Game 78, Gainst the Mets, Subway Sweep complete, Mo 500!!

I saw the first 2 innings of this game in a resturant in Ft Wayne, then I listened to the next 6 innings in the car on my way home to South Bend, then I saw the last inning at home. I was hopeing, wishing, praying that it would all work out for Wang and Rivera on the same night, and it did in a big sweet way.

Before Wang had to throw his first pitch the Yankees gave him some breathing room. In the first, Jeter starts off with a double. He beats out the throw to third to get Swisher on with a fielders choice. Teixeira hits a 2 run double and is scored after advancing to third on a Cano ground out and scores on a Posada sacrifice fly. 3-0.

The Mets get 2 in the forth after a walk, double, ground out and single. 3-2. The next and final run doesn't happen until the ninth inning.

Posada singles, Cabrera force out, Gardner walk, Damon line out, Jeter intentional walk. Bases loaded, 2 out for Mariano Rivera. He works a full count with a nice cut foul ball in there. Ball four! Rivera gets an RBI with a walk! 4-2 Final, Wang gets the win, Rivera gets number 500!!!!

Wang pitched 5.1 innings, gave up 2 runs on 4 hits with 3 walks and 3 strike outs. He is now 1-6 with an ERA of 10.06, 1 more batter and he might have dropped down to single digits... River pitched for the last 4 batters with 2 strike outs and 2 ground outs he gets his 500th career save!

Jeter went 1-2 with a double and 3 walks. Swisher went 1-2 with 1 walk. He was taken out during the sixth inning to switch around the out field and pitching spot in the line up. Teixeira went 1-4 but his hit was a 2 run double! Not a great game but a win none the less.

5 straight!

Game 66, Subway Series, Game 3

Burnette has his next start after a 7-0 loss against the Red Sox earlier this week. Lets hope the lineup is a little more awake.

The Yankees score 4 early in the second. Cano doubles to start off the inning and then after 2 outs and a Matsui walk, Cervilli singles, Jeter singles, and Damon singles. Damon called out at second after scoring Cervilli and Jeter. In the forth the Yankees blow it wide open with a walk (Swisher), home run (Matsui), double (Cabrera), single (Cervilli), single (Jeter), double (Damon), single (Teixeira), bases loaded double play (Rodriguez), home run (Cano), walk (Swisher), walk (Matsui), double but called out at third (Cabrera). 9 run forth inning.

In the top of the seventh the Yankees pull out most of the infield. Pena, who replaced Rodriguez in the sixth, moves to SS, Berroa in at 3rd, Swisher moves to first (Teixeira out), and Gardner in center field. They hold the Mets and score 2 more in the bottom because Berroa was hit, Damon walked, Gardner walked, Pena singled, and Cano scored 1 with a sacrifice fly. Final score, 0-15! The Yankees scored 8 runs with 2 outs.

I don't understand why they took Burnett out in the eighth. I wish the management would let these guys finish some of their games instead of using the bullpen. The starters have 4 guaranteed rest days but the next game could go into extra innings and the bullpen is down a bit. See, Robertson comes in and has 2 strike outs in an inning. Those are 2 strike outs we may need in the next game!

Burnett pitched 7 innings, gave up no runs! on only 4 hits! with 4 walks (boo) and 8 strikeouts! I think he should have finished the game.

Jeter went 4-4 scoring 2 runs with 2 RBIs. Damon went 2-4 scoring 1 run with 3 RBIs. Cano went 3-4 scoring 2 runs with 3 RBIs. He had 2 doubles and a home run. Cabrera went 2-4 scoring 1 run with 2 RBIs. He had 2 doubles.

Game 65, Subway Series, Game 2

Game 2, Pettittes baby. Digs himself a hole a little early, giving up 2 in the second. Rodriguez gets one back with a home run. 2-1. In the fifth Pettitte gives up 3 more and the Yankees only have a 1 run answer in the seventh with Jeter's single to score Gardner. Final score, 6-2.

Pettitte had a rocky start giving up earned runs on 12 hits and 1 walk with 3 strike outs. The line up had an even rockier game, going 5-32 overall. Rodriguez went 1-2 with a home run.

Game 64, Subway Seires, Game 1

Sorry about not posting this week. I had no good words for Tuesday's game, still bad things to say about Wednesday's game, and more bad things about another blown game last night. Soo, against the Mets.

Cano homers in the second to be the first run of the game. In the third with bases loaded, Joba walks 1 and hits another batter to allow 2 runs. But the Yankees get them back in the bottom Teixeira homer while Garnder was on. 2-3. Won't hold the lead long, in the fifth, a double, walk, double and home run scores 4 for the Mets. The Yankees only get 1 back in the bottom with a Jeter home run. 6-4. But in the bottom of the sixth the Yankees do a lot more damage. With a Cano single, Posada walk, and a Matsui homer, the Yankees retake the lead 6-7. Wow Sheffield is mean. In the seventh, he doubles and scores on a single to tie up the score. 7-7. The Yankees give up the tie in the next inning with a walk and a double. 8-7. The game won't be decided till a most embarrassing play in the bottom of the ninth.

We all know the scenerio. Bottom of the ninth, runners on, two out. Tonights hero is Alex Rodriguez with a pop up. Thats right, a pop up was the game winning hit. Jeter singles, Teixeira intentionally walked and Rodriguez comes up in the ninth with 2 on and 2 out. He hits a pop up to Mets second baseman Luis Castillo. Castillo DROPS THE BALL, and with 2 out, nothing is holding Jeter and Teixeira to their bases. They're on their horses, both round third and score during the confusion of the missed catch! Yankees win 8-9!

Joba has had worse and better starts. This one goes with 4 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 earned runs, 5 WALKS!, and 3 strike outs. Those 5 walks were the cause of the earned runs. Rivera does not get a save but he does get a Win.

Jeter went 2-5, scoreing 2 runs with an RBI. Teixeira went 1-3, scoreing 2 runs with 2 RBIs and 2 walks. Cano was 2-4 scoring 2 runs with 1 RBI.

The loss down in the labels is to catch up with my count, having skipped 3 posts.

Around the Division, First Place Tie, the Inevitable

Yup, you guessed it. With the Yankees win against the Rangers and the Red Sox loss to the Twins the 1 game ahead leaders have lost their leverage. The division is tied now, not with the League Champs of last year Rays or the good start leaders for 40 games Blue Jays, but the old, never ending, always exciting rivalry. The Yankees have tied for first now. As quickly as this tie has come about, however, it can be taken away just as quickly. The Red Sox play the Twins again tomorrow and the Yankees have an off day. This is either good news or bad. If the Red Sox win, they are just half a game up, but up none the less. If they lose, the Yankees are half a game up without doing anything tomorrow night. Come on Twins, you helped us out 2 weeks ago, helps us a little again.

Speaking of the Blue Jays, their loss tonight puts them at 9 striaght losses. They have been swept now by the Boston, Atlanta, and now the Orioles. Yikes, and I told my friends just last month that they would never hold it. I gave them till the All Star Break to lose it, but they did it a month and a half early.

Also speaking of the Rays, Monday, up 10-0, Blown. Tuesday, Never ahead, outscored 5-1. Wednesday, up 5-0, Blown wide open. Team to be feared? Maybe they're a second half team..?

The Yankees play the Indians to finish off this week. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in Cleaveland. Lets hope the Indians use all their comeback juice on the Rays. Yikes, then rough schedule in the first half of the month. Rangers again, Tampa Bay again, Boston again (great), then the Mets, who are leading their division right now. Bad month.

Even with the teams beating up each other the AL Ease looks to have the best division thus far. Top 3 have 27 wins, no team 5 under .500.