Suspensions Handed Out

Major League Baseball has finished reviewing the Yankees-Rays free-for-all and has handed down suspensions to Shelley Duncan, Melky Cabrera, and Jonny Gomes.

Duncan and Cabrera were given 3 games each while Gomes received 2. This is the first mention of Cabrera in any of this and we have no clue what he did. Obviously, he got into the middle of it.


Source ESPN

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Hughes Makes a Pitch for Post-Season

In our discussion the other day of the Yankees post-season roster we didn't feel that Phil Hughes would be included in the 1st round . No need for too many starters and the rook doesn't have relief experience. But last night the Yankees #1 pick in 2005 may have pushed his way on to the playoff roster.

Hughes improved his record to 5-3 with 7 innings of 4-hit ball as the Yankees subs topped the Devil Rays 4-1. Hughes threw 102 pitches, walking 2 batters and striking out 5. He finished his rookie campaign with a 4.46 ERA and was 3-0, 2.73 in his last 5 starts.

The only Yankees regulars in the lineup last night were Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano, and Jason Giambi, and even Giambi hasn't been a regular of late. Carlos Pena had given the Rays a 1-0 lead in the 4th with his 44th HR of the season, and Scott Kazmir blanked the Bombers through 5. But Damon's RBI double tied it in the 6th, and Jose Molina bounced a 2-run single back up the middle off of Jon Switzer (0-2) in the 7th to give the Yankees the lead for good.

Joba Chamberlain entered in the 7th in his first back-to-back appearance as the "Joba Rules" continue to be molded for the post-season. Chamberlain started the inning throwing in the mid 90's, but was hitting 97-98 when he struck out B.J. Upton to end the inning. He allowed a double to Josh Wilson and hit Pena on the foot with a breaking pitch, but did record 2 strikeouts. Jose Veras pitched the 9th to earn his 1st save of the season, and 2nd of his career.

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Bronson Sardinha started in right field and picked up his 1st major league hit. Alberto Gonzalez accomplished the feat as well, getting the start at shortstop.

Shelley Duncan started at 1st Base, and made a nice diving stop, throwing to 1st from his butt to get the out.

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Let the Champagne Flow...

...and may the Steve Phillips and Mad Dog Russos of the world, shove it up their collective asses! I am not going to lie and say I was confident on July 1st that the Yankees would return to the post-season, but I never gave up watching/listening/hoping. And neither did millions of Yankees fans. Tonight we were rewarded.

The Yankees uncorked a blow out, beating up on the Devil Rays 12-4. Chien-Ming Wang won his 19th game for the 2nd consecutive season and Robinson Cano homered and drove in 5 runs.

In a scene repeated many times over the years, Mariano Rivera stood on the mound as the final out - in this case a Greg Norton pop out to Cano - was recorded. A jubilant, and is that ever understated, celebration ensued in the locker room with many of the Yankees youngsters energizing the party.

A tearful Joe Torre couldn't help but let his pride show through his emotions. And even owner George Steinbrenner was in the house. Seeing Andy Pettitte back where he belongs made a great night even more special. So was seeing Kim Jones soaked with champagne.

As for the game, it was only a contest until the 4th inning when the Yankees scored 7 runs. Already leading 2-1 on a Derek Jeter home run and a Cano ground out, the Yankees drove J.P. Howell from the game with a mix of timely hits, and battered the Rays bullpen. Jeter's sac fly gave the Yankees a 3-1 advantage and was the 2nd out of the inning. But with the help of an error by Josh Wilson to start the inning, the Yankees opened the flood gates.

Jorge Posada singled in 2 runs, Cano belted a 3-run home run, and Mientkiewicz, batting for the 2nd time in the inning, doubled in a run. The Yankees added 3 more in the 6th, which would be Wang's final inning. Joba Chamberlain tossed a scoreless 7th before Luis Vizcaino gave up a 2-run bomb to Jonny Gomes. But the plan was already in place for the Yankees Hall of Fame closer to enter and for another celebration to begin.

...

Robinson Cano's monster 2nd half continued. He's hit 13 HR and driven in 54 runs in 276 at-bats. He's also hitting better than .340 since the break.

Doug Mientkiewicz's post game interview with Kim Jones was special, as the Yankees veteran 1st Baseman clearly appreciated how much it meant for him to get back to playing this season. He talked about his moment with Joe Torre following the game, and how important the injured Andy Phillips had been to the team.

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Tonight's Lineups (9/26)

Chien-Ming Wang (18-7, 3.72) vs. J.P. Howell (1-5, 6.80)

Yankees

J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
S. Duncan dh
D. Mientkiewicz 1b
M. Cabrera cf

Devil Rays
A. Iwamura 3b
J. Velandia 2b
C. Pena 1b
B.J. Upton cf
D. Young rf
G. Norton dh
J. Gomes lf
D. Navarro c
J. Wilson ss

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Yankees Forced to Wait Another Night

With Kei Igawa replacing Roger Clemens for this evening's start, you had to figure the odds were not good for clinching the AL Wild Card tonight. Given 5 runs and 5 scoreless innings by Igawa, you would have thought it would have been a lock, but the garbage that is the rest of the Yankees bullpen made sure it wasn't to be. The Devil Rays rallied from 5-0 to take a 6-5 lead, and eventually won in 10 innings, 7-6 on Dionner Navarro's walk-off home run off of Jeff Karstens (1-4).

Igawa had done the impossible, holding the Rays to 2 hits and no runs over 5 full innings. He did struggle with his control, walking 5, but didn't give up the big hit to the Rays. Already leading 1-0 entering the 4th, the Yankees thought they had broken the game open when Alex Rodriguez belted his 3rd grand slam of the season, off of Jason Hammel. A-Rod's 53rd HR gave the Bombers a 5-0 lead and gave him 151 RBI. The latter total are the most since Joe DiMaggio drove in 155 in 1948.

But the Yankees middle relievers provided no relief. Early favorite Edwar Ramirez is quickly moving into the doghouse alongside Brian "Base on Balls" Bruney, who helped blow the game. BB-Ram (the former K-Ram) walked B.J. Upton to start the 6th, and one batter later Navarro doubled in the Rays first run. When Ramirez walked Jonny Gomes, Joe Torre sent for Bruney, and the small fire quickly became a 4-alarmer.

In typical Bruney fashion, the right-hander walked Greg Norton to load the bases, blew away Josh Wilson with 3 straight upper 90's fastballs and then walked Akinori Iwamura to force in a run. Then household name Jorge Velandia struck with a grand slam, the 32-yr old's 1st major league home run to give the Rays the lead.

The Yankees tied things up in the 8th against Dan Wheeler on Melky Cabrera's sac fly, but with runners on the corners and 2 outs, Derek Jeter took a 3-2 pitch for an inning ending strike 3. But Al Reyes and Gary Glover (6-5) blanked the Yankees over the next 2 innings and Navarro's 9th HR kept the Tigers breathing for one more day.

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Johnny Damon certainly can't be blamed for the loss. The left-fielder went 5-5 with 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored.
Publish Post
Derek Jeter had hits in first 2 at-bats to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.

Roger Clemens has been shut down for the rest of the regular season, and remains a question mark for the post-season roster, when and if it finally gets here.

photos courtesy of AP

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Tonight's Lineup (9/25)

Kei Igawa (2-3, 6.75) vs. Jason Hammel (2-5, 5.88)

With Igawa going, we probably won't have to miss out on the season premiere of NCIS.

Yankees

J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui dh
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
D. Mientkiewicz1b
M. Cabrera cf

Devil Rays
A. Iwamura 3b
J. Velandia 2b
C. Pena 1b
B.J. Upton cf
D. Young rf
D. Navarro c
J. Gomes lf
J. Guzman dh
J. Wilson ss

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Another Rocket Launch Scrubbed

CBS Sportsline is reporting that the Yankees have scratched Roger Clemens from tonight's start with the Devil Rays due to lingering hamstring problems. Kei Igawa, last seen in a flying monkey costume, will get the start. Make alternate plans ASAP.

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Today's Lineups

Ian Kennedy makes his major league debut this afternoon against Edwin Jackson.

Here the lineups:

Devil Rays

A. Iwamura 3b
C. Crawford lf
C. Pena 1b
B.J. Upton cf
D. Young rf
B. Harris 2b
J. Gomes dh
J. Wilson ss
J. Paul c

Yankees
M. Cabrera cf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui lf
J. Giambi dh
R. Cano 2b
A. Phillips 1b
J. Molina c

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Postage Not Included

The writing was on the wall. The Yankees had just completed a 3 game sweep of the Red Sox and now had to face the cellar dwelling Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Sure enough, they were flat and mailed it in, and Phil Hughes was awful. Hughes (2-3, 5.65), looking more like Roger Rabbit than Roger Clemens, allowed 3 straight base runners reach to start the game and the Yankees were in the hole for good. The final outcome was a 9-1 Devil Rays victory. Luckily for the Bombers, both the Red Sox and Mariners both lost, so the Yankees still sit atop the Wild Card lead, and remain 5 back of Boston.

Trailing 3-0 in the 4th, Alex Rodriguez singled home Derek Jeter, who also singled, with the Yankees lone run. Andy Sonnanstine, who entered the game with an ERA near 7 (sounds like a game against Edwin Jackson not too long ago), allowed only those 2 hits in 8 innings to improve to 4-9. The usually patient Yankees only managed 1 walk, issued by Grant Balfour in the 9th.

Hughes pitched scoreless 2nd and 4th innings, but the odd number innings bit on the behind. Carlos Pena lead off the 5th with his 1st of 2 home runs on the night (numbers 32, 33). B.J. Upton followed with a walk and Delmon Young singled. When Brendan Harris sacrificed the pair into scoring position, Joe Torre sent for Chris Britton. Greg Norton's sac fly upped the score to 5-1 before Britton got the final 2 outs of the inning.

But the Yankees could must no offense, and Britton and Brian Bruney, who look like a WWE tag-team, gave up 2 runs each to put the game out of reach.

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Tonight's Lineups (8/31)

Last Day of August, the Yankees start a 3 game series with the Devil Rays and My Pinstripes heads out on vacation.

Here are tonight's lineups:

Andy Sonnanstine (3-9, 6.38) vs. Phil Hughes (2-2, 5.35)

Devil Rays

A. Iwamura 3b
C. Crawford lf
C. Pena 1b
B.J. Upton cf
D. Young rf
B. Harris 2b
G. Norton dh
D. Navarro c
J. Wilson ss

Yankees
J. Damon dh
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui lf
J. Posada c
J. Giambi 1b
R. Cano 2b
M. Cabrera cf

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Yankees Bronx Bomb Devil Rays, 21-4

The Tampa Bay Devil Ray humiliated the Yankees Friday night, 14-4. Tonight they're glad to be getting out of Dodge. The Yankees, who swept a doubleheader on Saturday that included 17 runs in the nightcap, scoring 21 more today. Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, and Robinson Cano had a home run each, and rookie Shelley Duncan hit a pair of shots as the Yankees won 21-4. The Bombers ripped a season high 25 hits.

The game was tied 3-3 when the Yankees bats went wild. Cano lead it off with a triple and came home on Andy Phillips' single. After a Duncan walk and a Melky Cabrera ground out, Derek Jeter singled to right for a 5-3 lead. Abreu did the same to push it to 6-3, and when Jeter and Abreu pulled a double steal, Dionner Navarro's throw was wild allowing Jeter to score. An Alex Rodriguez walk put runners on the corners, and Hideki Matsui singled up the middle for an 8-3 lead. Rays' manager Joe Maddon finally came out to get Jamie Shields, who entered the game with a 3.91 ERA and left it with a 4.44 mark.

Reliever Casey Fossum was greeted by back to back singles by Matsui and Cano to plate 2 more, and 2 batters later Duncan slugged a 3-run HR to cap off the 10 run inning.

Andy Pettitte finally got the run support, and then some, that he had been craving all season. He allowed 3 runs over 6 innings, and struck out 8 to even his record up at 6-6. he allowed Carlos Pena's 23rd home run and gave up a 2-run single to Josh Wilson that had tied the game 3-3 in the 4th. Newly recalled Sean Henn threw a pair of scoreless innings before Mike Myers allowed an unearned run in the 9th.

Matsui, who had 5 hits, got the scoring going with his 9 home run in the last 17 games, and his 17th of the season. Abreu hit his 8th off of Shawn Camp to start the 5th, and Duncan slammed his 2nd of the game, and 3rd in 4 games to start the 6th. Three batters later, in what seemed like an instant replay of Saturday's game, A-Rod hit a 2-run shot on to the netting in left-center field. It was his 34th of the season and number 498 all-time. His 3 RBI on the day gave him 99 in 97 games.

In the 8th, Cano, who had 4 hits, welcomed Scott Dohmann to the party with his 8th home run of the season.

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Cano is 17-33 (.515) over his last 8 games. That includes an 0-4 in the mix.

Matsui has 9 home runs in July and is batting .348 with 17 RBI.

The Yankees reached 5 games over .500 for the first time this season.

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Today's Lineup (7/21)

Shields vs. Pettitte

Yankees sent down Matt DeSalvo and recalled Sean Henn.

Devil Rays

A. Iwamura 3b
B. Harris ss
B.J. Upton cf
C. Pena 1b
D. Young rf
T. Wigginton dh
J. Gomes lf
D. Navarro c
J. Wilson 2b

Yankees
M. Cabrera cf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui lf
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
A. Phillips 1b
S. Duncan dh

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Yankees Wallop Their Way to Sweep

The Yankees didn't know what to expect when they sent Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo out to start their day-night doubleheader with the Devil Rays on Saturday. At the end of the night they had come away with a very satisfying sweep after pounding the D-Rays 17-5 in the nightcap. Earlier in the day they had come from behind to take a 7-3 win in game 1.

Luis Vizcaino (8-2) picked up the victory in both games after entering each in the 6th inning. The Yankees jumped all over game 2 starter J.P. Howell (1-4) for 3 runs in the 1st inning, a run in the 2nd, and 3 more in the 3rd. But leading 7-2 in the 5th, DeSalvo couldn't finish the inning to get the win. When B.J. Upton singled in 2 to cut the lead to 7-4, Joe Torre quickly went to Mike Myers to face the left-hand hitting Akinori Iwamura. Myers, suddenly effective again, struck out Iwamura for the 2nd out of the inning. Vizcaino then came on and retired Brendan Harris on a liner to left.

The Yankees turned a close game into a blowout with a 5 run 6th inning. Made more satisfying by the fact that it came against former Yankee reliever, who never provided much relief, Jay Witasick. Melky Cabrera lead off with a single and Witasick threw away Wil Nieves' sacrifice bunt to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Johnny Damon's bloop fell in front of a stumbling/lunging Jonny Gomes and got by him for a 2-run double. One batter later Bobby Abreu singled to right to extend the lead to 10-5, and then Alex Rodriguez slammed his bat down on the Devil Rays. A-Rod blasted his 33rd home run of the season, and number 497 all-time, on to the netting in left-center field for a 12-5 lead.

The Yankees weren't done, adding 5 more in the 7th, capped off on Hideki Matsui's homered in both games and now has 8 3-run blast. MatsuiHRs in the month of July. That's half his total of 16.

Coming in with a 2 game losing streak, things didn't look to hopeful after B.J. Upton and Ty Wiggington belted solo home runs in the first two innings off of Igawa. (Upton is 7-15 in the first 3 games of the series, with 3 HR and 6 RBI.) But the extremely overpaid left-hander managed to escape further trouble in all 5 innings he worked and left with the game tied 2-2. The tie came courtesy of his fellow countryman Matsui, who smacked a 2-run HR off of Rays starter Jason Hammel.

The Yankees went ahead for good in the 6th against reliever Jae Kuk Ryu. Abreu singled and Ryu (1-2) hit A-Rod to put two on with no one out. Ryu bounced back, striking out Matsui and Jorge Posada, but Robinson Cano singled through the right side. Abreu beat Delmon Young's throw home, with A-Rod and Cano each moving up a base. That would pay off as Mr. July, Andy Phillips, singled to right to drive in both runners and gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead. Then Yankee Stadium really went nuts.

Shelley Duncan, playing in just his 2nd major league game, swung at a low Ryu offering and hit a laser into the left field seats for his 1st major league home run. Duncan nearly killed his teammates with high fives and helmet smashes, and at his teammates urging, took a curtain call for a very receptive packed house.

Scott Proctor gave up a solo home run to Raul Casanova to cut the lead to 7-3 in the 8th, and after Proctor allowed a lead off single to Greg Norton in the 9th, Torre was taking no chances. It wasn't a save situation, but it was definitely a case of "Gotta go to Mo". The red hot Upton singled to put 2 on with no one out, but Rivera retired Carlos Pena and Delmon Young. The Yankees Hall of Fame closer made things a little tighter by hitting Wiggington to bring the tying run to the plate, but Mo froze Gomes for a called strike 3, and the Yankees had the day portion of the twinbill sewn up.

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Ironically, on the night the Yankees acquired Jose Molina, Wil Nieves had his best game at teh plate. He had 2 doubles, 2 sac bunts, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Out of options, he'l be designated for assignment when Molina reports.

The Duncan brothers had a very successful day. In addition to Shelley's HR, Chris hit one for the Cardinals.

Photos courtesy of AP

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Game 2 Lineup

Howell vs. DeSalvo

Devil Rays

A. Iwamura 3b
B. Harris ss
B.J. Upton cf
C. Pena 1b
D. Young rf
T. Wigginton dh
J. Gomes lf
D. Navarro c
J. Wilson 2b

Yankees
J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui dh
A. Phillips 1b
R. Cano 2b
M. Cabrera cf
W. Nieves c

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Game 1 Lineup

Hammel vs. Igawa Devil Rays B. Harris ss
C. Crawford lf
B.J. Upton cf
C. Pena 1b
D. Young rf
T. Wigginton 3b
J. Gomes dh
R. Casanova c
J. Wilson 2b

Yankees
M. Cabrera cf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui lf
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
A. Phillips 1b
S. Duncan dh

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The House that Smelled Like Garbage

This is why it is impossible to completely buy into the Yankees making any kind of a run at the AL East or wild card leads. We saw this in June too. Get a great run going, then fall apart. The Yankees won 11 of their past 14 games entering last night. But after being humiliated by the Devil Rays last night, 14-4, the Yankees suddenly find themselves with a 2 game losing streak. To compound matters, the Yankees and Devil Rays play two today, with the Yanks sending out the shaky duo of Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo.

That's what made last night's game so crucial. The Rays sent out Edwin Jackson to the mound, he of the 1-9 record and 7-plus ERA. But as we've seen so many times in the last few years, when Mike Mussina needed to come up big, he came up small.

It didn't appear that way at first. Mussina breezed through the 1st two innings, barely breaking a sweat. But the 3rd inning lasted a lifetime and with no punch from the Yankees' offense, the game was all but over. After Greg Norton's lead off single, Dionner Navarro, the former Yankees prospect, hit a drive to deep right. In a scene replayed many times over, Bobby Abreu hesitated as he neared the wall and the ball hit at the base, resulting in a double. Instead of a man on 1st with one out, the Rays were suddenly cooking with 2nd and 3rd, and no one out.

Akinori Iwamura's sac fly brought home the 1st run, and Carl Crawford followed with an RBI single to right. B.J. Upton then put an exclamation point on the inning with a home run into the 1st row of the upper deck in left. It was Upton's 10th HR of the year, and one of two he hit on the night, and gave the Rays a 4-0 lead. The inning would go on even longer though, as Mussina uncharacteristically walked the bases loaded before getting Norton on an inning ending ground out.

The Yankees put two men on in each of the first 2 innings, but came up empty in each case. Hideki Matsui flied out to end the 1st inning, and Shelley Duncan, making his major league debut, K'ed and Johnny Damon lined out to end the 2nd inning threat. Duncan failed again in the 4th, again striking out on a pitch out of the zone, to strand 2 runners.

A game that was still in reach became a blowout in the 5th. Upton lead off with a double before Mussina (4-7) retired the next 2 batters. But Brendan Harris stroked an RBI double to the gap in right-center to give the Rays a 5-0 lead, and Joe Torre decided it was time to call it a night for Moose. But things would only get worse.

Torre called on rookie Edwar Ramirez who hadn't pitched in 2 weeks. The layoff showed. K-Ram became W-Ram, walking Ty Wiggington and Norton. Then Navarro hit the crusher. A grand slam into the right field seats for an insurmountable 9-0 lead. It was Navarro's 2nd HR of the season, and 1st career grand slam. Ramirez then walked Iwamura and Crawford before Torre mercifully came out to get him.

Jackson (2-9) left after 6 scoreless innings and the Yankees finally got on the board when Andy Phillips (2nd) homered in the 7th to make it a 10-1 game. Duncan would later pick up his 1st major league hit and RBI, but this game was all about the Devil Rays.

...

Ramirez is expected to be sent down before the 2nd game in order to call up DeSalvo. The Yankees might be better off sending Brian Bruney down at this point. Bruney continued his awful pitching last night, retiring only 1 of the 5 hitters he faced. He was charged with 3 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks, and a wild pitch.

Hideki Matsui went 0-5 to end his hitting streak at 14 games.

Ron Villone threw only 11 pitches in 2/3 of an inning, but Torre felt compelled to use Scott Proctor...again. Proctor served up Upton's 11 HR and 2nd of the night.

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Tonight's Lineups (7/20)

E. Jackson vs. Mussina

Devil Rays

A. Iwamura 3b
C. Crawford lf
B.J. Upton cf
C. Pena 1b
D. Young rf
B. Harris ss
T. Wigginton 2b
G. Norton dh
D. Navarro c

Yankees
J. Damon cf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui lf
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
A. Phillips 1b
S. Duncan dh

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End of (July) Days

Despite yesterday's loss, the Yankees remained 7 games behind Boston (6 in the loss column) with some help from the suddenly semi-hot Chicago White Sox. There are 12 games remaining this month. 4 with the last place Devil Rays, 4 with a suddenly good hitting Royals team, 3 with the sluggish Orioles, and the 1st game of 3 game serires with the White Sox. Let's not beat around the bush. The Yankees have to go 9-3, 8-4 at the worst for those 12 games.

The Yankees open up a 4 game series with the Devil Rays tonight at The Stadium. Tonight's game is a must with Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo throwing the day and night ends of a doubleheader. Jorge Posada is back behind the plate with Moose for the first time tonight since May 22nd.

Here are the probable pitching matchups for the series. There are some ugly ass ERAs until Sunday.

Friday - Edwin Jackson (1-9, 7.14) vs. Mike Mussina (4-6, 4.61.)

Saturday (1) - J.P. Howell (1-3, 6.62) vs. Kei Igawa (2-2, 6.97)
Saturday (2) - Jason Hammell (1-0, 6.11) vs. Matt DeSalvo (1-4, 5.87)

Sunday - Jamie Shields (8-5, 3.91) vs. Andy Pettitte (5-6, 4.10)

Speaking of Matt DeSalvo, Lisa Kennelley wrote up a nice profile in today's Star Ledger. DeSalvo's brother said that Matt psychoanalyzes everything. Think all that over thinking leads him to walk the park?

Michael Morrisey wrote a small piece in yesterday's NY Post on how Melky Cabrera's hard work has paid off.

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