The best thing the Yankees can do tonight is forget the past two games and just play. Sounds easy when it’s typed out like that, but it’s probably a bit tougher when you’re trying to get over losing two winnable games. The Yanks simply have to start stringing together hits. All these LOBs are bad for our collective blood pressure.
The Yanks get a second chance tonight against Andy Sonnanstine. In his start on April 15, Sonnanstine allowed just two runs over five innings. He’s been roughed up quite a few times this season, and his start against the Yankees stands out as one of the better ones. The Yanks will trot out A.J. Burnett. I think we all remember his performance last time against the Rays, back on April 14.
Before we get into the lineups, some updates:
- A-Rod went 1 for 5 with a walk today. He didn’t play the field, but he did successfully slide into second. He’s going to play again tomorrow, presumably in the field. Friday can’t get here quick enough.
- According to Ken Davidoff’s Twitter feed, Brian Bruney has experienced a setback. He posted this just an hour ago, so it seems different than the news we got yesterday. Hopefully this is nothing too serious. We’ll try to update, but I’m sure if there’s news the YES crew will have it.
- Finally, we bid farewell to Newsday beat writer Kat O’Brien. She covered her final game last night. She’s moving onto some school I’ve never heard of — University of Pennsylvania or something like that — to pursue an MBA/MA in International Affairs. Best of luck to Kat; she’s an RAB fave.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 3B
4. Hideki Matsui, DH
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Melky Cabrera, CF
8. Ramiro Pena, 3B
9. Jose Molina, C
And on the mound, number thirty-four, A.J. Burnett