The Yankees climbed back to the .500 plateau last week and have been hovering there for some time. Given how low they had sunk, that means they've actually played some pretty good baseball lately, and they are entering a stretch in which for the next month they will not face a single opponent who is above .500, meeting Tampa Bay, Toronto, Kansas City, and the Chicago White Sox.
Five Hundred Miles
The Yankees climbed back to the .500 plateau last week and have been hovering there for some time. Given how low they had sunk, that means they've actually played some pretty good baseball lately, and they are entering a stretch in which for the next month they will not face a single opponent who is above .500, meeting Tampa Bay, Toronto, Kansas City, and the Chicago White Sox. Of course, the last time I predicted they'd breeze through a stretch (the nine game road trip which included the Giants and Orioles), they went 1-9. But look for some more Ws to pile up.
While we're grasping at straws, the Yankees have a few key players who tend to heat up in the second half, including Derek Jeter (career average .324 after the break), Bobby Abreu (.308), and Andy Pettitte (3.50 ERA after the break). Abreu added to his dinger total in Tamba Bay and also hit a few shots to the warning track, while Hideki Matsui seems to have caught fire. He has an eight game hitting streak going now with three homers during that stretch. Cano, too, has hit a power streak with three homers in the past seven games, after hitting only three all season before that.
Overall, the Yankees under Joe Torre have a cumulative .606 winning percentage after the break, as opposed to .598 before.
More Numerology
What is it about the number 500 that it keeps cropping up? Here comes A-rod's 500th home run. The dinger, when it arrives, will punch Alex's ticket to the Hall of Fame and land him at 22nd on the all time list. Yankees fans hope it comes in the 9th inning, like several of his other homers this year. A-rod has three ninth inning home runs so far, two walk-offs and one at Fenway which gave the Bombers the game. If he gets any hotter, A-rod has a shot at breaking Barry Bonds' single season home run record this year.
Injury Updates
Jeff Karstens (broken leg) pitched five innings for the Staten Island Yankees this week, striking out 8 and walking none. Phil Hughes (pulled hammy, sprained ankle) pitched at Trenton and "dazzled" according to Newsday. Hughes threw three innings, struck out the side in the first and totaled 6 Ks, with no walks and three hits. He'll throw for Trenton one more time (with a 60 pitch limit) and then have a start at Triple-A before any plans are made to bring him up to the big club. The Yankees are carrying only three bench players in order to make room for all the relievers right now, and when Hughes comes off the D.L. the roster will shuffle.
Surprise, Surprise
The nicest pitching surprise the Yankees have seen in a while is the arrival in the Bronx of Edwar Ramirez. In his debut, he struck out the side against the Twins, but has only appeared in one game since. The 26-year-old righthander was drafted as a free agent by the Angels, who released him (twice), and pitched in the independent leagues (twice) while hoping to hook on with a team. Torre has been opting to try to get Scott Proctor and Mike Myers' woes straightened out, rather than putting too much pressure on Ramirez right now. But if the bullpen continues to be inconsistent, the phone for Ramirez may ring more often.
