Yankees baseball blog

With stunning defeat, all seems lost for Yanks

It is fair to say whatever lingering hope Yankee legions held out for some sort of miraculous Colorado Rockies-like comeback charge into October by this underperforming Yankee team sufficiently dissolved in the aftermath of Robbie Cano's fateful flip in the seventh inning Saturday.

There could be no worse, no more disheartening loss than this one. Not when you're leading by four runs going into the seventh inning. Not when you're still leading after the seventh inning - a situation in which the Yankees were 58-1 this season. And even not when you get the first two runners on base in the ninth inning against a clearly shaky Toronto Blue Jays closer, B.J. Ryan. Continue

Yanks coffin' up any wild hopes

There are 11 games remaining in the current Yankee Stadium, but forget the nostalgia for a minute. How many of these Yankees actually will make it across the street to open the new building next season? The list of sure bets to return is shrinking with each defeat.

Yesterday, most Yankees fans wouldn't have minded sending Robinson Cano , among others, on a permanent vacation. But this wasn't all on Cano. Alex Rodriguez failed to deliver in the ninth, Darrell Rasner was decent, just not good enough, and the bullpen sloppy in a 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays at the Stadium. Continue

Traffic delays A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez might want to invest in a helicopter to go with the earplugs he needs to drown out the Yankee Stadium boos. The slumping third baseman was a late arrival to the ballpark yesterday after getting caught in Labor Day weekend traffic, according to manager Joe Girardi. Players were required to report at 4 p.m., but Rodriguez was not on the field when the team began stretching about 40 minutes later. "I'm going to give [Rodriguez] a better way to come," Girardi said after the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 2-1 last night. Continue

Carl Pavano earns second win, Yankees beat Blue Jays 2-1

The man who has been more punchline than pitcher through much of his tenure in pinstripes suddenly has everyone's attention in Yankeeland - and not because of some new injury or misadventure. Carl Pavano, Yankee savior? So far, he is taking advantage of the opportunity. "Better late than never, I guess," Pavano said.

Making just his 21st start in four years with the Bombers, Pavano threw six strong innings and outdueled Yankee nemesis A.J. Burnett Friday night in a 2-1 victory over Toronto. It was his second win in two starts since returning to the majors. After he fanned Alex Rios with a slider to end the sixth, Pavano left the mound to wild cheers, bringing the fans near the Yankee dugout to their feet. Continue

Baby boss: don't blame Joe

Life in the honeymoon suite sure is sweet. Hank Steinbrenner yesterday said the entire Yankees organization is at fault for the team's unacceptable showing in the standings, with one notable exception: Joe Girardi isn't part of the problem, according to the Baby Boss. "As far as Girardi is concerned, who I think is brilliant, this is his first year and he's had to play the hand he was dealt," Steinbrenner said during the Yankees' 3-2 victory over the Red Sox at the Stadium. Continue

Jason Giambi saves season with two big hits as Yankees beat Red Sox

Withs seven outs to go in Thursday's finale against the Red Sox, it looked like the Yankees were sleepwalking their way to a meaningless September.

Jon Lester had manhandled the Bombers all afternoon, limiting them to four harmless singles over the first 6-2/3 innings. Two batters, one pitching change and one massive swing later, the game was tied and the Yankees were breathing new life. Jason Giambi's pinch-hit, two-run homer off Hideki Okajima tied the game, setting up Giambi's game-winning single off Jonathan Papelbon with the bases loaded in the ninth. Continue

Too little, too late for A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez got the boo birds off his case last night, but the stench from his performance a day earlier was still prevalent in the Stadium. Two doubles, too little too late. At this point, it probably doesn't matter: The Yankees fell seven games behind the Red Sox in the wild-card race after last night's 11-3 loss to Boston, a deficit that even a torrid Rodriguez isn't going to erase.

A month that began with the Yankees a legitimate AL East title contender has become a disaster, and Rodriguez's pedestrian .250 batting average in August is part of the wreckage. Rodriguez stroked an RBI double against Paul Byrd in the first inning last night and then doubled leading off the fourth before scoring the Yanks' second run. Where was that a night earlier? Continue

Yankees' playoff hopes get slammed in dismal 11-3 to loss to Red Sox

The Yankees needed a Boston Massacre to get themselves back into the playoff race. Instead, they were victimized in a Bronx bloodbath that has likely ended their playoff hopes.

With Hank Steinbrenner watching from the owner's box for the first time since Opening Day, the Yankees were handed yet another humiliating defeat, dropping an 11-3 decision to the rival Red Sox. "All I can think about is this game at this point," Steinbrenner said when asked if his team's playoff hopes were finished. "We'll see what happens (today), but the bottom line is they sucked." Continue

Big game Andy thing of the past

In a way, it's better for the Yankees that it ends this way. There is no more false hope, and the road to the future is clearly marked. Reality hit the Bombers in the face last night just like the 10 hits and six runs the Red Sox scored against Andy Pettitte over 42/3 innings in the pitiful 7-3 loss to Boston at Yankee Stadium. Before the game manager Joe Girardi made the usual reference to Pettitte being a big game pitcher.

Big Game Andy is no more. Big Game Yankees are history, too. It's time for the Yankees to move on in so many ways. Pettitte was out-pitched by Tim Wakefield, who just came off the disabled list. Continue

A-Rod goes 0-for-5, strikes out twice as Yankees fall to Red Sox, 7-3

Just call him Double Play-Rod. Last year, Alex Rodriguez carried the Yankees to a spot in the postseason. Tuesday night, he put them on his back and began the march toward a baseball-less October in the Bronx with one of the worst games of his career.

A-Rod set the tone in a dismal 7-3 loss to the Red Sox, going 0-for-5 with an error, two strikeouts and two double plays, one of which killed the Yankees' best chance at a comeback. "It was an awful night," Rodriguez said after making the final out by striking out against Jonathan Papelbon. "For me, personally, it was a long night. I pretty much screwed it up any way you can screw it up." Continue