(Syndicated from It’s About the Money)

If you predicted that this ragtag, seems to have been formed by flinging excrement at a wall team of lovable rejects would be 24-14 at this point in the season, you are a lying liar who lies.

With that said, seeing these Yankees atop the American League East standings at this point in the season is still extremely satisfying. I know it’s still early and that anything can happen but for the moment, these Yankees are definitely must see TV.

Take yesterday’s doubleheader for example. Even though they dropped the first game, these guys made me want to keep watching. I got to see Corban Joseph make his MLB debut, David Phelps pitched a great game even though he picked up the loss in the first game and even going into the top of the ninth, I felt like they could possibly make a comeback.

Alas, it was not to be but I wasn’t too disappointed because there was a second game to follow.

And when that game started, I was excited to see Vidal Nuno make his MLB debut as a starter and to see what he could do. He also didn’t disappoint, throwing five innings of scoreless ball. Vernon Wells collected two more RBI, Lyle Overbay had another extra base hit and the aforementioned Joseph picked up his first MLB hit, a double. And he was driven in by Austin Romine who picked up his first MLB RBI. Even Alberto Gonzalez, who was called up just before the doubleheader, got in on the fun and got two hits in that second game.

I also can’t forget about young Adam Warren, who came in to relieve Nuno, got a four-inning save while only allowing two hits and striking out four.

Last year on May 13, the Yankees lineup looked like this:

There is one guy from that lineup, Robinson Cano, who went 1-9 in yesterday’s doubleheader. Isn’t that amazing?

Yesterday, the YES Network posted this graphic during their telecast:

We all know about the injuries, we’re reminded of them everyday when we read stories about the Yankees and as we watch games, holding our collective breath whenever someone hustles down the first base line or makes a diving catch but when you see all of them listed like that, it really hits you how amazing this season has been thus far.

Joe Posnanski posted a piece on Hardball Talk this morning called Yankees School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and while he focuses mostly on Vernon Wells, even he can’t believe what’s been happening this season.

I’ve been a Yankee fan all my life, even when I was just listening to a crowd cheering on the television while lying in bed as a young child and in recent years, I’ve become accustomed to seeing an All-Star or former All-Star at every single position. Honestly, this season has been more of a treat to watch. Seeing guys like Wells and Overbay contribute to the team when people were laughing at the Yankees for picking them up is extremely gratifying. And watching as the kids, like Joesph, Romine and even Preston Claiborne, seamlessly fill in while guys are making their way back has been a lot of fun.

Of course, this doesn’t mean I’ll be upset when those perennial All-Stars return to the lineup, I’m just not in that big of a hurry to see it happen because right now, I’m liking my first place ragtag team of misfits.

Day two of Yankee camp started with Francisco Cervelli answering questions about his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.

Cervelli said someone told him about the clinic and he also said he left without buying anything.

“When I got my foot injured in 2011, I checked with doctors and somebody recommended me Biogenesis,” Cervelli said. “I went there for maybe suggestions, and that’s it. I walked away without nothing in my hands. I just went there, talked and that’s it.”

He wouldn’t say who recommended the place but insisted it wasn’t a fellow player or one of his agents. Cervelli answered a bunch of questions from the writers gathered in Tampa and he stated:

“I will be here just doing what I know, having fun…I know my situation right now, no distraction. I just came here to play baseball.“

Mariano Rivera arrived this morning – he was allowed an extra day and didn’t have to report yesterday. According to the writers, Mo made small talk but didn’t discuss his knee or his future. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today along with Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Hiroki Kuroda.

The other pitchers throwing today are: David Aardsma, Tom Kahnle, Jim Miller, Zach Nuding, Clay Rapada, Juan Cedeno, Vidal Nuno, Ryan Pope, Matt Tracy.

And because I know everyone loves this sort of news, David Robertson’s Spring Training locker has been moved. From the Lohud Yankees blog (with my favorite part bolded for emphasis):

Dave Robertson has been moved to the locker right next to Rivera (that’s where Rafael Soriano was the last two years). It was suggested that Robertson moving down the line to be so close to Rivera is an indication that he’s the heir to closer’s role. Robertson said he it was simply an indication that he’s going to be picked on this spring.

Just as I was about to publish this post, some big news came across the wires…

Big uniform news: I’m told by @YankeesPR that David Phelps has reclaimed his old No. 41, while Michael Pineda has taken back his old No. 35.

That comes courtesy of a tweet from Mark Feinsand of the Daily News.

Carry on and Happy Wednesday!

GAME 1: Yankees 4 Blue Jays 2

The Return of Le Pettitte Prince

It had been nearly three months since the last time we saw Andy Pettitte take the mound for the Yankees and boy, did I miss the guy. When Andy took that Casey Kotchman comebacker off his leg in late June, I remember thinking that the Yankees would be fine while he was on the DL – after all, the lead in the division was solid, the rest of the team was healthy, and the pitching seemed to be on the up and up. We all know that my thinking was far too optimistic, if not mortally flawed. Maybe Andy’s absence was not a direct cause of the Yankees sub-standard play in the second half, but it certainly didn’t help.

To be perfectly honest, even though he was supposedly feeling fantastic, I did not expect this line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. While Pettitte didn’t bring his A-game (his command was suspect at times) he reminded us why having been around the block really matters this time of year. Pettitte flashed the grit we know and love, working out of jams in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings. At 68 pitches through 4, it seemed like we would have to settle for only a glimpse at our old friend (he was on a 70-75 pitch limit) but Andy clearly made a case for a 5th inning return. 75 pitch limit? No problem. Pettitte retired the side on 7 pitches, leaving to the warm applause of the *light* crowd in attendance – good enough for his 4th win on the year.

But, but, we had him

The first inning was more or less all the Yanks could ask for on both sides of the ball. Andy Pettitte worked around a walk to Colby Rasmus en route to a quiet inning, and then the bats pounced all over Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez in the bottom of the frame. Ichiro, Swish, and Cano went 1B, 1B, RBI 2B to start the game, and it looked like it was going to be a short afternoon for the Blue Jays youngster. After Robbie’s long 2B, however, things settled down in a hurry. Two more runs were plated in the inning on an A-Rod groundout and a Granderson sac fly, but that was all the Yanks were going to get out of Alvarez.

Seemingly on the ropes after only three batters and down 3-0 after 1, Alvarez rebounded by retiring 17 of the next 19 hitters he faced and setting a career high with 7 K. In my series preview, I noted that Alvarez doesn’t generally have swing and miss stuff, but he sure missed a lot of bats this afternoon.

Who broke D-Rob?

David Robertson sometimes picks around the strike zone. We know this. D-Rob also occasionally loses faith in his curveball when he doesn’t bring his A-game. We know this as well. The problem is that we’ve become so accustomed to watching Robertson get into, and then wriggle out of, even the worst of jams. A regression was expected after last year’s frequent “Houdini on the high wire” acts, but it’s still a tough pill for me to swallow. Robertson lacked the ability to put anyone away this afternoon, giving up two 2-strike hits on his way to an overall line of 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2K. He was able to freeze two rookies on called third strikes, but everyone else he faced lumped him up. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Rafael Soriano came on to bail D-Rob out. After a walk to Anthony Gose, Soriano got Rajai Davis to hit a sinking liner to left field that was snagged on a slide by Ichiro, narrowly averting a Stage IV Bullpen Meltdown.

After the Yankees added an insurance run on two out hits from Ichiro (ground rule double) and Nick Swisher (RBI 1B), Soriano pitched a dominant 9th for his 41st save. Everybody untuck.

Ichiro Suzuki: True Yankee

I like to throw this term around sarcastically because non-Yankee fans do (I’m reclaiming it) but today, Ichiro was definitely my favorite Yankee. Well, that is, after Andy Pettitte came out of the game anyway. Ichiro, hitting leadoff for the resting Derek Jeter, went 3-for-4 with 2 R and a game saving catch in LF to end the 8th. We can’t expect these types of games from twilight Ichiro all of the time (more to come later), but they are so enjoyable when they happen. Do you think Raul and Andruw gave each other “oh man thank goodness that wasn’t one of us out there in left” hugs of relief after the 8th inning catch? I like to think that they did.

GAME 2: Yankees 2 Blue Jays 1

Ichiro Suzuki: True Yankee (closer to serious this time)

Okay for real, Ichiro went 4-for-4 with a SB in the nightcap and drove in the eventual game winning run in the 8th. I wouldn’t lie to you! Are we cool? Do you believe me? Great. Ready for more? Of those 4 hits, 2 of them were doubles…off a lefty. ::head explodes:: It’s okay. I ran through the same gamut of emotions as I was watching the game. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Ichiro accounted for 7 of the Yankees’ 15 hits on the day. He had a direct role in both wins and frankly I don’t see how we sweep without him. As I said above, this isn’t going to happen every game, but it happened twice today – a rejuvenated Ichiro came to play and the Yanks earned 2 much (much) needed wins with his help. No offense to D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, but if you had told me the tale of September 19, 2012 on July 23, 2012, I’d have packed their bags myself.

David Phelps showed us something

He isn’t flashy. He doesn’t throw smoke. The pitching motion is simple and compact. No facial expressions. A haircut you can set your watch to. The previous statements all describe David Phelps but yet, I’m intrigued. One week ago, Phelps gave the Yankees 5.2 IP of 1 run ball in a critical victory against the Red Sox. That was supposed to be his last start. Three days later, Phelps got 2 big outs in relief in a game the Yankees won against the Rays. Three days after that would bring you to tonight – a game that Phelps was only asked to start because ::dun dun dun:: WEATHER happened! We all feared the WEATHER yesterday, and rightfully so – doubleheader? What will it mean for the rotation? It’s so hard to sweep a DH! Grrrrrrrfffrustration.

You know who didn’t look frustrated? David Phelps. Sure, he did not have great stuff tonight. He was pick, pick, picking and had poor command. But look at the the week he had, detailed above. His relief appearance happened on his throwing day, of course, but that can still go a long way toward mucking up a guy’s routine. When Phelps was at 40 pitches through 2 IP, I thought we were on the fast track to watching Derek Lowe pour sweat all over the mound from the 4th through 7th, effective or not. Phelps was able to reign it in, however, and turned in a gutsy performance with an end line that looks much better than he made it look: 6.2 IP (ties career high), 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He also pumped out a career high 110 pitches (previous high: 98) on a night that Joe Girardi needed some length from his starter.

Maybe it is because I didn’t expect much when he was called up, but David Phelps, I’m intrigued.

Until tonight, he was Ricky RomeROFL

It wasn’t pretty, but Ricky Romero held the Yankees to 1 ER in 6 IP despite walking 5 and allowing 7 hits. A WHIP of 2.00 over 6 innings is the pitching equivalent of playing with fire, but Romero was able to excape trouble several times by relying on a fastball-changeup combo that had Yankee hitters off balance, expecially A-Rod. Rodriguez ended a potential threat in the 1st by grounding into a double play, and then struck out with men on base in the 3rd and 5th innings. Rodriguez was also K’d by Steve Delabar in the 7th to cap a day he’d soon like to forget: 0-for-7, 5 K, GIDP.

Romero was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce in the bottom of the 2nd when Chris Stewart laced a 2B to left field that skipped up the wall and into the seats, scoring McGehee from 2nd but preventing Ichiro from scoring from 1st. Romero also got some help from his defense, as Colby Rasmus made a strong throw from CF on Ichiro’s 1B to nail Jayson Nix at the plate. As has been the case with Romero for the better part of 2012, it felt as though the wheels were going to come off at any moment, but the Yankees just couldn’t capitalize.

What did I miss?

• Derek Jeter led off the evening game with a single, his 200th hit of the season. This marks the 8th time in his career he has reached the 200 hit plateau. He’s also playing on a bum foot. It’s old hat to say it, but he is pretty amazing.
• Omar Vizquel passed Babe Ruth (yes, that one) on the all time hits list in the afternoon game. His RBI 2B in the 8th inning off David Robertson was the 2, 872nd hit of his career.
• Rafael Soriano saved both ends of this doubleheader for his 41st and 42nd saves on the season. This means that fans who stayed for both games were treated to “El Rey de Monticulo” multiple times today. That is Soriano’s answer to “Enter Sandman” and the title translates to “King of the Mound.” Hard to argue in 2012.

The Yankees go for the 3 game sweep of the Jays at Yankee Stadium Thursday evening at 7:05pm. CC Sabathia (13-6, 3.96 ERA) will oppose Aaron Laffey (3-5, 4.55 ERA) in a matchup of lefties. As I write this, the Yankees sit 1 full game in first place, pending the outcome of the Orioles-Mariners game, which looks like it may go as long as last night’s. Oh boy.

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve developed a Pavlovian Reflex watching the 2012 Yankees. It goes as follows: Untuck —-> Exhale. Every time.

Last night was no different, as I was holding my breath for the entire 9th inning. Rafael Soriano managed to hang on for his 37th save in 40 chances, but it came with the usual drama of a Fenway Park conclusion. Jarrod Saltalamacchia led off the 9th with a solo shot to right that brought the Sox within a run, and Daniel Nava followed it up with a fly ball to left that pushed Chris Dickerson back as far as the Monster would allow before he brought it in for out number one.

After retiring Mauro Gomez on an easy grounder to Robinson Cano, Soriano stabbed at a comebacker from Mike Aviles that resulted in a deflection and subsequent infield hit. Jacoby Ellsbury represented the winning run for the Sox (of course) but gave Soriano a shot at redemption – a comebacker that Soriano handled cleanly and underhand tossed to Nick Swisher for the third out. That was a dense opening paragraph. A rant, if you will. Untuck. Yeeeesh.

ALL the Home Runs! NOTHING Else!

Familiar sight: The Yankees scored five runs last night, all via the long ball.

Another familiar sight: The Yankees went 0-for-13 with RISP, placing them at 1-for-25 with RISP for the series.

Curtis Granderson threw up a pretty vintage Grandy line: 2-for-5 with 2HR, 3RBI, and 2K, putting him at .235/.324/.489 37HR 89RBI and 170K on the season. Grandy led off the 4th inning with a solo drive off Red Sox starter Aaron Cook, followed by an A-Rod single, and a Robbie Cano opposite field shot to complete the tater sandwich (tired of the food puns yet? No? Okay).

Eric Chavez doubled later in the inning, and Ichiro reached on an error by 3B Pedro Ciriaco (he’s human!) but Chris Stewart remembered to fire up the RISPFAIL machine and grounded out to end the inning. At this point, I figured that my boys would have Cook against the ropes, but the righty bounced back for a relatively quiet inning in the 5th and was removed after a Nick Swisher double to lead off the 6th.

In his 2 previous starts against the Yanks, Cook had allowed 12ER and 19H in 9.1IP.  Since the RISPFAIL machine was purring like a kitten by the time Cook was lifted, this time he escaped with 5+IP and only allowed the 3R in the 4th.

Leading 3-1 in the 7th, Derek Jeter led off with a single off of (noted Yankee double agent) Alfredo Aceves, and Grandy followed up with his second homer of the night – this one a 2R insurance shot.

Complain all you want about the reliance on the long ball, but if a team isn’t going to hit with men on base, they’ve simply got to find another way. I’ll take some HRs here and there, thank you very much.

Hopefully Curtis has turned a corner.  This lineup is significantly better when he is comfortable with his hitting mechanics, and he hasn’t been for the better part of the last 2 1/2 months.

Speaking of turning a corner, Nick Swisher didn’t factor in the scoring, but he did go 3-for-5 with a 2B – his second straight multi-hit performance.  Both Grandy and Swish hit .205 in September last year and were non-existent against the Tigers in the ALDS, so seeing both of those guys start to turn it on a bit here is a promising sign for the offense moving forward.

David Phelps: True Yankee

Okay, I kid, I kid, but still. The guy went out there in the hostile confines of Fenway Park, in September, in a first place tie, and he arguably pitched the best game of his young career. This was not a gem, but it didn’t have to be. Watching the game, I sensed confidence in Phelps, even in the bottom of the 5th when he gave up a leadoff triple to Saltalamacchia (more on this later).

Phelps was poised, trusted his breaking ball in all counts, and did something he has never done before: pitched beyond the 5th inning only allowing 1 run. With Nova returning to the rotation to replace Freddy Garcia, and Andy Pettitte willing himself to health, one would have to think that this may have been Phelps’ last turn at starting in 2012. He’s done everything the Yankees have asked of him this year, and done it in a respectable fashion. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him out of the pen this year, and I would sign up for more of that in the coming weeks. ::thinks of reliever Phil Hughes in 2009, salivates::

On Bullpens and Binders

Joe Girardi loves his Binder. The Binder can be a very just and kind Binder, but the Binder must be honored. The only way to honor the Binder is with MANY PITCHING CHANGES.

Last night, Joe paid great respect to the Binder by using 6 relievers after David Phelps’ exit with 2 down in the 6th. Clay Rapada came on to retire James Loney to end the 6th, but with huge-platoon-split Cody Ross leading off Girardi went to Cody Eppley to start the 7th.

Two batters and a Salty double later we saw Boone Logan who, seemingly exhausted from an afternoon of pitcher’s fielding practice, gave way to Joba Chamberlain after Daniel Nava tagged him for a double. A ground out and yet another double – this time by pinch hitter Mike Aviles – and the Red Sox tightened up the score at 5-3.

David Robertson started the 8th and got two outs before giving up a double to James Loney and turning it over to Soriano, who struck out Cody Ross looking to diffuse the threat (an enjoyable sight, equipped with amusing ripple effects).

A win is a win is a win, and the Yanks needed this one badly, but one has got to think that the pen is going to be a little thin in the final game of this series. Logan, Robertson, and still-healing Joba all threw a fair number of high leverage pitches two nights in a row so they are probably going to be unavailable.

Since Ivan Nova will be going on Saturday, I assume Freddy Garcia will be available out of the pen in game 3 so that provides some depth. I’m fully expecting Joe to be paying the Binder a great deal of respect if we see a close one tonight.

The Moment I Thought the Season Was Over and Other Miscellany

• In the top of the 8th inning, the Yankees had a light rally brewing that involved an error, a poor throw on a SB, a bunt, and a walk to a backup catcher. It may have been difficult to hear over the cacophonous whir of the RISPFAIL machine, but I wailed upon viewing the last out of the inning. Derek Jeter hit a tailor-made DP ball to 2B and in the course of busting it down the line, he seemingly aggravated the foot injury that he suffered against the Rays last week. He came up limping, hobbled a bit up the 1B line, and then was escorted back to the dugout by Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue. It looked ugly but according to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News, Jeter is still dealing with the same bone bruise in the left ankle and has been for days. No new injury. No worse than it was before. In true Jeter fashion, he insisted that he will play in Thursday’s series finale.  Unless Girardi has him physically restrained, I’d bet the house on it.
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia finished one hit shy of the cycle – a single.  Salty only had 4 career triples in 459 games coming into Wednesday’s game.  He also only had 14 doubles on the year.
• Robinson Cano’s HR in the 4th inning was his 30th of the season, marking a new career high. Yay Robbie.
• Vicente Padilla made an appearance for one batter in the top of the 9th. Unfortunately, it was not Mark Teixeira.
• I find Cody Ross to be sniveling.  I thought so when he was on the Marlins.  I continued to think so when he was on the Giants. Now that he is on the Sox, I no longer feel the need to explain my views.  He is a sniveler, and he sniveled after Soriano struck him out looking with James Loney on 2B to end the 8th.  He made such a stink that he got himself tossed, along with 3B coach Jerry Royster and Manager Bobby Valentine.
• That marks the sixth time this year that Bobby V has been ejected, more than any other manager or player in one season in Red Sox history.

I was really hoping that we would see some Groucho glasses tonight, but I was left wanting more. If you were as well, here is a photo of what could have been:

Tonight the Yanks take on the Red Sox at 7:10pm EST in the rubber match of the three game set at Fenway Park.  The Yanks will send Phil Hughes (14-12, 4.13 ERA) against Felix Doubront (10-8, 5.21 ERA) in a matchup for the home run lover in all of us (33 and 22 allowed, respectively).  Should be fun.

I really love when nights like tonight occur.

People were down on the Yankees for signing Derek Lowe. They were wondering why they would even bother with a guy who was let go by Cleveland of all teams.

Well, Lowe showed them why the Yanks took a chance on him by shocking pretty much everyone who watches the sport of baseball.

And the other subplot was that Ryan Dempster, who reportedly was thisclose to becoming a Yankee at the trade deadline, was making the start for Texas.

But let’s start from the beginning of the game, shall we?

The matchup tonight pitted David Phelps, in for an injured CC Sabathia and the aforementioned Dempster who was 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA since coming over to Texas from the Chicago Cubs.

The Rangers struck first against Phelps with a run in the first – Nelson Cruz hit an RBI single – and they picked up a run in the second – on a home run by David Murphy. picking up a run in the first and second innings.

Meanwhile, Dempster set the Yankees down in order during his first two innings.

When the bottom of the third rolled around, Dempster wasn’t so lucky.

Of all of the people in the Yankees lineup, Russell Martin got things started with a single. Raul Ibanez followed with a single of his own to runners on first and second with no outs. Ichiro Suzuki hit a sacrifice bunt and Martin and Ibanez advanced to second and third. Dempster followed that with a walk to Derek Jeter which loaded the bases for Nick Swisher.

Swisher deposited an 1-0 slider into the second deck of right field in about three seconds. It was Swisher’s 15th home run of the season, the 6th grand slam of his career and it was the 200th home run of his career.

It was also the Yankees’s 9th grand slam of 2012 and put them up 4-2, a lead they wouldn’t give up.

While the offense was a big story in tonight’s game, the biggest story was Lowe’s performance.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this recap, the Yankees acquired Lowe off the scrapheap this past weekend. A signing that was made fun of by pretty much everyone – fans of the Yankees, fans of other teams, writers, bloggers etc. And coming into tonight’s game, people weren’t expecting much from Lowe.

Well, he showed them! Lowe pitched four innings of two-hit ball with four strikeouts. He was able to keep the Rangers off the scoreboard and he picked up an elusive four-inning save. It was his first save since 2001.

People are already poo pooing the performance claiming that it’s only one game. I know it was only one game, even Lowe himself knows that but this was a game in August against a very good, division leading Texas Ranger team who is looking to make their third World Series in a row.

So why can’t people be happy about it?

And it wasn’t as if Lowe was pitching against a terrible team or even a mediocre team. He had this performance against a fellow Division leader when the Yankees really needed it.

And, of course, we cannot forget David Phelps who did a good job starting in CC Sabathia‘s absence.

Phelps lasted a full five innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He surrendered one walk, struck out three and gave up a home run to David Murphy in the second inning.

So the combination of Phelps and Lowe gave guys like Boone Logan, Clay Rapada and Cody Eppley a much needed break tonight. Another victory for the Yankees who don’t have off until a week from today.

Some game notes:

• Eric Chavez who returned to the lineup and batted fifth, continuing his hot hitting, picking up two more tonight. His average is now .293 on the season.
• Ichiro hit a stand up triple which led to the Yankees scoring two more runs in the seventh inning.
• And last but certainly not least, Derek Jeter picked up his 154th hit of the year. He’s now tied with Nap Lajoie for 13th all-time with 3,142 hits. Next up: Eddie Murray. Jeter needs 13 more hits to get there.

I’m so glad we don’t have to see the Slop again until September. Yes, I call it the Slop because it’s a terrible baseball stadium.

David Phelps only lasted four and a third innings but he had eight strikeouts and held the Rays to one run. The bullpen (sans Boone Logan) shut down the Rays and struck them out eight more times. Logan actually picked up the win even though he gave up a two-run home run to Carlos Pena that gave the Rays a 3-1 lead. Luckily for Logan, his offense came back in the next half inning and scored three to take a lead they’d never relinquish.

The star of the game was Robinson Cano who finished 2-5 with two RBI. In his last 11 games Cano is 20-45 with five home runs and 15 RBI. He also has an eight-game RBI streak which is a career high.

So the Yankees have a much needed off day before their series with Boston at Fenway Park.

Frankly, we all need one…

What’s this? A series win and a two-game winning streak? Why yes, that’s exactly what it is.

Behind another strong pitching performance by Andy Pettitte and a two home run night from Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees were able to beat the Royals 8-3, winning the rubber game of the series and making the long plane ride out to Oakland a good one.

Pettitte lasted seven innings, gave up two earned runs, seven hits, struck out eight and only walked one batter. The two runs came off of solo home runs by Billy Butler and Mitch Maier.

Rodriguez hit the home runs in his first two at bats of the game – a two-run shot and a solo shot – off Royals starter Will Smith. No relation to the actor/rapper. Rodriguez had three RBI on the night.

Curtis Granderson hit his 14th home run of the season to start the scoring early for the Yankees. David Phelps came in and pitched the final two innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.

Poor Russell Martin singlehandedly added to the Yankees’ RISP woes by stranding seven runners on base. He’s currently batting .173.

The Yankees are off tomorrow so they can travel out West for three games against the Oakland Athletics. They will then fly to SoCal to play three against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and wrap up the road trip with three more in Detroit. Well, that should be a lot of fun.

It’s Sunday morning and the Yankees aren’t playing until 8:05 p.m. tonight – thanks ESPN and MLB! – so I’m just going to write everything that comes to mind regarding yesterday’s game and other various Yankee thoughts. Lucky you.

So yesterday didn’t go that well for Phil Hughes. While his velocity, which was a problem last year, was up, his location wasn’t great and because of that, he lost his second straight decision.

Let’s look at the positives from his outing:

• He had six strikeouts in 3.1 IP. That’s big for him. That means he was able to finish some guys off.
• He hit 94 m.p.h. on the gun.

Okay, so there aren’t as many positives.

The negatives:

• He only lasted 3.1 innings. It was a combination of nibbling and, well, giving up six runs.
• Going from 0-2 to 3-2 in counts. This bit him in the ass because this particular base runner was on when Howie Kendrick unloaded on a fastball with no bite and took Hughes deep to knock him out of the game.
• His fastball, while higher in velocity than it was last year, was straight and hittable.

Now, do I think we should give up in Phil Hughes? Not yet. It’s not like the Angels are a bad team. They may have been 2-5 coming into yesterday’s game but they’re not as bad as their record would indicate. I do realize that the window of opportunity is closing for Hughes. He’s on the sunset side of 25 and if he wants to have a long career, he needs to step it up. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a guy full of so much potential and not reaching it.

If he’s still having these same issues after say two or three more starts then maybe the Yankees need to think about putting him back into the bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, haven’t they been amazing so far? They’re definitely a huge asset and as long as they stay healthy – cross your fingers, toes, legs and eyes – the Yankees are in good shape for 2012.

David Phelps looked good again yesterday. He lasted 5.1 innings, gave up one hit – which happened to be a home run to Vernon Wells – and struck out four. He also only threw 78 pitches compared to Hughes who threw 84 pitches in two fewer innings.

The offense was stymied by CJ Wilson who won his first ever game against the Yankees. I was actually surprised by that, I could have sworn he had won games against them. The offense also seemed to have terrible luck. There were so many line drives and fly outs right to the fielders, it was just one of those days. Hopefully the hard contact will carry over into tonight’s game but the luck will change.

Personally I’d love that since I’m going to my first game of the season tonight. I can’t start the year off with a loss. That wouldn’t be fun. I’d also love to see Ivan Nova repeat his outing from Tuesday night in Baltimore. The Yankees are facing a pitcher they haven’t seen which in the past hasn’t been a good thing for them. We’ll see how they handle it tonight.

In what will become the best game recap tradition seen on any baseball blog ever, here is another cat picture for your enjoyment.

This time it’s a shot of my kitten Maddie’s paws. She’s a tortoiseshell cat and a terror. Well, a cute terror. We have five cats and I have about 1,000 pictures of them so I am well prepared for a 162 game season.

Phil Hughes’s line: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HRs (84 pitches, 52 strikes) Yep, it was that kind of day for him. But David Phelps came in after Hughes’s exit and was a big relief for the rest of the bullpen. His line: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 4K (78 pitches).

The offensive woes for the Yankees were a combination of bad luck – so many line outs, so little time – and CJ Wilson pitching well for the Angels. It happens.

They will try to win the rubber game of the series tomorrow night on ESPN with Jerome Williams going for the Angels and Ivan Nova for the Yankees.

There were a lot of storylines in last night’s Yankees victory. From Freddy Garcia and his five wild pitches to the Yankee hitters, once again, having issues with runners in scoring position but the biggest storyline from last night’s win in Baltimore was the Yankees bullpen’s performance.

The bullpen combined for 7.1 scoreless innings. They only gave up two hits, struck out 12 and walked two.

David Phelps had the most dominant performance within the bullpen. He had four strikeouts in 2.1 innings and was perfect, retiring all seven batters he faced. When he induced a pop up from the last batter he faced, Ken Singleton, calling the game on YES, voiced his disappointment in it not being a strikeout. Singleton was kidding, of course, but it was a pretty funny moment. Phelps put on quite a show last night.

Cory Wade also had a strong performance when the Yankees needed it. He pitched 2.1 innings as well, had four strikeouts, surrendered one walk and gave up only one hit.

David Robertson pitched an uneventful inning (for him), he struck out one and walked one. Clay Rapada, who picked up the win thanks to Raul Ibanez’s RBI single in the 12th, faced two batters and struck out one.

Mariano Rivera came into the game in the bottom of the 12th and had a 1-2-3 inning to secure the win for the Yankees. His inning of work included two strikeouts. Reports of demise were, as usual, premature.

The only one in the bullpen who had any trouble was Boone Logan who gave up a hit and didn’t retire the batter he was put in to face.

Now the Yankees are hoping CC Sabathia can rebound from his shaky Opening Day start and save the taxed bullpen tonight.

Hopefully, tomorrow’s installment of “About Last Night…” will be called “Saved By The Starter.” A girl can dream, can’t she?