Yankees baseball blog

Joba gets it done

The debate may never go away, but Joba Chamberlain showed the world Wednesday night that the Yankees may know what they are doing after all.

Chamberlain dominated the Tigers in an 8-6 Yankees win, holding Detroit to one run on three hits over seven innings - matching his career-high - to lead the Bombers (11-10) back over the .500 mark with their second straight victory.

Chamberlain, whose only other seven-inning outing was his memorable 1-0 win over Josh Beckett at Fenway last July 25, walked three and struck out six on 88 pitches. Continue

Hughes comes up huge for Yanks

Phil Hughes made his return to the majors Tuesday night at Comerica Park. Judging by the way he pitched, he has no intention of returning to the minors ever again.

The 22-year-old righthander threw six dazzling innings in his season debut to lead the Yankees to an 11-0 win over the Tigers and snap the Bombers' four-game losing streak.

Hughes held Detroit to two hits and two walks, striking out six for his first win since Sept.27, 2007. Continue

C.C. better, but not good enough for win

With the frenetic atmosphere of Fenway Park in the rearview mirror following their weekend sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, the Yankees were hoping to find their groove Monday night in the open spaces of Comerica Park.

No such luck.

The skid continued with a 4-2 loss to the Tigers, as CC Sabathia failed to snap the Yankees out of their slump despite a workmanlike effort. Their fourth straight loss dropped the Yankees to 9-10, the first time they have been below .500 since they were 3-4 on April 13. Continue

Yanks swept by Sox

Andy Pettitte stood on the mound, his eyes wide and his expression a mixture of shock and panic.

Had he really just let Jacoby Ellsbury steal home?

Pettitte had been sharp until the fifth inning. Then, with the bases loaded, two outs and the Red Sox leading by a run, the lefthander stood facing first base as he prepared to deliver a pitch to J.D. Drew. Ellsbury took off from third and was two-thirds of the way to the plate by the time Pettitte - working from the windup - realized it.

He tried to rush a throw home to Jorge Posada, but it was too late as Ellsbury slid in headfirst before Posada had the ball. The Fenway Park crowd was electrified, giving Ellsbury such a lengthy standing ovation that he had to pop out of the dugout for a curtain call. Continue

Yanks blow 6-0 lead, lose to Red Sox 16-11

Jason Varitek hit a grand slam, Mike Lowell drove in six runs and the Boston Red Sox earned their biggest comeback victory against the Yankees since 1968, beating the Bombers 16-11 Saturday for their ninth straight win.

Boston was trailing 6-0 before its offense got untracked with five runs in the fourth inning. Lowell hit a three-run homer in the seventh to put the Red Sox ahead for good, then added a three-run double in the eighth after the Yankees again walked Friday night's star Jason Bay in front of him. Continue

Yanks bullpen can't close it

Friday night's loss to the Red Sox turned out to be the least of the Yankees' problems, as the injury bug ravaged the Bombers' clubhouse in a major way.

Following the 5-4, 11-inning loss to Boston, the Yankees announced that Chien-Ming Wang and Cody Ransom were headed for the disabled list, with Brian Bruney potentially joining them as soon as today.

The sting and shock of Kevin Youkilis' walkoff home run - which came two innings after Jason Bay stunned Mariano Rivera with a game-tying, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth - had barely worn off when Joe Girardi announced that Wang (hips) and Ransom (right quad) were headed for the DL. But it was the news on Bruney that seemed to come out of nowhere - and may have been largely responsible for the loss. Continue

Ortiz has message for Joba

David Ortiz has sent a warning to tonight's Yankees starter, Joba Chamberlain, not to throw at the Red Sox. Ortiz particularly warned him to watch out for Kevin Youkilis. In comments to reporters Wednesday, Ortiz talked about the fact that Chamberlain has come up and in on Youkilis four times in the past two years, including consecutive pitches that sailed over his head in August 2007 and got him suspended for two games.

"None of that, man," Ortiz told reporters. "Just play the game the way it's supposed to be, and that's about it. This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."

Ortiz said this series will not seem like a typical Yankees-Red Sox series - not without A-Rod. Said Ortiz: "You don't have the best player in the game in your lineup, it makes it different." Continue

Yanks outlast A's, CC not impressive

Melky Cabrera has packed a lot of ups and downs into a short career. Once the Yankees' starting center fielder, Cabrera was banished to the minors last season. Then, given a chance to reclaim his job this spring, Cabrera was nosed out by Brett Gardner.

When Joe Girardi opted for Gardner over Cabrera, the manager insisted Cabrera would be needed across the course of the season.

Yesterday, Girardi couldn't have been more right. The second of Cabrera's two homers sent the Yankees to a 9-7 win over the A's in 14 innings and ended a 4-hour, 57-minute marathon that was played in front of an announced Yankee Stadium crowd of 43,342. Continue

Pettitte solid in Yankees win

Forget about the record-setting home run binge or the wind tunnels that dominated the headlines following the first weekend at the new Yankee Stadium. For Andy Pettitte, it felt like old times.

Pettitte tossed seven solid innings Tuesday night in his first start at the Bombers' new home, leading the Yankees to a 5-3 win over the A's. Pettitte gave up two runs on nine hits, none of them leaving the ballpark. Continue

Posada's controversial home run helps Yanks rebound

As soon as the mad scramble for the ball at the right-field fence had ended, Joe Girardi dashed down the dugout steps to the video room to watch a replay of Jorge's seventh-inning drive, the key moment of Yankees-Indians Sunday at the Stadium.

Each time he saw the play, a 33-year-old fan named Brian Doyle and Indians outfielder Trevor Crowe converge in a tangle of gloves, wall padding and horsehide, Girardi was more convinced Posada had just hit a home run. Other Yankees poured into the room and agreed. Continue