MLB is so worried about stupid stuff like Alex Rodriguez possibly playing poker that the state of umpiring which is going down the toilet and which is RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES goes unnoticed. How is this even possible?

The Kansas City Royals better send the umpiring crew some flowers after tonight’s gift of a win.

Let’s not even talk about the botched home run call that gave the Royals an extra run even after a review. The KC broadcasters and beat writers said it wasn’t a home run but the umps had no idea. Really? Come on MLB, do something already.

The playoffs are approaching quickly and stuff like this can’t be happening in October.

The game itself was one of those frustrating “they should have won by 10 but lost by one” contests. There were lots of RISP issues for the Yanks. They ended 1-10 on the night. Ugly. And they lost to Bruce Chen which is even uglier considering he was 1-6 in his career against the Yankees coming into tonight’s game.

Bartolo Colon didn’t have much and exited the game after five innings. He gave up all five Royals runs and is now 8-7 on the year.

The Yankees had something cooking in the ninth inning when Joakim Soria walked Nick Swisher to load the bases for a second time in the inning – Derek Jeter who was 4-5 on the night had scored on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Cano the first time they were loaded to get the Yanks within one. Birthday boy Jorge Posada came to the plate and this is what happened:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Ballgame over, the umps, excuse me, the Royals win.

And for those of you who are thinking, “Oh you’re only mad because it was a bad call against the Yankees.” I’ll direct you to this post that I wrote last year.

What I’m mad about is that umpires get away with being really bad at their jobs and it’s gone on long enough. When will these guys be held accountable? Enough is enough already. Something has to be done.

DO YOU HEAR ME BUD SELIG?

And back to the botched home run call, of all people to get really angry about it was Mariano Rivera who never gets angry. Frankly, he scared me.

So the Yankees win the series 2-1 but this game left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths. Ending a series on a note like this is not fun.

One positive from tonight’s game, Curtis Granderson hit home run number 34 on the year. Oh, and that Jeter guy has gotten his average up to .290 on the season. Amazing.

More good news, I didn’t have to shave my head.

The Yankees head into Minnesota tomorrow to begin a four game series against the Twins and await the return of Alex Rodriguez who was 1-2 with two walks tonight in Scranton. He said after the game that he is not playing tomorrow. I don’t know about you but I’m just happy he’ll be back with the team even if it’s only to be a bench accessory.

Gardner, LF
Jeter, SS
Granderson, CF
Teixeira, 1B
Cano, 2B
Swisher, RF
Chavez, 3B
Posada, DH
Martin, C

Jorge Posada gets the start at DH today and Eric Chavez will be playing third. Eduardo Nunez has the day off.

Alex Rodriguez was supposed to start at third tonight for Single-A Tampa but plans have changed and he will be the DH again. He went 2 for 3 last night with a double and a HR. There was no reason given for the change. Rodriguez is expected to play a couple of games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre next week and Joe Girardi thinks A-Rod could play the field then.

Derek Jeter is going to be honored before today’s game. The Yankees want fans to be seated by 3:45 p.m. for the start of the ceremony. When asked about it, Jeter said that his parents will at the game today but that he had no idea what the Yankees had planned for him.

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the ceremony will be streamed live on mlb.com.

Good morning Yankee fans! It’s Tuesday August 2, 2011 and this is the daily rundown.

Phil Hughes (1-3, 8.24 ERA) gets the start tonight in Chicago and it looks like a competition could be brewing between him and Ivan Nova. Before last night’s game Manager Joe Girardi said, “Competition … it’s a good thing. I think it brings out the best in people.” He added, “It’s too early to necessarily give up on Hughsie and say that he’s not going to be an effective starter for us after what he did for us last year. We believe what he’s capable of doing and we’re giving him a shot to show us.”

Hughes’ last win was on July 17 in Toronto. That game was his strongest of the season. He pitched six innings, gave up only two runs on four hits and struck out a season high five batters. He looking to get something going against the White Sox tonight.

Nova will get another start, on Thursday against the White Sox. He won Saturday’s 17-3 blow out against Baltimore but it didn’t matter how many runs the Yanks scored, Nova looked good. He pitched seven innings, gave up only two runs on six hits and struck out six.

By placing Nova into the rotation, the Yankees will have Bartolo Colon, CC Sabathia and Freddy Garcia all pitching with an extra day of rest against Boston this weekend in Fenway Park.

In last night’s victory, Curtis Granderson scored twice and drove in a run, which gives him a major league high 96 runs scored. He is now on pace to score 145 runs this season, which would be the second-highest total in Yankees history behind Rickey Henderson, who scored 146 in 1985.

Robinson Cano played in his 1,000th career game on Monday night.

Brett Gardner who went 1-for-4 in last night’s game, extended his road hitting streak to nine games. He is hitting .485 (16-for-33) during that streak.

Derek Jeter was out of the lineup last night after being hit on the right middle finger by a pitch during Sunday’s game. Joe Girardi just wanted to give him a night off. Jeter said he could have played and plans to be back in the lineup on Tuesday.

Alex Rodriguez will begin doing baseball activities on Thursday in Tampa (YAY!). He’s still rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee. Rodriguez is expected back in the third or fourth week of August.

This date in Yankees History: It was on this date in 1979 that captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in Ohio. He was 32 when he died and it’s now been 32 years since his death. Amazing.

A Minor Glance

Scranton split a doubleheader against Lehigh Valley. They lost Game 1: 4-2 and Game 2: 4-1.

Tampa lost 7-4 to Charlotte

Trenton was off

Charleston beat Asheville, 9-8

Staten Island beat Jamestown, 5-0

The GCL Yankees beat the GCL Tigers 4-0

Good morning Yankees fans! It’s Monday August 1, 2011 and this is the rundown.

The Yankees finished their ten game homestand by winning the last three games against Baltimore and ended up with a 7-3 record. Freddy Garcia won his tenth game of the season.

They are now heading to Chicago for a four game set against the White Sox and then head to Boston for a weekend set at Fenway.

The other big news was that the Yankees didn’t make any moves before the trade deadline passed. It’s the the first time since 1999.

Brian Cashman spoke to the media following yesterday’s game and explained why no moves were made.

“I just feel like we’re a lot deeper. I’m willing, by the position I’ve taken in the last three weeks, to rely on that than go out and pay an enormous price on something that I’m not certain what it’s going to provide.

He also added, “We have one of the premier rosters in the game right now.”

The Yankees still have time to make a move before the waiver deadline on August 31st but it’s highly unlikely that any impact players will be available.

Tonight’s starters are CC Sabathia (15-5, 2.56 ERA) and Jake Peavy (4-4, 5.26 ERA)

Sabathia’s last start was a 4-1 victory over Seattle in which he pitched seven innings and struck out fourteen batters. He’s 8-2 in his last ten starts and has 156 strike outs in 168.2 innings pitched this season.

Peavy is the White Sox’s version of AJ Burnett, meaning he went winless in July. His last start on July 26 was a no decision but Chicago ended up losing the game 5-4 to the Tigers. Peavy’s last win came on June 25 when he pitched out of the bullpen against the Nationals.

A Minor Glance

Scranton lost to Rochester 6-3

Trenton lost to Richmond 5-0

Tampa were also shut out by Charlotte 7-0

Charleston lost to Greenville 5-3

Staten Island defeated Jamestown 11-5

Good morning Yankees fans. It’s Tuesday July 26, 2011 and this is the Daily Rundown.

CC Sabathia (14-5, 2.62 ERA) starts tonight against the Mariners. He had a seven-game winning streak snapped last Thursday against the Rays in tough luck loss. Sabathia has won six straight games against Seattle. He has posted a 0.82 ERA vs. the Mariners since August 2009.

His opponent is Doug Fister (3-11, 3.30) is 0-6 with a 3.38 ERA over his last nine outings. This includes a stretch of three games in which he yielded one run and pitched at least eight innings in each outing. His last win came on May 30 and in his last start, Fister gave up five runs over six-plus innings and did not get a decision Thursday in a 7-5 loss at Toronto.

He went 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA in two 2009 starts against the Yankees but has not faced them since nor has he ever pitched in the Bronx.

Sabathia has one of the best run support averages in the majors at 6.85 while his poor Fister has the lowest at 2.01.

Eric Chavez is scheduled to be activated Tuesday, ending his 2 1/2-month stay on the DL. Chavez has been out with a fractured left foot, though he also suffered a couple of setbacks with kidney stones and a back injury earlier this month. He will most likely share time Eduardo Nunez until Alex Rodriguez returns from the disabled list in a few weeks.

Speaking of Rodriguez, he continues to rehab his surgically repaired right knee in Miami. He’s been jogging in a pool, doing upper-body weight training as well as starting elliptical workouts. Manager Joe Girardi said Rodriguez is progressing fine, is on schedule and is still on track for a mid- to late-August return.

Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless inning last night in Scranton. It was also his first 1-2-3 inning since Opening day. STOP THE PRESSES. He will be in New York today to meet with team doctors and expected to be activated either tomorrow or Friday.

Here’s an interesting stat: Curtis Granderson became the first player in baseball to score 75 runs and have 75 RBI this season. He had two RBI in last night’s game. He has 76 RBI to go along with his league-leading 89 runs.

The Yankees are now 20 games over .500 with a 60-40 record. Thanks to an extra innings loss by the Red Sox to the Kansas City Royals, they are now two games back in the AL East standings.

This Date In Yankees History: In 1923, the Yankees defeated the Philadephia Athletics 4-3. The winning pitcher for the Yankees was Sad Sam Jones…he pitched a complete game.

A Minor Glance

Triple-A Scranton clobbered Syracuse 15-1

Double-A Trenton beat Akron 9-8

High-A Tampa beat Fort Myers, 6-1

Low-A Charleston lost to West Virginia 1-0

Short Season Staten Island beat Tri-City 2-1

The GCL Yankees beat the GCL Braves 7-1

Good morning Yankee fans. It’s Monday July 25, 2011 and this is the daily rundown.

The Yankees will be welcoming the Seattle Mariners to the Stadium for a three game series that starts tonight. The Mariners were just swept by the Red Sox in Boston. In fact, the Mariners have now lost fifteen games in a row coming into this series with the Yanks.

Starting for Seattle tonight will be Jason Vargas (6-8, 3.94 ERA) who last faced the Yankees on May 29. He lasted only three innings, gave up six runs on five hits. He also walked four batters and the Yankees won the game 7-1.

Freddy Garcia (8-7, 3.21 ERA) looks to build on his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he pitched 6 and 2/3 scoreless innings en route to his eighth win of the season. He struck out seven, gave up four runs and didn’t not walk a batter. He has not faced Seattle this season but in his career he is 4-3 with a 5.46 ERA against the Mariners.

Quote of the day: “I’m here to do my job, regardless if it’s four outs or three outs or one out. It don’t matter what it is. I have to be ready for that, and I am.” – Mariano Rivera

Rivera picked up his 25th save of the season yesterday against the A’s and has now reached that mark in fifteen straight seasons. He has 584 career saves and is now only seventeen behind Trevor Hoffman’s all time mark of 601.

Curtis Granderson has hit 11 of his team-high 27 home runs against left-handed pitchers this season. Coming into this season he had 20 homers off left handers in the previous seven seasons combined.

In an interview with ESPN yesterday afternoon, GM Brian Cashman said that Alex Rodriguez could return to the Yankees by the second week in August.

“He’s in a pool. He’s on a bike. (He’s) still got a little bit of a limp, which is normal. But I’d be looking at him (returning) maybe the second week of August, you know, at the earliest for me,” Cashman said. “That’s just us being conservative. I think we can push it and get him back sooner but, why? Our offense is strong.”

Speaking of rehabbing players, Eric Chavez will be returning to the Yanks tomorrow and Rafael Soriano is not far behind. According Cashman, to Soriano will make one more rehab start today and should be back with the big club later in the week.

This Date in Yankees History: In 1961, the Yankees shellacked the Chicago White Sox, 12-0. Roger Maris hit home runs 39 and 40 and collected five RBI to bring his season total to 95. Clete Boyer also belted two home runs and Elston Howard added one of his own. Bill Stafford pitched a complete game for the Yanks.

A Minor Glance

Scranton beat Syracuse, 7-2

Trenton beat Bowie, 6-4

Tampa lost to Bradenton, 2-1

Charleston beat West Virginia 14-0

Staten Island lost to Tri-City 2-0

The Minor League Scoreboard 7-22-11

Triple-A Scranton lost to Syracuse, 8-3

Double-A Trenton lost to Bowie, 4-1

High-A Tampa lost to Bradenton, 6-5

Low-A Charleston lost to Lexington, 5-4

Short Season Staten Island defeated Hudson Valley, 2-1

The GCL Yankees defeated the GCL Pirates, 8-3

Good morning Yankees fans! It’s Friday July 22, 2011 and this is the daily rundown.

The Yankees are back home for a ten game homestand. Their opponents, the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles are all under .500.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Yankees have an eleven game winning streak against Oakland. Oakland has lost 24 of 28 meetings, including nine of 10 at the current stadium.

Phil Hughes will be making his first start at home since April. He has pitched twice since coming back from the disabled list. He earned a win his last start, giving up two runs in six innings against Toronto. Hughes is 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two career starts against Oakland.

Eric Chavez hit an RBI double in the fifth inning of his rehab game with the Tampa Yankees. Chavez went 1-3 on the night and is hitting .455 in his rehab stint. Rafael Soriano pitched one inning and gave up one run on two hits. According to Yahoo Sports, Soriano most likely will throw in back-to-back games Sunday and Monday. Joe Girardi said Soriano could come off the disabled list as early as Wednesday.

The Yankees went eight games without giving up a home run before Evan Longoria took Sabathia deep last night. It was the Yankees’ longest streak since August 15-22, 1999.

This Date in Yankees History: In 1954, Yankee skipper Casey Stengel shifted Mickey Mantle to shortstop from center field in the top of the ninth inning. The story was that he wanted to get more “pop” in the lineup. The move worked when Mantle hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the tenth to give the Yankees a 4-3 victory over Chicago.

A Minor Glance
Scranton beat Columbus 6-5

Trenton lost to Bowie 8-6

Tampa beat Bradenton 5-1

Charleston beat Lexington 8-3

Staten Island beat Hudson Valley 8-7

The GCL Yankees hammered the GCL Tigers 18-2

Good morning Yankees fans. It’s Thursday July 21, 2011 and this is the daily rundown.

CC Sabathia is looking for win number fifteen on the season tonight in Tampa. He’s matched up against James Shields (8-8, 2.60 ERA) who as you may recall pitched a complete game in New York on July 10. You also may recall that Sabathia pitched a complete game and got the 1-0 victory thanks to miscues by Shields himself and outfielder B.J. Upton.

Shields is 3-10 with a 4.46 ERA in his career against the Yankees and is 2-5 with a 2.59 ERA at home this year. Sabathia is 9-5 with a 3.04 ERA in his career against Tampa and is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA on turf this season.

The Yankees are hoping to leave Tampa having won three out of four games. They got their win last night thanks to a fantastic pitching performance by Freddy Garcia who put up zeros for six innings and their bullpen – Boone Logan, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera – who also put up zeros to shutdown the Rays 4-0 in St. Pete. The Yankees are now 20-9 against left handers this season and Price dropped to 9-8 on the season.

After a series of mishaps in the previous three games at the Trop, there were none last night – thank goodness.

Brett Gardner now has 30 stolen bases on the season. He leads the league and has swiped 16 in a row without being caught. It’s the longest streak of his career.

Eric Chavez, made another rehab start yesterday for the Tampa Yankees and went 4-5 with two runs scored. It was reported that he ran the bases well and had no pain in his foot. Looks like the finger and toe crossing helped.

Ivan Nova was placed on the 7 day DL with a right ankle problem. He originally hurt it July 7 against Buffalo. Joe Girardi said the Yankees expect Nova to be okay and that they may even have him back for the doubleheader against Baltimore on July 30.

This Date in Yankees History:  In 2008, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 12-4. Sidney Ponson got the win, Edwar Ramirez, David Robertson and LaTroy Hawkins pitched out of the bullpen and Richie Sexson was Jason Giambi’s defensive replacement at first base. What a strange season that was.

A Minor Glance
Scranton beat Columbus 6-1

Trenton walked off against Erie 13-12

Tampa clobbered Jupiter 10-3

Charleston beat Lexington 6-5

Staten Island lost to Hudson Valley 5-4

The GCL Yankees were hammered by the GCL Tigers 12-3

Good Morning Yankees fans! It’s Wednesday July 20, 2011 and this is the daily rundown.

Freddy Garcia (7-7, 3.43 ERA) starts tonight and like Bartolo Colon last night, is looking to bounce back from his poor start last week in Toronto. Garcia’s 11 quality starts represent the second-highest total of any starter on the Yankees’ staff. Garcia is 8-2 with a 3.56 ERA in 15 career starts against the Rays but has only faced them once since 2007.

Garcia’s opponent tonight is David Price (9-7, 3.73). Price won his last start on Friday against Boston 9-6. He gave up three earned runs in six innings. Price’s last start against the Yankees was July 9 which was a no decision. The Yankees are 19-9 against left-handed starters this season.

Brett Gardner continued his torrid hitting. He was 2-for-3 with two more stolen bases last night and his batting average is up to .290. He has 13 hits and three walks in his past 25 plate appearances which works out to a .640 on-base percentage since the All Star break.

Ivan Nova was pulled in the second inning of last night’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees game in Columbus. He suffered an ankle injury.

Quote of the Day: “We kind of gave them the game. You’re going to have physical errors and you’re going to lose balls in the lights. That’s going to happen sometimes in a dome. That doesn’t mean that I’m happy about it. It happens. It’s baseball. These guys aren’t going to be perfect. They bust their butt every day and I’m proud of them for doing that. You don’t like these type of losses.” – Joe Girardi

They Tried To Make Me Go To Rehab And I Said, Yes, Yes, Yes
Eric Chavez went 0-3 in a rehab start at DH for the Tampa Yankees. He walked once and also struck out once. Rafael Soriano, also on a rehab assignment, took the loss, giving up two earned runs on two hits over just 1.1 innings of work. He gave up a homer but did not surrender a walk.

This Date in Yankees History: In 2002, the Yankees defeated the Red Sox 9-8 in 11 innings at the Stadium. Steve Karsay picked up the win. Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez started the game for the Yankees and Robin Ventura, Shane Spencer and Nick Johnson all had two RBI each in the win.

A Minor Glance
Scranton lost 6-1 to Columbus

Trenton beat Erie 9-2

Tampa lost to Jupiter 11-0

Charleston was off.

Staten Island swept a doubleheader against Hudson Valley: 3-2 and 8-6

GCL Yankees beat the GCL Phillies 8-5