Phil Hughes Is Terrible In Loss To The Overrated Red Sox

Even the sun shines on a dog's ass every now and then. I love that saying. It basically means, even the losers get lucky every now and then. That's how I feel about the Red Sox win over the Yankees today. Sure, the Sox win is a moral victory for a struggling team. But if you're excited about it as a Sox fan and think it's all blue skies ahead, please share your drugs. John Lackey was terrible and the Sox have only had 1 solid start in 7 games. And let's face it, if any other SP went today for the Yankees, the Sox would probably be 0-7. They do not look good and didn't look good today.

Phil Hughes was terrible again and it's pretty clear that there is something going on. He's lost several MPH on his fastball and it's crystal clear to anyone watching, or in my case listening, that it's a problem and a cause for concern. I'm not too concerned yet as it is very early in the season and it doesn't sound like there's an injury at play, which is really good because that means that he should be able to get back that extra zip missing from his pitches. Larry Rothschild needs to make Hughes priority numero uno. Figure out if it's his mechanics and if it is figure out how to fix it. I really hope it's not a dead arm because you never know when that will snap back. If it is a dead arm I'm hoping it gets better with each start. The last thing I want it to be is an injury. That would be worst case root cause for the problem. There's been no inkling of an injury, which is good. Whatever it is I hope they figure it out and soon. If there's no improvement all is not lost. To find out why not, read on.........

If Phil Hughes is hurt or can't snap out of it the Yankees have a viable replacement in BartoIo Colon. Bartolo had a pretty decent spring and had a great appearance today in relief. I don't want to say that he was unhittable today but he was outstanding. He kept the Yankees in the game and gave them a chance to comeback and win. It's a shame he got saddled with the loss. If for some reason Hughes can't pitch effectively as a starter I have no problem whatsoever with the Yankees sliding him into that role. Anybody have a reason why they shouldn't?

Boone Logan on the other hand? I wouldn't have a problem if the Yankees got rid of him right now. The Yankees have always had somewhat of a problem with their so-called "lefty specialist." When Logan came into the game I blasted off the following tweet: "Odds the "lefty specialist" gets out the lefties? 50%? Less? I'm not that confident in Boone." Sure enough, as expected, Boone doesn't get out the lefties. Double by Ortiz. Single by Drew. 2 runs score. Terrible. Boone has now faced 6 lefties this season and has allowed 5 to reach base. Boone's job is to get lefties out and he's not doing it. As my buddy Mike tweeted during the game, "Ppl say give Logan a chance it's still early. Letting all 5 LHB on base so far means he's not doing his job. If I don't do mine, I get fired." Boom! Boone isn't doing his job. If he doesn't turn things around, and fast, he's got to go. I have no confidence in him at this point. I saw a lot of people on Twitter blasting Joe Girardi for going to Logan when he did. I have no problem with the move. You bring in the LHP to face the LHB. Statistically, the odds are supposed to be heavily in the pitcher's favor. Hence the "lefty specialist." It's not Girardi's fault Logan sucks at his job. Get your act together Boone!

No real comments on the offense. In closing, nobody should fear the Red Sox. They're arguably the most overrated team to ever step on a baseball diamond. There pitching is suspect and to assume that they would roll over everyone en route to a World Series title was silly. I did predict that they'd win the AL East. I think they're a good team but they were being called one of the best team's ever. I think one Boston writer said they were better than the 1927 Yankees. It was laughable than and it's laughable now. There was also talk of Boston setting the record for most regular season wins ever. Again, laughable. They've got a good club, no doubt. But they are nowhere near the team that "experts" and Red Sox fans think they are.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Joe Girardi Done Messed Up, Costs Yankees Game #5

Yeah, I'm all kind of pissed right now. Freaking Joe Girardi. What the heck are you doing my man? His bullpen management cost the Yankees the game tonight! And I don't want to hear from anyone that it's only April, or that it's the 5th game of the season, or that it's only one game or only one loss. Divisions are lost and playoffs are missed because of one loss. Every game matters and every loss counts, regardless of when the game is played. Tonight's loss didn't need to happen. If the Yankees miss the playoffs by one game this will be one of the losses that could have changed their fate.

I'm putting this loss on Girardi's bullpen management because he made a move that shouldn't have been made and it came back to bite him in the ass. Joe never should have opened the 8th inning with Rafael Soriano on the mound. The right play was open with David Robertson and go to Soriano if Robertson gets into trouble. That's how I would have managed it. Here's why: The Yankees were up 4-0. Soriano had just pitched the day before. Freddy Garcia is starting tomorrow and who knows what you'll need from your bullpen. I would have tried to save his arm as much as I could. David Robertson is a quality RP and has the stuff to get hitters out. Girardi should have let him take a shot.

The thing that makes me the most annoyed is how Girardi responded to questions in his post game press conference? When asked why he went to Soriano he responded because Soriano is "our 8th inning guy." Umm, what? Last time I checked every game has an 8th inning. What are you going to do Joe? Use him every game? You've got to be smart and pick your spots. Tonight wasn't the right spot. Many factors need to be taken into account. The biggest factors: What's the lead? (4 runs) When did he pitch last? (yesterday) When will he be needed again? (possibly tomorrow). Add all that up and your answer should be: open the 8th with another pitcher. Girardi also comment that he didn't want to bring Soriano in during the middle of an inning? Why not Joe? Soriano is a closer by nature, not a set-up guy. Everybody knows that closers do better when something is on the line? We've all seen Mariano Rivera falter in non-save situations. Maybe bringing Soriano in with a 4-run lead isn't a good idea. I'm sure he'd do better with a little pressure. Who knows? One last question for Joe: who's your 8th inning guy tomorrow?

Aargh. It's late and my brain is fried. I want to blog a little more but I still have some stuff to do before bed and in addition to being pissed I'm dead tired. Here are the rest of my game thoughts in quick-hit fashion:

• Great outing by CC. He was in mid-season form. He'll only get better. Too bad the pen couldn't hold it. CC deserved the win.


• Mark Teixeira hit another 3-run HR. Doesn't look like he'll struggle this spring. He's locked in.


• Andruw Jones. Welcome to NY. Nice first AB. He hits LHPs rather well. Keep it up.


• I hate lefty specialists. I've said it for years. Boone Logan didn't get it done tonight. He's there to get out Denard Span and Joe Mauer, not issue leadoff walks and singles. Shape up or you're getting shipped out.

After ranting about Girardi, let me add this: I know it's not all his fault. Players still need to execute. It was Rafael Soriano's job to get those guys out, He failed in that. But again, he shouldn't have been in the game to implode like that. Aargh.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Offense Explodes In 10-6 Win Over Tigers

Are you like me? Did you breathe a huge sigh of relief after A.J. Burnett's start? The last thing I wanted to see today was Burnett implode and pick up where he left off last year. A.J. wasn't lights out today but for my money it was a great start. He had exceptional control, throwing 2/3 of his pitches for strikes. I'm cautiously optimistic about how he's going to do this year. I'm not putting a lot of stock in this start but it was definitely a step in the right direction. I caution everyone not to think all is good with Burnett. His first start in 2010 was almost identical to his start today. Check out these game lines:

• 2011 - 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, ERA = 5.40, win


• 2010 - 5 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, ERA = 5.40, no decision

So don't get too excited. Last season for A.J. was one we all want to forget. I think I saw a stat flash during the broadcast that A.J. was the 1st Yankee pitcher ever to lose 15 games and have an ERA over 5. Or it was something to that effect. To quote Charles Barkley, he was turrible. He got off on the right foot today. Hopefully, it continues.

Speaking of getting off on the right foot and hoping it continues, how about that Mark Teixeira? Everyone knows that Teixeira underperforms in April. It's no secret. I'll take a .286 average with 2 HR and 6 RBI after 2 games. It's pretty safe to assume that Teix would take it too. So far he looks like he's in mid-season form. Hopefully, it continues.

How about the start A-Rod is off to? His hot spring is carrying right over to the regular season. Alex is 3-5 (.600) with 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 BB and 2 RBI. Alex is locked and loaded. You can tell too just by watching him. When he hits the ball to the opposite field with power, he's on his game. I'm feeling very good about my pre-season AL MVP prediction right now. Hopefully, it continues.

I didn't see Russell Martin getting off to such an exciting start. He was a spark plug on Opening Day with his stolen base and run scored on a shallow sac fly to CF. Today he went deep to LF for a 3-run HR. Wow. I wish I didn't drop him in a fantasy league I'm in. I drafted him late but cut him to make room for a backup I needed at another position. Ooops. Same thing kind of happened last year with Teixeira. I had him in a sim league and he was terrible up until the moment I traded him. I'm happy to take one for the team if it means real-life performance improves once I'm done with them. Keeping with the running theme of this post, I hope Russell Russ's hot start continues.

Pretty good day all around for the offense. With the exception of Nick Swisher every Yankee starter had at least one base hit. But Swish knocked in a run with a sac fly so it's all good.

The only sore spot of today's game was the performance of the underbelly of the bullpen. Neither Boone Logan or Luis Ayala were terribly effective. Not worrying too much about it. I don't see Ayala pitching in big spots and Logan, well, I have a feeling we won't see him much either. Call it a hunch but I don't see him staying a Yankee for the entire season. Gut feeling. The only benefit of their suckiness was that it gave Mariano Rivera the chance to pick up a cheap save. As expected, he did. 3 pitches, game over. Mo = G.O.A.T.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's game. I've always been a big Phil Hughes guy. I didn't see him in action at all during Spring Training so tomorrow will be the first time I see him this year. I'm expecting big things from Phil this year. I'm hoping to kick off the Hughes call. After each PH win I do a Hughes call. I did the same for Mike Mussina with a Moose call. Basically, I add a "u" for every win. So last year's Hughes call looked like this w/18 Us: Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughes! Go get 'em Phil.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Cliff Lee Lives Up To The Hype, Yanks Down 2-1 In ALCS

Well, that just sucked. I was really hoping that the Yankees were going to pound Cliff Lee tonight. I had talked myself into believing it was going to happen. Then I saw the first inning and knew we were in for a long night.

Lee flat out dominated the Yankees. There wasn't one moment in the game where I thought they were going to get something going. I thought for a brief second that maybe they were going to when Brett Gardner swiped 2nd with no outs. Wrong. Lee slammed the door. He's good. Real good.

Here's how I look at it. The Yankees weren't supposed to win this game. Everyone knew, whether they want to admit it or not, that the odds of winning this game were slim. Sure a win would have been nice but losing isn't the end of the world. I don't think losing today makes tomorrow's game a must-win either. Losing game 4 would definitely make winning the ALCS a tall task but even down 3-1, the Yankees would have CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte getting a chance to win ballgames. The Yankees could very easily run off 3 straight.

The scary thing right now though is that the Rangers have flat out dominated this series. The Yankees were lucky to pull out game 1. They very easily could be down 3-0. But they're not, and being down 2-1 isn't the end of the world. This team has the make-up to get it done.

Tomorrow's game 4 should be an adventure. A.J. Burnett vs. Tommy Hunter. I have no idea what to expect. A.J. has the stuff but which A.J. will show up? I sure as hell hope it's the good A.J. and not the bad one. Like I said, tomorrow is not a must-win, but evening up the series would be pretty nice.

Andy Pettitte looked pretty damn good tonight. It would really suck if it turned out to be his last start as a Yankee. I don't think it will be though. I'm optimistic that it won't be. He looked sharp and if not for the one bad pitch to Hamilton in the first this could have been a different game.

It was very frustrating to watch the Yankee hitters tonight. Swing the freaking bats guys. You know CL doesn't walk anyone and he throws a lot of strikes. What are you guys looking at? Jesus.

I thought the game itself was great up until the 9th inning. Headed to the 9th I was optimistic about the Yanks scoring in the 9th. I was contemplating getting the "rally baby" out of bed for it. That would have ticked off the wife but I was willing to go down that road. Thanks to Boone Logan and David Robertson I didn't have to worry about that. As soon as I saw Logan on the hill I said to my buddy Dan something along the lines of, "Oh crap. The lefty specialist to get out the lefty. This never works." Now, I know that usually it does but sometimes you can just tell when it's not going to. That's how I felt there in the 9th. Logan and Robertson were terrible. Way to keep the game close fellas.

So now we need A.J. to be our savior. Yikes. All I can say is I hope his head is in the right place.

Still not ready to panic.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Better Late Than Never Yankees ALDS Game 3 Post

I had every intent on blogging right after the series-clinching victory the other night but I fell asleep with the game on sometime in the bottom of the 8th inning. I woke up sometime a few minutes later, fired off a tweet, and then unintentionally fell asleep on the couch with the TV blaring and the lights on, for the next 4 hours. When I woke up I was in an incredible daze. It took me a second to figure out where I was and what was going on. It was an odd feeling to say the least. Sunday got away from me because it was my birthday and we also had to take a road trip to a birthday party for our friends' two-year old. Next thing I know, here I am. Better late than never, right?

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughes! Man, he was awesome in game 3, eh? Count the Us and you'll get 19. One for each victory, both regular season and postseason. Hughes is the man. I think his outing on Saturday turned everybody into believers, something I've been since before day 1. I've maintained all along that Phil was going to be the man. People were (prematurely) shouting Joba's praises while I was singing Phil's. People were killing Brian Cashman for not dealing Hughes to Minnesota for Johan Santana. I saw a lot of tweets and whatnot during Saturday's game about that. My how things change. I went back through all of my posts tagged with "Phil Hughes" to see what I wrote about that proposed deal between Minnesota and New York but I couldn't find it. But I did find this, from a post dated April 3, 2008:

For those of you that don't know me or are new to this blog, likely don't know I'm a big Phil Hughes guy. I frequent his blog. I drove 5 hours just to watch him pitch in Scranton (only to have it rained out). I have a Phil Hughes BP Jersey. I have a Hughes 65 t-shirt. I drove to Erie, PA two years ago just to try and get his autograph, which I did. I also bought one of those "I Want To Thank The Good Lord" Joe DiMaggio signs that they sell on Steiner Sports that's signed by Phil. I got it from MLB auctions for $100. I was biting my nails all off season while rumors were flying about him going to Minnesota for Johan. Thank God the Yankees were smart enough to hold onto Phil.

I bolded the last statement because I'm 99.9% sure it's how every Yankee fan is feeling about PJH right about now. Just imagine if the Yankees pulled that deal. Hughes would be a Twin, Johan would be a Yankee, and CC wouldn't. Thank God (and Brian Cashman) that it all worked out. Phil is going to be an integral part of this playoff run. Any doubts on how he'll perform should be tossed out the window.

Overall it was a pretty great ALDS for the Yankees. I can't believe how much they dominate the Twins come October. It's unreal. I had to fire off another e-mail today to our sister site in Duluth, Minnesota. This one provided the staff out there the suggestion that they contact our Employee Assistance Program if they needed to discuss the sweep with a trained grief counselor. I also suggested they use their Homer Hankies to wipe away the tears and the shame that comes with another ALDS meltdown. Good stuff.

I really should have blogged sooner than now. I'm struggling to remember what I wanted to blog about. Phil Hughes love-fest? Check. Big series win? Check. What am I leaving out? Hmmm. Maybe it was how great the bullpen was during the series? Rivera, Wood, Logan and Robertson combined for 7 innings of 1 run ball. Or maybe it was about how the Yankees apparently do have pitching after CC Sabathia? Pettitte and Hughes = 14 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 10 K, 2 ER, 1.29 ERA. Or could it have been that the offense was running on overdrive? The lineup went a combined 33-105 (.314) with 11 XBH, 4 SB and 17 runs scored. Everyone had at least 1 RBI and everyone with the exception of Derek Jeter scored a run. How surprising is that? Take your pick. It could have been any of those topics.

And now we wait. We wait to see who the Yankees will meet in the ALCS. We wait to see them take the field again this Friday. I really don't care who the Yankees meet in the ALCS. If I had to go with one team over the other I probably go with the Rays. Call it nothing more than a gut instinct. I really have no preference. I like Tampa because they don't have a guy named Cliff Lee and for the most part, Tampa is like New York south. The Rays won't have a tremendous home-field advantage. The Yankees win either way however because both Lee and Rays' ace David Price will pitch Tuesday night. That means they're out for game 1 of the ALCS and likely out for game 2, unless they pitch on short rest. Advantage = Yankees. But we've got lots of time to discuss that. The series doesn't start for another 4 days. Be back later.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Swisher's Walkoff Propels Yankees To Victory

Didn't get to see or hear any of the game today. I got to check here and there and when I last looked they were down 2-1 during the 7th inning stretch. I got back to my desk right after 4pm and was happily surprised to see that they came back and won 3-2. That put a smile on my face. That smile got bigger when I saw that they won on a walkoff. It got bigger when I saw it was a walkoff HR. It got even bigger when I saw that Swisher hit the winning shot. That HR puts us past the $1000 mark in the Swish's Wishes charity drive. The total pledged, which is based on $38 per HR plus a little more, is now up to $1036. Way to go Nicky Swish.

In looking at the box score, I'm assuming the story of the day is pitching. It looks like Ivan Nova had a nice outing. It would have been a great outing if not for the one bad pitch to Matt Wieters. All in all I'm impressed by his line. I especially like the strike-to-ball ratio. 61 strikes on 90 pitches = 65.93% strikes thrown. Pretty nice in my book.

Also, it looks like the bullpen deserves some love. Robertson, Logan and Joba combined for 3 hiteless/scoreless innings. That kept it close, which let the offense do its thing. Well done guys.

Knock another game off the magic # to clinch a playoff spot. The magic # is now 15 to eliminate the White Sox and 14 to eliminate the Red Sox. Tonight is a win-win for the Yankees as the Red Sox play the Rays. Either the Yankees go another game up on the Rays or get 1 step closer to eliminating the Red Sox. It would be a perfect night if the White Sox lost as well. Dare to dream.

Off day tomorrow and then a 9-game roadie. Now the real fun begins. It's crunch time and from here on out it's pretty much tough game after tough game. 3 with Texas, 7 with Tampa, 6 with Boston, 3 with Toronto, and 3 with the much-improved Orioles. Talk about a tough stretch. I think the Yanks will be up to the task.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Run Season High Win Streak To 8 With 7-5 Win Over Jays

Let the good times roll, right? The Yankees have won 8 straight and are rapidly moving toward officially clinching a playoff spot. With the win today and the Red Sox loss (nice!) the magic number to clinch is 18. Running that down to zero is just a formality. The Red Sox are 9 back in the loss column with 26 to play (could possibly be 10 back by end of night). If the Yankees slump and play .500 the rest of the way (13-13) the Red Sox would have to go 23-4. Excuse me a moment. I have to call 911 because I think I just busted my gut. No chance the Red Sox go 23-4 the rest of the way. I think at best the Red Sox could go 18-9 and that's being very generous. Assuming they do, the wheels would totally have to fall off and the Yankees would have to finish 9-17. Sorry, need another moment. This time I think I split my side. Ouch.

The last 2 Yankee wins have been pretty similar. Mainly because neither starter could make it through 5 (both lasted 4.2) and the bullpen had to step up to lock the win down. And boy did they step it up. Friday the pen combined to pitch 4.1 hitless/scoreless innings. Logan to Robertson to Wood to Rivera. Game over. Today the pen pitched 4.1 IP, allowing 2 inherited runners to score on 3 total hits. Moseley to Logan to Chamberlain to Wood to Rivera. Game over. The runs allowed today could have been avoided if Joe Girardi didn't mishandle the last out of the 5th. With the lefty Lyle Overbay up the correct move would have been to go to Boone Logan as opposed to Dustin Moseley. What made the move even more puzzling is that Girardi used Logan immediately after Moseley. Logan should have been in to face Overbay. Joe's lucky the team picked him up.

The Kerry Wood trade looks like a winner, eh? He's now appeared in 14 games as a Yankee. He's thrown 16 innings, allowing only 1 run on 10 hits. The run he allowed came in his 2nd appearance. Since then he's been lights out. Except for the walks. Girardi has used him as the 8th inning guy two games in a row in games that featured both Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson. Pretty obvious that Wood is the chosen one for the 8th inning. I've got no problem with that choice.

I didn't get to see any of Friday's game. I tried to listen to it on the radio while at work but it didn't go so well. I didn't catch much of Nova's start. I saw all of Vazquez's outing and it wasn't hard to tell that he didn't have anything. It's amazing he lasted as long as he did. I'll give him credit for battling through it and only giving up 3 runs. The big question with Javy is what's up with his velocity, or better yet, lack thereof? He was topping out just below 90 and was averaging around 87. That'll work if you can locate your pitches and have good control and offspeed stuff, a la Mike Mussina. But when you don't, like Javy, you're treading water. I read that he's staying in the rotation so hopefully they can figure out what's wrong before his next turn comes up.

Marcus Thames had the big hit today with what turned out to be a 2-run game winning HR. MT's average has dipped a little but he's got a nice power stroke. He's gone deep in 6 of his last 10 games. He's been quite the surprise this year. Didn't expect him to step up the way he has. Another thing I didn't expect was Brett Gardner to play so well. Honestly, I never saw Gardner as more than a 4th OF. Same as Melky Cabrera. I think I need to re-think that position. I'm most impressed by BG's ability to get on base. He was rocking a .390 OBP coming into today's game and reached another 3 times. He tied a Yankees record by picking up a walk in his 9th straight game (tying Jason Giambi). OBP + speed = a dangerous combination.

Both the Rays and Sox are currently losing their games. Tonight could be a good good night.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Win A Wild One, Beat White Sox 12-9

That was certainly an interesting ballgame. If you told me before the game that the Yankees were going to put up a 12-spot in a game that CC Sabathia started I'd have thought the game would be a blowout. Tonight's win was anything but. It ended with Mariano Rivera doing what he does best, saving games. It was too close for my comfort but a win is a win. Doesn't matter how you win as long as you do. Well, maybe it matters a little.

CC was far from dominant, which is something we Yankee fans have to come to expect from CC in August based on his previous outings. CC owns the month of August. Coming into tonight's game, CC was 9-1 in 11 starts as a Yankee. 11 starts, 80.2 IP, 68 hits, 15 walks, 76 strikeouts, 23 ER, 2.57 ERA. One word, dominant. He was far from his typical self tonight but he still pitched pretty well. 69% of his pitches were strikes. He whiffed 9 and only walked 1. The home runs are what did him in. Lucky for him, and for us, the offense brought their game tonight. He picked up win #18 and with 5-6 starts left you'd think 20 wins is in the bag. Cy Young favorite? He just might be.

Big night for the offense. 12 runs on 14 hits and 9 walks. 4-12 with RISP. Swisher went deep for HR #24 (add another $38 to the Swish's Wishes fundraiser). Marcus Thames went deep twice. How awesome is he playing, right? Posada had 2 hits and 2 RBI. But the player of the night has to be Eduardo Nunez. Wardo went 3-4 with 4 RBI and he hit his 1st big league HR. Career night for the newbie. Good for him. I hope he can keep it up.

The game really should have been a blowout. CC went 7 innings and when he left the score was 11-5. A 6-run lead should be safe even with the Yankee bullpen. But they did everything in their power to blow the game. Joba sucked. D-Rob sucked. Even Boone Logan was a little off. Mo wasn't vintage Mo but still got the job done. I'll give them a pass tonight based on how well they've done recently. Yes Joba, even you. Coming into tonight Joba had allowed only 1 run in his last 13 appearances. Logan hadn't allowed a run in his last 15 games and still hasn't. D-Rob just had a string of 19 scoreless appearances snapped. They've all pitched pretty well. Hopefully it's not a sign of things to come.

The Rays beat the Red Sox tonight. That works for me. As I wrote yesterday all I care about is that the Yankees make it to the postseason. I don't care if they finish as the AL East champs or the wild-card. Again, would prefer the division but wild-card works for me. The Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 28. Losses by the Red Sox reduce that number. So go Rays.

Ivan Nova tomorrow. I missed his last outing. Hope to catch this one.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Back To Business

My how time flies. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 weeks since I've been able to blog. I've got so much going on. For starters, the wife and I welcomed a new addition to the family. Just over 2 weeks ago the wife gave birth to our 3rd child, a daughter named Bailey. Thanks again to everyone on Twitter who sent well wishes my way. I appreciate it. Our oldest just turned 3 last Sunday so as you can imagine when you have 3 kids at home aged 3 and under, you don't have a lot of free time. On top of all that we closed on our brand new home about a week after the baby was born. It took about 3 days to move everything in and another 3 days to put it all where it needs to go. I did have time at night to watch the Yankees but we didn't get our cable hooked up until this past Tuesday. I caught a little of the last few games but as you can expect I haven't had time to blog about it. Here's my attempt at catching up a little:

The Yankees are 9-6 since I blogged last. Could be better, could be worse. I'll take it. At the close of the last Boston series the Yankees were 7 up on the Sox in the loss column with 51 to play. 16 games have been played in that span and the Sox are 6 back in the loss column. 6 games back with 35 to play. Yeah, not going to happen. If the Yankees go 17-18 the rest of the way, the Sox would have to go 22-12 (.648) just to tie. Yeah, not going to happen.

A-Rod and Lance Berkman landed on the DL. Andy Pettitte is still on it. Bummer. But I've been so far removed from Yankees news I'm not even sure what's up with them.

CC is the man. He's gone 3-0 while I've been away. He's won his last 4 and has been rather impressive. As the weather heats up, so does CC. Over those 4 starts, he's 4-0, 29.2 IP, 24 hits, 6 walks, 24 K, and has allowed 7 ER for an ERA of 2.12. He's sitting on a record of 17-5 and an ERA of 3.02. Amazing. He's got 5-6 starts left. I don't want to jump the gun but I'd have to put the odds of CC picking up 20 wins at least at 75%. He leads the league in wins. Has the 5th best ERA in the AL. Can you say Cy Young?

Johnny Damon is still the man. I love how he basically gave the middle finger to the Red Sox by deciding to stay with the Tigers. Ha ha ha. I love it.

Phil Hughes was not at all impressive in his last outing but it's nothing I'm concerned about.

I was bummed about not being able to make it to Toronto for the series (1st time in like 4 years) but I suppose a new house and new baby is as good a reason as any to miss out. I plan to be back for the September set.

Javy Vazquez is in the bullpen. Anybody care?

Best Yankees spot starter in recent memory has to be Dustin Moseley.

What's gotten into Boone Logan? 15 straight appearances without allowing a run. 10.2 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, 11 K, and no runs! Who would have thunk it? Not me. That's for sure.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but my brain is a little fried. 35 games left. They've rounded 3rd and their heading for home. Will they have to slide or can they cross the plate standing up? Will there be a play at the plate? My gut and head are both telling me that October baseball will be played in the Bronx yet again. But it's baseball. Anything can happen.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Blast Beckett, Beat Boston 7-2

Boone Logan just got David Ortiz to ground out with the bases loaded in the top of the 7th to keep the lead at 7-2 Yankees. I'm writing this before the game ends in hopes to save myself some time. I'm either getting up for work at 6am or I'm getting up earlier if the wife goes into labor. Her due date is today and she's been getting some major contractions. So who knows what's in store?

I'm going to write this one a little differently. It's going to be a mash-up of thoughts on the last 3 games. I listened to Friday's loss on the radio. I missed the 1st half of Saturday's game but caught the 2nd half on the radio. I saw all of Sunday's game. Not ideal when it comes to taking in the Yankees/Red Sox but it is what it is. I'm glad I at least got to see Sunday's game. I thought for sure I'd be tuned into the radio again since we're currently a 1 TV house and I'm low man on the totem pole.

• Congrats to Derek Jeter on passing Babe Ruth on the all-time hit list.
• Congrats to A-Rod on stealing his 300th base.
• Congrats to Lance Berkman for finally showing up. Pathetic that prior to tonight his best hit as a Yankee was during BP when he took out A-Rod.
• Dustin Moseley is the man. He's pitching his tail off and is earning his keep.
• Mariano Rivera is insanely good. I'm not sure how he keeps getting better and better as he gets older. His ERA is now below 0.90. Unreal. 1 pitch 1 out on Sunday. He's God.
• CC Sabathia is worth every penny of his salary. He hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in his last 13 starts. He's 10-2 with a 2.38 ERA in that span. The team scored 1 total run in his 2 losses.
• I hate Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Seriously, how hard is it to pronounce the name "Beltre?"
• I wrote before that something always seems to prevent me from seeing Phil Hughes pitch. Add back spasms to that list. A.J.'s "injury" moves Phil up a day and it's a day game. No chance I'll be in front of the TV for it. Hughes v. Lester. If there's ever a game to call in sick for that's it.
• When did Boone Logan become good? 8 straight appearances without allowing a run and 7 straight without allowing a hit. 6.2 IP, 1H, 6K. Who knew?
• Not that he has been but so much for Josh Beckett being a Yankee-killer. In case there's any question about it, his membership in that club has been officially and permanently revoked. In 4 starts this year against the Yanks, JB is 0-2 and has only thrown 19.1 IP, allowing 33 hits, 11 walks, and 24 ER. That's an ERA of 11.17. Career ERA against them is now up to 6.23. What a bum.

The game's over. Yankees won 7-2. The win guarantees that the Yankees can do no worse than split this 4 game-set. Even if they lose on Monday they come out ahead. Nothing wrong with knocking 4 games off the schedule and keeping the distance between you and the team chasing you the same. But who wants to split, right? Go for the deathblow. The Red Sox are currently 8 behind the Yankees in the loss column with 52 games to play. Time is running out for the Red Sox when it comes to catching the Yankees. Big up to the Blue Jays for sweeping the Rays. The Rays have now lost 5 straight and the Yankees lead in the East is up to 2.5 games (3 in the loss column). How quickly things change!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Offense And Bullpen Falter In 5-4 Loss To The Lowly Orioles

Good news! I was able to watch the game online tonight. My9 ain't gonna break my stride. My9 ain't gonna hold me down. Oh no. I got to watch the gay-ame. That was lay-ame. Bad news. I was doing work stuff so I didn't physically watch most of it. Was kind of like listening to it on the radio. While I'm grumbling about work, my boss just sent an e-mail. He wants us to work from 6am-7pm next week. My commute is 1/2 hour plus each way. Awesome. Just awesome. Enough about that.

I personally would like to punch Boone Logan and David Robertson square in the nose for blowing Phil Hughes' win. It wasn't Phil's sharpest outing but he still pitched pretty damn well. His biggest downfall were the 4 walks, specifically the back-to-back ones in the 2nd. His control though wasn't terrible. He did throw 62.4% of his pitches for strikes and that's not bad in my book. Phil has pitched well so far this season and I'd call his outing tonight a good one. Stupid bullpen. I was looking forward to adding a third "U" to my Hughes call but the pen didn't do it's job.

I don't know about you but I get so irritated when the "lefty specialist" can't get the lefties out. I'm talking about you Boone Logan. Your sole purpose is to get out the lefties, not walk them with 2 outs. That was painful. But it wasn't as bad as what Robertson pulled.

D-Rob totally crapped the bed tonight. A HBP followed by 3 straight singles, all with 2 outs. Horrible. I like D-Rob. But he can't be coming in there and doing that. Especially against the absolute worst team in baseball. The O's have 3 freaking wins for crying out loud. Ridiculous.

The loss though isn't all on the pitching. The offense didn't do their part. You don't win a lot of game where you score only 2 runs. You don't win a lot of games where your 1-4 hitters go a combined 1-18. They came real close there in the 9th but coming close gets you a loss. Big fail by the top of the order.

Robinson Cano is on fire. After a mini-slump, he's got a 6-game hitting streak. Over the last 6, RC is 12-23. I'm telling you. Robbie will be the 2010 A.L. MVP. He's that good. Nick Swisher is on a little mini-tear. In his last 6 games, he's 8-22. That's pretty good for Swish. Curtis Granderson on the other hand isn't so hot. In his last 6 he's hitting .000 (0-17). That slump has pretty much wiped out his hot start. He'll turn it around though. He's too good a player. Mark Teixeira though has me worried. Here we are almost 20 games in and he's sitting on a .129 average. I knew he'd get off to a slow start. I didn't think it would last this long.

Got to hit the hay. 5am comes mighty early. I needs me a new jay-oh-bee.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie