Scranton on the Verge of Title

The Scranton Yankees are on the verge of winning the International League's Governors' Cup trophy after downing the Durham Bulls, 1-0 in 13 innings last night. The win, which was the third straight playoff walk off win for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate, put Scranton up 2-0 in the series, which will resume on Friday night.

The Yankees hadn't come up with a hit in more than seven innings when Bernie Castro singled home Chris Stewart with the game winner. Ian Kennedy got into a number of jams, but was able to wiggle out of each of them.

Former Yankee Heath Phillips appeared in one inning for Durham and struck out the side with Juan Miranda, Shelley Duncan, and Ben Broussard being the victims.

Kei Igawa faces Jeff Niemann in game three.

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Angels Weave Another Victory

Yankees vs. Angels. Who do you think won? The Yankees preferred to keep Ian Kennedy in the minors, but injuries forced them to bring him up for last night's game. Only two innings in, the front office was probably already ruing their decision. Kennedy did no better than his previous starts this season, getting hammered for 5 runs in two official innings. He actually faced five batters in the third inning, but retired none of them and the Angels went on to a 10-5 victory.

The Yankees closed the gap to within 6-5, but Darrell Rasner and Brian Bruney let the game get out of reach again and there would be no comeback like last Sunday's improbable Yankees win over the Angels.

Kennedy remains a conundrum. He rocketed through the Yankees farm system last year, and perhaps that was the problem- getting to the majors too quickly. This year he's been like an amateur golfer who can't put two good shots in a row together.

Singles by Eric Aybar and Vlad Guerrero put two men aboard with two outs in the first inning and both runners scored on a Torii Hunter double. Hunter's career numbers against the Yankees are mediocre, but this season he's homered twice and driven in 8 runs in just three games.

The Yankees managed to briefly hold the lead, 3-2 after Alex Rodriguez belted a solo home run, his 25th, in the second inning, and the Yankees loaded the bases in the third. Jason Giambi drew a bases-loaded walk from Jered Weaver and Xavier Nady reached on an infield single. With a chance to do more damage, Robinson Cano continued his poor hitting with the bases loaded by bouncing into an inning-ending ground out.

The lead would be short lived as the Angels jumped on Kennedy in the third, sending him to an early shower. A Mark Teixeira double followed by a Guerrero single tied the game, and consecutive singles by Hunter, Garrett Anderson, and Howie Kendrick brought home two more for a 5-3 lead. None of the balls were hard hit, but they were hits nonetheless.

Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, the Yankees made it a game again when Nady hit his 5th home run in 13 games in Pinstripes. It was also his 13th RBI as a Yankee. Cano followed with a triple and scored on a Melky Cabrera ground out to cut the Angels lead to 6-5. But there would be no more joy in Anaheim for the Yankees.

Hunter opened the seventh inning with a home run off of Rasner and the Angels piled 3 more runs on in the inning to finish off the Bombers. But really they were finished off when Ian Kennedy took the mound.


News and Notes

Howie Kendrick, 4-5 last night, is batting .507 (36-71) in 18 career games against the Yankees. He's also sporting a 1.263 OPS.

Joba Chamberlain said he'd be ready to go the first week of September, but Joe Girardi is taking a much more conservative approach, mainly so Chamberlain doesn't try to rush back.

Alex Rodriguez's home run was the 548th of his career.

The Yankees dropped to 6.5 games back in the AL East after Tampa beat Seattle 5-3. Boston lost to Chicago, so the Yankees remain 3 back in the Wild Card.

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IPK STINKS

Another horrendous performance by Ian Kennedy tonight. He's gone after 2 innings and 5 batters in the third inning. 5 runs, 9 hits, and a walk allowed. This isn't going to cut it. What happened to the guy who pitched with confidence last year and was dominating again recently in the minors?

On a positive note, A-Rod ended his hitless skid with his 25th home run.

Oh, and CC Sabatahia had another complete game shutout tonight. Get the checkbooks ready Steinbrenners.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 8/8

The Yankees open a three game series with their nemesis Los Angeles Angels this evening. One late night start tonight, followed by a FOX 3:55'er on Saturday and a 2:30 start on Sunday.

We certainly didn't expect to see Ian Kennedy and Dan Giese starting the first two games. Andy Pettitte gets the nod on Sunday.

Kennedy, who faces Jered Weaver tonight, told pitching Dave Eiland that he now understands the mental approach he must have in the majors.

"He admitted to me," Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland said, "'When I'm down here (in the minors), I know I can get these guys out.' I said, 'You've got to have the same mental approach when you're here."'

"His command's been a little bit better," said Eiland, who watches video of the Triple-A pitchers. "And he's commanded his slider a little bit more, it's more consistent, with the tilt to it. He's not hanging as many, he's more consistent, he's got a better feel for it. That just comes with repetition."

Giese will oppose John Lackey and Pettitte goes up against Joe Saunders.

Ivan Rodriguez thinks he will be able to make his expected start tonight. Rangers outfielder David Murphy wasn't so lucky. He was placed on the DL and sat on the bench last night sporting a black eye.

Bobby Meacham is away from the team for two days for his daughter's wedding. Tony Pena is coaching third base in his absence with bp pitcher Mitch Seoane taking over the duties at first.

Carl Pavano on his rehab from Tommy John surgery: "I'd like to contribute," Pavano said. "But I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. That doesn't do me any good." Just shut up.

Dave Brown of Yahoo Sports has an amusing Q & A with Mike Mussina.

Q: You finished your degree in 3 1/2 years. Did you not drink a single beer in college?

MM: Um... how do I answer that? Yes I did, "drink a single beer."

Dan Graziano has a piece on the importance of guys like Phil Hughes and Kennedy down the stretch run.

Roger Clemens and Rusty Hardin aren't giving up on the Rocket's anti-defamation lawsuit. Interestingly, Hardin is also now representing Victoria Osteen, wife of tele-vangelist (that translates to con artist in our dictionary) Joel Osteen, who is being sued by a flight attendant that alleges Mrs. Osteen attacked her on a flight in 2005.

Hideki Matsui took bp and ran yesterday, but has not been cleared for a rehab assignment.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 8/4

Xavier Nady was named AL co-player of the week along with the Royals Mike Aviles.

Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano each pitched for Charleston on Saturday. Hughes went 3.2 innings, allowing 1 hit and struck out 5. Hughes' fastball was reportedly clocked at 95 mph. Pavano allowed a run on 5 hits in 3 innings.

Ian Kennedy had another solid outing for Scranton on Sunday - 7 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 6 K - and is 4-2, 2.14. He could be an option for Darrell Rasner's next start, though a source told Mark Feinsand that Kennedy's level of pitching is behind last year's performance.

Dan Graziano has a look at how important Nady's acquisition has been.

It looks like Babe Ruth died of a different form of cancer than was originally thought.

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Time to Bring Back IPK

Darrell Rasner put the Yankees in an early hole and the hole keeps getting bigger. Rasner was just removed in the fifth inning, down 5-0.

Time to recall Ian Kennedy, who happens to be pitching today for Scranton.

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2 Months to Go

The Yankees sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East and 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card (the Twins are in between, one-half game back of Boston). One of our favorite sportswriter's, Dan Graziano, thinks Boston just said good-bye to their season and the AL East will be between the Rays and Yankees. We strongly disagree.

Last night's Yankees game epitomized how the season has gone for this team. You have two starters in Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner, who pretty much stink (though we keep hoping Rasner can make some grand adjustment), which means the rotation can't afford to have a hiccup such as the one Andy Pettitte had last night, or Mike Mussina had against Baltimore.

The Red Sox are certainly not the same team without Manny. He and David Ortiz formed the most fearsome 1-2 punch in baseball. When Manny went so did Ortiz's protection in the order. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay are very good hitters, but they don't strike fear in opponent's hearts.

All that being said, the Red Sox still have a very good lineup, and solid pitching. Theo Epstein's mistake this deadline was not upgrading his bullpen. But the team is not inferior to the Yankees. They are still the reigning World Series champions and they know how to win.

Currently this is what the AL East looks like

Rays 63-44
Red Sox 61-48
Yankees 59-49

There are 54 games left in the Yankees schedule, against the following opponents:

Angels 9
Blue Jays 9
Mariners 3
Orioles 6
Rangers 4
Rays 6
Red Sox 6
Royals 3
Tigers 1
Twins 3
White Sox 4

12 games with the two teams in front of the Yankees in the East and 3 games, next week, with the Twins, who are ahead in the Wild Card. Plus 13 more games with teams in 1st place (the White Sox and Angels).

So let's try to figure out how the Yankees will do in those games.

Angels 9 games...the Yankees stink against the Angels 3-6
Blue Jays 9 games...depends if they have to face Halladay and Burnett, but we'll go 6-3
Mariners 3 games..should sweep this one 3-0
Orioles 6 games..they've been a nemesis 3-3
Rangers 4 games.....their pitching is still bad 3-1
Rays 6 games....tough pitching, but we think experience will out 4-2
Red Sox 6 games...Beckett can only go so many times 4-2
Royals 3 games...getting worse as the year goes on 2-1
Tigers 1 game...a make up...coin flip 1-0
Twins 3 games...on the road...tough 1-2
White Sox 4 games...at home 2-2 or 3-1...difficult, well go out on a limb 3-1

So that means the Yankees would go 33-21 and finish 92-70. Ironically, we predict 93 wins before the season started. Will 92 wins mean enough for a playoff spot though? Just for the AL East, the Rays would have to go, at the most, 28-27 and the Red Sox would have to finish no better than 30-23 for the Yankees to capture the division. That would also leave the Yankees ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race, meaning the Twins would have to finish no better than 31-23.

12 games over .500 could get the Yankees to the playoffs. They're capable of it, but we're not sure they can do it unless Ian Kennedy, Al Aceves, Phil Hughes, or whomever can step it up in the rotation. It should make for interesting dog days of Summer.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 7/25

The Boston Globe got Tim McCarver's take on the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry and how things have changed since the Sox finally brought home some championships. McCarver and Joe Buck will do their best to annoy us on Saturday's broadcast (what's the over under on how many minutes before Buck mentions payroll?).

Hank Steinbrenner said that he would bring up Barry Bonds name in Thursday's internal meetings. Whether it was Prince Hank or someone else, Bonds' name was brought up, and Anthony McCarron reports that one official stated "(we) aren't ready to jump on that. We're sure this will rile up all the idiots, you heard us, who think that a 44-yr old that hasn't faced major league pitching in 10 months can still be a viable hitter. We won't bother to regurgitate all the other names that were mentioned.

Ian Kennedy hasn't had the 2008 season that he, or the Yankees, expected. Last night, pitching for Triple-A Scranton, Kennedy was one out away from a 7 inning no-hitter against the Richmond Braves when Chris Basak made an error on a potential game ender. Scott Thorman then broke up the no-no with a double that tied the game at 1-1. The Yankees won an inning later on Ben Broussard's 3-run home run.

Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe wrote an interesting piece in yesterday's paper. A lifelong, diehard Red Sox fan, Cullen is imploring the Fenway faithful to drop the "Yankees Suck" chant. Though he knows his words will fall on deaf ears (ok, deaf drunken ears), he makes some valid points.

UPDATE 12:07 PM EDT

From SI's Jon Heyman:

The Yankees are the most serious player for Jarrod Washburn and would take him as a salary dump (his 2009 pay will be $10.35 million). But Seattle is asking now for Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner, a non-starter for the Yankees.

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Minor League Recap - 7/9

Games of 7/8

Ian Kennedy allowed 2 runs in a 4 inning start for Scranton last night. Unfortunately, for the Triple-A Yankees, that was the best that any of their pitchers did last night. The Toledo Mud Hens belted Scranton 10-2. Ben Broussard, back with the Yankees for the 2nd time this season (and his 5th organization this year), homered for Scranton.

	July 8, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Scranton/WB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 5 1 Toledo 0 0 0 2 6 0 1 1 X 10 17 0 Recap | Box | W: I. Ostlund (3-0, 2.95); L: I. Kennedy (1-1, 1.46) HR: SWB: B. Broussard (2).

Jason Jones is red hot. He threw 6 shutout innings last night in Trenton's 8-0 win over the Altoona Curve. Jones has thrown 13 straight scoreless innings for Trenton plus another 5 from his scoreless start for Scranton. Overall he is 10-3, 2.05 in 18 starts. Austin Jackson and P.J. Pillitere led a 14-hit attack with 3 hits each. Pillitere drove in a team high 3 runs and Edwar Gonzalez hit his 7th home run of the season.

	July 8, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Altoona 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 Trenton 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 4 X 8 14 1 Recap | Box | W: J. Jones (10-3, 2.15); L: J. Hill (4-11, 4.99) HR: TRE: E. Gonzalez (7).

Tampa was rained out for the second straight night, so they'll be trying to play two with St. Lucie today, beginning at 5:00.

The Charleston RiverDogs dropped their series opener with the Lexington Legends, 3-1. Noel Castillo pitched very well, allowing 2 earned runs in 7.2 IP, but the Dogs could push across just one run on a Brandon Laird double.

	July 8, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Lexington 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 6 0 Charleston 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 1 Recap | Box | W: A. Bello (3-5, 3.71); L: N. Castillo (7-5, 3.36); SV: J. Powell (4) HR: None.

Staten Island had the night off, but the Baby Bombers start a 3-game series at home tonight against Oneonta.

The GCL Yankees game with their Blue Jays counterparts was rained out, so they'll be playing two today.

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Minor League Recap - 6/24

Ian Kennedy made his first rehab start yesterday as part of a doubleheader between the Gulf Cost League Yankees and Tigers. IPK came out of the pen to toss 3 innings, allowing 1 run and striking out 7. The competition consisted of inferior hitting, but it's the right step forward. Kennedy actually picked up the victory in the Yankees 3-2 win. Chase Wright, also making his way back from the minor league DL, threw 3 scoreless innings, striking out 5, for the save.

The Tigers gained a split, scoring the winning run off of Ryan Flannery in the bottom of the 9t for a 2-1 final.

	June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E GCL Tigers 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 6 1 GCL Yankees 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 3 3 1 Recap | Box W: I. Kennedy (1-0, 3.00); L: R. Zumaya (0-1, 1.29); SV: C. Wright (1) HR: None.

	June 23, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E GCL Yankees 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 GCL Tigers 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 1 Recap | Box W: N. Cassavechia (1-0, 0.00); L: R. Flannery (0-1, 2.70) HR: None.

Kei Igawa went 6.2 innings in Scranton's 6-0 shut out of the Columbus Catfish. Dave Robertson continued to make a case for a promotion to the big league pen with 1.1 scoreless innings. New re-signed Chris Basak drove in 2 runs and J.D. Closser was 3-3.

	June 23, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Columbus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 Scranton/WB 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 2 X 6 10 0 Recap | Box | W: K. Igawa (7-4, 3.47); L: M. Estrada (1-1, 5.25) HR: None.

Reegie Corona homered and drove in 2 runs to lead the Trenton Thunder over the Erie SeaWolves, 4-3. Kevin Whelan picked up the win after a solid start from Jason Jones (5 IP 1 ER), and Mark Melancon tossed 3 scoreless frames for the save.

	June 23, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Erie 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 10 2 Trenton 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 X 4 8 1 Recap | Box | W: K. Whelan (1-0, 4.50); L: J. Rainwater (5-3, 4.64); SV: M. Melancon (1) HR: TRE: R. Corona (1).

Zach McAllister was a tough luck loser when the Tampa Yankees dropped a 2-0 decision to the Daytona Cubs. McAllister surrendered a solo home run, but it was the only hit he allowed over 6 innings.

	June 23, 2008 Game 2
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Daytona 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 Tampa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 Recap | Box | W: J. Ruhlman (4-5, 3.89); L: Z. McAllister (2-3, 2.79); SV: M. Avery (1) HR: DAY: B. Lalli (6).

The Charleston RiverDogs continue to fight the weather more than any other opponent. Last night's game was called after 2 innings with the RiverDogs leading 2-0 on a Brandon Laird home run. It was the fourth straight day that weather effected play.

The Staten Island Yankees dropped a 4-1 contest to the Aberdeen IronBirds. The Yankees struck first on Brian Baisley's 1st inning RBI single, but the IronBirds scored 3 runs in the 7th inning off of Andy Shive to win it. Luke Greinke, young brother of the Royals' Zach Grienke, made his professional debut for the Baby Bombers, allowing 1 unearned run in 2 innings. Brad Rulon turned in a steller performance as the first Yankee out of the pen, tossing 3 scoreless innings and striking out 5.

	June 23, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Staten Island 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1 Aberdeen 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 X 4 6 1 Recap | Box W: R. Zagone (1-0, 0.00); L: A. Shive (0-2, 5.14); SV: F. Deza (2) HR: None.

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