Slide Continues

When you have allowed five runs in two games to the Texas Rangers, the league leader in runs scored, you should be chalking up two victories. But the Yankees bats are running silent right now. Instead of two wins, they have two more losses and are two more games back in the American League East. The Rangers scored the game winner in the 9th and held on, after some questionable managing by Joe Girardi in the 9th inning, for a 3-2 victory.

The game was tied 2-2 when Mariano Rivera entered the contest in the 9th inning. In possibly his finest season to date, Mo has struggled in tie games. The trend continued last night when Ian Kinsler lead off the inning with a double to left. He promptly stole 3rd base and scored when Michael Young bounced one up the middle, through the drawn in infield, for the go ahead run. Rivera would get out of a 1st and 3rd, 1-out jam, but the damage was already done.

The Yankees had a chance against Rangers closer C.J. Wilson in the bottom of the 9th, but Girardi's choice to have Melky Cabrera swing away ended all that. Wilson Betemit drew a lead off walk, which brought up the Yankees struggling center fielder. Cabrera mired in an 0-20 slump, should have been bunting, it was the clear fundamental play. But instead Girardi opted to have Cabrera swing away, despite having Derek Jeter available on the bench. Faster than you can say "managerial mistake", Cabrera bounced into a rally killing 6-4-3 double play. Wilson then retired Johnny Damon on a game ending ground out.

Joba Chamberlain made his first start since his 114 pitch effort, and whether or not that had an effect, the Yankees reliever turned starter struggled with his control. After issuing a walk in the 1st inning, he issued back to back walks to David Murphy and Marlon Byrd to start the 2nd. Rookie Chris Davis drilled a ball off of the base of the wall in left-center to score Murphy, who had inexplicably held up on the play, causing Byrd to stop at 2nd base. The Rangers base running in the inning would only get worse.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to center to score Byrd, but Davis was gunned down by Cabrera trying to go to 3rd. Saltalamacchia advanced to 2nd base on the play, but quickly committed another base running cardinal sin by trying to advance to 3rd on Ramon Vazquez's grounder to short. Betemit threw to Alex Rodriguez, who actually missed the tag, but sold it well enough that umpire Dan Iassogna, who called Saltalamacchia out. Chamberlain then struck out Kinsler to escape further trouble.

Chamberlain was right back in the soup in the 3rd inning when he gave up a single to Michael Young and walked Josh Hamilton. But the gritty right-hander bounced back with strike outs of Milton Bradley (the 6th straight time he struck out) and Murphy, and then retired Byrd on a fly out to center. The 4th would be Chamberlain's last inning as the Rangers again put two men aboard with 2 outs, but failed to score when Young lined out.

The Yankees finally broke through against Rangers starter Kevin Millwood in the 4th. Jason Giambi drew a 1-out walk and moved to third on Jorge Posada's line drive single off the wall in right field. Robinson Cano singled through the right side to cut the Rangers lead in half. Millwood got a huge out when he struck out Betemit swinging, and then retired Cabrera on a fly out to left to end the threat.

Millwood was hit by a comebacker off the shin in the 2nd inning and it swelled to the point that he was forced from the game after five innings. The Yankees immediately took advantage against reliever Josh Rupe. Though Rupe retired the first two hitters, Posada, Cano, and Betemit strung singles together to tie the game up.

Dan Giese, Dave Robertson, who looked especially impressive, and Jose Veras got the game into the hands of Mariano Rivera, but the reliever's rep in tie games is becoming as standard as his rep in save situations.


News and Notes

Derek Jeter sat out completely for the first time since April 13.

Melky Cabrera's 0-18 the last 5 games has dropped his average to a season low .240.

Joba Chamberlain threw 91 pitches in 4 innings. His ERA jumped to 2.22.

All 4 runs that Mariano Rivera has allowed this season have come in non-save situations.

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Yankees vs. Rangers - July 1

First game of July and the Yankees find themselves 6.5 games behind the Tampa Rays in the AL East and 5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race. They also have a two game losing streak that has dropped them back to 5 games over .500 (44-39). Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.03) will attempt to turn things around tonight when he faces veteran Kevin Millwood (5-4, 5.08).

Chamberlain has never faced any member of the Rangers. Millwood is 1-4, 4.82 in 6 career starts against the Yankees.

Yankees vs. Millwood

Abreu 14-39 (.359) 1 HR 4 RBI
Cabrera 4-9 (.444)
Cano 4-10 (.400) 1 RBI
Damon 3-15 (.200) 1 RBI
Giambi 5-11 (.455) 2 HR 3 RBI
Jeter 5-19 (.263) 2 RBI
Moeller 0-4
Molina 1-9 (.111)
Posada 1-10 (.100)
Rodriguez 6-14 (.429) 1 HR 2 RBI


Tonight's lineups courtesy of Peter Abraham, including Derek Jeter taking a rare night off:

Damon DH
Gardner LF
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada C
Cano 2B
Betemit SS
Cabrera CF

As expected, A-Rod said he will not participate in this year's Home Run Derby. No word if Madonna will.

According to the NY Post, Hideki Matsui may start taking BP soon.

"He came in today and he looked great. Keeping him off it really helped," said manager Joe Girardi. "[Trainer] Gene Monahan came up to me and said he looks tremendous and we talked about him taking BP in a couple of days. So I think the actual rest where he wasn't traveling to the ballpark and taking BP and trying to test it I think really helped calm it down."

The Post's Kevn Kiernan also has a piece on how Jose Reyes should watch Derek Jeter to learn how to conduct himself on the field.

Mark Feinsand of the News has some more info on Brett Gardner. Joe Girardi said Gardner is "here to play". Of course after Saturday's game he said Kei Igawa was going to be part of the bullpen. He was sent down before the next game.

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