Are the Pieces Falling into Place Yet?

Where to start? How about with the Yankees' 4-game winning streak? They're just coming off two consecutive walk-off victories - one in the 9th and one in the 11th. Last night, after returning home from my school's musical, I was fortunate enough to be in time to see the 9th inning. Brett Gardner was close to another inside-the-park homerun, but unfortunately he slipped when he was coming off 1st base, yet he still made it into a triple. Tex, slowly coming out of his major slump, got the ball past a diving Twins player to score Gardner. Matsui proceeded to strike out on a pitch he shouldn't have swung at, and Swisher grounded out after a great play by Morneau. ARod showed his continued patience at the plate despite not hitting well at all, and drew his 4th walk of the game. 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, the next batter was going to be very important. Of course it's Robinson Cano, but they decide to intentionally walk him. Melky's up next and the fans are chanting his name. The first pitch he sees, he swings at and it drops in between Span and Gomez, two of the fastest outfielders. It was exhilirating! It's too bad I missed the game, it sounded like a great one. Hughes didn't pitch his greatest, but the bullpen picked him up. Damon got thrown out for arguing balls & strikes (and I can't blame him!!! That ump was AWFUL - after seeing those 2 terrible called strikes on Arod in the 9th). Tex got pissed that Gomez was running inside the 1st baseline twice and Girardi got really mad, too. I like that Girardi sticks up for his players and isn't afraid to go out and get angry.

Once again, after coming home from volunteering, I was able to catch the top of the 11th inning. Aceves did a nice job. Once I realized Mauer & Morneau were up the next inning, I just knew we needed to win. They've been enjoying hitting in the new Yankee stadium. Tex was AWESOME this game! It seems he's finally coming out of his slump - and just in time, too! He went 4-for-4 today with a 3-run hr and the game-tying single in the 8th. He worked a leadoff walk and Arod went up to the plate. I was hoping SO badly that he would win the game, just to show the fans and every other baseball fan that despite all the drama he brings to the clubhouse, he can still play baseball and win a game for his team. It all came true with the smack of the bat on an 0-1 pitch. He smashed it into the left field stands and the crowd went crazy.

Despite the Yankees' four-game winning streak, Tampa Bay and Toronto are still winning their games. Tampa Bay is 2 games behind the Yankees and Toronto is 4.5 games ahead. The Yanks, however, are 2 games behind the Red Sox. Go M's! Tomorrow the Yankees have Burnett on the mound facing Kevin Slowey, a solid pitcher who could be trouble for the Yankees. I don't think my heart or stomach can take another game like the last two! Bring on the offense, great defense, and solid pitching!

Just a few more things I wanna get out before I end this increasingly long post....
There's been talk about the Yankees, their losing ways, and their age. In the Star Tribune on Friday, it was all about how the Yankees just look plain OLD, and this is attributing to their injuries and inconsistencies. While I do agree the core players of the Yankees are aging and this does contribute to some of their injuries, I don't think you can say just because the Yankees aren't as youthful as the Rays or the Twins, it doesn't mean they still can't play baseball at a high level like they have in the past. There are plenty of teams with a lot of players over the age of 30. Jeter will always be the guy you want at the plate with a runner on 2nd and 2 outs with the game on the line. You can almost always count on ARod to be the slugger he always is (NOT ON STEROIDS!). You can count on Jorge to come up in a pinch. Matsui still knows how to slug one in the seats and come up big. And Damon's one of the Yankees' hottest hitters. They're all over 30 years old. They're the guys who are going to be consistent and the ones you lean on when the team's not doing its best. They're veterans at this game and know it better than any of the younger guys. Besides them, the Yankees have guys like the speedy Brett Gardner, the gun of an arm Melky, the electrifying Robinson Cano, and more players in the system. Pena stepped it up while Jeter was out for a few games and when ARod was rehabbing, and even flashed some leather. Brett went 3-for-3 in Friday night's game after stepping in for the ejected Damon. He legged out an inside-the-park homerun and got a leadoff triple in the 9th. He threw a guy out in the Toronto game, keeping the game close. Melky's gotten two walk-offs already this year. Robinson Cano went on an 18-game hitting streak and has improved so much from last year - from patience at the plate to clutch hitting to great defensive plays. Joba has been a solid starter. They do have young guys waiting in AA and AAA like Austin Jackson. For more on the youth within the Yankees this season is a preview for the game tomorrow: Read Here

And while articles have been saying the Yankees can't use injuries as an excuse for poor game performances because teams like the Jays and Red Sox are winning despite their injuries. While I mostly agree with this because I don't like using injuries as excuses, it's kind of hard to win a lot of games when 40% of your core players are on the DL (this was when ARod hadn't returned yet). They've put out lineups this year that look more like their AAA's team lineup. It's tough when you lose your 8th inning set up man. Or one of your starters who's been winning 18 games a season. Or when you lose TWO catchers, your regular, everyday one and your backup one. It's tough when Jeter's out of the lineup, or slugger Matsui. It's tough when your 1st baseman is off to one of his slowest starts ever and is basically an automatic out. It's tough when your 3rd baseman is out and who provides key balance to the lineup. It's hard to say that the Jays and Red Sox have ALL of these problems. And the Yankees players have been out for WEEKS (minus Jeter and Matsui). Having Big Papi in a slump is like losing ARod or having Tex slumping. Dice-K wasn't doing as bad as CMW (heck, noone was!). The one injury I can't argue with is Youk because that's a big blow to the Sox. Pedroia only missed 2 games. As for the Jays, they have injuries to their pitching staff, but their offense is so hot, they don't need to care as much about pitching. It was just a frustrating article to read because the Yankees have/had REALLY tough injuries to deal with. You can't really compare them to the other AL East teams' injuries. But in the end, it's no excuse, it's just a frustrating factor in another frustrating season.