On the Yankees beat

Today's game was rained out. They have not announced a makeup date yet, but the two possibilities they're discussing are July 24th and Sept. 1st. Although there are several other mutual off days earlier in the season, it would either cause one team to break the players' association rule of not playing more than 20 consecutive days or is undesirable from a travel standpoint.

Mike Mussina's the Yankees' union rep, and he said Sept. 1st would be preferable if it's a day game. The Yankees start a three-city trip to Tampa, Seattle and Anaheim the next day, so it wouldn't be good to have the super-late arrival in Tampa. A day game then (it's Labor Day) would be better than July 24th though since they'd have to play 20+ games in a row with the July option.

This rainout could allow the Yankees to skip Kei Igawa. They weren't helped in their efforts to do that with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's game getting rained out. Ian Kennedy was slated to start today, and if he had pitched well, he could have pitched Friday. But now Kennedy was pushed back. Igawa may pitch Thursday or Friday, or they could replace him in the rotation.

Hey fans! Marc here as today’s blogger on this Mother’s Day. The Yankees (19-19) are trying to win 2-of-3 as Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) will try to out duel fellow lefty Nate Robertson (1-4, 6.64 ERA) and the Tigers (16-22).

It’s raining right now in Detroit. The tarp is still on the field. Looks like they will wait to see if they can get this one in.

Stay tuned for weather updates.

Sorry folks, this one has been postponed. No word on when it will be made up.

Here's the lineup on a rainy day in Detroit. Rainy enough that there's a decent chance this game will not be played today. If it is, though, Derek Jeter is batting cleanup for the second time in his career. That got some ribbing for the captain, who hit his first home run of the season yesterday. Joe Girardi said Jeter would have been hitting fourth even if he didn't homer yesterday. He wanted to give Hideki Matsui a day off, and was trying to avoid stacking the lefthanded hitters too much.

Yankees
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Abreu DH
Jeter SS
Giambi 1B
Duncan RF
Cano 2B
Molina C
Gonzalez 3B

Pettitte LHP

Tigers
Rodriguez C
Polanco 2B
Guillen 3B
Ordonez DH
Cabrera 1B
Thames RF
Renteria SS
Raburn LF
Inge CF

Robertson LHP

Wilson Betemit left the game in the fourth inning with what has been diagnosed as a strained right hamstring. I assume he'll be headed to the disabled list, adding to the shocking totals on the DL. If that's the case, we'll probably see Alberto Gonzalez soon.

Derek Jeter hit his first home run of the season a few minutes ago, a solo shot to rightfield with one out in the first inning. He had a 128 at-bat homerless streak to start the season, the longest streak to start a season of his career.

Here are some notes on Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi, each of whom has begun having more success in the past few days. In the past seven days, Cano is batting .318 (7-of-22) with two doubles, two homers and four RBIs. Giambi is batting .267 (4-of-15) with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs.

I talked to Giambi before yesterday's game about whether Thursday's game (in which he homered off Paul Byrd) could help jump-start him. He said: "Everybody wants to keep talking about results, and that's what matters. But I'm making contact. It'd be a different situation if I was striking out or not making contact. I feel great (at the plate)."
That's why this slump has been tough for him (still hitting only .178 on the year), because he feels like his approach is one that should bring success. "Trust me, it's not fun to be looking up and see those numbers," said Giambi, who homered last night too.
Just three players in the American League had more than Giambi's seven home runs. Of his 16 hits this season, 12 have gone for extra-bases.

Hey baseball fans, Chris Mascaro here to bring you all the live game action of the Yankees (18-19) and the Tigers (16-21). The Tigers have had the Yankees' number so far this season, going 4-0 against them.

The Yankees sit in 4th place, 4.5 games behind the Red Sox, while the Tigers are also in 4th, but just 3.5 games behind the Twins in a relatively weak AL Central thus far.

Today, Darrell Rasner (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will toss his second game of the season. Since Kei Igawa doesn't really seem like the fix for the Yanks' starting pitching problems, the onus is on Rasner to stick in the rotation until Phil Hughes heals and Ian Kennedy works out his issues down on the farm.

Jeremy Bonderman (2-3, 4.17) gets the ball for the Tigers. He was great in his last start against the Yanks on April 30 at the Stadium.

While watching the first game of the Mets doubleheader, I heard an interesting stat. Gary Cohen said that the Mets have the highest percentage of lefty at-bats in the major leagues at 67 percent. The Yankees were the second at 62. The league average? 42 percent. Surely not having A-Rod (righty) and Posada (switch hitter) in the lineup affects that stat.

Maybe that's why the Yankees are just 4-6 against lefties this season. Won't be a problem today against the righty Robertson, but I thought it was an interesting stat nevertheless.

Okay we're almost ready for baseball on FOX!!

Top of the 1st: The captain homered for the first time this season to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Then two straight singles by Abreu and Matsui were followed by walks to Giambi and Melky, the latter walking in a run to give the Yanks a 2-0 lead.

Cano hit a rocket to second baseman Ramon Santiago with the bases loaded and one out, but he started a nifty 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and avert potential disaster for the Tigers in the first inning.

Bottom of the 1st: Matt Joyce hit his first career home run, on what looked to be an easy fly ball. But Abreu lost it in the sun and the ball carried right over the right centerfield fence to pull the Tigers within one at 2-1. Otherwise, Rasner looked okay, but the mistake to Joyce cost him.

Top of the 2nd: A 1-2-3 inning for Bonderman. Betemit and Chad Moeller gave the ball a ride, but both were warning track shots. Granderson made a nice running catch on Betemit's drive. Damon struck out for the second time today, and looks uncomfortable with Bonderman's off-speed stuff.

Bottom of the 2nd: Rasner looks like he's settled down now. He got Miguel Cabrera to fly out, struck out Gary Sheffield and got Edgar Renteria to ground out to third. He only has thrown 26 pitches, while his counterpart Bonderman already has 41. Could be a short day for the Tiger starter.

Top of the 3rd: Bonderman looked like he's settled down as well, getting Jeter and Abreu to ground out and then striking out Matsui on three nice sliders.

Bottom of the 3rd: The Tigers squandered a leadoff single by Pudge Rodriguez. Santiago bunted him over, but Granderson grounded out and Joyce popped out. Why did Leyland bunt with no outs and a runner on first? Does he think runs will be at a premium with Rasner dealing? Seemed like an odd play, especially with a guy (Santiago) who's been hitting at a .370 clip this season.

Top of the 4th: Two out hits will get you to heaven, they say. Betemit flied one to the deepest part of the park in dead center to score Robinson Cano, who walked. Yanks lead 3-1, but Betemit looks like he tweaked something on the play, and he was yanked in favor of Morgan Ensberg. The Yanks can't afford any more injuries, so I'm sure they are hoping Betemit's injury isn't serious.

The Yanks are making Bonderman work today. He's got 79 pitches through four innings.

Bottom of the 4th: Rasner has his second 1-2-3 inning of the game. He's given up just two hits through four innings, and thrown just 49 pitches so far. Just what the doctor—er, manager—ordered.

Top of the 5th: After a Jeter single, Girardi dialed up a hit-and-run. Abreu served a pitch into left field, and when Matt Joyce slipped, Jeter was able to score and Abreu moved to second. Yanks took a 4-1 lead.

Leyland lifted Bonderman after that in favor of Bobby Seay. Bonderman went 4+, allowing five earned runs on six hits, with three strikeouts and four walks.

Giambi doubled in Abreu to make it 5-1 Yanks. The run was charged to Bonderman.

Cano singled with two outs but Giambi blew past Bobby Meachem's stop sign at third base and was thrown out by Pudge trying to retreat.

Bottom of the 5th: Rasner walked Sheffield to start the inning (his first base on balls issued this season), but Jeter made a nice stab on a Renteria liner. Sheffield was moving on a hit-and-run, so he was easily doubled up. Seems like Leyland is really trying to manufacture runs against Rasner, but nothing seems to be working. Pudge lined out to end the inning. Rasner has only 60 pithes through five innings. Great effort by him today.

Top of the 6th: Ensberg walked, the fifth issued by Tigers pitching, but Damon grounded out on a fielder's choice and then was thrown out trying to steal second.

Bottom of the 6th: Granderson gave the ball a ride, but Abreu caught it on the warning track for the second out. Joyce singled with two outs, and has two of the Tigers' three hits, but he was stranded there after Guillen grounded into a force out.

Top of the 7th: 1-2-3 go Jeter, Abreu and Matsui off Seay. Still 5-1 Yanks.

Bottom of the 7th: Magglio Ordonez singled to lead the inning off, and Rasner was pulled after 87 pitches in favor of Kyle Farnsworth. He pitched wonderfully, allowing two earned runs on four hits over six innings with one strikeout and one walk.

Farnsworth gave up a single to the first batter he faced, Miguel Cabrera, and then Gary Sheffield ripped a shot down the left-field line to score Ordonez, and make it 5-2 Yanks.

Renteria had a soft pop to Cano for the first out, and then Pudge went down swinging on a 3-2 count. Placido Polanco pinch hit for Santiago and flew out to Jeter to end the inning. After some early jitters, Farnsworth did a nice job getting out of a 2nd and 3rd, no-out jam.

Top of the 8th: Francisco Cruceta came in and sat the Yankees down 1-2-3. He struck Melky out on a nasty changeup. By the way, Seay did a nice job in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk over three innings with one strikeouts and no runs.

Bottom of the 8th: Joba struck out Granderson for the first out and induced ground outs by Joyce and Guillen for a 1-2-3 inning. No fist pumps after the inning. Mo Rivera will face the heart of the Tigers' order in the ninth.

Top of the 9th: Cruceta gave up a two-out bloop single to Damon, but Jeter stranded him there after striking out looking. (Cruceta pumped his fist after the out, for the record.)

Nice job by the Tigers' bullpen keeping the Yankees within reach, with five inning of work and no runs. The offense hasn't chipped away at the lead though.

Bottom of the 9th: Mo Rivera gave up a leadoff single to Magglio Ordonez (7-of-13 off Rivera), but got Cabrera to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Sheffield grounded out to Cano to end the game.

Yanks win, 5-2.

Here's the recap:

WP--Rasner (2-0)
LP--Bonderman (2-4)
HR: NYY 1 (Jeter, 1st), DET 1 (Joyce, 1st)

Yankees (19-19)
Tigers (16-22)

Darrell Rasner threw six innings, allowing two earned runs of four hits with a walk and a strikeout. Derek Jeter went 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs, and Bobby Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.

Take care everyone!

Here's the lineup for this afternoon's game. For those of you planning to watch, I hear Shelley Duncan's lineup introduction is outstanding. It's on Fox with a 3:40 p.m. start time.
No news yet on Jonathan Albaladejo. Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both had good days this morning in Tampa. Jeff Karstens threw 42 pitches in a simulated game today.
Joe Girardi said he hadn't yet talked with Brian Cashman about Kei Igawa making another start, so the plan has not changed as yet as far as Igawa starting Wednesday.

Yankees
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Betemit 3B
Moellerr C

Rasner P

Tigers
Granderson CF
Joyce LF
Guillen 3B
Ordonez RF
Cabrera 1B
Sheffield DH
Renteria SS
Rodriguez C
Santiago 2B

Bonderman P

Kei Igawa's first major league start may have been even worse than the numbers indicate. And that's even with him giving up six earned runs on 11 hits in three innings plus four batters. The Tigers had just two (TWO!!) swings and misses against him in 64 pitches. That's brutal.

Yet, after the game, Igawa seemed to have no realization how badly he pitched. He said he wished he had gotten more strikeouts, and that the Tigers found holes with their ground balls. Really?? They launched shots to the outfield all game against him. Joe Girardi said Igawa only commanded his fastball for strikes. Igawa, though, said he thought his changeup was good and slider not too bad.

Hmmm, something's not translating.

Oh, and Jonathan Albaladejo is going on the disabled list. He's headed to New York in the morning to have an MRI on his right elbow.

Hey fans. The last time these two teams played, the Detroit Tigers (15-21) swept the Yankees (18-18) in a three-game series at the Stadium. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again. The Yankees have Kei Igawa starting tonight. You remember him, right? The Yankees signed Igawa last year, but he was ineffective as a starter and was demoted. Well, he’s back. Given that Phil Hughes is hurt and Ian Kennedy has under-performed, Igawa has a second chance to show what he can (or cannot) do. At Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Igawa went 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He is going up against Kenny Rogers, who is 2-3 with a 6.27 ERA.

Top of 1st: The Yanks had something cooking with two on and one out, but Rogers, the crafty veteran, got Matsui to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 1st: It wasn’t a pretty inning for Igawa. He got hit hard, allowed a leadoff double to Ivan Rodriguez, who later scored on sacrifice fly by Carlos Guillen. He allowed a double to Ordonez, but escaped further trouble when he got Miguel Cabrera to fly out to end the inning. Tigers 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 2nd: The Giambino homered to right to tie things up. Wilson Betemit followed with an infield single, but got picked off by Rogers to end the inning. Yanks 1, Tigers 1.

Bottom of 2nd: Nice inning for Igawa. No further damage has been done. Let’s see if he can settle down now.

Top of 3rd: The Yanks had first and second with one out on a double by Cabrera and a walk by Jeter, but Abreu struck out and Matsui hit a weak grounder back to Rogers.

Bottom of 3rd: Not a good inning for the Yanks. First Duncan couldn’t handle a throw by Jeter. Then Betemit failed to few plays. Pudge ripped an RBI double past him; he could not bare hand a weak grounder from Polanco; then Ordonez lined a run-scoring single past him, before Sheff hit an RBI double. Tigers 4, Yanks 1.

Top of 4th: The Yanks go down in order.

Bottom of 4th: Igawa’s major league career may just be over. He gave up four singles in the inning, including RBI base hits to Pudge and Polanco, forcing Girardi to take him out. Jonathan Albaladejo came in and didn’t allow anymore runs. Ordonez struck out looking to end the inning. Igawa’s line: six runs on 11 hits in three innings. Tigers 6, Yanks 1.

Top of 5th: The Yankees are just not getting any timely hitting. Cano and Cabrera each singled in between a Moeller strikeout, but the Captain hit into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 5th: Betemit made up slightly for his poor fielding by starting a double play on a ball hit by Sheffield. Yankees keep Tigers off the board. Let’s see if they can get to the old man and score more runs.

Top of 6th: Not sure if they Yankees are bad or Rogers is really good? Might by a combination of the two, I suppose. The Yankees had second and third on a single by Duncan and a double by Giambi, but Betemit grounded out to third to end the inning. Still 6-1, Tigers.

Bottom of 6th: Albaladejo left the game with a right hand injury. Let’s hope he is ok. LaTroy Hawkins relieved him and got Polanco to line out to second and Guillen to ground out to first. Granderson, who hit for Raburn, singled, stole second and went to third on Moeller’s errant throw.

Top of 7th: OK, the Yankees got one back. Cano led off the inning with a ground-rule double, which ended Rogers night, and moved to third on a wild pitch by Zach Miner before trotting home on a single by Moeller. Tigers 6, Yankees 2.

Bottom of 7th: 1-2-3 inning for Hawkins. He got Ordonez and Cabrera to ground out to Jeter then struck out Sheffield.

Top of 8th: Yanks go down in order. One more inning to go, folks.

Bottom of 8th: Looks like Betemit won’t be playing third base again anytime soon. He has looked awful there. Renteria hit one to him to start off the inning and he made another error. Luckily, the error didn’t cost the Yankees as Thames grounded out, Granderson struck out and Pudge flied out. Edwar Ramirez pitched the inning by the way after Hawkins pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings.

Top of 9th: The Yankees scored three runs off closer Todd Jones on a run-scoring groundout by Cano, an RBI single by Jeter and an RBI double by Abreu. But after intentionally walking Matsui with two outs, Jones got Duncan to fly out. Final: Tigers 6, Yankees 5.

Here are some pre-game notes and the lineup in Detroit:

*Kyle Farnsworth was pleased about his suspension being reduced from three games to one game, saying: "I thought it was going to be two at the least. I think it all worked out good."

*Joba Chamberlain does not plan to change anything about the way he shows emotion on the mound, despite all the critics on sports talk radio, ESPN, Jim Rome and the like.
"It is what it is. I got to where I'm at because I am who I am. I'm not going to change that."
He mentioned several players who are very emotional in the game, such as Manny Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano, and said that's who they are. He said he wouldn't mind if a hitter -- David Dellucci or anyone -- showed emotion after beating him.
Joe Girardi said he has no plans to say anything to Chamberlain about showing less emotion. "I don't believe Joba's showing anybody up."

*Brian Cashman said Alex Rodriguez will have an MRI Monday morning. That means Rodriguez could play in an extended spring training game as early as Tuesday, and perhaps be ready to come off the disabled list Thursday.

*The Padres claimed left-hander Sean Henn off waivers.

Lineup
Yankees
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui LF
Duncan 1B
Giambi DH
Betemit 3B
Cano 2B
Moeller C

Igawa LHP

Tigers
Rodriguez C
Polanco 2B
Guillen 3B
Ordonez RF
Cabrera 1B
Sheffield LF
Renteria SS
Thames DH
Raburn CF

Rogers LHP

Kyle Farnsworth's three-game suspension was slashed to one game by Major League Baseball. He was suspended for throwing behind Manny Ramirez's head last month. He will miss tonight's game.

Sounds like Alex Rodriguez's rehab is going swimmingly. The AP report out of Tampa says he took 57 swings in batting practice, and fielded 31 grounders at third base. It says he hit several long home runs, and ran in the outfield, and said the session went "good."
Jorge Posada also took batting practice for the first time since going on the DL. The report said he took 28 swings right-handed and 26 left-handed.

Since this has been discussed ad nauseam on talk radio, do you like Joba Chamberlain getting pumped up on the mound or is it too much?

On The Final Score Anthony and I debate Kei Igawa's future and talk to Scott Brosius.

Headed to Detroit, where two teams expected to be higher in the standings will face off. The Tigers have been bigger underachievers, compared to expectations, than the Yankees. The Tigers are 15-21 and in last in the AL Central. The Yankees are 18-18 (but only a game up on the last-place Blue Jays in the tight AL East). Then again, the Tigers swept a three-game series against the Yankees in New York last week.

Probably the most interesting thing to watch from a Yankees standpoint is how Kei Igawa fares in his first big league start this season. He is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and has 40 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings. But the major leagues were much tougher for him last year. The Yankees keep getting lots of left-handed pitching opponents, with Kenny Rogers on the mound tonight for Detroit and Nate Robertson on Sunday. Right-hander Jeremy Bonderman will pitch Saturday for the Tigers.

To find out where, click here.

Pregame chatter

Cleveland Indians (16-17) at Yankees (17-18), 1:05 p.m.

Starters: Paul Byrd (1-2, 3.74) for the Indians and Mike Mussina (4-3, 4.23) for the Yankees.

Broom and doom: The Indians go for their first three-game sweep of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in over 19 years in the series finale this afternoon.

Last starts: Byrd got a no-decision, scattering four hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings in his team's 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners last Thursday. Mussina has won his last three starts, including a win over Seattle last Saturday. He allowed a run and seven hits in six innings against the Mariners.

We'll have game updates here. Just click your refresh button. The live chat box and polls will appear below.

Top of 1st: Grady Sizemore starts the game with a single to right. Jamey Carroll grounded into a fielder's choice (Sizemore was out at second). David Dellucci flied out to centerfield. What is Dellucci doing batting third and DHing? Jhonny Peralta struck out. Good comeback by Mussina.

Bottom of 1st: 1-2-3 inning for Paul Byrd.

Top of 2nd: Mussina counters with his own 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom of 2nd: First hit of the day for the Yankees, a single to left center by Hideki Matsui. Matsui's hitting streak is now at 17 games. But no damage. Jason Giambi flied out and Melky Cabrera grounded into a double play on a hit-and-run attempt.

Top of 3rd: Another 1-2-3 inning for Mussina. And he's only thrown 37 pitches through three innings.

Bottom of 3rd: We've got a semi-pitcher's duel going here. Byrd retires the Yankees in order.

Top of 4th: After giving up the leadoff single to Sizemore, Mussina has now retired 12 straight. Seven outs have been on groundballs.

Bottom of 4th: Johnny Damon homers to right to put the Yankees on the board. Matsui is still hot at the plate and got his second hit of the afternoon. Jason Giambi cranks his first homer at the Stadium since last August -- a two-run shot -- and the Yankees get to Byrd and post a three spot. Yankees 3, Indians 0.

Top of 5th: Well, that was a quick. Casey Blake's big RBI double (he went to third on the throw home) chased home two runs. Bobby Abreu couldn't come up with Blake's hit as it glanced off his glove a few steps before the wall in right. Blake scored on a RBI single through the hole at shortstop and third to tie the game. Yankees 3, Indians 3.

Bottom of 5th: Robinson Cano's leadoff double leads to a run. After a productive sacrifice fly to center by Wilson Betemit moved him to third and Jose Molina failed to get him in, Damon picked Molina up with a double to left to put the Yankees back on top. Yankees 4, Indians 3.

Top of 6th: Ross Ohlendorf is in to relieve Mussina and he tossed a 1-2-3 inning to keep the Tribe at bay a half inning after the Yankees regained the lead.

Bottom of 6th: Yankees go down quietly and we move to the seventh.

Top of 7th: Another scoreless inning by Ohlendorf. He's looked solid today and has allowed only one hit in two innings of work.

Bottom of 7th: Byrd came out for the seventh, but got pulled after Cano smashed a solo shot into the seats in right. He's stroking the ball well today. Betemit joined the HR party with a deep shot to center and the Yankees' offense is in gear. Yankees 6, Indians 3.

Top of 8th: Joba Chamberlain shook off his last outing and pitched a relatively easy scoreless inning of relief. He even got the guy who homered off of him Tuesday, David Dellucci, swinging.

Bottom of 8th: Matsui lines into a double play with Abreu running to end the eighth and the Yankees will have to settle for a three-run lead going into the ninth. "Enter Sandman" is playing so you know what that means.

Top of 9th: Mariano Rivera collects save No. 9 and the Yankees salvage the final game of this three-game series with the Tribe. Time for them to hit the road for a seven-game road trip that will take them to Detroit and Tampa and time for me to go to the clubhouse for some postgame thoughts. Final: Yankees 6, Indians 3.

Here's the Indians' portion of the lineup

Sizemore CF
Carroll 2B
Dellucci DH
Peralta SS
Francisco LF
Gutierrez RF
Garko 1B
Blale 3B
Shoppach C

Byrd P

I watched the Good Morning American segment with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. It wasn't actually taped this morning, but one afternoon before a game, and anchored by GMA's Robin Roberts, a former sports reporter herself. It was pretty much about MLB's movement to use pink bats on Mother's Day to raise money/awareness for breast cancer research and treatment.

It's a day game today, so maybe the Yankees' offense will be out. According to today's notes, they have three of the American League's top five hitters in day games. Derek Jeter is batting .424 (14-of-33), Hideki Matsui .417 (10-of-24) and Johnny Damon .378 (14-of-37).

The Yankees are only 5-10 against the American League Central this season. Last year they dominated the Central, going 30-11.

Yankees

Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Melky CF
Cano 2B
Betemit 3B
Molina C
Mussina P

Pitching for the Indians: Paul Byrd

Just an FYI for those of you who are up but not at work between 7 and 9 a.m.: Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are scheduled to be on Good Morning America (that's ABC) tomorrow. The show runs from 7 to 9 a.m., and I don't know when their segment will air, but I think the first half-hour is pretty much news. My guess would be in the latter hour, given that that's pretty early for baseball players to be up anyway :)

Hey all, Katie here blogging tonight, for what promises to be a fine pitching duel. Yankees ace Chien- Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00) faces Cleveland's Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96) in game two of a three game series between the Yankees and the Tribe. One interesting stat: Derek Jeter has a .471 average against Lee. Feel free to get the comments going....just keep 'em clean! I'll be back after top of the first!

Top 1st
Not a great start for Wang. He walks the lead-off man and gives up a hit the next batter. He's gonna have to sharpen up to battle with Lee tonight. With runners in the corners, Martinez' sac fly scores Sizemore and the Indians are the first to draw blood. 1-0

Bottom 1st
Lee has given up only two (two!) walks in 37 2/3 innings. Jeez. 1-2-3 inning for him. Yankees are gonna need to make him work.
1-0 Cleveland

Top 2nd
Wang gives up another walk, but strikes out Marte with a runner in scoring position.
1-0 Cleveland

Bottom 2nd
Matsui manages a single on a pop-up to short, but he Yankees can't get anything going.
1-0 Cleveland

Top 3rd
Nice 1-2-3 inning for Wang. The Yankees are going to need more of that outta of him tonight to compete with Lee.
1-0 Cleveland

Bottom 3rd
Lee with a 1-2-3 of his own. No sign of budge from him yet.
1-0 Cleveland

Top 4th
Peralta grounds one past a diving Jeter to reach first. With two outs, Blake, batting only .200, comes up clutch with an RBI base hit. Molina with a good effort on the swipe tag, but Peralta's run puts the Tribe up two.
2-0 Cleveland

Bottom 4th
Another 1-2-3 for Lee. Strong through 4.
2-0 Cleveland

Top 5th
Marte singles on a line to left and Sizemore walks. Last night's hero Dellucci drives in an RBI. Tribe up three now. Molina throws a bullet to third and beats Sizemore attempting to steal third.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 5th
Yankees manage to string together back-to-back hits, but with two on and two outs Molina flies out to right.
3-0 Indians

Top 6th
1-2-3 for Wang. At least he's giving the Yankees some longevity here.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 6th
With 2 outs, Abreu legs out the throw to first on his grounder for an infield single. Good hustle. Duncan then slips one down the left field line for a double. Matsui strike out swinging though, leaving the Yanks still scoreless.
3-0 Cleveland

Top 7th
A 5-pitch inning for Wang, who retires the Indians in order. Nice throw by Cano for the third out.
3-0

Bottom 7th
With 2 outs, Ensberg hits a nice dribbler that remains in the grass for a base hit, but Molina strikes out during the next at-bat. Yankees still scoreless through 7. Ouch.
3-0 Cleveland

Top 8th
Farnsworth in for Wang. Second night in a row for him, and he has a solid inning, preventing any insurance runs on Cleveland's part.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 8th
Lee is out. No runs, no walks, and 7 K's for him tonight. Perez in to relieve. Jeter strikes out on a check-swing and he is NOT happy with the call. Rare to see Jeter argue a call. Next at-bat and Abreu slaps a double to left, but Shelley Duncan's hits a bleeder to right for the third out.
3-0 Cleveland

Top 9th
Albaladejo in for Farnsworth. With bases loaded, Molina bails Albie outta trouble with a great double play to end the inning. Molina has to be a bright spot for Yanks fans tonight-he's played great defensively in Posada's place.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 9th
Betancourt in for Perez, and the Yankees go down in order. Nothing new. Great pitching from the Indians tonight.
3-0 Cleveland Final

Alex Rodriguez is hopeful he will be able to return to the Yankees lineup Wednesday at Tampa Bay. That’s the prognosis after the reigning MVP went through his first baseball workout in two weeks before last night’s game against the Indians.
Rodriguez, who has been on the disabled list since April 30 with a strained right quadriceps, stretched, jogged, sprinted, fielded and hit during batting practice at Yankee Stadium. He seemed so happy to be on the field that at times he appeared to be prancing like a puppy freed from a locked room.
“I hope so, Wednesday,” Rodriguez said. “I think we’re on schedule. That was the goal all along.”
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Kei Igawa, who makes his season debut Friday, will get at least two starts with the big club, manager Joe Girardi said. Girardi also said Ian Kennedy will make at least one more start at Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre. Kennedy threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings on Tuesday for Scranton.
“Obviously, it’s a big step in the right direction,” Girardi said. “I love having the competition for the spots . . . The other guys are getting their opportunities. There’s no timetable.”

Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Duncan 1B
Matsui DH
Melky CF
Cano 2B
Ensberg 3B
Molina C
Wang P

Pitching for the Indians: Cliff Lee

The Final Score catches up with the Yankees' first-round pick in 2003...

Joba Chamberlain got beaten badly for the first time at Yankee Stadium, giving up a three-run homer to the Indians' David Dellucci.
Fellow rookie Ian Kennedy, on the other hand, pitched terrifically at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. For a more in-depth look at Kennedy's night, with comments included from Brian Cashman, here's what Chad Jennings of the Scranton Times-Tribune (he covers the S/W-B Yankees, check it out) wrote:

So much for lacking confidence. Ian Kennedy sounded Tuesday night like a man who desperately wants another crack at big league hitters.

“I’m trying to say it humbly, but it doesn’t matter what I say, it’s going to come out cocky,” he said. “You just know. I woke up today and told my wife, I just have a feeling I’m going to make these guys look stupid.”

No hitter through 5.2 innings. Eight strikeouts without a walk. Struck out the last three batters he faced. Seems like he knew what he was talking about.

A lot of what Kennedy said after the game focused on the fact that he felt something like this coming. He felt better his last two starts and after sending the side down in order the first two innings on Thursday, he thought that would be the start that broke him out of his funk.

“It felt like it was getting better and better the last two outings, and then I got called into the office and told I was coming here,” Kennedy said. “I knew it was time, one of these times it was going to come out and I was going to have an outing like this, because I know it’s in me.”

Kennedy's best pitch tonight was his changeup, which is how he got his last two strikeouts, but he also showed great confidence in his fastball, pounding both sides of the plate.

“I just felt like I could do no wrong,” Kennedy said. “Whether it was 2-0, I didn’t care, I could place a fastball away. I’ve been working on it every start, getting my mind set in the big leagues. I felt like I was getting better and better every time. It just led up to this. It was inevitable for me to do well. It was just a matter of time.”

Talking to him, I got the feeling Kennedy believed he would have had a night like this regardless of where he pitched. He woke up today expecting to make hitters -- any hitters -- look stupid. He was going to have a good night here or in the big leagues. He just happened to be here.

I asked if tonight's performance, and the obvious swagger that came with it, were mearly a result of Kennedy coming to a level where he knew he could dominate:

“It’s not so much here, it’s that I know what I can do," he said. "That was the main thing I was battling with (in New York). It goes back to trying to be too perfect. You’re giving them too much credit in the big leagues. These guys in Triple-A aren’t much different. They could be big leaguers tomorrow, and some of them have played in the big leagues. It’s not so much the hitters, it’s myself.”

He certainly looked like a guy who can pitch in the big leagues, which is to say he looked more like himself.

“I felt really good waking up today and thinking, it was different today,” he said.

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Two outside opinions of Kennedy's outing, one that puts it very simply and another that goes into a big more detail.

Nardi Contreras: "That was a better game tonight than any game he pitched here last year."

Brian Cashman: “He was terrific, and he was going in the right direction his last start especially, against the Tigers. To mentally regroup, come down here and take care of his business like he knows he can, and like he has the ability to do, was also a great sign. He knows he’s got to work through it and we’re going to wait for him in New York. He’s going to have to get the job done to get there, but we’re waiting on that. We know what he’s capable of doing. It’s just a matter of getting all his pitches going in the right direction and pounding the zone with them, and letting the rest take care of itself. And he did that tonight.”

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One good line from Cashman about the work of Chris Stewart behind the plate.

“I thought Stew did a nice job behind the plate because he just sat behind home plate and basically made him throw over. Here you go, you’re going to hit the glove. I’m setting it up right behind the plate. Variations in the strike zone, but I think Stew really set the tone as a catcher should.”

Ian Kennedy is pitching very well in his minor league debut for the season. Through five innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he has allowed one baserunner. Kennedy hit Charlotte batter Fernando Cortez in the third inning, but has otherwise been perfect.

10:28 -- That's it. Yankees go down without a fight in the ninth and lose the first game of this series. Final: Indians 5, Yankees 3.

10:17 -- Indians add to their lead in the top of the ninth and Rafael Betancourt is to close it out for the Tribe. Crowd here is trying to urge the Yankees on.

10:10 -- Yankees bats have gone completely dead. They've done nothing since the fourth and are in big trouble. We go to the ninth.

10:00 -- Joba is in, and as we know it's all about Joba. He walked Sizemore to lead off the eighth and then Peralta with one out before pinch hitter David Dellucci took him deep to right for a three-run homer. Ouch. A very un-Joba like performance by No. 62. Indians 5, Yankees 3.

9:41 -- Yanks still can't solve the Indians bullpen and we head to the eighth.

9:28 -- Pettitte left with one out in the seventh and Kyle Farnsworth came in to take over. Farnsy, as Joe Torre would call him, struck out Kelly Shoppach and got Andy Marte to fly out to end the inning with a runner on first.

9:18 -- Status quo. Yanks don't get to Perez. ... Oh yeah, forgot to mention some of the Giants assistant coaches were here to flip the switch to lower the number of remaining regular-season games to 65. No sign of Michael Strahan, though.

9:02 -- A one-out throwing error by the captain leads to nothing and the Yankees still hold a one-run advantage. Pettitte has allowed two runs on four hits through five. Rafael Perez is in to relieve Carmona so he is indeed done. Pettitte is over 90 pitches, so his night could be ending soon, too.

8:54 -- Abreu getting mowed down at third with one out on Matsui's hard single to right changed the complexion of the fifth and the laboring Carmona is off the hook. Gotta believe his night is done. The Indians coaches have worn a path to the mound tonight with all the visits.

8:41 -- Pettitte appears to have found some sort of rhythm. He's struck out three in the last two innings.

8:34 -- Matsui's leadoff walked paid off as Giambi laced a pitch to left just over the head of Francisco, scoring Hideki all the way from first. Robinson Cano, who has been struggling, singled in Giambi to put the Yanks back on top. Yankees 3, Indians 2.

8:17 -- Indians get to Pettitte. With one out in the fourth, Jhonny Peralta homers on a 2-and-1 pitch over the adidas sign in center to put the Tribe on the board. Pettitte did strike out the final two batters of the inning and stranded a runner at second. Indians 2, Yankees 1.

8:03 -- We're through three. Bobby Abreu was thrown out trying to steal second for the third out. Yankees aren't getting to Carmona yet.

7:51 -- Pettitte maneuvers around a leadoff infield single and thanks to Jose Molina gunning down Ben Francisco from his knees, he escapes without any damage done.

7:40 -- Yanks go quietly in their half of the second. Wilson Bettemit lined out hard to right in his first AB. Guess he is seeing the ball well just as he indicated to me in the clubhouse before the game.

7:33 -- Are there many others out there who field the pitching position as well as Pettitte? He made that snare of Ryan Garko's chopper look a lot simpler than it should have been. He's sharp so far, which is good news for the Yankees' mix-and-match starting pitching staff.

7:26 -- Hideki Matsui extends his career-high hitting streak to 15 games with a single and the Yanks get on the board on Jason Giambi's bases-loaded fielder's choice grounder to first. Yankees 1, Indians 0.

7:15 -- Roderick Boone here at Yankee Stadium checking in. Nice start there for Pettitte. Three easy outs, two coming on lazy pop ups. Beautiful day/night at The Stadium by the way. Game time temp is a balmy 73 degrees. I'm sure my man Anthony Rieber is jealous. It's been pretty cold when he's been here.

Pregame chatter

Cleveland Indians (14-17) at Yankees (17-16), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: Fausto Carmona (3-1, 2.60) for the Indians and Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.93) for the Yankees

Notable: The Yankees try for their season-high fourth straight win this evening. Tonight begins a three-game series against the Indians at Yankee Stadium.

History lesson: Pettitte is 6-8 lifetime against the Indians with a 4.63 ERA in 17 starts. Carmona has made five career appearances against the Yankees, including two starts, and is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA.

Here's the Yankees lineup. Wilson Betemit has been activated from the disabled list (corneal ulcers). He said he is seeing fine now. Joe Girardi said he believes the vision problems were a big part of why Betemit struggled offensively here "because he was great in spring training and he was just great in Scranton.... We figured he wasn't tracing the ball well."
Alberto Gonzalez was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room. Girardi said that was a tough spot, given that Gonzalez has played really well. But he also said Gonzalez needs to play every day. Gonzalez was disappointed, of course, to be returning to the minors, but he also feels happy that he did as well as he did.
Alex Rodriguez is going to start doing some baseball activities tomorrow.
Jorge Posada's still a week away from doing such.
Kyle Farnsworth had the hearing for his appeal today, but hasn't gotten a verdict yet. He's hopeful of getting his three-game suspension reduced or eliminated.
Joe Girardi said it's 99% that Kei Igawa will start Friday in Detroit (the one percent is in case of something crazy, like an injury, or Igawa not getting to Detroit).

Yankees lineup
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Betemit 3B
Molina C

Pettitte LHP (fixed, thanks for the edit)

The Yankees face the Indians again starting tonight, a team they played just eight days ago. On my way into the Stadium a little bit ago, I walked past C.C. Sabathia, who was standing outside visiting with somebody. And I was reminded again of exactly how large a man he is. Truly. If I didn't recognize him, and was told he was an offensive lineman or a center on a basketball team, I would totally believe it. It's Shaq-esque. He's listed at 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds.
Anyway, that's not so relevant. What is relevant is that the lefty, who won the Cy Young for 2007, will be a free agent this winter. Do you think the Yankees should sign him, whatever the cost, or pass?

Today's Yankees story in the paper was on Joe Girardi and how he handled his first mini-crises of the season.

Also, check out the "Ask Anthony" baseball mailbag on the blog I share with Baumbach. You have to scroll down a bit to get to the questions. There are 11 of them and some are about the Yankees. There's also one question I don't have an answer for and I'm looking for a little help. It's Question 7.

OK, an entirely different kind of sweep. It's quite a different feeling the Yankees must have today -- on their first off-day at home this season -- as they just swept the Mariners, than they likely felt Friday after being swept by the Tigers.

It's quite a tight mix in the American League East, where all five teams are within 4 1/2 games of one another. The Red Sox have a three-game lead, and in a three-way virtual tie for second place are the Yankees, Orioles and Rays. One-and-a-half games behind that are the Blue Jays.

Couple of questions/thoughts beyond what Anthony Rieber already gave you. I'd like to do pitcher/player of the month for the Yankees this season. Since I neglected to do so May 1st, let's throw that out there now. In future months I'll either get on the ball and do it the 1st or make it something for the first off-day of each month.

My take on April MVP for Yankees:
Melky Cabrera. He hit .299 in April with five home runs, 12 RBIs, 15 runs scored, an OPS of .864 and his current OPS+ is 137 (100 is average). He also played stellar defense.

Honorable mention:
Johnny Damon. Very close call, him or Melky. Damon hit .295 with 17 extra-base hits (12 doubles, four homers), ,14 RBIs, 25 runs scored. He had a .921 OPS and his current OPS+ is153. I just felt Melky was more consistent, and his defense put him above Damon.

Hideki Matsui. He had a very strong April as he adjusts to being primarily a DH. He batted .294 with five homers, 17 RBIs, 10 runs scored, an .833 OPS and has a current OPS+ of 149.

Pitcher of the Month: I'm taking the wimpy way out here, and calling it a tie between Chien-Ming Wang and Mariano Rivera. Both had some remarkable numbers.

Wang went 5-0 in six starts. He pitched one complete game, averaged more than six innings per start, and had a 3.23 ERA.

Rivera was superb, even by his standards. He did not allow a run in 10 outings and 11 innings pitched. He only allowed four (!!!) base-runners, all on hits. He did not walk anyone and struck out 11, earning eight saves.
I guess if I had to pick who had a better month it's Rivera. The Yankees would be in big trouble right now without Wang's performances. But if he hadn't gotten run support, he wouldn't be 5-0. Rivera allowing only four base-runners is amazing.

So you don't have to scroll all the way down to comment.

A couple of questions for the off-day:

-- Which duo will win more for the Yankees in 2008? Rasner and Igawa or Hughes and Kennedy?

-- Will Giambi's final-season average be over or under .250?

-- Will Wang win 20 or more?

-- Will Mariano ever give up a run?

Discuss. Play. Enjoy.