Kuzul

Even knowing the Texas Rangers had Cliff Lee on the mound, the New York Yankee fans arrived at the game ready for a win and made it loud and clear

That dream became a nightmare pretty fast, as Lee brought his A-plus game once again and the Rangers won 8-0.

So, instead fans left confused, discouraged and embarrassed. Below are the three dilemmas I had, after freezing my butt off in the Bronx:

1. Everyone was confused by Joe Girardi’s decision not to use Mariano Rivera for the last three outs. The hope was to hold the Rangers at two runs through the ninth. In turn, that would give the Yankee batters a chance at the bottom of the ninth inning to maybe get back in the mix.

What happened was embarrassing, as Texas scored six more runs mainly off sloppy fielding mistakes by New York. With Texas up 8-0, any hope of a comeback was just too far out of reach.

Up to this point, Girardi had used Mo in all five postseason games and one would think to go with the best you have to offer. Especially considering the Yankees are the comeback kids and Lee’s pitch count was already in the mid-120, which is why it made no sense. Maybe Girardi forgot this was a playoff game?

2. Why the game was so discouraging is that Andy Pettitte pitched solid as a rock after giving up a first inning home run to Josh Hamilton. Pettitte put the Yankees in the position to win posting five strikeouts and walking zero batters.

In order to win, teams have to score runs, and Pettitte got no insurance whatsoever. Pettitte deserved a win, but his performance was not overshadowed by the loss as every fan at the Stadium cheered for the southpaw big time.

3. Did the umpires loss the game for the Yankees? Well, there was definitely one questionable call that might have made the difference. Not taking away from the surreal performance by Lee because with 13 strikeouts and not a run scoring surely can stand on its own.

The call is now a confirmed a mistake made by first-base umpire Angel Hernandez in the bottom of the third inning. Umpire Hernandez called Brett Gardner out when the replay tells a different tale. Gardner hit a blooper and slid into first, which might have been more out of habit for Gardner who might have been safe on his feet too.

Regardless, he was clearly safe and not a whimper from Girardi at all. Pathetic for a manager not to get out there and defend his player.

There was one other call that again favored Texas, when Michael Young was a foot from the bag when Teixeira had already scooped the ball up.

This was not what Yankees fans came too see. Ultimately most fans knew that it was going to take a semi-miracle to beat Lee if his current pitching postseason trend stayed on target, but who knew it would be a bull’s-eye.

Yankees will send AJ Burnett to the mound Tuesday night, which is scary to think about considering how awful Burnett has been. Burnett has an opportunity to become a New York hero in Game 4, as we know he has the stuff to be lights-out, so let’s hope Burnett has found it.

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All eyes were in Arlington Friday night as the Yankees and Rangers kicked off Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

The Yankees, who had almost a week of rest, sent their ace in CC Sabathia to square off against the Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson in Game 1.

The game quickly started in favor of the Rangers as Sabathia’s control was off from the start of the first inning.

Elvis Andrus walked to lead off the game and Michael Young singled to set up first and third with no outs.

Josh Hamilton then hit a line drive home run to right to quickly put Texas up 3-0. The Rangers fans were on their feet and going crazy following the Hamilton home run.

Sabathia quickly continued to struggle in the first inning, loading the bases for Jorge Cantu with two outs. Sabathia threw a wild pitch that Jorge Posada could not get to and went to the backstop, but Posada got the ball to Sabathia and tagged out Nelson Cruz trying to score to end a very crazy and busy first inning.

Sabathia was able to get through the second and third innings, but ran into more trouble in the fourth inning.

Young doubled to center field, scoring Matt Treanor and Andrus to make the game 5-0 in favor of the Rangers.

Sabathia only lasted four innings, allowed six hits, five runs, walked four and struck out three. In the most simple of terms, Sabathia was terrible on Friday night. He had no command of the strike zone, walked too many batters and if anything was lucky he didn’t leave the game losing at 9-0.

Could this be Texas’ night? It sure looked that way early on, especially because Wilson was pitching very well.

Wilson had the Yankees scoreless for six innings until Robinson Cano hit a solo home run to right off Wilson that made it 5-1.

Brett Gardner led off the top of the eighth inning by hitting the ball to Cantu at first. Cantu went to flip the ball to Wilson to record the out, but Gardner slid head first into first base and beat Wilson’s foot and was now on first to lead off the eighth inning.

That gutsy play by Gardner would be the turning point of the game and the spark to an eighth inning Yankees rally.

Following Gardner’s infield single, Derek Jeter doubled to right field to score Gardner and now the score was 5-2.

Jeter would be the final batter Wilson would see as Ron Washington pulled his starter from the game. Wilson pitched seven innings, allowed six hits, two runs, walked two and struck out four.

Relieving Wilson was veteran left-hander Darren Oliver, who came in and walked Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira to load the bases for Alex Rodriguez.

Washington pulled Oliver and put in Darren O’Day to face A-Rod. On the very first pitch, A-Rod smashed the ball down the left field line for a base hit that scored Jeter and Swisher and the score was now 5-4 with nobody out.

Washington then went to left-hander Clay Rapada to face Cano, and on his very first pitch, Cano singled to center to score Teixeira and now, the game was tied at 5-5.

Derek Holland replaced Rapada on the mound and Marcus Thames singled to left to score A-Rod and now the Yankees had taken the lead 6-5.

Can you believe that? After the Yankees looked all but dead through seven innings, they strike and strike hard and now have command of the game.

Holland was able to escape the rest of the eighth with no further damage, leaving it a one-run game.

In the bottom of the eighth, Kerry Wood came in and Ian Kinsler led off with a walk.

David Murphy was up trying to look for a rally, but Wood was able to pick off Kinsler trying to lead off first. With that one simple out, any magic Texas had in them seemed to vanish. Wood finished off the rest of the eighth with no problems.

In the bottom of the ninth, Mariano Rivera came in to nail down the save for the Yankees.

Pinch hitting for Cantu, Mitch Moreland singled up the middle to start the inning.

Andrus sacrificed Moreland to second, giving long-time Ranger Young a chance to be a hero.

After a long at-bat, Young struck out for the second out of the ninth inning.

Hamilton grounded out to third to end the game and gave the Yankees a 6-5 Game 1 victory.

Dustin Moseley, who came in to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, got the win for the Yankees. Pitching in relief of Sabathia, Moseley did a great job keeping the game at 5-0 and not allowing Texas to expand their lead.

O’Day took the loss for Texas. He was one of several Texas relievers who was terrible and blew a really good game pitched by Wilson.

For about 80 percent of this game, the Yankees looked like a beaten team in danger of falling behind 1-0.

But the Yankees never gave up. They showed tremendous heart and guts on the field and came alive in that eighth inning, almost hitting and scoring at will against the Rangers bullpen.

In a game the Rangers seemed like they were six outs away from enjoying an easy victory,ends up being a heart-wrenching defeat.

Game two will be on Saturday and will have Phil Hughes going for the Yankees to send it 2-0 back to the Bronx, while the Rangers will have Colby Lewis trying to split the series before heading to New York.

Game One was a huge victory for the Yankees that might end up dictating how this series ends up turning out.

Four down, seven to go until No. 28 for Yankees Universe.

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This one had instant classic written all over it.

It didn’t start good for the New York Yankees‘ Super Ace CC Sabathia. He walked the leadoff runner, then let up a single to put men on the corners.

Up came Josh Hamilton, who was supposed to have injury issues, hadn’t hit in the ALDS and was supposed to be a mild worry, not a serious threat.

Next thing you know, the ball was over the right field fence, and the Yankees’ best pitcher was down 3-0.

No matter what side you were on for this one, seeing Josh Hamilton run around the bases, with the music and the fireworks and a crowd full of Dallas Cowboys fans cheering for their team in the American League Championship Series for the first time EVER was pretty awesome.  

Great story for Hamilton. Great story for the franchise. Great story for every Rangers fan in attendance or watching the broadcast. No matter who you wanted to win, there was no denying this was pretty damn cool.

Unfortunately, this great story was coming against the defending champs, who had their own unbelievable ending in mind.

It all started in the top of the eighth, when Brett Gardner hit what first appeared to be an easy groundout. With a little hustle and a face-first dive, the Yankees had a leadoff runner.

By the end of the inning, Texas had used half of their bullpen, and more importantly, lost the lead.

When TBS interviewed Joe Girardi in the bottom of the fourth, he said being down three runs wasn’t an impossible deficit, because of the Yankees explosive offense.

Well, by the end of the inning (when the Rangers made it 5-0 off a two-run, two-out Michael Young double) we wanted Girardi gagged with a Taco Bell XXL Chalupa and sent to the Chicago Cubs.

Rangers starter CJ Wilson did a great Cliff Lee impression till the eighth, when Brett Gardner made the play of the game. Should Gardner really be sliding into first? I can’t remember ever thinking a player should slide into first until tonight. It looked like there truly was no way Brett gets there before Wilson if he legs it out. And hey, what works, works.

The runner became a run on the next at-bat, and by the end of the inning the Yankees had the lead. Good move Brett.

Some things To Remember

1. Hamilton got on base in his second at-bat, stole second, then went to third on a balk. Thankfully CC got out of it without letting Hamilton score, or the place might have imploded.

2. Joba went scoreless in the fifth, and Dustin Moseley did the same in the sixth and the seventh, keeping a game that felt like it was over close enough to steal.

3. Robinson Cano’s homer in the seventh was the first real sign of anything from the Yankees bats all night. We’ve previously questioned Cano’s postseason stats, depsite his beast regular season, so it’s good to see the second baseman be the first guy across home plate.

4. If you didn’t know anything about the Texas Rangers starter this morning, you did by the end of the seventh. CJ Wilson was ridiculously good, giving up two runs through 21 outs. All the Dallas Cowboys fans that filled the stadium will remember the heroic performance of their first starting pitcher, regardless of the conclusion.

5. Who had Curtis Granderson as the first Yankee hit of the ALCS? Anybody?

6. Who’s the biggest winner of the night? AJ Burnett. CC Sabathia getting hooked after just 93 pitches immediately opened the “Will he start in Game 4?” discussion. If the Yankees lose, Girardi may have gotten an itch for that panic button and played CC on short rest (just like the big fella did last year).  

7. AJ Burnett would likely have gotten bumped out of the rotation. Missing an opportunity to start a game in the ALCS would have been a big blow for Burnett, but what might have been an even bigger blow would have been that Yankees fans’ last memory of Burnett was his burnout at the end of the regular season.

8. Game 4 of the ALCS would have been Burnett’s last shot at redemption. Since the Bronx Bombers were able to overcome the weak performance of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett will get his final chance. And we think he’ll be just fine.

9. What was the most shocking moment? Not CC’s collapse in the first, but Nolan Ryan’s honorary first pitch.  The guy looks like he should be the night watchman at a public museum, but he goes straight to the mound and throws a STRIKE! Are you kididng me? That sucker moved! You give me a 100 at-bats against that guy, and I wouldn’t hit a single one. Unbelievable.

That being said, does Nolan Ryan really have no one better to sit next to? Isn’t that awkward, since the guy to Ryan’s right used to own the Texas Rangers? Do you think that’s what they talked about? Do you think George W. Bush knows what a balk is?

And most importantly, recognize that Mariano Rivera did exactly what Mariano Rivera always does this time of year. The haters get real quiet, real quick, don’t they?

Next game’s tomorrow afternoon. Where are you gonna be watching?



This article originally appeared on The NY Sports Digest. If its off-beat and it’s about the Mets, Yankees, Knicks, Giants, Jets, Islanders, or Rangers, than The Digest is the spot to get it. Stop with the mega-sites and get a feel for the true pulse of New York at www.NYSportsDigest.com

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No matter what happens during the 2010 Major League Playoffs, the Yankees will immediately get to work in the offseason to either win a third straight title or try to get back on top after a one year hiatus.

One free agent target most everyone in the industry agrees the Yankees will get their hands on is current Rangers ace Cliff Lee. Lee has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past three seasons and is bolstering his playoff resume with each gem he twirls in October.

In game one of the American Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Lee pitched one of the best games in his career, striking out 10 in a crucial match-up with Rays ace David Price. The Rangers knew if they could win game one then they would have a great chance of winning the series and Lee made sure that was taken care of.

For the Yankees to obtain Lee’s services they better come prepared with a blank check and a willingness to outspend every other team. It has been rumored that Lee prefers to pitch in the Bronx, joining up with his old Indians teammate CC Sabathia, but he will not take a discount to do so.

Another target of the Bombers can be a person who currently plays in the Far East and his name is Yu Darvish. Not much is know about Darvish, but he possesses four quality pitchers to go along with his mid-90s fastball. Darvish is not a free agent meaning he will require the posting fee, ala Matsuzaka, but unlike his predecessor, he may be worth the money.

The Yankees don’t seemingly need anyone to fill out their outfield as all spots are currently occupied. Nick Swisher is signed on for another two seasons, Curtis Granderson, who looked like he would be run out of town, is swinging a hot bat and Brett Gardner surprised many with his breakout season.

However, the Yankees are the Yankees and a run for Carl Crawford is not out of the question. Gardner faded fast down the stretch after a hot start while Granderson is a new man after some mechanical adjustments. 

If the Yankees were to sign Crawford, Gardner would be displaced to the fourth outfielder spot where he is best suited and would give the Yankees a very strong defensive outfield. To make it clear, the Yankees don’t need Crawford, but signing him would make the lineup just that much stronger.

Besides throwing their hat in the ring for Darvish’s and Lee’s services, the Yankees still have a need in the rotation. A.J. Burnett is not quite doing the job in New York and Andy Pettitte will most likely retire, leading to voids in the rotation. The Yankees would be best served looking for rotation fillers such as Hiroki Kuroda or a Jon Garland. 

Both of these pitchers have the capability of eating up innings while keeping their teams in every game. It is something that neither A.J. Burnett nor Javier Vazquez can seem to master. For the Yankees to continue to try to make a modern day dynasty, they need more pitching.

As the old adage states, you can never have enough pitching.

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The Yankees entered Game 2 on Thursday looking to continue their momentum from defeating the Twins in Game 1 the night before.

On the mound for New York was Andy Pettitte, looking to brush aside the rust and any side effects of a groin injury that kept him on the disabled list for two months. For the Twins, it was Carl Pavano, pitching against his former team and looking to try and split the series going back to New York.

The Twins got on the board first in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly by Danny Valencia to right that put Minnesota up 1-0.

In the top of the fourth, Curtis Granderson continued his hot hitting by ripping a double, got to third on Mark Teixeira’s single and came home on Alex Rodriguez’s sac fly to right and tied the game at 1-1.

In the top of the fifth, Lance Berkman took a Pavano fastball to left center and over the wall for a home run that put the Yankees up 2-1.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Orlando Hudson crushed a Pettitte breaking ball to left for a solo home run and the game was tied at 2-2.

This game was just as competitive as the first one, with both sides not caving in and both pitchers fighting to keep their team in the game.

Then, the Yankees struck with the knockout blow.

In the top of the seventh, Jorge Posada started out the inning by drawing a walk. Berkman then came up again and during the at bat, it looked as if he struck out, but on a questionable pitch, a strike three was called a ball.

On the very next pitch, Berkman drills a pitch off Pavano to dead center over Denard Span’s head, which allowed Posada to score all the way from first and gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire came out to calm Pavano and his players down, then engaged in an argument with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt that got the Twins manager tossed from the game.

Brett Gardner then dropped down a bunt trying to sacrifice Berkman over, but Valencia couldn’t pick the ball up and Gardner ended up with a bunt base hit setting up first and third for Derek Jeter.

Jeter was able to hit a bloop single to right scoring Berkman and extended the Yankee lead to 4-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Pettitte finished strong, striking Michael Cuddyer out, getting Jason Kubel to foul out to third and struck out Valencia to finish his night.

Kerry Wood came in the eighth to pitch a scoreless frame which included two strikeouts.

In the top of the ninth inning, Gardner continued to play extremely well by leading off with a single. Jeter’s ground out moved him over to second, then was able to steal third with Granderson up at bat.

Granderson then provided the Yankees with more insurance with an RBI single to center scoring Gardner and the Yankees went up 5-2.

Mariano Rivera came into the ninth looking to close out another playoff victory for the Yankees. The Twins were trying to find some magic in their ballpark.

Joe Mauer led off with a single to right, which got the Minnesota fans back into the game with some hope still left in them.

Delmon Young quickly ended that hope by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play and just like that, there were two quick outs and a stunned crowd.

Jim Thome flied out to left to end the game and the Yankees took Game Two over the Twins 5-2 at Target Field.

Pettitte went seven strong innings, allowed five hits, two runs, walked one and struck out four and picked up his 19th career postseason victory, which is the most in baseball history.

Any doubts the Yankees could have had about Pettitte from the groin injury or his layoff from the DL were brushed away as he simply dominated the Minnesota lineup.

The Twins had their chances to get runs off Pettitte early in the second inning with the bases loaded and one out, and all they could get was one run. Other than Hudson’s home run in the sixth, the Twins did absolutely nothing against him.

The Yankees bats continue to heat up. Granderson continues to have a great ALDS against the Twins with three more key hits, the final one being an important RBI in the ninth inning.

One bat that finally got going for the Yankees when needed was Berkman’s. His home run was so important considering when he was traded for back in July, he only hit one home run all year for the Yankees.

But by hitting that home run, then hitting that go-ahead double in the seventh, it made a lot of the naysayers of Berkman, myself included, forget how poorly he might have been in the second half, especially if he continues to get big hits for the Yankees.

Pavano, just like Francisco Liriano in Game 1, started out well for the Twins, then just ran out of gas. Pavano went six innings, allowed 10 hits, four runs, walked one and struck out three in taking the loss.

The Yankees will return to New York with a commanding 2-0 lead into Saturday night’s Game Three, where Phil Hughes will take the ball and make his first ever playoff start for the Yankees where he will face off against Twins lefty Brian Duensing.

So far, the Yankees as the Wild Card, took Minnesota’s home field advantage and immediately shattered it with two important wins. On Saturday night. Hughes and the Yankees can close out this series and move on to the American League Championship Series.

Some may even wonder if the Yankees winning the Wild Card instead of the division and getting to play the Twins, and not the Rangers and Cliff Lee in a short series, was a blessing in disguise.

Two down, nine to go until No. 28 for Yankees Universe.

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Speed kills.

Ask the Yankees circa 2004 when a stolen base by Dave Roberts in the bottom of the ninth kept the Red Sox—down 3-0 in the American League Championship Series and 4-3 in Game 4—alive and propelled them forward to the greatest comeback in baseball history.

Or maybe you could just look at the 1982 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers.

That season the Brewers lead all teams with 216 home runs, 30 more than next closest team. Last in the league that season were the Brewers’ World Series opponents, who hit just 67 home runs, 149 fewer home runs than the Brewers!

However, the Cardinals did steal 200 bases that season, second in the league to the Rickey Henderson-led Oakland Athletics and 35 more than the team with the third-most stolen bases.

In the seven game World Series between the two teams, the Cardinals stole seven bases compared to the Brewers one on their way to a World Series title.

With the importance of speed writ large in the history of Major League Baseball’s playoffs, let’s take a look at the 10 fastest players in this year’s postseason.

Begin Slideshow

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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There is not much to report on today thanks to the off-day yesterday. Obviously the Yankees start a three game series against the Orioles tonight. A.J. Burnett starts tonight, CC Sabathia goes tomorrow and Sunday is the triumphant return of Andy Pettitte. Also, don’t miss our pieces on Derek Jeter, everybody is overreacting about a play that spurred Jess to write an article on instant replay.

Here are some notes—

• The Yankees have announced details for the George Steinbrenner monument ceremony scheduled to take place September 20th.
• Over the last two days we’ve heard that the Marlins are interested in Tony Pena for their manager and Double-A Trenton Thunder manager Tony Franklin is looking for a major league job. Now we get a rumor that the Blue Jays may be interested in third base coach Rob Thompson to be their manager.
• Speaking of the Thunder, they continue their playoff series tonight. They are tied at one game apiece with Altoona in a best of five series for the Eastern League title. Adam Warren starts tonight, then Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman are scheduled to go in games four and five if necessary.
• Adam Jones, the Orioles outfielder, is encouraging O’s fans to make it to the park this weekend. They are hoping to play spoiler in the AL East.
• Finally, Joel Sherman thinks the Yankees are going to go with Sabathia and Pettitte and then tag-team everybody else in the playoffs, keeping a short leash on starters and relying on the bullpen. I bet he’s right.

No injury updates for now on Brett Gardner or Nick Swisher. It’s possible one or both could be playing tonight, but somehow I doubt it. Gardner is supposed to be closer to rejoining the lineup. I’ll have an update on that later in the day so be sure to check back for that.

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Via Chad Jennings:

An MRI on Brett Gardner’s right wrist showed no break or tear, but it did show considerable inflammation. Gardner got a cortisone shot and is hopeful it will do the trick within a day or two.

“I couldn’t have picked up a bat today and swung,” Gardner said.

The pain is right at the base of the wrist, a little bit lower than the spot where Gardner was hit by a pitch in Los Angeles. He said he can play defense and pinch run tonight.

Gardner said he considered today’s MRI “pretty much good news.”

Manager Joe Girardi said over the weekend that he really wants the Yankees to win the division rather than settle for the Wild Card, but the bottom line is getting everybody healthy to the playoffs. If that means sitting Gardner quite a bit over the next 19 games, then so be it.

It’s good news that the MRI came back negative, but if there is considerable inflammation in his wrist, this could stick around for the rest of the year.

The cortisone shot will help, but it’s mostly going to just take away the pain. In a few weeks, when the shot wears off, the problem will still be there.

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Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner will have an MRI performed on his right wrist due to what has become an ongoing problem.

Gardner has had trouble with his wrist since June 27, when he was hit by a pitch during the Yankees interleague series with the Dodgers. 

Gardner says that he hasn’t “felt like it was 100 percent,” and says that, although it has not hindered his ability to bat, the nagging pain is “definitely not helping matters.”

Gardner, who had six hits in his last 27 at-bats, was pinch-hit for by Austin Kearns in the sixth inning of Saturday nights game, after he went 0-for-2 with a walk.

Gardner will not play Sunday, although he was not slated to do so anyway. He expects to have the MRI performed on Monday just before the Yankees open up a three-game set against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

Gardner said that he “should be fine” but wants to be cautious.

Gardner, 26, is hitting .229 since the injury occurred on June 27. In that time, he has watched his batting average decline from .317 to .280.

E-mail me at jess@jesskcoleman.com, follow me on Twitter and Digg.

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