But Mike, the Yankees are 32 games over .500 and haven’t been under .500 since May 13th!
Well, yeah, but a win today would be the club’s 81st win of the season, guaranteeing them a .500 record or better for the 14th consecutive season. Without looking it up, I think it’s safe to say that’s the longest active streak in the majors. The Yanks were the first team in baseball to reach the 80 win plateau this year thanks to their win last night; the two LA clubs are both sitting on 76 wins. If things go right, the Yanks could surpass their 2008 win total of 89 in about two weeks.
On to the injury news. Jorge Posada is getting another day off to rest his bruised ring finger, so Jose Molina’s behind the plate again. If worse comes to worst, Jerry Hairston Jr. is the emergency catcher. September callups are just three games away, so hopefully Molina can hold down the fort until Frankie Cervelli comes back. No point in risking a more severe injury to Posada when the team has a six game lead with 34 games to go.
As for Brett Gardner, he experienced “a little soreness or pain” while hitting off a tee, and Mark Feinsand says it’s unlikely he’ll get into a rehab game before the minor league season ends on Sept. 8th. It’s a shame, because Melky has been teh suck lately.
Here’s the lineup that will face our old buddy Jose Contreras this afternoon:
Jeter, SS
Damon, LF
Teixeira, 1B
A-Rod, 3B
Matsui, DH
Swisher, RF
Cano, 2B
Hairston, CF
Molina, C
And on the mound, Sergio Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitre.
The weather’s ugly but it’s not raining, so it looks like they’ll get this one in. If you’re going out to the Stadium, I feel bad for you. That pitching matchup is as bad as it gets.