THE STATE OF THE YANKEES PITCHING

First, let me give you alittle Yankee pitching news. 3 names have moved on according to LoHud, read it HERE.

Aaron Laffey was apparently claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. Scott Proctor elected free agency as did Raul Valdes.

Now, for other important stuff coming out of Yankeeland. The next logical target for the Yankees as far as starting pitching is concerned is the Rangers lefthander CJ Wilson in my opinion. Yes, the 2011 rotation did much better than anyone anticipated, but there is definitely a need for improvement, so why not “Pretty Boy” Wilson, as Casey calls him? CJ Wilson has improved on his 2010 breakout year, proving more than capable as the ace of the Rangers staff. He finished the season with a 2.94 ERA, 206 strikeouts (8.3 K/9), and a career high 223.1 innings pitched.

Adding Wilson behind CC, assuming CC Sabathia returns, would certainly give the Yankees the most dominant pair of lefties in the game, which could prove to be a valuable commodity when facing the lefty laden lineups of Boston (who despite collapsing, is still an excellent offensive team) and the Rangers. That said, I don’t see the Rangers letting CJ get away. Don’t forget, the Rangers lost out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes too and have plenty of money sitting around to make sure he stays. Losing their ace in back to back off-seasons would be a PR nightmare, especially given the current free agent market. Sure, the Rangers could abandon CJ and make a run at Yu Darvish, but should they fail in that pursuit, they’re left with a staff led by… Derek Holland and Colby Lewis. And, could Neftali Feliz truly succeed in a starting role with only two pitches? As much as I’d like to have CJ Wilson, I don’t see him going anywhere. He seems to love playing in Texas and the fans love him back. Additionally, I don’t see how a 31 year old with all of 2 years experience starting in a division with the Athletics, Mariners, and Angels is a sure thing to perform in the AL East. If Yu Darvish doesn’t work out (Read WHY I’LL CONVINCE YOU ON YU), I’d go for CJ.

Clearly, Manny Banuelos is another lefty that could prove reliable and dominant for the Yankees, very possibly in 2012. And speaking of Banuelos, what do we do with those other B’s? If their performance in AAA is any indication of how they’ll look at the beginning of next year, Betances and Banuelos should be given a chance to make the rotation out of Spring Training and boot Phil Hughes to the bullpen, but more than likely they need to be sent back to Scranton Wilkes-Barre (or I guess Rochester seeing as they’ll playing most of their “home” games there next season) and given their chance to dominate.

As for Andrew Brackman, I say he should be in the bullpen on Opening Day 2012, ready to work late innings. He proved last season that he has huge flaws as a starter, but towards the end of the season, he was an utterly dominant setup man for the Yanks’ AAA affiliate. His fastball + power-curve combo works fantastically out of the bullpen, and adding him into a bullpen with Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, David Robertson, and Mariano Rivera would pretty much a guarantee that the Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball for the second year in a row.
If all went according to my plan, we’d have a rotation resembling Sabathia, Darvish, Ivan Nova, Phi Hughes, AJ Burnett for Opening Day, and as the season progresses, I believe Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances could both try their hardest to beat out the latter three. That’s a damn nice 1-2-3, and if Hughes maintains the form he displayed in the end of the season, he’ll be one of the better 4th starters in the game.

Finally, an important part to all of this is an extra lefty in the Yankees bullpen. Casey has been ranting about the need for an extra one in the pen, and he’s right. Boone Logan is a fine relief pitcher, but a lefty specialist he is not. We were all set for Pedro Feliciano to be our hero, but his entire career may be in jeopardy, so forget about depending on him in 2012. Damaso Marte was never any good, except of course the 2009 postseason, but let’s face it, that was 2009. I’m not sure who’s out there, but it has to be done.

Look, at the end of the day, I have a plan, it may not be perfect or realistic to some, but in my opinion, I think it could work. Do you agree, maybe disagree? You can comment… let me know what you would do.

--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer



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WHY THE 2012 YANKEES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT: PART 1

Should he stay or should he go? That is the question. Here is one man’s bitter opinion:
Brian Cashman: 13 Playoff appearances, 11 Division winners, 6 AL Pennants, 4 World Titles in 14 years. Well, you can’t argue with success. Cash seems to do well under the New York pressure and even though the checkbook is huge it's often the cheaper, less publicized
moves that pay off. Cash stays as long as he’s willing to master the circus.

Joe Girardi: The Yanks are 384-264 with 1 World Title in Girardi’s 4 seasons at the helm. Joe has done a decent job but there are times where he seems to over-manage. He seems to rely more on his binder and less on the flow of the game; which is strange for a former catcher. Girardi has shown he can handle the New York media but I wonder who is handling the egos in the clubhouse. Maybe it's time for a change…Luis Ayala: 2-2, 2.09 ERA in 52 games. Ayala was wasn’t too bad. He’s serviceable out of the bullpen; a place where good pitching is hard to come by. My gut was to let him go, it seemed like runners were always scoring on him, but after analyzing the numbers he fared quite well
with runners in scoring position. I have little doubt but to bring him back.

AJ Burnett: 11-11, 5.15 ERA, 173 Ks in 33 games. Do I really need to say it? As inconsistent as he was this year, it was actually an improvement over 2010. He’s the victim of his own mind. He can throw good stuff when he wants. It's all mental for this guy. Maybe the pressure is too much. He’s signed through 2013 so it doesn’t matter that I’d dump him quicker than it takes to say AJ.
(Photo: Getty)
Joba Chamberlain: 2-0, 2.83 ERA in 27 games. He was just starting to get it together before he got hurt. Clearly the Joba rules messed this kid up. I say trade him while he still get some value. He’s probably only worth a few prospects, but maybe he could have the same success
as his buddy Ian Kennedy is having elsewhere.

Bartolo Colon: 8-10, 4.00 ERA, 135 Ks in 29 games. At 38, Bartolo pitched better than anyone would have expected, and I thank him for his service and everything he did for the Yanks this year, but if the last 2 months are any indication, I wonder if there’s any gas left in the tank or is it time to head off to the scrap yard.Pedro Feliciano: He lost the entire season to injury. He’s signed for 2012 with a team option for 2013. Right now there’s no guarantee he’ll throw next year either. Looks like Hal will be eating this $8 million.

Freddy Garcia: 12-8, 3.62 ERA, 96 Ks in 26 games. Another guy with zero expectations but delivered mightily. While he is less overpowering than he used to be, he knows how to pitch and still be effective. The Yanks would be crazy not to give him another chance. He was quite the bargain at $1.5 million. Maybe he gets a bump next year!

Phil Hughes: 5-5, 5.79 ERA, 47 Ks in 17 games. While 2011 was another year of highs, lows, and injury; Hughes may not be the starter the Yanks thought he’d be. But as he showed late in the season he might be a bullpen threat. Casey even wrote about it with WHY THE PEN IS WHERE HUGHES BELONGS. I say trade him while he still has some value or
keep him and leave him in the pen.

Boone Logan: 5-3, 3.46 ERA in 64 games. I’m sorry but to be the only lefty in the bullpen you need to be a little more dominating. He gave up more hits than innings pitched and lefties had an OPS of .789. That’s way too high for the only lefty in the bullpen. There’s got to
be something better out there.
Damaso Marte: Marte is 2-6 with a 6.02 ERA in the 4 years he’s been here. He continues to be hampered by the injury bug, there’s nothing that says he’ll ever get back and be effective. The team holds an option for 2012 which should be declined without question.

Sergio Mitre: 11.81 ERA in 4 games. Why did he come back? And what is Girardi’s love affair with this guy. I wouldn’t even trust him to pitch peanuts in the stands. Get rid of him...now.

Hector Noesi: 2-2, 4.47 ERA in 30 games. I see a lot of promise in this guy. Over the last 2 seasons he’s been quite effective at Trenton and Scranton. Even at the major league level he had glimpses of effectiveness. If given the chance he could turn out to be a great # 2
or #3 starter in the rotation.

Ivan Nova: 16-4, 3.70 ERA, 98 Ks in 28 games. What a future this kid will have if he keeps this up. He definitely stepped it up this year. He was a big reason why the Yanks won the division this year. Nova was 12-0 in 16 starts from June 10th on. It's clear this kid will be here
for years to come.
Mariano Rivera: 1-2, 1.91 ERA, 44 Saves. He’s 41 and still doing it with just one pitch. The greatest closer ever can stay as long as he wants.

David Robertson: 4-0, 1.08 ERA, 100 Ks in 70 games. How many times did he come in with a runner on 3rd and nobody out and got out of it without giving up a run? He is the bonafide setup guy to Mariano and the heir-apparent for the closer role.CC Sabathia: 19-8, 3.00 ERA, 230 Ks in 33 starts. CC is the ace of this staff and was a workhorse. Maybe he tired during the stretch which led to his less than stellar performance in the playoffs. He’s owed $92 mil over the next 4 years but can opt-out now. After the
A-Rod drama from a few years back, I fully believe CC is opting out. The big question is, then what? I’m thinking with few viable #1 starter options out there, the Yanks will pay and pay big for Sabathia to come back.

Rafael Soriano: 2-3, 4.12 ERA in 42 games. I never liked this signing. Soriano is selfish and does not seem to be happy in the setup role. Bruised egos are a clubhouse cancer. He’s signed through 2013, but has an opt-out clause and I sure hope he uses it.
(Photo: Getty)
Cory Wade: 6-1, 2.04 ERA in 40 games. Wade signed with the Yanks midway through the season after being released by the Rays AAA team. He joined the bullpen and was an instant success. Hopefully Girardi didn’t overuse him and his arm holds up next year and he can become a cornerstone of the Yanks pen.

More is coming... look for Part 2 soon.

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com




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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!

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WHY THE YANKEES WILL BURY THE SOX

The beast is unleashed and it's about to get good for the Yankees. As they approach their final week the regular season, momentum will build and lead them into the playoffs. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Yankees played the Red Sox tonight and it is clear watching them play, this is a ball club that is on a mission... 28.Freddy Garcia was on the mound against Jon Lester tonight. On paper, Lester wins that battle. But in real life, Lester got wrecked and in only 2.2 innings pitched, and he allowed 8 runs. Freddy on the other hand went 6 innings today, allowed 6 hits and 0 runs. Freddy, a seasoned veteran is ready for the playoffs. You can just tell.The star of the game in my eyes is the kid, Jesus Montero. Again Montero is an animal. Tonight he was 3 for 4, had 4 RBIs, and 2 runs. He had a home run and a double. If Girardi needed to bring anyone to the playoffs, it's Jesus Montero, no doubt.

The Captain cranked out a 3 run home run tonight. Who said this guy is old and can't play baseball anymore? Ladies and Gentlemen, Derek Jeter is batting .297. I'd say, he still has it.
Russell Martin had a 2 RBI single tonight. That's the way to contribute after you verbally destroy the Red Sox saying that you hate them. 2 more games and 2 more wins will put the final nail in the Sox coffin. You gotta love it.

Strangely, there was silence in the order tonight. Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano went 1-16 and had 5 strikeouts. Let's call it a bad day and hopefully that's all if is.

Boone Logan had a strong outing getting 2 big batters, David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez out to end the 8th inning. He looks good, real good and if Logan can keep it up, we'll have the lefty specialist we've wanted all year and finally, in the post season, he'll be ready to roll.

Final Score: Yankees 9 - Red Sox 1

Interesting stat... The Red Sox are 5-17 in September and have lost 6 of their last 7.

Tomorrow, AJ Burnett faces Tim Wakefield in the early game of the doubleheader. In the night game, it's Ivan Nova vs. John Lackey.

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YANKEES CLINCH! DIVISION TITLE NEXT!

Today was pretty exciting. The game itself was slow going because James Shields was very very good today. In fact, he was dynamite. Finally, after the 7^th inning, things changed. The Yankees had 1 run until Eduardo Nunez cranked out a homer to tie it up.

Then , in the bottom of the ninth, Robinson Cano knocked a 2 run double to bring the Yankees ahead 4-2. But let me back up. If Brett Gardner didn’t slash that opposite field single to start off that inning and Derek Jeter didn’t work a walk, Robinson Cano's hit means nothing. That’s team work, that’s the Yankees offense, that’s a team hungry for the postseason.

Hector Noesi started the game for the Yankees today. He was a last minute add because Phil Hughes was scratched with back spasms. Noesi pitched 2.2 innings, allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 2. Like I’ve said in WHY THE YANKEES PEN IS THE BEST IN BASEBALL, Noesi is a team player and does what is asked of him. He did it again today, this time starting and you have to tip your hat to this kid, he handled it well. But that’s not all, the pen was incredible and they deserve much of the credit in keeping the Rays held to 2 runs the rest of the game. The combination of Raul Valdes, George Kontos, Aaron Laffey, Cory Wade, Boone Logan, Luis Ayala (who earned the win), and Mariano Rivera was brilliant for a day game before this night game. Girardi mixed up the pitchers, righty to lefty and kept the Rays off guard. Terrific job today.

1 heads up base running situation that I wanted to point out which took place today and I loved it because you know I love speed if you read Bleeding yankee Blue. Eduardo Nunez stole second and third in the same inning (I believe the 5th.) No, it didn't give us a run, though it's important because it shows agression and pure grit. Gotta love it.

Final Score: Yankees 4 –Rays 2

Congrats to the Yankees for making the postseason for the 16^th time in 17 years. That is incredible. But no celebration yet. The Yankees have a night game with the Rays and CC Sabathia is on the mound right now. After a win tonight, then let's talk about party time...one game at a time.

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WHY THE YANKEES PEN IS THE BEST IN BASEBALL

Yeah, it’s early, we haven’t even made the playoffs, yet, with all the home runs by Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira and with all the well pitched games by CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, many forget a true part of the New York Yankees that make them hum… the bullpen.

I remember the 1998 Yankees team and that bullpen made up of guys like Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, Graeme Lloyd, Ramiro Mendoza and Mariano Rivera. Back then, that bridge clearly was the best in baseball, mowing them down every opportunity they had. The passion was clear. I remember Jeff Nelson getting super excited over a strikeout and the calmness of Mariano when he closed out the game was equally awesome. He's exactly the same today. It was that drive that was a huge asset in their World Championship in 1998. Now, years later… I feel like it’s happening again. While the names are different, the mission is the same.

Hector Noesi: Noesi does what he’s told to do and he does it well for a kid. He’s learning more from the Yankee pen than he ever would down in AAA. The experience and talent in the pen is diverse and being on the biggest stage of Yankee Stadium, it's allowed this kid to develop. Noesi gets some crappy assignments sometimes, mop up work or even coming in in blowouts, but his expression is always the same. He’s happy to be there and happy to contribute to this New York Yankees team.

Cory Wade: Wade’s been a surprise, a real good one. With all the worry about his arm getting blown out by Joe Torre when he was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wade is back and is proving that his injury is a thing of the past. Wade is a terrific addition to our club. This season he’s 6-1 with a 2.06 ERA. Not too shabby pal.

Luis Ayala: A gamer and another guy that has found his niche. Ayala is also a great surprise to me and I consider Wade and he a great mid-game combo. Mix in Boone Logan and you can easily go 5 to 6 innings if needed. I like this kid and I’m happy for him.

Scott Proctor: Proctor is a late addition this year, working his way back to the Yankees where he first started. Many don’t care for Proctor but this guy is tough. Proctor carries an arrogance about him that many pitchers don’t have on the Yankees. It’s almost considered not the "Yankee way." I say Proctor’s arrogance is actually confidence and I’d throw him out there against anyone in a 6^th inning situation. I’m glad Proctor’s back and I hope his contribution is huge down the stretch.

Boone Logan: Not perfect, and has good days and bad days. Lately though, he’s having more good than bad, and this is when we need that lefty most. It’s clear at this point that Brian Cashman is sticking with Boone Logan and we have to grin and bear it and maybe cross our fingers a bit when he comes out.

Rafael Soriano: Something's happened to Soriano when he came off the disabled list… reality happened. With David Robertson clearly taking over Rafael Soriano’s set up role, it was either do what Yankees needed him to do, or whine about it. Soriano choose to work and work he has bridging to Robertson and doing it beautifully and most important, without an attitude. I have seen a transformation in this angry guy that I love. He wants to be there to help his team and it doesn’t matter what the role is, he’s ready.

David Robertson: What can you say about this guy? Robertson is a BYB staple for sure, we love him here. He has proven to the world that he may just be the best 8^th inning guy, not only in baseball, but in history. I remember all the talk about Daniel Bard bridging to Jonathon Papelbon and how great that 1,2 punch was. Well, in the time it’s taken for the Red Sox to implode, the DRob, Mariano 1,2 punch has proven they are better. Look for DRob to continue his success now and in the future. I see this kid taking over for Mariano in 3 years and it’s about to get awesome.

Mariano Rivera: The King of Closing, Mariano Rivera is the best ever and it’s about to get better. How the hell do you compile 602 saves in a career? Longevity and talent. Mariano has both and you add heart in and there's no one better. Mariano Rivera has done something so great for not only the Yankees but for baseball, and it cannot and will not ever be denied.

The New York Yankees bullpen… better than the rest? Yes, without a doubt. While there were question marks early involving our Yankees bullpen, there is no question we now get a big pick me up from these guys, some young and some old, but ultimately, the perfect blend of youth and veteran grit. I’d pick these guys over any other bullpen in baseball…how about you?

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WHY YANKEE FANS NEED LEADERS NOT LOSERS

The Blue Jays played like champions tonight. The Yankees, well, that's another story. Yes, we started strong, but when you fold like a house of cards, there's really no excuse. I'm a broken record at this point, you can never, EVER lose to a division rival this close to the playoffs...but we did and now we have to move on and win tomorrow as well as the rest of this series without a doubt.
CC Sabathia is my guy, but one thing is happening right now, and this is just a hunch; too much rest for the big guy may not be a good thing. Look, this is simple for me to understand and I think I'm right. In the Yankees haste to make sure we have a 6 man rotation to give them time to figure out what pitchers are strong enough, we have left 1 very important pitcher's opinion out of the equation, and that's CC Sabathia. CC doesn't like a rest longer than normal and he's voiced his opinion. I found this nugget that I spoke about a week ago brought to you by the Bergen Record:

"Sabathia prefers to work on four days' rest, but manager Joe Girardi is mindful that his ace left-hander has thrown 239 pitches over his past two starts." Read the full piece HERE.

This may offer nothing to you, but it offers a lot to me. Joe, while trying to help CC may be hurting him. Yes, we need Sabathia strong for the playoffs, but if our ace is messed up with extra rest and he can't pitch effectively, hey, we'll be losing and won't be IN the playoffs. My suggestion? Joe needs to give CC what he wants and it's time to make a rotation decision so we can narrow it to 5. It's getting late early.

But enough about my educated guess, the Yankees lost tonight, and that does not make me happy. CC went 5.2 innings tonight. He allowed 10 hits, and 4 runs and struck out 8. Was he incredible? No, but he grinded hard, but again, you need to question his rest schedule. Sabathia left the game with the bases loaded in the 6th and Luis Ayala was able to get out of the inning. Thank God.(Photo: Getty)
Rafael Soriano pitched the 7th inning tonight and had 3 strikeouts. That, my friends was definitely the pitching highlight of the night for me.

Boone Logan got the loss tonight... what else is new? He left the game in the 9th inning after Adam Lind hit a double off of him. Adam Lind is a lefty. Boone Logan is a lefty. I'm just making a point here... this is ridiculous already. Anyway, Cory Wade came in. Jose Molina, the former Yankee was the guy who killed us all tonight. Molina drove in the winning run in the 9th off Wade, a heart breaker if you will.
(Photo: Getty)
Offensively, Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez did some great work tonight, but it wasn't enough. Swisher had a single and a double tonight with 2 RBIs. Chavez crushed a homer to center and had 2 RBIs.

Final Score: Blue Jays 5 - Yankees 4

I'm not happy, in fact, I'm aggravated. The Yankees need to win, especially against a 4th place team. Next up is Bartolo Colon and Lord knows, I am uneasy about him pitching. The last win Colon has is from July. That says a lot. I'm getting worried Ladies and Gentlemen, please soothe me.

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WHY OUR YANKEES FELL SHORT

The Yankees only have 3 hits last night and 1 of them was a home run by Jesus Montero. We can celebrate Montero's talent since being called up all we want, but the reality is, it's not as sweet if the Yankees don't win. Last night the evil Red Sox lost and being on the West Coast, they knew about it by the time they started. More incentive to push harder.
Jered Weaver pitched well, striking out 11, walking only 2 and allowing only 3 hits. We knew the Yankees were going to have a tough time. But we also knew Weaver was beatable, in his last 5 outings he struggled a bit. It was the right time for New York. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. We needed the Yankee pitching to do the same and they did for the most part. Bartolo Colon was awesome last night, as I suggested he needed to be. He only allowed 1 earned run.David Robertson, who may be the greatest set up man in Yankees history, pitched a perfect 8th inning. In the ninth, Aaron Laffey gave up a single and quickly Girardi's Binder went into panic mode. Quickly Laffey was replaced by Luis Ayala. Vernon Wells singled and the runner advanced the third. Ayala then hit Peter Bourjos by a pitch and that loaded the bases. Maicer Izturis hit a deep fly that scored the runner from third and that's the ball game, Angels win.

My own observation after tonight. I love extra lefties in the bullpen but I feel like Aaron Laffey is a poor man's Boone Logan. It's time to try out Raul Valdes. I feel as though Laffey gets into trouble too much. But what do I know, I'm a blogger.

Final Score: Angels 2 - Yankees 1.

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WHY SEPTEMBER LOSSES TO DIVISION RIVALS STINKS

The Yankees lost today. That's 2 in a row to last place Baltimore, but more importantly, it was 2 losses to Buck Showalter who, at this point in the season has 1 mission; beat the Yankees. The season's over for the Orioles, there is nothing else to try and prove. All Showalter needs to do now is play each game against the Yankees and win it like it was Game 7 of the World Series. He did that today and he won.

Ivan Nova didn’t have great stuff today and look, it’s going to happen. Nova’s had a good run, but a combination of he, Boone Logan, Scott Proctor and Rafael Soriano contributed to the loss. People can blame only the bullpen today and yes they contributed, but it's not only on them. You can also solely blame Nova, but that’s only part of it too. Today was a classic "team loss", the pitching wasn’t great all around.

In the 11^th today, Proctor allowed Robert Andino to hit a ball to left to knock in the winning run. Before that, in the 8^th, Andino knocked in the tying run against Soriano. Hey, we can at least give Andino credit for having a great game. That's baseball.

Earlier in the game, Boone Logan, who’s the Yankees lefty reliever who's put into games to get lefty hitters out, couldn’t get a lefty hitter out, and so, Girardi took the his lefty reliever out after the lefty Orioles hitter, well, hit him. That gave the Orioles their 3^rd run of the game, but that run was Nova’s, not Boone's. Boone's sole job was to get out the lefty and not let the run score.

The Yankee offense consisted of Derek Jeter and Eric Chavez both contributing to 2 RBIs each. Jeter got a 2 run single in the second inning. Chavez had 2 hits today.

For me though, the biggest plays were defensive and both were made at home plate. Between the strong throws and Francisco Cervelli nailing the O’s at home, twice, there was nothing better. In the 7^th, Nick Markakis was trying to score from first base on a Vladmir Guerrero double and was nailed at the plate. In the 8^th inning, Mark Reynolds was trying to score on a Chris Brown single, the Yankees got him. It was well exceuted and well done. As Cervelli told ESPN, "[Home plate] is my house, so nobodies going to come inside."

Bottom line, you never want to lose to a division rival in September, and we did. Time to get serious Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s getting late early. We need to get as many wins as possible now, it's the only way to get to the playoffs.

Final Score: Orioles 5 – Yankees 4.

The Yanks are going back to Cali now for a series against the Angels starting tomorrow night.. Bartolo Colon is set to go against a very good Jered Weaver. Let me also say that Weaver is hitable and the Yankees have hit him in the past. This game is winnable. Colon needs to get back to his own self and pitch his heart out. Quite simply, if we can snipe a few runs off of Weaver and Colon can hold the Angels through 6, there’s no reason why we can’t win this game.

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