On the Yankees beat

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

First inning: Darrell Rasner pitching, Adrian Beltre hits massive two-run home run to left.
Yanks get two singles, Matsui and Giambi bounce out to end frame
2-0 M's
Second inning: Rasner has a 1-2-3.
Morgan Ensberg singles with two outs against Carlos Silva. That's all for the Yanks.
Third inning: Ichiro has an infield single, steals second, is stranded.
Yanks score six runs on six hits. Damon single, Jeter single, Abreu RBI single, Matsui RBI double, Giambi sac fly, Cabrera two-run homer, Cano homer. That's all in a row. Carlos Silva left in to absorb the entire beating.
6-2, Yanks
Instant analysis: Who needs A-Rod and Posada?

Fourth inning: The rout is on. Rasner allowed two singles but worked out of trouble. Yanks knocked out Silva and scored two more. RBI double from Jeter, RBI single from Matsui.
Silva's line: 3 innings, 11 hits, eight runs. But no walks.
Yanks 8, M's 2

Fifth inning: Status quo. Rasner looks good.

Sixth inning: 1-2-3 for Rasner. Johnny Damon makes a spectacular diving catch to rob Beltre. Good for people who have Damon in the spectacular diving catch fantasy league.
Jeter singles leading off, his fourth hit of the game. No runs scored against Mark Lowe though.

Seventh inning: Rasner went six, removed after 76 pitches. Ohlendorf allows a hit but throws a scoreless frame.
M's righthander Brandon Morrow throws one high and tight to Morgan Ensberg, who hit the dust. Purpose pitch? Not sure what the purpose would be.
Score still 8-2. Farnsworth coming in for the eighth.

Eighth inning: Farnsworth looked good too! What a day for the Yankees. Allowed only a single to Raul Ibanez.
Jeter struck out in attempt for five-hit game. Got a standing ovation anyway. No curtain call requested or denied.
Mariano Rivera coming in for an inning of work.
Boy the Mariners look dead.

Ninth inning: Easy as pie for Mo. 1-2-3
Yanks win, 8-2.
Bye.

Hey Yankees fans! Marc Jimenez here as today's blogger. Let's look at the starters. You have 39-year-old Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.73 ERA), who has won his last two starts, against 22-year-old Felix Hernanadez (2-1, 2.22 ERA). This should be interesting. Will Mussina baffle Seattle’s bats with his slow stuff or will Hernandez blow away the Yanks with his heater?

Feel free to share your comments anytime. By the way, another solid performance by Wang (6-0) last night. He allowed a run on three hits in six innings as the Yanks defeated the Mariners 5-1. Let’s hope Mussina can match Wang’s production. If not, Hank Steinbrenner will likely have something to say.

Top of 1st: Mussina looked good to start the first as he retired the side in order.

Bottom of 1st: The Yanks got a run after Abreu singled in Damon, who ripped a leadoff double to extend his hitting streak to seven games.. Yanks 1, Mariners 0.

Top of 2nd: Mussina is perfect through two. He got Beltre to ground out, fanned Clement and got Sexson to fly out to left.

Bottom of 2nd: Hernandez made quick work of the Yanks in the second, striking out Ensberg to end the inning on a nasty pitch. Looked like a slider or splitter.

Top of 3rd: Well, there goes Mussina’s shutout. Ichiro slapped a run-scoring single up the middle. Yanks 1, Mariners 1.

Bottom of 3rd: The Yanks retook the lead thanks to some sloppy play by the Mariners. Jeter doubled in Damon and scored on a single by Matsui. After a Giambi walk, Cabrera drove in Matsui. By the way, Damon recorded his 400th career double. Way to go! Yanks 4, Mariners 1.

Top of 4th: Mussina is looking pretty good. He worked around singles to Ibanez and Clement and got Sexson to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 4th: Boy, the Yanks blew a chance to break this game open. With the bases loaded and one out, Matsui flied out to shallow center and Giambi grounded out.

Top of 5th: Ok, Mussina made it through five while allowing just one run. I would say that’s a good start for him. Let’s hope he can keep it up. He is at 71 pitches.

Bottom of 5th: Hernandez retired the side in order by retiring Cabrera, Cano and Ensberg.

Top of 6th: Another good inning by Mussina! He struck out the side! All swinging: Ibanez, Clement and Sexson. The only blemish was a throwing error by Ensberg.

Bottom of 6th: Damon belted a two-run homer to the upper deck in right following a single by Molina. Cha Seung Baek got Giambi to fly out to center to end the inning. Hernandez’s line: 6 runs on 12 hits and 3 walks in 5 2/3 innings. Yanks 6, Mariners 1.

Top of 7th: Mussina was done after six solid innings and Hawkins held down the fort.

Bottom of 7th: The Yanks just wasted a perfectly good leadoff double by Melky. Cano continues to struggle. He struck out and is batting .150. By the way, the Kentucky Derby is on later today. Does anyone under 40 care about horse racing?

Top of 8th: Edwar Ramirez relieved Hawkins and nearly walked the bases loaded, but he got Sexson to ground out to end the inning.

Bottom of 8th Yanks go down quietly in the inning. Abreu drew a two-out walk, but Matsui flied out to Ichiro.

Top of 9th: Jose Veras came in for Ramirez and retired the side in order. Final: Yanks 6, Mariners 1.

10:08 p.m.: Well, another dominating performance by Rivera. This guy is amazing. Yankees fans need to relish every moment this guy gives you. No other team knows what that feels like. I keep waiting for him to show signs of slippage and he gets better and better! The Yankees win 5-1. Good night!

9:59 p.m.: I picked the Angels to win the AL West before the season and I am glad I did. The Mariners bullpen is awful. They can't win with this relief corps. Even J.J. Putz is struggling. People think because the Mariners and Mets picked up an ace they are playoff-bound. I don't buy it. Yankees scored two runs and lead 5-1 as Rivera comes in.

9:38 p.m.: So this was the smelling salt the crowd needed to wake up? The place was electric when Joba entered. Ichiro showed how good he is by getting a hit off Joba. Not many people can make that claim. I'm one who thinks Joba should stay in the pen. The game is over once he comes in and very few teams in baseball can say that. Right, Mets fans?

9:24 p.m.: Bedard has retired 14 in a row. He will be a hard-luck loser. Blame this on the defense. Bedard will be one of the top pitchers in the AL this season. This is a charity win for the Yankees. (yes, I don't expect Joba and Mo to blow this).

9:16 p.m.: This is why Farnsworth is so frustrating. He has great stuff and looks so bad at times. He was on tonight with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. I''ll chalk it up to the cold weather since no one is hitting. Yankees 3, Mariners 1

9:06 p.m. Bedard has settled in retiring 11 straight. He hasn't allowed a hit since the second inning. If it wasn't for the porous Mariners defense, we would have a tie game. Kyle Farnsworth is in and the boos accompanied him. He is one of my favorite Yankees.

9:00 p.m.Don't worry Yankees fans. Wang looks to be fine. He allowed a run but it was due to Ichiro, who singled and stole two bases before scoring on a groundout by Ibanez. Yankees 3, Mariners 1

8:51 p.m.: Bobby Murcer pulled the lever for the new Yankee Stadium countdown. Only 68 games left.

8:43 p.m.: The Yankees get a scare when Wang motions for the trainer. Maybe a blister? He threw a ball on the next pitch to walk Burke and then induced Betancourt into a 4-6-3 double play. If the Yankees lose Wang can you say the AL version of the Pirates.

8:34 p.m.: Not much going on as the Yankees go quietly. Bedard is up to 70 pitches. He hasn't pitched that bad. The defense has let him down big time. Top 5th Yankees 3, Mariners 0

8:27 p.m.: Another good inning by Wang to work around a leadoff double. Do the Mariners even want to be out here? They seem listless. Bot 4th Yankees 3, Mariners 0

8:17 p.m.: The Mariners defense has been atrocious. Catcher Jamie Burke missed a pop-up that was foul and I know the wind is swirling, but that has to be caught. That is error number four. If Sexson makes an error, the entire infield will have made an error. I don't remember seeing each member of the infield and the catcher make an error in one game. Maybe in RBI baseball, but not in a real game. I bet Bedard wishes he was back in Baltimore tonight. Top 4, Yankees 3, Mariners 0

8:03 p.m.: Wang lost the no-hitter on a single by Betancourt in the top of the third, so there goes my chance for watching history. I have been to two one-hitters in my life. Both by Mets pitchers and I'm sure I'll never see them pitch a no-hitter. Wang has allowed some hard hit balls, but he is pitching well. Yankees 3, Mariners 0

7:53 p.m.: Another Mariners error to start the inning by Beltre. Then after Molina struck out, Ensberg ran on the pitch and was easily out, but second baseman Jose Lopez couldn't handle the throw for the Mariners third error. This is like a 50-year old softball league. This will come back to haunt the Mariners. Here it comes, Gonzalez singles (Robinson who?), and Melky Cabrera hits a two-run double. What a start for Melky. The guy has been very good so far. I'm very impressed. Bedard can't be happy. The defense has been awful and now Bedard has a high pitch count.

7:38 p.m. Wang started the inning by allowing a scorching line drive to left by Adrian Beltre. Then was he a little scared by the young prospect Jeff Clement? He walked him on four pitches, just his 12th of the season with one out. Sexson struck out swinging on a full-count. (How many times have we said that this year?). Then he got another Mariners prospect Wladimir Balentien to strike out swinging. Balentien has good power. Wang has struck out a lot more batters this year. If he continues to do that, he will really take another step toward the upper-echelon of pitchers.

7:28 p.m. The Yankees took advantage of a one-out error by shortstop Yuniesky Betancour allowing Derek Jeter to reach. With two outs, Matsui dunked one into leftfield scoring Jeter for a 1-0 lead. Jeter passed Joe DiMaggio and is now fourth on the all-time Yankees list for runs scored with 1,391. Matsui extended his hitting streak to 12. Remember, Bedard is pitching in his second game back from the DL and it's a cold night, so any chance to make Bedard throw more pitches and get into that terrible Mariners bullpen is a good thing.

7:13 p.m.:Adam Ronis here from Yankee Stadium. A quick first inning for Wang. Ichiro hit a ball to deep right, Jose Lopez grounded out 1-3 and Raul Ibanez hit a fly ball to deep left that Hideki Matsui took an odd route to. The wind is blowing in from left, so it was held up. I can play a better outfield than Matsui. Seriously, if anyone has seen me play, they will back me up. Could be a rare quick Yankees game with Wang and Bedard.

Pregame chatter

Seattle Mariners (13-16) at Yankees (14-16), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: Erik Bedard (2-0, 2.04) for the Mariners and Chien-Ming Wang (5-0, 3.23) for the Yankees.

Last starts: Wang was spectacular last Sunday, winning a 1-0 pitcher's duel against C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians. Wang gave up just four hits and struck out a season-best nine batters through the first seven innings against the Indians. He has won all six of his career starts against Seattle, along with a 2.01 ERA. Bedard came off the disabled list last weekend and beat the Oakland A's, allowing just two hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings.

Final shot: A fabulous pitching matchup tonight as the Yankees begin a three-game series against Seattle. The Yankees are in the middle of a nine-game homestand, losing the first three to the Detroit Tigers.

NOTE: I'll provide updates during the game in this spot, but I can only post after each half-inning. Just hit your refresh button. The live chat and poll questions will be going on below.

Hey everyone! Forecast wasn't lookin' good for tonight's game, but we'll see if the weather holds. Just a heads-up: we're tinkering with our new live blog format. You can still comment on the cover it live forum, but I'll be posting the nuts and bolts here. As per MLB rules, I can only post every 1/2 inning and can only include so much play-by-play, but we'll work through it! So feel free to get this thing started, just keep those comments clean (no doubt the urge to comment on the many torrid affairs of Roger Clemens will be tempting, but we gotta keep it family-newspaper appropriate) :)

Tonight's starting lineups:
Detroit-
Curtis Granderson CF
Placido Polanco 2B
Gary Sheffield DH
Magglio Ordonez RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Carlos Guillen 3B
Jacque Jones LF
Brandon Inge C
Ramon Santiago SS

New York-
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Shelley Duncan 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera CF
Morgan Ensberg 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Chad Moeller C

Top 1st
A 1-2-3 inning for Kennedy and Sheffield received a very NY welcome (boos)....
0-0

Bottom 1st
Damon leads off with a walk, and Jeter advances him to second on a ground ball to left for a base hit. Abreu then nails a fastball for a three-run homer to right
3-0 Yankees

Top 2nd
Kennedy looks good through two. Much more aggressive. He's attacking the zone and it's paying off.
3-0 Yankees

Bottom 2nd
And a 1-2-3 inning for Detroit.
3-0 Yankees

Top 3rd
Santiago drops in a double to left that Damon couldn't come up with that sets up Granderson's RBI for the Tigers' first run. Two on and two out and Mags ties it up with a two-run double to deep right. Next batter and Cabrera gives the Tigers a lead with an RBI triple. And the rain is coming down.
4-3

Bottom 3rd
Three up, three down.
4-3 Tigers

Top 4
Kennedy strikes out Inge, en route to a 1-2-3 inning. Kennedy rebounded nicely there, but we'll see if he can maintain his focus.
4-3

Bottom 4
Matsui and Ensberg both with base hits, but with two on and two outs, Moeller strikes out swinging. Stranding runners in scoring position....
4-3

Top 5
After walking Sheffield, Girardi makes a trip to the mound. Gotta wonder how much longer he'll last. Maggs singles to left and Albaladejo is in to relieve Kennedy. Line on Kennedy: 4 2/3 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 1 strikeout, 3 walks. Albie (that his new nickname since his last name is too hard to spell) ends the inning with a strikeout to escape further damage.
4-3

Bottom 5
With Jeter and Abreu at first and second, Shelley Duncan drives in an RBI to tie the game. Santiago makes a great play on what would've been a Cabrera RBI to keep it tied.
4-4

Top 6
After Guillen lines one to right and Jacque Jones smacks a double to deep left, Santiago smacks a two-run triple. Although Damon had a good shot at the double, Santiago now has a double and a triple. Albie musters two strikeouts however, to send it to the bottom of the 6th. Weather becoming a bigger factor now.
6-4 Tigers

Bottom 6th
Moeller gets a base hit with a grounder to left. Bobby Seay in now for Robertson. Farnsworth warming up in the 'pen for the Yankees. Inge can't field Damon's dribbler down the right line. Jeter shows some great hustle, beating the throw to first on a ground ball to third. Bases loaded, two outs and Abreu flies out to center.
6-4

Top 7
Albie back in for the 7th and he gets hit hard. Cabrera, who had a RBI triple earlier, blasts a two-run homer to put the Tigers up four. Guillen rips a double to right and that'll be it for Albaladejo.
8-4

Bottom 7
Yankees can't jump-start any offense there. Really missing A-Rod and Posada at this point.
8-4

Top 8
Damon shakes off a little speculation of whether his injury is a little worse than he's let on with a great catch on Granderson's shot to left and Britton gets a 1-2-3.
8-4

Bottom 8th
Cano to second base on an error by Granderson, but Jeter leaves him stranded on third with a ground out to second.
8-4

Top 9
Well at least Britton's playing well...
8-4

Bottom 9
That's it. Ballgame.
8-4

Pregame chatter

Yankees (13-13) at Cleveland Indians (12-13), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: Mike Mussina (2-3, 4.94) for the Yankees and Aaron Laffey (0-0, 0.00) for the Indians.

Last starts: Mussina goes for back-to-back wins. He gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings against the Chicago White Sox last Wednesday. Laffey fills in for Jake Westbrook, who is on the DL. Laffey has never faced the Yankees. He was 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts for Cleveland a year ago.

Good times, bad times: The good - Chien-Ming Wang pitched sensationally on Sunday, allowing no runs, just four hits and nine strikeouts to pick up the win. The only run the Yankees needed was on a solo home run by Melky Cabrera, his team-leading fifth of the young season. Cabrera hit just eight all of last season. The bad - Jorge Posada is headed to the DL for the first time in his career with a shoulder injury. He will meet with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who repaired his torn labrum in 2001.

Good afternoon Yankees fans.

We'll bring back the new blog technology from Friday night for today's game at Jacobs Field (whoops, I mean Progessive Field).

Please check the live blog box below once the game gets going. You are free to send in some comments during the game. It's an interactive blog so you play a role.

We'll also have some polls going throughout the game. Enjoy.

Pregame chatter

Yankees (12-13) at Cleveland Indians (12-12), 1:05 p.m.

Starters: Chien-Ming Wang (4-0, 3.94) for the Yankees and C.C. Sabathia (1-3, 10.13) for Cleveland.

Aces rule: Sabathia has been horrible this season. He's allowed 27 runs in 18 innings. But the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner beat Kansas City on Tuesday, giving up four hits over six scoreless innings. Sabathia is just 1-7 with a 7.13 ERA in eight career starts against the Yankees. Wang beat the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, allowing three runs and 10 hits in six innings. Wang lost twice to the Indians in last season's ALDS.

Bottom of 9th: This one is over folks! Victor Martinez ripped a game-winning single to left to give the Indians a 4-3 victory. Ross Ohlendorf relieved Farnsie and was not sharp. He struck out Blake then served up back-to-back singles to Sizemore and Dellucci. After throwing a wild pitch, which moved both runners into scoring position, Ohlendorf intentionally walked Hafner to get the force at any plate, but couldn’t retire the talented Martinez. FINAL: Indians 4, Yanks 3.

Top of 9th: The Yanks missed yet another chance to score as the Captain grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and third. Damon singled to center (his fourth hit) and took third on a base hit by Cabrera.

Bottom of Ninth: Guess Joba is human after all. First Pierzynski hit a long fly ball to center. Quentin then doubled off the leftfield wall. Joba got ahead in the count to Crede, but then got a pitch up and Crede lined it to left-center for a walk-off single at 12:41 a.m. White Sox 7, Yankees 6. Thank you for joining us and drive home safely.

Top of Ninth: Ozzie Guillen wins this chess match with Joe Girardi. After the Yankees put two men on with one out off Logan, Guillen brought in closer Bobby Jenks. Girardi countered by pinch hitting Jorge Posada for Ensberg, whose single tied the game two innings earlier. Posada grounded Jenks' 2-and-1 pitch to second and the White Sox turned a DP.

Bottom of Eighth: Joba didn't seem very comfortable with the muddy mound, but that didn't prevent him from getting the White Sox in order, including strikeouts of Konerko and Uribe. With Mariano going 1 2/3 innings on Wednesday night, Joba may be in for some extended duty tonight. It's 12:18 in the morning; thanks for hanging in there with us.

Top of Eighth: Boone Logan needed only seven pitches to retire the Yankees. Joba is coming in to pitch the bottom of the eighth.

Bottom of Seventh: Farnsworth kept the game tied with help from Jose Molina, who threw out Nick Swisher trying to steal second on a botched hit-and-run play. Farnsworth struck out Orlando Cabrera to end the inning but slipped after making his final pitch and appeared to injure himself slightly.

Top of Seventh: We told you the White Sox bullpen was putrid. After lefty Matt Thornton retired Damon and Jeter, Abreu singled and Matsui walked. Scott Linebrink, whom the White Sox overpaid with a four-year, $19-million free-agent deal, came in and gave up a game-tying single to Ensberg. According to YES' stat people, it was the 11th two-out hit of the series for the Yankees. Linebrink walked Cano to load the bases but somehow got out of the inning when Crede made a nice grab in foul territory of Giambi's popup. It's 6-6 with Farnsworth coming in to pitch.

Bottom of Sixth: Jekyll and Hawkins is at it again. Just when you think he can't be depended on, he comes through with a 1-2-3 inning like this one.

Top of Sixth: The Melk Man delivers again! Cabrera is now tied with A-Rod for the team lead in HRs with four after his two-run shot into the rightfield seats cut Chicago's lead to 6-5. You've got to like the Yankees' chances trailing by only one with three innings to go against the White Sox bullpen.

Bottom of Fifth: Baseball is a game of numbers. With No. 21, Paul O'Neill, analyzing from the YES TV booth, LaTroy Hawkins, now No. 22, was taken deep by Jim Thome for career HR No. 513. Hawkins' ERA is hovering in the 11-plus range. Giving up one run in one inning actually lowered it.

Top of Fifth: Floyd worked around a leadoff walk to Damon. He's pitching better now than he did before the rain delay.

Bottom of Fourth: Awful inning for Ohlendorf, who got hammered for five hits and five runs. He didn't get much help from Ensberg at third. A-Rod's fill-in ole'd one hot shot and made a bad throw home to allow Dye to score the go-ahead. With the bullpen shorthanded because of Brian Bruney's foot injury, it will be interesting to see how Girardi patches things together the last five innings. The Yankees are going to have win this one with their bats. Remember, Floyd can't be expected to go too much longer and the White Sox bullpen is nothing to write home about either. White Sox 5, Yankees 3

Top of Fourth: Floyd came out to pitch despite the long rain delay. He had more problems with the condition of the mound than the Yankees hitters. He gave up a two-out single to Cabrera and that was it. Cano's average is down to a mystifying .161 after striking out to lead off the inning. He looks like he could use another day off.

Bottom of Third: The Yankees made the right move by not bringing back Hughes after the 51-minute rain delay. He's too valuable a property to risk an arm injury. Ross Ohlendorf came in and retired the White Sox in order to preserve the Yankees' 3-0 lead.

Top of Third: If the White Sox are smart, they'll make a strong pitch for Bobby Abreu when he becomes a free agent after the season. He loves hitting at The Cell. His two-run double, which was inches from being a HR, followed Jeter's sac fly and gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Giambi made a great slide to score on Jeter's medium-deep line drive. lThe Yankees' main goal at this point is getting five innings in with a lead. It's pouring again and the tarp is going on the field. Just Hughes' luck. He's pitching well, but if it's a long rain delay, his night could be over.

Bottom of Second: These teams are playing like they want to get five innings in before the rain comes. They're up there hacking. Hughes allowed a leadoff single by Konerko but quickly retired Dye on a liner to center and Pierzynski on a DP started by Cano.

Top of Second: Yanks go quietly against Floyd, and it's starting to rain again.

Bottom of First: Hughes saved Giambi an error when he scooped up a low throw on Swisher's grounder to first. Most impressive part of the inning was Hughes blowing a full-count fastball by Thome for the third out.

Top of First: The game started after a 34-minute rain delay, which didn't seem to bother Floyd. The Yankees couldn't get the ball out of the inning in their first look at Floyd.

Weather report: It's raining in Chicago. The game is unlikely to start till at least 9 o'clock. Stay tuned for updates.

Pitching Preview: Two young pitchers going in opposite directions face each other as the Yankees go for their first sweep at U.S. Cellular Field since May 2002. Phil Hughes (0-3, 8.82 ERA) showed improvement in his last start on Friday in Baltimore, at least in the first five innings. He held the Orioles to one run before allowing four more in the sixth inning of the Orioles' 8-2 win. Hughes hasn't gone six innings since April 3 against the Blue Jays in his first start of the season. Hughes has never faced the White Sox.
White Sox righty Gavin Floyd, who's a grizzled 25-year-old veteran compared to the 21-year-old Hughes, has been solid in his first three starts. Floyd is 2-0, 1.40, allowing only three earned runs in 19 1/3 innings. This is Floyd's first start against the Yankees.

Bottom 9th
And he does the job, three-and out.
Final Score 6-4 Yankees

Top 9th
Posada's doing big things tonight. He's now 4-for-5 with three doubles....jeez. Jenks intentionally walks Giambi (Masset also walked him in the 7th). Yankees can't scrounge any runs though, so'll they'll rely on Mo to get things done.
6-4 Yankees

Bottom 8th
LaTroy Hawkins relieves Mussina, who gave 7 solid innings. Morale-boosting outing tonight for Moose. With runners on first and third, Girardi pulls Hawkins in favor of Billy Traber. Critical move for the Yankees. Right away Thome hits a grounder past Giambi for an RBI single. Now Cabrera's at third, and Chicago is threatening. Yanks put Mo in a little earlier than usual. He leads them out of the eighth with a two-run lead after Konerko's sac fly scores Cabrera.
6-4 Yankees

Top 8th
Two quick outs for the Yanks, and then Abreu strikes out swinging. He's cooled off from last night....
6-2 Yankees

Bottom 7th
Two outs and Mussina gives up his second home run to Quintin. 6-2 Yankees. Crede flies out to center as Mussina jumps over the 100-pitch threshold.
6-2 Yankees

Top 7
Nick Masset comes in for Boone Logan. Posada's having a good night. He's 3-for-4 after that double to center. Melky strikes out looking. Masset gets in and works himself out of trouble.
6-1 Yankees

Bottom 6
Another 1-2-3 inning for Mussina, who's still going strong after six.
6-1 Yankees

Top 6th
With Giambi at first, Melky gets an extra-base hit on a double down the right line. Damon's double to center brings Giambi and Cabrera home. After Jeter gets on base with a single, scoring Damon, Boone Logan (gotta be a Newsday favorite) relieves Vazquez. Yankees breaking the game open with some insurance runs....
6-1 Yankees

Bottom 5th
On his first pitch to Crede, Mussina gives up his first run of the night after Crede rips a fastball to left for a home run. 3-1. Mussina bounces back and strikes out Swisher to send it to the sixth.
3-1 Yankees

Top 5th
Juan Uribe can't snag Damon's line drive. Two outs later, and Matsui gets on base with a single to left. Then, with Posada at the plate, he rips a two-tun double to the left gap that gives the Yankees a 3-run lead.
3-0 Yankees

Bottom 4th
Mussina answers back with a 1-2-3 of his own. Holding strong after four.
1-0 Yankees

Top 4th
And a quick 1-2-3 to start the fourth....
1-0 Yankees

Bottom 3rd
Mussina gives up a hit to Cabrera, but no damage done. Mussina's looking pretty decent tonight, at the very least significantly better than against Boston.
1-0 Yankees

Top 3rd
With two outs, Matsui walks and Posada gets a base hit to right to keep the inning alive, but not for long. Next batter and Cano fouls out.
1-0 Yanks

Bottom 2nd
Two ground outs to start, then Mussina gives up a walk to Carlos Quentin. Joe Crede pops up to end the inning and a 9-pitch showdown.
1-0 Yankees

Top 2nd
Orlando Cabrera with an error on Matsui's shot to center. Two away and Cano and Giambi both get to base on balls. Vazquez can't handle Ensberg's liner back to the mound and the bases are loaded. Melky logs an infield single on a full count pitch to score Cano. Damon strikes out with the bases loaded, but the Yanks are on the board.
1-0, Yankees

Bottom 1st
Moose barehands a Nick Swisher-bunt and throws him out. Thome gets on base with a single to third, but he's stranded after Paul Konerko flies out to center.
0-0

Top 1st
Vasquez retires the Yanks in order....three-and-out
0-0

Coming off a feel-good 9-5 win over Chicago last night, thanks to Bobby Abreu's three-run grand slam (Giambi and Damon also homered), the Yankees head into Game 2 of a three-game series against the White Sox. Amidst the Yankee injuries (and the absence of A-Rod), Abreu is someone fans can smile about. He's currently batting .312, with 3 homers, 14 RBI's and 10 runs. Last night in general was a big improvement from the sluggish bats that, compounded with shaky pitching (primarily from the young guns) has been plaguing the Yankees recently.

Mike Mussina (1-3, 5.75) takes the mound tonight for the Yanks. He pitched only 3 innings in his last inning Thursday against Boston, when he gave up 7 hits and 5 runs. Mussina will have to turn out a better performance to avoid his third straight loss, and he'll also be expected to provide more longevity than last week, so as not to much too much pressure on the Yankees 'pen.

Javier Vasquez (3-1, 3.20) will be on the hill tonight for the Sox.

Be back after top of the first....

12:01 a.m.

It's over, and without another pitching change, so that's good. Nice win for the Yanks. Now I'm off to bed. You can catch me tomorrow, and everyday, at The Final Score.

11:54 p.m.

You just knew Farnsworth couldn't have an easy inning.

Solo home run by A.J. Pierzynski (a Long Islander!) cuts the Yankees' lead to 9-5 with one out.

11:48 p.m.

Kyle Farnsworth is coming in to close out the game with a 9-4 lead.

So........ worried yet?

Kidding. I think.

11:33 p.m.

Guess I was wrong about Joba. He's already in the game, so might as well get him some more work. But what about his innings limit! LOL.

Did you see they subbed Alberto Gonzalez in to play third and moved Ensberg over to 1B for Giambi, for defensive purposes. So that should answer your question, Chip.

11:27 p.m.

Now that's a positive sign for the Yankees, and their lagging bats. Johnny Damon just crushed a home run into the rightfield stands, his second extra-base hit of the night. I'd make the case that Damon is as vital to the Yankee offense as anyone else short of A-Rod, because he really does set the tone at the top of the lineup by taking pitches and, when he's on, hitting extra-base hits. It's easy to forget that two years ago he had 35 doubles, 5 triples and 24 home runs.

Yankees now lead the White Sox, 9-4, and it seems to me that Joba can take the rest of the night off, and Mo can stop stretching...

And, Chip, I won't hold it against you if you turn in...

11:12 p.m.

We're going to the eighth inning here, the Yankees are leading 6-4 and we presumably will see Joba again in the eighth and then Mariano in the ninth. Should be interesting.

So, I'm wondering who's still around. Let's do a roll call. Who's blogging along with me here?

Bottom 9th
Mo seals it up, 7-1. Overall, a drastic turnaround from the past two games for the Yankees. Now they can actually enjoy their day off tomorrow.
Final Score 7-1 Yankees

Another rain delay.....

Top 9th
Sherrill in relief for Albers. Giambi really needs something to get him going. He's been looking pretty awful lately. Somebody give him a hug. Moeller bloops one to shallow right center that advances Cabrera to third. With bases loaded, Jeter doubles to score Cabrera, Moeller, and Damon. Sarfate in now, and the officials are surely weighing the weather now.
7-1 Yankees

End of rain delay and now it's Brian Bruney on the mound for the Yankees. Roberts' sac fly scores Quiroz. Mo's warming up, getting ready to pitch the ninth inning. With two runners on, Millar pops out to end the inning, but the Orioles tally a run.
4-1 Yankees

Bottom 8th
Chamberlain gives up two hits, and it's now pouring. The tarp comes on...

Top 8th
Albers in now for Baltimore. He gets three quick ones and will send the game Joba's way. Joba pitched a scoreless eighth inning yesterday after missing five games on bereavement while visiting his ailing father in Nebraska. He's given up only 3 hits, and no runs this season.
4-0 Yankees

Bottom 7th
Millar leads off and doubles down the left field line. Update: strained right quad for A-Rod. Also, the grounds crew is hovering.... And the rain has begun. Inning ends on a ground out to third. Seven solid innings from Pettitte, 5 strikeouts and no runs. Giving the 'pen some much-needed breathing room. Can't ask for much more from him. I bet Girardi will be much more willing to talk about "semantics" tonight.
4-0 Yankees

Top 7th
Moeller hits one off the left wall and reaches second. Chad Bradford relieves Trachsel, and Johnny Damon rips him right away for a homer to right. That's Bradford's first home run given up of the season. Jeter goes to work on him, but an amazing leaping catch from Jones denies him an extra-base hit. Seventh inning stretch and it's...
4-0 Yankees

Bottom 6th
Roberts careens one off Jeter's glove to reach first. Giambi makes a bad throw to Jeter, allowing Roberts to steal second. Jeter makes a heads-up play though by faking he had pulled down the ball so Roberts doesn't advance to third, although gets there on a wild pitch on the next play. Roberts stranded on third as Pettitte comes up clutch with a strikeout to end the inning.
2-0 Yankees

Top 6th
Abreu sneaks a ground ball past Roberts for a base hit, but is forced out at second with A-Rods single. A-Rod looks like he's in a little pain. He seems to be stretching his leg....didn't look like he pulled up too hard running to first. Maybe a cramp? Girardi and Steve Donahue pay him a visit, and decide to pull him. Most likely a precautionary move, but Ensberg in to pinch run. With one out and the bases loaded, Giambi can't convert, instead grounding into a double play.
2-0 Yankees

Bottom 5th
Laboring a bit more, Pettitte gives up his first hit on a Payton infield single. And then another base hit on a line-drive to center from Jones that puts Payton in scoring position. Yankees seal it up though without any damage.
2-0 Yankees

Top 5th
Despite giving up two runs in the fourth, Trachsel hangs tough for a three-and-out fifth. This game is just speeding along.
2-0 Yankees

Bottom 4th
Pettitte has been perfect through four. Four strikeouts, and he's keeping the pitch count VERY low. Impressive.
2-0 Yankees

Top 4th
After taking a walk, Abreu steals second, his first stolen base of the year. A-rod drops one into left for a double that scores Abreu. Yanks on the board with one out.
Yankees exorcising some of their demons with Matsui's double to deep right that brings A-Rod home. Two consecutive at-bats where the Yankees were successful with players in scoring position. Trachsel's looking a little frustrated. Expect his delays to start stretching.
2-0 Yankees

Bottom 3rd
Three straight ground outs for the Orioles. Pettitte's looking sharp. Aggressive and going after guys. Young pitchers take notes.
0-0

Top 3rd
Moeller strikes out chasing Trachsel's change-up. This is turning into a pitching duel here. Johnny Damon gets on base, and tests the arm of backup catcher Guillermo Quiroz. Quiroz throws him out at second.
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Bottom 2nd
Three quick outs on only six pitches. Pettitte earns his third strikeout of the day with Luke Scott.
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Top 2nd
Matsui smacks one to the warning track deep center, but Jones pulls it down. Next batter and Jones gets his exercise again, stopping Cano's deep shot with a great catch. Yankees go down in order.
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Bottom 1st
Pettitte starts with a nice 1-2-3 inning, fanning Mora and Markakis to end the first. Looks like a more auspicious start, at least in terms of pitching. We'll see if Pettitte, and the weather, can hold.
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Top 1st
Batting second, Jeter knocks one past Markakis, barely missing a home run. He'll settle for a double, but the recurring problem for the Yankees rears its head early: they can's seem to produce offensively with runners in scoring position. Abreu and A-Rod both go down swinging.
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Game three of the weekend series at Camden Yards. Poor pitching and sluggish bats have caused New York to give away the first two, but with Pettitte on the mound today (assuming the weather allows), the Yankees may be able to stave off a sweep. Pettitte (2-1, 3.38) is 22-6 in his career against Baltimore. Steve Traschel (1-2, 5.65) will start on the mound for the Orioles, so expect it to be a long day. Given his long pauses between pitches, Traschel personifies the human rain delay.
Just a couple things to consider. Of any opposing player, Derek Jeter has the most hits at Camden Yards, with 122. Second on that list? Johnny Damon with 108. Although Jeter had a hit in both games this weekend, Damon hasn't shown much of his affinity for Camden Yards yet this series. Last night he struck out in both at-bats.

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