8th Inning Surge Helps Mariano Get 7-Run Save

The Good

The Yankees continue their winning streak as they downed the Orioles 11-4. The offensive explosion included back-to-back-to-back homeruns by Swisher-Cano-Melky. Alfredo Aceves pitched two scoreless innings of relief, and Mariano got the 7 run save after closing out the 8th when it was just a 2-run lead. The Yankees scored 6 in the 8th.

The Bad

Hughes had a much better game then he's been having, but his final line was still unimpressive. While everyone is talking about how well he pitched, 5 innings and 3 runs is just not that impressive. In fact, that was the exact line from his last game when everyone felt he pitched poorly. The difference here is that Hughes struck out 9 batters, which was sick. It also makes me wonder if Hughes could be the missing bullpen piece. I'm not saying that we permanently move him to the bullpen, but for this season, it would be nice to see what he could do pitching one or two innings at a time, as he continues to learn how to pitch in the major leagues.

The Ugly

Phil Coke took a ball off of his shoulder that made men gasp and ladies swoon. Luckily, he deflected it partially with his glove, and said he felt alright.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Swisher, Cano, and Melky all helped further the cause with back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the second inning.

Jorge Posada 5hr = $5.00
Hideki Matsui 4hr = $4.00
Derek Jeter 5hr = $5.00
Mark Teixeira 11hr = $11.00
Nick Swisher 9hr = $9.00
Robinson Cano 7hr = $7.00
Johnny Damon 10hr = $10.00
Melky Cabrera 5hr = $5.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $5.00
Brett Gardner 2hr = $2.00
Total = $64.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.