Kuzul

Winning for the second night against the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees are 2 ½ games ahead in the AL East; in addition to lowering their magic number for playoff spot to three and winning the division to 10.Yankees can thank the Boston Red Sox for helping those numbers falling to the Baltimore Orioles for the second nigh tin a row.

It could not come at a better time for New York, as winning the division translates into home-field advantage for the Yankees.

Playing hosts for the first two rounds of the playoffs, especially in the 5-game Division Series could be critical for the Yankees down the stretch.

Being at Yankees Stadium for both these two games, I can attest that the Yankees fans have impacted each player.

The atmosphere rivaled that of the 2009 World Series up in the Bronx the last two nights. Fans even started a round-the-clock wave that circled the stadium three times, spanning from the nosebleeds all the way down to luxury seats.

Unlike last weeks Rays-series, the Bombers are clearly outplaying Tampa Bay this time. More and more, the 2010 Yankees resemble the same group that won the World Series in 2009.

There are only 14 games remaining in the MLB regular season, but the best of baseball gets played in October.

The 2010 post-season is overall on track to be one of the most competitive ever.

*RECENT NEWS: The Minnesota Twins won the AL Central tonight for the sixth time since 2002. It’s the first team to clinch so far. Congratulations to the Twins and their loyal fans!!

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Tonight marks the first of four games, between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx.

Rookie pitcher Ivan Nova takes the mound for the pinstripes, as the Rays counter with Matt Garza in a rematch from last week’s slug-fest.

Nova is only making his sixth big-league start, but second in two weeks against the Rays. In their last meeting, Nova kept the Rays at bay for four innings, before imploding in the fifth allowing six runs.

Before that, Nova had only given up three earned runs total in his first four starts. He is 1-0 after five starts, with a 4.30 ERA, giving up 14 earned runs, nine walks and four home-runs over a total of 29.1 innings pitched. Nova has struck-out a season total of 19 which is a solid showing.

Nova needs to keep control on the mound and trust his stuff more. Nova can get the strikeouts when confident, especially if his fastball is on target. Nova is not afraid of the Rays or any other team, which he needs to show when he throws.

Rays Matt Garza is a workhorse, who thrives in hostile environments and Yankee stadium promises to be just that.

Garza can throw hard but as a right-handed pitcher, Garza struggles with lefty bats. So expect the Yankees to be stacked from the left side of the plate.

Garza is known to fall apart mentally and usually no turning back after that happens. He has hit seven batters on the season.

When Garza is in total concentration-mode he has an arsenal of pitches, throws very hard and can shutdown opposing teams bats completely.

In 2010 Garza is 14-8, with a 3.88 ERA and already pitched 185.2 innings on the season. He has allowed 80 earned runs to score, walked 58, with 27 home-runs against him and has struck-out 138.

MY PREDICTION:

Garza’s last two starts he couldn’t get passed the fifth inning, giving up 12 earned runs, walking 4 and allowing six balls go yard. It left him with a 12.00 ERA, with only five strikeouts in the two losses.

Nova blew a 6-0 lead in the fifth inning, but looked better the first four innings than Garza by far.

With the tribute to George Steinbrenner before this game, the Yankees owe the Boss a win because that is what he would want more than anything.

YANKEES WIN 7-3.

NOVA VS. GARZA GET A NO DECISION.

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Ending a horrid 3-6 road trip, the New York Yankees are glad to be back home.

Home or not though, starting with a 4-game series against the second-place Tampa Bay Rays, the next two weeks will challenge the Yankees in every possible way.

The Yankees come into the week with a 90-59 record, just a half-game ahead of the Rays, who sit at 89-59. The series will give both teams a chance to leave with a two or three game division lead, but the Yankees and Rays are so evenly matched that a 2-2 split seems more likely than anything else.

Which team looks stronger?

It has only been a week since New York and Tampa played what was, hands down, the best series of baseball this season. All three games were determined late, and both squads fought it out with playoff-like energy. In the end, Tampa took two of three games from the Yankees at the Trop.

But the road to a series win will be that much tougher for the Rays, who will this time face the Yankees in New York, and that is not the only advantage for the Pinstripes.

Since leaving Tampa, the Yankees have welcomed back Andy Pettitte. Pettitte pitched great on Sunday, going six innings and giving up only three hits. Even though Pettitte won’t face Tampa in this series, having him healthy again is a huge morale boost.

Joe Girardi made a smart decision to sit third baseman Alex Rodriguez and first baseman Mark Teixeira during the Baltimore series, and they should come back energetic and healthy. Add well-rested Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher to the lineup, and suddenly Tampa looks at taking on a team headed into the playoffs with the entire roster ready to play.

HIT… is the word of the week for the Yankees, and they will need more of them with runners in scoring position in order to win this series. During the weekend Baltimore series, the Yankees left thirty men on base.

While Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte were all solid, the Yankees failed time and time again to push runs across in two one-run games. Not backing up good pitching by scoring runs is a quick way to lose your division lead, ask the recently dethroned San Diego Padres.

With the Yankees coming home to the Bronx, the fans will be nuts. This is always a big edge for any team, but the New York home field advantage is famous nation-wide.

In order for the Rays to win, they will need to use every tool in their all-around talented lineup and that includes stealing bases. Virtually every player in the lineup features the speed factor, and base running could be the difference-maker. The Rays will need to get on base early in the game and than start running to fluster Yankee pitching, especially in the series opener against rookie Ivan Nova.

My Prediction:

To make a call on this series is tough as nails.

My honest bet is that the New York and Tampa spilt the series, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats and the AL East division still up for grabs.

Game 1 – Yankees win 6-4

Game 2 – Rays win 4-1

Game 3 – Rays win 5-4

Game 4 – Yankees win 3-1

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The New York Yankees need to turn around this horrid road trip.

The usually easy wins against the Baltimore Orioles are a thing of the past, as the Bombers visit the most-improved team at Camden Yard this weekend for three games.

New York Yankees starting pitcher AJ Burnett will take the mound. Burnett has been a mess this season.

Burnett’s usual seesawing is not always this bad and as of now he is deemed unreliable. This season Burnett is 10-13 with a 5.13 ERA, giving-up 20 home-runs, walking 72 batters and striking out 132 over 29 starts.

Burnett’s strikeouts have dropped significantly. In 08’ he fanned 231 batters and last season he posted 195 total in regular season. He loses control much sooner than in the past, as he has hit a career high 14 batters in 2010 and the season is not over yet.

In his career, Burnett’s held batters to a .241 average, but this season it has jumped to .284 when he is on the mound.

Tonight, Burnett has a chance to take the minor improvements he has made since going winless in August and show us the ace he is capable of being.

Burnett has made three starts in September, going 1-1 with an ERA of 4.76 and striking out 19 over 17 innings pitched. His last start was cut after four innings due to rain, but he had already struck out six and looked a lot better.

The Yankees bats need to cushion Burnett. Even when Burnett is on he can have one bad inning. Run support helps take the pressure off a mentally struggling teammate.

Striking-out has been the theme too much lately at the plate. This needs to change ASAP, and with Kevin Millwood on the mound for the Orioles, there is absolutely no excuse for anything but a marked improvement.

Millwood is 1-7 in 14 starts with an ERA of 5.38 at Camden Yard this season.

Overall in 2010 Millwood’s totals over 28 starts read 101 earned runs, 27 home-runs, walking 57 and striking-out 114. Opposing batters have a .301 average against the O’s veteran and a Yankees win is almost mandatory.

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New York Yankees star Derek Jeter’s on-field performance the other night against the Tampa Bay Rays has definitely caught the eye of the sports world.

In case you missed Jeter’s trickery, just click HERE to watch it.

Everyone from NASCAR drivers to retired NFL players to Jeter himself was asked their opinion on the situation.

As expected, answers were extensively wide-ranging, from anger to praise for the Yankees Captain.

Jeter admitted in the post-game that it had hit the bat and the umpire told him to go to first base. Jeter didn’t outright lie, because it is the umpire’s decision, and his job to judge.

This type of stuff happens in sports across the board, but similar scenarios happen in courtrooms, boardrooms and classrooms on a daily basis.

Does it make it right?

Yes and no, because imagine if Jeter stopped the umpire and told him to throw him out of the game because it hit the bat. It would be just as ludicrous and plain out stupid.

Plenty of times umpires have called a player safe and the replay tells a different story. Never once has a player told the umpire otherwise, knowing he was out.

It is a baseball player’s job to get on base so runs can be scored.

Jeter was, in fact, doing his job, but the extra act was bothersome, seemed unnecessary, and overdone.

Jeter might have gotten on base and scored a run off Curtis Granderson’s home-run, but at what cost? The Yankees ended up losing the game to the Rays 4-3.

Maybe the result is telling enough, that taking advantage of a situation will never win in the long run. Jeter could have just jogged to first base. It is the added drama that would seem out of character to many Yankees and baseball fans.

Re-watching this controversial at-bat, knowing Jeter was faking, was emotionally shocking, disappointing, genius, desperate, and funny all at the same time.

Overall, you do what you need to do to win. That is why Derek Jeter is the Captain of the best franchise in sports history. He plays the game and he takes advantage in spots where no rules are broken.

When putting myself in that scenario, I honestly would have 100% done the same thing. But I am also not Derek Jeter.

If anything comes out of this, MLB has to address the instant replay scenario. The human element is overrated.

ESPN’s Mike Greenberg says it best: “Instant replay is baseball’s deodorant.”

Jeter’s play gave off the slightly stinky whiff as a sign that MLB commissioner Bud Selig needs to address the idea of incorporating instant replay before it gets unbearable and unfair.

This one should not be ignored, it should be fixed.

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It was another nail-biting, extra innings game for the New York Yankees who needed to win and did.

Now, the Bombers are back in first place after losing it for 24 hours to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Only a half-game separates the two ball-clubs making Wednesday night’s outcome a declaration for who ever wins. That is until next week when the Rays come to the Bronx for four games.

Pitching has dictated this series, as the Yankees look to Phil Hughes to keep the Rays bats quiet. Hughes will face Rays James Shields, which is not Sabathia vs. Price but it looks to be a fair fight.

Hughes-Shields Preview

Phil Hughes innings limit has him coming off a skipped start, but threw a solid inning out of the bullpen in Texas.

It will be Hughes first start since September 5.

Hughes has the stuff, as the first-half of the season proved by earning a trip to the All-Star game.

Hughes’ development is being monitored, but Joe Girardi has no other options. Pettitte has been on the DL for two months; add that to Vazquez and Burnett who remain unreliable.

Otherwise this situation would be different.

In his last 10 starts, Hughes has 5-4 record, with a 4.83 ERA, striking-out 36, walking 17 in just shy of 51 innings.

Hughes has allowed 37 earned runs in his last 10 starts and looks to improve against the heavy Rays lineup. Hughes has to settle down early, locate his pitches and throw his curve-ball confidently for strikes.

Even with the recent decline, Hughes’ excuse is legit. His young arm has never thrown this many innings, as well as his inexperience pitching a full season.

Hughes needs to be extra careful with Rays Carlos Pena who has knocked Hughes around in the past.

The Rays counter with James Shields, who has been even streakier this season.

In his last 10 starts, Shields has a 6-3 record, with an ERA of 5.25, striking out 54, walking 14 over 58 innings pitched. Shields’ allowed 34 earned runs and 74 hits over that time, which is not good.

Like Hughes, Shields has gotten hammered lately. When he is on, Shields can throw for strikes as long as he is locating the ball. In his last two starts he allowed 10 earned runs, three home-runs, striking out seven in total and took a loss on both games.

The Yankees got a taste of what a dominant Shields looks like back on August 1^st when he stuck out 11 Yankee batters over seven innings. 

PREDICTION      

This looks to be the highest scoring game of the series, unless both youngsters find their groove with little margin for error.

If Derek Jeter can muster up his old-self again, and Nick Swisher’s wrist is ok to play, than Shields better watch out.

My bold prediction is Yankees win 8-5. Hughes and Shields will get a no decision, both going five innings.

EXTRA EXTRA…..TROPICANA FIELD HAD FANS CHEERING AND FILLED THE PARK. GUESS PEOPLE IN TAMPA DO GO TO CERTAIN BASEBALL GAMES. PATHETIC RAYS FANS!

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Fourth devastating outcome in a row for the New York Yankees, third walk-off loss, and no longer do they hold the best record in baseball.

That honor now belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays, who take a half-game lead in the AL East standings.

The Yankees just can’t seem to catch a break, as things just keep getting worse.

Monday’s pitching match-up of CC Sabathia vs. David Price lived-up to all the hype. Both leading Cy Young Award candidates, who equally proved why on the mound.

Both starters were excellent at keeping the game scoreless through eight innings. Price and Sabathia put their respective teams in positions to win, and the bullpens continued where the aces left off.

That is until the Yankees’ fate was again placed on the wrong arm of Sergio Mitre, who gave up the walk-off home-run. This leads me to wonder what skipper Joe Girardi was thinking using Mitre in the bottom of the 11^th inning?

Girardi can’t seem to comprehend that Mitre is not good. He never really has been his whole career, except in 2007 when Mitre was a Florida Marlin, and Girardi was the Marlins manager.

Even back than, Mitre only pitched 150 innings total and struck out 80. That was over three years ago, and since arriving in New York, Mitre hasn’t been helpful, and has been the opposite of productive. That is a fact.

The minute I saw it was Mitre coming in the 0-0 game, my first thought was, “where is Joba Chamberlain or Dave Robertson?”

“Not available,” according to Girardi, and many will wonder why not?

Neither Robertson, nor Chamberlain pitched on Sunday afternoon so why couldn’t they throw in for a couple outs?

At such a critical time of the season, with first place in the AL East on the line, I thought Girardi would do whatever was needed to get the win. Especially following the blunder at third base by Brett Gardner, who tried to steal third with two outs. What was Gardner thinking?

He wasn’t because that was just dumb.

The Yankees could have used a positive night after being swept in Texas over the weekend.

Instead, the Yankees are getting more frustrated. It is all over the players’ faces, and it is heartbreaking to watch as a fan.

Walk-off wins are inevitably tough for the losing side, so the Yankees can’t be happy at all right now.

As a Yankees fan, it sucks to watch four losses in a row.

So many questions start mounting up as to whether the Yankees can turn it around or has age finally come before beauty?

Let’s hope this is just a slump, but clearly something is not working and the Yankees need to fix it ASAP.

Trying to stay positive but it is getting more difficult with each walk-off loss.

Hopefully, Yankees rookie Ivan Nova can continue throwing well on the mound, and that the bats back him up for a needed win on Tuesday night at the Trop.

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The New York Yankees have looked much better than this. Even if the Yankees‘ record gets them to the playoffs, losing six of seven games is not going to cut it.

It used to be the Yankees’ AL East division to lose, but now the Yankees are struggling.

Questions need to be answered, and tonight against Tampa Bay, the Yankees will start to give those answers.

What answers would Yankee fans like to see? Here are five questions that come to mind: 

Is This Just a Normal Team Slump or Not?

If it was June or even the beginning of August, a slump would not be such a concern for any team in a division race. But it is mid-September with 20 games remaining, and the Yankees have no cushion if they want to win the AL East. 

Can the Bats Start Doing Their Jobs?

Striking out is not Yankee-like, as the team’s M.O. at the plate is to drive up pitching counts and draw walks. Derek Jeter is not helping the team right now, except for Sunday against Cliff Lee when he displayed signature Jeter-like form. This has to stick for both the Captain and the team. 

How Hurt are Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner?

Ask the Yankees certain questions, like about innings limits or injuries, and the answer usually leaves you pondering the truth. For example, Brett Gardner is getting an MRI on his wrist, but it is nothing to be concerned about, which was the answer to why Gardner left mid-game on Sunday.

A-Rod just returned from the 15-day DL, and obviously he is not feeling his best still. Why did A-Rod get taken off in the first place? Would A-Rod rather take extra rest than return too soon?

Add Swisher’s recurring injury and those are three of the Yankees who have been critical to the team’s success this season.

What Is the Biggest Problem?

Looking at 2009 stats, the Bombers were caught stealing 28 times in 111 tries. In 2010 with a total of 90 steals, the Bombers have been tagged out 27 times. This number might not make your mouth drop, but it’s the extra pressures like the above fact that is hurting the Yankees.

Home runs are down this season to 174 from the team’s total of 224 in 2009. Overall hits finished at 1,604 last season, while in 2010 they currently stand at 1,311.

Yes, there are 20 games remaining but the team is not hitting 50 home runs and getting over 300 hits. If the team was winning with these numbers, it wouldn’t matter—but they aren’t—so the slight declines become a bigger issue overall. 

When is Andy Pettitte’s Exact Date of Return?

There is no denying that Pettitte’s absence has hurt big time. There were too many rumors last month, generating excitement that the Yankees southpaw was on his way back. It feels like forever, but that’s because it has been.

Pettitte can really help the starting rotation, taking some pressure off CC Sabathia. A.J. Burnett and Javy Vazquez would get some breathing room, which could help them both mentally because Pettitte could alleviate the desperation, even if just slightly.

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There is not much to say after the New York Yankees got swept right out of Texas over the weekend.

The Rangers took all three games and did so without slugger Josh Hamilton, who was out of the lineup with a sore back.

Friday night’s 13-inning battle ended on a Rangers’ walkoff home run off Nelson Cruz’s bat.

Saturday night things got even worse, with Derek Jeter getting benched. Still, at the same time I respect skipper Joe Girardi’s decision, as Jeter has hurt more than helped lately, and something had to be done.

At the bottom of the ninth inning, the Yankees were leading 6-5 and Girardi called on Mariano Rivera to close out the game.

Rivera not only allowed the tying run to score, but he loaded the bases and proceeded to hit Jeff Francoeur, resulting in the winning run.

Sometimes it is easy to forget that Rivera is not immortal, but so rarely does this happen. No reason to get alarmed or worried about Mo down the stretch just yet.

On Sunday against the Rangers and Cliff Lee, the Yankees were without the bats of Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, and Alex Rodriguez. Lee has just come off a rough August, but you wouldn’t know it after going eight innings and the Rangers winning 4-1.

There was plenty to be concerned with regarding the Yankees before the Rangers sweep.

Now, nothing is working too its potential, and the Yankees need to figure it out or it could get really ugly fast.

Heading to Tampa Bay, Florida must have been a depressing plane ride, as the Yankees embarrassed themselves all weekend.

Tonight, the Bombers start a three-game set against the Rays, who are just a half-game back in the AL East.

Yankees SP CC Sabathia will take the mound, which couldn’t be more needed.

Sabathia struggled and lost in his last start, a first for CC in a year at Yankee Stadium. He was also trying to win No. 20 on the season for the first time in his career.

In 2009, Sabathia had the same opportunity to reach 20 wins at Tropicana Field against the Rays. Sabathia imploded, but the team could afford it back then.

Minus his last outing, Sabathia is the team’s, if not the league’s ace. Expect his mentality to follow, as the team needs a win and CC will be solely focused on getting that.

Sabathia is not a one-man team, and the Yankee bats will have to bring their A-game facing the Rays’ David Price.

Price is the other frontrunner with Sabathia for the AL Cy Young award. Price has a 2.87 ERA with 163 strikeouts, walking 71 and giving up 13 home runs. In 27 starts, Price has a 17-6 record.

A-Rod, Swisher, and Cano have the most success against Price at the plate, so hopefully the day off will get the first two back in the lineup.

Derek Jeter has done well against Price too. Hopefully Jeter’s success against Cliff Lee on Sunday will continue and get the Captain hitting like himself again. Jeter needs to figure himself out ASAP.

Prediction

Yankees will win 6-2 and Sabathia will get the win. There is no way the Yankees can lose another game at this point, after winning just one of their last seven.

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After winning seven of 10 games in the Bronx, the New York Yankees start a nine-game road trip with a weekend series against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Could this be a possible ALDS preview?

Yes, if the Yankees get through the last 22 regular season games, which is not as easy as it sounds.

The Yankees spend 15 of those 22 meetings on the road, facing the Tampa Bay Rays seven times and their rival Boston Red Sox for six. The remaining six are split between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.

Not an easy finish for the reigning champions. This will test the Bombers, as it will shed some light on the team’s durability. The Yankee bullpen and bats have been very effective, saving the starters from total collapse.

Everyone knows to be successful in the postseason every aspect of a team has to be working, so when Andy Pettitte finally gets off the DL, it will make a major impact for New York. CC Sabathia cannot be the only guaranteed innings eater.

It is no secret that the Rangers are beat up too; the Yankees need to take advantage of these games. Against the Rangers, New York has won four of five in the season series and is 16-5 at Texas over the past six seasons.

The Rangers have the luxury of an 8.5-game lead in the AL West and can afford to rest players before the playoffs. Unfortunately, it happens that the two best Rangers, ace Cliff Lee and slugger Josh Hamilton, are the unhealthy ones. 

Hamilton looks not to be in the lineup at all against New York, which not one Yankee will complain about or miss. The All-Star slugger bruised his ribs fielding a ball and slamming him into the center field wall. Hamilton says the pain has not improved enough to get back out there just yet.

Lee, who is slated to start on Sunday, skipped his last start with muscle spasms in his back. Lee is coming off a horrific August, so the extra rest could be just what he needs.

The Rangers have struggled lately and are returning from a 10-game road stretch, going 4-6.

Friday night, Yankees starter Javier Vazquez will take the mound after returning to the rotation last week, which resulted in a still shaky start against the Blue Jays. Hopefully, giving Vazquez another attempt to correct himself will result in a quality start, but don’t hold your breath.

Rangers will counter with C.J. Wilson, who is 14-6 this season with a 3.10 ERA. Since the All-Star break, Wilson is 7-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 starts.

Wilson’s one loss was his last start against the Minnesota Twins; he gave up six runs, walked four, and hit a batter over five innings.

Neither the Yankees nor the Rangers have clinched a playoff spot yet, so winning this series for either ball club is imperative.

This is definitely the weekend series to watch, but my overall prediction is the Yankees will take two of the three games down in Texas.

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