Since being no hit through five in the middle game of a three-game series with Atlanta last week, the Yankees have soared back, winning five straight against their National League opponents. Interleague play wasn’t kind to the Yankees in the Florida series, but New York managed to take the final two games in the next series in Atlanta, which then fueled a terrific sweep this past weekend back in New York against the Mets in Queens.
Let’s quickly recap the Marlins, Braves and Mets series, and talk about some of the important highlights from each of the games.
A week ago, New York opened its series with the Marlins on a positive note. Boosted by a large contingent of Bomber fans in Florida, Andy Pettitte and two relievers combined on a three-hitter. The Yankees beat the Marlins 5-1 Friday night without a slumping A-Rod, who was benched due to fatigue.
But the Yankees had no answer for Marlin ace Josh Johnson Saturday night. The right-hander pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and Dan Uggla homered to lift the Marlins to a 2-1 win.
Johnson, who improved to 7-1, struck out five and walked two to outpitch former Marlins teammate AJ Burnett. It was the sixth straight start Johnson had gone at least seven innings.
Losses like that happen. The Yankees ran into a hot pitcher and he did what he’s been doing. That’s the “X-Factor” of the game. Good pitching always silences good hitting and while the Yankees boast a powerful lineup, Johnson was simply that good Saturday night.
No big deal. The rubber match called Sunday. But the result was anything the Yankees could have hoped for, especially with their ace on the mound.
CC Sabathia left early with an ailing arm and the Yankees fell 6-5. Florida’s Hanley Ramirez and Cody Ross homered and the Marlins staved off a late rally by the Bombers, improving to 7-5 against the American League East this season – the best interleague record of any National League East team this season.
Sabathia left in the second inning with biceps tightness. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious and CC would return this past Friday night – to form no less. More on this later.
As for Alex Rodriguez, he went 1-for-4 to snap an 0-for-16 streak. Still the Yankees lost for the fourth time in five games.
Believe me now when I tell how important it is for A-Rod to hit. When he does, the Yankees win. When he doesn’t, the entire lineup suffers. His impact affects both Mark Teixeira and conversely the rest of the entire lineup. Just his presence as a potential threat when he’s doing well is enough to generate a lot of punch at the top of the lineup.
The interleague series of late for the Yankees cause a number of problems. First and foremost, you’re talking about nine straight games on the road against National League competition, which nullifies the designated hitter for New York. This past week and a half has kept Hideki Matsui on the bench since he can’t play the field the way he used to. Who ever did the scheduling for New York wasn’t kind during this road trip.
The Yankees also continue to struggle with everything that is foreign to them. Mix in the loss of the DH and A-Rod not hitting, and you’ve got a remedy for disaster.
That’s what happened last Tuesday night when the Bombers opened their series in Atlanta following the off day.
Rookie phenom Tommy Hanson dazzled for the Braves, winning his third straight. Brian McCann had two RBIs, including a solo homer and the Braves threw consecutive shutouts for the first time in four years with a 4-0 victory over the Yankees Tuesday night.
This was, in my opinion, the worst loss of their recent struggles. New York managed just four hits and left 12 runners on base as Chien-Ming Wang lost his sixth straight. By the way, he pitched very well. He just happened to be the recipient of no run support for the second straight start.
At that point, New York had lost three straight and four of six.
All of that changed Wednesday night when the Yankees broke out of their funk offensively to beat the Braves 8-4.
Sparked by manager Joe Girardi, who got tossed early, Francisco Cervelli hit an unlikely home run and A-Rod finally came through for the Yankees in snapping a three-game losing streak.
New York didn't even have a base runner through the first five innings. But Cervelli hit his first career homer to break a 14-inning scoreless drought in Atlanta, and the slumping Rodriguez managed a two-run single that put the Yankees ahead to stay in the sixth. The Yankees had scored only 18 runs in their previous seven games, losing five.
Rodriguez and the Yankees kept rolling Thursday night. A-Rod tied Reggie Jackson with his 563rd home run, and Mariano Rivera earned his 499th career save in an 11-7 victory.
The Yankees won their second straight, taking sole possession of second place in the AL East and moved four games behind Boston for the division lead.
On a side note, Boston became the quickest team to 40 wins in the AL for a third straight year earlier in the week. I still think they are the team to beat in the division and in the league.
And I’m not just saying that because of the Yankees ineptitude against them this season.
The BoSox were one win away from the World Series last year. It’s amazing how much of a role reversal it is between the Bombers and the Sox these days. Everything Boston touches seems to turn to gold. For example, Nick Green played an entire season at Triple A last year for the Yankees. This year, he goes to Boston and has done a darn good job as its everyday shortstop, filling in. The Sox lose Mike Lowell. No problem. David Ortiz falls off the face of the earth. No problem. Dice K is out of the rotation with injury. No problem, Boston is still in first place. That my friends is the mark of a champion.
Sounds a lot like the Yankees of recent yesteryear. You know, the teams under Joe Torre. The ones that could plug any hole.
Things are different these days. The Yankees haven’t had as much good fortune. Granted, they are coming off a very good series against the Mets.
I’m not sure how much of a test the depleted Amazins were for New York, but a sweep and its fifth straight win Sunday night is good enough to remain in the thick of things as we approach the All Star break.
We covered the first two games of the series Friday and Saturday nights. Friday was historic for the Bombers as A-Rod passed Jackson on the HR list.
But the best news came from the pitching mound where Sabathia show no ill effects from his biceps tightness to stifle the Mets on three hits over seven innings. Sabathia improved to 7-4.
No one in the Yankee lineup gave CC more support than fill-in leadoff batter Brett Gardner, who raised his average 22 points to .303 with a career-high five hits, including his third homer of the season and a triple. That kid can fly. How could you not like Mr. Gardner? His speed is a welcomed addition to the lineup. If he can hit a little, he’ll man center for the Yankees the rest of the way. He brings so much to the table.
Fellow reserve Ramiro Pena had two doubles and a single as a late replacement in the starting lineup for flu-stricken Derek Jeter, sidelined by a cough and a fever.
Gardner and Pena provided some of that good bench depth I was just speaking about with Boston. You win at the major league because of 25 guys, not just the starting nine. That’s why everyone, from the last guy in the bullpen to the World Series MVP, gets a World Series ring in October. You need depth. You need character players.
These were some good signs for the Yankees – even if they came against a Met lineup ravaged by injuries.
One day after Sabathia and the bullpen combined on a three-hitter, AJ Burnett and two relievers authored a suffocating one-hitter against the punchless Mets, a 5-0 victory Saturday night in a runaway Subway Series.
Burnett finished the job, taking a no-hitter into the sixth. Check out this stat: 21 of 26 pitches were strikes with two strikes in the count (season-high 10 strikeouts).
“You can say I was inspired, definitely,” Burnett said later of taking the ball after Sabathia’s dominant performance. “I thought about his game all last night. And I've told him a handful of times over the season, 'I can't wait to throw behind you, Big Man, I can't wait.”
Sunday night, the Yankees completed the sweep. The final game of the series belonged to Mariano. Baseball's most unflappable closer became the second reliever to reach the 500-save milestone when the Yankees held off the Mets 4-2 for a Subway Series sweep.
Rivera joined Trevor Hoffman (571) in the 500-save club. It was Mo's 110th save of more than one inning pitched and his 18th career save against the Mets.
Chien-Ming Wang recorded his first win since June 15, 2008 and the Yankees outscored the Mets 18-3, out-hitting them 26-9 in the sweep.
The biggest surprise, though: Rivera drew a bases-loaded walk to add a ninth-inning insurance run.
Poor Francisco Rodriguez. First, Luis Castillo abandons him at Yankee Stadium and now this, an RBI, bases loaded walk to Mo.
The Yankees will look to continue their winning ways tonight when they welcome Seattle to the Bronx.
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