Game 2: Ponson, Abreu lead Yanks to Victory in Nightcap

As if Game 1 wasn't bad enough for the Yankees, in Game 2 of the doubleheader they called on Sidney Ponson to lead the way. Oh boy....

You know what, Ponson wasn't bad at all. Thank goodness. He gave the Yankees excatly what they needed. A quick turn-around after Game 1's disaster. He gave them 6 shutout innings. You couldn't ask for more. Bobby Abreu also helped the Yank's cause with a 4 for 4, 3 RBI performance.

This, from the Yankees stadnpoint was the type of game you wanted. Good pitching by Ponson, a good performance by the offense and good work by the bullpen. Pedro Martinez starting for the Mets was ineffective. He gave up 6 runs, walked 5 in his 5.2 innings of work.

"I'm not doing my job," Martinez said. "It's time to be getting better, not getting worse."


With the 9-0 win by the Bombers, it gives them their first win of the 2008 Subway Series. The Mets had won the previous three meetings, all at Yankee Stadium. With the final out of Game 1 recorded at 6:03 pm, it left little time to regroup and travel to Shea Stadium in time for Game 2, which was slated to begin at 8:10. According to the always lovely Kimberly Jones on the YES Network, the Yanks arrived at 7:11pm.
"It almost felt like you were in high school or a summer-league team, scrambling to play the second game," Joe Girardi said.


A memorable day in New York baseball. If you're a fan of either team then yesterday was a great day. Yanks-Mets coverage ALL DAY. Can't get any better than that. Well, of course if both teams make it to the World Series, then that would be better.

I'm all baseballed out. I'm not sure if thats even a word, but I'll run with that. Both teams are back at today at 3:55pm on FOX. Andy Pettitte vs Johan Santana, get ready it's going to be another great game. I'm looking forward to it, it's the main attraction of the series pitching-wise. Can't wait to see what happens.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Game 1: Delgado, Mets Slam Yanks

Yesterday was quite the day for New York baseball. One of those days that rarely happen, which makes it more memorable. Both the Mets and Yankees didn't disappoint as both teams won a game to split the home and home twinbill.

Game 1:

Carlos Delgado was the story. He hit 2 HR's and had a Mets franchise record 9 RBI. The same Carlos Delgado that the NY Post wanted out of town. Make no mistake about it, Delgado still has something left in him, or was it a result of the bad pitching he faced? Whatever the case may be, his 2 HRs were some of the longest HR's you will ever see hit at Yankee Stadium. If you have not seen them, then I'd suggest you make it to business to YouTube it or turn on ESPN. I'm not sure those balls Delgado hit have landed yet.

Dan Giese got the start and pitched poorly. He threw 100 plus pitches in 4 plus innings. He got into trouble in the fifth when he walked Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo. David Wright then followed with a base hit and the bases were loaded. Exit Giese, enter Edwar Ramirez. Two batters later Delgado followed with a 2-run double.
"It was like every time I came up, I had a lot of guys on base," said Delgado, who is hitting .462 (6-for-13) with two homers and 11 RBI in his first three games against the Yankees this season. "I got good pitches to hit and I was able to drive them. It's nice to go out and get a good game."


Boy did Delgado make the Yankees pitching look bad. I mean he got the hits off of Giese, Ross Ohlendorf, and LaTroy Hawkins. Not excatly top of the line pitchers but Carlos got the job done. The end result was a Mets 15-6 victory in Game 1 of the split stadium doubleheader.
"It doesn't matter if it's Yankees-Mets or whoever is playing," Jorge Posada said. "It's all about executing pitches, and today, that wasn't the case."


This game showed how much the Yankees lack pitching depth and if I were Brian Cashman, I'd look at that game and get on the phone quick. There's no way you can keep running these guys out there. Giese got released by the Giants, Ohlendof wouldn't be in the majors if the Yanks didn't lack depth, and Hawkins....well I don't know why he has a job. Enough said.

Nothing you can take positive out of this game if you're a Yankee fan. Maybe Alex Rodriguez' 3 for 4 day, with a HR and 2 RBI. The Yanks were 4 for 14 with runners in the scoring position by the 4th inning! You can't win games with stats like that. Just a bad overall performance by the Yanks and a good game for the Mets.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Brain Freeze in 5th Leads Yanks to Loss

One thing that makes baseball so great is second guessing. It happens almost on a nightly basis, some situations prove to be more vital than others. During last night's Yankees-Reds game, this was a case where the situation being second guessed cost the Yanks the game.

Over at Peter Abraham's Yankees Blog he breaks down the situation. As always, Peter tends to provide us with information that helps us better understand certain situations.

Situation: It was 1-1 with two outs and a runner on third.

Jay Bruce: The rookie had driven 12 runs in his first 23 games and was 7 for 19 with RISP. However, Bruce was 8 of his last 43 with one RBI as he came to the plate. He had yet to be intentionally walked. He was 1 for 2 against Mussina in the game, hitting the ball hard both times.

Jolbert Cabrera: He was 2 for 2 against Moose to that point and 3 for 5 in his career. One of the hits last night was a bunt, the second a clean single. But he had only 15 ABs against RHPs all season. He had not yet had an AB with RISP.

Other factors: Bruce is a lefty. Lefties are hitting .235 against Mussina this season. Cabrera is right-handed. They are hitting .308 against Mussina.

The decision made was to let Mussina walk Bruce to get to Cabrera, who was already 2 for 2 on the night. The problem was Moose didn't get to decide what to do in this situation.
“I didn’t get to choose. It was the path they chose. That was it,” Mussina said. “You saw what I saw. Held up four fingers; I throw four balls.”


Earlier in the year, the infamous Manny Ramirez at-bat during a Saturday afternoon game at Fenway, Mussina was given the choice to pitch to a red-hot Manny or to walk him. Mussina chose to pitch to Ramirez and that decision led to a Yankee loss. Last night's decision also led to a Yankee loss. Seems like Joe Girardi doesn't have the right touch yet.

It's also interesting to note that Johhny Damon misplayed a line drive in left field to start the rally. It was a ball that appeared he could've caught, it did hit off his glove. But Moose decided not to place blame on that. In any event, the Yanks and Girardi will learn from their expirences and hopefully led them to making the right ones down the stretch.

I feel that the right move goes according to the gut feeling you have in that situation. Girardi, who is a by the numbers kind of guy will no question go for the intentional pass. Right move, but when you're in the heat of battle, you have to look at the situation. If Girardi looked at the numbers above then I don't think he calls for the intentional walk. I understand it's probably impossible to have those numbers on the spot like that but the fact that Bruce is a rookie and struggling and Cabrera was hot last night, it should've made it a no brainer. I'm not faulting either Girardi or Mussina for what happen, but sometimes you should go with your gut (if only I went with my own advice....).

Good job by Peter Abraham for the breakdown, bad job by the Yanks in that situation. What do you think was the best thing to do in this situation?
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Derek Jeter Overrated? NO WAY!

Sometimes there are times where there are things I feel I need to address. Today, I feel the need to take something to task. Here is what I'm referring to:

Via NY Daily News:.
In a Sports Illustrated survey of 495 Major League Baseball players in its June 23 issue, Derek Jeter was voted the most overrated with 10% of the vote. Struggling Giants lefthander Barry Zito was second at 9%, while Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew were tied for third with 7%. Mets third baseman David Wright and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis tied for fourth at 4%.

Now how in the world is Jeter overrated? Sure he doesn't deserve to be paid $18 million, but neither does anyone else for that matter. So how else is he overrated? What are you judging him by? He's a leader, he's consistent, he's clutch, and he's a proven winner. What else do you want from the guy? He is deserving of all the fame he has because he earned his success. He hutles on every play, he shows up to work and goes about his business the right way and does everything that is asked of him. He ALWAYS has a team first mentality, something lost on the game these days. So how is he overrated? Let's look at some of his awards:


- 8-time AL All-Star (1998-2002, 2004, 2006 & 2007)
- 4-time NY Yankees Player of the Year (1998-2000, 2006)
- 3-time AL Gold Glove Award (SS) (2004-06)
- 2-time Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) (1999, 2004)
- 2-time AL Silver Slugger (SS) (2006-07)
- South Atlantic League All-Star (SS) (1993)
- Florida State League All-Star (SS) (1994)
- Baseball America 1st Team Minor League All-Star (SS) (1994)
- Minor League Player of the Year (1994)
- NY Yankees Minor League Player of the Year (1994)
- Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year (1994)
- Florida State League Most Valuable Player (1994)
- International League All-Star (SS) (1995)
- AL Rookie of the Year (1996)
- All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (2000)
- World Series Most Valuable Player (2000)
- TSN Award (SS) (2006)
- Hank Aaron Award (2006)
- This Year In Baseball Awards Top Hitter (2006)


Honorable Mention:
- Placed second in 2006 in the AL MVP voting
- Has a Major League Baseball record in career postseason hits, singles, at-bats, runs scored and strikeouts (yes I even included a negative).


The timing of this poll is questionable. It is taken at a time when the Yankees were struggling, Now if this poll had been conducted in October, when Mr Jeter has been playing for the last 13 years then I think the results would be different.

I think that a lot of this is based on jealously. Jeter is THIRD on the Yankees ALL-TIME hit list. Now think about that. Think of everyone who's put on the pinstripes and think how Derek is only behind Ruth and Gehrig. That's amazing. But according to most people this is a feat that just any ol' joe can do. But then again jealously rears it's ugly face again. Why? Because he plays in New York, plays for the most storied franchise in professional sports, has fame, fortune, looks, women and the list can go on and on. I'm jealous of Derek too but I don't think he's overrated. Maybe I'm still living off the Yankee dynasty of the late 90's, but he's still here and still performing. Maybe it's the fact he gets to live out his boyhood dream of playing shortstop for the Yankees. Maybe it's because he's dated women such as Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Minillio. Maybe it's because he has his own cologne.

Whatever the case may be, everyone should get off the Hater-ade. It just makes you sound ignorant and like you have no idea what you're talking about. If he's overrated then please tell me who's better and who has a resume in today's game better than Jeter?

I've stated this many times in the past..Derek Jeter has the best life in the world. He plays for the New York Yankees (his boyhood dream), makes millions of dollars, has a list of women that would put any man to shame, is still young, he performs at a high level and enjoys what he does. Doesn't get any better than that. Yep, I said it, he has the best all around life of anyone you could think of. Now try and debate that.

He's still got a lot of baseball in him and there's no question he is a sure future Hall of Famer. The day he gets inducted in, we'll remember him for so many things: hitting the first HR in November, being the first to be named MVP of the All-Star Game and World Series in the same season (2000), making one of the most memorable plays in postseason hisoty (The Flip), the guy that was face of the latest Yankee dynasty but most importantly..he will always be remember as a Yankee. Now I know that makes people jealous.... but he earned it.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Yankees Hot Streak Now At 7

I think there's been way too much Mets coverage lately and I would like to fix that.

As the Mets were heading to the west coast and firing their manager and coaches, the Yankees lost their ace, and have quietly won seven straight.

Joba Chamberlain pitched 5.2 innings in his fourth big league start. He recorded a career-high nine strikeouts and threw 100 pitches. He was able to get out of big jams and keep his composure as he helped the Yanks to victory.

It was a pretty quiet afternoon in the Bronx. Not much going on except for Joba-Mania. The offense did just enough to secure a win. What was interesting to note in this game, is that the Yankees managed to steal four bases. Derek Jeter led off the sixth inning with a base hit then promptly stole second. He then took third base on a grounder and eventually scored on an Alex Rodriguez single to left. They used small ball to get them an extra run. An extra run that proved to be decisive.

Mariano Rivera pitched for the third consecutive day and recorded his 20th save in as many chances. The bullpen pitched 3.2 innings while striking out six. Three of those went to Rivera. With that being said, in the three-game series against the Padres he struck out 7 of the 9 batters he faced. Wow. How good is this guy? He's been as consistent as anyone has ever been on the mound.

The Yanks continue to ride their hot streak against the National League this weekend as they face the Cincinnati Reds at the Stadium for the first time since the 1976 World Series. That year the Yanks were swept by the Big Red Machine. The Yanks hope for a different outcome this weekend.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

QUITE FRANKLY: Who Should Be Playing CF?

One of the things that made the Yankees great over the years was they knew who was playing centerfield. Bernie Williams was their centerfielder and there was no doubt about him. He could run, he could hit and he could field. Ok so he couldn't throw but with all the upside, the throwing aspect of Bernie's game was his only downside. Nowadays Melky Cabrera mans CF. But there's some debate about if he should be the man out there.
.

Many people, such as myself are Melky Cabrera fans. I love the guy's arm. When there's a ball hit to him and he's getting ready to try and throw out a runner don't tell me you don't start to get excited. His arm is incredible. His fast start this season mad you wonder can Melky be a top notch CF? Does he have ther power to go along with his arm? He's a decent .280 or .290 hitter. He runs pretty well, he's not slow. But since that quick start this season Melky has cooled off. He's only had three extra base hits in his last 30 games. He's missplayed a few flyballs that have caused a few unearned runs. So shall we ask the question, is Melky Cabrera the Yankees CF of the future? or is he holding that spot warm for highly touted prospect Brett Gardner?

Gardner was selected in the third round of the 2005 draft. Down in the minors everyone is raving about him. He has a career .387 OBP since he started playing in the Yankee organization. He has a .290 average to go along with 141 stolen bases. Now for the stuff that are making people in the organization drool, hrough 60 games he’s tripled his homerun total of the previous two seasons combined. He's slugging .454, 80 points better than his career average. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Now he doesn't have the arm Melky does but those offensive numbers to go along with his speed surely raise the question of who's better suited for CF.

Gardner is only a year older than Cabrera. The Yankees have a good dilemma on their hands. I can see both of these guys running flyballs down in the outfield for years to come. In the near future why not have Melky in left and Gardner in center.

I believe Gardner will one day take over the Yankees CF job because of all the hype we've heard about him. Melky is a solid baseball player. He will improve with time. I can't wait to see them side by side out there. Until then I like Melky in CF but I want to see what Gardner can do at the major league level. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll get to see the future of the Yankees right before my eyes. Who do you think should be playing CF?
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Damon Returns To Familar Place

Johnny Damon returned last night to Oakland. A place he used to play in 2001. In the last few weeks, Damon has returned to being "Johnny Damon". He's playing the way he is know for, being an offensive sparkplug.

His batting average has gone from .265 to .325 in his recent surge. That placed him third in the American League at the start of play last night. His OBP is .392, a stat that is very important now that Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are back in the lineup.

"Last year, I wasn't healthy for at least 100 games," Damon said last night before the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 3-1. "You could definitely tell. But things have gone OK so far this year."


He's also growing a mustache. Jason Giambi has been sporting it and has seen his numbers go up as well. Maybe there is something to the 'stache. Damon has also been very vocal about the team's moves and inconsistent play.
"We've had some great comebacks the last couple of days. You think it would help us out the next day and it hasn't. We haven't been able to build off the momentum. There's a lot we need to figure out.
We definitely think we can get on a run. But we need to do it now. Last year was just an amazing comeback that we had," he said. "But with our division being tougher, that's going to be tougher to do."


I agree. I feel like Damon is speaking for the fans. Damon is addressing a lot of issues that Yankee fans want answers to. Joba's move to the rotation and the inconsistent play are some prime examples. I hope his teammates are listening to him and will respond with playing well on the field. Last season when Posada questioned the heart of the team and they responded. Let's see if Damon's recent "rants" lead to any change in play. Let's hope so.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Joba Making Progress

Joba Chamberlain is expected to be the ace of the Yankees staff one day. The shut down kind of ace that Boston had last year with Josh Beckett. He's expected to send the Yanks to the promise land on the strength of his blazing fastball and sweeping slider. Right now, he's expected to reach his pitch limit and get himself mentally prepared for a starter's role in the majors.


After his first start, Joba admitted to having some nerves about his first major league start. That could explain his 38 pitch first inning. It resulted him lasted only into the third inning. On Sunday Joba got into the fifth. Chamberlain allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked one while striking out five. He threw 78 pitches (53 strikes).
"I think he went out with the intention of being aggressive and getting some quick outs," Joe Girardi said. "He was real aggressive Sunday with his fastball, which I love."

The difference between Tuesday's start and yesterday's start raise more questions to the debate of Joba as a starter. His next outing is going to be Friday against the Houston Astros. His pitch limit in that game will be about 90-95. After that you think he would be able to go as far as he allows himself to go. The Yanks will get a better idea of how Hoba will be as a starter when he's able to pitch with no restrictions (surely they won't let him get to 120 pitches either on any start but you know what I mean).
"It's good to see it's going up, going up and going up," Chamberlain said of the well-publicized calculations. "Hopefully after one or two more, it will just be, 'Go out there and wherever it falls, whether it's 50, 80 or 140, go out there and do everything you can.' "

It'll be interesting to see how he responds to the increased workload. It'll be interesting to see how he fares against teams he faces a second and third time around. He has the stuff to be a good starter. An ace? I dont think you can determine that just yet, without seeing him pitch in pressure situations (ones where he can't use his 100 mph fastball most of the time).

If he Yanks can find a guy to fill the set-up role that Joba left, then it makes the move to the rotation even better and strengthen the team overall. Yes I stated the obvious, but the Yanks have not perforned to the level we have expected them to,at this point anything can be viewed as a positive.

Joba's going to be fine. This weekend was a good sign as the Yanks once again fought back and got a come from behind win. Yesterday's win was a team effort. They need more of those type of wins. I like what I'm seeing. I just hope they can be consistent with this.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Yanks-Royals Series Ahead



The New York Yankees (30-30) start a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals (23-37) at Yankee Stadium tonight. After yesterday's improbable win, the struggling Royals come in at just the right time for the Yanks to feast on. Here are your matchups this weekend.

Tonight - 7:05 p.m., YES
Kyle Davies - RHP (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. Darrell Rasner - RHP (3-2, 2.67 ERA) NOTE: Davies served up A-Rod's 500th HR last season.

Tomorrow - 1:05 p.m., YES
Brian Bannister - RHP (5-6, 4.60 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte - LHP (5-5, 4.21 ERA)

Sunday - 1:05 p.m., YES
Zack Greinke - RHP (5-3, 3.56 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain - (1-2, 2.42 ERA)

Monday - 1:05 p.m., YES
Luke Hochevar - RHP (3-5, 5.13 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina - RHP (9-4, 4.01 ERA)

Prediction: Yanks win 3 of 4.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Giambi and the 'Stache Lead Yanks to Win

Michael Kay said it best when he said "this is the biggest win of the season". No question about it, it surely was.

Chien Ming Wang was awful again and goes winless for the sixth consecutive start. Melky Cabrera didn't help his cause either by dropping a flyball that helped jumpstart the Toronto offense.

Kyle Farnsworth did his usual, give up runs. The Yankees have had many leads this season that have quickly disappeared, something that is occurring too often in my opinion.

But the Yankees fought back. On the day they got Jorge Posada back in the lineup, we saw life from the New York offense. Wilson Betemit slugged his second homerun in as many days and Jason Giambi on a sore foot hit a game winning two-run homerun into the upper deck to send the fans home happy. Yes, the 'stache is working.

Whatever powers that come from the 'stache or the gold thong, Giambi has been hitting the ball well in recent weeks. Today, with two outs and two strikes he hit one far into the afternoon sun. And so as a result, the Yanks are back at .500 and won the series from Toronto.

I, along with many people (Kay and ESPN's Tim Kurkijan) agree that this is the biggest win of the year and this should be the point where this 2008 season takes a turn for the better. It's no coincidence that with Posada back in the lineup, the offense got going. We'll see what the Bombers do from this point forward.

You had to see it coming. In the bottom of the 8th, Johnny Damon (another guy donning the 'stache) almost gave the Yanks the lead. With two outs and runners at second and third Damon drove one out to deep right center where Lyle Overbay made a great catch to save the game. Gotta give Overbay some love for his "web gem."

On the downside of things today, Wang was not himself. It's getting to the point where you have to start wondering what's wrong with the Yankee "ace". Wang says his arm slot is not there and thus causing him to elevate his slider but now having gone six straight outings without a win, something is wrong. If it's an injury, the Yanks will keep that tight lipped. If it's mechanics, then Wang needs to tinker around with them during his bullpen sessions. One would think that Wang's leg injury that had him get an extra day of rest a couple weeks ago is the root of the problem.

I'm no doctor but the Yanks better find out what's wrong with him and find out soon. You're not going to have games like today every fifth day so if Wang is injured, then rest him and have him miss a start if need be. But if Wang continues to struggle like this then the Yanks can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye. There's no calavary on the way this year, unless you view free agent David Wells this year's impending savior. Joba's in the rotation now, so now is the time to get it together and win.

Today was a huge win for the Yankees for so many reasons. It's time to build off of it and run with it. Time is ticking...but you have to believe this team is about to hit their stride. I can only assume for now...I just hope they don't make me look bad for being so optimistic.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Yanks Edge Defeat, Win in 12

It seems as nothing comes easy to the Yankees anymore. Last night the Yanks were on the verge of losing but held tight and pulled out a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings.

Chien-Ming Wang didn't look like the ace he was in May as he had another rough outing. You have to wonder if this is something worth some concern. He's is 0-2, 5.67 in his last five starts.
"When he's off, it's not like he gives up 10 or 12 runs," Joe Girardi said. "He's not going to be on his A-game all the time, so you have to give him credit for battling and keeping us in there."


The Yanks came close to falling to defeat a couple times in the extra frames. In the bottom of the 10th Ross Ohlendorf served up a double to Mike Lamb that appeared to being heading out of the park but bounced off the baggie in right field instead. After an intentional walk to Nick Punto, Ohlendorf went right at rookie Carlos Gomez. He struck him out on three pitches.
"He's pretty aggressive," Ohlendorf said. "I felt pretty good about my slider tonight, so I just threw him sliders."

The go-ahead hit came in the top of the 12th, Bobby Abreu singled home Johnny Damon and the Yanks never looked back. For the second straight night the Yankees were looking in the face of defeat but victory prevailed for the Bombers. They have taken the first two games of the four-game wrap-around series against Minnesota.
"Hopefully we're not done," Damon said. "Hopefully we can come out here (today) and put together some more good at-bats. It could have gone either way today, but our bullpen showed its strength and we showed some perseverance. No quit."

Two good wins for New York and good signs. Ohlendorf got himself into and out of trouble by being aggressive. A sure confidence boost for the youngster. They're going to need him this season in big spots and last night was an example of how good this kid can be.

The Yankees have pulled to a game over .500 for the first time since May 4th. Another good sign as it points to the Yanks heading in the right direction. The starting rotation gets a boost from Joba Chamberlain on Tuesday so things are definately looking up in the Bronx.
Read more »
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati