Source: FanGraphs

For the first time this season, the Yankees have won five games in a row. They finished up a three-game sweep of the Athletics with a 2-0 win on Sunday and are now just two back of first place in the AL East in the loss column. Let’s recap…

• My Kuroda: Bartolo Colon threw a complete game shutout in Oakland on Memorial Day last season, and Hiroki Kuroda nearly matched him on Sunday. He threw eight shutout innings (104 pitches) on Memorial Day eve, allowing just four singles and one walk. Things got a little hairy with men on corners and one out in the seven, but Kuroda escaped the jam (strikeout, fly out) and didn’t face another stressful situation all afternoon. I know the Athletics can’t hit, but a great start is a great start. Go Hiroki.
• Andruw & Tex: The Yankees only needed one run but got two. Andruw Jones launched a mammoth homer to left-center on the first pitch of the second inning, then Mark Teixeira doubled in Curtis Granderson from first for an insurance run in the seventh. It was Teixeira’s second double of the afternoon and his seventh extra-base hit in the last six games. He’s suddenly hitting .254/.312/.467 on the season, and that ain’t half bad.
• RISPFAIL: Despite the win, the Yankees went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and couldn’t push a run across despite having the bases loaded with one out in the first. Five of the first eight hitters they sent to the plate reached base, but just five of the final 29 reached after that. Everyone in the starting lineup had exactly one hit except for Teixeira (two doubles), Robinson Cano (a walk), and Chris Stewart (nothing). Granderson drew a walk in addition to his single.
• Leftovers: Rafael Soriano struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the save, but we’re still awaiting that first 1-2-3 inning of the season … Teixeira turned a sweet 3-6 double play following a leadoff single in the fifth … Andruw was left in to face a righty in the late innings, so it’s not just Raul Ibanez being left in to face lefties. Both platoon DHs are being left in the game to face pitchers of the same hand in the late innings. In a two-run game, I think you’ve got to give Raul a chance to run into one in that spot.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the advanced stats, and ESPN the updated standings. The Yankees are headed down to Anaheim for a three-game set with the Angels starting Monday night, when Phil Hughes matches up against Jered Weaver.

Source: FanGraphs

Can the Yankees play the Athletics all the time? Must be nice to be in the AL West, huh? The Yankees won their fourth straight with a 9-2 drubbing of Oakland on Saturday, giving them 26 runs in their last four games. They’d scored 25 runs in their previous nine games combined (two wins, seven losses). Let’s recap…

• Tex Power: With two homers (one to right, one to left-center) and two singles (one through the teeth of the shift), Mark Teixeira is now the proud owner of a 104 wRC+. It took 46 games, but he’s finally producing at a rate better than the league average. Tex has hit three homers in the first two games of the series and four in his last ten games. Welcome to 2012, buddy. We’ve missed you.
• CC Power: It wasn’t CC Sabathia‘s best outing — two runs in the first three innings, including a solo homer by lefty Josh Reddick — but he settled down well and retired 11 of the final 12 men he faced on just 40 pitches (3.33 P/PA) after throwing 69 pitches to the first 18 batters (3.83 P/PA). His fastball command was off again and I can’t help but wonder if it’s related to the weight loss, like it’s throwing off his delivery or something. Sabathia had a similar issue last season before packing on a few pounds during the summer. That said, I’ll take two runs in seven innings all season.
• Misc. Power: Robinson Cano hit his second homer in as many games, third in four games, and fourth in eight games. He doubled and singled as well. Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, and Eric Chavez all had two hits apiece though Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez could only muster one walk each. Raul Ibanez didn’t reach base at all. The Yankees couldn’t do anything wrong offensively, they pushed runs across with singles and a sacrifice fly then blew it open late with the long ball. Should make everyone happy.
• Leftovers: Wasn’t a fan of Chris Stewart‘s third inning bunt (surprise, surprise), but Jeter managed to single through the drawn in infield so it didn’t really matter … Cory Wade struck out two in a perfect eighth inning while Cody Eppley walked one in an otherwise uneventful ninth … the Yankees scored runs in six of nine innings, roughing up former teammate Bartolo Colon for six runs in his six innings … Granderson got caught stealing for the third time in four chances this year (what’s up with that?).

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated standings. The Yankees will look to complete the sweep on Sunday afternoon behind Hiroki Kuroda. Soft-tossing left-hander they’ve never seen before Tom Milone stands in their way.

Source: FanGraphs

The winning streak has reached three games, believe it or not. Given how terrible the Yankees looked at this time last week, I’ll take it. I don’t care how bad the opposing teams are. Let’s recap…

• Quality Start: Ivan Nova pitched well but he’s still not right, at least not when compared to the guy he was down the stretch last year. Maybe we should stop holding him to that standard. Nova allowed three runs — two on solo homers — in seven innings, striking out four and walking one. He still tends to miss his spot by a not small margin and quite frankly, Ivan’s got a little A.J. Burnett in him right now. That said, I’ll obviously take three runs in seven innings all season long.
• Dingers: Although the first run of the game came when Coco Crisp over-ran a Robinson Cano line drive, the Yankees did most of their damage with the long ball. Mark Teixeira launched a two-run shot to right in the third inning, Cano led off the fifth with a rocket to center, and Nick Swisher drove in a pair with an opposite field shot a few batters later. Teixeira’s ball had the most height but Cano’s shot was the most impressive, out to dead center on a line.
• More Offense: Two Yankees went hitless on the night (Derek Jeter and Eric Chavez) while five had two hits apiece (Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, Teixeira, Raul Ibanez, and Swisher). Chavez did draw a walk however, as did Granderson and Russell Martin. It’s probably worth noting that Teixeira doubled but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. He now has 12 hits (four doubles, two homer) and five walks in his last 47 plate appearances to raise his season line to .231/.294/.406. That still stinks, but it’s better than the .212/.269/.364 line he had before this little hot streak.
• Leftovers: Left-handed batters vs. A’s starter Tyson Ross: 9-for-15 with three doubles, three homers, and two walks … Granderson had a pair of opposite field singles, only his sixth and seventh hits to left field this year … A-Rod stole his team-leading sixth base after swiping just eight in the last two years combined … Boone Logan (one strikeout) and Rafael Soriano (two strikeouts and one double allowed) threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively … Oakland’s bullpen retired 14 of 16 batters faced … Ibanez was left in to face a lefty in the late innings yet again … Chavez heard some boos, which is incredibly weak on the part of the A’s fans.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated standings. About 700 lbs. worth of pitcher meet tomorrow when CC Sabathia and Bartolo Colon give it a go in game two of this three-game weekend set on Saturday afternoon.

It’s been a while, but the Yankees final have themselves a winning streak. Wednesday night’s 8-3 win over the Royals gave them the series victory and their second straight win, ensuring that we’ll all feel good during Thursday’s scheduled day off.

A-Bombs the best type of bomb. (REUTERS/Adam Hunger)

Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It

There, there’s your requisite Will Smith pun. Anyway, the rookie left-hander did not find Yankee Stadium to be a welcoming place for his big league debut despite the Yankees’ reputation for struggling against southpaws they’ve never seen before. The second batter he faced (Curtis Granderson) hit a solo homer to right after trying to bunt for a hit not once, but twice. Smith followed that off by walking Mark Teixeira and giving up another homer to Alex Rodriguez. Being down three runs in the first is less than ideal debut.

The Yankees were relentless, scoring two more runs in the third when Derek Jeter trotted home on Teixeira’s double play ball and A-Rod hit his second homer of the night. Alex equaled his homer total from his previous 108 plate appearances in his first two at-bats on Wednesday. Smith’s debut ended with the three homers and five runs allowed after just 3.1 IP. That was all the Yankees would need because…

Dandy Again

(REUTERS/Adam Hunger)

So, what do you think about Andy Pettitte‘s chances in the Comeback Player of the Year race? The veteran southpaw tossed seven strong innings against the Royals, allowing two runs on a pair of solo homers. The other five hits he allowed were totally weak, I mean three infield singles and two bloops. Pettitte struck out eight and got ten outs on the ground compared to three in the air. He threw 98 total pitches and 71 strikes (72.4%), which is crazypants.

We’re only three starts into Andy’s comeback, but this is remarkable. He not only looks like he never took a year off, he actually looks better than he did in 2010. Perhaps all the time off allowed his body to recuperate? Whatever it is, Pettitte looks marvelous. He’s throwing everything for strikes and has been better than anyone could have realistically expected when he announced his return.

(Al Bello/Getty Images)

Tack-on Runs

The Yankees scored their five runs off Smith and then tacked on a few more off the bullpen. Their three-run rally in the fifth consisted of exactly one hit, and that was a bunt single by Jeter two batters into the inning. Jayson Nix led off by getting hit a pitch, Jeter singled and went to second on a throwing error on the same play, then Curtis Granderson walked, Teixeira walked (run scores), A-Rod grounded out (force at home), Robinson Cano grounded out (run scores), Nick Swisher got hit by a pitch to reload the bases, then Andruw Jones drew a walk to force in the third run.

Did they get the big hit with runners in scoring position? No, but it’s really hard to complain with that rally. They worked three different pitchers pretty hard, drew a bunch of walks, leaned into some inside pitches, and kept the pressure on for three outs. Rallies like this were ending after five or six pitches because guys were anxiously hacking away over the last few weeks, but sitting back and letting the pitcher work himself into trouble in what the Yankees do best when they’re right. This was the first time they looked like themselves in weeks.

(Al Bello/Getty Images)

Leftovers

Underrated moment: Mark Teixeira’s diving 3-6-3 double play to end the third. The Royals had men on the corners with one out and were threatening to make it a game, but the double play ended the inning and preserved the three-run lead. It was a beaut.

David Phelps took over for Pettitte and allowed one run in two innings to wrap things up, though I swear he seems to fall behind every hitter (first pitch strikes to four of eight batters faced). It felt like he was in a three-ball count all night. He’s going to have to clean that up if he wants more responsibility.

A-Rod’s two-homer game was the 60th of his career, the seventh most all time. Jeter (two singles and a double) and Granderson (single and homer) had multiple hits as well. Teixeira drew three walks, Andruw drew two, and Swisher and Granderson each drew one. Cano and Russell Martin were the only players in the lineup who failed to reach base, though Robbie hit the ball right on the screws three times and came with just a fielder’s choice to show for it.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the advanced stats, and ESPN the updated standings.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next

The Yankees are off on Thursday and will open a nine-game road trip in Oakland on Friday night, their first of two trips to the West Coast this season. Ivan Nova and Tyson Ross kick off that three-game series.

I’m not going to call this the biggest win of the season, but the Yankees got a much-needed win against the Royals on Tuesday night. It snapped a three-game losing skid and was just their second win in the last eight games.

Tie game. (REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

And The Yankees Take The Lead

It had been 15 innings since the Yankees held a lead prior to the fifth inning of this game. Robinson Cano cut Kansas City’s two-run lead in half with a solo homer in the fourth before the club found itself in a dreaded bases loaded, nobody out situation in the fifth. Seriously, they’ve been brutal in those spots over the last few games. Dewayne Wise‘s gorgeous bunt single loaded the bases after Mark Teixeira‘s hustle double (scored a single and an error) and a ball grazed Russell Martin‘s jersey. I’m pretty sure Wise was attempted to sacrifice, but it was just perfect. Well done, Dewayne.

The Yankees were roughly zero for their last 10,259 with runners in scoring position (actually 0-for-15) before Derek Jeter dunked a single into shallow right to tie the game. Seriously, between Wise’s bunt and Jeter’s single, it felt like a minor miracle. Curtis Granderson plated the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run with a ground out one batter later, but the Yankees failed to tack-on because Alex Rodriguez and Raul Ibanez struck out following an intentional walk to Cano. Lineup protection means little over the course of 162 games but it can have a big impact in one individual game, and that intentional walk was a prime example.

(REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

Another Strong Start

You gotta hand it to Phil Hughes, he’s really turned his season around following that brutal start. The two runs he allowed came on a double into the right field corner by Humberto Quintero — he homered off Phil to end his day in Kansas City two weeks ago — and a solo homer by Jeff Francoeur. Hughes struck out seven and walk two in his six innings, escaping a bases loaded jam in the sixth to end his night. He even got more ground ball outs (six) than fly ball outs (five).

One thing I noticed was that Phil went with his full arsenal right out of the chute. Usually a pitcher will be fastball-heavy the first time through the order, incorporate some breaking balls next time through, then break out the changeup the third time through the order, but Hughes used all three pitches in the very first at-bat of the game by Jarrod Dyson. Given all the left-handed hitters in the Royals’ lineup, it was probably a good idea. It worked, obviously. Bravo kid, keep proving me wrong.

Poor Boone. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The Eighth

The eighth inning seems to have taken on a mind of its own in recent years, but on Tuesday we saw the Yankees preserve a one-run lead using three pitchers to get three outs, two of whom were plucked off the scrap heap in the last 12 months. Boone Logan started the inning by allowing an infield single to Eric Hosmer, in part because he didn’t cover first. Looking at the replay, I’m not sure he would have beat him to the bag anyway. Hosmer was hustling out of the box and Logan falls off to the third base side as a lefty.

Anyway, the mixing and matching was underway. Joe Girardi called for Cody Eppley to face Billy Butler because the side-arming righty is a ground ball machine* and Butler leads the big leagues in double play balls over the last five seasons (97). So, naturally, Butler fly out to right field. Go figure. On came Clay Rapada to face Mike Moustakas, who lined into a double play at first base. Chances are that ball would have gone foul had Mark Teixeira not snagged it out of the air, but the double play is better. Considering that the middle of the order batted, those three outs were the three biggest of the game as far as I’m concerned. Big ups to Eppley and Rapada, they got those three outs on four total pitches.

* Seriously, Eppley had an 82% ground ball rate in Triple-A this season and is well over 60% in his minor league career. He’s the go-to ground ball guy whenever there’s a right-hander at the plate.

Leftovers

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Rafael Soriano slammed the door in the ninth, but not before allowing a ground rule double to Alex Gordon. We’re still waiting on that first 1-2-3 inning of the season. Alcides Escobar nearly tied the game on an infield single, but A-Rod showed off his arm to make the throw across the diamond just in time for the 27th out. This one really went down to the wire. Cory Wade (six pitches, two ground outs) and Logan (a strikeout to end the inning) did fine work in the seventh.

Not for nothing, but three runs in 6.2 innings against Luke Hochevar kinda stinks. That’s a guy the Yankees should pound into submission when things are going right, but they obviously aren’t at the moment. Jeter’s game-tying single was their final hit of the night and last eleven men they sent to the plate made outs. A win is a win, but sheesh. You gotta start somewhere though, and this game was definitely a positive step forward.

No one in the lineup had multiple hits and only Cano (homer and the intentional walk) and Martin (walk and hit-by-pitch) reached base twice. Jeter, A-Rod, Ibanez, Teixeira, and Wise all have some kind of single. Alex also stole a base, his team-leading fifth of the season. Well, technically Eduardo Nunez leads the club with six steals, but he’s in Triple-A (and on the DL).

The homer by Francoeur means Hughes has allowed at least one dinger in all nine starts this season, the longest season-opening homer-per-start streak since Runelvys Hernandez in 2006. It’s the longest streak by a Yankee since Jack McDowell allowed a homer in ten straight in 1995. That’s just who Phil is, he’s going to give up a bunch of long balls and we just have to hope they’re solo shots.

Raul Ibanez was left in to face a left-handed pitcher in the late innings yet again. I understand that he’s been crushing the ball this year, but that doesn’t change the fact that he can’t hit lefties. Andruw Jones has to be given a chance to run into one in that spot, a one-run lead with two outs in the eighth.

The win coupled with the Red Sox’s loss to the Orioles — big ups to former Yankee Wilson Betemit, he’s still fightin’ the good fight by hitting a big two-run homer late in that game — means the Yankees are no longer in last place. Hooray for that.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings

Finally, one where the green line ends up on the good side of the graph. MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some additional statistics, and ESPN the updated standings.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next

Ready for some bad news? The Royals are likely to call up 22-year-old left-hander Will Smith to start tomorrow instead of Luis Mendoza. It will be Smith’s big league debut. They might as well be facing Cliff Lee. Ivan Nova Andy Pettitte will be on the bump for New York. Check out RAB Tickets if you want to catch the game before the Yankees head to the West Coast as part of a nine-game road trip later this week.

So what exactly do the Yankees do well right now? The answer is nothing other than lose and not bother to capitalize in run-scoring situations. They have that down to a science.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Pitching

Hiroki Kuroda wasn’t terrible but he wasn’t great. Three runs in 5.1 IP — two on a Mike Moustakas homer that would have sailed foul in a normal-sized stadium — shouldn’t result in an automatic loss but that’s life for a pitcher on the Yankees these days. Kuroda allowed seven hits and three walks (one intentional), giving up the first run(s) of the game for the eighth time in his nine starts. For once it would be nice if they didn’t have to play catch-up with their supposed number two starter on the mound. Hiroki’s performance continued a recent trend of starts that rate anywhere from “awful” to “meh.”

Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada pitched well enough in their short relief appearances (not gonna ding Rapada for walking a right-handed batter) but Freddy Garcia got hammered, specifically by Jeff Francoeur. Frenchy launched a two-run homer and Garcia went on to allow five hits and a walk in 2.1 IP, striking out no one. He’s quite useless, even for the 12th man on the staff.

That's the face you make when you have a .305 OBP. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Hitting

Another night, another 13 (thir-friggin’-teen!) at-bats without a hit with runners in scoring position. That includes another bases loaded, no outs situation that yielded zero runs — Robinson Cano struck out looking, Alex Rodriguez struck out swinging, and Raul Ibanez flew out to deep left-center. That’s the second time they’ve failed to convert a bases loaded, no outs situation into even one run in what, the last four games? They did it Friday as well, right? Gross.

Aside from A-Rod, who singled and doubled, the two through six hitters went a combined 0-for-13 with three walks and seven strikeouts. Curtis Granderson drew two of the walks, Cano the other. Russell Martin chipped in a pair of hits, then Mark Teixeira and Eric Chavez had one each to recap the offense. The Yankees have some serious offensive problems at the moment and they can’t wait around for things to fix themselves much longer. These games count.

(Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Leftovers

We have two candidates for stupid play of the nigth. First, why was A-Rod tagging up with one out in the sixth? He was on second and made it into third safely, but Alex Gordon’s throw beat him to the bag and most of the time he’d have been out. I understand they’re struggling to score runs, but forcing things and making stupid mistakes won’t bring the bats back to life.

Secondly, what in the world was that play by Teixeira in the sixth? The Royals had a man on third and one out, but he got caught between looking the runner back to third and stepping on first after fielding a chopper. He ended up making a poor throw across the diamond and everyone was safe. Again, let’s get back to smart baseball please. Look the runner back and step on the base for the sure out.

That’s really it, I have nothing else to add. Monday’s loss was the Yankees’ third straight, sixth in seven games, eighth in ten games, and 14th in 24 games. Coupled with the Red Sox’s win over the Orioles, the Yankees are now in last place in the AL East. They deserve every bit of it as well.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated standings.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next

Game two of this three-game series will be played Tuesday night, though yet again the forecast looks ugly. If they do play, it’ll be Phil Hughes and Luke Hochevar on the bump.

Source: FanGraphs

The Yankees just plain old suck right now. There’s really no other way to put it and there’s no sense in sugar-coating it. They suck and it’s rather annoying to walk. I suppose it’s a good thing they’re headed to the West Coast in a few days so most of the fanbase will be asleep while they’re busy sucking on Pacific Standard Time. Let’s recap…

• Better Than Johnny: The Yankees are struggling so much offensively that their only hope for scoring multiple runs is getting guys on base in front of Raul Ibanez and hoping he runs into one. Kinda like the 2008 Mariners. Ibanez hit a mammoth two-run homer in the sixth to give his team a two-run lead on Sunday afternoon, his latest timely hit in a season full of them.
• Better Than This: After six really strong innings to open the game, CC Sabathia let things get away in the seventh. Ryan “65 OPS+” Ludwick homered on the first pitch of the inning, then Ryan Hanigan homered in an 0-2 count a few batters later to tie the game. Things really fell apart after that, and CC eventually walked Brandon Phillips with the bases loaded to give the Reds the lead. It was his third consecutive walk and frankly he should have been out of the game after walking Joey Votto one batter earlier. Sabathia had walked two straight to load the bases and was over 100 pitches on the afternoon and over 30 in the inning. Still, a two-run lead with your ace on the mound in the seventh? The lead should last more than two outs.
• Insurance Runs: A one-run deficit isn’t the end of the world, but it became a three-run deficit when Rafael Soriano allowed a bullet into the corner by that Ludwick guy with two men on in the ninth. Dewayne Wise made a valiant diving attempt but came up empty. Boone Logan allowed the two baserunners on a legit single and an infield single that probably should have been an error — it was hard-hit but a big league shortstop should make that play. Wise’s diving attempt will have people pining for Brett Gardner, but how about not letting Ryan freakin’ Ludwick hit two balls hard in the span of two at-bats? He’s terrible.
• Leftovers: The homer to Hanigan was the first 0-2 homer Sabathia has allowed since 2007 and the bases loaded walk was his first since 2010 … it looked like Alex Rodriguez hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, but the wind knocked the ball down* and it was caught at the track … A-Rod went 0-for-4 and saw a total of six pitches … Robinson Cano, Ibanez, and Chris Stewart each had two hits while Curtis Granderson and Eric Chavez had one … Grandy and Cano had the two walks.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated the standing. The Royals are coming to town for a three-game series, and I look forward to watching the Yankees make Felipe Paulino look like a Cy Young contender on Monday night. Hiroki Kuroda gets the ball for the good guys.

* A-Rod’s not hitting for power these days anyway, but it was windy as hell at the park and that sucker looked long gone off bat.

Source: FanGraphs

The Yankees continue to be plagued by the same ol’ problems — underwhelming starting pitching and a lack of hitting with men on base — but they had the tying run on third and the winning run on second in the bottom of the ninth against the Reds on Saturday. They were thisclose. Let’s recap…

• Nova’s Dozen: The good news is that Ivan Nova struck out a career-high 12. The bad news is that he allowed five runs in six innings, including a three-run bomb by Joey Votto that essentially put the game away. Nova’s right ankle/foot seemed to be fine but he’s still not right. He again made several mistakes up in the zone but did a good job burying his breaking balls for swinging strikes — he had 23 swings and misses on the afternoon. Ivan still needs to find a balance between all these strikeouts (good!) and extra-base hits allowed (bad!).
• Chip Away: The Yankees were playing from behind all afternoon, but they slowly chipped away at Cincinnati’s lead with a solo homer from Russell Martin, a run-scoring double from Raul Ibanez, and a solo homer from Jayson Nix before putting together an almost game-tying rally in the ninth. They went hitless with runners in scoring position until that ninth inning.
• Almost: After getting blown away by Aroldis Chapman in the eighth — he went to a 3-1 count on all three batters, but they all made outs — the Yankees put something together against Sean Marshall. Ibanez (double off a lefty!) and Swisher started the inning with hits then Andruw Jones and Nix did the same after Martin’s strikeout. Derek Jeter came to the plate with the Yankees down a run and he tried his hardest to ground into a double play on the first pitch, but he beat the relay at first. Curtis Granderson managed to turn a 3-0 count into a 3-2 count before grounding out to end the game. I’ll never understand why they turned him loose on 3-0, but whatever. Take the walk and let Robbie Cano bat with the bases juiced. They had a chance to tie but couldn’t get that last run in.
• Leftovers: David Phelps allowed what ultimately proved to be the winning run when he made a great diving catch and immediately threw the ball away trying to double the runner off first … Ibanez (two), Swisher (two), and Nix (three!) had multiple hits while the 2-3-4 hitters went 0-for-12 with a walk.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated standings. Call me crazy, but I feel like the Yankees are on the verge of something big. I feel an offensive explosion coming on, and I hope it happens when I’m in attendance tomorrow. Aces CC Sabathia and Johnny Cueto square off in Sunday’s rubber game.

Source: FanGraphs

Friday night’s game against the Reds was kinda sorta like those last three games against the Blue Jays and Orioles … except the Yankees won! It’s a mid-May miracle. Let’s recap…

• Just Dandy: So, remember when we were all nervous about Andy Pettitte not being effective after his year-long hiatus? Yeah, forget that. Pettitte was masterful on Friday, carving up the Cincinnati hitters with every pitch in the book. He threw 115 pitches (78 strikes, 67.8%), struck out nine, walked one, and allowed just four singles. Andy was locating everything on the corners and burying his offspeed stuff in the dirt. With a Game Score of 82, this was Pettitte’s best start since May 2006 with the Astros. Holy crap.
• A-Run: The Yankees went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position but they did get a man home from third base with less than two outs on Alex Rodriguez‘s ground ball to short. It’s a start, I guess. They didn’t cash in on a similar chance in the second inning and amazingly turned a bases loaded, no outs situation into zero runs in the sixth. In fairness, replays showed that Derek Jeter was incorrectly called out at home on a force play even though the catcher’s foot didn’t touch the plate. Still, they were terrible in these spots yet again.
• Homers Cure All: With a 1-0 lead through going into the eighth, this one was set up perfectly for disappointment. Some reliever, probably Rafael Soriano, would blow the lead and waste Pettitte’s effort because the offense didn’t do a damn thing. Instead, the Yankees tacked on a trio of insurance runs in the only way they know: with the long ball. Robinson Cano crushed a solo shot off Balki Arroyo about halfway up the right field bleachers before Raul Ibanez chipped in a two-run shot to right. Seriously, it was a huge sigh of relief once Ibanez put it out of reach.
• Leftovers: Boone Logan has been insanely good of late and he continued the trend with a scoreless ninth … Yankees pitchers managed to strike out Joey Votto three times (Pettitte twice and Logan once), only the 22nd three-strikeout game of his career (655 games) … the 8-9-1 hitters (Dewayne Wise, Chris Stewart, Jeter) saw a total of 18 pitches in ten plate appearances, which is gross … Stewart threw out Drew Stubbs trying to steal second in the sixth and I swear it was one of the quickest releases I’ve ever seen; it was gorgeous.

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the nerd score, and ESPN the updated standings. These same two teams will play again on Saturday afternoon, when Ivan Nova will make his first start since suffering injuries to his right foot and ankle in Baltimore five days ago. If something happens and he can’t go, it’ll be either Freddy Garcia or David Phelps. Homer Bailey will be on the bump for the Reds.

Can I just take the easy way out and re-publish Wednesday night’s recap? I mean, there’s not much different between the two games. The Yankees lost (again) because they gave up booming homers to Jose Bautista and J.P. Arencibia (again), and also because they did absolutely nothing on offense (again). The 4-1 loss dropped New York to 20-18 with a measly +7 run differential on the season.

(REUTERS/Mike Cassese)

LMAOffense

Here’s a fun fact: the Yankees have now been held to one run or less nine times this season. That’s the same number of times as both the Mariners and Twins. All I know is that if you’re tied with those two teams in any offensive category, it’s bad. Real bad. The Yankees scored no more than two runs for the third straight game and ninth time in their last 17 games. They don’t make starting pitching good enough to overcome that kind of ineptitude.

The Yankees plated their only run of Thursday’s game in the very first inning, when Robinson Cano doubled home Curtis Granderson following his one-out walk. They left men on first and second in the third, a man on third in the fourth, men on first and second in the fifth, and a man on second in the sixth. The final ten men they sent to the plate made outs. The Yankees went a flawful (yes, flawful) 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, including a big fat 0-for-3 by still hitting in the middle of the order Mark Teixeira. It’s just horrible, the offense has been borderline noncompetitive in recent weeks.

(REUTERS/Mike Cassese)

St. Philbert of Hughes

It wasn’t the greatest performance in the history of pitching, but Phil Hughes certainly gave his team a chance to win and then some. He showed some fight by striking out both Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to escape the first inning after the first two hitters reached base, and overall he struck out five in 5.1 IP. Ten of his eleven non-strikeout outs were fly balls, as expected.

Phil’s only mistake was hanging cutter to Bautista, who clobbered it for a two-run homer in the third. It was just an awful pitch, but I can’t give the guy grief for allowing a dinger to the best homerun hitter in baseball. Hughes did have some pitch efficiency issues — 107 pitches for 16 outs — but his defense made an error behind him that extended an inning. I gave up on Hughes as a starter following his disaster start in Texas and I’m glad he’s making me look like an idiot.

(REUTERS/Mike Cassese)

Leftovers

Cory Wade‘s ridiculously effective season hit a speed bump when he allowed a two-run homer to Arencibia that all but put the game away. He gets a pass because like I said, he’s been ridiculously effective. Freddy Garcia needed just eight pitches to retire all three batters he faced, continued his nice little run of solid pitching out of the bullpen. Joe Girardi said before the game that if Ivan Nova is unable to make Saturday’s start for whatever reason, Garcia would get the ball. I think that means David Phelps is going to take on a more important relief role in the absence of David Robertson and Mariano Rivera.

The Yankees only had five hits but three of them were doubles by Cano, Granderson, and Eric Chavez. Granderson and Derek Jeter chipped in singles while Granderson, Cano, Raul Ibanez, and Nick Swisher drew walks. They tallied eight hits in 18 offensive innings during this two-game series. Gross.

Just a quick side note: Hughes has allowed at least one homer in each of his eight starts this season, the longest such streak to start a season in Yankees history. So, uh, welcome to the record books.

The loss dropped the Yankees into fourth place in the AL East, so they’re lucky it’s only May 17th. There’s a lot to fix at the moment. I don’t think there’s anything more you can say after another loss like this.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings

MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some additional stats, and ESPN the updated standings.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next

It’s time for interleague play. The Yankees will welcome former Yankee Miguel Cairo and the rest of the Reds to the Bronx for a three-game series starting Friday night. It’ll be Andy Pettitte and Balki Arroyo in the opener.