Game 58 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 CLE 3

(That'll do, kid.  That'll do.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The lineup fiddling that started with Lyle Overbay in right field on Monday night continued last night, although I doubt you'd find many who thought last night's lineup looked even close to as good as Monday's.  Ichiro was in the leadoff spot and in center field while Brett Gardner got the night off, Jayson Nix was batting second and playing shortstop while Kevin Youkilis was down at 6, and David Adams was playing second base while Robinson Cano got a night at DH.  I questioned if all of this was necessary against Scott Kazmir, the guy who basically disappeared from existence before finally getting back to the show this year, but it's what Joe did and it was just enough to get a win.

Game Notes:

- Real strong start for Phelps, a complete 180 from his previous one.  He was throwing all 5 of his pitches and throwing them all for strikes right from the first inning, and gave up just a lonely infield single while striking out 5 through 4.

- The new lineup gave Phelps all the support he would need in the bottom of the 3rd.  4 straight hits from the 8-2 spots in the lineup put 2 on and 1 run in with 1 out, and for the second straight game Mark Teixeira cleared the bases, this time by yanking a 3-run HR down the left field line.

- Really impressive work by Phelps to get out of the 5th inning unscathed after walking the first 2 batters.  Even more impressive that he bounced back and finished with a 1-2-3 6th.  He wasn't overly efficient, but he was very good last night.

- Joe went wholesale defensive changes and to the bullpen in the 7th and it almost blew up in his face.  Joba Chamberlain was terrible, giving up a walk, single, and 3-run HR with 2 outs, and needed Boone Logan to bail him out.

- Yanks left 2 on in the 7th and a runner at 2nd in the 8th, but still held down the 1-run lead thanks to a vintage D-Rob Houdini act and a 1-2-3 9th from the G.O.A.T. to make it 2 in a row.

Overbay In Right? Why The Hell Not?

(Courtesy of Paul J. Bereswill/NY Post)

The Yankees zigged when most of us thought they were going to zag again yesterday, electing to send Brennan Boesch down to Triple-A to clear a 25-man spot for Andy Pettitte and going ahead with the "Lyle Overbay in the outfield" plan.  It had been hinted at, talked about, but never truly believed as a viable option  in the last week until he was written in as the starting right fielder for last night's game.  I mean, we're talking about a 36-year-old career first baseman who had never played a single inning in the outfield in his Major League career before last night.  He was using Boone Logan's glove out there in place of his regular first baseman's glove last night!  It was another outside-the-box roster decision made out of necessity, the latest in a long series of similar decisions made this season, and once again it worked out for the best.

Really, Hal??

Oh, Hal.  Not you too.  This is the type of stuff the Mikes Lupica, Ians O'Conner, and Bobs Klapisch of the world are supposed to be force feeding down our throats about A-Rod.  Not you.  All you were supposed to do was talk about the Pinstripe Bowl and you just couldn't resist when someone asked about Alex.

“There have no doubt been times when we've been disappointed in him and we've conveyed that to him and he understands that. But look everybody’s human and everybody makes mistakes. If you've got a guy over the course of 10 years, there’s going to be times any of us make mistakes."

Once again, nobody was talking about A-Rod.  At all.  He's been quietly minding his business and rehabbing in Tampa, with the occasional quick update blurb here and there on his progress.  Now you've got to drag him to the front of the stage and shine the spotlight on him again?  While the team is spinning its tires trying to pull out of its first major slump of the season??

Game 57 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 CLE 4

(Whitest high five ever.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees got Andy Pettitte back for the second time in the 2013 season last night.  That's a frightening thought with 105 games still on the schedule, but a welcome return given the state of the team's performance right now.  In an effort to give the offense a boost, the Yanks got creative with their roster again, choosing to send Brennan Boesch back down to Triple-A and go with Lyle Overbay as the starting right fielder for the first time in his Major League career.  He got a workout in right, much to the early amusement of his teammates.  In the end, it was the shaky return outing for Andy and a team victory that were the big stories.

Game Notes:

- Andy had stuff but spotty command early.  He worked around 2 on/1 out in the 2nd, and couldn't repeat the feat in the 3rd, giving up a run on a Nick Swisher RBI groundout.

- You don't think of Reid Brignac and Austin Romine as rally starters, but that's just what they were in the bottom of the 3rd with a pair of leadoff singles.  After a 4-pitch walk to Brett Gardner, Justin Masterson threw 2 bad fastballs in a row.  Robinson Cano grounded out on the first, Mark Teixeira lined the second into the first row of the right field seats for a grand slam and a 4-1 lead.

- We'll never know for sure, but the delay in getting Asdrubal Cabrera off the field after his injury in the 4th seemed to shake Andy.  He threw 9 straight balls to load the bases before giving up a hotshot double down the third baseline to tie the game.  He was out of the game before he got out of the 5th.

- Romine was right in the middle of it again in the bottom of the 6th when Masterson pretty much fell apart.  The big hit was Brett Gardner's 2-out, 2-run single up the middle on another early-count swing at a fastball.

- Big and confidence-boosting solo HR from Travis Hafner in the 7th to knock Masterson out and give the bullpen an extra insurance run.  Hopefully that's the sign of good things to come for Pronk.

- Oh yeah, the bullpen.  Not that they needed any more insurance runs.  Shawn Kelley, Joba, D-Rob, and Mo combined to throw 4.1 innings of scoreless ball, giving up just 1 hit in the process and striking out 5.

Who Gets The Axe Today? (Updated)

Mike Eder already beat me to the punch earlier today, but the Yankees have a 25-man roster decision to make today with Andy Pettitte set to come off the DL.  It'll arguably be the most difficult one they've had to make so far this season, because as Mike pointed out, there is a case to be made for cutting and keeping every player on the bubble.  The Yankees' still uneasy health footing with Teix and Youkilis makes it difficult to single out any of their excess infielders as the one who should go, and the last thing they want to do is get rid of somebody like Overbay and then watch Teix go back on the DL for season-ending wrist surgery.

That's why I think it'll be David Adams who gets taken off and optioned back to Triple-A.  He's cooled off with the bat and doesn't offer the defensive versatility of a Brignac or a Nix nor the first base experience of an Overbay.  Regular at-bats are still the thing he needs most and he won't get those with Youkilis back in the picture and the SS platoon around, so why not make the move that's in his best interests?  The Yankees were already starting to experiment with Adams at first and second base again before he was called up.  They can keep doing that again if they want to try to expand Adams' potential roles for the future.

You made a fan of me, Dave.  I'm officially on the bandwagon.  But I think you're gone in a few hours, buddy.

** UPDATE 1:47 PM- Jack Curry reporting that Lyle Overbay will get the start in right field tonight.  Honestly did not expect that.  Maybe that means it's Brennan Boesch who's getting sent down and Adams will stick. **

Is There A Problem With The Yankee Training Staff?

(Just dehydration, huh?  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Having left Saturday night’s game early with what was described as “dehydration” and reporting that he felt light-headed during pregame batting practice that day, I was a little surprised to see that Chris Stewart’s name was on the lineup card again last night as the starting catcher. He had taken a ball off the mask the previous game and at first glance it sounded like he was suffering symptoms of a concussion. Last night, those symptoms were present again before the game and Stewart was scratched again for Austin Romine and sent to the hospital for further evaluation.

We’re still waiting to hear back on what that evaluation reveals, but if it is indeed a concussion and Stewart was misdiagnosed and allowed to play yesterday, that will be just another example of a slightly disturbing trend building with regards to the Yankee training staff. Not only are they seemingly letting things slide that should be bigger issues, they’re potentially putting players at risk by allowing them back on the field.

Game 56 Wrap-Up: BOS 3 NYY 0

(Nice visual metaphor for how much support Hirok got last night.  Courtesy of the AP)

The weather caused a delay in the start of last night's game.  It also caused an early finish as the Yanks and Sawx only got to play 6 innings.  With what happened in those 6 innings, it probably would have been best if the game was just postponed.  The offense continued to struggle, providing no support to starter Hiroki Kuroda, and the team's freefall continued.  Something needs to change with the lineup right now, something significant, because this entire group is hard to watch and it's obvious that Teix and Youkilis are nowhere near ready to be counted on to produce.

Game Notes:

- The Yankees wanted to be patient against Bahhston starter Clay Buchholz, and they just weren't.  Buchholz needed just 71 pitches to blank the Bombers through 6 innings.  He was constantly ahead in the count and the Yanks played into his approach by swinging early.

- Kuroda was money the first turn through the rotation, the second time the Sawx started to figure him out.  He wasn't as sharp as we've seen him at times this year, particularly with his sinker, and when you get no run support you're going to lose.

- Kuroda did have to work harder than Buchholz and it started to show in the middle innings.  He gave up leadoff HRs in the top of the 5th and 6th, to Jose Iglesias and David Ortiz respectively, and was out after 5.1 IP.  Sucks when the sinker doesn't sink.

- Chris Stewart didn't play after again experiencing "dehydration" symptoms before the game.  Sounds like an undiagnosed concussion to me.

Game 55 Wrap-Up: BOS 11 NYY 1

You probably figured it out from seeing the final score, but all you really need to know is that this was one of the classic Bad Phil Hughes starts.

Game Notes:

- Hughes avoided disaster in the first 2 innings before it all came crashing down in the 3rd.  He went double-single-double to put a run on the board, then intentionally walked David Ortiz to load the bases and try to avoid the big inning.  It didn't work.  He couldn't put away Mike Napoli despite getting ahead 0-2, Napoli hit a grand slam to make it 5-0, and that was basically that.

- The Yanks got their lone run on a Chris Stewart sac fly in the 4th, otherwise they were stopped by Felix Doubront.

- Adam Warren took it on the chin in garbage time, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits in 3 IP.  Ugly stuff.

Night & Day With The Fastball

That's CC's 4-seamer location plot for his start against Tampa last week.

That's CC's 4-seamer location plot for his start last night.

It doesn't look like a huge difference but last night's plot is noticeably more concentrated in the lower half of the strike zone.  The majority of his fastballs against Tampa were middle-up, and when you're throwing a low-90s fastball in that part of the strike zone you're going to get beat up.  Last night, CC's average 4-seamer velocity was 91.9 MPH, slightly up from the 91.1 MPH average on 5/26.  That little bit more velocity and better location can make all the difference when you're facing the best hitters on the planet and last night it did.  If this is a continuation of an upward trend with CC's fastball, I don't think we have to worry about him moving forward.  I think he's going to be just fine.

Game 54 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 BOS 1

(Courtesy of the AP)

It would have been accurate to say the Yankees limped into last night's game against the Fraud Sawx based on the way they'd played in the previous series.  It also would have been fair to say the same thing about CC Sabathia, who had gotten knocked around something fierce in his last start.  But Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis both returned to the lineup last night, adding much needed power, patience, and health to a lineup in need of all 3, so throw "limped" out the window.  The offense woke up just enough to put more than 1 run on the board last night, CC was absolutely dominant in a very satisfying return to form, and the Yanks ended their 5-game losing streak.

Game Notes:

- The lineup gave CC all the run support he would need in the bottom of the 2nd, and it was the bottom of the order getting it done against Jon Lester.  Teix and Vernon Wells set the table to lead off the inning, and a pair of RBI singles by Jayson Nix and Ichiro Suzuki made it 2-0.

- CC gave up 1 hit in each of the first 3 innings, but he seemed to really find his stride after getting a double play in the top of the 3rd.  He retired the next 10 batters he faced in order, including striking out the side in the 5th, to keep Bahhston scoreless through 6.

- Teix started the first run-scoring rally in the 2nd with a walk and Youkilis finished the next one in the 5th with an RBI single to make it 3-0.  Joe got ejected earlier in the inning arguing a play at second so at least that wasn't in vain.

- The only run CC allowed came in the 7th on a pair of doubles.  He limited the damage to just 1 though and was incredibly strong all night.  Fastball was living in the mid 92s, sinker had good bite, slider was unhittable. Vintage CC to say the least.

- Brett Gardner drove in an insurance run in the 7th.  Final tally on Teix and Youkilis: 0-3 w/ a BB, R, and 2 K and 1-4 w/ 1 RBI and 2 K respectively.

- Sabathia, D-Rob, Mo.  That's how you draw it up when you've got your ace on the mound if you're Joe and that's just how it went down last night.  Perfect way to end a losing streak.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 5/31/13

Back in CT for the night and the East Coast for the weekend.  Let's get right to it.  Onto the links!

- On Monday, Lenny Neslin of lenNY's Yankees weighed the corner infield roster options with Teix and Youkilis scheduled to return and gave his solutions to the overcrowding problem.

- On Tuesday, Mike Axisa of RAB commented on the difficult to pinpoint problem with CC Sabathia this season.  I thought it was pretty easy in my analysis, but Mike makes some valid points and observations.

- On Wednesday, Mike Ashmore of Thunder Thoughts had all the videos of Teix and Youkilis' rehab ABs, in case you wanted to check in and see how their swings looked before they return tonight.

- William Tasker of IIATMS/TYA asked the all-important question of what happens when Teix and Youkilis do return and went through the most likely scenarios.

- SG of RLYW laid the bad May offensive numbers out there for everybody to just breathe in.  Damn that fucking stinks, doesn't it?

- On Thursday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog dug through the numbers to show how legitimate the Yankees have been in their first 50 games.  No smoke and mirrors here, folks.

- Hunter Farman of Yanks Go Yard was back with another round of predictions for next month.  He smartened up and made some more realistic ones this month.  Kudos for that.

- Martin Riggs of NoMaas pointed out some statistical predictors of even better things to come for Shawn Kelley.

- Steven Goldman of Pinstriped Bible checked the numbers, standard and sabermetric, to try to determine just how good or bad Chris Stewart has been defensively this season.

- On Friday, Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes mused on the idea of bringing back Curtis Granderson in 2014.  I wouldn't be completely opposed to it, but that would kill any chances of getting below the luxury tax threshold.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud looked at all the changes that come with the return of Teix and Youkilis.

- Rob Abruzzese of Bronx Baseball Daily looked into Vernon Wells' and Travis Hafner's simultaneous slumps and what they need to do to get out of them.

We're going seasonal for this week's jam with "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince of Scientology himself Will Smith.  At long last, it looks like we finally are moving towards summer.  70s in Wisco this weekend, 80s-90s out east.  Good times.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

The Importance Of Teix And Youkilis Returning

If there's a way to spin this current Yankee slump into a positive, it comes from pointing out how it's put a quick end to all the growing talk about the team not needing all their injured players back, and what's going to happen to the current players, and what do they do if the team plays worse with the better players back?  This current version of the Yankee team appears to have hit the wall and they are in serious need of a spark, one they thought they had when Curtis Granderson return.  More than anything else, even if neither guy gets a hit in tonight's game or all weekend, that's what Mark Teixiera and Kevin Youkilis will give this club when they return tonight.

And if it turns out they both can shake the rust off quicker than expected, even better.  From a performance standpoint, the 2 things this team lacks the most right now are right-handed power and patience.  The lack of power has been an issue all season long.  The lack of patience is something new and it's been at the forefront of this week's offensive disappearance.  Teix and Youkilis have always been good at working counts and drawing walks, and blending that patience with their power presence and balance they bring to the lineup should help turn things around.

Lyle Overbay has done the job well, but he's got an OBP in the .280s.  David Adams has looked more than capable of hacking it at the Major League level, but he was still never expected to be in this position this year and is already showing signs of being exposed at the plate.  Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner helped carry the offense through the first 6 weeks of the season, but the grind of playing every day appears to be catching up to them now.  Teixeira and Youkilis are the salve to ease these wounds, the reinforcements for the reinforcements, and they represent the first step towards a return to business as usual for the Yankees.  If they're both healthy enough to play every day, and I don't think the team would be bringing them back tonight if they weren't, they should be just what the doctor ordered.

Joba's Bullpen Role Lost Already?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

I still think it's a little early to start talking about Joba Chamberlain as a trade piece, despite Buster Olney sparking some chatter on that front with his tweets earlier this week.  The Yankees aren't going to be in sell mode at the deadline if they're even close to the postseason race, and it's highly unlikely they could get matching value in return for Joba in a position of need.  For now, let's just see if Joba can keep himself on the field before worrying about whether or not he'll be wearing a Yankee uniform on it.

What I will talk about is where Joba stands in Joe's bullpen pecking order right now.  He had been the official 7th Inning Guy before getting hurt and was pitching well before he got hurt.  Last night, Joe went the 'pen in the 7th inning of a 1-run game after Vidal Nuno left and it wasn't Joba he called on but Shawn Kelley.  Kelley has been a monster this month and he was last night again, striking out the side swinging.  Joba got called into mid-inning fireman duty in the 8th and didn't exactly shine in that role.  Has Joba already slid down the totem pole?  How will Joe use him if Kelley has bypassed him?  That's what I'd be watching over these next few weeks before concerning myself with possible Joba trade scenarios.

Game 53 Wrap-Up: NYM 3 NYY 1

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It's been a rush of a week with travel Monday/Friday and about 4.5 days worth of work crammed into 3, so I really don't think asking the Yankees to get 1 measly win to save some semblance of dignity in this series was too much.  The first 3 games of this series had been bummerific enough.  No need to send me home for the weekend with a frown on my face.  Vidal Nuno and his bag of left-handed tricks was on the mound before presumably going back down to Triple-A SWB when Andy comes back Monday, against the pretty terrible Dillon Gee.

Game Notes:

- Deflating 1st inning from the Bombers.  Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano led off with singles and were stranded after back-to-back Ks by Wells and Hafner and an Overbay groundout back to the pitcher.

- The Yanks left 2 more on in the 2nd but finally cashed in when Cano came up again in the 3rd.  He got a hit first-pitch swinging the first time.  Second time he needed just 1 more pitch to park a solo HR in the right field seats.

- He gave up a 2-run homer to Marlon Byrd in the top of the 2nd after trying a fastball up 1 time too many, otherwise it was hard to find fault with Nuno's night.  He allowed just those 2 runs on 3 hits in 6 IP, and retired the final 9 batters he faced.

- He got no support other than Cano's HR and left behind, though, as the offense continued to be inept and impatient to an almost comic level.  Dillon Gee had 8 strikeouts and 7 GB outs through 6 innings.  On 69 pitches.

- Joba Chamberlain didn't get the nod for the 7th inning after Nuno.  That went to Shawn Kelley and he struck out the side swinging.  But Joba was involved in the mess in the 8th that gave the Mets their insurance run, allowing the runners to move up on a wild pitch.

- It only got worse for the offense.  All you need to know is this- After Cano's HR in the 3rd, the final 20 Yankee hitters were retired in order.

First Rough Stretch Reached

(Guh.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Well here we are.  The low point of the season to date has been reached.  The Yankees wake up this morning losers of 4 straight games, games they were outscored 21-9 in, and 6 of their last 8.  They've looked absolutely putrid in those 4 games, on the mound, at the plate, and in the field.  For the first time this season they have the appearance and accompanying performance of the cobbled together, replacement-level mess they were expected to be.  The quick gust of wind that was blown in the team's sails when Curtis Granderson returned to the lineup has been snuffed out by his re-injury, and tonight the boys will try to wake up out of their funk in time to not get swept out of town by the effing Mets.

Here Comes Tyler Austin...

IT'S AUSTIN!! IT'S AUSTIN!!  BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP!!!!

He's still included in the crop of top OF prospects that's underperforming early this season, but Tyler Austin is showing signs that he might be starting to remove himself from that herd.  In his last 10 games, Austin is hitting .316/.378/.632 with 3 2B, 3 HR, 7 R, 9 RBI, and 5 BB.  He's raised his season batting line to .266/.368/.411 (.360 wOBA) and the power/patience combination that was his calling card through the lower levels of the system is starting to come through now that he's over 200 PA at the Double-A level.

Kid's starting to put it together, people...

Game 52 Wrap-Up: NYM 9 NYY 4

(That's a lonely walk.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Losing back-to-back 1-run games to a team like the Mets is the baseball equivalent to a swift kick in the apple bag to any baseball team, no matter how much that team may be overachieving.  The Yankees lived in that reality the last 2 nights, dropping both games at the hand of their 2 best pitchers and having the added insult of only scoring 2 runs total in those games.  Getting outscored by the Mets lineup is difficult to do and the Yanks managed to do it in consecutive days.  They tried to wash the stink of all that off last night back at The Stadium with David Phelps on the mound.  The shit only got stinkier and got stinkier quick.

Game Notes:

- There's nothing to say other than to just call Phelps' top of the 1st a complete disaster.  It was an awful combination of badly-located fastballs, missed curveballs, and poor defense behind him and when it was all said and done the Mets had 5 on the board and Phelps was out of the game after recording 1 out.

- Not much more to say after that horrid 1st inning.  Adam Warren gave up a run in the 3rd on a Marlon Byrd HR and 2 in the 4th on a 2-out Lucas Duda double.  That made it 8-0 Mets and the Yanks basically folded their tent at that point.

- Brennan Boesch at least tried to contribute, hitting a solo HR in the bottom of the 4th to get the Yanks on the board and singling in another run in a 2-run 6th.

- Of course Ivan Nova came on to pitch 5 good relief innings in a game that didn't mean anything.  For what it's worth, Nova looked really good last night, mixing and commanding his fastball and curveball really well and striking out 6 to just 1 walk.

-Garbage time RBI single for Robinson Cano in the 9th.  Yay.

Cash Confirms Pettitte Return Date

Cashman told me the plan is to have Pettitte return during the CLE series (as long as there are no setbacks) #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) May 29, 2013

Via my girl Meredith earlier today, Brian Cashman confirmed that Andy Pettitte will indeed come off the DL next week and rejoin the rotation during the team's Monday-Wednesday series against Cleveland.  Vidal Nuno is scheduled to pitch the Subway Series finale tomorrow, and is currently occupying Pettitte's spot in the rotation.  He'll more than likely be sent down Triple-A to stay stretched out as a starter when his spot comes around again next Tuesday and Andy will get that start.

Pettitte had no problems in his 75-pitch sim game yesterday and I imagine he will throw one more simulated session of some kind before returning.  It will be interesting to see how Joe manages his workload now that he's coming back from his second back problem of the year.  The important thing is that the Left-Handed Jedi has returned.  Now somebody hit the music!

Gardner Getting It Done Lately

(Got that HR trot down.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Amidst the scores of struggling bats, one man has been flying under the radar and quietly putting together a really nice month.  That man, if you were unaware, is Brett Gardner.  I almost didn't realize it myself until a day or two ago, so I'm sure hopeful there are a few more of you out there who didn't realize it either.  After a slow start to the year and some slightly disturbing swing trends, Gardner has really come around and been both a spark at the top of the order and a stud in the field in May.  Were it not for his contributions this month, the Yankees would likely be out a few more Ws.

Injury/Return Updates: Pettitte, Teixeira, Youkilis

Yesterday was a rough one on the field for the Yanks, who lost their 3rd straight game and 5th of their last 7.  The news was much better off the field, as a trio of important veterans took another big step towards returning and providing a much needed boost.

Andy Pettitte threw a 75-pitch simulated game at the team's complex in Tampa, reporting no problems with any part of his back.  No word on whether he'll be scheduled for a MiL start or not, but he could rejoin the rotation next week.  Mark Teixeira, now confirmed to be starting his MiL rehab assignment with Double-A Trenton today, got a partner for that trip when the Yanks announced that Kevin Youkilis would be joining him.  During his pregame presser last night, Joe said it was possible that both could rejoin the team as early as Friday after playing in 2 rehab games.

While I'd prefer to see both guys get a little more rehab game time under their belts to make sure their bodies respond favorably to playing every day, I trust the Yankee training staff knows what it's doing.  It's not like the lineup couldn't use both bats right now, and the presence of David Adams gives Joe the option of using the DH spot for both players against LHP.  First let's see how these 2 games go before we worry about that.

Game 51 Wrap-Up: NYM 2 NYY 1

(Just keep on Web Gemin', Brett.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Despite all the injuries and all the lineup inconsistencies, the Yankees came into last night's game as the only team in MLB without a losing streak of at least 3 games in 2013.  That's a pretty impressive feat, and their reward for the accomplishment was trying to keep the streak alive against Matt Harvey, the Mets' young ace and already one of the 5 best pitchers in baseball.  Oh wait, that's not a reward.  Silly me.  At least the Bombers had Hiroki Kuroda on the mound to give them a fighting chance, as Hirok looked to bounce back from a poor start his last time out.  He did just fine after a rain delay, but for the second straight night the bullpen let one get away late in a stunning loss.

Game Notes:

- He gave up singles to Reid Brignac and Brett Gardner in the 3rd, otherwise Harvey was the real deal through 4.  His stuff was as electric as advertised and he used it all to strike out 6 of the first 14 batters he faced.

- Kuroda was equally effective in his 4 first innings, although with a helluva lot less flash than Harvey.  He had good fastball life and slider sharpness and retired 9 in a row at one point to keep the game scoreless.

- The Yankees squandered Ichiro reaching on a leadoff error in the 5th.  They didn't make the same mistake when Brett Gardner took second base on a Marlon Byrd bobble to lead off the 6th.  With 2 outs, Harvey left a changeup belt high to Lyle Overbay.  Looking to swing early after striking out in his first 2 ABs, Overbay lined a single up the middle to score Gardner and give the Yanks a 1-0 lead.

- Robinson Cano returned the leadoff error favor on a truly horrid play to start the bottom of the 6th, but some nasty pitches and a killer pickoff play by Kuroda, and another great OF play by Gardner killed the threat.

- It looked like the Yankees would finally really get to Harvey with 2 outs in the 8th after Cano and Vernon Wells singled.  Harvey stayed in with a pitch count over 115 and got Overbay to line out to right to keep it a 1-run game.

- That out turned out to be big in the bottom of the 9th, when Mariano Rivera came on and shockingly gave up 3 straight hits to blow the save and the win.  He was just a little off where he wanted to be on the corner on 3 pitches and it cost him.  First time this season, won't be the last.  You can't get pissed at Mo.

Joba Chamberlain Activated From The DL

I was starting to wonder if Joba Chamberlain was getting the same stall treatment I thought Ivan Nova was last week.  Thankfully this time the Yankees were nice enough to announce his activation from the DL before I wrote the post and made myself look like a double jackass.

The Yanks activated Joba this afternoon after a few MiL rehab assignments and I believe 2 comebackers that hit him during said assignments.  With the number of players still going down these days, it only makes sense to bring Joba back and have him get hit with a pitch in a Major League game.  David Huff was DFA'd to clear a spot on the active roster and in the suddenly chock full bullpen that has Mo, D-Rob, Logan, Claiborne, Kelley, Warren, Nova, and now Joba.  That's a lot of innings to go around.

As an added bonus, the Yankees have now opened up 2 spots on their 40-man roster.  They'll need them as the rest of the injured core continues to heal.  Now let's see where Joba fits back into the bullpen pecking order.  They certainly haven't been hurting without him.

So What's The Deal With CC Sabathia?

(Courtesy of the AP)

CC Sabathia made his 11th start of the 2013 season on Sunday night, and if you saw any of it you know that it wasn't pretty.  The big fella got smacked around for 7 ER in 7 innings, the most he's given up in one start this season, and currently finds himself with a 4-4 record, a 3.96/4.10/3.76 slash line, and in search of answers.  With 2 months of starts under his belt, there is now a big enough sample size to truly start evaluating CC and not much has changed for the better in this second month after many of us wanted to wait and see how CC would look with more work under his belt.  His fastball velocity is still underwhelming, his command in the strike zone is still spotty, and he's still way too hittable for anybody to feel as comfortable as they used to when CC takes the mound.

We knew making the adjustment to compensate for his lack of velocity was going to take some time, but CC has looked worse in his more recent starts than he had earlier in the season.  What's going on with his transitional period that's making it such a struggle for him?

Recent Offensive Struggles Shine A Light On The Need For Injured Bats

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It was bound to happen with the way the Yankees have played and the positive contributions the new guys have made this season, but it doesn't make the notion any less silly.  With Curtis Granderson having already returned (and get hurt again) and Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis possibly set to do the same soon, the idea among fans that the team would be "better off without those high-priced guys" has grown.  It's sure to grow even more when A-Rod gets ready to come back, as it always seems to do when he's coming off the DL.  This is obviously incredibly flawed logic, something the MSM likes to throw out there to stir up fake controversy and sell papers.  Almost as if in anticipation of that issue, the team's production recently has shown exactly why the Yankees are still very much in need of their injured stars' services.

Game 50 Wrap-Up: NYM 2 NYY 1

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

After a sour ending to their series in Tampa, the Mets were just the type of team the Yankees needed to see to get back on the right rack and that's exactly who they got to see last night.  The 4-game Subway Series kicked off at Citi Field with Jon Niese and Phil Hughes taking the mound.  The Met lineup was a perfect one for Hughes to continue his turnaround as well, and continue it he did.  Too bad his lineup forgot to show up last night and GIDP'd themselves and Hughes out of a W.

Game Notes:

- Hughes was aggressive with his fastball from the start last night, which doesn't come as a surprise.  What does is him throwing it for strikes consistently and generating a lot of groundball contact with it, yet that's just what Hughes was doing early.

- Another rarity for Hughes is being efficient with his pitch count, and yet that's also what he was doing last night.  Through 6 innings, Hughes gave up just 3 hits and threw just 78 pitches while holding the Mets scoreless.

- While the Mets' opportunities were few, the Yankees had a great one against Niese in the top of the 2nd.  They loaded the bases with 1 out on a pair of singles and a walk before Chris Stewart rapped into an inning-ending double play.

- They Yanks managed just 1 baserunner after the 2nd before finally breaking through in the 6th.  Brett Gardner led off with a triple and scored on Jayson Nix's RBI single.  A Robinson Cano GIDP quickly ended the rally, and turned out to be a big play later in the game.

- It always seems like it's just a matter of time with Hughes and time finally ran out on him in the bottom of the 7th.  He couldn't put away David Wright with 2-strike fastballs and the final of 4 straight that he threw in the AB was hit for a game-tying HR.

- As dominant as he looked a week ago, D-Rob was the exact opposite in the 8th last night.  He had no command of his cutter or curveball and gave up the go-ahead run on 2 hits, a walk, and a HBP.

- The lineup left 2 on in the 7th and went down quietly in the 8th and 9th, wasting a great opportunity to earn Hughes a win on a night when he did more than enough to earn it.