On the Yankees beat

Even though Bobby Abreu was 1-for-4 Friday night, Joe Torre thought his at-bats were “quality” and moved him back into the No. 3 spot for Saturday. “This is where I want him to succeed. I’m more comfortable with him there,” Torre said. Abreu’s only real hot streak this season corresponded to the Yankees’ 14-3 stretch so Torre obviously hopes the formula will work again. Unfortunately, Abreu went 0-for-3 Saturday and was booed after striking out in the eighth.

Here’s the Saturday lineup:

Damon DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Phillips 1B

Torre also said he had spoken to Kyle Farnsworth about the reliever’s latest meltdown. Farnsworth was upset at being removed with two outs and two on in the eighth inning Friday night. “I can understand his frustration. He’s a passionate guy,” Torre said. But the manager pointed out that Mariano Rivera was the man called on to get a four-out save on Friday, a reliever he called the best he’s ever seen. Torre’s message to the fiery Farnsworth: Don’t do it again. “I don’t think it’s an issue,” Torre declared.

The Yankees got a crisp 2-1 win over the Oakland A's.Mike Mussina pitched seven solid innings, allowing one run on six hits and a walk. He has a 2.56 ERA in his last five starts. Kyle Farnsworth got into a jam, giving up two singles and recording two outs in the eighth, but still looked angry to be taken out in favor of Mariano Rivera. That didn't please Joe Torre too much, though he wouldn't go into detail. Rivera shut the A's down, striking out three of five batters. He also got a popup and hit one batter.
Offensively, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada each drove in a run. Rodriguez reached base four times, with three hits (including two doubles) and a walk.

Here's the Yankees-A's lineup for tonight's game.

A's
Stewart LF
Kotsay CF
Swisher RF
Cust DH
Chavez 3B
Ellis 2B
Johnson 1B
Crosby SS
Kendall C

Kennedy P

Yankees
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Matsui LF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada DH
Abreu RF
Phillips 1B
Cano 2B
Nieves C

Mussina P

Two points before I head into the clubhouse:

Some people are unclear about the rules on last night's game. Rule 4.12 a states that a game shall become a suspended game that must be completed at a future date if the game is terminated for any of the following reasons:
the 5th is: "weather, if a regulation game is called while an inning is in progress and before the inning is completed, and the visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead."

Hope that helps.

Point two: Wow, Abreu really stirs up passionate feelings among this crowd. I was just trying to make a broad example that coming into the season, the Yankees had good reason to expect much more from Abreu than he has given. They don't seem to want to put all their eggs in the one basket that is Teixeira.
Regarding Teixeira, as I wrote last weekend in the paper, the Yankees have let the Rangers know they are interested. However, they don't anticipate the price being one they are comfortable with (i.e. Hughes). The Rangers don't expect any prospect to be untouchable when gettingi back 1 1/2 years of a top-tier player who provides Gold Glove-caliber defense and can hit 40 homers per year. Otherwise they can just take the two first-round draft picks if Teixeira walks. As far as Teixeira being able to play in NY, who can ever say with absolute certainty? I know it would interest him, perhaps for the long-term. He's from Baltimore, which is not far away, and his sister lives just outside NY.
Don't really want to spend so much space on him, but people seem very interested.

Well, the Yankees are finally back from the trip from hell. It was quite a shocking development, given how well they had been playing prior to the road trip. Now people are wondering if they will be sellers at the trade deadline, not buyers. It's hard to imagine that happening with the Yankees, but you never know.
GM Brian Cashman continues to say he won't mortgage the future for immediate help, such as trading Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Joba Chamberlain in a deal for Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira. He might make a smaller deal, such as one for Shea Hillenbrand of the Angels or a reliever or backup catcher, but no blockbusters are anticipated.
In some ways, that makes sense, as this team really hasn't shown that it is just one piece away from being a World Series contender. And as good as Teixeira has been to date in his four-year career, Bobby Abreu had every bit that track record but isn't performing well, so who's to say what Teixeira could add?
It's a sad state for the Yankees, as you can see in their faces and hear in their words when talking about the way things are going.

If you are interested in speculation about where A-Rod is going to play next season, check out this column in the Sacramento Bee. I argree with this writer.
If you don't care about A-Rod, skip this post and go back to talking about how Cashman and Torre should be fired.

This is going to be in the paper Thursday and on the web too, at some point:

The Yankees are trying to bring Shea to the Bronx.
Shea Hillenbrand could become the next righthanded hitter to play first base for the Yankees. The team is engaged in serious talks to acquire the 31-year-old who is about to be dumped by the Angels, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Yankees considered signing Hillenbrand as a free agent in the offseason, but he signed with the Angels for one year and $6.5 million. Hillenbrand said yesterday that he was told he would be designated for assignment tomorrow; after that the Angels would have 10 days to trade or release him. The Angels are Hillenbrand’s fourth team since 2004.
Hillenbrand is batting .254 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. He told The Associated Press he is looking to play every day, which he certainly could for the Yankees, who are using Miguel Cairo at first base after injuries to Jason Giambi and Doug Mientkiewicz.
There does not figure to be a hot market for Hillenbrand, so the Yankees and Angels will likely haggle over money and what the Yankees will give up for him. Figure on a minor prospect.

As the observant among you may have noticed from Newsday's Yankees coverage in Baltimore, I am not there. Anthony Rieber is filling in for me, so I'll pretty much leave the blogging to him for the next two days. But I thought I'd throw one thing up there. And since I think most of you are tired of talking about and thinking about the Yankees' losing and place in the standings, my distraction of the day is about the upcoming All-Star Game. Do you like the game? Think it needs changes? Chat about it.

Despite the spot in the standings, the Yankees should have plenty of representatives in the All-Star Game. The team will officially be announced this Sunday but the latest balloting update came out yesterday.
Third baseman Alex Rodriguez leads all major leaguers in votes with 2,542,551, more than 300,000 more than the next-highest voted player. That happens to be shortstop Derek Jeter, with 2,127,177 votes. Aside -- hope Derek had a happy 33rd birthday yesterday, aside from the loss. Catcher Jorge Posada is second in voting at catcher, and should be picked even if he doesn't win the voting. Ivan Rodriguez has 1,362,506 votes to Posada's 1,111,926.

The Yankees have a few other much-voted players who won't (and don't deserve to) go to the All-Star Game. Robinson Cano is second in second base voting. Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are 8th, 9th and 10th among outfielders. Jason Giambi is 4th in first base voting.

I know a couple of the Yankee relievers are the bane of some of your existence (cough, cough, Myers, Farnsworth, Vizcaino, cough, cough). So here are some numbers on the top relievers as far as percent of inherited runners scored this season. This isn't relevant for closers, who rarely have inherited runners. The stats I looked up only include relievers who have entered with at least 14 inherited runners so far.

Tied for first, having not allowed one inherited runner to score this season, are the Mets' Aaron Heilman (I know, surprising, 16 inherited, zero scored), and the Cubs' Michael Wuertz (18, 0).
Next best are:
Indians' Rafael Betancourt, 5.3 %, 19-1
Red Sox's Hideki Okajima, 6.3%, 16-1
Twins' Dennys Reyes, 7.1%, 14-1
Dodgers' Joe Beimel, 9.1%, 22-2
Twins' Pat Neshek, 11.5%, 26-3
Diamondbacks' Tony Pena, 11.8%, 17-2
Rangers' Frank Francisco, 12.5%, 16-2
Red Sox's J.C. Romerro, 13.3%, 15-2

Yankees' with 10+ inherited runners
Ron Villone, 20%, 10-2
Brian Bruney, 30.4%, 23-7
Scott Proctor, 30.8%, 26-8
Luis Vizcaino, 35.3%, 34-12
Mike Myers, 40.0%, 35-14
Mariano Rivera, 54.5%, 11-6

Another stat is baserunners allowed per nine innings. For Yankees relievers who have pitched double-digit innings in relief, here are the #s:

Mariano Rivera, 11.06 baserunners/9
Mike Myers, 11.53
Scott Proctor, 12.29
Sean Henn, 13.979
Luis Vizcaino, 14.11
Brian Bruney, 14.34
Ron Villone, 15.00
Kyle Farnsworth, 15.17 (yes, that's bad)

Incidentally, for the Vizcaino haters, his June has been quite solid. Opponents are batting a mere .167 against him, with a .278 slugging percentage. He's allowed one earned run on six hits and seven walks in 11 innings.

Here are some tidbits researched on how various Yankees have done this year with runners in scoring position. Some of it is along the lines of what one would think based on watching games with one's own eyes (Cabrera, Cano). Anyway, it's fairly interesting.

Batting average this season with runners in scoring position

Derek Jeter: .435 (27-of-62)
Alex Rodriguez: .321 (25-of-78)
Jason Giambi: .318 (14-of-44)
Hideki Matsui: .280 (21-of-75)
Josh Phelps: .280 (7-of-25)
Jorge Posada: .280 (23-of-82)
Miguel Cairo: .261 (6-of-23)
Bobby Abreu: .244 (20-of-82)
Johnny Damon: .240 (12-of-50)
Wil Nieves: .231 (3-of-13)
Robinson Cano: .207 (17-of-82)
Doug Mientkiewicz: .200 (9-of-45)
Melky Cabrera: .197 (13-of-66)

On-base plus slugging percentage with RISP
Alex Rodriguez: 1100
Derek Jeter: 1.041
Jason Giambi: .865
Hideki Matsui: .783
Jorge Posada: .781
Johnny Damon: .770
Josh Phelps: .699
Doug Mientkiewicz: .680
Bobby Abreu: .675
Miguel Cairo: .612
Robinson Cano: .531
Wil Nieves: .516
Melky Cabrera: .497

Just when the Yankees thought they had finally gotten back on track, they dropped five out of six to begin this nine-game road trip. And although the Rockies had been playing very well of late, scoring five runs in three games at Coors Field is pretty bad. And Sunday's loss to the Giants was pretty horrible.

Here are a few of the biggest problems, with a comment on possible solutions:

1. Injuries. They've been hurt by more injuries than any team could rightly expect to have. Many were early injuries to the pitching staff, and that has had a big effect but shouldn't do as much damage going forward. The starting five right now of Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens and Kei Igawa is at least as good as the planned starting five of Pettitte, Wang, Mussina, Igawa and Carl Pavano. The injuries hurting them now are the lingering issues with Johnny Damon, plus the disabled list stints of Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Giambi.

2. Offense so-so against lefties
OK, one thing nobody expected to be a problem for the Yankees was offense. But expectations have fallen short. Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter may be surpassing expectations, but the rest of the offense is far below expectations, at least against lefties. The Yankees are hitting .286 against right-handers, with batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all in the top three in the American League.
Against lefties, they're hitting .270, ninth in the league. Their OBP and slugging both rank in the bottom five in the AL vs. lefties.
To fix this? Either hope for improvement from guys like Robinson Cano, Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon; trade for top lefty-masher; or both.

3. Bullpen taxed, then showing the strain
The Yankees' bullpen has pitched more innings than every American League team but the Rangers and Royals, two teams one doesn't want to be associated with this year. That's tired the relief corps out at times. Early ono, Mariano Rivera was ineffective. He seems back on track, but others have had problems since then, namely Luis Vizcaino and Kyle Farnsworth. Two possibilities to fix this are to strengthen the back end of the pen by replacing Farnsworth with a top setup man, and to keep the relievers rested as has been the case more often recently.

4. Weak bench
The bench has not been very productive. Part of that is because injuries to Giambi, Mientkiewicz and Damon have thrust would-be bench players into regular status. But Wil Nieves has not been a boost as a catcher. Extremely nice guy, but production-wise, he's not getting the job done.

There are other problems, but those are the biggies, in my opinion. Feel free to add your own thoughts.

The Giants held a pre-game ceremony commemorating the 1962 World Series, which the Yankees won in seven games with a 1-0 victory in Game 7. The collection of players from that series that was on the field today was impressive. Among the Giants standouts were Felipe Alou, Matty Alou, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey, Willie Mays and Gaylord Perry. For the Yankees, there were Tex Clevenger, Jim Coates, Hector Lopez, Jack Terry, Bobby Richardson and Ralph Terry.

The game has begun, and is in the second inning. Derek Jeter, who suffered a slight left hip flexor strain, is in the lineup. He's one that never likes to admit he is hurting, but does have a sense of humor about the questioning. He said of his hip: "It's great." Asked if it would take an artificial hip to keep him out, he said: "Bo (Jackson) played with one, didn't he?" Research shows that Jeter was correct, that Jackson played with an artificial hip. Asked if bone sticking out would keep him from the game, he said: "Now that would be a problem."

People may have their complaints about Barry Bonds, but you can't say he isn't engaging when he wants to be. I had an interesting conversation with him today -- not an interview, he didn't want to do that -- but an interesting conversation. He's got opinions, and while you may not agree with him, he's put serious thought into them.

Anyway, on to the lineups. No Jorge Posada (banged up and Wil Nieves catches for Mike Mussina), and no Bobby Abreu (pressing at the plate):

Yankees
Cabrera CF
Cairo 1B
Jeter SS
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Thompson RF
Nieves C
Mussina P

Giants
Winn CF
Vizquel SS
Durham 2B
Bonds LF
Klesko 1B
Schierholtz RF
Feliz 3B
Guillermo Rodriguez C
Lowry P

Here's the lineup for the second Yankees-Giants game:

Yankees
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cairo 1B
Wang RHP

Giants
Roberts CF
Winn RF
Durham 2B
Bonds LF
Klesko 1B
Molina C
Feliz 3B
Vizquel SS
Morris RHP

The Yankees won 7-3, despite career home run No. 749 by Barry Bonds.

This is definitely the big show in town -- the first regular season trip ever by the Yankees to AT&T Park. Sure, they play in Oakland every season, but that's across the Bay and not nearly as close to the hearts of fans from this side of the San Francisco Bay.

Even actors Robin Williams and Billy Crystal are here, sitting together. Barry Bonds is up with two outs and the bases loaded. Apparently, Williams is cheering for the Giants, as he's up and cheering. Crystal, of course, is a Yankees fan, and he is sitting down.
It's 5-1 Yankees in the bottom of the 5th, but for how long?

The Yankees are in San Francisco, playing at AT&T Park (and every former name for this stadium) for the first time in the regular season.

Alex Rodriguez did an organized group pre-game interview for just the second time this season. He spoke glowingly of Barry Bonds, who he counts as a close friend, and of the city of San Francisco, which will host next month's All-Star Game. He also said he will not participate in the Home Run Derby.

As for the lineups (Sean Henn was optioned to make room for Kei Igawa):

Yankees
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cairo 1B
Igawa LHP

Giants
Dave Roberts CF
Randy Winn RF
Ray Durham 2B
Barry Bonds LF
Bengie Molina C
Pedro Feliz 1B
Kevin Frandsen 3B
Omar Vizquel SS
Matt Cain RHP

As the Yankees get ready to open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, one of the more intriguing sidestories (the story other than who wins and who loses) is Barry Bonds approaching the all-time home run record. Bonds certainly qualifies as a complicated character in the public eye. Many don't like him. Many think he is unfairly singled out, with regards to possible steroid use. In talking to some of the top Yankees hitters, though, they all described him as a singular talent and one whose accomplishments should be celebrated.
I wrote an article today detailing how Alex Rodriguez could eventually pass both Bonds and Hank Aaron in career home runs. So a couple questions for you readers:
1. What are your feelings on Bonds being on the verge of passing Aaron's 755?
2. Do you think A-Rod will eventually pass both Bonds and Aaron?
3. Do you think the public reaction to Rodriguez getting the home run record would be more positive than that of Bonds? Would that finally make him one of the more beloved figures in baseball?

Roger Clemens is going for win No. 350 of his career. He and the Yankees have a 2-1 lead right now. Hideki Matsui hit a two-run homer in the top of the second, and Garrett Atkins just hit a solo homer off Clemens to make it 2-1 with one out in the bottom of the second.

Yankees minor league pitcher Joba Chamberlain has been named to the U.S. team in the Futures All-Star Game, which will be held Sunday, July 8th in San Francisco. Chamberlain is currently with the Trenton Thunder. The Thunder manager, Tony Franklin, has been picked as a coach for the team.

Here's the lineup for the final game in Colorado, as the Yankees try to avoid a sweep. Johnny Damon is playing center field. One interesting thing about his injuries that Joe Torre and others noted is that he is very open about what he is feeling. One person termed it "communicative." In other words, if Damon is hurting and someone asks him, he will tell that person so.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Derek Jeter. He hates to admit anything is wrong. Even after he was removed from a game in Tampa Bay after being hit with a ball, he acted as if the question was crazy when someone wanted to know if he was OK. It's hard to gauge how much pain another person is feeling, and Damon has certainly had some problems this season, but their outward attitude is something to consider.
Anyway, lineups:
Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cairo 1B
Clemens P

Rockies
Taveras CF
Kaz Matsui 2B
Holliday LF
Helton 1B
Atkins 3B
Hawpe RF
Tulowitzki SS
Torrealba C
Rodrigo Lopez P

Joe Torre acknowledged that the Yankees are contemplating putting Johnny Damon on the disabled list. He said he spoke with GM Brian Cashman about it today, and they are going to see how Damon fares the next couple days.
"It's certainly something we have to consider," Torre said.
Damon said it would be up to the Yankees what to do. He sounded as if he could go either way, that him even banged-up may be better than not having him at all. However, if it's a matter of him being banged up for the whole year or him missing 15 days and then being 100% for the rest of the year that's a different story.

Lineups
Yankees
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Phillips 1B
Pettitte P

Rockies
Taveras CF
Kaz Matsui 2B
Holliday LF
Helton 1B
Atkins 3B
Hawpe RF
Tulowitzki SS
Torrealba C
Francis LHP

Johnny Damon continues to be bothered by various aches and pains. He told me yesterday afternoon that he feels like the disabled list is a real possibility. This time, it's soreness in his rib cage that's a problem.
"I don't know how much longer I can go with my rib," Damon told Newsday. "It's not going to get better with just a day off. You have to swing every day."

Damon said it was slightly worse yesterday than it had been over the weekend. He got into last night's game as part of a double switch in the seventh, going to first base to replace Andy Phillips. Damon struck out to end the game in the ninth. He has been working primarily as a designated hitter recently, with Melky Cabrera in centerfield.

"It doesn't feel very good," Damon said before the game. "It hurts pretty much every swing."

Can't help but wonder if he should have gone on the DL back in April, when back spasms and calf cramps were the problem. He's still never been on the DL in his career.

And the first base situation continues to evolve for the Yankees. They designated Josh Phelps for assignment and purchased the contract of Andy Phillips. Although Miguel Cairo has played very well at first, Joe Torre said he prefers to have Cairo as a sort of super-sub and expects Phillips to play most days at first base.
However, that will not start today. Jorge Posada is playing first base. Wil Nieves has become basically the personal catcher of Mike Mussina, and since they are playing under National League rules, that means the only way to get Posada in there is at first.
Long-term, though, even Torre admitted that they would have to listen if something presented itself that could improve the team.
This is my first time at Coors Field, which leaves me with five National League ballparks I have yet to see a game in: San Diego, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. I've seen the park in San Diego but during the winter.

And now, the lineups:
Yankees
Melky Cabrera CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada 1B
Hideki Matsui LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Wil Nieves C

Mike Mussina P

Rockies
Willy Taveras CF
Kazuo Matsui 2B
Matt Holliday LF
Todd Helton 1B
Garrett Atkins 3B
Brad Hawpe RF
Troy Tulowitzki SS
Yorvit Torrealba C

Josh Fogg RHP

As the Yankees prepare to play at Coors Field, I thought a look at that ballpark might be interesting. It's been known as a hitter's ballpark to the extreme, but the past several years, that had seemed less of an issue than in the past.
This year, though, it's once again a hitter's haven, and one the Yankees' lineup will probably relish playing in.
The Rockies' ERA at home is 5.07. On the road, it's 3.78. The Rockies have scored 174 runs at home (4.83 per game). They have scored 140 runs per game on the road (or 4.24 per game). So far at least, opposing hitters are taking better advantage of the Rockies' ballpark than they themselves are.
Given that the Yankees are averaging 6.94 runs per game in June, it could be a high-powered series.

Happy Father's Day to all. I hope you enjoy the final game of the Subway Series tonight. I won't be blogging today, as I'm off with a road trip that starts tomorrow. Have fun with the Wang vs. Duque matchup.

We're in a rain delay here. It's 8-5 Yankees with no outs in the top of the 6th.

The Yankees lead 6-5 after four innings. In seven of the eight frames so far, somebody has scored. The Mets scored one run in each of the first three innings, and two in the fourth. The Yankees scored two runs apiece in the second, third and fourth innings.
Tom Glavine remains in the game for the Mets. Tyler Clippard is out for the Yankees. He allowed five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have each hit two-run homers for the Yankees. Johnny Damon and Miguel Cairo have also driven in one run apiece.
Ruben Gotay has a solo home run for the Mets and Ramon Castro a two-run homer for the Mets. David Wright also has an RBI, and Jose Reyes scored on a Clippard balk.

Here's the lineup for this afternoon's game:

Mets
Reyes SS
Beltran CF
Wright 3B
Delgado 1B
Lo Duca DH
Green RF
Castro C
Gotay 2B
Gomez LF

Glavine P

Yankees
Damon DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Cairo 1B

Clippard P

A couple of noteworthy things from this morning:

*Jorge Posada took ground balls at first base. This is not something the Yankees see as a necessary move for him, with the exception of the upcoming National League series. Since Mike Mussina has basically taken Wil Nieves as his personal catcher, and Mussina is scheduled to pitch Tuesday (following an off day) and again Sunday (preceding an off day), the Yankees don't want to lose Posada's bat in the lineup both of those days, especially if he doesn't really need a day off. So if Posada looks OK at first, expect to see him there Tuesday and Sunday.
"I think it's possible, let's put it that way," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
Posada is fine with it, though he knows he is unlikely to be stellar over there in the short-term. Said Posada: "We don't have enough time. You have to think where you're going to be. Instincts don't play over there (for him)."
Torre said he could see Posada making that transition on a full-time or near full-time basis down the road, as in 2009 or 2010. As for Posada: "I don't want to think about it, but if it's something that's going to help me, I'm OK with it."

*The Mets stole five bases last night. That was a result of Roger Clemens's slow delivery, not Jorge Posadas's slow reactions. But as for Clemens correcting that, Torre said: "What he's got to do is work on getting them (the hitters) over there (the dugout) instead of over there (first base)."

The Mets lead 2-0 after six innings. Jose Reyes is 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBIs.

The Mets lead 1-0 after four innings. So far, Carlos Gomez is the Mets' star of the game. He scored their only run, with a single, a steal and then scoring on Jose Reyes's single. He ended the fourth inning for the Yankees with a leaping catch at the left field wall to pull in a Miguel Cairo fly ball. He then threw to second to double off Hideki Matsui.

It's still scoreless after two innings. The Yankees had the bases loaded in the second, but Melky Cabrera struck out to end the inning. The Mets had two on and nobody out in the first, but Roger Clemens allowed only a fielder's choice the rest of the inning and they did not score.

Johnny Damon has been scratched from the Yankees lineup with an abdominal muscle strain. Melky Cabrera will play center field and Josh Phelps will DH.

New Yankees lineup
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Phelps DH
Cairo 1B

Clemens P

Pretty big change in the fortunes of these two teams compared to when they last played each other. Joe Torre called it "a 180", and Willie Randolph said it's a "league of streaks. we're not getting the voodoo dolls out."
Torre also said they will likely be creating a spot for Kei Igawa before too long, either in the starting rotation or in long relief.

Here's the lineup for tonight's game:

Mets
Reyes SS
Beltran CF
Wright 3B
Delgado DH
Lo Duca C
Green RF
Valentin 2B
Franco 1B
Gomez LF

Perez P

Yankees
Damon DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Cairo 1B

Clemens P

My picks for the all-NY team
CF: Beltran
LF: Matsui
RF: could go either way, but Abreu
C: Posada
3B: Rodriguez
SS: Jeter (another tough one)
2B: Cano
1B: Delgado

SP: Pettitte
SP: Wang
SP: Glavine
SP: Hernandez
SP: Clemens

Closer: Rivera

I'm sorry, I forgot to clarify, this is what player you would take RIGHT NOW. Not for the next five years or something like that. That's an important difference, especially, say, in the case of Derek Jeter vs. Jose Reyes. I'll give you my picks before the game starts.

No, I haven't been on vacation. I have been working on a long feature for Sunday, though, so between that and games, I haven't had much time to post on here.

The Yankees will attempt to continue their complete and total interleague dominance. They entered this year with a .592 winning percentage (103-71) in interleague play all-time, the best in the majors. They are 7-2 so far this year against NL teams.

Here's a query that could/should stir up some debate. Go position-by-position and give me which team's starter you would take at each position, Yankees or Mets. Only active players are eligible (no Pedro Martinez or Jason Giambi), and scrap the DH, since the Mets don't have one.
Otherwise, one at each position, a closer, and five starters.

If you're in to the first amendment and free speech and all that, check this out:

Blogger ejected from college baseball game

and then check this out:

Watchdog on the prowl!

The Yankees are having a home run derby here. So far, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui are tied with one apiece, but Rodriguez wins for sheer length, as he hit one that bounced off the base of the third deck in left field.
Yankees are winning 7-1 over the Diamondbacks. Mike Mussina has allowed one run on two hits and no walks. Livan Hernandez, on the other hand, has given up seven runs on nine hits and five walks to raise his ERA from 3.66 to 4.20.

Here are a couple of notes:

*Roger Clemens has been around every day, despite the so-called family plan. He even went to a Yankee-related event on the off day. He talked to reporters today between workouts, and is looking forward to his Friday start. Said he expects to get stronger each time out.

*Joe Torre acknowledged that Kyle Farnsworth hasn't been very good, but says he's still the 8th-inning guy.

*Wil Nieves is catching tonight because they think he works well with Mike Mussina. But Jorge Posada is in the lineup at DH because it's hard to sit a guy who's hitting .353. Posada will catch tomorrow. With Posada at DH, Johnny Damon played center field and Melky Cabrera is off.
*Alex Rodriguez will DH tomorrow. Either Chris Basak or Miguel Cairo will play third.

Here is the Yankees-Diamondbacks lineup. I'll be back with a few notes shortly:

Diamondbacks
Byrnes LF
Jackson DH
Hudson 2B
Tracy 1B
Reynolds 3B
Drew SS
Young CF
Montero C
Quentin RF

Livan Hernandez P

Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada DH
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Cairo 1B
Nieves C

Mussina P

OK here are the answers to my morning QOTD, best Yankee starting pitcher and hitter since May 1:

Pitcher:
Chien-Ming Wang (surprised?) -- 6-2 with 2.98 ERA
Andy Pettitte--2-3 with 3.17 ERA
Mike Mussina--2-2 with 5.32

Hitter
Jorge Posada -- 1.020 OPS, .377 avg
Alex Rodriguez--.917 OPS, .