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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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 THE YANKEES NEED TO BUST A MOVE

The Yankees are 4.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East and now’s the time where they need to bust a move.I’m not going to lie, the title of this post is very lame, but Young MC popped up on the ipod and moments before I was looking at a blank slate and thinking about Yankeeland and what is important to you guys. It clicked and it makes sense. It's kind of what needs to happen for the Yankees. If the Yankees bust a move, and make a strong run NOW, we could bury the Sox. Of course, we'll need the help of the Rays, who won the first game of their series in Fenway Park last night 9-2 (Box score HERE) and hopefully they continue to pound on the Sox the next 3 days. Bottom line, the Yankees need to make the playoffs, it's the next stage in our Quest for 28 and it would be much much sweeter without the Red Sox there.

Trust me, with the Yankees off last night, and all New York Yankee fans were watching somewhere or listening to their radios or internet surfing for a score update between the Rays and Sox. I know I did. We were rooting for the Rays, as crazy as that sounds, to beat the evil Red Sox. David Ortiz said it himself a few days ago, “Hell yeah, you’ve got to panic.” That echoed through Beantown for the past few days and all of Boston just shit the bed. “He said what?” Can you imagine if a New York Yankee said they were panicking...IN SEPTEMBER? The NY media would not only bury them, but the fans would disown him. David Ortiz doesn’t sound like a winner, David Ortiz sounds like a whiner.

The Yankees will open a division series against Toronto tonight and like I’ve stated, every division rivalry game is a must win. It doesn’t matter that the Blue Jays are in 4^th, the Yanks need to take care of business and treat this like it’s a playoff series. One game at a time, but you play your hardest at that moment.

Yankees pitching is always the top focus and again, I hate to beat a dead horse, because I feel bad for the horse, but the Yankees pitching is not solid. Yes, good outings happen, but as we saw from Ivan Nova in Seattle, it was wasted on a tough and ridiculous loss because the Yankees had no offense. CC Monster is no doubt a monster, but how long can he carry the rotation. Freddy Garcia is a gritty veteran, but we are now seeing signs of fatigue. AJ Burnett? Bartolo Colon?, Phil Hughes? My buddy even suggested giving Cory Wade a shot. Now, he wasn’t entirely serious, he was making a point and the point is this: It's September 15^th... we have many question marks, who will be in the playoff rotation is anyone’s guess. You want these problems in April, not September.

Yes, the Yankees can win games, we have a strong offense, but pitching wins ballgames. I’m here to tell you that whatever the Yankees are doing is working, but I fear for the playoffs with the rotation we have. Can we beat teams in a short elimination series? I can say “Yes” and sound confident because I’m a Yankee fanatic and I bleed Yankee blue but the reality is, I just don’t know. Everything has to click, decent pitching, solid and clutch hitting, and a little bit of luck.

If it clicks, we win, and if it doesn’t click, well, we go home. That’s the reality... a reality I don’t like.

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WHY THE YANKEES WERE SWEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

Tonight was another one of those annoying low scoring, deep into extra innings games. It seems like the Yankees have had a ton of them this season while losing just about all of them. This time it was against the Seattle Mariners. The pitching on both sides was fantastic, but the M's were a little better last night as the Yanks failed to sweep the Mariners in Seattle, something they've yet to accomplish since 1999. 2 times last night the Yankees were close to possibly winning this game. Once by Curtis Granderson in the ninth who was robbed by a leaping Ichiro and once by Mark Teixeira who was robbed of possibly a double or by Michael Saunders in the 11th. But...it wasn't their night.
It was a 2-1 final in 12 innings in this one. Mike Carp scored the first run for the M's in fourth on an Ivan Nova wild pitch. Nick Swisher chased Jason Vargas, who pitched a great game, with a solo shot in the seventh. And finally, in the 12th inning, Luis Rodriguez, yes Luis Rodriguez, hit a walk off solo bomb off Cory Wade to lead off the 12th. By the way, Luis Rodriguez has nine career home runs in 400 career games.Obviously the Yankees offense was pretty much non-existent. As a team they went 4 for 38 (.105 average). They also went 0 for 4 as a team with RISP, and they left six man on base. It's just one of those games, nothing you can do about it. It was the last West Coast game of the season, so maybe they really wanted to get out of Seattle.

Both starters were great in this game. Let's start off with Ivan Nova. He continues to make his case to be the number two starter in the playoffs by going 7.1 innings, allowing five hits, four walks, and five strikeouts on just 87 pitches. Jason Vargas also pitched a great game for the Mariners, he went 6.2 innings, allowing just three hits on one walk and six K's. If you love pitchers duels, this one's was for you.

Final Score: Mariners 2 - Yankees 1

The way the Yankees lost this game would make this a stupid loss. But I'm already over it, and I wrote this about 10 minutes after the walk off homer landed in the seats. The Red Sox lost yet again yesterday, thus the lead in the AL East is still at four games. The Yanks have an off day today, their final one of the regular season, to travel to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays. CC Sabathia (19-8, 2.93 ERA) is scheduled for the Yanks to pitch, against Brett Cecil (4-9, 4.37 ERA) for the Jays. Let's go Yanks!



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY IT'S THE PERFECT YANKEE WIN

Several factors tonight in a big Yankee win in Fenway. One of the players of the game for me has got to be Mariano Rivera. He is now 5 saves away from 600, and while Mariano doesn't care about that, he did care about striking out Adrian Gonzalez. Huge strikeout to win the game and the Yankees have taken 2 of 3 against the dirty Sox and now we move on to the Blue Jays at home. I don't care what anyone says, this game tonight was huge. Momentum is high and that is important as we now go home to the Bronx.Well, AJ Burnett didn't whizz one past any of the Red Sox chin's but I wish he did. Overall though, he did it the Yankee way, he pitched well and kept his team in the game. That's all you can ask for. The Yankee way of retaliation is to just kick some ass, and yes, I respect it, but as you will see in a few moments, I get annoyed with having our guys continually pegged by Red Sox pitching. See Teixeria below. Anyway, here's AJ's line, he pitched 6 innings and allowed only 2 earned runs. He lives another day. Why? Because it was a do or die situation for AJ against the rival Red Sox and he kept his team in it. The bullpen followed and Cory Wade ended up getting the win, but AJ did a good job tonight. The most important part about AJ was his mechanics. Apparently, he made an adjustment with Larry Rothschild. That adjustment made him feel better on the mound tonight and more comfortable. As he was comfy, he became confident in his performace and didn't lose his cool. Can someone say the Pyramid of Pitching Dominance? I will... With mechanic analysis comes confidence, when the confidence comes, any doubt leaves and focus takes over. That's what happened tonight. Good, AJ needed that.



Tonight was the coming of Jesus and it was cool to see and I'm glad he's with the Yankees. Tonight, Montero didn't have a hit but he got hit by a pitch, what else is knew, and was the 4th run scored tonight on Russell Martin's triple. Exciting. Look, trust me, over the next few games, Montero will get adjusted to the Bigs... just be patient. Alot of butterflies tonight I'm sure and you can't expect him to just crank out homers. Welcome Jesus, we're excited to have you.



Like I said, Martin got the hit that we needed tonight to pull the Yankees ahead and it was a major hit. Mariano was one of my players of the game, and Russell Martin is the other. For some reason, it's usually Russell Martin or Eric Chavez that do damage against the Sox. I love that. Keep it us Russell.



The hitting of Yankee batters is aggravating me. Tonight it was Mark Teixeira and you could hear it pop off the side of his knee. Isn't anyone pissed by this or is it just me? I know the lack of power in my house for the past 5 days because of the aftermath of Hurricane Irene has got me irritated and tired, but for the love of God, a Yankee gets hit every single game against the Sox and it's bullshit. We need to put on up on the chin to one of the Sox. I wrote about it in WHY AJ NEEDS TO SEND A MESSAGE...HIGH & TIGHT. All we need to do is go up high 1 time, just to say, "You're on notice." That's all I ask.

Hands down, best play of the game has to come from Curtis Granderson, a sprawled out reach and catch in the 6th inning to end the inning. If that ball goes past him we probably lose this game tonight. Great job by the AL MVP.



Final Score tonight: Yankees 4 - Red Sox 2



Good job all around Yankees. I could not be happier. The Blue Jays are next. Every division Series counts now. The Yankees must win every Series now and not lose any. It's the way it has to be. Go Yanks!



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WHY GOD MUST BE A YANKEE FAN

(Photo: Getty)

When the Yankees finally took the field today after an 89 minute rain delay, I just had a bad feeling. Not sure why or for what reason but it just felt like it was going to be a long day in the Bronx. And once the game got underway my gut feeling became a reality. Phil Hughes just didn't have it today. When Hughes is bad, he's really bad. There is no gray area with Mr. Hughes. More on his day in a minute...so Hughes is getting knocked around and the thought of the Yankees getting swept at home in late August by the A's got the best of me. So I did what any good Yankee fan would do, I prayed to the man upstairs for a rain out!



I know, it's very bush league of me to do that, but you know I just wanted this series washed away, pardon the pun. There is no way we can get swept at home knee deep in a pennant race by the A's. Well, I believe Garth Brooks said it best in one of his songs, "Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers." Thank God, God didn't listen to this knucklehead!

Not only did the Yankees win today, they made history! The New York Yankees became the first team EVER to hit 3 grand slams in one game! It was a game where you had to see it to believe it!



Don't worry fans, if most of you were working or at school this will be an instant YES Classic, so stay tuned. We all know this team is built around the long ball and today, as they say, the proof was in the pudding. The Yanks 5 home runs accounted for 14 of the Yankees 22 runs. Behind these record setting grand slams and another outstanding performance by the bullpen, the Yankees came all the way back from a 7-1 deficit and beat, scratch that, destroyed the Oakland A's 22-9.



Robinson Cano hit the first grand salami in the bottom of the 5th which cut the Oakland lead to one run. Cano had another fantastic day at the plate going 2-4 with 5 RBI and extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

But, believe it or not, despite Cano knocking in 5 runs he was not the player of the game. That honor has to go to Russell Martin. Heading into the the bottom of the 6th the Yanks were down 7-6, until Martin knocked in 4 runs with one swing to give the Yankees a 10-7 lead and they never looked back. Martin had a career day today going 5-5, including that grand slam, a solo HR, and he knocked in 6 runs! The 5 hits and 6 RBI are both career highs. He also walked once so he was, literally, perfect today at the plate. Then it was onto the 8th inning where history was made. "The 2011 AL MVP", Curtis Granderson hit the 3rd grand slam of the day for the Yankees and the rest, as they say, is history!

And how about the Yankee bullpen? Probably the unsung heroes of today's game and really the 2011 season. Phil Hughes just struggled today. He just got flat out knocked around. Hughes only went 2.2 innings allowing 6 earned runs. But despite his awful day on the mound he did not get a loss. After today's game Hughes needs to buy a round of drinks, not only for the offense, but his buddies out of the bullpen. The bullpen kept the A's at bay...again, pardon the pun. They only allowed 3 runs for the rest of the game. The combination of Cory Wade, Hector Noesi, Boone Logan, and Luis Ayala all took the ball from Girardi and gave our offense the opportunity to begin the historic comeback. And what a comeback it was! In a game where the Yankees were actually trailing 7-1, the historic grand slams brought them all the way back, and then some.



Final Score: New York Yankees 22 - Oakland A's 9.

GAME NOTES:

• The Yankees came at bat an incredible 17 times with the bases loaded today.
• The "2011 AL MVP"'s grand slam now gives him 36 home runs and 103 RBI for the season.
• The Captain was the DH today and went 3-6, including his 4th triple of the year. Incredibly, Jeter has come all the way back and is now batting .299!
• Eduardo Nunez, who started for Jeter at SS also had three hits, going 3-5.
• ARod got his first hit and more today since coming off the DL. He went 2-4 and walked twice. He also had three runs scored.
• The Yankees batter around for 4 straight innings today (5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th)
• Boone Logan faced four batters today and struck out all four and he also got the win.
• Posada played 2nd base in the 9th inning. It was the first time in his MLB career he played 2nd. The last time was in the minors in 1991...low A ball! Nice!
  
  

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer

Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com

Twitter: @MikeyBlu23

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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







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