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So we never thought we’d see it, but our beloved New York Yankees were in 1st place before those damn Bostonians won last night - still, we’re a half-game behind 1st in the division. Finally got a great start out of Burnett, who hadn’t thrown well since that breakdown in Boston. We now enter Cleveland, where they certainly have some boppers, but most of the pitching ain’t so great. Tonight should be a nice match-up to watch, Pettitte vs. Lee - battle of the veteran lefties. Lately, we are doing what we need to do to win games - pitch well, play defense, and hit the ball when needed. The bullpen is still in question, especially with Bruney back on the DL, BUT we gotta go with what we have right now. Many people want Joba back in there, but it’s probably not going to happen unless he reached his innings limit, or if we deal for another good starter and Wang goes back to normal.

Regarding the set-up guy, I think the team really gave up wayyy too soon on Mark Melancon. This kid has dominant stuff, and was not given a fair shake his first time up. I understand he wasn’t superb every time out, but you have to let these kids battle through things, that’s the only way they’re going to learn how to pitch here. It’s the same with these pitch/inning-counts, it gets to be ridiculous. So I say we bring back Melancon and see what he really can do, because where else are we going right now for a back-end reliever? The only options are Joba (which they’re clearly not doing right now) or trading for an arm, which is most likely not going to happen this early in the season. Use your head boys.

Finally we got what we’ve been waiting for from the highly-touted Phil Hughes - 8 innings of shut-out baseball, and he probably could’ve gone out there for 9. This was BY FAR his best start since pitching in the majors, and it’s gotta be a big shot of confidence for this kid. When you throw a game like that against a great offense on the road, you’re cookin’ with gas. I have always believed in Hughes, and I picked him to emerge this year and stay in the rotation, so now this could be the performance he needed to keep him here for good. Here’s the kicker - Wang is sitting in the bullpen, and if he shows that he is back to normal, he has to be put back in the rotation right? If you ask me, you cannot send anyone down to the minors. You must keep everyone here, and simply stick someone in the bullpen - obviously the guy that makes the most sense is Joba, but that doesn’t seem like it will happen at this point since he’s thrown mostly good games as a starter. If you have to, put Hughes in the pen - the kid can throw strikes, give you a few innings, and get you a big strikeout when you need it. Especially with Bruney going back on the DL, you’re gonna need all the help you can get.

The offense has certainly maintained some consistency now, which is another encouraging thing as we almost head into June. Marky Mark Teixeira is getting comfortable in his pinstripes (as expected) - let’s face it, even Tino struggled and got boo’d when he first got here. A-Rod just went 5-for-5 so he’s starting to hit besides just homering, Cano is back to stroking the ball, Melky hasn’t slowed down and suddenly looks like an all-star caliber outfielder, and Jeter is Jeter. Let’s not forget Cervelli, who has impressed everyone since coming up, and is making a very good case to stay here - Girardi may be forced to keep 3 catchers (unless they trade Molina). This team always seems to play well when the kids contribute, so maybe they should bring up Austin Jackson (hitting .358 at Scranton) and see what he can do? It would only be a good problem to have if he came here and hit.

There wasn’t a post yesterday, so I will surely make up for it today my friends. The New York Yankees have now won 7 straight games, man I almost forgot what that felt like. Andy Pettitte didn’t have his best on Monday, but he got the job done and pulled out the win (Coke was funny in the post-game interview). Then last night, C.C. Sabathia was great AGAIN, and looks to be headed on one of those dominant runs like he had last year with Milwaukee. Not only did we get great pitching, but the bats went nuts too - Mark Teixeira is suddenly on fire, Alex Rodriguez is hitting bombs, and the most pleasant surprise of them all…Francisco Cervelli! This kid has got game, and I don’t think many knew what he was capable of. He’s calling great games, playing great defense, and contributing with hits - he can even bunt! Plus he’s got speed for a catcher, and is clearly in good shape (almost Girardi-like). You got Burnett throwing pies in his teammates’ faces, Swish is always in good spirits and keeps the clubhouse loose, and this team is starting to really develop it’s own personality. Now what are we concerned about? Well…

The bullpen has got to be the one thing we’re worried about currently, however, it’s done it’s job nicely over the past few games. I think that Cashman will look to add to this pen at some point during the year, but for now, we gotta hope that it holds down the fort. Here are the guys that I currently have trust in - Mo (given), Aceves, Coke, and Bruney. Getting Bruney back and seeing him throw well last night is HUGE, and maybe we can start getting some good production by mixing in these 4 guys. You also have to wonder what’s gonna happen with Joba once he hits his innings limit for the year? You would think he’s gonna be put into the bullpen, which would solidify it even more, and you would think that we’d have Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte as the 4 starters most likely to pitch if we make the playoffs (knock on wood).

Anyway, there isn’t much to complain about these days, so let’s just enjoy the winning ride we’re on and hope that it continues as long as possible. I normally would never say this, but Boston actually helped us out last night by beating Toronto - now we’re only 3.5 games back. It will really get interesting this weekend when the Mets will take on the Sox, so let’s hope that they help us out while we help them out against Philly.

Whewww, what a weekend for the Bronx Bombers! It’s about time this team showed some fight! Now with 5 straight victories, the Yankees are 4.5 games back in the division, and starting to get into a rhythm at the right time. Even though John Sterling got about 10 different calls wrong on the radio yesterday, A.J. Burnett did his job and kept the team right in the game, and then….”it is high, it is far, it is….GONE!” Johnny Damon continues to be the most clutch player on team this year, and is compiling power numbers which could put him on pace for a record home run season.

Joba Chamberlain also did his job on Saturday, and was able to fight through and throw 6 innings. Phil Hughes only gave up 3 earned runs, but he still is not the Hughes that I saw that night in Texas when he was throwing a no-hitter. However, everytime I get impatient with him, I remind myself that the kid is still 22-years-old. I really felt like he would emerge this year and cement himself in the rotation, but doesn’t seem to be happening yet. I’m not giving up on him, but PH has to learn how to work through jams and be a consistent pitcher if he wants to succeed in the majors. You also have to like what you’re seeing from the bullpen lately - you had to think that they’d improve somewhat from the horrific performances earlier in the year, and with Bruney coming back maybe we could put a formidable group back out there.

Along with the nice winning-streak, we’ve won in crazy ways the past few games - 3 straight walk-off wins?! The Yankees have not done that in decades, and it just goes to show you that baseball is a very streaky game. You could be on top of the world, and then fall into a 10-game losing-streak, or vice-versa. You’re never as good as you look, or bad as you look. That my friends, is baseball.

So we finish off the 4-game series tonight with Minnesota, as Andy will take on Perkins - it’s only appropriate that we sweep, and it would also be nice for Andy to get back on a good roll.

Fiiiiinally we had a nice pitching performance which went along with some solid run-support! Even though Andy threw 80 pitches through 4, he was able to battle and complete 6 innings - thatta boy. That’s the Andy I know and love. Then we had a very nice performance from Aceves, who was throwing a lethal curve last night and pitched 2 innings. Albaladejo scared us for a minute in the 9th, but at last, we came out with the 8-2 victory.

On the offensive side, you saw some good things - Gardner hit his 1st career homer paired with a nice triple (damn he’s fast), Damon continued to be a force, Teixeira showed why we signed him and hit the ball hard, and Robbie kept that average around .320 as well. We really needed to hit Richmond around, and that’s exactly what happened.

I fully expect to now win this series, as we’ve got C.C. taking the mound tonight against Tallet - come on now. First of all, our ace is coming off his best performance of the year, and we should also pound their starter into submission. Let’s face it, Toronto has been winning mostly because of their over-achieving bats, so if we can shut that down then we can end this road trip successfully. Just like last night, the little guys have to step up, because every team’s gotta deal with injuries - if there’s any heart on this squad, we’ll keep battling.

P.S.   Did anyone see those 2 guys in the crowd dressed like umpires? Hilarious.

So once again, Roy “Doc” Halladay has shut down the New York Yankees. Naturally he would throw his first complete game of the year against us, ugh. Up until the 8th I wasn’t feeling too bad - A.J. was keeping us in it (only down 3-1), but then he gave up the solo homer to Hill, and that was it. Before that, I thought maybe we could scratch out a couple and have a shot, but no dice. Blue Jays 5, Yankees 1.

Here’s the thing - the Yanks are starting to look OLD fast. They’re going down with injuries left and right, and it’s happening to some of their key players. We MUST get younger, and ESPECIALLY in the outfield. I reeeeally hope that this kid Jackson is the real deal, because then we could help the situation in the outfield pretty soon. I also see a lot of promise in Ramiro Pena, and I think he could be the next shortstop when captain clutch transitions away from the position. All we need is some young legs behind the plate, and we could be strong defensively up the middle again - which by the way, there are some potential options eventually in Cervelli and Montero (depending if either can hit at this level). Let’s look at the rest of the pack: Teixeira is pressing, but he’s still young and his prime, and I think he’ll get comfortable eventually and become a fan-favorite; Robbie is young at 2nd and has certainly improved defensively while still having the ability to hit like a batting-champion; A-Rod is 33 but hopefully he gets sent away somewhere for lying and/or gets injured and then we can bring in a good role-player at 3rd (I’m fed up); Nady is fine in rightfield once he comes back (he’s 30); and we could either stick Jeter in left next year or deal for a guy like Matt Holliday who can play defense (plus he’s young and hits righty). As far as the bullpen goes, I believe in Coke, Melancon, Bruney, and Joba (once he goes back there). Of course Mo’s still here, but not sure how much longer that he can be great. Finally, the rotation - Sabathia is young and in his prime (he had to be signed), Burnett is a 50/50 signing so time will tell, Wang will get back to being solid and he’s still got many years to go, Andy still has enough pitching left in him for at least this year, and I still believe in Hughes but he’s gotta learn how to be consistent (keep in mind he’s still 22 years old and learning). If we can at least count on Sabathia, Wang, and Hughes to be the bulk of the rotation for the next decade, then I think we can return to winning as long as you have the right players surrounding them.

However, for the time being, we have to deal with the team we have, so let’s cross our fingers and hope things click.

Tonight the Yanks will face a difficult obstacle to overcome - Roy Halladay and the 1st place Toronto Blue Jays. Ironically, A.J. Burnett will be the opposing starting pitcher, so he’s gonna really have to be on his game this evening. We have beaten Halladay before, but if you let him get comfortable, he’ll completely shut you down. You have to lay off his breaking balls and sinkers out of the zone, and make the guy throw strikes. If we can do that, along with Burnett zoning in, we could come out with a victory. Derek Jeter has always said that Halladay is the toughest pitcher he’s faced, so that says it all - but will he be any match for the home run-crazy Johnny Damon?!

What this team really needs is consistency - we need to roll off 5-6 straight and start to play with confidence, because this division is now too tough to be falling behind early. That type of run COULD start tonight. It’s the kind of win that ignite the team and we could start to really look like the Yankees. This game aside however, we’re gonna have to shake up some of the pieces soon - I think if Matsui can stay healthy and keep hitting, we should try to trade him to an American League team that could use a DH. Following this, we should make Damon the full-time DH (since he can field anymore) and bring in a defensive outfielder that can hit enough to play everyday. The problem with playing Swisher everyday is that it diminshes your depth on the bench, so that’s  why we should go after a good glove that’s young and can really run down fly-balls. Regarding centerfield, I’m not sure what to make of the situation yet - Gardner really wasn’t given enough of a chance to prove himself in the majors, Melky’s had a hot bat so he’s playing everyday now, and Austin Jackson is tearing it up in AAA (hitting .365 with 38 hits, 17 runs scored, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 13 runs batted in, 11 walks, and 7 stolen bases). Time will tell if the Yanks make a play for a centerfielder, or at least a “stop-gap” guy until Jackson comes up full-time. The other thing that may certainly get shaken up is the bullpen, since it hasn’t quite been working as a unit yet - look for us to make a play at someone like Scott Linebrink to improve things a bit.

I’d like to also announce that it’s my birthday today, so that makes tonight’s game even more important! Let’s pull out a birthday win for me boys!

Just when you thought the yanks would deliver the win, they fell short. You even had a dramatic game-tying double from Tex in the pouring rain, which could’ve been his Yankee moment if not for the end result. It figures that with the black cloud following the team right now, there would be a rain delay right after Teixeria tied it up, taking the momentum right from under the bats. But this isn’t just about this game, it’s about the last few years - the Yankee teams have simply NOT been able to deliver the big hit, nor have they pitched well enought to get the big out. Now Burnett didn’t pitch that badly, in fact he pitched well enough to win the game, but the bullpen was unable to hold down the Rays when it counted.

The Yankees need a win tonight, bottom line. They need it simply for morale, and to inject some positivity back into the clubhouse. The only thing that took some pain away from last night’s loss was watching Boston get their brains beat in by Cleveland (thanks Pavano). I fully expect Andy to pitch a solid game this evening, and for the bats to feed off that. We’re due for a good and well-played baseball game, so here we go. We’re also facing one of the lesser arms of the Rays (Niemann), so there’s absolutely no excuse.

Some may argue that Girardi should’ve sent Mo back out there for the 10th since he threw so well, but we all know how he doesn’t pitch the same when it’s not a save situation, and Girardi is saving him as much as possible so that he can be at full-force late in the year. Above all, we just gotta go out there and have some fun, play loose, and the wins will come. If not, then there could very well be another overhaul at the end of the year.

So now we’ve lost all 5 games to Boston this year, what is going on?! This hasn’t happened since the 80’s, and I’m absolutely flabergasted. How bizarre it was to see Joba give up 4 runs to start the game, and then competely dominate for the next 4 innings. Why couldn’t he do that from inning 1? I’m sure the thing with his mother was weighing on his mind, but what a strange performance. He racked up 12 K’s for a career-high, and we hit Becket the way I thought we would, but it wasn’t enough. We had them on the ropes when it was 4-3, and a runner on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out - that’s when you needed a big hit, but it just didn’t happen. To be honest, it shouldn’t have even been 4-3, because Melky would’ve scored earlier on Pena’s hit if he hadn’t tried to take 3rd. That was a dumb base-running play, and there’s no excuse for it. So it would’ve then been 4-4, and probably would’ve turned into a different game. Instead, the Red Sox leave the Bronx laughing, and it’s a dark day for New Yorkers.

On the bright side, Joba did show a lot of toughness after starting the game shaky, and he displayed a hell of an arsenal. The change was working great, his velocity was up to 96, and the breaking-ball looked good. If he can just stay efficient and throw strikes, while keeping hitters off the bases, he can be a very successful starting pitcher. If he can’t get past the 5th inning though, then the bullpen is where Joba belongs. Wherever he ends up, he’s got talent through the roof, and a very aggressive personality that shows itself on the mound time to time. Let’s just hope the next time he’s out there, it ends with a W.

Tonight we gotta get back to a positive feel on this team, and Burnett’s gotta throw a good game against the Rays. He’s been the stopper a few times already this year, so why not once more. Come on guys, play some winning baseball!

One other thing, my friend started a website with a couple of other guys in an attempt to vote Nick Swisher onto the all-star team this year.

Check out their site: www.voteswisher.com

Ugh. We’re now 0-4 against the dreaded Red Sox this year, and I don’t like it one bit. Hughes was looking good at first, and extremely good when blowing away Youkilis with some pure heat. But then, it fell apart. As usual, their line-up took a lot of pitches, and really made Hughes work - BUT the homeplate umpire was also horendous. This guy didn’t know the difference between a ball and a motorcycle. Still, we were unable to defeat them (in our own house this time), and now we must take them down in the final game of this quick series tonight. Tex did have a nice 2 homers from both sides of the plate, but the Bay homer ended up killing us (can’t believe this guy has transitioned over there so well).

Bottom line, we gotta take a stand tonight, and go out and beat their brains in. I don’t want to see a 2-1 win, I want a massacre - something along the lines of 12-0. Now Beckett hasn’t been that sharp, and we are certainly able to hit him, so it’s not out of the question. I admit that Boston has a better all-around team currently, and they’ve had more guys come through in big spots than us, but we’re still the YANKEES. We still will have a better and deeper rotation than they have when all is said and done, and I believe that Hughes will make his mark as a major-leaguer along with Melancon. Not to mention that Joba will be back in the bullpen by September, which will change some of the dynamics around. I also think that Cashman will have no choice but to make a great/creative trade to benefit this club by the all-star break, or else he’s on very thin ice. He’ll most likely be gone if we’re not in the post-season, and could be hand-cuffed with Girardi.

Speaking of Girardi, I liked that he showed some toughness last night after he realized that Boston’s first-base coach was stealing signs. He was exchanging plenty of bad words for a while, and next thing you know, J.D. Drew got hit with a fastball.

 God, it doesn’t get more intense than Yanks/Sox.