Gather ’round family, friends and fans. Tonight we bear witness to the passing of a winning streak. It lived a long, rich life. It just turned ten games old yesterday as a matter of fact. It lasted longer than any of us could have hoped when it started.

It’s natural to think about the things that could have been done differently to extend its time here on earth. To beat your chest and moan about the two separate runners thrown out at home plate. Both were good sends by the third base coach; both runners were clearly out. To gnash our teeth about the Braves knack for the two-out RBI. To pity the unfortunate Hiroki Kuroda who pitched well enough to win on some nights. To wail about the unfair quality of closer Craig Kimbrel’s filthy arsenal.

All of this is natural and healthy. But while it’s proper to mourn the loss of something great, it’s also necessary to celebrate the greatness. Do not wallow in the sad, helpless, final moments of the streak, but rather revel in the wonderful, improbable events that led to this point.

Phil Hughes, given up for useless by every cognizant Yankee fan not related to him, has been outstanding. Ivan Nova, previously the undeserved beneficiary of massive run support, is now earning his victories and then some. A bullpen missing its heart, soul and right shoe has answered every bell with aplomb. And a lineup that has been better at creating opportunities than it has been at cashing them in, found a way to get it done ten games in a row.

Eleven games ago we didn’t really know what the 2012 Yankees could be. Now we know they just might be the best team in baseball. That’s a lot to digest.

So we send the winning streak to a better place. Give it one good cry and then dry your eyes, because after every loss there’s a chance that the next winning streak will start with the very next game. The next one might not be ten games long, it might not be five. But enjoy it, whatever it is.

Your calendar might tell you that the first day of summer is later this week, but for me it was Monday. I got out of bed at around 10:30, had a casual lunch, ran a few errands, then tried out the shiny new grill my wife got me for Father’s Day the day before. Let me tell you this with certainty — there are few things better than grilling some burgers while watching the Yanks during the late afternoon of a California summer day. (And if you’re interested, aside from the burgers the full meal included corn on the cob, fries, and a salad with the most incredible white peach balsamic vinegar for dressing.)

The only thing that could’ve made all this better, of course, was a Yankee victory — and that’s just what they delivered, cruising to their tenth straight win.

After suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees only ten minutes ago, the Braves came out determined to turn the tables and open the series with a win. Speedster Michael Bourne opened with a triple to left center, then scored on a ground out to give Atlanta an early 1-0 lead off Yankee starter CC Sabathia, and they’d add another run in the fifth to double their lead to two.

Mike Minor, meanwhile, was holding the Yankees down but good. There was a walk to Alex Rodríguez to open the second, but A-Rod was immediately erased on a 4-6-3 double play, and that was it. Minor had faced only twelve batters through the first four innings, but the Yankee bats came to life in the fifth.

A-Rod opened the inning with a line drive single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Robinson Canó followed that with a walk, and two batters later Russell Martin rifled a ground-rule double down the left field line to score A-Rod and put runners at second and third with one out. After a walk to Jayson Nix and a popout from Chris Stewart, Derek Jeter came to the plate with the bases loaded and two out and his team needing a base hit to take the lead. The Captain delivered, bouncing a grounder back up the middle to score two and move the score to 3-2.

Mark Teixeira homered to left in the next inning to push the lead to 4-2, Jeter came up with another two-out RBI with another grounder through the box in the seventh, and Canó finished the Yankee scoring with a bomb into the monuments in dead center field in the eighth. Yankees 6, Braves 2.

The story of the game, though, was Sabathia. After the game he would say that the starters had all been going so well that he didn’t want to be the one to end the streak. He might’ve given up a few things early on, but once he got the lead and smelled the victory, the Big Man was on his game. In the final four innings he allowed only a single base hit while striking out six. It was Sabathia’s first complete game of the year, and according to ESPN’s Game Score stat, it was his best outing of the season.

Ten wins in a row for the Yank, a two and half game lead in the American League East, and just half a game behind the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. Life is good.

[Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images]

Know what’s a good sign? That C.C. Sabathia has been the Yankees’ worst starter during their recent streak. ‘Cause I never worry about C.C. and if he’s their biggest problem, man, that sure does bode well. Ivan Nova had another outstanding performance today as the Yankees beat the Nationals 4-1. Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano hit solo home runs and the Yanks delivered a satisfying Father’s Day gift for all those Yankee-rootin’ Dads out there.

Felt damn good for the rest of us, too.

David Waldstein has the game story over at the Times.

[Photo Credit: Greg Flume/Getty Images; Painting by Wayne Thiebaud]

What’s the worst that could happen if I let it be?

I didn’t even bring my phone with me to the store. Yet when I got home our boys held a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the 14th. Mark Teixeira got the big hit, a two-run double against Brad Lidge. Jayson Nix hit an infield single to deep short to start the frame and then Derek Jeter failed to lay down a bunt on the first two pitches he saw. But he fouled pitches off and took some more; soon the count was full then Jeter hit a ground ball single himself. It was a stubborn, resilient at bat, and Jeter’s first hit in seven trips to the plate.

Lidge recovered to strike out Curtis Granderson and he got ahead of Teixeira but then hung one and the Yankee first baseman lined a ball to the right field corner.

Rafael Soriano wasn’t smooth and two men were on base when he got Bryce Harper to ground out to end the game. I thought Harper, 0-6 with five strikeouts at that point, would fulfill an ESPN highlight clip that I had running in my mind, but he did not. After the game, Washington’s manager Davey Johnson said that for the first time this year, Harper chased pitches out of the strike zone, anxious to make something happen.

By the time the game was over and Freddy Garcia, sixth of seven Yankee pitchers, was the improbable winner, the startrtd, Jordan Zimmerman and Andy Pettitte were a vague memory. Both pitched well. Zimmerman reminds me of Matt Cain. He’s got great stuff but the Yankees made him work and he was out of the game after six innings.

One thing about Zimmerman, he made two excellent plays in the field. The first, after catching a line drive, had him making a pinpoint throw to the shortstop as they tried to double Eric Chavez off second. The next play was another throw, this one home, that nailed Nick Swisher (Swisher’s leg collided with the catcher’s knee and the cheerful outfielder’s day was done).

Pettitte was outstanding, again, and held a 3-2 lead after seven. He’d thrown 95 pitches but with three right handed hitters coming up in the eighth inning was pulled in favor of Corey Wade who retired the first two batters on two pitches. He got ahead of Ian Desmond 0-2 and then threw a bad pitch, a meatball that missed its target by plenty. Desmond smacked a 400 foot home run and the game was tied. After a walk to Tyler Moore, Boone Logan relieved Wade. Dwayne Wise, who’d replaced Raul Ibanez in left to start the inning, shifted to right and Nix went to left. Adam LaRoche was the pinch hitter and he singled to right. Wise fielded the ball and made a strong throw home. Russell Martin tagged Moore for the third out.

It was a stirring play for the Yankees as well as a lucky one as the replays showed that Moore was safe. But this is how it goes when you are on a wining streak–luck is on your side. Right now, the Yanks have more than a little bit of luck. Everything is going their way. We’ll take it.

Oh, yeah, this was their first win all season without hitting a home run. Tomorrow they go for their ninth straight.

Unt we am Heppy Kets.

Final Score: Yanks 5, Nats 3.

[Photo Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images]

Gio Gonzalez is no joke. Throws a fastball in the mid-90s and has a vicious curve ball. He’s walked too many batters when he’s faced the Yanks in the past but he only walked a pair tonight while striking out eight. The Bombers pushed across two runs against him in the third inning–soft ground ball to right by Alex Rodriguez and a single to left by Nick Swisher–but Gonzalez got tougher as the game went along. His pitch count was up over 100 after six and he didn’t come back for the seventh, despite how well he was pitching.

Phil Hughes, on the other hand, might not have the same kind of dynamic stuff but he continued his recent surge going six, walked two, and struck out nine. He’s challenging hitters these days, changing eye levels with the fastball–hung a couple of curve balls, including one that drove in the Nationals’ first run–but he was impressive. And for the first time this season, he didn’t give up a home run.

Andruw Jones reached base with a seeing-eye-single to start the seventh, ending Gonzalez’s night, and then Dwayne Wise replaced Jones and took off on the first pitch reliever Brad Lidge threw to Russell Martin. He made it without a throw. Lidge hung a slider to Martin on the 1-1 pitch and then Martin fouled off several good pitches before he drew a walk. Jason Nix sacrificed the runners over–Ryan Zimmerman threw him out a first, and he fielded and threw the ball with such quickness and fluidity that made me think what a pleasure it’d be to watch him play defense on a regular basis–and Robinson Cano came to the plate as a pinch hitter.

Cano was intentionally walked and then Derek Jeter fell behind Lidge, missing a couple of good pitches. With the count full, Jeter hit a soft ground ball to short, good enough to score a run. The throw to first hit the dirt and skipped past Adam LaRoche. Another run came home and it would be more than enough for the Yanks who added a couple more on an opposite field double by Curtis Granderson. In the ninth, Grandy hit a solo home run, his 20th of the year.

Cody Eppley pitched a perfect seventh, Clay Rapada a clean eighth and our old pal David Robertson pitched the ninth. He gave up a couple of hits and a run but it was good to see him again. Even better to see the Yanks win another game. They’ve won 17 of their last 21.

Indeed.

Final Score: Yanks 7, Nats 2.

[Photo Credit: Joel Zimmer; Greg Flume/Getty Images]

With the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead, two out in the ninth inning of tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones stepped against the Yankee closer. The Yankee closer pitched him tough, but the future HOFer won the battle by serving a slider on the outside corner for a deep line drive into left field for a base hit. Chipper’s nicepieceofhitting brought Jason Heyward to the plate representing the winning run. He got his hacks, on the second strike especially. He looked like he was trying to hit two game winning dingers in one swing, but the 93 MPH heat danced over the barrel. The next pitch busted his bat and the ball popped harmlessly to Robinson Cano at second base.

The Yankees won 3-2 and gained another game on Tampa, who were Dickeyed to death by the Mets. They completed their second straight sweep and have now won six games in a row and 16 out of 20. I should be feeling great about their recent success and their perch at the top of the American League, but all I was thinking about in the ninth was that the Yankee closer from the first paragraph wasn’t Mariano Rivera. That match-up with Chipper would have been a special one and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness that it couldn’t happen.

And, though Soriano pitched a fine inning and I think he’s done a nice job, the difference between a backdoor slider and a backdoor cutter was never more apparent. Soriano set him up beautifully, but Chipper could wait back on the slider defensively and slash it to the opposite field. The cutter would have sped right past him. Hence Mariano’s proclivity for the backwards Ks to the lefties.

The game started brightly for the Yankees. Just a few days ago I said it would be nice to see Jeter get a double this week, since he had only two extra base hits in his last 32 games. I think the key for the baseball gods was the reasonable nature of my request: Jeter doubled off Tim Hudson to lead off the game. I will be more thoughtful the next time I make a wish. Curtis Granderson didn’t do much with a favorable count, but his grounder advanced Jeter to third. The Braves pulled the infield in on Alex Rodriguez. A few years ago, a third base man would have called time and double-checked his last will and testament if asked to plant his feet on the infield grass with Arod up there.

Alex looked lost on a couple of sliders, but Hudson eventually found the middle of the plate and Alex sent it right back up the box with a sharp knock and the Yankees led 1-0. Somehow, Hiroki Kuroda kept it right there for half the game. The Braves threatened just about every inning, but with Hudson coming up to the plate just about every time the Yanks needed a big out, Kuroda escaped damage. If the Yankees are afflicted with RISPitis, at least there’s a chance it might be contagious. The Braves were 2 for 13 with no RBI with runners in scoring position.

In the fifth, Brian McCann hit a long two-run homer to give the Braves the lead. In soccer, it would have been a “deserved lead” because the Braves seemed in control of the game at that point. Two batters into the sixth, the Yankees had it back – so much for “deserve”. Jeter singled and Granderson kept his hands and weight back behind a floaty cutter and skied it into the right field stands. It had a pop-up’s trajectory, but a homer’s distance, so we’ll take it. That skinny dude has a heckuva power stroke.

The Yankees again hunkered down behind a flimsy one run lead. Kuroda gave way after six and the Russian nesting doll of a bullpen the Yanks are running out there these days went to work. Logan walked two but squeaked through by retiring Heyward and Hinske with runners on base. Rapada was in an even worse spot, runners at the corners with only one out and .320 hitting Martin Prado at the plate. Rapada’s sidewinding sinking action induced the double play grounder that saved the game.

That brings us to Soriano in the ninth, a win, a sweep and a nice little challenge series with the first place Washington Nationals coming up. No Strasburg though.

When the Yankees were in fourth place, playing losing/boring (however you want to describe it is fine with me) baseball, every night seemed the same. The starting pitching wobbled early and the Yankees would be down two or four before even getting loose. And when they did get into the game, there would be some insurance runs for the bad guys or RISP fail for the Yanks that would seal the loss. Tonight was just the opposite. The Yanks scored first. The Yanks reclaimed the lead as quickly as possible after relinquishing it, and the Yanks induced the soul-crushing double play in the late innings. I don’t know if that’s good baseball, exciting baseball or just the swing of the pendulum, but I sure do prefer the wins.

Photo by Scott Cunningham / Getty Images

The Braves batted in the bottom of the first inning when the subway emerged from the ground at Dyckman Street. In the top of the inning, the Yanks had put two runners on base but Alex Rodriguez popped out and Robinson Cano grounded out. I was on my way home from the gym and tuned in to John Sterling on the radio. By the time the train reached 231st Street the Braves had loaded the bases and Sterling proved to be so inept–botching several calls–that I angrily switched to the Braves station. Just in time for a bases clearing double.

That was the major damage against C.C. Sabathia, who pitched well enough. The Braves added an insurance run in the seventh and the Yanks didn’t do much of anything against  Mike Minor, who was excellent.

A one-out single by Derek Jeter in the eighth chased Minor from the game and Curtis Granderson slapped a base hit to left field against Jonny Venters who then walked Teixeira. Bases loaded for Rodriguez, hitless on the night and hapless this season with the bases loaded. If there were any Yankee fans confident in Rodriguez to come through with a big hit I’d like to know who they were.

The first pitch, a 95 mph fastball, was low and in the dirt. The next pitch, a slider, had a sharp break but fell well short of the plate. Two-and-zero, bases loaded, and still no confidence, right? Double play, right? The next pitch, another fastball, another one in the dirt. Venters threw a fastball over the plate for a strike and then Rodriguez had a decent pitch to hit but was late and fouled it out of play. This is what we’ve been talking about for weeks, Rodriguez fouling off fat, juicy pitches. The next fastball was inside and Rodriguez fouled it off his left foot.

The crowd, a noisy combination of home town fans and invading Yankee fans, made itself known.

And then he got another fastball. Rodriguez was ready, turned on it and hit a line drive to left field. It was a pea and looked to be a sure double. But it was high enough to clear the fence, good for a grand slam. A kid in the front row made like he was going to catch the ball, then wisely turned to the side at the last moment when he recognized how fast the ball was moving. The boy caught the ball in his hat. Smart kid.

The game was tied as Rodriguez also tied the Iron Horse for the most grand slam’s in major league history. We knew it was going to happen sometime.

Go fuggin’ figure.

Robbie Cano looped a single to center field and after a pitching change and ball one, Nick Swisher pounded a home run over the 390 foot mark in right center field.

Clay Rapada, who the wife calls “Ramapo” worked around a one-out walk in the eighth and held the Braves down.

“Why do you call him ‘Ramapo’?” I asked.

“Because that’s what I called him that time the other week, remember? I don’t remember why I came up with it but I did and it’s sticking.”

The wife knows.

In the ninth, Rafael Soriano faced the two-three-four batters. Martin Prado hit an 0-2 pitch, with “plenty of overspin,” according to Kenny Singleton on the YES broadcast, between short and third. Rodriguez took a few steps to his left, fielded the ball on a high hop and threw Prado out at first. Prado returned to the dugout and banged his helmet. Brian McCann was next, fell behind, and whiffed on an 84 mph breaking ball. Sharp, over the plate, nasty.

Soriano bent over before he pitched, as if he was bowing to the hitter. It reminded me of the bit that Mike Mussina used to do but Soriano faced home plate.

Dan Uggla, 5-11 lifetime against Soriano, popped the first pitch foul then took two pitches for balls before ripping a fastball foul. The crowd stood and cheered–oh, those Yankee fans. Some of the crowd booed too I suppose but they could not be heard. The next pitch was another crisp breaking ball. Uggla swung over it and the Braves, who had runners on base in every inning but one, will have a long night as they try to figure out how this one got away.

Final Score: Yanks 6, Braves 4.

For the Bombers, that’s another series in the plus column. Some nice wins, this one, the second two games against the Mets, and guess who sits alone in first place?

So you want the good news or the bad news? Well, I’ll give you both but let’s start with the good news: the Yankees won the ballgame tonight down in Atlanta and are now tied for first place in the American League East. Really, that’s the only news that matters but there’s more–the Yanks flashed the leather: Ivan Nova and Mark Teixeira turned a slick double play, Robinson Cano made a great pick on a hard-hit line drive and Nick Swisher robbed Brian McCann of a home run (McCann also hit a ball to the wall in center field and ripped a line drive directly into Teixeira’s glove).

Yeah, and Nova pitched seven scoreless innings and showed fine control. The sidearming glimmer twins Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada retired the side in order in the eighth, and Corey Wade and Boone Logan did likewise in the ninth.

The bad news? Yanks didn’t do much with the fourteen hundred runners they put on baset. And while that caused much irritation for Yankee fans during the game and may not be forgotten it’s certainly forgiven.

A shutout. First place. Good news wins.

Final Score: Yanks 3, Braves 0.

[Photo Credit: Bags; Scott Cunningham/Getty Images]

In the second inning of today’s ballgame the Mets’ law firm of Hairston, Rottino,Quintanilla, Nickeas, and Valdespin–you forgot a Hungadunga–put together three runs against Andy Pettitte.

The bases were loaded when Pettitte struck out Jason Bay and David Wright to avoid disaster.

In the bottom of the inning, Alex Rodriguez walked and Robinson Cano singled to left and then Nick Swisher decided to be clever and show off his baseball acumen. He laid down a bunt going for a hit only it was a lousy bunt and Rodriguez was thrown out at third. Jonathan Niese struck out Andruw Jones and Russell Martin to end the inning.

I stayed mad at Swisher for most of the afternoon as Neise threw a fine game. Pettitte recovered and was terrific as well. He made the defensive play of the game in the sixth when Scott Hairston hit a ground ball up the middle. Pettitte, as if by reflex, stuck his hand out, fielded the ball and threw to first for the out. He had to throw several warm-up pitches to rid himself of the tingling sensation in his paw and then retired the next two batters.

The Yanks took advantage of an error by David Wright in the seventh as Russell Martin hit a two-run homer to make it 3-2. The ball hit off the top of the right field wall–it was line drive–and just above the glove of Hairston. Once it hit the wall it popped in the air. A Yankee fan reached out and snagged it. He was close to leaning over the fence but it was ruled a homer.

Another error, this one to start the eighth, put Derek Jeter on second. He moved to third on a base hit by Curtis Granderson and scored on a ground ball single by Mark Teixeira. Then a little bit o luck blessed the Yankees as Rodriguez ballooned a single to short right field. The ball would have been caught if the infield hadn’t been playing in. And so the Yanks had a 4-3 lead and two men on with nobody out. But they could not plate another run and that proved costly because Raphael Soriano gave up back-to-back doubles to start the bottom of the ninth and with it went the save.

Quintanella hit a ball to shortstop and Jason Nix threw it to Rodriguez at third who tagged Ike Davis for the first out. It was a close play, a gamble for Nix, but one that paid off. Then David Murphy, pinch-hitting, slapped a 3-2 pitch into right field, putting runners on the corners. And that was the end of Soriano’s afternoon.

Boone Logan came in to pitch to Josh Thole and struck him out looking on a slow breaking ball that looked low. Thole was not at all pleased with the call and had a few cherce words on his way back to the dugout. Which left it up to the Hungadunga that we didn’t mentioned earlier, Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The latest Mets pinch hitter got ahead 3-0 then took a fastball for a strike. He slapped the next pitch toward right field. Cano, who moves to his left as smoothly as any second baseman in the league, got to it, reached down and gloved it–not an easy play at all–and tossed to Teixeira for the third out.

Jon Rauch, he of the big shoes and garish neck tattoo, hung a 3-2 slider to Russell Martin who hit a high fly ball to left field.

Martin hesitated as he moved out of the batter’s box, and watching on TV, it was hard to tell if he’d gotten under the ball. That went against the initial feeling that he had plenty of it. As they tell you in high school before you take the SATS always trust your first answer.

The ball drifted over the fence, the Yanks got the win and a sweep of the Mets. It was the first “walk off” homer the Yanks hit since September 8th, 2010. Martin jumped into the air as he approached the mob surrounding home plate, landed on his right leg and fell to the ground. Thoughts of Kendry Morales and his broken leg flashed through our heads but Martin appeared to be okay as he braced himself against the celebratory slaps and slugs of his teammates.

Final Score: Yanks 5, Mets 4.

Alex Rodriguez hit a solid ground ball up the middle in the first inning, good for an RBI. Three batters later, Raul Ibanez came to the plate with the bases loaded. With just one out it felt like the Yanks could bust the game open against Dillon Gee and the Mets. Gee fell behind 2-0 with pitches outside and then threw two changes on the inside part of the plate. Ibanez swung through both of them, way out in front. Gee went back outside with the next pitch and got what he was looking for, namely, a ground ball. The Mets turned a double play and Gee cruised along until the sixth inning when Mark Teixeira lined a two-run home run to right field.

Teixeira hit a hanging breaking ball immediately after swinging through a fine breaking ball. The shot put the Yankees ahead, 3-2.

In the Yankee dugout, Rodriguez was pumped; Jeter was amused.

Terse and bland with reporters, but as we’ve said here before, Jeter never gets cheated in the fun department while he’s playing.

Anyway, the Mets scored their two runs on solo homers by Omar Quintanilla and David Wright.

Otherwise, Phil Hughes pitched well. Had a nice change-up mixed in with his curve and fastball. Allowed six hits and a couple of walks and struck out six. Gee’s line wasn’t flashy (five hits, three walks, three stikeouts) but he worked in-and-out–both pitchers took advantage of a wide strike zone–and pitched without incident until Teixeira’s blast.

Hughes gave up a base hit with one out in the seventh. Boone Logan relieved him and recorded an out thanks to a fine running catch by Curtis Grandreson. Corey Wade gave up a bloop base hit to Scott Hairston which put runners on the corners. Wade got ahead of Andres Torres 1-2 then missed with a fastball low and outside as Hairston stole second. The next pitch, a little higher, still outside, was lofted to Ibanez in left for the third out.

Gee stayed in the game and set the Yanks down in order in the seventh as I fretted about the eighth inning.

“Hon, we’re going to see Clay Rapada,” I told the wife, knowing that Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy were scheduled to bat after Wright led off.

“Sure do miss Mo right about now,” I said, “Never mind Robertson.”

“Yeah, instead of feeling good, now we’ve got heart attack, gasp and stroke.”

Wade got Wright to ground out and then Rapada came in and retired Duda on a weak ground ball to Cano, and Murphy on a sharp grounder to Jeter.

And I was worried…(but wait, there’s still Soriano to go in the ninth. Doesn’t matter if he’s been perfect in save opportunities since taking over the closer role this year; I miss our security blanket. I miss Mo.)

Grandy soothed my delicate nerves when he homered off Bobby Parnell to lead off the eighth.

In the ninth, Soriano walked Ike Davis to start things off and my nerves were back to bullshit. Couple of pitches were outside, including the 3-1 pitch which would be okay if they hadn’t been called strikes all night long.

Jason Bay swung through a 93 mph fastball and then got under the next pitch, another fastball, and flew out to to Granderson for the first out. Josh Tole took ball one and then a called strike (worse than ball four to Davis). He hit a slow ground ball to Jeter on the next pitch, too slow for a double play. Jeter got the lead runner and the Mets were down to their last out.

Quintanilla took strike one on the outside corner, looked at strike two in the same spot, and then at another fastball, this one too far outside. Soriano shook off Russell Martin, went back outside with another heater, which Quintanilla fouled off. A slider, low, evened the count at 2-2, and then Quintanilla ripped a groundball (fastball, cock-high, right over the plate) up the middle. It hit off Soriano and scooted past Cano into the outfield. Thole took third and yeah, this one was getting too close for comfort.

Scott Hairston was next but Jordany Valdespin came to the plate as a pinch-hitterand took ball one, high and away. Breaking ball, first one by Soriano, outside but good for a called strike. The next pitch, a fastball right over the plate was hacked at and missed. Valdespin almost came out of his shoes trying to put the Mets ahead. He popped the next pitch innocently to left field and that was that: Game, Series, Yanks.

Final Score: Yanks 4, Mets 2.

[Photo Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images]

Rodriguez singled on the first pitch he saw from Price in the first inning, a fastball, and then Price got him out the next time on off-speed pitches. Now, he went after Rodriguez with more soft stuff. Rodriguez fouled pitches off, good pitches, nasty pitches. Until he saw 11, almost all soft (3 hard fastballs mixed in there for good measure). It was a riveting at bat and if Yankee fans felt that Rodriguez was bound to whiff at least he wasn’t making it easy on Price.

Then he struck out on a change-up, or was it a slider? Doesn’t matter. Rodriguez was booed–unfairly, it says here–on his walk back to the dugout. Robinson Cano was next and the 1-1 pitch was a 97-mph fastball, right down the middle. Cano put a good swing on it but fouled it off. He too ruined a couple of good pitches by Price before grounding out weakly to second base to end the threat. Cano was not booed but he had the best chance of the inning–the one true mistake that Price made (I’m not including the two walks).

That ended Price’s night but it was also as close as the Yanks would come (Eric Chavez, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning, represented the tying run and missed a fat pitch, fouling it off, that could well keep him up tonight if he’s the sensitive kind). Just a nervy performance by Price in the fifth.

C.C. Sabathia had an effective slider but made a few too many mistakes (an error by Rodriguez did him no favors, either) as the Rays escaped New York with a win.

Final Score: Rays 7, Yanks 3.

The Yanks couldn’t take advantage of an Orioles loss to move into first place so they remain in second as our attention turns to the dreaded Subway Serious. You can guess the narrative: the Mets are scrappy, full of gamers–they’ve got spunk! they’ve got heart! they’ve got guts!–they are fun, they are what baseball is supposed to be about. The Yankees, meanwhile, are boring and bloated, overpaid, a regular snoozefest. Wonder who the reporters are pulling for?

[Photo Credit: Bags; Seth Wenig/AP; Jim McIsaac/Getty Images]

After struggling in his last start against the Angels, Ivan Nova repeatedly talked about needing to get better. It didn’t take him long to fulfill that promise. Following in the footsteps of Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte, Nova turned in one of the best games of his career and completed only the Yankees’ second turn through the rotation with consecutive quality starts.

When Desmond Jennings singled to lead off the first inning, there were probably more than a few groans throughout the crowd, but that turned out to be the last hit Nova would allow until Sean Rodriguez’ double in the eighth. In between, Nova allowed only two other base runners, as the right hander kept the Rays off balance with a mix of fastballs, sliders, and curves, all of which he was able to throw for strikes.

The Yankees needed Nova to be strong because Rays’ right hander Alex Cobb was nearly as good. Over his first seven innings, the 24-year old starter limited the Yankees to two hits, but each one left the ballpark. In the second inning, the Yankees jumped ahead 1-0 when Mark Teixeira circumvented the shift by sending a curveball deep into the second deck of the right field stands. Two innings later, Robinson Cano doubled the Yankees lead by hitting a wall scrapper that didn’t go nearly as far but counted just the same. The blast came right after Alex Rodriguez was picked off first by Jose Molina, but the forfeited run proved inconsequential.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees tacked on two more runs when Raul Ibanez, Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez recorded consecutive hits, knocking Cobb from the game in the process. Even before the Yankees extended their lead, Joe Girardi seemed committed to giving Nova a chance for a complete game shutdown, but the extra runs made the decision even easier. The cushion also saved Girardi from being second guessed when the Rays greeted Nova with back-to-back triples to start the ninth. However, all questions were rendered moot by Rafael Soriano, who quickly restored order by striking out the next two batters before retiring old friend Hideki Matsui on a deep fly ball to right.

With the victory, the Yankees leap-frogged the Rays into second place, a position they haven’t occupied since April 24. The win also pushed the Yankees’ record to seven games over .500 for the first time all season and set the stage for a series sweep. Perhaps even more important than the season milestones, however, the outcome was also a shot in the arm for Nova, who proved he could be better…at least for one night.

This is the kind of game we pined for during the first couple of months this season when the Yanks seemed like they were behind 2-0 before the game started. A laugher, free and easy.

That’s what we got tonight as the Yanks took advantage of some poor fielding by the Rays, who made three errors, and an off-night from James Shields. It was nice to see Nick Swisher smack a couple of base hits but even better to watch Russell Martin line a grand slam over the fence in right field (he had three hits in all).

Andy Pettitte pitched a wonderful game. Over seven-and-a-third, he allowed a couple of hits and a couple of walks and struck out ten, though after almost every inning he walked off the mound talking to himself. Not muttering it was more like lecturing. Just another old craftsman, working out some kind of private contest for himself, perfection required.

Final score: Yanks 7, Rays 0.

Ahhhhhhh.

[Photo Credit: Pus-Say; Sleepless Dreams; Mike Stobe/Getty Images]

Derek Jeter led off the game with a home run to right field, a few innings later Alex Rodriguez turned around a 95 mph fastball from Justin Verlander and hit a grown-up homer to left (eat your heart out Miguel Cabrera).

But I buried the lede–Phil Hughes was terrific. His fastball was in the mid-90s, the curve ball was crisp, and he out-pitched the Tigers’ ace as the Yanks sailed to a 5-1 win. Hughes went the distance (four hits, three walks, eight strikeouts), a remarkable comeback after his lousy outing in California. A solo homer to Prince Fielder was the one blemish on one of the finest performances of his career–he even struck the great Cabrera out twice.

I didn’t see this one coming. But after last night’s tense game, this one was a cool breeze.

Yanks have the day-off tomorrow and then will host the Rays followed by the Mets. Should be a fun week.

On Star Wars night at Comerica Park the Yankees and Tigers played a taut, tension-filled game. The Stakes seemed high for both teams–for the Yanks because Justin Verlander is pitching tomorrow, for the Tigers because they’ve been horrible lately.

Rick Porcello got Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson out in the first on hard ground ball outs and after Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano singled, Mark Teixeira popped out to end the inning. Quintin Berry walked in the bottom of the inning, stole second, and was sacrificed to third. Then the rain came and the game was called for forty minutes. When it resumed, Hiroki Kuroda got out of trouble, retiring the demolition duo known as Cabrera and Fielder.

The game moved quickly. In the fourth, Don Kelly, a tall, thin left fielder, stretched out and robbed Teixeira of a homer. Bottom of the inning, however, there was no robbing Cabrera of anything as he hit an absolute bomb to center field. The Tigers added another run in the fifth and it stayed 2-0 when the Yanks led off the seventh with back-to-back singles (Chavez, Martin). Juaquin Benoit came in and Jeter sacrificed them over, as we all knew he would, and in spite of some of our hollering.

Would the Tigers walk Granderson to face Rodriguez? I thought they would. Instead they went right after Grandy. The first pitch, a change up, low and away was called a strike though it looked nowhere near the strike zone. Grandy popped the next pitch foul and out of play near the Yankee dugout and apparently Kevin Long said something to home plate umpire–and notorious crank–Bob Davidson because in not time he was thrown out of the game. Joe Girardi was heated, charged over to Davidson and he too was excused from the game. Then Grandy whiffed and Rodriguez hit a soft pop up to second and once again the Yanks couldn’t come through with the big hit.

In the bottom of the eighth, Cory Wade replaced Kuroda and got Berry to ground out to Cano for the first out. Cano moved to his left and fielded the ball on a short hop. He made the play look easy but it was anything but–second base always has odd plays that appear simple because the throw to first is short. Wade got a pop out to Cano and then had to deal with Cabrera.

But Cabrera dealt with him instead launching a 2-1 pitch to deep center right into the cameras.

“What a terrifying hitter he is,” said Tim McCarver on the Fox broadcast.

Enter the Jackass: Jose Valverde, who has added to his jackassedness with a blond billy goat beard since last we saw him (the tail of his hair is blond too).

First pitch he threw clipped Russell Martin in the left shoulder. Dwayne Wise pinch came in to run for Martin and he took off on the second pitch to Derek Jeter (and second ball) and made it to second safely. Three pitches later, Jeter drew a base on balls. Granderson took ball one and then hit a harmless fly ball to center for the first out.

Once again, Rodriguez was in a key spot. He took the first pitch for a strike while Wise and Jeter took off and successfully reached third and second respectively. The infield came in. And Rodriguez took a fastball, high and inside for a ball. The next pitch, another fastball, was outside. The next pitch summed up the season for Rodriguez. Right down the pipe, inside corner, 94 mph. Good swing, but futile, swung right through it for strike two. And then came a fastball that nailed Rodriguez on the left elbow, the funny bone. Rodriguez looked to be in considerable pain as the trainer Steve Donohue led him down to first base.

Leyland commenced to pacing as Valverde’s first pitch was so far outside that I was surprised that it wasn’t his last of the night. But he got the next pitch in on Cano’s hands and the second baseman hit a weak pop fly to short. All down to Teixeira.

The first pitch was way high for a ball. Next, another fastball outside, 2-0. The next pitch, again outside, and not even close, 3-0. How could the Tigers escape this? How could the Yanks find a way to screw it up? The crowd cheered when the following pitch was a strike down the middle. Would Teix take another one? He would not as he fouled a ball off.

Now the Tiger fans were shouting, trying to will their team to a win. Fastball inside, like the one that got Cano out, but Teix fouled it back. More screaming, fans standing, clapping. And ball four in the dirt. Game tied. Now, those same fans booed.

Raul Ibanez leaned back and took a 95 mph fastball inside for a ball.  A called strike. Another ball and then a pop up. The catcher Omir Santos came over near the Yankee dugout and he missed the ball. Flat missed it. More boos. Life for Ibanez as he tipped the next pitch–a good pitch to hit. Fouled off the next pitch too. Then grounded out weakly to Fielder.

David Phelps got the first man out in the ninth, gave up a single and then Jhonny Peralta sliced a ball to right. Nick Swisher, moving to the corner, fielded it on a hop with his bare hand. The ball was tailing to his left. It saved the game though runners were on the corners. Enter Boone Logan. Ramon Santiago, a right-handed hitter, pinch hit for Kelly. Took the first pitch in the dirt for a ball. Next pitch bounced too and Chris Stewart, the new catcher, blocked them both. Then Santiago was walked intentionally.

Bases loaded. Again. For Santos. The 9 hitter. And sunken stomachs in Yankee land, figuring this would just about figure. So Logan throws him a breaking ball for a strike. He lined the next pitch to right, good enough for a sac fly and good enough for the win.

Final Score: Tigers 4, Yanks 3.

Less than fourteen hours until Phil Hughes. Sleep well.

Sometimes life can get in the way of baseball, and this was one of those nights. The good news, of course, is that I have a DVR, so I never really have to miss anything. I can coach volleyball practice, head directly to my daughter’s middle school band concert, then take the family out to a late dinner, confident that all the while my trusty DVR is dutifully recording the game.

The problem, of course, is that the game is also in my pocket the whole time. My phone buzzed at 7:05 to let me know that game had started, and I was tempted several times throughout the evening to check on the score. I resisted each time. During the lull between beginning band and beginning orchestra? Stand strong. After foolishly glancing at the restaurant television and seeing this on ESPN’s Bottom Line: Nova (NYY): 5 IP, 5 ER…? Stay calm and carry on. When my phone buzzed at 10:05, feeling suspiciously like an incoming text from a gloating Angel fan? Keep the faith.

And so I kept the faith, even as the Angels jumped on Ivan Nova for an early 1-0 lead in typically annoying Anaheim fashion. Mike Trout, heretofore referred to as the Most Exciting Player in Baseball, took a pitch to the shoulder to lead off the first, then galloped to third when a hit-and-run worked out and Alberto Callaspo singled where Derek Jeter had just been standing. Albert Pújols, suddenly fearsome again, walked to load the bases with none out, and disaster loomed. But Nova rebounded to strike out Kendrys Morales, yielded a sacrifice fly to Mark Trumbo, then got Howie Kendrick to fly out. Sure, it was 1-0, but it could’ve been much worse.

The Yankees answered back in the third when Russell Martin walked and later used the 3-2 head start to race to third on Derek Jeter’s single. Curtis Granderson followed that with home run to right, and the Yankees had their first lead since the first inning of the first game of the series. Ervin Santana was the victim of all that, and he responded by hitting Alex Rodríguez a few pitches later. If the Yankees were bothered by that — and I can’t imagine they were — Robinson Canó exacted revenge by powering a home run deep to right and they were up 5-1.

Nova, meanwhile, was looking good. I’m not sure how accurate it was, but according to the radar gun at Angels Stadium, Nova’s fastball was topping out at 97 MPH in the early going, and he cruised through the second and third innings on only eighteen pitches. But then came the fourth. I don’t have the energy to recap it completely, but believe me when I tell you it was just more Halo nonsense. Yet another home run from Mark Trumbo, a two-strike single, a bunt single, and a rocketed double off the bat of the Most Exciting Player in Baseball. In the blink of an eye, the game was tied at five. If you were watching live and felt confident at this point, you’re lying.

But Nova stuck around to cruise through the fifth and sixth and got back in position for a win when the Angels defense finally made a mistake. Raúl Ibáñez smoked a ball to the wall in right center, but Peter “Gorgeous” Bourjos foolishly chased it all the way to the warning track only to watch helplessly as the ball ricocheted over his head and bounded back towards center field, following the exact path Bourjos had just tread. Ibáñez actually looked like he had designs on an inside-the-parker before downshifting and coasting into third for his first triple in more than a year. Nick Swisher jumped on the first pitch he saw and produced a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees the 6-5 lead.

Nova was lifted after getting the first two outs of the seventh inning, then Boone Logan made things interesting by giving up consecutive singles to put runners on first and third with two out. With the game clearly in the balance, Cory Wade entered to face Kendrick and promptly fell behind 3-0. He was having trouble finding the feel of his curveball, but once he found it, the Angles hitters were at his mercy. He bounced back to strike out Kendrick, then K’d two of three in the eighth to hand the game to Rafael Soriano.

I won’t describe the ninth inning, except to mention that Pújols came to the plate as the winning run and I was dead certain that he was about to hit a walk-off. (Remember the suspiciously-timed text message from earlier?) He didn’t. Pretty or not, Soriano got the save. Yankees 6, Angels 5. And by the way, it isn’t just Mariano’s cold-hearted efficiency that I miss, it’s also his business-like reaction to the final out. Whenever Soriano gets a save, pulling his jersey out of his pants as he walks off the mound, I find myself completely distracted from the win and instead wishing he’d keep his clothes on. Classless. Someone should talk to him.

But things are looking up in Yankeeland. The teams heads off to Detroit, where two wins will make for a successful 6-3 road trip. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Oh, and that text message? Turns out it was just a push notification. It was my turn in Scrabble. If I had had the letters, I obviously would’ve played V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.

[Photo Credit: Chris Carlson/AP Photo]

I’ll tell you a secret. I hate the Angels. I hate them about a hundred times more than the Red Sox, a thousand more times than the Rays. I hate the way Mike Scioscia cocks his head and squints his eyes in confusion whenever a call goes against him. I hate the scrappiness, I hate the hustle, I hate the font of the numbers on the backs of their jerseys.

After a disappointing loss on Monday night, the Yankees returned to the scene of the crime on Tuesday and looked to bounce back into the win column. The problem, though, was that the Angels were sending Dan Haren to the mound. Haren has been unhittable recently, most notably in his last start against Seattle when he authored a 3-0 shutout that featured 14 strikeouts and zero walks, only the third time in the past dozen years that pitcher done that (a shutout with 14 Ks and zero walks). Opposing Haren would be the ageless wonder, Andy Pettitte.

I touched on this yesterday, but it cannot be understated. The Angels, as nauseating as they are, are an exciting team to watch, and it all starts with their youngest player, Mike Trout. On Monday night he flexed his muscles by bashing his fifth home run of the season, but on Tuesday he showed some of his other skills, namely speed and defense. With two outs and no one on in the bottom of the second inning, Nick Swisher launched a rocket to left center, but that’s Trout territory. He ran down the drive, leaping and snaring it just as it may or may not have left the park.

And how often does it happen? A guy makes a great player in the field, and two innings later he comes to the plate with a runner on second. Trout rifled a ball past third and down the line. The speedy Peter Bourjos coasted in easily on what seemed like a certain double from Trout. But Trout is probably in Brett Gardner’s class as a runner, and slid into third with a triple — on a ball hit into the left field corner. The whole world is crushing on Bryce Harper right now, and justifiably so, but check the numbers. Trout is outplaying the kid with the faux hawk.

The Angels push the envelope at all turns, so Trout went on contact and ran into an out at home on a grounder to Eric Chávez, but Albert Pújols erased that mistake seconds later when he smashed a no-doubter into the Yankee bullpen far beyond the left field fence for a 3-0 Angels lead. Pettitte would later call it “just a stupid pitch by me.” It seems the reports of Sir Albert’s demise were, indeed, highly exaggerated.

The Yankee hitters continued to struggle, and again they continued to fail with the bases loaded. In the half inning before the Angels scored those three runs, the Yanks had had a golden opportunity when they loaded the bases with two outs and Robinson Canó at the plate. A base hit there would’ve given Pettitte a cushion, pushed Haren a bit, and opened a lead, but instead Canó watched strike three dart across the outside corner. Fifteen minutes later it was the Angels who were giving the cushion, doing the pushing, and opening the lead.

Raúl Ibáñez doubled with one out in the fourth, and Nick Swisher quickly cashed him in with a hard single to right, bringing the Yankees to within two runs and breathing a little hope into the situation.

Following Swisher’s base hit, the next fifteen Yankees and Angels to come to the plate were all retired without the ball ever leaving the infield. Pettitte and Haren combined to gather nine groundouts, four strikeouts, a popup and a line out. The sixteenth hitter, however, was the Angels Mark Trumbo. Trumbo broke the string in the bottom of the sixth with a mammoth 433-foot blast into the rocks in center field, widening the Anaheim* lead to 4-1.

The Yankees put two runners on in the seventh, then two more in the eighth, but couldn’t make anything out of either opportunity. Then, more to taunt the Yankees than anything else, the Angels manufactured another run in the bottom of the eighth: single, ground out, single. It was all so easy, and in a game that had been close all night long, the Yankees were suddenly a grand slam behind.

The Yankees mounted a rally in the ninth as they often do, starting with a walks to Russell Martin and Derek Jeter. Granderson flicked a line drive to left, and it looked like a sure base hit, but again, left field is Trout territory, so it turned into an out. Angel reliever Ernesto Frieri plunked Alex Rodríguez, and suddenly the bases were loaded and Canó was walking to the plate as the potential tying run.

But if you’ve been paying attention lately, you know that the Yankees don’t get hits with the bases loaded. Canó struck out swinging. As the Angels announcer is fond of saying at the end of each victory, “Light that baby up.” Angels 5, Yankees 1. Lord help me.

*I know they’re not the Anaheim Angels, but they’re not the Los Angeles Angels, either. They don’t play in Los Angeles. They don’t play anywhere near Los Angeles.

[Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images]

There aren’t too many games you can point to as “must wins,” especially in the closing days of May, especially when the team is in the middle of a west coast road trip, especially when the team is also riding a five-game winning streak. I’m not ready to say this game on Memorial Day night in Anaheim was a must-win, but it was certainly a game that should’ve been a victory.

Even though Phil Hughes had looked much better recently, the match-up didn’t look good on paper, as the Angels were sending their ace Jered Weaver out to start the series. Aside from Justin Verlander, Weaver has probably been the best pitcher in the American League for the past few years, and except for a bad start in Texas, Weaver has been dominant again this year. This was a game that looked like a Yankee loss before the first pitch was even thrown.

When the second pitch was thrown, however, Derek Jeter smoked a line drive into left field; five pitches later Curtis Granderson waited on a breaking ball and grounded it through the hole between short and third, and the Yankees suddenly had runners on first and second with no one out. Alex Rodríguez came up next and hit a hard grounder just to the right of shortstop Erick Aybar. It looked like a certain double play, but the ball skipped off of Aybar’s glove and somehow bounded over his shoulder into short center field, allowing Jeter to score easily and put runners on first and third.

Working to Robinson Canó, Weaver got a called strike to even the count at 1-1, but immediately started limping on his follow through, triggering a wave of discomfort in the stands and bringing Mike Scioscia and his support staff to the mound. Pitchers scare their managers all the time by catching a spike during a windup and coming up temporarily lame. They look into the dugout and say they’re fine, but the trainer still comes out to watch them throw a test pitch or two, but everything’s fine. Almost immediately it was clear that that wasn’t going to happen this time. Weaver slowly walked to the back of the mound, and when the cameras caught a glimpse of his face, it wasn’t pain that registered, but the frustration of an athlete whose body had betrayed him. Weaver knew this was serious even before he took his practice pitch and wasn’t able to complete it.

He walked off the mound, clenched his fist, and screamed “Fuuuuck!” at the top of his lungs, loud enough to be picked up by the crowd mikes and every ten-year-old in the lower tier. In case any of those ten-year-olds had missed it, he repeated himself just as he stepped into foul territory. Later the Angels would report he was suffering from a lower back injury.

It’s probably not appropriate to take pleasure in an opponent’s injury, but it’s perfectly fine to joyfully accept the opportunity that injury presents. The Yankees already had a 1-0 lead, there were runners at the corners with no outs, and the Angels were going to have to get 27 outs with their bullpen. Things looked good, about as good as they can look.

Bobby Cassevah came in for the Angels and struck out Canó, but then walked Mark Teixeira to load the bases, bringing up Raúl Ibáñez, who lofted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Granderson. Nick Swisher came up next and squirted a dribbler to the third base side of the mound. Cassevah fielded it in plenty of time, but rushed his throw, bouncing it past Albert Pújols for an error that allowed A-Rod to score the third unearned run of the inning. Scioscia decided to walk Eric Chávez intentionally, probably because his scouts had told him that the Yankees refuse to hit with the bases loaded. Russell Martin validated that decision by flying out to center field.

Handed this 3-0 lead and free of the pressure of facing an ace, Phil Hughes promptly gave everything back. It was the same infuriating rally the Angels have been cobbling together for years: Mike Trout two-strike single; Macier Izturis fly out, Pújols single, Kendry Morales two-strike RBI single, Mark Trumbo two-strike RBI ground-rule double, Howie “Yankee Killer” Kendrick RBI single.

It was finally over two batters later, but the Angels had sent eight men to the plate, scored four runs, and gotten right back into a game that should’ve been over.

Granderson homered to right in the top of the second to tie the game at four, but the Angels struck again in the fourth. Trumbo launched a towering fly ball to the gap in right center, but both Granderson and Swisher looked as if they had a shot at it. Just as the ball settled into Swisher’s glove, however, Granderson settled into Swisher’s chest. Both men fell in a heap on the warning track, the ball bounced free, and Trumbo ran like the wind. Well, Trumbo ran like a gentle breeze. He ended up on third with a triple. Kendrick took the first pitch he saw and floated it deep enough to right for Trumbo to score on the sacrifice fly. Angels 5, Yankees 4.

Hughes was clearly struggling, but not because of his control. His pitches were finding the strike zone (66 of 87, and through the first three innings that ratio was even higher), but he had no command. Pitches meant for the corners floated out over the plate and were hit hard. Seven times he put hitters into an 0-2 hole, but only once was he able to finish off that crippled hitter with a strikeout.

Hughes was touched again in the fourth, this time when Angel rookie Mike Trout hit a rocket over the wall in left center. There’s been some lamenting lately about the lack of exciting players on the Yankee roster, and some have suggested that Jesus Montero, a home-grown talent with All-Star potential, would’ve provided that. Montero was a player fans had been waiting for patiently, reading reports of his progress through the minors before his successful arrival in the Bronx last September. Trout followed that same flight path and created that same excitement, but he wasn’t traded. Forgive me if I’m bitter.

The suddenly resurgent Teixeira, hitting right-handed now against the left-handed Hisanori Takahashi, homered in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 6-5. Over the past four games, Tex is 10 for 16 with three doubles, four home runs, and nine RBIs. There is hope.

Hughes made it into the sixth, but he wouldn’t make it out. It was all fairly innocent, which is typical of the Angels. The speedy Peter Bourjos reached on a perfectly placed dribbler to Hughes and was then sacrificed to second. Cody Eppley replaced Hughes, and Izturis hit a grounder up the middle; Canó was able to field it, but he couldn’t get the out. After Pújols walked to load the bases, David Phelps came in to face Morales, and his first pitch was hammered to the wall in left center, scoring two and giving the Halos an 8-6 lead.

Just as Yankee fans were starting to think dark thoughts about their heroes, the Bombers put together a rally in the top of the seventh. Canó hit a laser over Bourjos’s head in center field for a double, and Teixeira followed that with a walk, prompting Scioscia to bring in his fifth pitcher of the night, Jason Isringhausen. (I know what you’re thinking — it must’ve been Jason Isringhausen, Jr. No, it was really that Jason Isringhausen.) Ibáñez greeted him with a rifle shot to right field that looked like a run-scoring double. But Trumbo got a good jump on the ball, good enough that the runners had to be cautious. The ball ended up tipping off his glove, but Canó was fooled. Thinking Trumbo had actually caught the ball, he raced back to second to tag up, so he was only able to get to third.

Still, the bases were loaded with no outs. Swisher came to the plate with an opportunity to do some serious damage, but all he could muster was a sacrifice fly. One out later, though, Russell Martin laced a line drive down the left field line to score two and even the game at eight.

The Yankees would threaten again in the ninth, but again they’d be thwarted by bad luck and bad hitting with the bases loaded. Teixeira opened the inning with a single, then moved to second when Chávez walked two outs later. Martin punched a ground ball up the middle, and again it looked like the Yankees would surely score as the ball seemed ticketed for center field. But Izturis was able to keep it in the infield. He wasn’t able to make an out, but he saved a run. Jeter came up with the bases loaded and bounced the first pitch he saw to Pújols, who flipped to second for the out.

The Yankees had four at bats with the bases loaded and finished 0 for 2 with two sacrifice flies, but there wasn’t much time to dwell on that. Cory Wade came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Trumbo made his third pitch disappear into the night. Fuckin’ Angels.

Sons of Bitches 9, Yankees 8.

[Photo Credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images]

Yeah, it was made to order for Hiroki Kuroda on Sunday–pitcher’s park, lousy team–and he responded with a fine performance. Kuroda got into one fix–first and third with one out in the seventh–but snaked out of it (strike out, fly out) without giving up a run.

Tommy Milone was almost as good for the A’s. A junkballing left-hander with an easy delivery, Milone allowed two runs, a solo homer by Andruw Jones in the second and a two-out RBI double to Mark Teixeira in the seventh (they were two of the only hard-hit balls by either team all afternoon). The Yanks had runners on base in the first three innings but couldn’t get anything done.

Didn’t matter, though. The A’s weak offense was no match for Kuroda. Raphael Soriano worked around a two-out single in the ninth and earned the save.

Final Score: Yanks 2, A’s 0.

Yanks have won six in a row and trail the first place O’s and Rays by two-and-a-half games. Next up, some serious pitching and a hot Albert Pujols in the suburbs of L.A.

[Photo Credit: Chic Knots; Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images]

“Whether it’s a solo shot or a grand slam, it’s instant offense,” Teixeira said. “It makes your team feel good, it pumps everybody up. Chicks dig the long ball, fans dig the long ball. Yeah, I said it. It’s fun hitting home runs because not everyone can do it.”
(David Waldstein, N.Y. Times)

Grrrr.

Teix feelin’ frisky after getting four hits and two home runs yesterday as the Yanks cruised to a 9-2 win against Bartolo Colon and the A’s.

Yanks go for the sweep later this afternoon.