Looking At The Remaining Schedule

A sweep of any division rival is sweet, but the Yankees got slapped back into reality last night in the first game of their weekend series against the Rays.  Beating up on the AL East doormat Blue Jays was a huge help in bringing the Yankees back into the playoff picture.  If they really want to stay in that picture, however, they have to beat the good teams in their division too.  Heading into the final 5 weeks of the regular season, they'll have plenty of opportunities to do so.

The Yanks have 34 games remaining this season, 25 of them against AL East opponents.  Only 10 of them will be at home, with 15 on the road, and 19 of them are against the Rays, Orioles, and Red Sox.  They're in the middle of a 16-game stretch against nothing but AL East teams and even after last night's loss they're still 6-2 in those 8 games, so they're off to a good start.  They've got 3 more against the Jays on the road and then 3 against the O's at home after this series, and if they want to keep moving forward in the playoff race they can't have more results like last night's.

6 back in the division, 4 back from the second Wild Card, and plenty of games against 3 of the teams ahead of them in those races.  The Yankees have done a great job dragging themselves out of their grave these last 2 weeks, and they now control a small part of their destiny.  If this is really a playoff-caliber team, they need to prove it against their main playoff chase competition.

Game 128 Wrap-Up: TB 7 NYY 2

("We should probably take you out, but you wanna stay in and give up another home run?"  Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees were riding high on their way into Tampa.  Winners of 5 in a row, 6 of their last 7 against AL East rivals, and 11 of their last 14 overall.  But they were stepping into a zone of danger against Tampa starter Chris Archer last night.  After an uneven start to his season, he seemed to find his stride in July and August and he's been a big reason why the Rays have stayed at the forefront of the playoff race while dealing with a never-ending string of injuries to their starting rotation.  He's also already beaten the Yankees twice this season.  Joe stacked lefties at the top of his batting order last night to try to jump on Archer early, but the result was the same as it was the other 2 times.

Game Notes:

- Quick start for the Yankee offense.  Brett Gardner walked, stole second, and scored on a 2-out Alfonso Soriano single in the top of the 1st and the Yanks had a lead.

- Tough start for Hiroki Kuroda.  He was struggling with his slider command in the bottom of the 2nd and it got him into trouble.  With 2 on and 2 out, he hung a first-pitch slider to Jose Lobaton and watched it turn into a 3-run homer to erase the lead.

- The command never came for Hirok in the following innings.  He gave up 2 more runs on solo homers in the 3rd, a run in the 4th, and another in the 5th on his 4th (!!) HR allowed on the night.  He pitched 6 innings, but that had more to do with the 'pen needing rest than anything else.

- Much like the last time they faced him in July, the Yankee lineup didn't have anything for Archer.  He only gave up 2 more hits through the next 5 innings, one of them a triple by Gardner to lead off the 6th that led to the second Yankee run.

- A run differential of 5 or more runs in either direction means it's Joba Time and Joe used him wisely to bring this stinker home.  Naturally, Joba worked 2 perfect innings with nothing on the line.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 8/23/13

I'm just 2 weeks away from my Yanks-Sawx weekend series.  Officially time to start getting excited.  I can almost feel the sun on my face as I get my picture taken in Monument Park.  I can almost smell the poor and homeless people on the subway.  I can almost taste the $9 beer.  It's going to be an awesome time and barring a complete bed shitting by the team to offset this current hot streak, it might actually be meaningful Yanks-Sawx baseball with the added intrigue of payback for the A-Rod plunking thrown in.  Not a bad setting for a first YS3 experience.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Mike Axisa of RAB took an early look at the potential call-up candidates when rosters expand in September.

- Hunter Farman of Yanks Go Yard made a case for why the Yankees should release Joba Chamberlain.  Even with Claiborne back on the roster, I'd support the move.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes praised Joe for what he said following the A-Rod-Dempster incident last Sunday.  Lotta that goin' around this week.

- Scott Lemieux of Deadspin wrote a very interesting commentary on the A-Rod case and how it's blown up to comical levels of hysteria in the MSM.

- On Wednesday, Chad Jennings of LoHud unveiled the admittedly pretty slick Alex Rodriguez career timeline.

- Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA broke down how Justin Morneau could fit into the current Yankee lineup.

- Matthew B. of Yankees Fans Unite commented on the positive contributions A-Rod has made on the field to help the Yankees get things going in the right direction again.

- On Thursday, Martin Riggs of NoMaas reminded everybody of just how filthy D-Rob's curveball has been this year.  Seriously, check out those numbers.

- El duque of It Is High... mused on the anti-A-Rod sentiment among the MLB players and wondered if Tampa would be the next team to hit him with a pitch this weekend.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog investigated the Yankees' history in day games after night games, a timely investigation after their series against Toronto.

- On Friday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits asked if Joe will want to come back in 2014.  It seems all but certain that the team will want him back, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to deal with the effects of the payroll budget.

- Jesse Schindler of Pinstriped Bible examined the turnaround in the starting rotation's performance and how it's helped fuel the team's turnaround.

- SG of RLYW put Eduardo Nunez's horrific WAR totals to the test against the competition to see if he's been the least valuable player in baseball in 2013.

Coming in HOT for today's Friday Jam.  "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats, right in your eyeball.  I don't think I need to say anymore than that.  Just drink it in.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Hal Late To The Party Again With His Minor League Meeting Of The Minds

(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Earlier in the week, Hal Steinbrenner made the news when it was reported that he called some of his baseball people together in Tampa to discuss the team's lack of upper-level Minor League talent.  The Yankees have been patching holes in their roster since before the regular season started, and they've used a fair amount of rookies as part of the patchwork plan, with little offensive success to speak of.

The Yankees not developing much homegrown talent is hardly a new talking point.  The last batch of real prospects was the Hughes-Kennedy-Joba trio that in a matter of months might all be on different teams, and the last batch of real prospects to stick and make a positive impact at the Major League level was the Core Four.  The Yankees being stuck between the marginally competitive rock and the 2014 payroll budget hard place has just as much to do with their failure to scout, draft, and develop Major League talent as it has to do with any of the other organizational missteps they've made in years past.

Mil Rehab Roundup: Derek Jeter Comeback Part IV Edition

The Captain was back on the field for a live game last night, going 2-3 with an infield single and a double and making an error in the field in his 5 innings of work at shortstop.  There were no reports on how he looked or felt after the game, but since there's nothing breaking on any further tweaks to his legs I'm assuming he's fine.

Neither Joe nor the team has committed to anything beyond another game with SWB today, and details on where he'll play and for how long in that game are not known at this time.  Joe has been pretty emphatic in his statements that Jeter will not be activated this weekend to replace Jayson Nix on the active roster, so I expect Jeter will remain with the Triple-A squad at least through the weekend to see how his body responds.  It's like a broken record writing about this rehab outings at this point.  We should find out more details on what the plan is for Jeter later today.

Game 127 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 TOR 3

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

With all due respect to the Dodgers, the Yankees have become the most exciting team in baseball in the last 2 weeks.  They've got the eye of the current steroid storm playing for them every night while holding the league trying to ban him for life at bay and trading barbs with his team in the media.  They've got the hottest power hitter in baseball in Alfonso Soriano.  They've got one of the best players in baseball in Robinson Cano playing like it again in the final 30-something games of his contract year.  They've got good pitchers pitching terribly, bad pitchers pitching well, Mo blowing 3 saves in a row then saving 2 games in a day, Ichiro reaching historic milestones.  They've got power, they've got speed, they can play some D every now and then, and they've got plenty of guys who can make you swing and miss.  And after this 4-game sweep of the Blue Jays, they're suddenly back in contention.

Game Notes:

- Very strong start to Andy Pettitte's night.  He allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk through 4 scoreless innings, and the only batter he failed to retire was Rajai Davis.  Davis bested him on 2 stolen base attempts, once because nobody was at second for a tag, but Andy was in control.

- He was matched by J.A. Happ, who retired the first turn through the lineup in order and worked around a double and a walk in the 4th.  It was Andy who blinked first, leaving a changeup up just enough that J.P. Arencibia could go down and hit for a home run to lead off the 5th inning.

- The Toronto lead didn't last long.  The Yankees struck back for 2 in the bottom half of the 5th thanks to a Curtis Granderson leadoff HR to match Arencibia and some shoddy umpiring.

- With the bases loaded and 1 out, Vernon Wells lined a ball to center that Rajai Davis appeared to catch.  Yankee runners got hung up when the ump ruled it not a catch, but Eduardo Nunez ran home in all the confusion and the run stood.  John Gibbons was understandably upset and was ejected.  Nice break for the Yanks.

- The Yanks plated 3 more the next inning on 3 straight walks, an Eduardo Nunez 2-run single, and a Chris Stewart RBI groundout.  Good to see the Yankee patience coming back.

- Shawn Kelley relieved Andy after 6 good innings and was a disaster.  He loaded the bases and gave up 2 runs to give the Jays late life in the 7th.  But the trio of Logan, Claiborne, and D-Rob was good after that, as D-Rob covered for Mo's day off again and closed out the sweep.

Alfonso Soriano Appreciation Post

(Gone.  Courtesy of the AP)

There was an understandable amount of negative responses to the Yankees' lone trade deadline move of acquiring Alfonso Soriano.  He was another player in his late 30s whose game had devolved to platoon bat status, he represented more committed money and roster space to the 2014 plans, and the Yankees gave up a useful prospect arm to get him.  They were desperate for right-handed power at the time though, and Soriano does have that in spades.  As a move to address an immediate and glaring weakness, it was the right move to make, 2014 concerns aside.  With what he's done in his first 3 weeks back in pinstripes, Soriano has given the Yankees everything they needed and then some.

Jayson Nix Out With Broken Hand, Shortstop Depth A Problem Again

(Tried to pull his hand out of the way and moved it right into the ball's path.  Damn knucklers.  Courtesy of RAB)

The one bad thing to come out of last night's win was the injury suffered by Jayson Nix.  In the bottom of the 2nd, he took a knuckleball from R.A. Dickey off the left hand and was in obvious pain instantly.  He tried to stay in the game, but signaled to the trainer after taking his base and was removed from the game.  It didn't take long for the team to announce that the hand was broken and Nix's 2013 is all but officially over.

Game 126 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 TOR 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

It was a potentially historic night last night at The Stadium.  Funny how those always seem to be happening there, huh?  Ichiro Suzuki entered last night's game 1 hit shy of 4,000 for his career, an accomplishment that has to be looked at with amazement and appreciation regardless of how they're split up between leagues.  Ichiro is simply one of the finest professional hitters in the history of this planet, and in his prime he was a joy to watch play.  He's well past that now, but even at 39 he can still show flashes every now and then with a 3-4 day or a perfect swing on a really good pitch that he drops in for a base hit somewhere.  A major individual milestone for him and another win against the Jays would have made it a damn good night.

Game Notes:

- Ichiro took a lot of the drama over his 4,000th out early with a single through the left side in his first at-bat.  1-1 pitch, just got his bat on it and lined it through a hole.  So Ichiro.  The whole team coming out of the dugout to applaud and celebrate the moment was pretty cool, and Ichiro looked genuinely touched at first.

- But back to the game.  Spot starter Adam Warren was "ehhhhhhh" in his 3+ innings of work.  He put a runner on base in every inning, gave up a solo home run to somebody named Josh Thole, and was removed in the 4th after hitting a batter with his 61st pitch.

- The Yanks got 2 runs off R.A. Dickey in the first 3 innings to take an ever so brief lead.  Austin Romine hit a sac fly in the 2nd that could have been a 2-run homer, and Curtis Granderson had an RBI single in the 3rd.

- After Warren left, David Huff came on as expected.  What was unexpected was how brilliantly he pitched.  4 walks doesn't look great, but 5 scoreless innings does and that's exactly what Huff gave Joe last night.

- Dickey was even better after the 3rd.  He gave up only a single walk from the 4th into the 8th and only allowed 1 ball out of the infield.  He was devastating.

- The Yankee kept the 8th alive on a Robinson Cano single, and Dickey made his last mistake of the night on an 0-1 knuckler to Alfonso Soriano.  Soriano crushed it for a 2-run homer and the Yanks had the lead.

- Joe saved the rest of his bullpen with Huff, but he didn't play games with the lead and went to Mo in the 9th.  Mariano sandwiched 2 strikeouts around a double and a pick off to notch the save and make it 9 out of 11 for the Bombers.

An Audition Of Sorts For Warren Tonight

Yesterday's doubleheader threw a little hiccup into the Yankees' current rotation order.  To combat that and give the older Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda enough rest between starts, Adam Warren will start tonight's game.  The rookie has worked exclusively out of the bullpen this season and has been on the wrong side of the performance curve since June, yet that did not dissuade the Yankees from keeping him on the active roster and available to make this spot start.

There won't be too much weight put into 1 spot start, especially when it's coming almost a month after Warren's last appearance in which he threw more than 60 pitches.  But Warren can start to lay down the groundwork for his 2014 rotation competition with a good outing tonight.  His only other career Major League start is last year's 2.1-inning disaster in Chicago, a memory I'm sure Warren would like to erase and get himself a fresh start as a starting pitching prospect.  There's plenty of opportunity for him to earn a spot at the back of the rotation next spring, and this is his best chance to get a head start on the competition.

Timing Is Perfect For Another Robbie Cano Tear

(Courtesy of the AP)

It was a great day at the ballpark for Robinson Cano yesterday.  He had 6 hits and 5 RBI in the 2 games, the biggest overall offensive contributor to the team's doubleheader sweep.  The strong 2-game showing continued a very strong 10-game stretch for Cano that has contributed to August being his best offensive month to date (.397/.481/.559 in 79 PA).  Robbie has 21 hits in his last 10 games (5 for extra bases), 7 R scored, 8 RBI, and more walks than strikeouts (4 to 3).  He's raised his season batting line back up to .308/.390/.510 and has dragged the Yankees back into the tail end of the playoff race in the process.  All signs point to another big Robbie hot streak on the horizon, and the stage is set perfectly for him to finish his season and head into free agency on a high note.

Still No Timetable For Jeter's Return

It's been another slow path back from the DL for Derek Jeter, who finally got into his first simulated game action yesterday.  He had been taking BP and fielding grounders, but hadn't yet run the bases after resuming baseball activities over a week ago.  That's always the big hurdle when coming back from leg injuries, and with as many as Jeter has had this year it's more important that he be able to do that than anything else.

Even reaching that step yesterday and coming through with no reported injuries, there's still no official schedule in place for Jeter's return from the DL.  He was eligible to come off on Sunday, when he still hadn't run the bases, and Joe wouldn't even commit to a plan for today for Jeter.  Now that Eduardo Nunez has returned to the lineup from his tight hammy, the depth situation at short is less dire than it was.  That gives the Yankees the luxury of taking it extra slow with Jeter, and even if it's a "too little too late" situation for this season, maybe it's the start of them just scrapping things and working towards getting Jeter ready for next season.  That would be the smart move.

It would be nice to see The Captain back on the field this season, and at some point he probably will be.  It would also suck to watch him break down after only a few games again.  Working him back super slow now that he's running again is the best path to take.

Game 125 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 TOR 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

A comeback win in the day and a comeback win at night, with the added bonus of it being a walk-off.  Great day all around in Yankeeland yesterday as the playoff odds improve ever so slightly again.  And what's this??  A decent start from Phil Hughes?  At home???  Now it was a really good day.

Game Notes:

- Rajai Davis created a scoring chance for Toronto in the top of the 1st with a leadoff single, stolen base, and moved to third on a groundout.  A Hughes wild pitch and he was running home to give the Jays the early lead.

- The Bombers tied it up against Mark Buehrle in the bottom of the 3rd on a Robinson Cano RBI single.  He was white hot in the day game and it carried over into the night.  Props to Austin Romine for singling to start the rally.

- Hughes was in and out of trouble for most of the night.  His offspeed command was shaky at best and he once again struggled to finish 2-strike and 2-out at-bats.  A 1-out triple and a sac fly in the top of the 5th gave the lead back to the Jays.

- In fairness, Hughes was much better than he's been for the majority of the season.  He pitched into the 7th inning, allowed only the 2 runs, and struck out 6 batters before handing it over to Preston Claiborne and the rest of the 'pen.

- Hughes pitched well enough to win, but wasn't eligible to pick it up when the Yanks tied the game on a Jayson Nix solo HR and put the go-ahead run at second with an Austin Romine double.  Couldn't drive the run in though, and the game stayed tied into the bottom of the 9th.

- Mark Reynolds did what he does when he's not striking out or hitting home runs and led off the 9th with a walk.  Joe sent in Ichiro to run, and he moved to third base on a sac bunt and a steal.  Nix came up again and drove Ichiro home for the walk-off win.  Talk about a picture perfect half-inning.  Just the way Joe drew it up.

Game 124 Wrap-Up: NYY 8 TOR 4

(Not too familiar with home plate celebrations eh, Chris?  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees are approaching the AL East-heavy homestretch of the 2013 regular season, and they've built some positive momentum with a 7-3 run over their last 10 games.  The lineup is once again MLB-caliber, the starting pitching has been better, and the team returned home this afternoon fresh off a series victory on the road against their biggest rival.  This 4-game series against Toronto is critically important if the Yankees intend to stay even remotely close in the Wild Card and they got off the right start in the day half of today's doubleheader with a solid win.

Game Notes:

- Ivan Nova struggled with his 2-seamer command out of the gate and got into a ton of trouble in the top of the 2nd.  After giving up 2 runs and getting 2 outs, Nova gave up a big 2-run double to Rajai Davis on an 0-2 fastball to make it 4-0 Jays.

- The Yanks got a big chunk of that back in the bottom of the 3rd when Brett Gardner and Ichiro each got on with 1 out, setting the table for a 3-run Robinson Cano home run.

- They took the lead in the bottom of the 6th in a most unexpected way.  With 2 outs and Alex Rodriguez on first, Jayson Nix worked a 5-pitch walk against Neil Wagner to bring up Chris Stewart.  After getting a look at 3 fastballs, Stewart hit the next one out for his own 3-run homer and a 6-4 Yankee lead.

- Give Nova credit.  He wasn't at his best today, and much like his last start he gave up a lot hits and had to work out of trouble with a few big double plays.  But he didn't allow any more runs and pitched into the 7th.

- Cano tacked another run on in the 7th with a ribbie double, his 4th hit of the day, and Brett Gardner drove in another with a sac fly in the 8th.  Joe tried to get cute with the 4-run lead and go to Joba, but he eventually smartened up and called on Mo to get the final 2 outs after Joba walked Davis.

Dempster Gets Five Games, Joe Fined

Major League Baseball announced its ruling on the Ryan Dempster-Alex Rodriguez incident today.  Dempster was suspended for 5 games and fined for plunking A-Rod and Joe Girardi was fined an undisclosed amount for arguing with umpire Brian O'Nora.

The Dempster suspension doesn't come as a surprise.  MLB had to do something to punish him for what he did, lest it become target practice on A-Rod for other pitchers.  What's disappointing is that, as is usually the case with pitchers, the suspension really doesn't mean anything.  The Sawx have a few off-days in the next week, pushing their entire rotation back to the point that Dempster won't even miss his next start when the 5 games are up.  If you're going to suspend a player, he should actually have to miss a game that he would have otherwise played in.

As is also usually the case, O'Nora got off without any punishment for his role in the plunking.  Dempster absolutely should have been ejected from the game and wasn't.  Once again the umpires don't have to be accountable for their actions and conduct on the field while the players and coaches do.  Unreal.

A Doubleheader Of Divergent Career Paths

If you're looking for a quick visual representation of the Yankees' organizational struggles when it comes to developing starting pitching, look no further than the 2 guys starting today's doubleheader.

Ivan Nova was an undervalued international signing.  He's been a low-ceiling starter prospect, better than advertised Major Leaguer, Game 1 postseason starter, back end rotation fodder, human batting cage pitching machine, Minor League reclamation project, extra pitching staff depth, and injury question mark all in the span of 2 years.  Currently he's the second best starter in the 2013 rotation and has gotten his career back on track with the transition to an exclusive fastball/curveball approach.

Phil Hughes was a can't miss, #1, mega-hyped American prospect, expected to be the future ace of the staff once the Core Four era was over.  He's pitched brilliantly at times, he's pitched inconceivably bad at times, and his career has been defined by his inability to consistently do the most basic things on a pitching mound that a pitcher needs to do to be successful.  He's been the worst starter in the rotation by far this season and as he heads towards the possible final weeks of his Yankee career he's watching his free agent value deteriorate with every bad pitch.

These are the best the Yankee system has generated in the last 5-7 years, and that's not saying much.  Things look brighter for Nova now than Hughes, but based on his track record there's no way to know how long this stretch of effectiveness will last and if it will carry over into next year.  We'll get another look at both of them today and another look at what could have been and what may still be.

Last Time On "As The Quad Strains"

Joseph accused Randy of sabotaging Alex's career:

"They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer."

Randy called Alex out for hiding behind his lawyer, and challenged him to expose the truth:

"Alex should put up or shut up."

Alex tried to catch up on his reading:

"I've got to read the article first."

And Brian just didn't feel comfortable talking to Alex anymore:

"I don't feel comfortable talking to him. ... Hello, goodbye, and that’s it. Because anything else, I don’t want to be distorted, to be quite honest.”

What will happen next time?  Will Alex reveal his medical records?  Will Joseph expose Randy for his hurtful lies?  Will Alex get some time to check out that article??  And will Brian and Alex ever be able to repair their broken relationship???  Tune in next time to "As The Quad Strains."

Careful Not To Over-Rest Mo

(Courtesy of the AP)

Mariano Rivera made his return to the mound last night after a week off from action.  He hadn't pitched since blowing his third consecutive save last Sunday against the Tigers, and no, nothing was physically wrong with him.  After experiencing his first rough patch of the season, Joe elected to give Mo some extra time off after a somewhat heavy workload the week prior.  Overworking a 43-year-old baseball icon and risking injury to him would not be a fun way to finish Mo's final season, but to go a full week between appearances seemed like a bit of overkill.  After all, the only way a pitcher gets over command problems is by continuing to pitch and working through them.  Mo's recent struggles being command-based, it would have been helpful to get him some work prior to last night.

Yanks Still Owe Boston One With Two Series To Go

(Courtesy of the AP)

The buzz immediately after the Ryan Dempster-Alex Rodriguez incident last night was about retaliation.  Whether you liked that A-Rod got plunked or not, there was no denying that Dempster was way out of line in how he went about dishing his version of justice.  Joe Girardi justifiably lost his mind on Brian O'Nora when the warnings were issued without an ejection of Dempster and everybody knew somebody on Boston was getting plunked.  The ESPN cameras actually caught Joe saying it to whoever the third base ump was as he left the field.  It was just a matter of who, when, and what the end result of that was going to be.

Preach, Joe...

Fucking preach.  My opinion's biased as hell, but this guy is still AL Manager of the Year in my book.  Dynamite performance both on the field and in his office last night.

P.S.- Fucking pussy indeed.  Gif courtesy of @CorkGaines.

Game 123 Wrap-Up: NYY 9 BOS 6

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The stagnation of the Yankees' recent winning streak has put a major dent in their forward momentum.  They've gained little to no ground in any of the playoff races despite a 6-2 stretch and their failure to win a sloppy game on Saturday afternoon with their ace on the mound put them in a tough spot for the series finale in Boston.  Their once and former ace CC Sabathia got the final start and the Yankees needed him to continue to move forward in his battle to overcome his command issues and not have another forgettable Fenway Park outing.  Sabathia stumbled again, but the A-Rod-related fireworks stole the headlines.  At least they were on the field this time as the Yanks secured the series win.

Game Notes:

- CC was in trouble right out of the gate.  He loaded the bases in the first 4 batters of the 1st on a pair of walks and single.  Tough to avoid damage in those situations when you aren't at your best and CC ended up with 2 runs against him before he got out of the inning.

- His lineup picked him up with 3 runs in the next 2 innings to give him a lead, the big hit a Curtis Granderson double in the 2nd to set up the RISP situation and the big moment the Alex Rodriguez HBP that preceded it.

- It wasn't unexpected that somebody finally came inside and hit A-Rod.  What was surprising was that it took 4 pitches for Ryan Dempster to plunk him to start the 2nd, and what was even more surprising was home plate ump Brian O'Nora's decision to immediately warn both benches without ejecting Dempster.  Joe went understandably nuts and was ejected.  Terrible job by O'Nora there.  If he's going to pull the automatic double warning, he HAS to throw Dempster out.

- CC couldn't make the lead stand up.  He gave up leadoff doubles in the bottom of the 3rd and 4th and gave up 3 more runs in those innings.  Another in the 5th and he was out early in the 6th after another disappointing outing.

- Despite being down 6-3, The Yankee offense didn't say die and it was A-Rod who led the charge back.  His solo HR off Dempster to lead off the top of the 6th sparked a 4-run inning to regain the lead.  Brett Gardner's bases-clearing triple was the big hit.

- A couple insurance runs in the 7th and 9th provided plenty of cushion for Mo, who put the finishing touch on a terrific performance by the bullpen (3.2 IP, 0 R, 5 K) in his first work in a week.

BREAKING: Nunez Leaves With Leg Injury (Updated)

Plenty of more to come on this game tomorrow, but the big story at the moment is another injury to a Yankee shortstop.  Eduardo Nunez left tonight's game after appearing to injure his leg running the bases in the top of the 6th.  He was advancing to second on a single by Lyle Overbay, and after Chris Stewart walked to move him to third he was taken out of the game and replaced by Jayson Nix.  With no timetable for Jeter's return, the Yankees can ill afford to lose Nunez for extended time right now.

No word yet on any official diagnosis.  More on this story as it becomes available.

** UPDATE 10:17 PM- Via the beat writer corps, Nunez was taken out of the game with a tight right hamstring.  I assume an MRI will follow. **

A-Rod's Lawyer Kicks It Up A Dozen Notches With New Accusations

The Alex-Rodriguez-New York Yankees-Major League Baseball threeway legal dance surrounding the Biogenesis case and A-Rod's resulting suspension has already been playing out like great TV drama.  As someone who's admittedly tired of all the steroid talk in baseball and really doesn't care about it, I'll admit that I find each new rumor and leaked story to be both fascinating and entertaining.  When the baseball season ends and the appeal happens, it's going to be absolutely wild.

How much wilder will it be after the latest story and newest twists laid out by A-Rod's legal team?  Probably somewhere between "much" and "way."  In a story published by the New York Times yesterday, A-Rod's newest lawyer, Joseph Tacopina went on the offensive in his efforts to build A-Rod's defense case.  He accused the New York Yankees of intentionally hiding MRI results revealing A-Rod's labrum tear and continuing to play him while he was hurt, working in collusion with MLB to void A-Rod's contract and ban him from baseball, and singled out team president Randy Levine for allegedly telling the doctor performing A-Rod's hip surgery "I don't even want to see him on the field again."  That's not just "looking to get on base" type of going on the offensive, it's swinging for the fences as hard as you can with a juiced bat.

Game 122 Wrap-Up: BOS 6 NYY 1

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees came into Boston last night and beat up on the Sawx in a big way.  They outhit them, outpitched them, and even outdefended them by a slight margin.  They looked like the type of team that should be the leading the AL East, not one struggling to pull back into the AL playoff race.  They had another chance to get a step closer in that race this afternoon against John Lackey, one of the more outspoken players when it comes to Alex Rodriguez and the Biogenesis case and, in case anybody has forgotten, a certified jackass of the highest order.  There would have been nothing sweeter than to knock him around the park on route to another victory but today it just wasn't meant to be, not even with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.

Game Notes:

- It was a true all-or-nothing first few innings for the Yankee offense.  They went down 1-2-3 in the 1st and 3rd innings on 6 GB outs, and failed to score on a bases loaded situation in the 2nd and 2 hits in the 4th.

- They certainly weren't playing it safe against Lackey, attempting 3 steals in the first 2 innings.  Alfonso Soriano and Curtis Granderson were each successful in their first attempts.  Soriano got gunned down for the first out of the 4th after leading off with a single.

- Kuroda worked around 4 hits to keep Boston off the board through 3.  He couldn't repeat the feat in the bottom of the 4th and got burned for 2 runs on a Lyle Overbay error and questionable call at third base.  A few 2-out hits after the error made it a 3-0 lead.

- In their best chance of the day, the Yanks had second and third and nobody out in the top of the 5th and the top of the order coming up.  Another trio of groundouts led to just 1 run and got Lackey off the hook again.

- The Red Sox put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 6th, knocking Kuroda out in the process.  The final blow was a 2-out RBI double by Jacoby Ellsbury that made it a 5-1 lead.  Tough day for Kuroda all around.

- The Yanks just couldn't get the breaks when they needed them.  12 baserunners in 9 innings should generate more than 1 run.

Lack Of Logic In The Claiborne Demotion

The Yankees had to make yet another roster move yesterday to clear a 25-man spot for the newly signed Mark Reynolds.  In a move that came as a surprise, it was Preston Claiborne who got sent down.  With rosters expanding in 2 weeks, it's not the end of the world for him.  Claiborne will be called back up and he should re-assume the role he had carved out as top middle inning guy.  Still, the decision to send Claiborne down when there were other more worthy candidates doesn't make a whole lot of sense.