From the little I’ve seen on TV, no ball park in America has grander sunsets than Coors Field.

It’s our man Hiroki…

Ichiro Suzuki CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Ben Francisco RF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Nelson 3B
Chris Stewart C
Hiroki Kuroda P

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

[Photo Via: Imgur]

Alex Rodriguez joined the Yankees’ A-List Celebrity Rehab clinic down in Florida yesterday.

It was uncommonly beautiful in New York today, one of those days that the weatherman likes to call one of the ten best days of the year. Watching the Yankees on an HD TV, the colors and sharpness created an almost surreal hyper-realism.

Another pretty good game in a good series, too. The A’s won 5-4.

Tough day for Andy Pettitte as Brian Heyman reports:

“It’s a struggle,” Pettitte said. “The issue is everything. Everything I’ve got to do as a starting pitcher, I’m not able to do right now. … My release point is floating around a little bit. … It’s been a long, long time since I haven’t had a feeling for my pitches.”

Pettitte is good at being brutally frank when it comes to self-assessments.

“My cutter is nonexistent right now,” Pettitte said.

Joe Girardi said he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of two bad starts. Pettitte is just hoping to find a steady release point in a hurry.

“I wish I could tell you something hurt,” Pettitte said. “But I feel good.”

I wish I could be more expansive but I kept nodding off which added to the dreamlike quality of the afternoon. I was up in time to watch the end of a thrilling OKC-Memphis game and plenty awake to watch the Knicks take one in the nuts against the Pacers at the Garden.

Then I stretched, took a shower, changed clothes and took a good, long walk.

[Photo Credit: J. L. Russell]

Yanks and the A’s followed by Agita at the Garden.

Andy caught a beatin’ last time out, let’s see what he’s got today.

1. Gardner CF
2. Cano 2B
3. Wells LF
4. Hafner DH
5. Suzuki RF
6. Nix 3B
7. Overbay 1B
8. Nunez SS
9. Stewart C

Never mind the cool breeze:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: Eye Heart New York]

Phil Hughes pitched his best game of the year, Chris Stewart and Lyle Overbay hit solo home runs (Overbays was a bomb) and Mariano Rivera was the last man standing–though he didn’t earn a save–as the Yanks beat the A’s yesterday afternoon, 4-2.

Smiles all around.

Today gives another afternoon game and Game 1 of the Knicks-Pacers, which proves to be dramatic, dumb, aggravating, and other clumsy adjectives to describe hardship and pain.

But first, listen to this:

“Fallin'”–Teenaged Fan Club with De La Soul

[Photo Credit: Katherine Squler]

Cool breeze but just bee-too-tee-ful in the BX today.

Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chris Nelson 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C

Never mind the sun rays:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Via: The Minimalisto]

Poppa Large toes the rubber tonight in the BX.

He hasn’t been throwing hard and  he has not been great, but he’s been tough and a gamer.

Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix 3B
Chris Stewart C

Wait, that’s Ichi batting fifth? Got to love your 2013 Yanks.

Never mind the agita those Knicks are giving ya:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: John Iacono/SI]

Joba is the latest Yankee to hit the DL.

The Yanks were ahead by a run in the bottom of the eighth when Brett Gardner lead off with a single. The game slowed down considerably as he plotted to steal second, which he eventually did, and made it. Then he stole third, too, but still, the Yanks couldn’t bring him home. The inning seemed to take forever–pitch-outs, visits to the mound, failed bunts–and all the planning and counter-planning didn’t amount to a thing.

In the ninth, Mariano Rivera gave up a single to start the inning. The next batter hit a line drive up the middle as the runner on first took off for second. Watching on TV, I saw that the ball was well struck, and knowing that the runner was moving, I sighed, seeing the inevitable: first and third, no out. Instead, Robinson Cano, who was shaded up the middle, caught the ball and walked casually to second where he tagged out the helpless runner. Dumb luck is all. Dumb luck.

Mo struck out the next guy–the ending was routine at that point–and the Yanks had an unspectacular but pleasing 5-4 win.

Not a bad way to start a day off.

[Illustration via Rotomangler]

Tonight gives David Phelpski as the Yanks try to win the series against the Astros.

Ichiro Suzuki CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Ben Francisco RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C

Yanks have the day off tomorrow and host the A’s this weekend.

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

[Photo Via: This Isn’t Happiness]

The sun hung up through the early evening begging for some baseball to be played. Anyway, that’s what I thought. One boy wanted to race scooters with a legion of cohorts. The other wanted to dig for buried treasure – gold, jewels, something ancient. “If it’s valuable, we can sell it and become rich and famous.” I stood with the bat on my shoulder. Baseball had to wait.

We heard the bracing cough before we came through the door. Pregnant to popping and sick with cold and fever, my wife was holed up in bed. We shut her door and proceeded towards bedtime with the boys taking advantage of me when they could, as always. The Yankees were already in the second inning, I guessed.  Baseball would have to wait some more.

“The laundry bag looks like a ghost,” Henry said. He has chosen a bedtime story about a boy who imagines monsters for three nights in a row and he’s mastering the racket. Last night is was a painting of a giraffe that’s been stationed on his wall since before he was born. The Yankees must be halfway to a win by now.

When I came out to warm up Chinese food and watch the game, I found my wife stretched out on the couch. “All I want to do is to fall asleep with the TV on,” she said. I didn’t have the heart to suggest a ballgame and I figured I would try to catch the ninth if Mariano was pitching. But to my surprise, she already had the TV switched to the Yanks and Astros.

I came in just as Kuroda found his groove and the Yanks scored some runs. Kuroda was as terrific as you can be after being terrible for a few innings. The first part of the game must have been a sluggish affair with all the base runners and walks.

David Robertson had one of those innings where he looks like the best pitcher in baseball but lets up two runs including a big homer. He absolutely blew the Astros away except for when the Yankee shift turned a ground out to short into a single. He had his chance to strike out Chris Carter, just about any kind of pitch in any spot would have done it, but the one Robertson threw unluckily hit Carter’s bat and ended up 20 rows deep.

Mariano had a night a little bit like mine. He was all set to go when Robertson hit Carter’s bat, but then the Yanks added a whole bunch of insurance in the ninth. Eduardo Nunez had an especially nice game and Ichiro and Hafner chipped in as well. Mariano sat back down, figuring it wasn’t his night. But Shawn Kelley got touched up and the score got close enough for Mariano to earn a save with one sweet strikeout, 7-4.

Winning is always worth the wait.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images via ESPN

In the what-took-you-so-long? department, Youk to the 15-day DL.

In the meantime, it’s our man Hiroki.

1. Gardner CF
2. Suzuki LF
3. Cano 2B
4. Hafner DH
5. Boesch RF
6. Nix 3B
7. Overbay 1B
8. Nunez SS
9. Stewart C

Time to clear-away thoughts of last night’s pounding.

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

[Photo Credit: Matt Weber via Retro New York]

And sometimes you just get your ass kicked…which is how he went down last night.

Final Score: Astros 9, Yanks 1. 

Mac’s got the details if you’re interested.

It’s Andy vs. his former team, the Astros. Man, that feels weird to say, huh?

Also, Austin Romine gets the start. Chad Jennings has the skinny.

1. Gardner CF
2. Cano 2B
3. Wells LF
4. Hafner DH
5. Boesch RF
6. Nix 3B
7. Overbay 1B
8. Nunez SS
9. Romine C

Never mind the drizzle:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

The Wife an I celebrated our anniversary this weekend so I was away from a computer for the past day. We did watch a bunch of the game yesterday–as well as most of the exciting (and exasperating) Bulls-Nets game.

You know, what? The Wife is the love of my life. We had a great time.

Here’s a Yankee thought: C.C. Sabathia’s got a ton of heart, man. Maybe there’s a better word for it, maybe “heart” is a cliche, but he’s had a couple of starts this year where he hasn’t had his best stuff but he’s still given the team length. Hasn’t complained about it, just gone out there and emptied the tank for his team. Yesterday, he went eight innings and got the win. He’s the man.

Today, we missed the game entirely but caught the highlights and hot damn–a four-game sweep of those upstart Jays? Sheeeeeit. Not bad for a bunch of broken-down, overpaid chumps, huh? Just enough hitting–how sweet is it when you win a game with just four hits? And a nice job by the pitching staff capped off by another tidy outing for The Great Mariano.

Final Score: Yanks 3, Jays 2.

A fine weekend, indeed.

“Talkin’ Bout Hey Love”-De La Soul

[Photo Via (the ever great) This Isn’t Happiness]

Yanks-Jays, again.

CC’s on the hill.

Never mind the late afternoon shadows:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Bags]

Well, it didn’t start well. In fact, it was an upsetting evening for the Yankees. In the first inning, Francisco Cervelli–the Wife’s favorite player on the team–was hit in the right hand by a foul tip. He left the game and when the news arrived it wasn’t good–broken hand, and for the Wife, a broken heart. They say he’ll have surgery and be out for at least six weeks. And he was playing so well.

“It’s just not fair,” said the Wife.

Drag.

Then in the third inning, Ivan Nova walked off the mound and out of the game; he’ll have an MRI on his elbow to see what’s wrong.

The good news is that David Phelps, that most trustworthy of utility pitchers, was terrific. Struck out a ton of guys and only allowed one run–a long home run to Edwin Encarnacion, who has developed a right douche bucket home run trot.

The other Toronto Tough Guy, Jose Bautista hit the holy hell out of fastball by David Robertson in the eighth but a solo shot by Brett Gardner in the bottom of the inning earlier gave the Yanks a welcome two-run cushion.

There was a little drama for Mariano in the 9th. He got the first two men out and then you have to credit to Brett Lowrie–who looks like an MMA fighter–who’d been caught looking twice this season by Rivera’s outside cutter for a third strike. This time, down two strikes, he got the same pitch and slapped it into right field for a single. Another cheap single followed by an infield hit loaded the bases for Cody Rasmus, Bautista on deck. And Mo fell behind 2-0. But he evened out the count…

…the crowd took pictures, stood and cheered…

 …and the pulse quickened…

…then Mo struck Rasmus out to end it.

More injuries for the Yanks, but in the short term it was comforting that they at least got the win.

Final Score: Yanks 6, Jays 4.

As a side note, YES showed a cool shot of Mo holding court before the game with a group of Blue Jays. How many times do you see a scene like this?

Yeah, he’s a special one.

Tonight gives Nova and who knows what to expect from him? Josh Johnson will be replaced by Aaron Laffey for the Jays.

1. Gardner CF
2. Nix 3B
3. Cano 2B
4. Wells LF
5. Cervelli C
6. Suzuki RF
7. Nunez SS
8. Overbay 1B
9. Francisco DH

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

[Photo Via: Hengki Koentjoro]

Over at Yahoo!, here’s Jeff Passan on the Yankees scrapping their plan to get the payroll under $189 million.

[Photo Via: Just Flew the Coop]

One trip through the Blue Jays’ order and Hiroki Kuroda did not look long for this April Night. The first eleven batters racked up six hits, all bullets. Kuroda rolled a double play and stranded some runners, or else Toronto’s two homers would have accounted for more than the three runs they got. The Jays could be forgiven if they thought they were going to romp.

But Kuroda worked through his early-bird specials and began serving up the good stuff by striking out Jose Bautista to end the second. That began a string of 13 of 14 Jays who wouldn’t reach base – the only runner safe on Lyle Overbay’s error in the 4th. It was a resilient performance and the Yankees didn’t waste it.

Robinson Cano again tested the breadth of his back and found it stout enough to carry the team to victory with a three-run shot in the third. Francisco Cervelli and Vernon Wells bookended Cano with solo blasts and the scoring held at 5-3 for a satisfying Yankee win.

Cano’s homer came on a 3-1 “fastball” from Mark Buehrle. Buehrle seemed to hit his spot on the inside corner, but he had two problems – he threw it 86 MPH and he threw it to Robinson Cano. Cano’s so quick on the inside pitch that he can get the barrel to a much faster pitch in the same location. Say what you will about his hitting approach, he doesn’t often get jammed.

Flip to the ninth inning and consider what Mariano Rivera, pitching as well at 43 years old, I’m pretty confident, as any pitcher in Major League history, did to Colby Rasmus with pitches is the same vicinity. Obviously, the cutting action of Rivera’s pitch separates it from Buehrle’s, but even more telling than the pitch action and velocity is the swing path.

As Rasmus whiffed at two of Rivera’s insidious cutters and scragged a bat on a true devil, I drifted off imagining a match-up between Cano and Mo. I think Mariano would be able to use Robbie’s aggressiveness and get him to chase high pitches. But I bet Cano would fair better against the inside/outside cutter gambit than almost any other left-handed batter.

I snapped out of it just in time to witness a true “Mo-Classic” (I woke up realizing that this should be a “Mo-fecta”) – three up, three down; strike out swinging, broken bat, strike out looking. I wonder how many times he’s done that in his career?

Photo by Kathy Willens via AP/ESPN