NYCurve Yankees Blog

Indians Win, 6 to 4

Andy Pettitte took the mound for the Bronx Bombers today, in a loss to the Indians. Cleveland scored five of their six runs off of Pettite, who pitched five innings. Billy Traber pitched an inning after him and Jose Albaladejo wrapped up the game by pitching the last two innings. Four of the six runs that Cleveland scored were on two homers allowed by Pettitte in the bottom of the fifth. Other than that all three pitchers had pretty good days.

The offense could have won this one for the Yanks, but it continues to be lackluster for the most part. The Yankees only managed to get six hits. Both Posada and Rodriguez played today, but the offense continued to play like it has been. There isn’t really much more to say about it.

Next game is tomorrow at 3:55EST in Cleveland again. Ian Kennedy will square off against Jeremy Sowers. The game will be aired on FOX.

Close Game Ends in Loss For Yankees

The Yankees lost in a close one against the White Sox today after Joe Crede drove in a run in the bottom of the ninth, giving the White Sox the go ahead run. Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and only pitched two innings. But, it wasn’t because of bad play this time that he didn’t go into the third. In fact, he pitched well, only giving up no runs and only one hit. The reason he didn’t continue playing was because there was a rain delay and Joe Girardi decided not to put Hughes back in after a 51-minute rain delay.

Instead of Hughes, Ross Ohlendorf and LaTroy Hawkins pitched a couple of innings each. Ohlendorf had a rough night, allowing five runs, while surprisingly Hawkins only allowed one. Farnsworth relieved and Joba Chamberlain pitched the last inning and some. Joba ended up taking the loss after Crede hit the game winning single off of him. Definitely no worries though, as this is only the fourth run Joba has allowed in his 20+ innings pitched in the majors.

Tonight’s offense was ok, with nine hits and six runs by the Yankees. It could be better, but it could also be worse. Also, Alex Rodriguez was out again (Morgan Ensberg took his spot.)

Tonight’s game was the last of a three game series with the Chicago White Sox. Next up are the Cleveland Indians, in what will be a rematch of last year’s infamous ALDS. Andy Pettitte will take on Paul Byrd. The game is scheduled for 7:05EST.

$175k For a Battered Jersey

The David Ortiz jersey that was thrown in the cement of New Yankee Stadium in an attempt to curse the Yankees was auctioned off on Ebay in an auction that ended today at 12:30. The jersey fetched an astounding $175,000 and the Yankees have decided to donate the money to the Jimmy Fund, a cancer charity. At least some good came out of Gino Castignolli’s (the construction worker who threw the jersey in the wet cement) action. The winner of the bidding will also get a pair of Red Sox game tickets and a new jersey with the latest artifact from the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry.

Yankees Win 6-4

Mike Mussina got the victory today as the Yankees beat the White Sox again. Moose was stellar, pitching 7 innings and allowing only 4 hits and 2 runs. Ex-Yankee Javier Vazquez started for Chicago and didn’t have such a great day. He allowed 10 hits and 6 runs in a little over 5 innings pitched.

For the Yankees LaTroy Hawkins and Billy Traber relived and Mariano Rivera closed. Hawkins continued his awful season by allowing two runs in .1 innings pitched. Good thing we got him on that short deal so that he won’t be around for very long if he keeps this up.

The Pinstripes looked ok on offense today, with 12 hits and 6 runs. Jorge Posada had a good day with four hits and two RBI. The only other multiple hit players were Damon and Cabrera. 6 runs is ok, but off of 12 hits we can definetely try to get a couple more.

Tomorrow at 8:10EST is the third game against the White Sox. Phil Hughes will take the mound for the Yanks and Gavin Floyd for the White Sox. The game will be aired on YES.

Yankees Beat White Sox

The Yankees beat the White Sox, 9 to 5 today. The bats were swinging nicely despite A. Rod. being out due to his quads (Morgan Ensberg took over at 3B.) The offense combined for 9 runs off 11 hits including a grand slam by Bobby Abreu, a 3-run home run by Johnny Damon, and a solo shot by Jason Giambi. It is good to see the offense doing its part once more, especially Bobby Abreu who has gotten off to a much better start than last year with 3 home runs and a .312 batting average. Abreu recognized the need to step up after Rodriguez’s injury and that combined with his past success at U.S. Cellular Field gave him created the perfect situation for him.

On the defensive side, things were ok. Chien-Ming Wang started and was in for 6 innings. He allowed a lot of hits (10), but only gave up three runs. After Wang Billy Traber, Brian Bruney, Joba Chamberlain, and Kyle Farnsworth split the rest of the pitches. Traber and Farnsworth each allowed a run and Farnsworth took the win. Joba and Bruney both continued their solid seasons by allowing no runs.

Tomorrow is a rematch against Chicago. The game is at 8:10EST and Moose will take on another ex-Yankee in Javier Vazquez. The game will be on ESPN.

The Joba Debate: Round 2

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.