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It’s back! The analysts are once more debating whether or not Joba should start after another bold statement by Hank Steinbrenner saying that Chamberlain should be in the rotation right now. Here is part of his statement, an entertaining read as usual:

“I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now, there is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

Now it is understandable why little George is upset due to the lackluster 10-10 start. It may not be the greatest beginning to a season, but compared to last year we are doing much better. Also, since Joba is a young pitcher, keeping his pitch count low is important in order to reduce the risk of burnout later in his career.

General Manager Brain Cashman responded to the Joba questions today stating that he will be staying in the bullpen for now. They have a set plan for him and they want to stick to it. Tip of the hat to Cashman for thinking wisely and for the future.

The Yankees finally beat the Orioles today and avoided the sweep. Andy Pettitte was solid once more, pitching seven innings of scoreless ball and allowing only four hits. He ended the day with 5 Ks also. Joba came in briefly afterwards, but was taken out after allowing a run. That earned run is only the second he has allowed in 30+ innings pitched so far in the big leagues! Bruney and Rivera both pitched scoreless innings afterwards to end the game.

The Bombers ended up getting the much wanted win, in a 7-1 victory. Derek Jeter had a good game, going 2 for 5 and getting 3 RBI. Johnny Damon look good as well with a couple of hits, including a two run home run in the seventh. The Yankees won, but sadly the win wasn’t all fun and games. Alex Rodriguez strained his right quads while running to first on a grounder. He said that he hopes it won’t be a problem since he hasn’t had problems with his quads in a long time and because he is going to be taking the precautions to get back to 100% as soon as possible. Currently he is only one of two AL players who have started every game this season and he we all hope he can continue that streak. The Yankees have an off-day tomorrow, so that will give him some time to relax.

So now the Yankees are 10-10, 3 games behind first in the AL East. While it may seem like a bad start, it is nothing compared to last year when we went 9-14 in April. Keep in mind that we have had injury problems which has meant that all of our starters haven’t been on the field at the same time for a while. Once we get into the season injuries will slow down as players get more used to daily games.

The next scheduled game for the Yanks is against the White Sox on Tuesday. Chien-Ming Wang, our ace, will take the mound as ex-Yankee Jose Contreras suits up for Chicago. The game is at 8:10 EST and will be broadcasted on YES.

Wow, just wow. The Orioles beat the Yankees again today, but this time they managed to win 6-0. So far it looks like the O’s are going to be a problem for us again this year. The young pitcher blues are still around today with Ian Kennedy, who started for the Yanks, lasting only 2.2 innings. He gave up 5 hits and 4 runs, including a homer to Kevin Millar. Ross Ohlendorf pitched 3.1 innings after that, giving up two runs in that time. He has still been great for the Yankees thus far, it’d be great if he keeps it up. Traber and Chamberlain pitched the rest of the game and thankfully Joba is still Joba. He pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two.

Kennedy really needs to step it up with his spot in the rotation in jeopardy. He has been very ineffective so far this season and Girardi isn’t pleased. I bet he isn’t happy with the Yankee offense either though, especially since Brian Burres, who started for the Orioles, wasn’t stellar either. Burres allowed 5 of the 6 hits the Bombers got in the game, yet no points were scored on our side.

Tomorrow is the series finale against the Orioles. To the Yankees: please win, a loss means you got swept by the Orioles! The offense and pitching really needs to step it up a notch in order for us to start winning again so that we can get out of this three game skid. Andy Pettitte will start against Steve Trachsel.

Kyle Farnsworth has been fined and suspended for three games for throwing the ball at Manny Ramirez’s back in last Thursday’s game. Now this is just ridiculous, especially considering that it didn’t even hit Manny. Farnsworth and the team was shocked when they heard the news and an appeal request has been placed. Farnworth said it was simply a mistake and that the ball slipped. We all know that he doesn’t have the best control over his pitches, so it certainly might’ve been a mistake. Ramirez believes that it was just retaliation for David Aardsma’s pitch that hit A. Rod. Manny said that he understands if it was intentional and he isn’t angry about it because Farnsworth was backing up his teammate.

Phil Hughes has now dropped to 0-3 after a loss to the Orioles today. He pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 5 runs and 9 hits. On the bright side he showed better command than in his first two outings. The hits he allowed weren’t anything big, the Orioles are just playing great fundamental baseball at this point. We must keep in mind that Hughes is the youngest pitcher in the majors and just because he has lost a few games doesn’t mean that he is a failure. He will have plenty of chances and he has already shown improvement. On top of that the Yankees are still on the coattails of being in 1st in the AL East, so there is no worry. Just remember it could be worse. Look at the Tigers or Indians if you need an example, or even where the Yanks were last year come May. The season is far from over even if these loses may be disappointing.

Ok, that’s enough for my rant. Back to the game: after Hughes was taken out LaTroy Hawkins came in and gave up three runs in less than an inning before being taken out as well. Looks like he didn’t carry over the momentum from his performance against the Red Sox a couple of nights ago. Edwar Ramirez pitched the final 2+ innings for the Yanks. He looked pretty good out there allowing no only 1 hit and striking out 3.

The Yankee offense had a measly night, scoring only two runs. One was due to an error by the Orioles and the other was a home run by Chad Mueller in the 7th. It wasn’t enough to overcome the 8 runs the Orioles put up. 7 of the 8 runs came in the sixth and the amazing thing about that was most of the hits were just singles. The O’s played it safe as they have all year long so far and it is paying off.

The Yanks will take on Baltimore again tomorrow at 7:05EST. The game will be aired on YES as our other young pitcher, Ian Kennedy, takes on Brian Burres.

The Yankees were unable to pull off the two game sweep of the Red Sox due to a rampant Manny Ramirez and a not so solid Mike Mussina. Moose pitched for three innings and gave up five of the seven runs Boston scored. Most of Mussina’s bad play came against Ramirez, who hit two home runs against him, which added a total of three to the board. He later scored another run, ending the game with three runs, three hits, and three RBIs. Kyle Farnsworth nearly hit him with a 97 mph fastball in the seventh inning, which led to cheers by the fans and warnings for both dugouts. Farnsworth said that it just slipped, but many including Ramirez believe that it was retaliation for the hit A. Rod. took against Boston reliever David Aardsma. Manny seemed to understand and nothing more transpired.

The game ended with Josh Beckett taking the win and Mussina taking the loss. The Yankees five scores came in the fifth and ninth innings thanks to Jeter, who batted in two, and Abreu, Cano, and Cabrera who each drove in one (Melky’s was actually a homer in the bottom of the ninth.)

Next up are the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05EST tomorrow. Phil Hughes starts for the Yanks and Daniel Cabrera for the Orioles. Hopefully this season will be better against the Orioles than last year, when we split the wins evenly with them.

This is what it is all about. Tonight’s game lasted an astounding 4+ hours and really showcased why our rivalry with the Red Sox is the biggest in sports. The game had thrills and excitement from the get go and both offense’s were potent throughout the night. This obviously means that the pitching wasn’t so great, but the Yanks won and that’s what matters. The Yankees pulled through with an unbelievable 15 runs in a regular 9 inning game! The Red Sox managed to scored 9.

The offensive onslaught began in the first with homers by both Bobby Abreu and A Rod. A Rod’s home run now puts him as the lone person at number 15 on the all-time career list. And he is only 32! It is an amazing accomplishment and it is great to see him do it in pinstripes.

Now back to the game review… The Yanks went out of the first inning with a 3-1 lead over the BoSox. Then the offense got quiet for a couple of innings before having two consecutive four-run innings in the fourth and fifth. We had one more 4-run inning in the eighth and the bottom of the ninth wasn’t necessary since we had the lead already. The team combined for a total of 16 hits and really just bashed the Red Sox pitchers, especially Clay Buchholz,  Julian Tavarez, and Mike Timlin.

That’s not to say that the Red Sox didn’t do some damage themselves either. Sadly Chien-Ming Wang didn’t have another complete game, instead allowing eight runs in four innings before being pulled. It happens to everyone sometimes, especially early in the year, so its nothing to worry about. The way Wang has played so far this year (excluding this game) has been just perfect and he should get back to that excellence in his next start. On the bright side of the Yankee pitching tonight was LaTroy Hawkins, who allowed only one hit in two scoreless innings. He left with the win as well and Brian Bruney picked up the save.

The Yankees take on the Red Sox again tomorrow night and a win there would mean we take sole control of the top spot in the AL East. The game is scheduled for 7:05EST and will be aired on YES. The starters are Mike Mussina and Josh Beckett.

Today was the second of a two game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees left with the win as Andy Pettitte has another great game. He pitched for seven innings, allowing three runs and nine hits and accumulating five strikeouts. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 8th and Rivera closed for the save. A quote from Pettitte after the game:

“All of my pitches were working for the first time. I’m definitely pleased with where it’s going. Each game has gotten better and better. I’m just real happy that I was able to get to my curveball a lot tonight. My curveball has been non-existent.”

It’s great to hear him confident once more. It looks like the transition from the tough offseason will be no problem at all for Pettitte this year.

The game ended with a score of 5 to 3. Matsui hit the only home run of the game in the top of the second. The team had a total of eight hits, which isn’t too high, but they capitalized on five of them, which is great.

Next up are the Red Sox, who we will start a two game series with. Staff ace, Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound tomorrow against Clay Buchholz. The game starts at 7:05EST and will be broadcasted on both YES and ESPN2.

Tonight’s game against the Rays was not only great since we won, but it also had some history to it. Alex Rodriguez hit a home run in the first which now puts him at 521, tied with greats Ted Williams and Willie McCovey. It was a special moment for A. Rod. and he is obviously very happy about it as are us Yankee fans. Today’s game was just filled with homers, with four by the Yanks and three by the Rays. Among these was Robinson Cano’s pinch-hit home run, which gave the Yanks the lead in the eighth.

The game had been tied after Tampa dominated the bullpen in the seventh with three blasts. Ian Kennedy played into the seventh today and for the first time this regular season he looked good. He allowed 8 hits, but only three runs and he struck out 4. He left the game wobbling in the 7th after being hit by a line drive. It doesn’t look like anything too serious though, so that’s good.

Mariano Rivera came in to close the game and successfully did so, pitching 1.1 innings of shutout ball. He got the save and Brian Bruney got the win. Overall a good day, except for the bullpen.

Next up are the Rays again at 7:10EST tomorrow. The game will be aired on YES as Andy Pettitte takes on Edwin Jackson.

Phil Hughes started against the Red Sox tonight, in the last game of the series. He struggled early on and ended up staying in for only 2 innings. His ERA is now 9.00 on the season after allowing seven runs last night. He did strike out three, so he wasn’t bad on all of his pitches. It was a really crazy game for both sides. Dice K stumbled as well, allowing four runs and walking six in 5 innings. He has huge control issues yesterday. The only people that had good days were some of the relievers (on both sides.)

Ross Ohlendorf came in after Hughes and pitched 3 innings, followed by LaTroy Hawkins who pitched 2 and Farnsworth who closed. They only allowed one run and five hits total. The big story of the night for the Yanks was that Jose Molina got injured. Jorge Posada had to come in despite being told he couldn’t play. The injury bug really seems to have hit early this year for the Bombers.

With this game the Yankees drop to 6-7, but it isn’t too bad even though it may seem like it. We are still within 1.5 games of the division leader (currently the Orioles!) and it is still April. Also, the Yankees have seen similar starts in the past few years and we’ve still made it to the postseason every year. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new series, against the Rays. Game-time is 7:10 EST and it will be aired on YES. Ian Kennedy is starting for the Yanks and Andy Sonnanstine for the Rays.

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