June 27, @ Baltimore L (4-0) 36-39 11GB 7.5GB Wild Card

When it rains it pours. Another loss adds to the skid that is now at 4 in a row and 7 of their last 8, and this latest one comes at the hands of the Orioles...oh God help us...we now look inferior to the Orioles. Only 6 men LOB tonight because of only 5 Yankee hits, and they certainly made Bedard look fantastic. I understand that he is one of the better young pitchers in the AL, I get it, but put someone like him against a slumping Yankee lineup and this is what you'll get. The Yankees only reached base 6 times as well, with Cano of all people getting the sole base on balls.

Rocket went 5 strong, but when your team gives you nothing you have a very small margin for error, and in the 6th he finally hit the wall and gave up 4 runs, 3 of them coming off an opposite-field 3-run homer by Aubrey Huff. He didn't hit it well, but it still managed to sail over the wall in right. Roger also left the game without striking anyone out, ending his streak of 200 games with at least one K. Just watching the games you can see the confidence gone from all but the big three; each time the other 6 hitters come up it's never a quality at-bat. Guys aren't seeing many pitches and just cannot hit when they see good pitches. It's hard to fathom how Abreu can swing through so many hittable balls; he can't even get good contact on the one he does hit. Cano is back to swinging at balls way out of the zone and Matsui is back to weak grounders.

The plot will more than likely incorporate another chapter within the next week as the Angels have now designated Shea Hillenbrand for assignment. The Yankees were in talks with the Angels about him within the last two weeks and I expect that they will do all they can to add him to their roster. Shea is a right-handed bat and a first baseman, so he'll be picked up in order to fill both needs. Obviously I'm as excited about the prospect of that signing as I am about getting a $1.00 discount on my cable bill; what the hell kind of difference does it make? Sure he'll be an upgrade from Cairo, and the Yankees should indeed do it, but it won't dig them out of the funk they're in.

The Yankees are first in the AL in OBP and yet they can't score runs right now. Timely hitting continues to be an issue during this losing skid it may just continue through tomorrow until their next home game on Friday, except they will be hosting Oakland with Moose on the mound and that could go either way. If I see Nieves in the lineup on Friday I might put Moose in the figure-four myself and put him into permanent retirement. His little preference of Nieves at catcher needs to end already, it's hurting the team and the team is already hurting enough. And just to add to the frustration, the Red Sox just got swept by Seattle and the Yankees were unable to gain a single game on them; how ridicilous.

The hot streak played the fans for fools, and the team is right back where they were prior to it. And if these guys aren't careful, they will completely erase the ground they gained while they were hot and throw the season away. A 3-game win streak now only puts them at .500, when not long ago they were 3 games over. Each day makes these games more crucial and losing games en masse like this will only darken the glimmer of hope. They desperately need to salvage tomorrow's game and give themselves something to build on for the upcoming homestand that will feature Oakland, Minnesota, and the Angels; all teams that are much better than the 3 they've been losing to lately. The next 10 games will be HUGE tests for the Yankees, they better be ready...

These games are getting difficult to watch. You begin to wonder after a while whether the pressure is wearing the team down or there are simply too many weaknesses; and it may be a combination of both. I've now watched a multitude of teams with varying levels of talent run all over the Yankees and it's just getting ridiculous. You can only hold Posada accountable for it so long, the pitchers have to check the damn runners. Tonight Andy pitched well yet again, going 7 and allowing 2 earned and 8 hits with 2 K's; and once more the team mustered only 2 runs to support him. Once more, and for what seems the millionth time, the bullpen threw the game. Proctor walked in the game-winning run after walking 2 already in the 9th, send the Pinstripes to their 6th defeat in 7 games. The hot streak is now a distant memory, even the Orioles are beating the Yankees now.

Timely hitting was an issue again tonight, as time and time again it fell on Cairo to bring a runner home and he failed miserably. A note to those unaware: if you play a utility guy every day you'll soon learn why they became a utility guy in the first place. Abreu was bumped to 8th in the lineup tonight and at this point I don't know what to think of him, and the only runs came off of a Johnny Damon homer, that's right, a Johnny Damon homer. For a while it looked like the loss of Giambi was a blessing in disguise, but right now his OBP and RBI proficiency is sorely missed. I think we're all noticing what a difference it makes when you constantly have guys on base. As bright as the season looked 2 weeks ago it has turned just as ugly and the Yankees are edging ever so close to the area when there truly is no turning back.

So what can they do at this point? It's hard to say because just two weeks ago this team was firing on all cylinders, only leaving the issue with runners stealing unresolved. The hitting was right as was the starting pitching and bullpen. Conversely, they have completely reverted to how they were playing before the hot streak. The Yanks now have A-Rod as their sole provider of power and when he doesn't hit the rest of the team can't provide RBI's. There's more pressure on guys like Matsui and Abreu than there has even been, and they're having trouble handling it. The lineup hasn't done a poor job of wearing down pitchers, but they are constantly having trouble driving in runs. One thing the Yankees have never had trouble doing over the last few years is drive in runs. They've had their lapses in the playoffs, but long droughts of poor hitting such as those they've had this season have been rare; and it's costing them dearly.

There's likely some kind of move looming on the horizon. There's a need in the bullpen, there's a need at first base, there's a need for a decent bat. Too many holes to fill and to try and integrate someone for a push just to get in position for a possible playoff push seems difficult. The deadline is July 31 and if the team is playing better and looks as if they may have a realistic playoff shot, a move would make more sense. A part of me wants them to make all the moves they can so the season can get turned around, but another part of me has dealt with this sort of thing far too long. I don't want to send away young guys so that another potential problem can arise. We may reach the point where we simply have to deal with the results of this season and prepare ourselves for the plethora of spending that will occur in the offseason.

I have yet to reach that "I give up" point this season, I know that much, but the losses are piling up and we're inching closer to the dreadful point where the games mean nothing. Cashman has been busy courting some sort of first baseman and I'm figuring we'll end up with one somehow. I don't feel as though the Teixeira possibility will rear its head at all, and honestly if they add a great bat and a first baseman all-in-one it still doesn't fix everything. Another reliever is still needed and better bench players would be welcomed as well. It's no easy fix to say the least, and Cashman has his work cut out for him if he is to make the move that will save this season. The Yankees need to dig deep ladies and gentlemen.

June 22, @ Giants W (7-3) 36-35 10.5GB 5.5GB Wild Card

Winning always manages to ease some pain, and still red in the ass from being hit with brooms in Colorado, the Yankees bounced back in 'Frisco. Coming into this one I worried mostly about the pitching matchup. Kei Igawa was finally called back up from the Minors and from all accounts seemed fully prepared to be an effective major league pitcher, but he opposed Matt Cain who, despite being 2-7, had a 3.15 ERA and has been unsuccessful largely because of his own team. I could easily have thrown the Giants' current 7 game losing streak into the mix, but being the natural pessimist I feared giving the Yankees the benefit of the doubt after their Rocky Mountain fiasco, plus I still had no reason to trust Igawa.

So finally the game began and it didn't take long for the Yankees to get into the mix after an anemic previous series. In the 2nd A-Rod led off with a double and Jorgie subsequently moved him over (a simple task in baseball that they totally ignored in the Rockies series) and Matsui got him home on a sac fly. Then a single and 2 walks were followed by Melky singling two runners in. Melky went 2-5 in the game and really looked sharp at the plate, and it made me realize something: Melky seems to play better on the road, and a glance at the numbers supports it. Melky is hitting .289 on the road vs. .205 at home, plus slugging .261 at home against .418 on the road. These numbers aren't incredibly staggering but a BA difference of 85 points is pretty significant.

As for Igawa, well, Japanese men have done far more for me at Benihana than he has. He wasn't consistently terrible yesterday as he started off pretty well and managed to get through the first 4 innings looking sharp with a really nice changeup. I'm not sure how much of that can be credited to a monumentally weak Giants lineup, but Kei had something going early. Then came the 5th, and after being given a 5-run cushion, he screwed the pooch and channeled poor man's Rick Ankiel. And this was the point, oddly enough, when I walked into the bar and began watching the game (of course he pitches great until I come in). A double, a single, fly out, line out, a double, then he walks in a run and see you later pal we're calling Vizcaino. Just like that the bases were loaded and the sudden 3 run lead was in jeopardy.

So on comes Luis with 2 outs and the bases full, and Bengie Molina blasts one that Matsui manages to cradle in his glove just ahead of the wall; crisis averted. Let me put what Luis had done in perspective, because I've heard nothing about this. Mariano decided to take him under his wing back in May, and it's really paying off. Vizcaino has only allowed 1 run in his last 10 innings of work and dropped his ERA from 7.27 on May 28 to 5.71, and during that time he has come on for MANY tight spots and saved the Yankees from further trouble. He has an ERA of 1.04 this month after a 9.00 ERA in May; this guy deserves some credit, too bad he doesn't read my blog.

A-Rod returned to form and went 4-4 with a walk and two RBI and Jeter remained hot and extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Honestly this game seemed as if nothing ever happened between Sunday and Friday, as if the real Yankees had been held hostage in some sort of Bermuda Triangle for four days and were magically released. I now know the Rockies are a solid team, I get it, but no one can convince me that the thin air didn't have any effect on the Yankees hitting this week, there's no way.

On the subject of Igawa again, I'll remain on the guy's side for now, he may still be having difficulty making the transition to the Bigs, let alone the US. This guy was a brilliant pitcher in Japan and won an MVP and a Japanese Cy Young. He did, however, taper off and was even exiled to the minors in Japan after the aforementioned success, later returning and pitching near his old form once again. He had a very good 2006 season. None of the Japanese success guarantees the transition to the Bigs though, and his future is still in doubt. It was important for him to escape that 5th inning in this game, and he just didn't have it. As concerned as Torre is and needs to be about each game, he wasn't willing to take the risk of leaving him in and rightfully so. He'll get his next shot at a reeling Baltimore team next week, we'll see if he makes adjustments.

    So the Orioles sent Perlozzo packing with hopes that Joe Girardi would finally be the one to properly fill the void at manager and turn their franchise around. Joe gave them the courtesy of a sit-down and got into the box where the O's gave him their best pitch. Needless to say, the O's are left like the guy that wanted the girl that was way out of his league: rejected.

    Joe Girardi is no fool ladies and gentlemen. He was not a fool when he took the Marlins job just prior to them screwing him over and dismantling the roster he was given possession of, and he certainly was not foolish about taking over a job that is only less hopeless than that of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the American League East. Fans of the O's may be kicking themselves harder than they have been at this point, but you can't blame Girardi for it.

1. He learned his lesson in Florida.

    Joe took over the Marlins coming off of a season where they were 2 years removed from a World Series and just coming off a disappointing year where they underachieved with a very good team. Within weeks after he was signed the Marlins began yet another fire sale, and by Spring Training had lost Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Alex Gonzalez and Mike Lowell, along with Juan Pierre and the pitchers Josh Beckett and A. J. Burnett via free agency or ridiculous trades. Probably one of the greatest insults to a manager in recent history, which certainly justifies the nationally broadcasted argument Girardi had with his GM in August of the '06 season. Despite the letdown, Joe took it in stride and had a wildly successful season considering he essentially fielded a minor league team every night; excluding Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. After being crowned National League Manager of the Year Girardi was fired, rivaling the nonsense that used to occur between Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner.

2. The Orioles are up a creek without a paddle.

We've seen many franchises across sports manage to turn things around, but the Orioles have found themselves in a situation that is partially their own fault and partially being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At 11 games below .500, this would be the O's tenth consecutive losing season, and there is no reason to think that things will turn around. They decided to spend money on bullpen help in the offseason, and despite Leo Mazzone improving the pitching staff somewhat, the O's can't hit. They are 13th in the AL in runs scored, 9th in batting average, 13th in slugging, and 11th in OBP although they are 6th in the AL in ERA. Plus Miguel Tejada, who was supposed to be a difference-maker in the lineup to build around, may finally be at his last straw.

If all that weren't enough, the Yankees and Red Sox have been perennial winners in that division for more than a decade and with all the money both teams possess, they will continually be at war for improvements at every trade deadline and offseason. It's unfortunate for the O's for the same reason as it is to Toronto and Tampa Bay: they all come into each season knowing that the Yankees and Red Sox will be contending for the Division, for the Pennant, and the World Series. Though it may not be the case every October, every April those two are the favorites on paper. Joe Girardi knows this far too well to take on another job with a glass ceiling that may be reinforced with concrete.

3. The Yankees Job

Here's where the speculation comes into play. Joe's dream job is with the Cubs, but the Cubs invested money and years in Lou Piniella and will likely give him at least another season to turn things around. Among what remains for a manager-to-be the most compelling for Joe is the Yankees job. And why not? They can be counted on to field a good team every year, and will go out of their way to make a move if necessary. Girardi won three World Series with the Yankees and was Torre's bench coach before leaving to Florida and his absence allowed for Don Mattingly to be bumped up from hitting coach. There seems to be no indication otherwise that either Mattingly or Girardi would be the next Yankee manager. Girardi is very familiar with the team and with the media circus that will surely beat him over the head with "you vs. Joe" comparisons should he take the job. But does he really want to be the guy that follows Joe Torre? Joe may or may not be sure he is willing to fight that battle, but by turning down the Orioles job he leaves open the possibility.

    You can't assume that Joe sat down with Baltimore already certain that he did not want the job, he may have truly considered it. But it's a very difficult job to take on and I don't think Girardi was willing to climb that particular mountain. It's unfortunate that the Orioles, who have a rich and long history in baseball, have fallen into this predicament but it's a burden they must carry and resolve nonetheless. Baseball fans around the country all have their varying versions of plight and likely won't shed a tear for the Orioles. Even Yankee fans recall the eighties and early nineties.

June 20, @ Colorado               L (6-1)              35-34   10GB           5.5GB Wild Card

Absolutely horrifying. Kind of like walking in on your parents playing "where's the banana?" This is what it's been like the last two nights watching the Yankees put up two runs in two games in Colorado. Yes I can hear the arguments now: "but the Rockies aren't that bad, they're one of the hottest teams in baseball...blah blah blah." I get it people, I get it. Maybe they are better than people give them credit for; maybe they do have a shot in the division. But allowing two runs in two games to the Yankees? There's a far greater chance of Jim Leyland going an hour without a cigarette. Seriously. These are bad losses for the Yankees and naturally the Red Sox have played the slumping Braves and gained back two whole games.

Aside from the obvious, this one hurt tonight because it turned into a pitcher's duel and Andy finally lost it after being spotted a run in the top of the 6th. Posada left two on base in that inning and that proved to be quite costly for the Yankees. I can't say that Torre left Andy in too long, but I will say that Andy mishandled the batters he faced in the 7th. He hung a lot of pitches and they simply sat back and pelted them. The further along this game went without scoring, the more I worried. Plus the idiot who could be heard heckling every single Yankee over the telecast was driving me insane. I just had a feeling that the Yankees would start to press and the crowd would energize the Rockies enough to have them burst out at any moment. That's the sort of thing that Coors Field has always been notorious for, which is why they used to have one of the better home records in baseball; along with the thin air of course.

 Andy went 5 and 2/3 before giving up the 2-run bomb (and "bomb" is putting it lightly since Holliday crushed one 445ft) and only had 1 run that came in the top of the 6th in support. The lineup has to produce better than that. I'm not stupid enough to think the lineup is going to put up 7 runs a game, but these CO pitchers weren't throwing filth, the Yankees should be able to get hits and guys on base with what they have been facing. Case in point - Dice K: They had never seen this guy before, and he has filth like few in baseball. Sure he isn't mowing down the majors, but he strikes people out with regularity. Anyway, the Yankees have hit him very well, why the hell can't these guys do it in Coors? Jeff Francis had a new season-high with 9 K's. Against the patient and selective-hitting Yankees. When Oliver Perez shut them down last week you could tell that he had nasty stuff that was fooling guys, especially pitches with late movement. The last two pitchers they've faced have had nothing near that, and that is why I'm pissed. Losses are losses, they're going to happen one way or another. But seeing sub-par efforts like this when the Yankees have been playing so well is ridiculous.

So now the Yankees have to try and salvage a game with Rocket on the mound before going off to 'Frisco for the weekend series. This Johnny Damon business is going to keep getting worse as the week continues. Watching him pinch-hit tonight again I could see more of the same; he's hurt and his inability to play anywhere near full potential is hurting the team at this point. Put him on the 15 day DL and take it from there. Having Melky hit in the leadoff spot just doesn't work and the Yankees don't have any other leadoff option besides Damon. They need a leadoff guy because it's looking more and more like Damon will be heading to the DL soon. Even though he doesn't thrive there, I think they should hit Jeter in that spot for the remainder of the interleague games. The Yankees can't afford an easy out at the top of their lineup, it's just not practical. Torre should put Jeter in that slot for the next 4 games; it's only 4 games Joe.

One side note: what the hell is wrong with Robinson Cano? Who is this guy? Every single game he looks like he was called up the night before; no patience at the plate and terrible timing on pitches, an on-base of .312 and somehow a .270 BA. Fortunately it has not translated to his play in the field, but he's an integral part of that lineup; he has to a-scend in ability not de-scend. It makes me wonder if Mattingly is helping him at all, Lord knows he needs it. And God forbid he comes to the plate with RISP where he's hitting a crisp .219, if they're ISP with 2 outs he turns it on for a .115 BA, or even if men are simply on base with 2 out he's hitting .190. Come on Robbie, where's your head?