J.K Rowling's seven volume saga of teenage wizard Harry Potter comes to an end this weekend, but is the magic for the Yankees just beginning? After taking three of four from Toronto, the Yankees have won 11 out of their last 15 games.
Andy Pettitte outdueled Roy Halladay, Roger Clemens gutted out a
one-run performance, and even Kei Igawa managed to win, still walking
too many batters but striking out eight in his last start. More inspiring for fans in the stands were a string of late-inning rallies which propelled the five game winning streak.
J.K Rowling's seven volume saga of teenage wizard Harry Potter comes to an end this weekend, but is the magic for the Yankees just beginning? After taking three of four from Toronto, the Yankees have won 11 out of their last 15 games. Andy Pettitte outdueled Roy Halladay, Roger Clemens gutted out a one-run performance, and even Kei Igawa managed to win, still walking too many batters but striking out eight in his last start.More inspiring for fans in the stands were a string of late-inning rallies which propelled the five game winning streak.
Feel-Good Approach
After his much publicized woes in the field last year, Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to be recognized for his defensive excellence this season, but he is having a Gold-Glove-worthy season. When you take out the part-time and utility players, he currently leads the league in fielding percentage at .979, not to mention logging more innings at third than any other player. He has the longest streak of error-free games at 3B in the majors right now, as well, at 40. (Scott Rolen racked up a 57 game streak earlier in the year.) More importantly, the routine grounder to third no longer induces cringing in the stands nor on the Yankee bench, and A-rod routinely makes great picks and laser throws. What's the difference? According to coach Larry Bowa, it's all mental. Early in the season, having buddy Doug Mientkiewicz, a glove master himself, at first, relieved A-rod of the burden of worrying about his throws. Now that first base is being held down by the Andy Phillips/Miguel Cairo platoon, Alex's confidence has not flagged and with his hitting continuing to lead the major leagues in nearly every category, he has plenty to feel good about.
Penned In
The bullpen has continued to have control issues. Kyle Farnsworth has been crummy of late, giving up runs in each of his last three appearances, and Proctor, Bruney, Myers, and Villone always seem to be putting men on base. Perhaps they should all take a look at the 44-year-old pitcher sharing the locker room with them, Roger Clemens. In his recent outing, Clemens threw 99 pitches in 6 innings, gave up nine hits and walked a man, yet only allowed one run to score. "It's always a challenge," Clemens said. "[I] have to continue to try to show Joe that I can get out of some of my messes. Fortunately, I was able to get out of those situations." Said Torre, "He's always been great with men on base. Now he does it in a different way -- he used to blow people away. Now, he does it by changing speeds, moving the ball around, doing a lot of things. He pitches to contact more now than he did when he was younger." The solution for the Yankees "eight inning problem" doesn't appear that it will come in the form of a trade at the deadline, as good bullpen help is hard to find. The Rangers are interested in dealing Eric Gagne if they can get good value back, but Gagne will only agree to go to a team who will make him the closer. That won't be the Yankees, where Mariano Rivera has converted 15 out of 15 saves since April 28.
Scoreboad Watching
Those pesky Tampa Bay Devil Rays are back for another four game series, including a double-header Saturday to make up a rainout. The Rays, who have been awful every season since their inception, nonetheless give the Yankees fits from time to time. Taking three of four is essential for the Yankees to maintain their recently regained self-esteem. Boston meets the hobbling White Sox this weekend, while Cleveland, leading the wild card race, will be in Texas.
A-rod is still closing in on his 500th homer, but an even rarer sight this season will take place Friday night: Mike Mussina will pitch to catcher Jorge Posada. Since a loss against Boston in late May, Torre has preferred to pair Mussina with backup catcher Wil Nieves, but with the day-night doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, and Thursday's game coming on the heels of a night, as well, the manager opted to switch them up.
