Kuzul

Going into Saturday night’s Game Three, the Yankees had to be feeling very confident of their chances to sweep the Twins.

They were up 2-0 on the Twins and they had history on their side since Minnesota had not won a playoff game against the Yankees since 2004.

Now back in the Bronx at the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees were sending up Phil Hughes to pitch Game Three. This would be the first time Hughes was making a start in the postseason for the Yankees, although he has pitched in relief for them in the past. Going up for Minnesota was left-hander Brian Duensing, looking to keep the Twins’ playoff hopes and season alive.

All it took was the second inning to realize Minnesota’s season and their chances of staying alive were all but done, because the Yankees had total control of this game from start to finish.

In the bottom of the second, Robinson Cano led off the inning by hitting the ball over Denard Span’s head in center and got a lead-off triple.

One batter later, Jorge Posada drove in Cano for an RBI single and the Yankees were quickly on the board 1-0.

In the bottom of the third, Nick Swisher crushed a two-out double to right center and Mark Teixeira drove him in with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, after Cano got an infield single, Marcus Thames crushed a Duensing fastball to right field for a two-run home run and the Yankees were now ahead 4-0.

As the Yankees were scoring runs, the Twins were being left off the scoreboard by Hughes as he was just mauling the hitters at the plate.

After Matt Guerrier relieved Duensing, the Yankees continued to add onto their lead.

Curtis Granderson walked, then stole second with Brett Gardner batting and then was able to get to third on Joe Mauer’s error and Gardner drove him in with a sac fly to left and it was now 5-0.

Hughes finished his final inning of work in the seventh as he polished off Delmon Young, Jim Thome and Michael Cuddyer.

Hughes pitched seven great innings, allowed four hits, no runs, walked one and struck out six. In his first playoff performance, he pitched a gem, which is exactly what the Yankees needed.

In the bottom of the seventh, Nick Swisher hit a solo home run to right field to add onto the Yankee lead as it was 6-0 now.

After Hughes, Kerry Wood came in and did struggle in the eighth inning. Danny Valencia led off with a double and Denard Span hit a single, setting up first and third with only one out.

Orlando Hudson singled up the middle to make the game 6-1. After Joe Mauer walked to load the bases, Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled Wood and put in Boone Logan.

Logan was able to get Kubel to pop out in the infield for the second out and Young flied out to center for the third out and the Yankees were able to shut down any attempt for a Twins rally.

In the top of the ninth, despite it not being a save situation, Mariano Rivera came into the ninth looking to close out the ALDS and end the Twins’ season.

Rivera got Thome to strike out for the first out, Cuddyer to fly out to right for the second out and Valencia to fly out for the final third out and just like that, the Twins season was over.

The Yankees win Game 3 6-1 and sweep the Twins 3-0 right out of the ALDS.

Hughes picked up the win for the Yankees, while Duensing took the loss.

In the series, the Yankees hit better than the Twins, pitched better than the Twins and overall, were just a better team than Minnesota. The Twins looked lost, couldn’t get big hits when needed and were over-matched.

Most of the Yankees lineup had a pretty good series. Granderson may have stood out the most as he hit .455 against the Twins.

The Yankees now advance to the American League Championship Series and will await the winner of the Rays-Rangers series, where currently, the Rangers have a 2-1 lead going into Sunday.

So far, so good for the Yankees.

Three down, eight to go until No. 28 for Yankees Universe.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the regular season wraps up, many teams and their fans are looking to October and, they hope, a World Series win. For other teams and their fans, they are looking to the offseason, hoping to make a few trades or free agent acquisitions to bounce them back into contention.

In some situations, these trades end up paying huge dividends, and not always for the party that was looking to get the major piece. At the same time, once in a while there’s a great free agent pickup at a bargain that launches a team into the playoffs and a World Series ring.

Starting with the 1999-2000 offseason through this past one, this slideshow notes the 20 best steals of the past decade. Some may have slipped by me, as there’s nowhere to easily find these unless one has an institutional memory of these things.

The years listed in the slides is the offseason that it took place in. i.e. a trade from November 2000 to March 2001 will be listed as 2000.

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

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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.

Related Stories

• September 13, 2010 — Mapping the Pitching Staff for Remaining Games and 1st Round
• September 7, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Pettitte, Kearns, Swisher, Curtis
• August 30, 2010 — Yankees: Worst Rotation, Best Bullpen Last 30 Days
• August 29, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Nova, and Injury Updates

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s a bird, it’s a plane—no, wait, it is a baseball flying over the visitor’s dugout in left field at Yankee Stadium.

Nick Swisher made sure the New York Yankees avoided getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx, by hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth with one out.

Swisher’s teammates and fans alike were ecstatic for the most fun-loving player in pinstripes.

It is impossible not to love Swisher, as his vivacious attitude is infectious.

Swisher was a well-needed breath of fresh air in 2009; his personality soothed a traditionally overly-anal Yankees locker room.

Swisher quickly earned high regard and respect in New York because he works just as hard as he plays. He is the first to praise his teammates in any interview, always with a smile on his face (unless it’s right after a loss).

This season, Swisher has been consistent at the plate, hitting 25 home runs with 80 RBI, 31 doubles, and three triples. He has been the glue multiple times in 2010 when the Yankees were struggling.

Swisher’s clutch hit changed the somber mood in the Bronx for fans and the team, who were about to extend their losing streak to four. Instead, the Yankees finish this 10-game homestand 7-3.

What great timing for the Bombers, who head out for the longest stretch of road games on the season.

This nine-game spread is just the start of one of the toughest September schedules in MLB. It will test the Yankees who start in Texas against the Rangers, then head to Tampa to meet the mighty Rays, only to finish up at Camden Yards against the newly-talented Orioles.

Nick Swisher got the right mood going into it, that is for sure.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One swing of the bat erased 52 nervous hours for the Yankees.

Nick Swisher‘s two-run, walk-off homer to beat the Orioles, 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx cleansed the palette after a frustrating day by Joe Girardi and the Bombers’ offense, and prevented New York from taking a four-game losing streak into an off-day before a tough three-game series in Texas.

A loss would’ve given Baltimore its first three-game sweep in New York since 1986, been the first time the Yanks were swept at the new stadium and handed the Bombers their first four-game skid of the season. As it stands now, they remain the only team in baseball this year not to lose four straight.

A loss would’ve also put the Yankees in a tie in the loss column with the Rays atop the American League East, but Swisher took care of all that with an opposite-field shot off Koji Uehara.

Let’s take a look at the grades from this game:

Joe Girardi, Manager: (D) Girardi has made a slew of bewildering decisions of late. In the second game of this series on Tuesday, he pinch-hit Alex Rodriguez in the seventh inning. After A-Rod reached on a fielder’s choice, Girardi left him in the game to run, but he didn’t allow him to play the field in the eighth; meaning if his spot in the order came up again in the ninth with the Yanks down by four, he would be unavailable to hit.

According to Michael Kay, Girardi didn’t pinch-run for Rodriguez, because he wanted him to be available to to hit again in case the Yankees batted around in the seventh. Since A-Rod would’ve been the 13th man to come to the plate in that situation, New York would’ve already scored eight runs in the inning and been ahead, 10-6. Apparently, that’s a more important situation for Rodriguez to hit in than with the game on the line in the ninth.

On Wednesday, the questionable calls again arose in the seventh. With one on and one out and the Bombers down, 2-1, Buck Showalter brought in lefty Mark Hendrickson to pitch to Lance Berkman. This seemed to be an obvious situation to pinch-hit Marcus Thames, who is a .327 hitter against southpaws this year, for Berkman, who hits lefties at a .184 clip. However, Girardi stuck with the former Astro, who struck out swinging.

Thankfully, the skipper did bring in Thames with Granderson’s spot due up next as he is just a .246 hitter versus lefties, and the pinch-hitter proceeded to smack a single to right, advancing Robinson Cano to third. Of course, there were now two outs instead of one, so the next batter would need a hit instead of a sac fly or a groundout to tie the game. Before that could happen, Girardi sent out a pinch-runner for Thames, only to call him back to the bench. Even Girardi doesn’t have any confidence in what Girardi is doing.

Due up next was Francisco Cervelli, who Girardi let bat instead of bringing in Jorge Posada. That move seemed very strange at the time, but it was later revealed that Posada was dealing with concussion-like symptoms after being struck in the head on a foul-tip on Tuesday. I guess the Yankees didn’t reveal that until after the game, because they didn’t want the O’s to know he wasn’t available?

Finally, in the ninth, Girardi did his patented pinch-run for A-Rod after he reached with a single. It’s a good thing he did, because I don’t know if Rodriguez would’ve been able to trot around the bases on Swisher’s homer as quickly as Eduardo Nunez did.

I don’t have any stats to back this up, but I’d be willing to bet my Carlos Zambrano bobblehead that A-Rod has been pinch-run for more times in the past two years than he was in his previous 14 seasons in the bigs combined. Nunez didn’t appear to be stealing once during the six pitches to Cano and Swisher.

Brett Gardner, LF-CF: (B+) Gardner had an RBI double in the third, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. I don’t have a problem with that because he made the second out, not the first or third. Gardner is batting .329 in the leadoff spot, as opposed to .241 in the nine-hole.

Derek Jeter, SS: (F) The captain’s nightmare season continued on Wednesday as he went 0-for-4 and committed his sixth error. He’s now hitting just .262, his lowest average since he was at .207 on April 13, 2009, which was just seven games into that year. I’d still rather have him up in a big spot in the playoffs than anyone else on the team.

Mark Teixeira, DH: (F) Teixeira also had a rough day, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He’s 5-for-34 (.147) as a DH in 2010. Let’s try and maybe keep him in the field.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A) A-Rod got the ninth-inning rally going with his second single of the day. He’s played just one complete game since Aug. 15.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (C) Cano singled and struck out in four at-bats.

Nick Swisher, RF: (A+) I know I wasn’t the only one snickering when Kim Jones got some of Swisher’s pie in her eyes.

Lance Berkman, 1B: (C-) Berkman walked, but went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and couldn’t pick Jeter’s errant throw out of the dirt.

Curtis Granderson, CF: (B) Granderson walked, stole, and scored in the third. He’d have a lot more than 11 steals if his on-base percentage was higher than .318.

Francisco Cervelli, C: (C) Cervelli was 0-for-2, but he did his job by advancing Granderson to third with less than two outs using a grounder to the right side in the third.

Eduardo Nunez, PR: (INC) Pinch-trotter.

Marcus Thames, PH-LF: (B) .306/.379/.532. This guy needs to be in the lineup every day.

Ivan Nova, SP: (B+) Lost in Swisher’s walk-off was the rookie’s fourth straight solid outing. This may have been his best yet as he allowed just two runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings. His ERA is 2.92 and I’d rank him as the Yankees’ fifth-best starter, ahead of Javier Vazquez.

David Robertson, RP: (A) Robertson retired all four batters he faced.

Boone Logan, RP: (A)  The lefty struck out both batters he faced.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (A)

Yankees Overall Grade: (B+) The Bombers have scored just 11 runs over their past four games, so they better pick things up if they want to outslug the Rangers this weekend. With Vazquez, A.J. Burnett and Dustin Moseley scheduled to start, chances are Texas will be putting up a lot of runs.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees almost had one of their worst series of the season until Nick Swisher won the game with a ninth-inning walk-off home run off of the Orioles Koji Uehara to lead the Yankees to a 3-2 victory.

Here are some highlights:

• This was the fourth walk-off win for the Yankees this year.
• Ivan Nova was great on the mound today making only one mistake, a two-run home run allowed to Matt Wieters.
• Brad Bergesen held the Yankees to just four hits.
• The victory avoids the Yankees first home sweep by the Orioles since 1986.
• It also keeps them from their first four-game losing streak of the season. They are the only team in the majors who haven’t had one.
• Derek Jeter was 5-for-36 (.139) during this homestand.
• Jorge Posada didn’t pinch hit in a situation where he was direly needed because he has concussion symptoms after getting hit with a foul tip last night.

That win is actually a big one. The Yankees offense looked great coming into this series, but fell asleep against mediocre Orioles pitching. Winning the last game like that should give them back some momentum going into Texas this weekend.

Also, a big game from Nova is huge as it helps alleviate some of the pressure in the rotation. Nova could be a legitimate pitcher on this team and a good bullpen option in the playoffs over the likes of Dustin Moseley and Chad Gaudin.

Related Stories

• August 25, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Swisher, Hughes, and Aceves
• September 7, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Pettitte, Kearns, Swisher, Curtis
• June 21, 2010 — Updated AL All-Star Ballot: Jeter and Cano Still Ahead
• June 9, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Gardner, Posada, Culver, and Noesi

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees finally go back to playing night games as they try to end their two-game losing streak tonight against the Orioles with CC Sabathia on the mound. Sabathia is going for his 20th win of the season.

Here are some notes:

• James “Mudcat” Grant once wrote a book about all of the African American pitchers to win 20 games, he called them the “Black Aces.” If Sabathia wins 20, he would become the 14th member of the Black Aces.
• CC is also going for a record 22 consecutive games at Yankee Stadium without a loss. He is currently tied with Whitey Ford at 21.
• Andy Pettitte‘s rehab start has been pushed back to Thursday. He is scheduled to throw four innings or 65 pitches, whichever comes first.
• Because of Austin Kearns‘ bone bruise on his right hand and Nick Swisher‘s knee, Colin Curtis was called up from the minors.
• Swisher played yesterday and hinted that he wasn’t 100 percent, but an MRI showed no structural damage. That means he’s just playing through pain and shouldn’t be making the situation worse by being active.

So the Yankees are finally back to playing at night, at least for one day. They go back and play another day game tomorrow. That means you can probably expect Jorge Posada to sit one of these games out. My guess is tomorrow’s game, since Francisco Cervelli has a lot more experience catching Ivan Nova from the minors.

If Sabathia misses out on winning 20 tonight, he will have at least four more chances to get it done.

Related Stories

• April 11, 2010 — Yankees Giving Fans Reasons to Get Excited Early
• September 6, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Swisher, Curtis, and Match-Ups
• August 29, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Nova, and Injury Updates
• August 13, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Montero, Mesa

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On Sunday, I made my second journey to the new Yankee Stadium with my fiance, Kate, and watched the New York Yankees lose, 7-3, to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After only scoring one run in the series opener on Monday, New York had no problem scoring against Detroit pitching in the final three games.

The Yankees used a nine-run sixth inning Thursday afternoon to break open a close game en route to an 11-5 win over the Tigers at Yankee Stadium.

New York took three of four from the Tigers and improved to a season-high 29 games over .500. Detroit pitching allowed 27 runs in the four-game series.

Miguel Cabrera continued his assault on Yankee pitching in the top of the first. With a runner at first and two outs, Cabrera homered off Yankees starter Phil Hughes to give the Tigers an early lead. It was his fourth home run of the four-game series and his 31st of the season.

After being held hitless over the first three innings, the Yankees got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Teixeira and Cano singled. Swisher followed with a run-scoring single to center field on a 3-0 pitch. After Posada flied out to deep left, Granderson delivered an RBI single to tie the game at two.

With the game tied at two in the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees used an offensive explosion to run away with the game. Mark Teixeira led off with a walk and scored on Robinson Cano’s RBI double to left-center. After Nick Swisher walked, Jorge Posada swung at a 3-0 pitch and delivered a run-scoring single to score Cano from second to give the Yankees a 4-2 advantage.

Daniel Schlereth relieved Tigers starter Rick Porcello and walked Curtis Granderson, the only batter he faced. With the bases loaded and still no outs, Austin Kearns greeted new pitcher Robbie Weinhardt with a two-run double to deep center field. After one out, Brett Gardner walked, but ball four eluded Tigers catcher Alex Avila, allowing Granderson to score from third.

Derek Jeter continued the sixth inning scoring spree with a two-run triple to center field. Cano, batting for the second time in the inning, capped off the nine-run inning with his 24th home run of the season to give New York an 11-2 lead. Cano finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBI.

After New York’s nine-run sixth inning, Detroit answered with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh off of reliever Sergio Mitre. Jhonny Peralta hit a solo home run with one out and Austin Jackson added an RBI single up the middle with two outs to cut the Yankees lead to 11-4. The Tigers added another run in the top of the eighth on Brennan Boesch’s RBI single.

Despite allowing a home run to Cabrera in the first, Hughes (15-5) became the fourth American League pitcher to win 15 games this season. He allowed two runs on four hits with six strikeouts over six innings. Hughes won his second consecutive start for the first time since winning five straight from May 28 to June 19. Mitre allowed three runs on six hits in three innings of relief but was credited with his first save of the season.

Porcello (5-11) held the Yankees hitless over the first 3.1 innings before falling apart in the sixth. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks over five innings.

New York will open a three-game series against Seattle on Friday at Yankee Stadium. Felix Hernandez (8-10, 2.62), who has two complete game victories over the Yankees this season, will start for the Mariners. A.J. Burnett (9-10, 4.66) will take the mound for the Yankees. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com