn. All 3 pitched 1.1 innings and all 3 allowed 1 ER.

The Yankees picked up runs in the eighth and ninth innings, thanks to a Gardner double to score Posada and a Hideki Matsui single to bring Mark Teixeira home after a triple.

When Posada scored the second time, Bryan Hoch reports that he brushed Blue Jays' pitcher Jesse Carlson. This came after a Carlson pitch went behind Posada, which caused both benches to clear for a short time. Punches were thrown and there were some cuts and bruises (Joe Girardi came away with a small cut). Both Posada and Carlson were ejected. Read more on the Brawl.

Though the Yankees pitchers hit two batters, the Yankees had 2 more hits (15 to 13) and the same number of walks (3) and, yet, 6 less runs. Jeter, Teixeira (triple), Matsui, Cano, Swisher (2 doubles) and Gardner (double) all had 2 hits. Jeter's RBI was number 64 as he tries to become the seventh Yankee with 20 homers and 70 RBI. The Yankees magic number remains at 12.

Tomorrow at 7:05 PM ET, Chad Gaudin (1-0, 3.42 with the Yankees, 5-10, 4.81 overall) will get the start against Brian Tallet (7-9, 5.26).

Recap records: Seamus: 44–23, Patrick: 38–19, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
Joseph Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues reports that Andy Pettitte will miss tomorrow's start due to "shoulder fatigue." He's slated to start Monday, at which point he'll have 9 days rest.
Posted by: Patrick
2010 Schedule: MLB.com's Bryan Hoch has the details on the 2010 Yankees schedule, released today. The big news? The Yankees will start and end with Boston - both times in Fenway Park. The Yankees are 18-10-1 against the Sox on Opening Day, including 6-4 when Boston is the home team.

Good Guys: Peter Abraham says that Joba Chamberlain, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes visited the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Department of Pediatrics today. Good job.

Ol' Reliable: Jack Curry of Times examines the sometimes under appreciated Mariano Rivera. When greatness is your norm, it doesn't always get recognized.

Zimmer on the Captain: Bill Madden at the Daily News talked to Don Zimmer about Derek Jeter. Zim gushed about the Captain and shared a story about Clyde King (a special scout for George Steinbrenner) coming to camp in 1996 and telling Zimmer and Torre that Jeter was not ready to play (via Diane Firstman).
Posted by: Seamus
The Angels made a brief appearance in the Bronx Monday night and left empty-handed, as the Yankees pulled out a 5–3 victory in a tight game between division leaders.

Joba Chamberlain pitched a respectable four innings in another shortened start, allowing four hits and just one run on a deep home run by Vladimir Guerrero.

The Yankees answered Guerrero's blast with one of their own, this time off the bat of Nick Swisher in the third inning to tie the game at 1 apiece. The Yankees jumped ahead in the fifth inning after falling behind on a Chone Figgins ground out, as Mark Teixeira hit a ball off the center field wall that bounced all the way back into the middle of the outfield for a two-run triple that made it 3–2.

The Angels tied the game again in the eighth when Kendry Morales came up with the bases loaded against a laboring Phil Hughes and grounded into a double play that scored Bobby Abreu from third.

The Yankees finally went ahead for good in the bottom of the inning, when Chone Figgins misplayed a ball at third on a Brett Gardner steal attempt, allowing Gardner to score as the ball trickled into left field. An RBI single from Robinson Cano gave the Yankees a little insurance. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 40th save of the season.

The Yankees' magic number to clinch the A.L. East over Boston now stands at 12. Their magic number to clinch the postseason over Texas is 7. No other team on the outside can catch the Yankees in the standings.

The Yankees will begin a short two-game series against the Blue Jays tonight at 7:05 ET. The Yankees will get one last look at Roy Halladay this year as he'll take the mound for the Jays against Sergio Mitre.

Recap records: Seamus: 44–23, Patrick: 38–18, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
Chad Jennings reports that fast outfielder (45 stolen bases in 54 attempts across 4 teams and 2 leagues this year) Freddy Guzman has been promoted to the Majors. He'll likely be used for pinch running duties.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Anthony Claggett was designated for assignment.

Finally, Ian Kennedy has been promoted to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre and will start game 2 of the championship series. Kennedy made a surprise start on Saturday, pitching in game 1 of the Florida State League championship for the Class-A Tampa Yankees. Can you say "ringer"?
Posted by: Patrick
The second round of the postseason in the 2009 Yankees Bloggers League has come to an end. Here are the results:

5. Dave of Pride of the Yankees defeated 1. Eric of Pending Pinstripes, 7-2.

7. Dan of Pinstripes, Pa. defeated 6. Greg of Sliding Into Home, 6-4.

Congratulations to Dave and Dan on advancing to the final, setting up this week's match-up:

5. Dave of Pride of the Yankees
vs.
7. Dan of Pinstripes, Pa.

Good luck guys!
Posted by: Seamus
Umpire Marty Foster had another rough afternoon at Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees were a little better off as some good pitching and an eighth inning rally helped them secure a 13–3 victory against the Orioles.

Baltimore led 3–1 early on, but the Yankees rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Melky Cabrera drove in two runs with a base hit to tie the game at 3. The Yankees jumped ahead for good in the sixth with a two-run single from Hideki Matsui that put the Yankees ahead 5–3.

CC Sabathia was for the most part solid in recording his 17th victory of the season. He allowed just 5 hits in 7 innings, and 2 of the 3 runs he allowed were on sacrifice flies.

The Yanks blew the game open in the bottom of the eighth as the Yankees sent 14 batters to the plate en route to an 8-run inning that was highlighted by a three-run homer by Hideki Matsui. Matsui had 5 RBI on the afternoon. Melky Cabrera, who also drove in two runs in the inning, finished with 4 RBI in the game.

There was a bit of a sideshow in the bottom of the 5th inning, as Alex Rodriguez and Joe Girardi were both ejected from the game by umpire Marty Foster. A-Rod was not in love with a strike three call he received in the fourth inning, and after looking at some replays in the dugout between innings, came back out in the bottom of the fifth and began yelling at Foster. Rodriguez was then ejected from the game, as was a livid Joe Girardi. Rodriguez said that the way Foster handled the situation was unprofessional, and said that Foster spent much of the at-bat chatting with Orioles' catcher and former Yankee Chad Moeller. If you recall, Foster had a previous incident at the Stadium this year, allegedly telling Derek Jeter that he "didn't have to be tagged out" after calling him out on a stolen base attempt at third. Girardi was tossed from that game, as well.

The Yankees will welcome the Angels into town tonight for a cameo appearance, as they'll be in to make up a rained out game that was originally scheduled for May 3. Joba Chamberlain will take the mound for the Yankees while Jered Weaver goes for the Halos. Game starts at 7:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 43–23, Patrick: 38–18, Andrew: 11–11
Posted by: Patrick
The Boss Calls the Captain: After he surpassed Lou Gehrig as the team's all-time hits leader, Derek Jeter received a call from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, says MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. "We miss seeing him around here as much as we used to, but it was great to hear his voice, and he had a lot of great things to say," Jeter said.

Late Press Conference for Record: The Yankees made Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez available for a late press conference after the record fell. Peter Abraham has the quotes and it's nice to see this sort of genuine respect expressed. Not everything has to be criticism or bullpen scrutiny. "We as players, coaches, media and fans are able to watch him every day, and that's a privilege," A-Rod said. Amen.

Kennedy Good in Start: Ian Kennedy was a surprise activation yesterday for Class-A Tampa, starting in game one of the Florida State League championship series. He threw 2 scoreless innings as Tampa beat the Charlotte Stone Crabs, 5-2. Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com has more.
Posted by: Patrick
Kennedy Back in Tampa: Chad Jennings reports that Ian Kennedy has been activated and added to the roster at Single-A Tampa, who is in the middle of a postseason run. Kennedy started game one of the championship series, which started tonight.

Arizona Fall League Additions: LHPs Mike Dunn and Zack Kroenke, as well as RHP Grant Duff have all been assigned to the Arizona Fall League, says Peter Abraham .
Posted by: Andrew
A.J. Burnett allowed two home runs in the second inning of Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Though one was a solo home run, Brian Roberts' came with the bases loaded. The grand slam capped the Orioles' six-run inning and put them well on their way to a 7-3 victory in the Bronx.

Burnett allowed those six runs over seven innings, striking out four and walking two while throwing 108 pitches. Josh Towers pitched the final two innings for the Yankees, allowing three hits and one run.

The Yankees couldn't put together much offensively against starter Brian Matusz, as he only allowed four hits in seven innings. The Yankees actually held a 1-0 in the first, after Derek Jeter singled, stole second, took third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Mark Teixeira's sacrifice fly.

But that was the only run they would score until the ninth inning when Melky Cabrera had an RBI double and Jorge Posada hit an RBI single.

In addition to Roberts' grand slam, he also singled, doubled and walked.

CC Sabathia goes for New York tomorrow afternoon, as the Yankees look to avoid a home sweep at the hands of Baltimore.

Recap records: Seamus: 42–23, Patrick: 38–18, Andrew: 11–11

Andrew Fletcher regularly blogs about the Yankees at Scott Proctor's Arm.
Posted by: Patrick
Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times reports that, according to sources in the game "with knowledge of the matter," Major League Baseball will not seek to discipline Alex Rodriguez. The heart of their investigation stemmed from a belief that Rodriguez may have lied to MLB officials in March regarding his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Via the AP.
Posted by: Patrick
"For those who say today's game can't produce legendary players, I have two words: Derek Jeter."

- George M. Steinbrenner III

The Yankees lost on Friday night to the Orioles, 10-4, thanks primarily to bullpen explosions (see: Marte, Damaso (.1 IP, 4 ER) and Ramirez, Edwar (.2 IP, 3 ER) and a lack of timely hitting (a three run homer by A-Rod and an RBI single by Jeter would be all the offense they would muster). But, this team has been playing incredible baseball and losses will happen. Let's talk about what matters: on September 11, Derek Jeter became the Yankees all-time hit leader, surpassing the great Lou Gehrig (video.

"Fifty years from now, people are going to look at the back of the baseball card and see some crazy amount of hits, maybe in the mid-3,000s, maybe even 4,000, but it's not going to capture half the story," Alex Rodriguez told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. "For me, playing next to him, I've learned so much from him, he's motivated and inspired me."

"For those who say today’s game can’t produce legendary players, I have two words: Derek Jeter," said George M. Steinbrenner III, in a
statement (via ESPN). "Game in and game out he just produces. As historic and significant as becoming the Yankees' all time hit leader is, the accomplishment is all the more impressive because Derek is one of the finest young men playing the game today. That combination of character and athletic ability is something he shares with the previous record holder Lou Gehrig. It adds to the pride that the Yankees and our fans feel today. Every Yankees' era has its giants. It’s thrilling to watch Derek as he becomes one of the greats of his generation, if not of all time."

Amen.

Recap records: Seamus: 42–23, Patrick: 38–18, Andrew: 11–10
Posted by: Patrick
The Old Guard: Joel Sherman at the Post and Peter Abraham at The Journal News both have articles focusing on the longest tenured Yankees: Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera.

Cash is Free: Recently released Kevin Cash has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, mentions MLB.com's John Schlegel.

Rays and Johnson Praise the Captain: The Devil Rays and former teammate Nick Johnson have a lot of kind things to say about Derek Jeter.

Robertson Update: Yesterday, we learned that Dr. James Andrews felt that all David Robertson needed was rest. The pitcher had a second MRI on Thursday, but Brian Cashman says that Robertson is "pumped."
Posted by: Patrick
Yankees reliever David Robertson was shut down recently after experiencing "tightness" for an extended period. He had his appointment with the renowned Dr. James Andrews, who recommended he rest for 10-14 days followed by a throwing program, reports the Yankees PR department.
Posted by: Patrick
I got goosebumps last night, watching a pair of Derek Jeter related video clips. The first was a replay of Derek Jeter tying Lou Gehrig for the most hits in franchise history and the second was Tim Kurkjian, talking about Jeter's place in Yankees history and relaying a story told to him by Buck Showalter.


The funny thing about this is, when Buck Showalter told the equipment guy to give him a single digit, he really only had one option, outside of 0. Numbers 1, 3-5 and 7-9 have all been retired. Number 6 was being worn by veteran Tony Fernandez. So, 2 it was.

What's amazing to me about Jeter is not just his performance or his numbers, but how much he gets things right - on and off the field. Peter Abraham passed on a quote from Rays manager Joe Maddon that says it best: "I'm very happy for him. He carries himself in a manner that's worthy of passing Gehrig." That's a pretty high complement. It's also true.

» Read More

Posted by: Seamus
It's kind of hard to wrap your head around, but Derek Jeter now tops a list along with Lou Gehrig that includes Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Yogi Berra for the most hits as a New York Yankee. Jeter went 3-for-4 to tie the Iron Horse in a 4–2 come-from-behind victory.

After going 0-for-12 over his last three games, Jeter decided to try something new in his first at-bat tonight and laid down a perfect bunt to third to pick up his first hit in 13 at-bats.

Jeter grounded out in his second at-bat, but came up for the third time in the bottom of the fifth inning and launched a ground rule double to right to pull within a hit of Gehrig and the all-time Yankee hit record.

The captain came up for a fourth time in the seventh inning with two outs, and with the Yankees trailing 2–0, he scorched a ball down the right field line to pick up his 2,721st hit as a Yankee. Jeter got a standing ovation from fans teammates, and opponents alike, and he responded by waving his helmet to the fans pointing at his family located in the stands.

Derek Jeter came up again in the 8th with a chance to take sole possession of the record, but took a 3-2 pitch down low to cap off a 3-for-4 night.

Oh yeah, and there was a game to play. The Yankees trailed after Joba Chamberlain (3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB, 55 PT) and his rules coughed up two runs in the first inning to put Tampa Bay up 2–0. The score remained that way until A-Rod scored on an error in the first inning to make it 2–1. Later on in the inning with one out and two runners on, Jorge Posada launched a pitch from Grant Balfour into the right field seats for a three-run homer that gave the Yankees a 4–2 lead. That was where the score would stay, as Brian Bruney and Phil Coke combined for a scoreless 9th to put the Rays away and complete a four-game sweep.

The Yankees will have the day off tomorrow before beginning a three-game set with the Orioles at Yankee Stadium, as Derek Jeter will get another shot at surpassing Gehrig. Andy Pettitte will take the mound and will face rookie Chris Tillman and the O's beginning at 7:05 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 42–23, Patrick: 38–17, Andrew: 11–10
Posted by: Patrick
Some cool news from Alex Belth at Bronx Banter. The writing of Banter alum Todd Drew (read it here: "Lasting Yankee Stadium Memory #53"), who tragically passed away earlier this year, has been selected by Leigh Montville to be featured in "The Best American Sports Writing 2009", due out in October. Well deserved.
Posted by: Patrick
Godzilla the Clutch: Hideki Matsui has been named the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Month for August, reports MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. He hit 8 home runs and drove in 25 in 24 games.

What's Up with Wang?: Peter Abraham says that Chien-Ming Wang is out of his sling and was with the Yankees to watch a game for the first time since he had the operation. He's hoping that he'll be able to play catch in October and November - and that he and the team can work out a contract so that he can remain with the team.

You Can be a Champion: The toy wrestling champion belt that the Yankees were handing around earlier this season is up for auction. Bid now. It's up to 2,350.00 and the proceeds benefit charity.

Rock: Former Yankee Tim Raines talked to Jack Curry of the Times, discussing his impression of Derek Jeter.

Kennedy Progresses: The AP reports that Ian Kennedy say his first "game-type action" since his surgery to remove an aneurysm. He threw 35 pitches in two innings during a simulated game. He'll go again on Saturday, this time moving up to 50 pitches. Via Ben Kabak.

Jeter's Scout: Anthony McCarron at the Daily News caught up with the scout who discovered Derek Jeter, Dick Groch. Included is a photo of Derek Jeter in high school. Via Ben Kabak.
Posted by: Patrick
For the first six innings on Tuesday night, Chad Gaudin held the Rays scoreless on 5 hits and 1 walk. This included a strike him out, throw him out double play to end the fourth, when Jorge Posada threw out Ben Zobrist. To end the sixth, Gaudin picked off Carl Crawford. He had it working, let's say.

The Yankees, meanwhile, had scored two runs off of David Price. Nick Swisher homered in the second and A-Rod scored Johnny Damon on an RBI single in the sixth.

In seventh, Gaudin got into some quick trouble as he allowed a home run, a single and a walk to the first three hitters of the night. The bullpen came to the rescue.

First, Joe Girardi went to Damaso Marte, to face a pinch hitting Gabe Kapler. He hit a shallow fly ball for the first out. Next up, Brian Bruney came in to go against Dioner Navarro. Ground ball, runner out at third. Finally, Phil Coke was called. He walked the first batter, to load the bases, but came through with a ground ball for the last out.

Phil Hughes came out to start the eighth and immediately allowed a home run to Jason Bartlett to tie the game, earning himself a blown save. A single, fly out and double play later, he was out of the inning. The Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the eighth and Mariano Rivera came in to pitch the ninth, retiring the side in order.

A-Rod lead off in the ninth, but grounded out. This set the stage for Nick Swisher to hit his second home run of the night - this time, it was a walk off to give the Yankees win number 90. That's 26 home runs for Mr. Swisher.

Derek Jeter went 0 for 4, remaining at 2,718 hits all-time, still 3 back to Lou Gehrig.

Joba Chamberlain (8-5, 4.41) goes tomorrow against Jeff Niemann (12-5, 3.67). Game time is 7:05 PM ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 41–23, Patrick: 38–17, Andrew: 11–10
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that David Robertson has been shut down for the time being and has a date with Dr. James Andrews. He's been experiencing "tightness" after his appearances for two weeks.

Joe Girardi indicated that the team is hopeful that he'll be able to return. Robertson said that he did have an MRI that didn't show any injury. We'll have to see what Dr. Andrews says.
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees got some good pitching and some timely hitting on Monday, outscoring the Tampa Bay Rays 15–2 as they took two from their division rivals. The Yankees moved to 9 games over the Red Sox in the A.L. East standings and are 11.5 games ahead of the Rangers, who are the top team on the outside still looking in. The Yankees also lead the Angels by 6.5 games for home field advantage throughout the postseason.

The first game was a tight one, as the two teams were still tied at one apiece after 7 innings. CC Sabathia was great, striking out 10 and allowing just 3 hits in 7 innings. The Yankees finally pulled ahead in the 8th, as a sac fly by Robinson Cano put the Yankees ahead by the score of 2–1. The Yanks would tack on another two runs in the inning to go up 4–1, which would prove to be the final score. Mariano Rivera closed the game out with a scoreless ninth inning in his first appearance since September 1.

Game 2 was a different story, as the Yankees pretty much had this game in the bag after an 8-run inning put them up by an 8–1 margin. Mark Teixeira homered twice in the game, leading the Yankees to an 11–1 romp. A.J. Burnett, who has struggled of late, was much better this time around as he allowed just a run on 4 hits in 6 innings of work. The win was the 89th of the season for the Yankees, matching their total from last season with 23 games still remaining.

Derek Jeter still trails Lou Gehrig by 3 hits in the chase for the Yankees' all-time hits record, as he was 0-for-4 in both games.

The Yankees will see young rookie David Price at 7:05 ET tonight and they will counter with Chad Gaudin.

Recap records: Seamus: 41–23, Patrick: 37–17, Andrew: 11–10
Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com's Thomas Boorstein reports that the Yankees have activated Brett Gardner, who had been sidelined by a thumb injury. Also, the team promoted Shelley Duncan from Triple-A.
Posted by: Patrick
The first round of the postseason in the 2009 Yankees Bloggers League has come to a close. Here are the results:

1. Eric of Pending Pinstripes defeated 8. Steve of The Yankees: Minors to Majors, 7-3.

5. Dave of Pride of the Yankees defeated 4. Patrick of YanksBlog.com, 7-3.

6. Greg of Sliding Into Home defeated 3. YankeeGM of Yankee GM Blog, 5-5 (the tiebreaker was ERA).

7. Dan of Pinstripes, Pa. defeated 2. Aziz of Pride of the Yankees, 6-4.

Congratulations to everyone who advanced.

» Read More

Posted by: Seamus
The Blue Jays were able to salvage a split in this four-game series, thanks in part to some lousy pitching and defense on the part of the Yankees. The Jays knocked around Sergio Mitre, Mark Melancon and Josh Towers and took advantage of some "Swiss cheese defense" as Clyde Frazier would say en route to a 14–8 victory for Toronto over the Yanks.

Sergio Mitre didn't get any help from his defense, but he didn't pick them up either. He lasted only into the 5th inning, being taken out with one out and the bases loaded after allowing 8 runs (6 earned). Mark Melancon entered the game in relief, and all three of the runners he inherited came around to score, leaving Mitre with a final line of 11 runs (9 earned) on 11 hits in 4 and 1/3 innings.

After recording just one out, Melancon was lifted in favor Josh Towers, who reintroduced himself to the Blue Jays' faithful by landing a pitch right into the face of Jays rookie Randy Ruiz. Ruiz was later checked out by a doctor and seemed to be okay, and hopes to be ready for game action as soon as tomorrow.

Towers was actually not bad from there on, as he pitched scoreless 6th, 7th and 8th innings to finish up mopping duties for the Yanks.

Offense was not a problem for the Yankees, as they got 3 hits from Derek Jeter and 3 RBI each from Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera, but it was not enough this time as they were doomed by their sloppy defense (4 errors) and lousy pitching.

The Yankees will be back home tomorrow and they'll begin a 10-game homestand that will feature games against four different teams with a day-night doubleheader against the Rays. CC Sabathia will go up against Matt Garza in Game 1 (1:05 ET) and A.J. Burnett will face Andy Sonnanstine in Game 2 (7:05 ET).

Recap records: Seamus: 39–23, Patrick: 37–17, Andrew: 11–10
Posted by: Patrick
Over at the Daily News, Christian Red and Anthony McCarron have must read features on Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter, chronicling their rise through the Yankees Minor League system and their development as players.
Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that Mariano Rivera threw his scheduled bullpen session today and felt no pain. He could pitch Sunday.
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that the services of Kevin Cash were no longer required by the Yankees. He was released to make room for Josh Towers. Cash, 31, had seen action in 10 games for the Yankees this season, hitting .231.
Posted by: Andrew
The Yankees, in a game that went went almost four hours and featured 12 walks, defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 Saturday afternoon behind Andy Pettitte's six innings and Phil Hughes' impressive four-out save.

Pettitte wasn't spectacular like he was his last time out. He walked six batters and allowed four earned runs. He wasn't helped out when Derek Jeter committed an error on Jose Bautista's triple that resulted in two runs, but the Yankees provided just enough offense.

The Yankees recorded 14 hits, including multi-hit games from Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera. Mark Teixeira and Cano each hit home runs, and Cabrera drove in two runs.

Cabrera got the Yankees' scoring started in the second inning with an RBI single and Cano added his solo home run in the fourth. However, the Jays tied up the game in the bottom of the fourth on a Randy Ruiz home run and John McDonald's bloop single. Ruiz earlier lost a home run earlier in the game when instant replay proved that his fly to left was touched by a fan on the foul side of the pole.

It could've been worse for the Yankees in the fourth, but Cano fielded McDonald's bloop in right field and threw one-hopper home to get Bautista out at the plate to end the inning.

Teixeira's solo home run in the fifth gave the Yankees a lead which they would not relinquish again. Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Melky Cabrera each hit RBI singles in the later innings to give the Yankees insurance runs.

Hughes entered the game in the eighth inning with two outs and struck out three of the four batters he faced for his third save of the season.

Sergio Mitre starts for New York tomorrow afternoon in the final game of this four-game series in Toronto.

Recap records: Seamus: 39–22, Patrick: 37–17, Andrew: 11–10

Andrew Fletcher regularly blogs about the Yankees at Scott Proctor's Arm.
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees have called up Josh Towers for the second time this season, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. According to Hoch, the Yankees were going to wait to make this move until the team comes back home on Monday, but they figured to bring him up in case of an emergency since Chad Gaudin and Joba Chamberlain both had short outings to begin this series in Toronto.

The 32-year old Towers may get a look at his former team, as he appeared in 108 games for the Blue Jays from 2003-07 and started 89. He was actually called up by the Yankees once previously on August 8, but did not appear in a game and was designated for assignment the next day. Towers began the season with the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, but has not pitched in a major league game since 2007.
Posted by: Patrick
I'm in two fantasy baseball leagues. In the league that is not the Yankees Bloggers League, I am in second place, playing the final regular season week against the 1st place team. I'm a game back and I am only playing for pride, as my first round bye is assured. But, I'd still like to win and finish the season in first.

I've got a valuable league in ERA and WHIP, so I decided not to start Roy Halladay today. His last few starts haven't exactly been stellar and he was facing a hot Yankees team. Plus, if I can, I try to avoid pitchers starting against the Yankees just because.

Today wasn't the day. Halladay had it working. 9 innings, 111 pitches, 73 strikes, 1 hit, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts and 0 runs. The only player to get a hit? Number 9 hitter Ramiro Pena. Yeah, it was that kind of day.

Joba Chamberlain threw 59 pitches in 3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. Mark Melancon picked up two innings of work, along with an earned run. Jonathan Albaladejo pitched a scoreless inning. Michael Dunn made his Major League debut, getting 2 outs and allowing 2 runs. Finally, Edwar Ramirez made his first appearance since May 18, pitching the final 1.1 innings scoreless. He did, however, allow the double that scored the two runs that Dunn was responsible for.

Tomorrow at 1:07 PM ET, Andy Pettitte (12-6, 4.03) will take the hill against Brett Cecil (6-3, 5.42).

Recap records: Seamus: 39–22, Patrick: 37–17, Andrew: 10–10
Posted by: Patrick
The AP reports that Mariano Rivera will have a bullpen session on Saturday and may get back into game action on Sunday. He had hoped to have the session today.
Posted by: Patrick
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports that not only did the Yankees look at Brad Penny, but they had also been considering Mike Cameron (once again) before the August 31 deadline.

The Yankees shied away from Cameron, according to sources, because they didn't feel it was worth picking up the $1.5 million they would have had to pay him for whatever upgrade they would have received over Melky Cabrera.

Back to Penny, the Yankees were serious enough to have Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon and former teammate A.J. Burnett make recruiting calls. In the end, he decided to head to San Francisco, though.

Via Joseph Pawlikowski.
Posted by: Patrick
As expected, Jonathan Albaladejo became the sixth September callup for the Yankees, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

He would have been up sooner had he not been hit in the eye with a ball while playing catch with Edwar Ramirez (insert joke here). He has two black eyes, leading Joe Girardi to refer to him as a "big raccoon" and Nick Swisher to joke about him needing some sunglasses.
Posted by: Patrick
Mo spoke to the AP and he's feeling better after dealing with some tightness in his groin (makes you cringe just typing it). He's wants to get a chance to throw before seeing any game action and he's hopeful that will happen on Friday.
Posted by: Patrick
The Yankees got off to the right start early, scoring 4 runs off of Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero. Hideki Matsui delivered a 2 RBI single that turned into a third run when a fielding error was made. Jorge Posada brought Matsui home from third on a single of his own and it was 4-0, Yankees.

Chad Gaudin's first three innings weren't pretty, but the results were good. 2 walks, a hit batter, a double and a passed ball, but no runs. But, after Melky Cabrera added the Yankees third RBI single of the night, once again scoring Matsui, that would change.

Another walk, another hit batter, three singles and a sacrifice later and the Blue Jays had 3 runs. Gaudin was done after 3.2 innings. Alfredo Aceves relieved him with two runners on, but struck out Adam Lind for the final out.

RBI single mania continued as the Yankees tacked on two more in the 5th. A-Rod singled home Johnny Damon and Posada did the same for Mark Teixiera.

Aceves ran into trouble of his own in the sixth, allowing runners to score on a double and an A-Rod error, but he'd put himself in position to collect his 10th win of the season. Anyone else getting a Ramiro Mendoza vibe here?

At any rate, the Blue Jays were done: David Robertson, Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte all pitched a scoreless inning a piece, allowing no more than 1 walk between them while striking out 5.

The Yankees, however, were not done. In the ninth, they had enough of the whole RBI single thing. A-Rod blasted a solo shot and Posada hit a two run homer with Jerry Hairston Jr. scoring on the play. That's where it would end: 10-5 Yankees.

Just earlier today, Steve Lombardi mentioned that if Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada each hit at least 20 home runs and drove in at least 70, the 2009 Yankees would be the only team ever to have 8 players who did that. Well, Posada must have heard him because his home run and 4 RBI gave him exactly that. It's up to the Captain now, sitting at 17 home runs and 61 RBI with 28 games left.

A-Rod also had a great day, going 2 for 4 with the homer, 2 runs, 2 RBI and a walk. Damon, Teixeira and Matsui all had 2 runs, as well.

Tomorrow, at 7:07 PM ET, Joba Chamberlain (8-4, 4.38) will pitch against Roy Halladay (13-8, 3.13) in a rematch of Joba's first ever start.

Recap records: Seamus: 39–22, Patrick: 37–16, Andrew: 10–10
Posted by: Patrick
A-Rod had a great game last night, but it wasn't just his 3 for 5, 4 RBI day at the plate, but the fact that he collected his 2,500th hit (video).

He finished the day with 2,502 hits, good enough to tie with Jimmy Ryan at 88th all-time. Only six active players are ahead of him (Ken Griffey Jr. being the most ahead at 2,751), but he's the youngest of the bunch.
Posted by: Patrick
For his outstanding community service, Captain Jeter was named as the Yankees' nomination for the 2009 Roberto Clemente Award, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Vote online.
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees won tonight by a score of 10–2 over the Orioles, but that score could be a little bit misleading. The game was actually very close for eight innings before the Yankees took control in the ninth, batting around and scoring 7 runs to widen the gap.

CC Sabathia put together another stellar start for the Yankees, allowing just one run which came on a sac fly by Nick Markakis in the first inning that put the O's up by a score of 1–0. CC ran into a little bit of trouble in the second, but recorded back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded to get out of trouble. From there on, he didn't allow a runner to reach third base. Sabathia went 7 innings, allowing 7 hits and striking out 9 en route to his league leading 16th win.

The Yankees got a game-tying home run from Eric Hinske in the third inning, and Alex Rodriguez put the Yankees ahead 3–1 with a two-run single, but they didn't get any real offensive outburst until the ninth inning. The Yankees had 7 hits in the inning, all singles, en route to a 7-run inning in which the Yankees sent 12 batters to the plate. The inning carried on for so long that Derek Jeter, who was 0-for-4 entering the inning, was able to extend his hitting streak to 6 games even after leading the inning off with a walk. A-Rod drove in another two runs in the inning, capping off a 4-RBI night.

Phil Hughes pitched the last inning and a third of the game and actually recorded a save in this one, as the Yankees were still leading by only one when he entered the game with two outs in the eighth.

With the win, the Yankees gained a game over the Red Sox and now lead the A.L. East by 7.5 games. They also have a 6.5 game lead over the Angels for the best record in the American League.

The Yankees will be in Toronto tomorrow night and will send Chad Gaudin to the mound to face his former team (Gaudin actually appeared in 5 games for the Jays in 2005). The Blue Jays will counter with Ricky Romero. Game is slated to start at 7:07 ET.

Recap records: Seamus: 39–22, Patrick: 36–16, Andrew: 10–10
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that Mo is feeling a bit of tightness or stiffness in his groin. Both Mo and Joe Girardi seem relatively unconcerned - if this were the playoffs, Rivera said he'd be pitching. He'll likely get a few days off to rest and then, hopefully, will be good to go.
Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that Brett Gardner is heading to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to get some rehab time with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate. Joe Girardi hinted that he could be back by Labor Day.
Posted by: Patrick
Yesterday, we mentioned that A-Rod might not need that second hip surgery. The third baseman put it at 20% he wouldn't need it, 80% he would. The doctor in charge, Marc Philippon, weighed in today to the Post.

"I don't want to jinx us, but there is a very good chance we can use conservative treatment," Philippon told George A. King III. "We will take our time and look at all the variables but I am very optimistic and happy."

Via Ed Eagle.
Posted by: Patrick
For the third consecutive start, A.J. Burnett's ERA went up - but, unlike the last two, the Yankees were able to win this game. It was thanks to an offense that scored 9 runs and a bullpen that allowed nothing for the final 3.2 innings.

Burnett threw 109 pitches over 5.1 innings, allowing 6 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks. But, the Yanks scored just as frequently and he left with a 6-6 tie.

Robinson Cano's two run homer in the second, scoring Jorge Posada, signaled the first two runs of the games. Posada came back again in the third, taking a solo shot of his own. In the fifth it was, guess who, Jorge Posada with a two run jack that brought Teixiera around. A-Rod would single in Melky Cabrera to tie it up in the sixth.

In the top of the seventh, the Yankees tacked on 3 runs, thanks to home runs by Nick Swisher and Eric Hinske. Swisher's scored Cano, as well.

That was all the bullpen would need. Damaso Marte (1 inning), Dave Robertson (1), Phil Coke (.2) and Mariano Rivera (1) combined to allow just 2 hits over the final 3.2, giving Damaso Marte his first win of the season and Mariano Rivera his 38th save (his ERA is now 1.78).

The Red Sox won to stay 6.5 games back. Tomorrow, at 7:05 PM ET, CC Sabathia (15.7, 3.56) goes against Jason Berken (4-11, 6.33) as the Yankees try to sweet the three game set with Baltimore.

Recap records: Seamus: 38–22, Patrick: 36–16, Andrew: 10–10
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon and Mike Dunn have been called out on this, the first day of September. Jonathan Albaladejo should be up in the next couple of days. He would have been already, if not for his eye coming in contact with a baseball yesterday.

Mark Feinsand says that Shelley Duncan and Austin Jackson are likely to be on their way after the International League playoffs come to an end.

Via Ben Kabak.
Posted by: Patrick
Chad Jennings reports that Shelley Duncan has been named the MVP of the International League. He hit .273 with 29 home runs and 92 RBI in 116 games.

Austin Jackson was pegged as the Rookie of the Year. He hit 2.93 with 4 home runs, 57 RBI, 62 runs and 23 stolen bases in 235 games.

Finally, Kevin Russo was named to the IL All-Star team. The second baseman hit .335 with 4 home runs, 47 runs and 26 RBI in 83 games.
Posted by: Patrick
You probably know that Andy Pettitte lost a perfect game in last night's game with two out in the seventh when Jerry Hairston Jr. misplayed a hard hit ball on a play that should have been made. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Peter Abraham (with audio) and the AP have quotes from Pettitte and Hairston on the night. From the AP:

Hairston felt terrible, but Pettitte eased his pain by giving him a hug in the clubhouse.

"He was kind of funny," Hairston said. "He was like, 'You took the pressure off me.' He goes, 'If I haven't thrown a no-hitter by now, then I'm not going to do it.' He was probably the best. He said he didn't want to throw nine innings anyway. That's what type of attitude he has."

And Hoch:

"The ball took a bad hop on him," Pettitte said. "He kind of looked like he moved to his left and had to go back to his right. I feel bad for him. He was hanging his head and I gave him a hug, like, 'Dude, come on.'

Well handled, gentleman.
Posted by: Patrick
George A. King III of the Post reports that A-Rod may not need that second hip surgery after all. It's still likely, but Rodriguez said there is a 20% shot he won't need it. I would expect if there is any chance at all that not having the second surgery could hurt him long time, he's going to have it. He's too costly an investment not to.