A Bright Spot at the End

Mike Mussina, pitching what could be his last game ever, earned his 20th win of the season for the first time in his career, making him the oldest player to hit 20 for the first time. Moose was in control from the start and pitched like the ace he’d become. In a season marked by disappointment, it was nice to see something uplifting on the last day. Moose hasn’t decided definitively whether or not he’ll return but most people think that it’s 50/50 at best with Mussina leaning toward retirement.

Joe Girardi pulled out all the stops late in the game and ripped through his bullpen to keep the game in hand and the Yankee offense stepped up and delivered a series of runs to ensure a victory.

The Pinstripers weren’t so fortunate in the final game of the doubleheader and ended up with an 89 win season, missing the playoffs for the first time in years. Here’s my take on the key points since the last season.

Final Season at Yankee Stadium – Unfortunately things didn’t end quite the way we wanted, and the final season was one we’d like to forget. There was a nice closing ceremony, but the man who brought the most recent World Series titles to NY was conspicuously absent. We missed you Joe.

Joe Torre essentially fired – Unlike Yankee ownership, Joe Torre was and is a class act. He knew how to handle big salary and big ego players and was arguably the best guy at handling the New York sports media. The contract he was offered was insulting and quite frankly baffling. The guy put the Yankees back on the map and is a big reason why they were able to get the funding for the new stadium. Joe held his head high throughout the entire affair and quickly landed a job in Los Angeles, where he has led the ragtag Dodgers into the playoffs. The Steinbrenners will have plenty of time this October to watch the man they let go coach in the post season.

Joe Girardi hired as manager over Don Mattingly – Quite a few people think Mattingly will make a great head coach. I have no idea but I do know he is a Yankee icon who would have been extremely well received. Joe Girardi on the other hand was a known quantity with an impressive but short managerial resume. Joe Girardi’s rookie season will be remembered for two things: missing the playoffs for the first time in years, and getting hammered for repeatedly lying to the media. Personally I’ll remember him for making several poor in-game decisions and being completely unable to motivate the team when he needed to. Joe will be back for another year but he won’t last too long in the Big Apple.

Yankees try rely heavily on 3 young pitchers – This was the biggest disaster and a valuable lesson learned for the Yankees. Joba Chamberlain was the only pitcher who amounted to anything and he predictably had injury problems late in the season. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were total busts and essentially crippled the team early on. A baseball team can handle one fifth starter who is shaky from time to time. A decent bullpen can bail out the young guy from time to time and can step in when some of the others are having an off day. Two consistently bad pitchers, combined with veterans still having their share of struggles, absolutely depleted the bullpen, frequently put the team behind big early on and generally torpedoed the team’s morale. The situation was greatly compounded by the ineptitude of Girardi, who for some reason never bothered calling up a long reliever early on, despite having at least two decent options available.

Lack of Offensive Consistency – Every once in a while the sleeping juggernaut would awaken and have a big game but the runs seldom came when they were needed. Injuries played a role but the team always had enough guys around who were capable of big numbers that should have been able to pick up the slack. Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Wilson Betemit, Melky Cabrera to name a few. These guys didn’t live up to expectations in one way or the other. Giambi had a quite a streak later in the season but helped get the Yankees in a big hole early on. Cano had issues all season long that were apparent to everyone watching the game yet Girardi failed to do anything about it. All in all the offense was a disaster.

So there you have some of my early thoughts on the season. I’ll post a few more as time goes by.

Feel free to chime in with what you think were the biggest stories of this year!

Yanks Eliminated Despite Win

The Yankees didn't lose, but with Boston winning, ended up eliminated from post season play regardless. The good news is that Mike Mussina collected his 19th win of the season and should have a shot at number 20 before things wrap up for good. As a matter of pride, the Yankees now have a few games lead on Toronto for 3rd place in the AL East. It's not much, but these days you take all you can get.

Phil Coke and Damaso Marte had troubles in the bullpen again last night, but Bruney, Chamberlain and Rivera were solid. Bruney has sure been something of late and should be a big contributor next year. If Chamberlain moves to the starting rotation, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bruney get a shot as the set up man.

Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom got a few at bats and some quality playing time. Both could make the roster as utility guys or defensive players next year, but I, not too certain either has what it takes to be a full time guy.

NY Gives Boston a Boost

A win by the Yankees over the first place Rays helped the Red Sox move a game closer in the AL East. The bombers are still 11 games back but now Boston is only 4 games out.

Mike Mussina gave up 10 hits but only 2 runs in 6.0 innings. Moose is certainly one of the best surprises of the 2008 season. I wonder how long he can keep it up. Damaso Marte was a little better today than recently, giving up 0 runs and 1 hit over 0.2 innings. Joba Chamberlain made his return to the bullpen and threw 1.1 innings, giving up one hit.

The offense scattered 9 hits around and put up 7 runs on the board. This is the type of game the team was playing at the very beginning of the year, when everyone was still filled with optimism and hope. This was the scrappy style of play that makes you think "why can't they play like this all the time?"

I don't understand some fans in certain markets. Granted, ticket prices are sky high and not going for financial reasons is perfectly understandable, heck, I turned down a few chances to see some big league games lately because they were just too expensive. The New York Yankees come to play the first place Tampa Rays and there are lots of empty seats? I don't get it. Maybe it is all financial. Maybe player salaries are forcing ticket prices to be so high that the average fan can't afford to go. Maybe everyone down there would rather watch the game on cable indoors where there is air conditioning.

Mussina Back on Top

Mike Mussina returned to his winning ways, Brian Bruney returned to the big leauges, and Jose Molina did everything he could to show the Yanks that he's every bit as good with a bat as Pudge.

Moose gave up only 2 hits over 7.0 innings and allowed 2 runs (only 1 earned) and shut down a very, very good offense. Jose Veras was sharp in the 8th and Brian Bruney, returning from a foot injury, allowed only 1 hit but gave up no runs.

Four different Yankees hit home runs and Jose Molina went 3 for 3 with a homer and an RBI. If only Jose could hit like that day in and day out.

Tampa and Boston also play today so we'll have to wait and see how they do to know if the Yanks can close the gap at all.

We all know the Yankees are capable of playing at this level with their pitching and hitting, it's just a matter of them having the consistency to avoid falling back into another losing streak.

Yanks Blown Out By Orioles

Mike Mussina is human after all. He'd been on a terrific run of great pitching, surprising most people including himself. Last night, however, Moose wasn't on top of his game, giving up 6 runs in 5.0 innings. His relief didn't fare much better as David Robertson gave up 5 runs on 4 hits while only getting one batter out. Even Krazy Kyle got in on the action by giving up 2 runs in the eighth inning.

Setbacks happen, even against Baltimore. The good news is that Boston and Tampa lost and so the Yankees didn't lose any ground to their competition.

Jorge Posada is going to have season ending shoulder surgery. With his injury, he hasn't been as effective as he could be and getting the surgery out of the way now is probably the smart move. Hopefully he'll be fully recovered and ready to play by the time the season starts next year. For now the Yankees have Molina and Moeller still on the roster to handle the catching duties, but there have been rumors of the Bombers trying to acquire another catcher, possibly Gerald Laird.

There's not much to say about this ugly loss. It's one of those games we'd all rather forget. Tonight is a new game, and a new opportunity for a win. Let's just hope last night's performance was a fluke for Mussina, who's been the anchor of the rotation lately.

Starting Off Right

The Yankees started the second half of the regular season on the right foot, clobbering the Athletics 7-1. It was an important win because Oakland has been hovering in contention for a wild card spot and every chance you can get a game up on the competition is important.

A-Rod had the most hits while Cano drove in the most runs. Richie Sexson went 1 for 3 in his Yankee debut.

Over six innings, Mike Mussina gave up 9 hits but only one earned run. I was extremely critical of Moose early in the season when his performance was poor, but wow, what an important part of the starting rotation he's been. I'd wouldn't have suspected him of being at 12-6 right now based on some of his earlier outings, but he really did turn his game around.

Robertson, Ramirez and Hawkins all retired the side in order. I'm still hoping some team caught a glimpse of Hawkins, saw something they liked and now is on the phone with Cashman trying desperately to get the Yankees to trade him. OK, not likely, but one can hope.

This win is definitely a big one. A quality, convincing win against a quality opponent at an opportune time. Hopefully the guys can build of this and get some momentum going here in the second half.

Mussina is the Rock Upon Which We Stand

It's hard to believe this is the same Mike Mussina we saw get absolutely shelled earlier in the season. The same Mussina that the Steinbrenners had to call out to the media.

Mike pitched like an all star, until he started feeling a little light headed, which is why Girardi went to the bullpen as soon as he did. Joba is pitching OK, Andy Pettitte has his good and not-so-good days, Ponson looks like he had one good game left in him and the glory days of Darrel Rasner are over. Thank god for Mussina.

Seriously, all it shows is how baseball is a game of streaks. Mussina was on a down streak earlier and now is on a tear. The key factor is that he tried to improve his game, tried to change his mechanics a bit and tried to make himself better. It's painful watching some guys do the same old thing day in and day out and fail. It's refreshing to see a guy who puts some time and effort into adapting and evolving his game.

Edwar Ramirez take some notes here. Everyone who's been in the league a while has you figured out. Lots of people say you've got talent but need to work on some of your other pitches and turn yourself into the all-star that you've the potential for.

In an ironic twist, Mariano Rivera came pretty close to blowing things, loading up the bases. Krazy Kyle, on the other hand, had his A game.

The Yankees offense was pretty poor despite eeking out the win. Brett Gardner sacrificed and the internet pundits are already singing his praises on high. With Johnny Damon out, the Pinstripers will need Gardner to step up but I'm not buying into the hype. Pete Abraham over at LoHud does a fantastic job of blogging the Bombers, but I'm just not on the same page with him (and many others) when it comes to Gardner. I hope he turns out to be the player many think he is, but somehow I'm seeing another guy who tries hard, shows good hustle, but just can't hit at the major league level. Please, Brett, prove me wrong!

Despite all of my criticisms, a win is a win. A win is just what the Yankees needed, especially against the Red Sox. At the end of the day, the team did exactly what it needed to do. Sure, Rivera struggled, but he stayed on top of things, threw strikes and got 3 outs. I don't care if every win is ugly, or just barely a win, as long as it's a win. Good job guys!

No Hitting = No Winning

A decent outting by Mike Mussina was wasted by the Yankee bats last night. Moose threw 6 innings giving up only two runs and the rest of the bullpen, including recently roughed up Veras, Ramirez and Giese, all threw scoreless innings.

The Yankees only put together 4 hits on the night. Brett Gardner went 0 for 3 and wasn't exactly smashing in his debut.

Here's the problem with this year's Yankee team. They just don't have it. Whatever "it" is, the Yankees are lacking. Some days it's pitching, other days it's hitting. They just can't put together the total package for more than a few days in a row. Their last big win streak had people thinking that maybe the team could make a late season charge. With Joba moving up to the rotation, starting pitching suddenly looked a lot better. The fact is, this year's team just stinks. They haven't found themselves, found a good team chemistry and they haven't found a way to win.

Starting pitching is decent. Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Chamberlain, Ponson, Rasner and Giese are all capable of quality outings. That's 7 guys who, when healthy, are capable of pitching at a decent level. Relief pitching is a roll of the dice, with just about every reliever you never know who is going to show up on the mound. Hitting is the same way. Guys are capable of hitting .300 and sometimes will go on a tear for a game or two, then you won't see any offensive production for days.

It all comes down to a lack of consistency and an inability to string hits together for runs.

Giese pitched as a closer today, but if he's not going to start, I hope Girardi can manage to use his long reliever as, well, a long reliever. Don't expect Joe to do anything the conventional way, however.

The team could use another decent set up man. I've been thinking Veras and Ramirez could fit the bill but they just can't be counted on. Farnsworth and Hawkins are way too prone to blow ups and Veras and Ramirez seem to be learning their ways. Ohlendorf looked good at times but looked bad more often and earned his demotion back down to AAA. I don't think there are going to be any answers on the market, as quality relievers are rare these days. Look for promotion within, but not until next year. I think management realizes the guys need a little time to develop and the team isn't going anywhere this year.

Couple of Big Wins for Yanks

Sometimes playing a really bad team can work wonders for your morale. The Pinstripers put together two quality wins over the hapless Houston Astros, including an absolute drubbing today.

Yankee starters Mussina and Wang both looked good in their starts, but Wang could have a serious injury to his right foot, initially being diagnosed as a sprain with more tests to come soon. It will be interesting to see what will happen if Wang has to miss a start.

The bullpen only gave up one hit in four innings on Sunday and Ross Ohlendorf bounced back nicely today after a bit of a shaky outing on Saturday. Edwar Ramirez continues to pitch well and Dan Giese remains impressive with his relief appearances.

In case you missed the obvious: Johnny Damon is having an all-star year. Melky Cabrera has been up and down, with a solid hitting day on Saturday followed up by going 0 for 5 on Sunday.

Alberto Gonzalez is back and getting some time off the bench. Hopefully his hitting will improve with a little practice, but his defensive skills still make him a valuable asset. Shelley Duncan wasn't producing much results either offensively and defensively and will likely stay in Scranton for a while.

This weekend has been hectic with a lot of travel and very little sleep, but hopefully things will be back to normal on Monday. Let's see how long the third place Yanks can keep this win streak going for.

Rivera Gives Up Another

Mariano Rivera, who had been nothing short of dominating in the first part of the season, gave up another big run this afternoon, failing to maintain a tie game and eventually contributing to a loss. With every win coming with some difficulty, seeing the best reliever in the game let one get out of the park is disheartening. Once again Mo looked like he took it hard, but should bounce back.

Mike Mussina had one of his best outings, going eight innings and only giving up two runs with no walks. Moose was extremely economical and only threw eighty nine pitches on the day. I personally thought it was a tough call to not let him pitch the ninth, but with Rivera available, I think Girardi made the right call, despite the results.

The offense was cold for the most part, and it's frustrating watching this team have it's ups and downs. The Yankees were cheated out of a run by the first base umpire, who completely blew a call when Melky Cabrera bunted and clearly beat the throw to first. The first base umpire probably had a bad angle, but the replay showed Melky safe by a large margin. Derek Jeter later walked and Bobby Abreu grounded out to first for the final out, a hit which likely would have gotten a run in.

Girardi made an odd move of Pinch hitting Posada for Molina in the eighth inning. Jorge got a hit, and then quickly was replaced by Moeller as a pinch runner. I can understand the pinch hitting, but putting in the pinch runner was a mistake. The extra utility Moeller provides as a runner doesn't outweigh the fact that you'd have Posada's bat if you needed it later. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees last chance fell to...Chad Moeller. If Posada had  been left in he would have had a chance at winning the game for the Yankees.

Yankees Put On Pitching Clinic

It was a textbook game. Mussina pitched brilliantly for six innings and then the rest of the game ran perfectly scripted. Ohlendorf in the seventh, Farnsworth in the eighth and Rivera to close out the ninth. Only one earned run the entire night.

Johnny Damon had three hits and brought his average up over .300 while Matsui continues to produce.

Derek Jeter passed the Mick on the all time hits list and Mussina is tied for the leads in AL wins.

It doesn't get much better than that for Yankee fans. Great pitching, solid offense and good play calling by the manager. The Yanks moved out of last place and are 6.5 games behind Boston right now.

Dan Geise's nice outing on Tuesday was rewarded with being sent down yesterday to make room for Jorge Posada. Girardi likes to use up as many options on a player as he can. He did have a legitimate point in the pregame interview when he said "We wouldn't have been able to use Geise for another three days at least, so we sent him down" and went on to say that Dan could very well be back soon.

Back Above .500

It took extra innings, but the Yankees toughed out an exciting win last night. The winning pitcher? Ross Ohlendorf. Joe Girardi brought Ross to pitch the 10th and 11th innings and the struggling reliever walked 2, gave up 2 hits, and struck out 4 all the while allowing no runs. Granted Joe didn't have a lot of other options, but it looks like he's still got faith in the young pitcher.

Notably absent in both Friday and Saturday's games was LaTroy Hawkins, who looks to be in the doghouse and won't be called on in close spots. Kyle Farnsworth, on the other hand, has been brought in two nights in a row. The YES announcers commented on how Torre never used to use Kyle two days in a row and were hesitant as to how he'd perform. On Friday he gave up a quick run to close a 2-run lead to a 1-run lead. Last night he quickly got all three batters out.

Veras and Ramirez both continue to look good and are the heart of the Yankees middle relief right now. I'd take either of them over Farnsworth in the set-up role, but Girardi has been a longtime Farnsworth fan and that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon.

Neither of the starters looked particularly sharp, but both Wang and Mussina managed to get through the bulk of the innings with the score close, and sometimes, that's all you can ask.

Bobby Abreu has been the offensive star the last two games, going 2 for 5 and then 3 for 4.

There has been a bit of sloppy play lately, and errors and bad plays that could be scored as errors are starting to creep into the mix more and more. Alex Rodriguez got picked off of second base after stealing it, and a similar thing happened to Derek Jeter a few days back. Last night's game had an errant throw by Jeter that cost the team a run and the night before Shelley Duncan had an error.

Shelley Duncan is a fun guy to watch. He brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the game and is good for bench morale. Unfortunately, he really hasn't improved his game much over the last year. He's hitting .161 and is playing average defense at best. He really hasn't turned out to be much of an improvement defensively over the lumbering Giambi and hasn't come close to the offensive production, despite the fact that Giambi was in a huge slump.

I like Shelly and would like to see him stick around, but he's got work to do. He might last a bit longer than Ensberg, but he's going to have to start bringing something more to the table if he wants to be successful in the big leagues.

A-Rod In, Jeter Out

The Yankees managed to lose again last night in humiliating fashion by a final score of  "way too many runs" to "pitiful number of runs".

Alex Rodriguez made his first start after coming off the DL and hit a home run. With his powerful bat back in the lineup the baseball fates found it necessary for Derek Jeter to get hit in the hand with a pitch, forcing him out of the game.

Yankees pitching slid back into familiar territory with Mussina not making it out of the first inning and Ohlendorf giving up quite a few in relief. Mussina is just cooked. There is no way he can contribute to a team that doesn't have a decent long reliever ready to come in at any time and finish out the game for him. The Yankees don't have that for him. On a related note, Ohlendorf isn't a long reliever. I think he could turn out to be a decent one inning guy, but he is not a long reliever. Three innings is too much for Ross. He's done it before this year with satisfactory results at times, but he's also gotten shelled in some of those extended appearances on the mound.

In minor league action, Jeff Karstens was roughed up a bit in his first appearance of the DL. Don't look for him to fill in as a long reliever anytime soon. Also, Girardi and Cashman seem to believe a long reliever isn't necessary. I have no idea why they think this, but they do. The evidence for this notion is the fact that Rasner was sent to the minors after spring training. Most of the media had assumed that after Karstens was injured that Rasner was a lock to make the team but Joe and Brian decided otherwise. Despite that fact that Pettitte, Mussina, Hughes and Kennedy all frequently got knocked out of games early, Rasner was never called up for long relief.

Mark over at the Baseball Hot Corner has a good look at the current Yankee situation. He points out that there is no short term cure and that the market for over the hill veterans is nill. I'd like to argue a small point that over the hill veterans can always find a home in a Steinbrenner led team like the Yankees, but his point that the Yankees won't find a trade partner for it's current over the hill veterans is spot on. Another good point, to quote Mark, "The payroll drops as Giambi, Mussina, Farnsworth, Abreu, Hawkins and Ensberg go away." This is as close to good news and optimism as you'll see. None of these guys will be around next year. The one possible exception is Farnsworth, who Girardi seems to love.

Earlier this week Hank Steinbrenner said there is a chance that Brian Cashman could be back. I don't see it happening. Personally, I don't think Cash is the end all be all GM. I don't see a whole lot of his labors paying off at the moment. The only success story that seems to have come out of his revamped scouting and farm system is Joba and the Yankees can't even seem to handle him. My prediction is that Cashman is done in New York. I don't envy whoever fills his shoes, but I can only hope they can do a more sensible job while still dealing with the likes of the Steinbrenner family.

Yanks Grit Out 2-1 Win

Mike Mussina pitched 6.1 innings giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and the Pinstripers had just enough runs to carry the day. The only run credited to Mussina came from a walk in the seventh inning which later scored after Ross Ohlendorf gave up two consecutive base hits.

Glass Half Full: Mussina looked good on the mound. Chamberlain and Rivera were locked on in their appearances. Joba struck out 3 batters and walked 1. Despite getting himself in a tight spot, Ohlendorf managed to get out of a jam with a double play.

Robinson Cano went 4 for 4 and brought his average up over .200 for the first time this year.

Glass Half Empty: Moose doesn't seem to be able to last a full seven innings, which would be ideal. Still, six innings is very good for the aging veteran.

Ohlendorf gave up 2 hits in 3 batters faced, allowing an inherited runner to score. I don't necessarily like the way baseball credits runs and earned runs and I think there needs to be another stat for runners who score while you're on the mound.

The Yankees only scored 2 runs. Without such a good pitching performance the Yanks would have been in trouble. This team needs to score more runs consistently. They won't always have good pitching to fall back on and even when they do (like with Wang yesterday) they still need to tack on a few more.

Overall: A win is a win. Moose's pitching was encouraging. The Yankee bats were disappointing, but they were good enough to get the job done.

Other Stuff: Joe Girardi's locker room closed-door meeting before the game inspired the Yankees to get the job done, but did'nt do much for their sleeping bats.

The Rays signed Kazmir to another contract, locking him up for a while. There had been talk about possibly trading Kazmir or another starting pitcher, but looks like he's going to stick around for a while.

Jeff Karstens threw five innings in extended spring training and should be available before long. He won't be a superstar but hopefully will be an option if someone gets injured or as a long reliever now that Rasner is in the rotation.

Moose Survives 6 Innings, Yanks Win

Mike Mussina looked decent pitching yesterday and impressed Joe Girardi enough to leave him in the game through six whole innings and the Yankees ended up winning the game. Girardi was able to put in Hawkins, Ramirez and Veras for one inning each to finish up the game. If your starters can give you six or seven innings, you're more likely to win the game. Since you are using your relievers less, it also helps with tomorrow's game.

Mussina had some ups and downs. He looked sharp early on, and then got into some trouble. He got bailed out of some jams with double plays and a little luck. He came alive again in the sixth inning, striking out the side. Giving up only 1 run on 7 hits tells you that there was some luck involved, and Moose didn't quite dominate opposing batters. Yankee fans have to be happy that he was a little more economical with his pitches and lasted as long as he did.

Edwar Ramirez walked two batters in his scoreless inning. He definitely was struggling. I don't think Ramirez is ready yet. He's a guy with two pitches, a fastball and a change up. The change up only works if he establishes his fastball early on and he clearly couldn't do that last night.

LaTroy Hawkins was decent, but I'm still leery that he's going to blow up in a critical game sometime soon.

Jose Veras retired all 3 batters faced on only 10 pitches and closed out the game.

The offense was producing runs, but still left 10 men on base. Giambi and Cano both went hitless, doing little to help their case for remaining in the lineup.

I'm eager to watch Rasner pitch this afternoon, and hope he can do well enough to earn a long term spot on the rotation or as a long reliever. With Hughes out and Kennedy struggling, the Yanks could surely use it.

Bullpen Delivers

Mike Mussina pitched decently for 4 innings, was struggling in the fifth, but managed to get out with only giving up 2 runs. For Mussina, that's as good as it gets these days although ideally you'd like to see him be able to tough out another inning or two. Mussina and the Yankees intentionally walked the hot-hitting Victor Martinez with 2 men on base and it payed off. The Manny Ramirez incident still hangs heavy over Moose and the Yanks.

The bullpen was fantastic, pitching 4 scoreless innings. Albaladejo gave up a walk and a hit while Farnsworth, Chamberlain and Rivera retired the side in order during their respective innings on the mound.

It was interesting that Girardi only let each pitcher throw 1 inning out of the bullpen. In the past he hasn't been afraid to use Joba or Farnsworth for 2 innings. I'm not sure it would have been better to give one of them the day off and let someone pitch 2 innings in relief.  Perhaps Joba or Mo could have come in earlier if the others started struggling.

Mussina picked up the win and Rivera got hit 8th save of the season.

There were a few hits, but the Yankees got the hits when they needed them. Aaron Laffey pitched a no-hitter through 5 innings then came undone in the 6th. The Yankees strung together a few hits and walks to load the bases. A-Rod was then hit by a pitch and one run was forced in. Giambi and Matsui grounded out but drove in runs and Morgan Ensberg batted another run in with a weak single.

Johnny Damon came in to pinch hit for A-Rod (who was the DH tonight) in his next at bat. Girardi said afterward that it was a precautionary move but that A-Rod may sit out tomorrow's game.

I like seeing the Yankees hitting with runners in scoring position and not leaving too many runners on base. Tonight was one of those occasions where the Yankees took advantage of their opportunities.

Chris Stewart was called up from Scranton to back up Molina behind the plate if needed. It remains to be seen whether or not the Yanks will recall Moeller from waivers.

The Yankees have finished their grueling road trip and now have 18 or their next 25 games at home. They are 1 game over .500, 1 game out of first place and given everything that has happened, you have to be a little relieved. Phil Hughes will get the start tomorrow against Detroit's Kenny Rogers. Hughes' 7.85 ERA will be well matched against Rogers' 7.66.

Mussina Showing Trade Value?

The Yanks won 6-4 last night, beating the Chicago White Sox with the help of a good outing by Mike Mussina. Moose toughed out 7 innings, throwing 101 pitches, 66 for strikes. He gave up 4 hits, 2 runs, walked 1 and struck out 3. Mussina got worked deep into counts a few times, but came out and challenged some hitters early, getting ahead on the count and putting himself in the driver's seat. I'm wondering if this very nice performance will give Mussina some trade value, enticing some poor unsuspecting team to pick up the washed up veteran?

The bullpen had some troubles, apparently stunned at not having to come in early with Mussina on the mound. LaTroy Hawkins got the first batter out then couldn't find the plate with his fastball and walked the second batter. Hawkins then gave up a single to Orlando Cabrera and was pulled as Girardi brought in Billy Traber to face the left handed Jim Thome, who lit up Traber with a ground ball single to right. OK, not really, Traber did a fine job and the play was botched by the defensively inept Giambi. The official scorers should credit that earned run to Giambi rather than Yankee pitcers. Having seen enough and with the right handed Konerko coming to the plate, Girardi called for Mo. Rivera allowed one run to score on a sacrifice fly and quickly got the third out by getting Dye to pop one up. Mariano made quick work of three batters in the ninth to finish the game.

Mariano Rivera is on a tear this year. He had me worried at the start of the season last year, but this season, he is an absolute machine.

Guys like Hawkins can't be relied on to reliably get people out in pressure situations. If Girardi left him in, he may have ended up retiring the side without letting a run score, but you'd like to have one or two relievers who can be counted on to get a particular batter out. Hawkins and Traber didn't deliver this time.

Jorge Posada went 4 for 5 and there were no stolen base attempts. As a team the Yankees hit well, but I don't like the 11 LOB. Johnny Damon continues to deliver in the clutch, knocking in 2 runs.

A good win for the Yanks, an encouraging outing from Mussina and some offensive production. If only we could get this every game...

Ugly Loss as Yanks and Sox Split Series

Don't let the final score of 7-5 fool you, this one was ugly. Mussina gave up 5 runs in 3 innings before Albaladejo came in to pitch 3. The Yankees definitely need a long reliever on this staff, and possibly more than one. Their bullpen has been working very hard and a lot of guys are having to come in to pitch 2 or 3 innings. A successful team needs starters that can go a minimum of 6 innings and preferably 7. Wang and possibly Pettitte seem to be the only pitchers capable of such an outing.

Josh Beckett was ablt to pitch 8 full innings for Boston, giving up only 3 runs. Papelbon gave up 2 in the 9th inning, but managed to get the last batters out before the Yankees could narrow the lead to less than 2.

The Yankees had 8 hits and only left 4 on base. The offense didn't have enough punch to bail out a struggling starter yet again. Unfortunately with the starting rotation they have, the NY bats are going to need to bail out pitchers frequently.

Manny Ramirez continues to eat Yankee pitchers and particularly seems to have figured Mussina out.

Not many positives to take away from tonight's game if you're a Yankee fan. Kyle Farnsworth got all three batters out in order when he came in, which scares me. Don't let him fool you into thinking he can get 3 outs when you need him in a tight game.

A lot of people are making comments that the Yankee bullpen is really hurting without Joba. While he might be a great addition to the pen, their biggest problem is getting guys to come in early and pitch multiple innings, a role you'll never see Joe Girardi use Joba for. He can be a great asset in the 7th and 8th innings in a close game, but what the Yankees need even more in the bullpen right now is a long reliever.

Rain Delay in Boston -Resumed

Top of the 8th inning, Yankees trail 3-4, runners on 1st and 2nd, 2 out. With the Yankees threatening to score and the Sox about to bring in Papelbon early the umpire decides to cover the field when a little rain falls. There had been thunder and lightning in the distance but by the time the tarp was finished getting unrolled, before they had a chance to unfold it, the rain was letting up. Hopefully for the Yanks they won't have this one stolen away from them by mother nature and an anxious officiated crew. Oh, did I mention Alex Rodriguez was at the plate?

Beckett started strong and was in command of the early part of the game. Terry Francona let him start the 7th but he began to have some difficulty, giving up a run before Manny Delcarmen came in to relieve him with 2 outs. Delcarmen got out of the inning with a strike out. Okajima came in to pitch the 8th inning and left with 2 on and 2 outs, setting up Papelbon.

Beckett's numbers were 6.2 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 strike outs, and 88 pitches for 55 strikes.

For the Yankees, Mussina kept the game close and exciting. He put a few runners on and got out with some double plays. While not looking as sharp as Beckett, Moose kept the Yankees in striking range throwing 5.2 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, 1 K and no walks. He threw 71 pitches for 51 strikes.

Brian Bruney came in in the bottom of the 6th and have up an RBI hit and also gave up a run in the 7th. There's been no sign of Chamberlain warming up yet.

David Ortiz continues to struggle at the plate. Using the word struggle seems like an understatement. Ortiz can't do anything. He was up twice in clutch situations and grounded into a double play and later struck out. Manny Ramirez was the offensive star for Boston, hitting a solo home run and an RBI double.

The Yankees have only left 2 on base tonight but for the most part haven't done much offensively. Giambi has gone 0 for 3. Cano has 2 hits. Alberto Gonzalez is 1 for 3 with a run scored and is showing some speed on the bases.

If the game is resumed, the first at bat will be crucial as A-Rod tries to drive in some runs with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. Papelbon is set up to grab a save if he pitches well. If the Yankees do get some runs Chamberlain and Rivera will both be available to pitch in the 8th and 9th if needed. If the Yanks fail to score, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone else in to pitch, saving those two for Sunday.

Yanks fans, keep hoping the rain clears and that A-Rod can come through in the clutch!

Update: After a little over 2 hours, the game resumed. Papelbon delivered and A-Rod came up short in the biggest at bat of the game, striking out in the clutch. Latroy Hawkins shut down the Red Sox in the bottom of the 8th and then Papelbon came back out to pitch the ninth. The kid was sharp, striking out the first two batters and then getting a ground out to end the game.

Mussina and Beckett each had decent starts and the score was close, but Beckett was able to go an extra inning and was a little sharper. Both bullpens had some minor troubles but Boston was able to get Papelbon to the mound with a lead and he gave them 4 quick outs in a big game.

The Yankees still have Chamberlain and Rivera available for tomorrow. If Hughes can keep it close and Dice-K doesn't prove to be too much for the Bomber bats, the Yanks have a good chance to win another game and take the series.

Terrific Game for Mussina

Mike Mussina brought his "A" game today, pitching a very solid 6 innings giving up 1 run on 2 hits, struck out 3 and walked 1. Mussina looked in command right from the start. We all know he can pitch extremely well, but you don't always know which Moose is going to show up for a game. Let's hope for more outings like tonight.

Brian Bruney delivered the goods giving up no hits but hitting one batter.

I've done a lot of Farnsworth bashing up to this point and so I'd like to give him the credit he's due. Farnsworth's stuff was working tonight. Kyle retired the side in order, striking out one. He had his fastball coming in at 93 mph, but he pitched a smart game mixing up the sinker, slider, 2-seamer and 4-seamer nicely. Nice job Kyle.

Hawkins was his usual scary self. Fortunately he didn't give up any runs but he put batters on 2nd and 3rd. The fans were quick to boo him when he got in trouble which didn't do anything for his confidence.

This was the type of offensive game you've come to expect from the Yankees. Bobby Abreu had the hot bat, going 3 for 3 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs. He showed some speed churning out a stand up triple. A-Rod, Matsui and Cano all had timely hits to drive in runs.

Derek Jeter strained a quadriceps muscle hustling down the first base line and left the game before the 3rd inning. Wilson Betemit is not the kind of guy you want playing on a long term basis because of his lackluster offense. Hopefully Jeter will be back soon.

Morgan Ensberg got his first hit as a Yankee tonight.