pinstripepress

Last night had a lot going on in game 1 of the series against Texas. At first, Burnett looked like he was going to dominate, racking up the K’s. Then, he gave up a 3-run homer. Then, the Yanks rally back and Mark Teixeira (in my mind) earned his pinstripes by showing a lot of toughness - he gets hit for the 2nd time by Padilla, and then breaks up a double-play by taking out Andrus with a powerful slide (allowing run to score). Then, the bats continue to hit all over the place, and Burnett settled down completely, throwing 7 strong innings. To finish it up, Tomko and Veras threw the last 2 innings, and we kept our 1-game lead in the division.

Now with the best record in the American League, the New York Yankees have got that swagger back. The swagger we’ve been so anxiously waiting for, and that we expect to see as New York fans. There’s a great feeling amongst this team right now, and it feels like they expect to win everyday now. Good pitching, good defense, timely hitting. The only hole at the moment is the bullpen, and how we get to Mariano, but I think that will be resolved before the end of the year. I still believe Melancon can be a big factor in the pen if given the opportunity, but either way, there will most likely be a trade for a reliever by the all-star break. Here’s a few options:

Heath Bell - Here’s a guy that turned into a good closer with the Pad’s, and the Mets basically gave him away for nothing. Since the Pad’s are most likely gonna fall out of the race not too long from now, Bell should be available, and it shouldn’t be that costly of a deal.

Scott Linebrink - I’ve always liked him, and even if the Chi-Sox are in the race, maybe we can serve up a good enough deal to pry him away. He’s not that closer, so that’s a good thing.

Huston Street - Street was part of that big Matt Holliday trade with Colorado, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to be out there right now. Hurdle was already fired, and that team is going nowhere. Street is still young, and has good stuff - let’s also not forget he was dominating as the A’s closer not too long ago.

Or of course, there’s Joba - but if he keeps pitching the way he did the other night, he’s not coming out of the rotation.

Tonight Andy is back on the mound, and he’s taking on Feldman, who has been very good for Texas. Should be a good match, but let’s hope we prevail. Expect more pitches to slip tonight…

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