Game 44. Pronk saves Yanks in 9th, they win in 10, 6-4.

The Yanks gave CC leads, but he couldn’t hold them. In the end, Travis Hafner tied the game in the 9th and gave the Yanks an insurance run in the 10th as the Yanks improved to 28-16 with a 6-4, 10-inning win over Baltimore.

Mo got the save as the greatest farewell tour ever continues. 17 for 17 in saves, and just 44 games into the season. Save #625 of his career lowers his ERA under 1.50. All this at age 43. More on Mo in a bit.

Cano hit his league-leading 13th HR in the 1st to put the Yanks up 1-0. David Adams’ first MLB HR made it 2-0 in the second.

The record for HR by a second baseman in a season is 42. Rogers Hornsby and Davey Johnson (Johnson had 43 for the 1973 Braves, but one was as a PH). It looks like Cano could break that record this year.

But CC could not hold leads tonight.

Up 2-0 in the second, CC coughed up a HR. 2-1.

A double and single tied the game for the O’s in the fifth. An overzealous fan may have cost the O’s the game. I’m all for kicking fans out of the ballpark that interfere with the action. Hey, you want a ball, fork over $11 or so at a sporting goods store. Instead, this fan’s interference on a double held the runner at third, and may have cost the Orioles the game. Keep your hands to yourself and don’t interfere on fair balls, will ya? Anyway, it worked out great for the Yanks. Runner held at third due to the ground-rule double. We will see how big that turned out.

In the 7th, Overbay’s HR (7) made it 3-2. But CC couldn’t hold that either, as he left pitches up. Not to be critical, but if you are getting $23MM or so a year to be the ace, you have to hold leads. Instead, CC coughed it up, giving two right back. Really, CC has been decent this year, but NOT the ace. That has been Kuroda.

CC 6 1/3, 4 R, 11 H, 0 walks, 2 K. Not dominant. ERA to 3.43.

To the 9th, and the Yanks were losing 4-3. Hafner, who earlier in the game was out in front just a hair too early in missing a 3-run HR, went the other way and tied the game up with HR #8.

Meanwhile, the Yanks bullpen shut things down after CC left. Shawn Kelley 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk and all 3 outs via the K. ERA to 5.40.

Robertson (W 3-0, 2.95) the 9th. 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks and 2 K.

In the 10th, doubles by Ichiro and Wells put the Yanks up 5-4 and a single by Hafner was insurance.

Enter Sandman. Mo’s 17th save (out of 17) iced it. At 43, he is 17 for 17 in saves, #625 of his career is a 1-2-3 inning. ERA to 1.47.

Tell me again why he is retiring? For he is going out on top of his game.

 

Game 44. The lineup.

A different look, as the Grandy Man leads off and plays CF (Gardner getting a day off), and newly acquired Reid Brignac is at SS.

The Yanks are in 1st by one game over Boston. 27-16, three games better than their Pythagorean record. The pitching is what is doing it for them. OPS+ 95 (100 is average), ERA+ 119.

BA/HR/RBI  SB/attempts  Comments  Team Leader  *League Leader

1. Granderson CF .267-0-0  1/1  60   4 for 15 since return. 5th game.   
2. Cano 2B .295-12*-31 2/2 138
3. Wells LF .286-10-23  4/5   126
4. Hafner DH .260-7-20  1/1  142
5. Overbay 1B .259-6-24  0/0  104
6. Nix 3B .232-1-9  2/2  63 
Adams gets a day off against the knuckleballer, Dickey 
7. Suzuki RF .241-2-8  5/6  65
Expect his playing time to decrease. The OF most likely will be Wells, Gardner & the Grandyman.   2639 MLB hits
8. Brignac SS .250-1-6  0/0  70  with Colorado. 1st game as a Yankee.
      Career .228; 162 g. ave. .228-6-41, OPS+ 63
9. Romine C .182-0-2  0/0  32    4 for 22; 10th game this year.
                  Career 7 for 41, .171, OPS+ 16  
         
Sabathia P 4-3, 3.19  ERA+ 131   Seeking career win #196.     

Game 39. Yanks come back to win 4-3.

I only wish I could have watched it. I couldn’t. CC vs. King Felix. A  matchup of aces, and after six innings, it didn’t look good for the Yanks as they were down 3-0.

But they came back to win 4-3.

Curtis Granderson was activated off the DL today, played LF and hit cleanup. Travis Hafner will be out a couple of days with a sore shoulder. Vernon Wells Dh’d tonight. To make room for Granderson, Vidal Nuno was sent back to AAA.

Sending Nuno down serves a few purposes. For one, he won’t be able to pitch for a few days anyway. For another, yesterday was the first day he pitched in almost two weeks. Lastly, sending him back enables him to start and stay stretched out in case the Yanks need an emergency starter.

So it is CC vs. King Felix. Seattle scores an unearned run in the second, when with two outs, Kyle Seager doubles home a baserunner who had reached on an Overbay error.

In the sixth, CC gave up a 2-run HR to our old buddy, Raul Ibanez. 3-0 Seattle with King Felix on the mound. It did not look good.

But the Mariners pulled King Felix Hernandez after six. The Yanks then pounced on the M’s bullpen to win the game.

CC went 6 1/3, 3 R, 2 ER, 10 H, 2 walks and 10 K. He gets the ND, ERA to 3.19.

Meanwhile, King Felix struck out 8 in 6 IP.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Yanks started their comeback. Down 3-0, a single by Cano and eventual double by Overbay cut it to 3-1. Hernandez was then pulled after six and the Yanks took advantage, winning the game against the M’s bullpen.

In the seventh, the Yanks scored three to win the game. After Hernandez was pulled after six, Chris Nelson led off the seventh with a single. A WP (Romine K’d) and a walk to Gardner put men on 1st and 2nd, one out, whereupon Robbie Cano (Best Yanks 2B EVER? Better than HOFers Lazzeri and Gordon, not to mention Randolph?) doubled to tie the game. After walks to Wells (intentional) and Granderson, Lyle Overbay got a SF that was the game-winner.

Kelley 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks and 1 K. (W, 2-0, 5.87).

D-Rob the 8th. 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk and 1 K. 2.76.

Then the 9th to the G.O.A.T.  (Greatest of All-Time). Mo is now 16 for 16 in saves this year (only 39 games in!) and it’s his 624th all-time. His ERA drops to 1.56.

Some farewell tour at the age of 43. Really.

The Yanks will have some decisions to make soon. What do you do with Overbay once Teix returns? Who do you send down when Joba returns, Claiborne (who’s done well) or Kelley? What happens when Jeter, Youk or A-rod return? David Adams is due up tomorrow. Who goes? Nelson?

Things will be VERY INTERESTING regarding roster moves.

Game 33. Yanks outlast rain, win 3-1.

Well, the Yanks may have CC to pitch in that DH on Monday at Cleveland. That is, if he can go on three days rest. It isn’t irrational to think that, since because of rain, he only went four innings today.

A two-hour rain delay kept CC to only four innings, but it enabled rookie Adam Warren to pick up his first MLB win as the Yanks won 3-1 over the Rockies this afternoon to go to 20-13 on the season.

The Yanks scored a run in the first on a Vernon Wells single. Nix had walked with one out and had moved up on a groundout.

CC gave the run right back in the bottom of the first on a walk, single and SF.

In the third, Robbie Cano singled for his 1500th hit. 1500 to go, Robbie!

The Yanks went ahead in the fourth on a double by Chris Nelson, a groundout and a SF by Chris Stewart. After the bottom of the fourth, the game was delayed.

CC 4 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 walk and 2 K. ERA to 3.23.

Adam Warren 1 2/3, 0 R, 0 H, 2 walks and 0 K. ERA to 1.84. First major league win.

Robbie hit a HR in the fifth, his 9th of the season, and that was all the scoring.

Girardi used five relievers after that rain delay knocked CC out of the game. After Warren,

Logan faced one batter. 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks and 0 K. 3.00.

Preston Claiborne’s third MLB game. 2/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 walks and 0 K. ERA still 0.00.

David Robertson 1 1/3, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk and 3 K. 3.21.

… and you-know-who for the 9th. Save #13 of the season (13 for 13) and #621 of his career for the great Rivera.

The Yanks had six hits. Wells and Cano 2 H, 1 RBI each.

Gm 28. Yanks shut out 2-0.

CC basically lost this game on his very first pitch, which was hit for a HR, for the Yanks scored nothing tonight.

How banged up are the Yankees? Consider this. The Yanks batted Ichiro fifth tonight. Fifth. When I think of fifth I think of Tino, Moose, Bob Meusel, Chambliss …. guys that have power. No offense to Ichiro, but not a guy like him.

The Yanks lost 2-0. CC went six, 2 R, 8 H, 2 walks and 6 K. He falls to 4-3, 3.31.

Adam Warren finished up with 3 scoreless IP. ERA to 2.08.

Gardner & Nix had two hits each.

Gm. 23. CC brings “c” game but Pronk brings “A” game. Yanks win 5-4.

CC was just average, giving up 4 R, 3 Er, in 8 IP, but Travis Hafner drove in 4—all vs. lefties— as the Yanks won 5-4 on Saturday.

CC gave up a run in the 3rd and two in the 4th (one on a Bautista HR) to fall behind 3-0 after 3 1/2.

But Travis Hafner, making a rare start against a lefty, tied the game with a 3-run blast in the bottom of the 3rd. HR #6 tied the game.

Brett Lawrie HR’d in the 6th to put Toronto up 4-3 but the Yanks got two in the 7th.

With one out, Robbie Cano doubled. Vernon Wells singled to tie the game and that man again, Travis Hafner, tripled in the eventual game-winner.

CC gutted it out for 8, despite struggling. 8 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 9h, no walks and 4K. He goes to 4-2, 3.35.

Mo was unavailable today. We have to remember that he is 43 and needs rest. Joba in the 9th for the save. It wasn’t easy (life w/out Mo) but 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 walks, 1 K for Joba. Save #1 and ERA to  3.86.

The Yanks go to 14-9. Hughes starts Sunday, game on TBS.

Gm 18. Yanks 2-hit in 5-1 loss. Storm clouds brewing.

The Yanks lost 5-1 tonight, but there are more bad stuff brewing underneath that loss.

For one thing, the Yanks only got two hits tonight, both by Robbie Cano, one a HR (6) for their only run.

The lineup tonight was weak. Very weak. Kevin Youkilis was a late scratch due to a tight back. As a result, you had, against a lefty pitcher, a lineup of Gardner (a lefty hitter), Francisco (.091 after tonight), Cano (who, despite being a lefty, got both Yankees hits, one a HR), Wells, Cervelli (no offense to him, but he is NOT a #5 hitter), Boesch, a lefty, subbing for another lefty who is not hitting—Ichiro. Nunez, who isn’t hitting, Overbay a lefty in there only because Youk has a tight back, and Nix.

How do the Yanks miss Jeter? Nunez is now at .167. How do they miss Teix? Against lefty starters, Youk goes to first and Nix plays 3B. Nix is at .194. Replace Jeter and A-Rod with Nunez and Nix and so far, no good. Youk has been ok in replacing Teix. But tonight, no Youk. Overbay instead. Not only that, against a lefty pitcher, it’s Francisco instead of Hafner.

Add Francisco’s .091 and Nunez, .167, Nix .194 and if I were another team, I’d save up my lefties to face the Yankees.

I can only hope that Mustelier gets well soon, hits at AAA and takes Francisco’s place soon.

Not only that, they need the switch-hitting Teix back soon… and esp. vs. lefty pitching.

CC had nothing early on. His 1st inning went: K, HR, K, single, triple, HR, groundout. Down 4-0 after 1.

He did give up another HR later. 7 IP, 5 R, 7 H, 2 w, 8 K. But with the Yanks’ offense tonight, they were dead after CC gave up 4 in the 1st. He falls to 3-2, 3.34.

Adam Warren pitched a scoreless inning, getting some much-needed work.

Besides that problem with lefty starters, the Yanks could have another problem.

From ESPN:

The spokeswoman for Robinson Cano‘s foundation is listed as having been a client of the Biogenesis clinic last summer, although she denies having received anything from the clinic and says Cano “definitely never did.”

Major League Baseball, however, has possession of a Biogenesis client roster that lists the spokeswoman, Sonia Cruz, and is investigating whether Cano had any relationship to the clinic, sources familiar with MLB’s investigation told “Outside the Lines.”

Cano has denied knowing clinic founder Tony Bosch or having ever used performance-enhancing drugs. But as his best friend, Melky Cabrera, his mentor, Alex Rodriguez, and now his spokeswoman have all been connected to clinic documents, MLB wants to know whether any relationship between Cano and the clinic exists.

Of course, I hope Robbie is innocent. But you know what they say… where there is smoke, there is fire…

Gm 13. Pronk! Hafner’s PH HR wins it, 4-3.

The Yanks entered the bottom of the 7th down 3-0, but came back for a 4-3 win.

CC went 8, 3 R, 6 H, 1 walk and 6 K. He improves to 3-1, 2.57.

Mo got career save #612 with a 1-2-3 9th. Save #4 for the year brings his 2013 ERA to 1.80. Typical Mo.

The Yanks were down 3-0 going into the bottom of the 7th, but Francisco singled with one out (his first hit of the year), and with two out, Boesch doubled. Nunez walked to load the bases and Nix walked to force in a run. Gardner then hit a 2-run single to tie the game.

In the 8th, with two out, Hafner hit a PH HR for the game-winner.

The Yanks are now 8-5 after a 1-4 start.

Gm 9. Triple Play and a huge error help Yanks win 5-2

For only the second time since 1968 (when Mickey Mantle and Bobby Cox were involved), the Yanks turned a triple play, and that, combined with an Orioles error that allowed 3 runs to score, enabled the Yanks to win 5-2.

The Yanks’ 4th straight win upped their record to 5-4 and put them in a tie for first with Boston this early in the season.

CC  (W, 2-1) went 8, giving up 2 R, 1 ER, and Mo (S, 2) nailed down save #610 of his career.

Both teams scored in the third, the Yanks run coming when Gardner walked and both Cano and Youkilis singled.

The Yanks went up in the fifth by playing smallball. Cervelli walked, Gardner bunted him over, and Cano singled him in.

Baltimore tied it in the top of the seventh thanks to a balk by CC after an error by Youkilis.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Yanks got a huge break that enabled them to win the game. With the bases loaded and two out, Vernon Wells hit a ball to deep center that Adam Jones flat out dropped for an error. All three runs scored. All three runners reached via walk or HBP. 3 runs on no hits.

In the top of the eighth, the Orioles had two on and none out. Manny Machado grounded to Cano, who flipped to Nix for the force. Nix then fired to third, and Alexi Casilla was caught in a rundown. After Casilla was tug out for the second out, Machado was thrown out trying to advance to second during the rundown. 4-6-5-6-5-3-4.

TRIPLE PLAY!

Yanks SS Eduardo Nunez had to leave the game after getting HBP. Luckily, x-rays were negative. Bruised wrist.

Speaking of HBP, Carlos Carrasco of Cleveland got an 8-gm. suspension for hitting Youk in Cleveland earlier this week after Cano touched Carrasco for an HR.

… meanwhile, did you see the fracas in the Dodger/Padres game where Carlos Quentin charged the mound and broke Zach Greinke’s collarbone after Quentin was HBP? He should have received more than an 8-game suspension.

Andy Pettitte will be pushed back a few days after experiencing back spasms. It’ll be Hughes on Saturday and Kuroda on Sunday.

Game 6. Yanks shut out Tigers, 7-0

CC pitched 7 scoreless, and D-Rob and Mo finished the job as the Yanks shut out Detroit 7-0 to improve to 2-4 for the season.

Francisco Cervelli, Jayson Nix (HR) and Kevin Youkilis drove in two runs apiece.

The Yanks touched Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander for 3 in the 2d. Vernon Wells walked, and after a forceout by Ichiro, Cervelli doubled Ichiro home. After an out, Nix got his first hit of the season, a 2-run HR.

The Yanks added two in the 8th when with one out, Hafner walked and Wells doubled PR Nunez to 3rd. Ichiro got a SF and Cervelli singled in a run.

Youkilis 2-run single in the 9th wrapped up the scoring.

Youkilis and Cervelli each had 2 hits with their 2 RBI, and Nix had 3 hits to go with his 2 RBI.