Playoffs? Check. AL East? Check

I guess the Yankees decided to take my letter seriously :) Everything I asked of them, they did! Including Joba having a great start against the Red Sox. We just won't remember the fact that he sucked last night against the Royals of all teams. In one game the Yankees a) got 100 wins b) clinched the AL East c) tied up the season series against the Red Sox. BTW, the Red Sox are the only team to win the first eight games of a season series and lose the series. HAHHH. I was happy they swept the Red Sox because then I got to see them celebrate on tv :) On ESPN, nevertheless. And the Red Sox are now reeling going into the postseason - they have lost six straight matching their season high. And sucks for them that they clinched a playoff spot because the Rangers lost. (Ok the Yanks clinched because the Rangers lost but they at least won their game that night).

So the final series of the season is against the Rays. The only thing the Yanks are concerned with is a) having CC win 20 games (ok it's not necessary but it would be really nice) b) making sure Robertson is ok to pitch in the postseason and at least for me c) making their record even more gaudy :) OH and d) figuring out who the heck they're gonna play in the ALDS. The Twins, sadly, only split the series against Detroit :( So now they have to sweep the Royals and hope the Tigers get swept by the Chisox. The Twins ARE playing the Royals, but they're also facing Greinke who they lost to just a week ago. GOOO TWINS!

The Postseason begins on Oct 7th for the Yanks (assuming they choose the first series, which they prob will so they can skip Joba's start). CC is taking the mound for the important first game of the series which will be in the Bronx. LET'S GO YANKEES!!!!

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.

Yankees Sweep Twins Out of Town for Final Time

Well, the Yankees did exactly what they needed to do against the Twins, with a few lucky bounces going their way. The Twins made costly errors and when the pitcher made a mistake with a pitch, the Yankees made them pay for it.

-Robbie Cano has been awesome since the start of the second half. If he keeps up this hitting, he can really help the team out down the stretch. The rest of the offense is finally clicking, too, but the bottom of the lineup still worries me. Jose Molina? Melky Cabrera?
-The bullpen has been solid, combining for a 1.60 ERA over the last few weeks. Hey, even Farnsworth has thrown nine consecutive hitless and scoreless innings! Way to go. He gets a gold star.
-The starting pitching has been solid as well, thanks to Moose leading the way. He threw 8 shutout innings today with 7 k's. There's been talk about a possible trade for Jarrod Washburn which doesn't seem like too bad of an idea, but what would we have to give up to get him?

The Yankees have won 10 straight at the Stadium and are 6-0 since the start of the second half. They outscored the Twins 25-7 in the series (13-5 against the A's). Up next is a 3-game series against Boston at Fenway Park. I'm of course nervous for this series. The Yankees offense is finally clicking, but I hope they don't get shut down by the likes of Beckett, Wakefield, and Lester. After traveling to Fenway they'll be back at home to face the Orioles and then the Angels, which will be a very tough series.

7/25-7/27 @ Boston:

RHP Joba Chamberlain (2-3, 2.52) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-6, 3.98) 7:05 ET - This will be a very interesting matchup. Joba will be in Boston, with their rowdy fans, pitching as a starter for the first time there. So far he has had trouble keeping his pitch count down and I don't think the Red Sox lineup will be any help. David Ortiz is predicted to return on Friday, which is not good news for the Yankees. Manny, however, might sit out with an injured knee. If the Yankees can get to Josh Beckett and give Joba a lead to work with, there's potential for a win here. The Yankees have not given Joba much run support at all which needs to change and hopefully with two sweeps behind them, they'll have much more confidence offensively.

LHP Andy Pettite (11-7, 3.86) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (6-7, 3.69) 3:55 ET - If Andy pitched as well as he did last start, the Yankees should be all set. But once again it comes down to the offense. Often Wakefield makes batters look foolish with his knuckleball, Yankees included. If they can work the count against him and make him make the mistake of leaving one up, the Yankees can get something going against him and give Andy some support. Andy's a grinder, let's hope he gets through the intimidating Red Sox lineup.

RHP Sidney Ponson (6-1, 4.37) vs. LHP Jon Lester (8-3, 3.20) 8:05 ET - If my memory serves me correctly (and damn that memory) Jon Lester pitched a complete game shutout against the Yankees in the last series. Sidney Ponson has been notorious for giving up a ton of hits, but escaping with limited damage. I'm most nervous for this game. If he keeps giving up hits, the Red Sox will make him pay. Generally, however, the Yankees have given Ponson a ton of run support. We'll have to see how this game turns out.

Keys to the Series:
-Offense, offense, offense yankees!
-Get to the Red Sox bullpen early - they've lately blown the lead (aka: the angels series). And will be more likely to give up runs rather than the strong starting pitchers the Red Sox have.
-Strong starting pitching will hopefully get the offense going, rather than playing catch-up the entire game.

7/28 - 7/30 vs. Orioles ; Home
7/31 - 8/3 vs. Angels ; Home

Sweep-tastic; Twins-Yankees Series

Well, couldn't have asked for a better start to the beginning of the second half of the baseball season from the Yankees. A sweep of the A's was very nice. We got great pitching and enough offense to allow us to survive the games. The first game, Moose was amazing. I watched a few highlights on Baseball Tonight and Molina's glove didn't even move when he caught his pitches. Plus, the Yankees were able to score with RISP, what a grand concept! Richie Sexson, the newest Yankee, proved himself against the lefty Smith when he came through with an RBI single with 2 outs. Robbie Cano also hit a 3-run hr, that's what we like to see from him. The second game was a little more crazy. Joba pitched well, but Veras blew that for him and let the game be tied. Mo came in for the 9th inning, in a tie game, and of course gave up the go-ahead run for the A's. However, it was so surprising when, with 2 outs, Wilson Betemit came through in the bottom 9th to tie the game up! It ended in the 12th inning with Molina getting HBP with the bases loaded. The last game featured Andy Pettite and Justin Duchscherer (lowest ERA in MLB). Pettite was solid through all 8 innings he pitched. The announcers were commenting on how he was putting on a clinic show for any young pitchers watching. He was working with a 1-0 lead, after an Arod sac fly, but he allowed the tying run in. But the next inning Giambi came through with his 20th homerun of the season and that proved to be the winning run.

Now the Yankees have to face the Twins. I'm a little nervous because we don't have our best pitchers facing them (aka: ponson and rasner). I hope they pitch well against them and don't allow the Twins to get hits with 2 outs and RISP. Mussina pitches the final game of the series. I also hope our offense decides to show up and be clutch once again when it's needed. The Twins have a surprisingly strong rotation, despite them being so young. The Yankees need to work the counts because many of their pitchers have gone deep into the games they've pitched and they need to get to their weaker bullpen. If the pitchers can hold down the Twins offense, it will give the rest of the team a chance to win it.

Tonight: RHP Sidney Ponson (5-1, 3.96) vs. RHP Nick Blackburn (7-6, 3.65) 6:05 CT
Tomorrow: RHP Darrell Rasner (5-7, 4.97) vs. RHP Kevin Slowey (6-6, 4.36) 6:05 CT
Wednesday: RHP Mike Mussina (12-6, 3.49) vs. LHP Glen Perkins (7-2, 3.84) 12:05 CT