WHY IF THE ALDS ROSTER WAS A TEST...

I'd get 2 wrong. So I’m not a total screw up, am I? The Yankees ALDS roster was revealed earlier today and if you read WHY I KNOW THE YANKEES 2011 ALDS ROSTER, you know that I chose a few players that others disagreed with. That’s why this is a blog, so I can give my opinion and you can give yours.Chris Dickerson was a name I mentioned for bench help. He has an OK bat but more importantly, he has wheels and can play the outfield. To me, he was a perfect choice for the ALDS bench. I was right. He’s joining the Yankees on this trip.

You’re Welcome.

Look, let’s be honest, I had a tough time thinking about having Dickerson or Andruw Jones on my roster. In the end, Jones didn’t make the cut. The reason was because I wanted an extra lefty pitcher and I picked Raul Valdes. Because of that, I lost a bench spot. Now, it turns out the Yankees are sticking with 1 lefty, Boone Logan in the pen for this Series. In turn, they picked Andruw Jones to join the rest of the bench. Good choice.

I also made a bold statement and went against the grain on 1 more pick. Because I believed Hector Noesi earned a spot on the ALDS roster, I picked him over an often injured and non-battle tested Phil Hughes. To me, it was obvious. Noesi was pitching all season and really handled himself. Hughes, on the other hand was hammered with injury and didn’t really do anything this season. I was clearly overruled. The Yankees picked Hughes over Noesi. I’m fine with that, I just thought my reasoning made sense.

Every other roster spot was correct. It just made me smile, that’s all. Am I still just a blogger who gets it wrong more than I get it right? Yes, I don’t take myself too seriously, I just thought it was cool. That’s it.

Whatever the roster, one things for sure, it’s ALDS time… Sabathia vs. Verlander. LET’S GO YANKEES!

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THIS YANKEES LOSS TO RAYS MAKES HISTORY

OK, it was the final game of the season, Game 162. Everything has been wrapped up, the American League East, and the home field advantage throughout the American League Playoffs. Now, I know Casey doesn't like these losses, but I'm fine with it. You can read his take of Tuesday's loss in WHY THE YANKEES WILL LOSE ALDS WITHOUT MOMENTUM.

If the Rays won this game and the Red Sox lost their game against the Orioles the Red Sox would have blown a nine, yes NINE, game September lead and miss the playoffs. That has never happened in the history of this great game. And you know what? It happened, it really happened!
Anyway, onto the Yankee game. Although most have probably forgotten by now, Yankee pitching prospect Dellin Betances started this game. After shitting the bed last week against the Rays, Dellin got a second chance. Although he looked shaky at times, he was able to pitch out of his own mistakes. Betances pitched 2 shutout innings, allowing one hit on two walks and two strikeouts. He didn't throw a first pitch strike to any of the nine batters he faced, as he clearly didn't have his best control. But he got through it, and it was against a desperate Rays team. Awesome.
(Photo: AP)
The Yanks wound up taking a 7-0 lead by the fifth inning in this one. Mark Teixeira hit two homers, one a Grand Slam, his 38th and 39th of the year. He was batting third against the lefty David Price for the Rays--who went four innings allowing five earned for Tampa--so it looks like Tex will bat fifth against righties and third against lefties in the playoffs after hitting third on Tuesday against the righty Jeremy Hellickson. The Yanks also scored an un-earned run in the first, and Andruw Jones hit a solo shot in the fifth.By the time the Yanks got their 7-0 lead, Joe Girardi got cute with his bullpen. I tell you, it's that stupid binder he has. Casey wrote about it last night.... I know he was flipping out, Read WHY I'M NO FAN OF A LACKADAISCAL GIRARDI. Girardi used 11, ELEVEN, pitchers in this game. The list includes Betances of course, George Kontos, Phil Hughes--for one inning--AJ Burnett--for one batter--Andrew Brackman, and Scott Proctor--among others--who allowed the game winning homer to Evan Longoria in the 12th inning, his second homer of the game.(Photo: AP)
Boone Logan and Luis Ayala each allowed three runs in the Tampa six run 8th inning, before Cory Wade allowed a two out, solo home run to Dan Johnson to tie the game at seven in the bottom of the ninth. Folks, if these last two games of the regular season meant something, I'd be beyond devastated. The Tampa Bay Rays now win the AL Wild Card with the help of Robert Andino and the Baltimore Orioles beating the Red Sox. The almighty Red Sox miss the playoffs while blowing a nine, NINE, game September lead. Did I mention that's NEVER happened in the history of the game? Sweetness.

Final Score- Rays 8 - Yankees 7 in 12 innings

OK, enough about the Rays comeback and the Red Sox choke. I'm sorry, but I'm still pumped from this happening. I jumped out of my seat for joy when the Sox lost. Anyway, the Tigers won and so did the Rangers, so the Yankees will play the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. The Chase for 28 starts Friday.

It's a rematch of the Opening Day pitching match up, but with MUCH bigger ramifications. CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.00) goes against the almighty, no doubt Cy Young winner, possible MVP winner, and pitching Triple Crown winner, Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K's) Friday night at the Stadium. Let's Go YANKEES!




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE YANKEES BENCH WILL BE KEY

There is no doubt that the Yankees have players that have contributed in every way this season and the bench is pretty decent. But not all of them can come to the ALDS. Let's check out some of the names this year that have contributed.

Andruw Jones did what we needed him to do hitting lefties and hitting home runs this year. It’s clear that Andruw Jones has slowed down, but I was happy he was there. Here are his numbers this year:

This season he's 46 for 186. He has 12 home runs and 32 RBIs. His average is .247.

In my ALDS scenario, Andrew Jones will not be joining us. Although looking at the way guys like Chris Dickerson and Greg Golson contributed to last night's loss to the Rays...Golson getting picked off third with a chance to win the game, Jones may now make my list. You know what I mean? The other factor that comes in consideration is whether or not Jesus Montero is OK. Last night he was lifted from the game and there were concerns about his availability in the ALDS. We will have to see. If Montero is healthy, clearly I would platoon with Jorge Posada in the DH role. Again, maybe Jones gets to be there too.

I like speed as you know and that’s where Eduardo Nunez and Chris Dickerson would have come into play in my scenario. Although, Dickerson didn't impress me last night.

No doubt Eduardo Nunez has a terrific bat and great speed to do damage on the base paths. I would never suggest putting Nunez in as a late inning defensive replacement, because, let’s face it, he’s not good defensively. Last night he made his 20th error of the year. How embarrassing. But in a tie game in the 9^th inning at home, I’m pinch-running him no doubt.

Eric Chavez is a must have and apparently he's probably a starter now that word is out that Alex Rodriguez has a cranky knee. Read about that HERE. The reason I like Chavez... he gets on base. He seems to be clutch at the right time, plus, as I've stated, he plays third base and first base, if things get desperate. I’ve always liked Chavez, I just hope Mr. Fragile can hold it together.

Jorge Posada is our Designated Hitter, but in the event he doesn’t get the call for the DH against lefties, he is clearly a late inning pinch hitter, he can substitute at first if needed, as we saw last night and if the world came crumbling around Yankeeland, we could slot him in at catcher. We have options.

Options are good Ladies and Gentlemen and our bench looks good. If things click, we have incredible shot to win the ALDS, whomever it will be. After all, we’re the God damn New York Yankees, right? We can do this, I have faith.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY IT WASN'T COLON'S NIGHT...AGAIN

Bartolo Colon was terrible. Not sure what you do with this guy once the Postseason begins. Right now, he's got nothing good and if he did go say 7 innings and held the Rays to 2 runs, it would have been a much different story right now. Since the All-Star break, Bartolo Colon is 2-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 69 innings pitched. He's also allowed 9 home runs. Geez. Anyway, tonight, Colon went 3 innings, allowed 7 hits on 7 runs and he only struck out 1.

Scott Proctor followed Colon and was just terrible tonight as well. He gave up 5 runs and his ERA is now up to 6.81. Look, tonight was an ugly night and sometimes guys have crappy pitching performances. Clearly, it was Colon and Proctor's night. Maybe after the game they'll go get a beer together and forget about this.Matt Moore struck out 11 Yankees tonight. He's a terrific young pitcher and his fastball was clocked at 96. Pretty impressive.

The Rays scored 15 runs tonight. Again, it was ugly for the Yanks, but the good news is, the Yankees are champions of the AL East and ready to move forward to the post season, so all this stuff is just fluff. There were some highlights, like for instance, throughout the whole game, the Yankees scored 8 runs and it looked like maybe, just maybe in the 8th inning, we may come back. But Jorge Posada came up to bat right handed with the bases loaded and he struck out. Hey look, it's not Jorge's fault, it's a long road back when you're down by that many runs. Then again, bases loaded and the momentum was going our way, how do you not even hit a single, you know what I mean?
Jesus Montero was 3 for 3 tonight with 2 RBIs and 2 walks. His stance and power are amazing and he's just a kid. It's going to be very exciting to see this guy shine in pinstripes as the years go on. He is really exciting to watch.

Andruw Jones had 3 RBIs tonight with a home run in the 6th inning. Jones is useful, even at this stage in his career. I like him in pinstripes. He filled the void.

Finally, 2 of the Killer B's were in tonight. Andrew Brackman who is 6'11" and it's clear the dude is tall when he's out there, wow. He pitched 1.1 innings and gave up 1 hit and 1 walk. Then Dellin Betances came in and shit the bed. He walked 4, and allowed 2 runs. He now has a 27.00 ERA. No biggie, the Yankees just wanted to gave the B's alittle taste.

Final Score: Rays 15 - Yankees 8

Yankees Magic Number is 2 for the best record in the American League. Come on Yankees!

Tomorrow night, it's Yankees vs. Sox. Get ready! By the way, if you haven't read WHY I BELIEVE IN THE CURSE, try it, you'll like it.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY JESUS HAS RISEN FOR THE YANKEES

(Photo: AP)

Monday matinees are rare in baseball, but since it was Labor Day, a matinee was held at Yankee Stadium. And everyone who was at the Stadium, or who watched the game at home, witnessed something very special that they'll remember for years to come.



There wasn't a no-hitter thrown, or a perfect game, or a 20 strikeout game, or a four home run performance, but there was the rising of young Jesus Montero. Jesus got his first hit on Saturday against the Blue Jays, and he picked up two more hits on Sunday against the Jays. But all season long we've been hearing about the power that Jesus has and today he showcased it in a big way. He went 2 for 3 with his first two career Major League home runs. They were both no doubt opposite field shots which is very, very impressive for a 21 year old kid to do. I am very impressed with this kid so far.

(Photo: Getty)

Although the Yankees won this game, there was plenty of scoring from both sides. Robinson Cano hit a long grand slam today, he's quickly getting into the MVP discussion and he now has a nine game hitting streak which comes after a 15 game hit streak was snapped last week. Mark Teixeira homered, while Curtis Granderson and Andruw Jones also drove in runs.

(Photo: Getty)

Freddy Garcia started and didn't have it, plain and simple. All of his breaking balls were flat and just rolled in the zone. He went 2.2, allowed nine hits, seven runs, and two home runs (He hadn't allowed a homer in nearly 70 innings coming into the start). We also got to see Scott Proctor for the first time in a Yankee uniform since 2007, and Mo saved it--although it wasn't pretty--in the ninth.



Final Score: Yankees 11 - Orioles 10



The Yankees are rolling, there's no doubt about it. It's their fifth straight win, and with Boston losing to Toronto, the Yanks are now up 2.5 games in the East. The Yanks will play a night game tomorrow, as Phil Hughes (4-5, 6.75 ERA) will try to continue to make his case to stay in the rotation against Tommy Hunter (3-2, 5.56 ERA) for the O's.









--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer









Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY 1ST PLACE IS SWEETER WITH NOVA'S 15 WINS

(Photo: Getty)

When you win a game it's great. But when you win a game, you're team takes sole possession of first place and your pitcher wins his 15th game of the year, and his 11th straight win... it's huge. Ivan Nova is now 15-4 and the Yankees are looking like a true ball club. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Yankees have had problems this year, the Red Sox have not, yet the Red Sox aren't in first place right now, the Yankees are. The Red Sox lost big tonight against the Rangers. I hate to be scoreboard watching, but this season is a big one and every game now counts more than the last.(Photo: Getty)

Robinson Cano was the guy that put the Yankees ahead 3-2 tonight and the pitching held down the Blue Jays tonight. There is nothing better than when pitching and hitting work together.



Tonight Nova went 7 innings, allowed 3 hits, 2 earned runs and struck out 4 and walked 2. He looked real good all game, except the first inning where it seemed like he couldn't get a rhythm and gave up 2 runs in the 1st. Luckily, he calmed down. If this happened to him last year, it would have been 5 nothing by the 2nd inning. This year, we have a mature young pitcher never getting frazzled. It's nice to see.



I was hoping Nova would pitch as long as he did tonight to give the pen a little rest, after all, they deserve it, they've been busy lately, yet, dominant.(Photo:Getty)

Brett Gardner showed me some incredible defense tonight and this little guy crushed a 2 run homer to tie to game in the 3rd inning. Giving "Players of the Game" Awards is usually easy for me, but tonight, it's a tough call. I'll have to give Ivan Nova and Brett Gardner a co-player of the game award.



Andruw Jones made a leaping catch in what looked like a home run in the 4th inning. He made it look easy but boy oh boy, it wasn't. Good for him, it's not easy to not play the outfield every day and then make a play like that. Good work.



Mariano Rivera nailed it down tonight and has 37 saves on the season. The big news is he's inching closer to 600. Huge accomplishment. I wrote WHY MARIANO RIVERA DESERVES AN HBO DOC on August 24th and I meant it. Rivera is amazing. 600 is a big deal for a closer and he'll be on top at 602 after he beats Trevor Hoffman's 601 record. To me, that is unbelievable.



Final Score Tonight: Yankees 3 - Blue Jays 2.



Tomorrow Bartolo Colon takes the mound and it would be nice for this guy to get back on track. He's now 8-9 this season. If he could win a few more and end the season 10-9, I'd be satisfied.



Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE YANKEES SPLIT & GRANDERSON IS KING

(Photo: Getty)

This needs to be brief. It's been an interesting 16 hours. After I wrote about how Hurricane Irene was a big fat baby, that's when the real trouble began. The loss of power and the rising of the water table in my basement have kept us busy. But like I've said before, everyone is safe. I wish I was able to watch the games, but could only listen in between the slopping up of water and borrowing a friends generator. The phones are out too. At moments I feel like it's Little House on the Prairie and my son's going to call me "Pa". The difference is the kids in that show helped their parents. My kids want to know if I know where their DS is. Luckily I have 1 hard line and it's in my basement, next to the furnace. But enough about me, the Yankees split a double header yesterday...this is what I know about it.



In the first came, Zach Britton was able to hold the Yankees down limiting us to 4 hits in 7 innings. The Yankees never scored in Game 1. Bartolo Colon was pitching pretty well, he gave up 2 runs and 7 hits in 7 2/3 innings. But, game over, nothing more to say.(Photo: New York Times)

Final Score: Orioles 2 - Yankees 0.



Game 2 was different, the Yankees woke up. The Yankees demolished Brian Matusz when Curtis Granderson cranked a home run off him and then smashed another in the 7th... that's 2 home runs and that's his 38th of the year. What's bigger is he now leads the major leagues in Home runs. Who would have thunk it? The 2 other home runs came in the 6th inning, back to back to back, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher and then Andruw Jones. Both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez did not play Game 2.



Ivan Nova pitched the second game and gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings. He win his 10th straight and won his 14 of the season.



Final Score: Yankees 8 - Orioles 3.



I wish I could expand more, but I can't. It's been chaotic for me since I last posted, but we're going to get through it. Thanks for reading.



Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY IT'S TIME TO PULL AJ BURNETT

(Photo: Getty)

Well Yankee fans, what can you say that hasn't already been said about AJ Burnett? I mean, I guess I can spend the rest of the time writing this recap talking about how AJ is an embarrassment in pinstripes. Or how AJ couldn't hit the side of a barn even if he was standing three feet away. But I won't do that tonight. Why? Because he is not worth it. But, here is what I will say. I certainly do not know AJ Burnett "the man off the field". So I would never judge another man without having first walked a mile in his shoes and even then, who am I to judge? You will not find any of the BYB writers ever attacking another player on a personal level. That is not how we roll at BYB. But one thing I do know is AJ Burnett, the pitcher for the New York Yankees is just plain awful. And he has the nerve to show up his manager and his team when rightfully being yanked from the game? Are you kidding me? You know, when Joe Girardi was asked about what AJ said to him when he left the mound Joe took the high road. He played "dumb" saying AJ's anger wasn't directed at him. Look, we all know that AJ said something to Girardi and Girardi probably jacked him up when he followed him into the clubhouse tunnel, but what is he suppose to say? Girardi is the manager of the New York Yankees, he isn't going to sit there and sell out one of his players to the media. So I am not gonna get on him for the way he answered questions after the game. In fact, I give credit tonight to Girardi for showing class and leadership. Bottom line is this: AJ Burnett and the New York Yankees need to come up with a "mystery injury". This cannot go on any longer! It must end and it must end NOW!

So here's the recap; In the bottom of the 1st inning, AJ Burnett gets the leadoff hitter out, but then the Twins proceeded to hit back to back doubles and a wild pitch by Burnett gave the Twins and early 1-0 lead. After a sacrifice fly, AJ retires the side.

So after one inning, the Yanks were down 2-0, but it wasn't the end of the world. There was a glimmer of hope that maybe AJ settled down and found his groove. But, that was not the case...

After the Yanks went down again 1-2-3 in the top of the 2nd the Twins came up and by the end of the inning, this game was over. In fact, Burnett could not even make it out of the 2nd inning. And, to add insult to injury, when AJ reluctantly left the mound with the bases loaded the Twin fans gave him a standing ovation! How embarrassing is that? Pathetic. Here is AJ's final line for tonight:



1.2 IP - 5 Hits - 7 ER - 3 BB - 1 K - 2 Wild pitches -- 61 pitches thrown and now AJ's ERA for the season is 4.96!

Offensively, the Yankee bats were frozen against Francisco Liriano. To Liriano's credit, he was given a big lead and pitched accordingly. He went after the Yankee hitters and never let them string anything together. When Liriano is on, he is really on. Eduardo Nunez was the only Yankee with more than one hit going 2-4 with a run scored. The Yankees only had a total of 7 hits for the entire game and most of them came late, not against Liriano.



So tonight I ask the Yankees to do us all a favor and end this AJ nightmare. Please yank this guy from the starting rotation. We don't care how you do it, all we care is that you do it.

Some Other Game Notes:

• Andruw Jones smacked another home run tonight -- his 9th of the season.

• Curtis Granderson got his 97th RBI of the season. Incredible.
  
  

• Although newly acquired lefty Aaron Laffey gave up two runs tonight, credit needs to be given to him for "taken one on the chin" giving his new team 3 innings worth of work. Also, the bullpen combo of Ayala, Wade, and Noesi pitched 3.1 innings giving up just 3 hits and no runs. Bravo.
  
  

Final Score tonight: Minnesota Twins 9 -- New York Yankees 4



Can you tell I'm disgusted? Well, I am.

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer

Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com

Twitter: @MikeyBlu23







Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE YANKEES PROVE OFFENSE AND CC WIN BALLGAMES

(Photo: Getty)

I am not sure exactly when it happened but at some point in last night's game vs. the Twins, something snapped in CC Sabathia. It is almost like a light was turned on inside CC and he once again became CC Monster!

The way the game started though for the Yankees and CC was not promising. Almost immediately we saw shades of the CC from the past 3 starts who has struggled and has been getting bombed. I have to admit, when the M&M boys smacked CC in their first at bats I was not feeling to good. I was beginning to freak out like half of the Yankee fans on Twitter were, tweeting questions like, "What's wrong with CC?" "Is CC overused?" "Is CC underused?" "Is CC hurt?" All of these tweets had me in panic mode! But then it happened...I think it was a combination of when CC got the final out in the bottom of the 2nd and then when Curtis Granderson led off the top of the 3rd with a triple. I think CC woke up and thought, "What the hell am I doing?" "I'm freaking CC Sabathia!" "It ends now!"



CC was far from perfect for the rest of the evening but he definitely showed signs of the CC Sabathia we know and love who keeps batters off balance and piles up the K's. CC's final line not doesn't reflect Cy Young numbers but he did get the "W" and that's all that matters, right?

7 IP's -- 10 Hits -- 3 ER's -- 1 BB -- 9 K's -- CC is now 17-7 for the year.

The Bronx Bombers showed up at Target Field last night. Despite how nearly impossible it is to hit a home run at this new field, balls were flying out; especially for the Yankees. The three home runs hit by New York were off the bats of Mark Teixeira, Andruw Jones, and Nick Swisher.

Jones' shot was hit to another time zone. What a shot! Along with the home run, Tex had a great night at the plate and in the field. Tex went 2-3, including a single and 2 walks and 2 RBI's. Tex now has 33 home runs along with 91 RBI's. And, of course, what would a Yankee game lately be without another great game at the plate by the "2011 AL MVP" Curtis Granderson. The Grandyman kept the ball in the park but did manage to go 3-5 including a triple and another run scored. Grandy now leads the AL with 112 runs scored. The next guy behind him, Jacoby Ellsbury is a distanced 2nd in AL runs scored with. Just an incredible offensive year for Granderson so far.

The Yanks took the lead 1-0 in the top of the second on a Gardner sacrifice fly but CC gave the lead away in the bottom of the inning via a a few hits and and a fielders choice. But after the 2nd, as I mentioned above, CC turned it on and the Yankee offense took advantage. The Yanks took the lead back once and for all 3-2 on the 2-run bomb by Tex. Then the Yanks tacked on three more important runs in the bottom of the 5th that pretty much locked up the game. After Tex doubled, Robinson Cano grounded out then Swish hit his 15th home run of the year which gave the Yanks a 5-2 lead. Then it became back-to-back and a belly-to-belly time when Andruw Jones hit a bomb that I believe is still traveling! So at the end of the 5th inning the Yanks had a 6-2 lead.



CC ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the 7th when the Twins scored twice cutting the Yankee lead to 6-4. But CC just held it together and closed down the Twins ending any fantasy of a rally. That was the last inning for CC.

We all know that if a Yankee starter gets through 7 innings with a lead, it is usually game, set match and last night was no different in Yankeeland. David Robertson came in and "shockingly" had another 1-2-3 inning. It's just business as usual for DRob as he continues to lower his ERA (which is now 1.27) and becomes one of the most impressive pitchers in all of MLB.



"Unfortunately" the Yankees tacked on two more runs in the top of the 9th on a two-run single by Francisco Cervelli which made the score 8-4. So a four run lead means one thing: No Mo... Oh well! But Cory Wade came in and was spectacular. A 1,2,3 inning striking out one Twin and another win for our New York Yankees.



FINAL SCORE: New York Yankees 8 -- Minnesota Twins 4





--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer

Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com

Twitter: @MikeyBlu23







Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE RAYS PUT ON A CLINIC AGAINST SABATHIA

(Photo: Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News)

It was a marquee match up on Friday at the Stadium. CC Sabathia for the Yanks and David Price for the Tampa Bay Rays. But only one of those guys stepped up in this one, and it wasn't CC as the big fella gave up a career high five home runs, all of which were solo shots.



It's now back to back starts that CC has not pitched up to his capability. He went eight innings though, so at least he gave the bullpen a breather. He allowed 10 hits, five which left the park, while not allowing a walk and seven strikeouts. The home runs he allowed came from Casey Kotchman, Kelly Shoppach, Johnny Damon, Elliot Johnson, and Evan Longoria. Maybe the six man rotation is messing him up a bit. We'll find out his next time out as the six man rotation will end on Monday.(Photo: Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News)

Meanwhile, Co-Ace David Price was great in this start. He went eight innings, allowed six hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts. The Yankees as a team are now 0-5 in games in which CC and Price oppose each other.

Obviously with Price dealing the Yankees couldn't muster up much on the scoreboard. They were able to get a two out rally, which was started by a Robinson Cano single, a Nick Swisher walk, and an Andruw Jones double to right center. Robbie scored on the double, but Swish got thrown out on a close play at the plate. Tough luck for Nick.



Final Score: Rays 5 - Yankees 1



The Yanks now fall to 19-20 in series openers. Not good. But, Phil Hughes (2-4, 7.11 ERA) will try to make his case to stay in the rotation as he faces Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.05 ERA) on Saturday.







--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer









Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE YANKEES SMASHED THE O's...AND I LIKE IT

Saturday was a great day for the Yankees all around. They played a day-night doubleheader against the last place Baltimore Orioles. Going into the day, I knew for sure the Yankees would sweep this double dip especially after losing the first game on Friday, and sure enough I was right. Not only did the Yankees sweep the doubleheader, but they destroyed the Orioles and more importantly, Buck Showalter. Let's get right to the action.

In game one Bartolo Colon got the start. He was good, not great, but he picked up the win. He went five innings, allowed two O's to score, and he punched out six.
Big Bart did get plenty of support in this one. But it was from the bottom of the order. Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Chris Dickerson, and Francisco Cervelli combined to go 10 for 19 with six of the eight runs driven in. The top of the order--Brett Gardner, Eduardo Nunez, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano--combined to go 1 for 17 with two Brett Gardner RBI. I guess it doesn't matter who drives in the runs, just as long as the runs get driven in.

In game two of this series, the Yankees went on an historic offensive barrage in the first inning. The Yanks got out to a quick 12-0 lead after the first inning. That is the most runs in the first inning ever by the Yankees. If you watched this one, you saw something that has never happened in the history of the Yankees. Amazing.
Anyway, since there was a ton of scoring--17 runs to be exact--there had to be key contributors. In fact, everyone contributed. All nine starters got at least one hit and scored at least one run. Robinson Cano got a career high five of the Yanks 24 hits, and a game high five RBI. Nick Swisher clubbed his 14th homer of the season in the 12 run first, while Andruw Jones hit a mammoth shot in the third.Ivan Nova got the start in this one, and with scouts in the ballpark, he impressed. The young right hander got his 12 run lead and ran away with it. He went seven strong, allowing two runs, and he struck out six. Remember, Phil Hughes had a 12 run lead against Oakland and he couldn't get out of the fifth.

Also a quick note in game two of the doubleheader; Rafael Soriano made his first appearance since May 13th against the Red Sox. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, and he struck out two batters. It was his first 1-2-3 outing since Opening Day. Nice to see, all be it in a 14 run game.

Final Score:
Game 1: Yankees 8 - Orioles 3
Game 2: Yankees 17 - Orioles 3

I could sense that doubleheader sweep, and I sense another Yankees win today. Freddy Garcia (9-7, 3.23 ERA) will continue to try to defy the odds as he matches up against Jake Arrieta (10-7, 5.12 ERA).



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.