Getting the first game of this series with the Cardinals to pop up in the win column is a pleasant surprise as the Whitley/Wacha match-up was on the scary-side for Yankee fans. More fun tonight as David Phelps seeks to pad his bonafieds for a permanent spot in the starting rotation.

Phelps is 27 years old, which is something of a shock to me every time I see his age. He’s proven to be a Major League pitcher over 27 starts and a season in the bullpen, but we’ve yet to attach a more definitive adjective to that phrase. Serviceable? Dependable? League-average? Dare I suggest, Good?

Let’s see what the warm weather has in store for him, starting tonight.

“Please, beat those Cardinals,” says the Pirates fan in this house, who has acquired an acute aversion to Red Bird over the last few years. When they eliminated Pittsburgh last fall… well. No fan escapes the game without scars, right?

The A-grade aces will be missing this series as they both twirled on Sunday. But I think we can expect a corker of a series. At the very least, it’s fun to take on a franchise and a fan base that doesn’t suffer from a crippling inferiority complex. I’d rather see this play out in October some time soon (can you believe it’s been 50 years since they met in the Serious?), but hard to beat Memorial Day afternoon.

Photo by Beth Crawford

My daughter turned one last week. She has been on this planet for exactly one Masahiro Tanaka loss. Today’s not the day for another.

I would like to have a Tanaka card from Japan. I’ve been there a couple of times now, and I always grab a few packs of cards to bring home “for the kids” but I went back through them this morning and nope, no Tanaka. Here are a couple of cool-looking ones.

The opposite of Chris Sale is Hector Noesi, so that means lots of hits, runs and a win for the Yankees tonight. Right?

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Brian Roberts 2B
Kelly Johnson 1B

RHP Hiroki Kuroda

Lineup via LoHud

Let’s go Yanks.

Slow day here at the Banter. But the Yanks remain in Chicago for the weekend. They begin a 4-game series against the White Sox this evening. Their prize? They get to face Chris Sale.

Either way, we’ll be root-root-rooting them on.

Never mind the deep dish:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Chase Turner]

Odd that the first time Tanaka faces a team for the second time it’s the Cubs.

Go figure with this weirdo scheduling.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brian Roberts 2B
Masahiro Tanaka RHP

Never mind the ivy:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: sox_monkey via It’s a Long Season]

Our man Hiroki’ll pitch the first game.

Brett Gardner DH
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 2B
Kelly Johnson 3B
Zoilo Almonte LF

Never mind the long afternoon ahead:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Joel Meyerowitz]

It’s Phelpsie today against the Pirates.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Kelly Johnson DH
Brian Roberts 2B

Never mind the potholes:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: Vintage Everyday]

Warshed out already.

[Photo Via: This Isn’t Happiness]

Couple of kids making their big league debut tonight.

Chase Whitley goes for the Yanks.

Brett Gardner LF

Derek Jeter SS

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Alfonso Soriano RF

Yangervis Solarte 3B

Brian Roberts 2B

Chase Whitley RHP

As expected, Beltran to the DL.

Never mind the aches and pains:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Hari Roser via MPD]

C’mon Masahiro. Time to put an end to the losing streak.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brian Roberts 2B
Masahiro Tanaka RHP

Never mind nuthin’:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Picture via: Comically Vintage]

Let’s face it, apart from Tanaka, who’ll start tomorrow night in Queens, the Yanks starting pitching is outmatched for the rest of this subway serious. And even Tanaka’s gotta lose sometime. Wouldn’t it sum up a losing streak for the Yanks if Tanaka’s first loss in forever came against the Mets?

Right?

On the other hand, I’m excited to see what kind of fight the Yanks have in them. The team is being squeezed by injuries but still have not a terrible lineup.

It’s up to the bats to do the heavy-lifting for a minute.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Mark Teixeira DH
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Kelly Johnson 1B
Brian Roberts 2B

That’s a half Good, half-Ass lineup if I’ve ever seen one.

Ah, never mind the gloom and doom:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Time for this dumb thing again.

This year the Yanks and Mets will play a couple of games in the Bronx and then a couple out in Queens.

Tonight gives our man Hiroki vs. our old pal, Bartolo Colon.

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Alfonso Soriano RF
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Kelly Johnson 1B
Brian Roberts 2B

Never mind the horseshit:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Picture by Bags]

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there!

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

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Just as some lovers will always have Paris, C.C. Sabathia always has Milwaukee where he once pitched his ass off for half a season. C.C. made his name in Cleveland and will pitch for the Yankees for a long time but his brief stay over in Milwaukee saw him at his best.

We can only hope the comfortable surroundings bring good things tonightski.

We are also treated to the defensive stylings of Brendan Ryan. Welcome back, dude.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brian Roberts 2B
Brendan Ryan SS

Never mind the sausage race:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Tanaka Time. And homeboy gets to hit tonight.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Derek Jeter SS
Carlos Beltran RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brett Gardner LF
Brian Roberts 2B
Masahiro Tanaka RHP

Never mind the ‘brats:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: …in this city via MPD]

Let’s see what Numo and the Yanks get done on their last night in L.A.

Never mind the sunset:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Eddie O’Keefe via This Isn’t Happiness]

Man, oh, man. The Yanks need our guy Hiroki to pitch well tonight.

A mess o runs wouldn’t hoit, either.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Derek Jeter SS
Carlos Beltran RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alfonso Soriano DH
Brian McCann C
Yangervis Solarte 3B
Brett Gardner LF
Brian Roberts 2B

Never mind those sun rays:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Robert von Sternberg via MPD]

Yanks in the suburbs of L.A. for three against the Angels.

Lineups in a bit.

[Photo Via:  Message at Work]

C’mon C.C.: Show Up, Big Fella.

Ellsbury CF

Jeter SS

Beltran RF

Teixeira 1B

Soriano DH

Johnson 3B

Solarte 2B

Gardner LF

Murphy C

Never mind the clouds: Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Clyde Hare via MPD]