If you don't know what movie I tweaked that from, well, I don't know what to tell ya.  

In any event, the Yankees are on a roll.  Andy Pettitte gutted it out for his eighth win of the year, Melky Cabrera continued his offensive assault and Mariano Rivera  struck out the side in the ninth as the Bombers edged the Blue Jays, 5-4, for their fourth victory in a row. 

I was at work during this afternoon's game and tried my darndest to "watch" on MLB's gamecast, but I have to be honest and tell you, gentle reader, that I felt really disconnected from this game.  But, I'll plow on anyway.  It's the Yankee way.

The Good:

Melky Cabrera.  The Melk Man collected three hits on Monday afternoon and showed that he can contribute even when batting ninth.  I'd like to see him in the number two hole, but I've really beaten that idea to death.  Melky extended his hitting streak to 12 games and is at the precipice of .300 on the season.  His RBI single during the Yankees four-run sixth proved to be the game-winner.  Cabrera finished 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Robinson Cano.  Cano got the big hit of the game when he doubled in two runs in the sixth to give the Yanks a 4-3 lead.  Canu has been sizzling at the plate and is batting over .300 against both righties and lefties this year (.304 against right-handers, .319 against southpaws).  Robbie has also gotten off to a hot August; he's batting a muscular .454 during the first week of the dog day month.  Cano finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and 2 runs batted in.

Mariano Rivera.  The Sandman came into the game in the ninth and put the Jays to sleep.  He blew away Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas to notch his 18th save of the season.  Rivera's early season struggles now seem like they occurred in another century.  Mo's line: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

The Bad:

Andy Phillips.  Phillips went 0 for 4 on Monday which dropped his average below .300 to .291 on the year.  That's not really a big deal, but Jason Giambi is set to come off the DL soon and I fear Phillips may be the odd man out.  Giambi isn't going to play first, but something just tells me that Torre may begin a rotation at first with Phillips, Wilson Betemit and maybe Shelley Duncan.  I like Duncan and Betemit has been great during his short stint in pinstripes, but I really like what Phillips brings to the table.  He's got a good glove, he can move runners over and he's been clutch.  Or maybe I'm just way, way off on this.  Stay tuned.

The Ugly:

Now, here's the man you've all been waiting for . . .  Jim Brower?  What the hey? Mike Myers was designated for assignment before Monday's game and I'm pretty sure 99% of Yankee fans would have bet their houses that the team would call up Joba Chamberlain.  Well, they'd all be homeless because the Yanks brought up a guy I've never heard of instead.  Brower is a journeyman right-hander who's had stints on seven teams in his eight-year career.  I guess the Yanks felt that Chamberlain needed some more seasoning in Triple-A.  Or maybe they just felt like winning a bet.

The Yanks go for five in a row on Tuesday night and will give that assignment to Roger Clemens.  Clemens was lit up in his last start against the White Sox, but he's coming off a solid July in which he went 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA.  He'll bounce back.  The Blue Jays will send Josh Towers to the hill.  The Yanks roughed up Towers in his start against them at The Stadium in July, but Towers is a better pitcher in Toronto.  He sports a 3.68 ERA at the Rogers Centre.

But, right now numbers mean nothing to these Yankees.

Sit back, and enjoy!

• Jim Brower was added to the roster, not Joba Chamberlain. (Screw you, NY Post.)
• Beckham threw out the first pitch. He was quoted as saying, “I’m glad to be back in England.”
• Pettitte will face 8 righties today. Lyle Overbay is the only lefty in the lineup.
• Toronto is 5 games out of the Wild Card, and holding out hope.
  
• Litsch just threw behind A-Rod, payback for the "Ha" incident. Suzyn and John think the Yanks shouldn't retaliate.
• Two runners stranded and an inning-ending double play so far in two innings. Not liking the way this game is starting.
• Did you know John Sterling's real name is Harold Moskowitz? It's on Wikipedia, so it has to be true.
• No score, top of the third. Pettitte worked out of a minor jam in the bottom of the second.
• Lead-off triple for the Melk Man. I literally have nightmares about Joe benching him when Giambi comes back.
• Finally, a Johnny Damon dribbler pays off. 1-0, Yanks.
• Damon giveth, and Damon taketh away. John and Suzyn make is sound like Damon should've caught a double by Frank Thomas. Two runs score, 2-1 Jays.
• By the way, Jays blog-of-the-day is none other than, Big Smoke Sports.
• John and Suzyn just discussed what happens when Giambi comes back. They emphatically stated that Shelley will not get sent down. (If it isn't Shelley, it has to be Cairo, and I'm not so sure Joe would do that).
• Another GIDP to end an inning. Not good.
• Sterling's reference of the day: "(The Yankees 25-man roster) Has looked like the mob scene from Quo Vadis." I'm pretty sure he meant this Quo Vadis, not this one.
• Bad inning that could've been much worse for Pettitte: double, walk, double steal, K, infield single (scores 1 run), K (Frank Thomas), K (Troy Glaus). Thomas and Glaus both have great numbers against Pettitte. 3-1, Jays.
• Yankee rally, so far: Abreu walk (huge at bat), A-Rod single, Matsui single (scores Abreu, 3-2, Jays), Posada, K (horrible, you have to plate that run)...
• Cano has ice in his veins. Two-run double to the gap off a lefty. 4-3, Yanks
• "The Melk Man delivers again!" Clutch, 2-out single to right. 3-3 on the day. 5-3, Yanks.
• Pettitte worked into trouble, Jim Brower (newest member of the pen) worked out, luckily. Line drive to A-Rod to end the inning. Score stands at 5-3, Yanks.
• Brower's day is done. 2 batters faced, 1 line out, 1 single. Wonderful move bringing him up instead of Joba or Edwar.
• Vizcaino is in for two innings, most likely. I guess it could've been worse, Joe could've used Farnsworth. Tying run at the plate, Wells, Thomas and Glaus coming up.
• The Viz got out of it (Wells K, Big Hurt GIDP), on only 7 pitches.
• Peter Abraham, of the LoHud Yankees Blog, informs us that today is Simcoe Day in Toronto. Mystery solved, Erin. (check comments for context).
• Aaron Hill just hit a bomb off the Viz. 5-4 Yanks.
• Enter Sandman.
• K, K, K (backwards) Game over.
• Hyperbole from John Sterling? "He's the greatest relief pitcher to ever play the game." I think not.

Player of The Game: Mariano Rivera. In a one-run game, Mo struck out Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas. Domination.

Here's the link to the recap/box score from ESPN.

CF Davis
RF Winn
2B Durham
LF Bonds
C Molina
1B Fleas
3B Frandsen
SS Vizquel
P Lincecum

Amazing how well the San Diego fans reacted to Bonds’s home run Saturday. (Maybe there’s really something to that whole classy San Diego schtick.) Equally amazing was Bud Selig’s sourpuss reaction, according to those who saw him on TV. Hands in pockets, he pulled a facial expression “usually reserved for a first time urology patient,” writes BP’s Gary Huckabay, and only stood up when Tom Hicks — Tom Hicks! — told him to. Selig’s refusal to give an inch to Bonds extends to his “congratulatory” statements, another one of which he issued after #755. Stay clueless, Bud.

***

As Brian Sabean plugs away at potential trade partners, humming his finest worksong, the Giants will only unload some of their veterans this month if a contender suddenly, desperately needs to fill a hole. Keep your eyes on the injury reports, folks. For example:

* The Tigers lost backup infielder Neifi Perez to a drug-related suspension. Finally, the mystery of Neifi’s late-career power surge solved, eh? Apparently Los Tigres would like a glove-enabled shortstop for the stretch so they can move Carlos Guillent to first base more often. Pittsburgh’s Jack Wilson has cropped up in trade rumors, but wouldn’t Omar be a perfect fit? An instant crowd favorite, too.

* Alfonso Soriano is out for perhaps a month with a leg strain suffered in last night’s game. If it proves more serious, could this be an opening for Randy Winn, who would have to waive his no-trade clause? Unlikely, because the Cubs have uberprospect Felix Pie ready for duty, and even with the Cubs’ golden opportunity this year, I can’t imagine GM Jim Hendry would panic for the expensive proven veteran over the unproven youngster. Then again, Hendry traded for Jason Kendall…

* Anyone with pitching holes. The Tigers won’t have Kenny Rogers back as soon as they hoped. The Angels will miss Bartolo Colon the rest of the year. And it’s still a question whether Pedro Martinez can return to make a difference for the Mets. Enter Russ Ortiz. If he takes a couple quality turns in the rotation (I assume Noah Lowry will hit the DL, with my fingers crossed that it’s only a precautionary measure), Ortiz could be tempting to a team desperate for another starter down the stretch. Then again, because of his minimum contract he may not make it through waivers.

* Speaking of Lowry, here’s what BP’s Will Carroll writes this morning:

Noah Lowry was a pitcher with as much potential as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain not too long ago, but as he left his last start with what's being called a "tight forearm," the signs don't look so good. Despite having 12 wins for a sub-.500 team, Lowry's control and K rate have been descending quickly, though his velocity has been normal. Those are among the signs of an elbow problem, though initial reports from the Giants indicate that they don't feel it's a ligament problem. After Lowry's early exit, the Giants were forced to use Barry Zito on his throw day, and he responded with a perfect 17-pitch inning. Lowry will attempt to throw on the side Tuesday, but don't be surprised if his start is pushed back, or if he's even pushed to the DL while the Giants attempt to make life easier for a strained bullpen.

If Lowry is disabled and Ortiz is traded, the Giants could shift Jonathan Sanchez into the rotation and call up Erick Threets. Or keep Sanchez in the pen and call up Travis Blackley, the guy they got for Jason Ellison. Blackley has been unspectacular with Fresno this year, but he’s still only 24 and worth a look.

Here’s something else I missed over the weekend.

Here’s the best video I could find on YouTube. It’s a very grainy inning of Joba at AA Trenton.

Loge13 alum Ross Jones was in Wrigley Field last night and text messaged us at 11:41 PM EST with one word: “History!” (If Loge13.com paid by the word, I bet these eyewitness accounts would be a bit longer).

It was great to see Glavine get the 300th win after only two tries. I presumed he was going to go on a two-month winless streak, torturing himself and his family throughout the pennant race.

As a Met fan, does it mean much? Lets put it in context. Glavine is now the 23^rd 300 game winner in baseball history. Three of those other guys were Mets at one time (Warren Spahn, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver). Spahn only got 7 of his 363 wins as a Met before retiring so he doesn’t really count. But Ryan and Seaver didn’t have their magic moments as Mets. Most painfully, Seaver was a White Sox who notched his 300th victory IN YANKEE STADIUM (Video of that here). So lets consider Glavine’s accomplishment some surrogate history. Besides he’s a good guy and solid team leader.

The reactions on the Atlanta Journal Constitution blogs are fascinating this morning. Readers were asked if they cared about Glavine’s 300th victory. Alot of posters are gracious but, understandably, many hate Glavine for leaving Atlanta for more money from the Mets. Also there’s still alot of resentment over his union activities.

For the record: Atlanta did not offer Glavine a reasonable contract several years ago. They thought he was washed up and challenged him to hit the open market. The Mets offered more years and more money. He took it. Glavine would have gone back to Atlanta last year if the Braves wanted him. They didn’t. So Glavine will wear a Braves cap in Cooperstown and will always wear a Met uniform for his 300th victory. Blame your owners.

Here are some excerpted responses from the Journal-Consitution:

Tom WHO!!!!! He’s a MET now not a BRAVE so I really don’t give a rats a_ _ what Glavine does!!!!!!!

He hurt a lot of Good Triple A Players in the so called players strike.He is ALL about money and cares for no one else but himself. I lost respect for him over that. Sorry Guy’s but I know some of the players that were hurt.

Note above I didn’t write “the Giants may win a few more games,” because I’m not holding out for any such splendor in the grass. To paraphrase Axel Rose, I used to love the bullpen, but I had to kill the bullpen after Friday and Saturday’s ickfests, and as the Giants slog through this stretch of 60 games in 45 cities in 20 days while singing 88 lines about 44 women, or whatever it is, I can’t see the ‘pen getting any better. Oh wait, maybe they’ll call up Scott Munter. Mmmkay.

Nice move: Barry Zito pitched in with a scoreless relief inning today to help the frazzled bullpen. The bad news is that Zito threw today because Noah Lowry left early with a sore arm. Keep your fingers crossed it isn’t serious. If it is, remember pitching injuries are a part of the game, and the Giants are fortunate to have decent reinforcements, such as…

PLODAW (player of da weekend): Pat Misch, who gave up a couple runs but struck out eight without walking a batter in his first major-league start. Huzzah! When other teams break down his performance on video, would it be considered a Mischigander?

And congratulations to Tom Glavine, an old-school lefty malo who keeps on keepin’ on with win #300 tonight, as well as to Alex Rodriguez, who is sometimes called A-Rod. He hit home run #500 yesterday and will almost certainly break Barry Bonds’s all-time record as long as he doesn’t get eaten by alligators or become addicted to cough syrup. In case you’re wondering, Barry Zito has 110 career wins and needs an average of 18 wins a year for the next 11 years if he’s to win #300, like Glavine, in his age-41 season.  

After the Blue Jays, the Yanks head to Cleveland and their cake schedule gets a little harder.

Letter to the Skipper:

Player of the Game: Melky Cabrera, 2 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 1 HR. It was nice to see the Melk Man leading off. Check out his numbers on the season: .292/.345/.426, 46 runs, 48 RBI, 7 HR, 17 2b, 5 3b, 9 SB, 28 walks and only 41 strike outs.

Good news: From the Lohud Yankees Blog, the Yanks designated Mike Myers for assignment. The second-best entrance music on the team will no longer be heard, but a lefty specialist who can't get lefties out is not needed. I'm wondering if someone will be hard-up enough to grab him off waivers.

I honestly don't know what's going on.  The pitching staff is struggling, for sure, but I didn't really expect it from Lowe and Penny.  I thought we had a shot at those games on Saturday and Sunday.  But I was wrong.

I didn't see much of Saturday's game.  I saw Lowe give up a home run in the first inning, and then I left to walk over to the Hollywood Improv to see one of my favorite comedians, Maria Bamford, perform.  I walked into the improv, saw one of the TVs, and realized Bonds was at bat.  I pointed up to the screen so my friends would notice, and as I did that, he hit it out.  It was weird.  If I had walked in ten seconds later, I would have missed seeing it live.

But my blog is not about Barry Bonds or the Giants.  It's about the Dodgers.  I came home from the Improv (where I saw some great comedians, along with the always hilarious Maria Bamford) to see that it was the ninth inning and the Diamondbacks were up 8-7.  All I know is that Nomar and Ethier hit late home runs.  I haven't read the details of the game, and I don't want to.  Lowe is obviously still hurting, and he won't be relied upon this season.  The Dodgers went quietly in the ninth, and lost their second consecutive one-run game.

Sunday was kind of like Friday night, except with a less dominating performance by a Dodger pitcher.  Penny was adequate, and gave up only three runs.  But three runs with the way this offense has been playing is just not going to do it.  Brandon Webb was on the mound, and the Dodgers could do nothing against him.  Webb pitched a complete game shutout, the Diamondbacks swept, and the Dodgers now find themselves four games back of the first place Arizona team (2.5 back of the Wild Card lead).

There is a day off on Monday, and then the Dodgers go visit the Reds.  This should be an easy series, but that's assuming the Dodgers show up to play.  I think at this point, though, the Diamondbacks have found their groove.  There are still plenty of games left, of course, but the Dodgers aren't really showing any signs of being able to show some fight.  The hitting will likely start to pick up, but, as it always does, this season will come down to the pitching.  Hendrickson and Tomko won't do anything, Billingsley will probably be strong, and Lowe is a question mark.  Penny will probably be okay for the rest of the season, but he can't win every game.

I'll be taking some time off from being a Dodger fan for the next few days.  Oh, I'll still be cheering them on, but I don't think you'll be hearing from me about them for a while.  Short posts at best.  Why, you ask?  Well, Monday afternoon, I'm heading down to Anaheim to see the Red Sox/Angels series.  Three nights, three games.  It's my fourth consecutive year going down there, and it's always a good time.  Wednesday night, if you happen to be watching the game on television, look behind the Red Sox dugout.  I'll be sitting three rows behind it (we have good seats every other night, too, but those will be the best).  You might not recognize me in my tattered Red Sox hat, but do your best.

No Pierre Watch.  It's not fair.  He's slumping like all the rest of them.  No players of the games either.  Too depressing.

Record:  58-53 

Baseball -- it's fantastic!!

Mike Mussina won his third straight game, Melky and Matsui both went deep and the Bombers moved to a season high 11 games over .500 with a 8-5 win over the hapless Royals in New York.

I was in and out of this contest (dinner at Ma's house) so my roundup won't be very thorough, but I'm going to forge ahead anyway.

The Good:

Mike Mussina.  The Moose showed on Sunday that he still has something left in the tank and that's great news for the Yanks.  Mussina has pitched into the sixth inning in six of his last seven starts and evened his record to 7-7 on the season.  Vinny in Kearny informed me that John Sterling said that Mussina's performance on Sunday was his best of the season.  Was Sterling right?  I don't know, but if the Moose continues to pitch into the sixth and keeps the Yanks in the game, I'd stack up the Yankee rotation against any in the AL.  Mussina's winning line: 6+ IP, 9 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR.

Melky Cabrera.  Melky was in the leadoff spot on Sunday and drove in the first Yankee run with an RBI single in the second inning.  The Royals cut the Yankee lead to 6-2 in the top of the sixth, but Melky belted a solo shot in the bottom of the inning to give the Yanks a run back.  It's really amazing how important the Melk Man has become to this team.  The Yankee bench has gotten a lot deeper in the last few weeks and will gain another bat soon in Jason Giambi, but it shouldn't affect Melky's playing time.  It better not.  Melky extended his hitting streak to 11 games and finished 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Hideki Matsui.  Godzilla blasted another thrilla on Sunday afternoon.  Matsui's home run in the sixth was his 100th as a Yank and the 432nd of his professional career.  It was Matsui's first homer in August, but it was his 14th since July 1.  His average is also starting to creep toward .300 on the season.  Matsui finished 1 for 3 with a run scored and 2 runs batted in.

The Bad:

Mike Myers.  The Yankee lefty came into the game in the seventh with 2 on and 2 out and the Yanks up 8-2 and quickly made it a ballgame .  He gave up an RBI single to Mark Teahen in the seventh and an RBI single to Joey Gathright in the eighth.  That's bad enough, but the worst part was that both batters hit from the left side.  For some reason Myers has been unable to get lefties out this season.  Lefties are batting .301 against the southpaw while righties are hitting .184.  How is this possible?  Myers also forced Torre to bring in Mariano Rivera in the eighth.  In the end, it didn't hurt the Yanks (Rivera threw only 11 pitches and picked up his 17th save of the year), but Myers has to do better than this.  Myers' vitals: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB.

The Ugly:

3-27.  That's Kansas City's record in the Bronx since 2000.  Hey, I'm not complaining, but it's really mind-boggling if you think about it.  There was a time when I dreaded when the Yanks played the Royals.  Kansas City would roll into town with those powder blue unis with the likes of George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Bo Jackson, etc. and it was a great rivalry.  That time now seems like a dream.  Call me crazy, but I miss the rivalry.  Or maybe it's just the powder blue unis.

The Yanks now head out for a mini six-game road trip with a day off sandwiched in between the two series.  First stop will be Toronto and a matchup between Andy Pettitte and Jesse Litsche.  The Yankees lit up Litsche earlier in the season for 5 runs in 2/3 of an inning.  Andy Pettitte is coming off a rough July (2-2, 6.96 ERA), but pitched well in his last start against the ChiSox.

It's feeding time.

Lost among the excitement of A-Rod’s 500th home run and the Yankees 16–8 pasting of the Royals was Phil Hughes ugly return to the Yankee rotation. We’ve been waiting over two months for this day to come, and I know plenty of Yankee fans are more than a little worried about the kid after today’s showing. Here are my thoughts on his start:

His final line: 4.2 innings, 6 earned runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks, 92 pitches, 63 strikes.

The game was basically a tale of two pitchers. In the first two innings, Hughes faced 7 batters, struck out 4, walked 1 and gave up zero hits. His fastball ranged from 90 MPH up to 94. He showed his curve, but never threw it for a strike, and really never needed it. His fastball had exceptional movement in on a righty and away from a lefty. His command was exceptional, he was painting the corners and it seemed to me like he was getting squeezed a little bit by the ump, but he didn’t let it bother him.

While Hughes was dominating, the Yankee batters were busy abusing Royals starter Kyle Davies. They plated 4 in the top of the first, and there was a long delay when A-Rod hit his 500th bomb. Not an excuse. Pitchers need to deal with long rests when their offense is putting runs on the board.

In the third inning, Hughes ran into his first bout of trouble. This inning wasn’t his fault. Joey Gathright led off with a bloop double down the left field line. It might have been foul (I thought it was). Either way, a tough break. Hughes then got the #9 hitter LaRue to pop out to second. David DeJesus then singled to center to score Gathright. This was the first hard-hit ball off of Hughes, and it was also the second time through the order. Keep this in mind. Grudzeilanek then grounded out. Mark Teahen stepped up with DeJesus on second and on a 1–2 count blooped a double over third base. Not hard hit, not a bad pitch, just a bad break. 3 hits, 2 runs in the third isn’t that big of a deal. His fastball had slowed a bit here, the pitch Teahen hit was clocked at 91 MPH by the YES radar gun.

The fourth inning was uneventful. Gload singled to center, Alex Gordon hit into a double play, and Tony Pena struck out swinging. His fastball topped out at 91MPH again. The Yankees went back to work in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two more runs. Another long layoff.

The top of the fifth was an unmitigated disaster. Gathright walked (leadoff walks score 60% of the time), LaRue flew out to center, DeJesus homered to right, Teahen singled to center then Butler doubled to deep center, scoring Teahen. Hughes was then lifted and Mike Myers allowed Teahen to score, closing the books on Hughes. In this inning, Hughes never touched 90 MPH, his fastball was in the 86–89 MPH range.

This outing doesn’t leave me worried. I think it was probably to be expected. Hughes has been on the rehab tour for a couple of weeks now, and he’s probably been kicking himself for over two months for the stupid injuries which robbed him of most of the season. The adrenaline was pumping early in the game, and his fastball was overpowering. He basically went through the entire order without having to use any of his off-speed pitches. After a couple of innings, however, the adrenaline wore off and with it went the extra zip on his fastball.

At this point, he tried to break out the curve, but it just wasn’t there. The movement was, but the batters were spitting on it because he couldn’t get it over. The thing that surprised me the most was the absence of his change. By my count, he only threw two the whole game. Against Texas, his change was deadly, especially against lefties. The two that he threw today were both in good locations, with good movement. I was shocked he didn’t go to it in a couple of key situations. This may be a case of his head getting too big. He had so much success with the fastball in the first two innings, he thought he could just rear back and throw it by the Royals.

Obviously, it’s Jorge’s job to make adjustments when the hitters start catching up to the fastball. Now, we get to the only thing about this start that really alarmed me. Hughes consistently shook Posada off after the second inning. This has to stop. I realize that Phil is a perfectionist, and he goes into games with a plan, but he needs to lean on Jorge, especially when the going gets rough. Jorge knows the batters, and he’s in control of the game. Hughes became predictable, and I have to think Jorge was trying to change the patterns, but Hughes was shaking him off. Hopefully, once they work a couple of games together, they’ll be on the same page out there.

The takeaway from this game is that Hughes is human and stubborn. He was amped up at the start of the game, he was able to control the adrenaline and dominate, but when the adrenaline wore off he didn’t adjust to compensate for the lost velocity. Instead of leaning on Posada, he thought he could do it himself, the way he’s been doing it his whole life.

He’s a kid, he’s learning. I expect his next start to be much, much better. When he’s firing on all cylinders, I expect his fastball to be in the 90–92 MPH range throughout the game, with an occasional 94–95 when he needs it. With that type of heater, with movement, a change-up in the low eighties, a 12–6 curve in the low 70s/high 60s, impeccable control and a fierce demeanor on the mound, he’s an ace in the making.

It took a while, but Alex Rodriguez finally became the 22^nd man hit 500 home runs in his ML career today in the Bronx. If you caught the game, or the highlights, and saw the celebration on the Yankee bench, you’d find it hard to believe that this team and this player were surrounded by such negativity for the entire offseason and the first three months of the season.

It was great to see the whole team celebrate the occasion with A-Rod, and it was even better to see them follow his lead to a 16–8 thumping of the Kansas City Royals. Phil Hughes return to the starting rotation was overshadowed by another offensive onslaught (and thankfully so). I’ll have a breakdown on Hughes later tonight.

Joe sat Shelley Duncan, but played Betemit at first. The Yanks’ latest acquisition had another solid game at the plate, but missed a throw from A-Rod that Phillips probably would’ve caught.

It was a great day for A-Rod, and a better day for the Bombers. Cleveland lost to Minnesota, 3–2, and Detroit lost to the White Sox, 7–5. The Yankees trail the Tigers by 1.5 games for the Wild Card, and control their own playoff destiny. This season, which started so pitifully, now sees the Yankees with the most runs scored in the league (652), best run differential in the league (+147) and at their high-water mark, 10 games over .500.

Player of The Game: A-Mazing. 3 for 4, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 stolen base, 1 walk, 1 HUGE home run.

Left out of the hit party: Johnny Damon, 0 for 6 with 3 Ks. Ouch.

Alex Rodriguez dispensed with the drama and belted home run number 500 on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning -- a three-run bomb that dropped just fair along the left field line.  A-Rod became the fastest ever to reach the milestone and his clout gave the Yanks a 3-0 lead en route to a 16-8 rout of the Royals in the Bronx.  It was a bookend moment of sorts for A-Rod; his first home run also came against the Royals back in 1995.

Saturday's victory now puts the Yanks 10 games over .500 on the season.  Things are really starting to click in the Bronx and the timing couldn't be better.  The dog days of August will be filled with games against Cleveland, Detroit, the Angels and Red Sox.  It will be sink or swim for the Bombers during the next 4 weeks.

The Good:

Alex Rodriguez.  It was A-Rod's day on Saturday.  You could see the weight fall from Rodriguez's shoulders after his historical dinger.  The entire Yankee team came out of the dugout to congratulate A-Rod as he crossed the plate.  There were hugs, kisses, raindrops, lollipops and rainbows . . .  OK, maybe it didn't get that far, but it was a love-fest between A-Rod, the team and the fans as Alex joined the 500 club.  Now, everyone, including A-Rod can get back to just winning ballgames.  Rodriguez wrapped up his big day by going 3 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base, 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs.  

Bobby Abreu.  The Yanks won by eight runs so you know Abreu had himself a good ballgame.  The Yankee right fielder returned to the lineup after taking the night off on Friday and continued his hot hitting.  Abreu's solo homer in the sixth gave the Yanks an 8-6 lead and his RBI single in the seventh began a five run outburst which helped put the game away.  El Comedulce finished the afternoon 3 for 5 with a walk, 4 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Robinson Cano.  Canu continues to tear the cover off the ball and moved his average to .311 on the year.  Cano finished a home run short of the cycle and collected his 44th multi-hit game of the year.  He nearly picked up his homer when he drilled a ball almost through the wall in the sixth.  Cano had to settle for a double.  Robbie extended his hitting streak to eight games and finished 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 3 runs batted in.

The Bad:

Phil Hughes.  The rookie made his long-awaited return to the Yanks on Saturday and didn't fair well.  Hughes started off strong -- his fastball and curveball looked overpowering during a 1-2-3 first and he struck out three Royals in a row after giving up a lead off walk in the second -- but he seemed to run out of gas as the game progressed.  The Royals knocked him around a bit in the second and really teed off on him during the fifth.  Still, I'm encouraged by what I saw.  Hughes possesses a confidence and presence on the mound that really can't be taught and I think he'll be just fine once he gets a few starts under his belt.  At the same time, I have to be fair and say I was a bit disappointed that the talented rookie couldn't survive long enough to pick up the second win of his career.  Hughes' no decision: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 1 WP.  Hang it there, kid.

Johnny Damon.  Damon was the only Yankee regular who didn't reach base on Saturday afternoon.  It will be interesting to see where Damon winds up once Jason Giambi rejoins the club.  I'm really not sure what to make of Johnny at this point.  There are times when he looks like the old Johnny Damon -- taking pitches, getting on base, stealing bases -- and then there are times when he just looks old.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.  Damon finished 0 for 6 with 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Kyle Farnsworth.  A thought occurred to me as I watched Farnsworth struggle through the seventh inning.  If Kyle were a thoroughbred, I thought, they would have taken him out by the shed and blown him to kingdom come by now.  Minutes later, my brother called and left a message saying the exact same thing.  Maybe it's just our warped genes, but I don't think we're that far off.  It's almost getting to the point of tragic comedy -- or at least it would be -- if I weren't so emotionally involved.  Does anyone see a happy ending to this?  Farnsworth's line: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP. 

The Yanks will take out the brooms on Sunday and go for the sweep against Gil Meche.  Meche pitched well against the Yanks in Kansas City last week, but he faltered late and picked up an L.  The Royals' ace has an impressive 3.70 ERA on the season, but has pitched even better on the road -- he sports a tiny 2.93 ERA away from Kauffman Stadium.  The Yankees will counter with the resurging Mike Mussina.  OK, maybe resurging isn't the right word, but The Moose has looked a lot better in his last two outings.  He's gone into the sixth inning both times and picked up two straight victories.

And Yankee Stadium is no stranger to victories.

Barry Bonds did not hit a home run, much to my relief.  I got chills when, after an intentional walk, he was pinch-run for in the seventh, thanks to Mr. Vin Scully:

"Fred Lewis, who is basically Barry Bonds' caddy right now, will run for Bonds.  So he's done. And what that means:Itwill not happen here. The vigil is over in Dodger Stadium. They will now fold the circus tent, pull out the pegs in the ground. The roustabouts will clean out everything, and take the troupe ... down to San Diego."

You can't get tired of hearing this man's voice.  I'm sorry, you just can't.  He was vintage Vin Scully for all three of the games, and I'm glad that the ESPN2 coverage was blacked out.  Why would I listen to Berman and Morgan when I have Vin Scully?

Friday's game was much less poetic, but still very good.  It was a nail-biter, a true pitcher's duel.  Chad Billingsley was on, and Doug Davis was just as good, if not a little better in the end.  Chad worked 7.2 innings, and his only flub came with the first batter of the eighth inning, the #8 hitter for the Diamondbacks, Chris Snyder, who launched a home run just in side the left field foul pole, three sections away from my seats.  Man, was that a letdown.  Chad had been cruising, and that was what kiled him.

Doug Davis, unfortunately, never made that one mistake we were all looking for.  The Dodgers could do nothing against him, and the same went for the closer in the ninth.  They went, as Scully would say, quietly into the night.  And with the loss, the Dodgers moved to two games back of the first-place Diamondbacks.  With the Padres' 10th inning victory over the Giants last night, the Dodgers now sit in third place in the West.  They've put themselves in a position where there is a lot of pressure to win on Saturday and Sunday, to at least end the weekend in a tie for first.

The good news?  Derek Lowe and Brad Penny are pitching those two games.  It remains to be seen how effective Lowe will be after his hip/groin injury that caused him to miss a start.  Still, I like our chances with him a whole lot more than I would if, say, Tomko were pitching.  And Penny always gives the Dodgers a chance.  Le'ts hope they take it.

Pierre Watch: On Thursday, he was 0-4 with one walk.  Friday, 1-3 with one walk and a stolen base. No time for the Pierre-o-meter, but it wouldn't be such a great score.

Players of the Game: Thursday, Russell Martin, on his bobblehead night (2-3, 1 RBI) ; Friday, Chad Billingsley (7.2 IP, 5H, 1 ER, 1BB, 8 Ks)

Record:  58-51 

Tomorrow is the big day, Phil Hughes will return to the rotation against the Royals.

Shelley Duncan played tonight, and played well. We’ll see if Joe rides the hot hand tonight, or sits him back on the end of the bench tomorrow. No letter to the skipper tonight, but I do have one observation. Joe used Vizcaino with a 5–run lead in the eighth tonight. The last time he did this, the next day he used Farnsworth in a 2–run game the following day. Let’s hope this isn’t a pattern.

Player of the Game: Chien-Ming Wang, 7 IP, 1 earned, 7 hits, 1 BB, 3 Ks.

They are finally showing some patience at the plate. Friday they earned 11 walks in a 6–2 victory over the Cubs.

Even with all the help, the game was still tied 2–2 until the 9^th, when the Mets took the lead. Delgado, who had walked 4 times previously, finally got to swing the bat with Wright on first. Carlos drove him home and ended up at third after an ill-advised throw to the plate. The Mets then scored three runs with two outs.

That’s also a good sign. Before this road trip, the Mets had one of the worst averages hitting with runners in scoring position and two outs. But a few two-out rallies in Milwaukee and one this afternoon are good signs.

Unfortunately, Met hitters also left 14 runners on base Friday. But we can’t complain, considering the makeshift lineup. Newhan in left for (surprise) an injured Moises Alou. Marlon Anderson in center again. Gotay at 2^nd, after Castillo was a late scratch. And Castro starting at catcher again.

Cubs ace Victor Zambrano was wild today, giving up seven of those walks before leaving with heat-related cramps in  the 6^th.

Even better news: The Phillies lost 2–1 to the Brewers and Atlanta got beat on by the Rockies 9–2. The Mets are now 5 games up on the Phils, 5.5 on the Braves.

Meanwhile the Cubs have fallen a game out of first. Time for another dugout brawl? Worked last time and it may have worked for the Brewers yesterday.

Saturday night: Maine vs. Lilly.

Or in this case day and night.  The Yankees washed away the ugliness of Thursday afternoon's loss to the White Sox with a crisp, efficient  beatdown of the overmatched Royals, 7-1, on a hazy, hot Friday night in the Bronx.  Chien-Ming Wang pitched like, well, Chien-Ming Wang, the defense was spectacular and the Yanks showed they still know how to play small ball as the Bombers improved their second-half record to 16-7.

The Good:

Chien-Ming Wang.  The Wanger picked up his 10th victory in his last 11 decisions on Friday night.  It looks almost effortless for Wang at times and it's borderline shocking when teams string together more than one base hit against him.  The only run he gave up came on three straight ground balls that turned into singles in the third inning.  Shocking.  Wang upped his record to 13-5 with this: 7+ IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Robinson Cano.  Robbie blasted a homer in the second to give the Yanks an early 1-0 lead.  It was Cano's 11th round-tripper of the season and it was the third straight game Robbie went deep.*  Cano also made a dazzling defensive play in the eighth as he fielded a grounder directly behind second base and calmly flipped the ball across his body to first for the out.  There are times when Cano looks a little lackadaisical in the field, but it's just part of his game.  He sometimes reminds me of former shortstop Tony Fernandez.  Anyway, Cano finished 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Melky Cabrera.  Bobby Abreu got the day off with the (tough?) lefty on the mound Friday night and because of that, Cabrera was inserted into the number two hole.  And how did Melky do?  He did just fine.  In fact, even though Abreu is hitting, I would love it if Torre inserted Melky into the two slot permanently.  The Melk-Man picked up three hits and also hit probably the shortest ground-rule double in the history of baseball when he lined a shot off Royal pitcher Ryan Braun in the sixth.  The ball struck Braun in the foot and somehow careened into the stands over the Yankee dugout for a two-run "double."  See what happens when Cabrera hits number two?  Aw, what's the use?  Torre never listens to me.  Melky finished 3 for 5 with 2 ribbies.

Andy Phillips.  Again, I usually like to limit my "good" to only three, but I want to give Andy some respect.  Phillips made some nice defensive plays on Friday night and also laid down a pretty sacrifice bunt in the fourth that led to two runs.  I know Giambi is on the comeback trail, the Yanks traded for Benemit and Shelley Duncan plays first, but Torre shouldn't take time away from Phillips because of it.  There, I said it.  Phillips finished 2 for 3 with a run scored and is batting .302 on the year.

The Bad:

Hideki Matsui.  Matsui was the only Yankee not to reach base (via a hit or walk) or score a run on Friday night.  Cause for alarm?  Negative.  The guy has been on fire for the whole month of July so he was due for an O-fer night.  Matsui finished 0 for 4 and left 5 runners on base.

The Ugly:

Tabloid journalism.  The talk of the town on Friday was about George Steinbrenner and his failing health.  This isn't really anything new, but a reporter recently gained access (he either sneaked in with or accompanied a friend of Steinbrenner's) to the Yankee owner and writes that George is in "dreadful" shape.  Again, I'm not shocked by this, but it's really an unnecessary story.  Sports reporting has now crossed the line into celebrity journalism.  It seems like everybody wants to see people at their worst.  Sad.

Well, the time has come.  Phil Hughes will make his return to the Yanks on Saturday afternoon.  It will be Hughes' first start since May 1 when he no-hit the Texas Rangers for 6 1/3 innings before leaving with a strained hamstring.  Hughes also missed time nursing a sprained ankle suffered during his rehab stint.  Number 65 will take the mound with a 1-1 record and a 3.38 ERA.  He'll face the newly acquired Kyle Davies who was 4-8 with a 5.76 ERA with the Braves before being traded to the Royals for reliever Octavio Dotel.

Let the Hughes mania begin.

*CORRECTION:  Cano didn't homer in his third straight game on Friday.  It was his third homer in four games.

In a surprising move yesterday, the Bears made their second trade of training camp. Safety Chris Harris was sent to the Carolina Panthers in return for a sixth round draft pick. This seems like a great move for Carolina, but the Bears depth at safety made Harris expendable. Harris, a sixth round pick in 2005, made 26 starts the last two years and ended his Bears career with an interception in the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning.

One thing is for sure, with Harris and fellow safety Todd Johnson both gone, the Bears defense is going to have a little less pop. Those two guys could lay wood with the best of them, hopefully their replacements, Kevin Payne and Brandon McGowan, will be able to hit just as ferociously.

The reason I have to write football posts now is because the Sox are so bad, and Jose Contreras has been a big part of that lately. The Sox just demoted Jose to the bullpen, in favor of Gavin Floyd, and Contreras is not too happy about it.

''I accepted the bullpen assignment now because I fully understand I'm struggling right now,'' Contreras said. ''I'm aware that I'm going to be back, I'm going to be OK. I want to be a starter. If they don't want me as a starter next year, I want to be out of here.

If it were up to the Sox, I’m sure Contreras and his $9 million salary would be gone next year too. The Sox are loaded with good, young arms in the minors, and with the first four in the rotation set for 2008 (barring a trade), the Sox should cut Jose lose and see what one of the young guns can do in the five hole. Gio Gonzalez, who was acquired in the Freddie Garcia trade, has been a strikeout machine in AA, but he may have to wait until 2009. Floyd and Charlie Haegar are the most likely candidates for the job next year, but don’t be surprised if Jack Egbert makes a strong push. Egbert, 24, is 11-7 with a 2.57 ERA and 134 K’s in AA this season. TUP friend of the program Al Bundy would like to point out that he predicted Egbert’s greatness two years ago. Worth noting.

*In other White Sox related news, pitcher Kris Honel, a former first round draft pick, has retired.

***

In honor of my favorite Mexipunk band, here are a few shout-outs to other people doing Giants-related stuff:

* High school journalism teacher Matt Johanson has written a book about his favorite Giant memories, Game of My Life. If you like it, drive over to Castro Valley High and tell him in person.

* The SFist has a contest: rename Dodger Stadium. I’m late to plug it as the Giants just ended their series at Chavez Latrine, but I think there’s still time to land that left jab. (The LAist is running a similar contest about Mays Field.)

* One of my favorite writers covering the Giants? You might be surprised: it’s Chris Haft, the former daily-paper journo who took over the sfgiants.com beat from Bulwer-Lytton Professor of Metaphor Rich Draper. Despite claims of independence from the Giants and MLB, Draper turned the gig into an ever-astounding absurd wet kiss. (This was one of my favorites: "Somebody keeps whispering in Noah Lowry's ear, and it's not like he's hearing voices. It's his own body doing the talking.")

But props to Haft, who’s managed to tell it straight without (so far) getting fired. His most recent mailbag column was more honest than a lot of local beat writers have ever been. He calls Bonds an “albatross,” he cautions those who see Feliz’s latest hot streak as a sign that Pedro has changed his horrible approach at the plate, and he says if Sabean can’t turn the Giants around in two years, he should be dismissed. Agree or disagree with those positions, you certainly can’t accuse him of kowtowing to the brass. Keep it up, Chris.