On the Yankees beat

Pregame chatter

Yankees (20-21) at Tampa Bay Rays (23-17), 4:10 p.m.

Starters: Ian Kennedy (0-2, 8.37) for the Yankees and Scott Kazmir (1-1, 2.70) for the Rays.

Hello, It's Me: Kennedy gets a second chance to make a better impression. He was demoted to the minors on May 4 after recording a horrible 8.37 earned run average in seven starts. The alternative would have been more Kei Igawa. But Kennedy did pitch 7 1/3 shutout innings for Scranton-Wilkes Barre on May 6 (including one hit and eight strikeouts).

Ray of hope: Kazmir makes his third start following a one-month stint on the disabled list. He allowed just three hits with six strikeouts in six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Saturday. Kazmir agreed to a four-year contract worth $28.5 million on Wednesday.

Be back after the Yankees bat in the top of the first inning.

Top of 1st: Kazmir gets a 1-2-3 inning. With the lineup the Yankees have out there, it will be interesting to see what offense they can produce.

Bottom of 1st: Akinori Iwamura leads off with a home run to right. Bad start for Kennedy. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 2nd: First Yankees baserunner ........ Morgan Ensberg, who walked with two outs. Robinson Cano, fresh off a 4-for-4 night, struck out looking to end the inning.

Bottom of 2nd: 1-2-3 inning for Kennedy, including a strikeout of Eric Hinske.

Top of 3rd: Kazmir is cruising - and looking very good. Another 1-2-3 inning. He picked up his second strikeout of the game, getting Molina.

Bottom of 3rd: Shawn Riggans singles to center to start. Kennedy hits Ben Zobrist. After a good bottom of the second, Kennedy is in trouble. Iwamura walks to load the bases. Even more trouble. Carl Crawford flies out to left, scoring Riggans. B.J. Upton grounds out, runners move up. Kennedy strikes out the dangerous Pena. For a bases loaded situation and no outs, not a bad job by Kennedy. Rays 2, Yankees 0.

Top of 4th: Melky Cabrera gets the Yankees' first hit of the day, a single to left. Jeter grounds out to Evan Longoria, with Melky going to second. Melky was lucky he did not get picked off earlier in the at-bat. Giambi hits a high popup to Riggans in foul territory. Duncan flies out to left.

Bottom of 4th: Two quick outs for Kennedy before Hinske hit a double to right. Hinske, not known for his running, just beat the throw by Duncan. The throw was a little off line. Riggans followed with a two-run home run to deep left. A flat slider straight down the middle of the plate. Rays 4, Yankees 0.

Top of 5th: Ensberg walks to lead. Cano grounds into a fielder's choice. Credit Ensberg for pausing, which got him safely to second and into scoring position. Alberto Gonzalez walks. Molina flew out to center, Ensberg tagged up and made it to third, despite a strong throw by Upton. Damon hits a looper to second and that ends the inning.

Bottom of 5th: Iwamura starts with a double to right. Crawford hits a fly to center and Iwamura tags and goes to third. Upton hits another flyball to center, deep enough to score Iwamura. Rays 5, Yankees 0.

Top of 6th: Jeter gets a one-out single to center, the 2,400th of his career. That's the second hit off Kazmir. Giambi strikes out looking. Giambi hasn't had a good history against Kazmir and it's showing today. Duncan singles to left. Ensberg flies to centerfield as Kazmir passes the 100-pitch count.

Bottom of 6th: Kennedy's out, LaTroy Hawkins is in. Hawkins struck out the side in order. Impressive! Line on Kennedy: five innings, five hits, five earned runs, three strikeouts and one walk, 78 pitches.

Top of 7th: Kazmir is gone. Good start, though. Cano greets reliever Gary Glover with a single. Bobby Abreu, pinch-hitting for Gonalez, fouls out. Molina singles to right, past a diving Pena. Runners at first and second. Damon flies out to left. It's up to Melky to get the Yankees on the scoreboard. Line-drive single to centerfield, scoring Cano. Jeter singles to score Molina. Melky goes to third. That's all for Glover. Lefty Trever Miller is in to face Giambi. Giambi hits a flyball to centerfield. Rays 5, Yankees 2. Line on Kazmir: six innings, three hits, no runs, three strikeouts, three walks.

Bottom of 7th: Jose Veras is in. I thought Hawkins looked real good last inning. Why not have him go out there for another inning? But another good inning for the bullpen. Veras sets the Rays down in order.

Top of 8th: Hideki Matsui bats for Duncan, and Dan Wheeler is in for the Rays. Matsui strikes out. Ensberg strikes out. Cano flies out to left. The bats go quiet again.

Bottom of 8th: Another reliever, this time Edwar Ramirez. The bullpen remains perfect, as Ramirez gets a 1-2-3 inning. Nine up, nine down for the bullpen.

Top of 9th: Troy Percival is in to close it out for the Rays. Abreu strikes out looking. Molina strikes out swinging. All fastballs against Molina, the last one at 91. Damon flies out to left. FINAL: Rays 5, Yankees 2.

Pregame chatter

Yankees (19-21) at Tampa Bay Rays (23-16), 7:10 p.m.

Starters: Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.36) for the Yankees and James Shields (4-2, 3.14) for the Rays.

Last starts: Shields pitched a one-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Friday. He struck out eight without walking a batter. Mussina has won his last four starts. He beat the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, allowing three runs and four hits in five innings.

Red-hot Rays: The first-place Rays try to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 12 games tonight.

Be back after the first pitch.

Top of 1st: Shields retires the Yankees in order. Not sure I like Bobby Abreu batting second. Derek Jeter in the third spot is intriguing.

Bottom of 1st: Real nice diving stop of a Carl Crawford hard grounder down the first-base line by Jason Giambi. Perhaps Joe Girardi's pregame meeting did some good. Mussina sends the Rays down, 1-2-3.

Top of 2nd: Shields retired the first five batters, including a strikeout of Hideki Matsui on a backdoor slider. Robinson Cano bounced a groundball up the middle for a single. Melky Cabrera bounced a grounder to first baseman Carlos Pena. Pena tried to get Cano at second base, but he threw the ball into the leftfield, putting runners at second and third. Score that a fielder's choice and an error. Morgan Ensberg grounded out to shortstop. A missed opportunity for the Yankees.

Bottom of 2nd: Pena avoided the shift the Yankees were using on him, grounding the ball to where Morgan Ensberg, who was playing shortstop, should've been. A single for Pena. Evan Longoria grounded into a double play. Cliff Floyd - Yes, Cliff Floyd! - singled past Cano. Dioner Navarro hit a ball off the glove of Derek Jeter. Floyd tried to go to third base, but Cabrera threw him out. Great laser throw by Melky.

Top of 3rd: 1-2-3 inning for Shields, who ended the inning with a strikeout of Abreu.

Bottom of 3rd: Mussina counters with a 1-2-3 inning. He looked good that inning. Nice movement on his pitches, good command.

Top of 4th: Matsui gets a two-out double to left-center. Cano singles up the middle, his second hit of the game, to drive in Matsui. Yankees 1, Rays 0.

Bottom of 4th: Mussina got two quick outs, including a strikeout of Upton. Pena lined a single over Derek Jeter, playing behind second base, and into centerfield. But that was it. Still 1-0.

Top of 5th: Ensberg leads off with a single. Jose Molina sacrifices him to second. Shields got a big strikeout of Johnny Damon with his signature pitch - a changeup. Abreu blooped a double inside the leftfield foul line, scoring Ensberg. Shields struck out Jeter. Yankees 2, Rays 0.

Bottom of 5th: Again, two quick outs for Mussina. Gabe Gross doubled to deep left-center. Jason Bartlett grounded to Giambi, who made a diving stop and flipped to Mussina. Mussina just beat Bartlett, sliding head-first, to the bag.

Top of 6th: Another hit by Cano - a single to center. He's 3 for 3 tonight. Only eight pitches thrown by Shields that inning. We're still 2-0, Yanks.

Bottom of 6th: Nice, quick inning for Mussina. He's giving the Yankees exactly what they needed tonight - 7 or more innings.

Top of 7th: Ensberg draws a leadoff walk. Molina again sacrifices Ensberg to second base. Damons grounds out, 5-3. Abreu also grounded out.

Bottom of 7th: Longoria drew a one-out walk. That was it for Mussina, who pitched very well. Cliff Floyd followed with a single against the new pitcher - Ross Ohlendorf. Dioner Navarro singles to center to score Longoria. But Gross lined to Jeter, who flipped to Cano to double off Floyd. Very big play to get out of the jam. Line on Mussina: 6.1 innings, five hits, one earned run, four strikeouts and one walk. Yankees 2, Rays 1.

Top of 8th: Giambi drew a one-out walk and that was all for Shields. Trever Miller relieved and got Matsui to ground into a double play.

Bottom of 8th: Joba is in. He started by striking out Bartlett. Iwamura got a one-out walk, with Joba missing on a 3-2 slider. Joba struck out Crawford and then struck out Upton on a high fastball. We move to the ninth!

Top of 9th: Cano singles to right. He's 4 for 4 tonight. But a strike'em-out, throw'em-out double play leaves the bases empty. Al Reyes is coming in to face Ensberg. Ensberg flies to right. Time to go to Mo.

Bottom of 9th: Cano, playing in short rightfield for the Pena shift, is able to track down Pena's bloop to short center. Longoria goes down swinging. Floyd grounds out to Jeter, 6-3. The Rays' home winning streak, which dates back to April 15, is over. FINAL: Yankees 2, Rays 1.

Hey Yankee fans! After Monday’s 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay (22-16), Chien-Ming Wang will try to get the Yankees (19-20) back on track by snapping the Rays franchise-record 10-game home winning streak. The 28-year-old right-hander is 6-1 on the season with a 3.12 ERA. He is going against Edwin Jackson, who is 2-3 with a 4.04 ERA.

Hard to imagine, but the Rays have won 14 of 19 overall and are a half game behind Boston in the East. Here is tonight's lineup.

Yankees
Damon dh
Jeter ss
Abreu rf
Matsui lf
Giambi 1b
Cabrera cf
Cano 2b
Gonzalez 3b
Molina c
Wang RHP

Rays
Iwamura 2b
Crawford lf
Upton cf
Pena 1b
Longoria 3b
Floyd dh
Hinske rf
Navarro c
Bartlett ss
Jackson RHP

Will be back after the Yankees bat.

Top of 1st: Damon led off the game with an infield single, but Jeter and Abreu struck out and Matsui lined out to first.

Bottom of 1st: It was a relatively easy inning for Wang. His sinker was working early as he got Iwamura and Crawford to ground out to Cano. After walking Upton, he struck out Pena.

Top of 2nd: The Yankees had something going as Giambi and Melky had back-to-back singles to start the inning, but with runners on first and third and one out, Gonzalez grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Talk about a rally killer.

Bottom of 2nd: Matsui made a nice basket catch on a ball hit by Longoria. Not much else happened. Cliff Floyd (remember him?) walked and was erased as Hinske grounded into a double play.

Top of 3rd: The Yanks go down in order. Molina grounded out, Damon struck out and Jeter flied out.

Bottom of 3rd: Wang worked in and out of trouble. He allowed singles to Navarro (who was erased on a Bartlett dp) and Iwamura and walked Crawford before getting Upton to fly out to deep center. Still no score.

Top of 4th: It appears the Yankees are still in their hitting slump. Abreu grounded out to second (though he hit the ball hard); Matsui flied out to center, Giambi walked and Melky struck out. Boy, do they miss A-Rod.

Bottom of 4th: Those pesky Rays got on the board after Pena led off with a double and scored on a single by Hinske. Wang had two strikes on Hinske (with two outs in the inning) but he couldn’t finish him off. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 5th: Just like Garza last night, the Yankees are making Jackson look like an All-Star. Cano, Gonzalez and Molina go down in order.

Bottom of 5th: Cano made a nice play getting to a ball that Upton hit as the Rays are retired in order.

Top of 6th: Ok, let’s face it. The Rays have got the Yankees’ number. Following a one-out triple by Jeter, Abreu grounded out and Matsui popped out to short to end the inning and the Yankees wasted a great opportunity to score. By the way, Jeter’s hit should have only been a single, but Hinske was trying to make SportsCenter as he went for a foolish diving catch. What a dope.

Bottom of 6th: Too bad the Yankees can’t score. They are wasting a good performance from Wang. He allowed a cheap single to Floyd in the inning. That’s it.

Top of 7th: The Yankees had a runner on third with two outs, but Shelley Duncan, who hit for Gonzalez, was caught looking at strike three to end the inning.

Bottom of 7th: Wang allowed just a single to Iwamura in the inning. He is at 101 pitches.

Top of 8th: Dan Wheeler came in for Jackson (five hits with five strikeouts and one walk in seven scoreless innings) and set down the Yanks in order, striking out two. This is not looking good. One more inning to go for the Yankees. Still 1-0, Rays.

Bottom of 8th: Joba came in for Wang (1 run on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts in seven innings) and pitched in and out of trouble. He allowed a one out walk to Pena and a single to Longoria before getting the slow-footed Floyd to ground out into a double play.

Top of 9th: Matsui homered (much to the relief of the Yankees) off 37-year-old closer Troy Percival to tie the game at 1. Percival was going for his 334th career save. He is fourth on the active saves list, behind Trevor Hoffman (530), Rivera (453) and Billy Wagner (365). Yankees 1, Rays 1.

Bottom of 9th: Kyle Farnsworth entered the inning and issued a walk to Navarro before getting Iwamura to fly out to Matsui.

Top of 10th: Not much for the Yankees in extra innings as Ensberg, Molina and Damon are retired in order. Looks like Rivera is coming in to pitch the bottom half of the 10th.

Bottom of 10th: Rivera kept the Rays in check. He allowed a leadoff single to Crawford, but nothing else.

Top of 11th: The Yankees fail to score in the inning. Matsui, the hero in the ninth, grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Bottom of 11th: I bet no one saw this coming. Rivera gives up a run in a tie game and takes a loss. Unbelievable. Floyd led off the inning with a single. He was lifted for a pinch runner, Gomes, who stole second and scored the game-winner on a single by Gabe Gross. Final: Rays 2, Yanks 1.

Hey Yankee fans! Marc Jimenez here as tonight's blogger. With Sunday's rainout against Detroit, the Yankees (19-19) have pushed back their rotation, so Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) will be the starter. (Bonus: Kei Igawa might not make another start.) Pettitte pitched well in his last outing, allowing two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings against Cleveland on Tuesday, but he received a no-decision after Joba Chamberlain served up a well publicized two-run homer to former Yankee David Dellucci.

Hopefully that doesn't happen tonight as the Yankees will try to contain the Tampa Bay Rays (21-16), who are suddenly looking like a real team this year. Tampa Bay is five games over .500 for the first time ever and is looking to set a franchise-best 10 straight wins at Tropicana Field. But the Rays are just 2-4 against the Yankees this season, so it won't be easy. Matt Garza (1-1, 4.91 ERA) is going tonight. He gave up a run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings in a loss against Toronto on Wednesday.

Will be back after the Yankees bat.

Top of 1st: The Yankees go down in order. Damon popped out. Jeter grounded out and Abreu struck out.

Bottom of 1st: Pettitte looked good to start the inning. He fanned Iwamura and Crawford and got Upton to ground out to Cano. Where would the Yankees be without him?

Top of 2nd: Not much cooking for the Yankees this inning. Matsui struck out while Giambi and Cabrera popped out.

Bottom of 2nd: Pettitte allowed a bloop RBI single to Navarro as the Rays got on the board. He was on his way to a 1-2-3 inning after retiring Pena and Longoria, but Gomes singled to center and stole second before scoring. It looked like Cabrera could have caught Gomes’ ball to end the inning, but he let it bounce in front of him. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 3rd: Garza is pitching pretty well. Cano reached on an infield single, but he was erased on a Molina double play. Gonzalez followed with a base hit before Damon popped out to end the inning.

Bottom of 3rd: Pettitte worked around a two-out single to Crawford and a walk to Upton by striking out Pena.

Top of 4th: The Yankees are still not able to get anything done against Garza. Jeter popped out, Abreu flied out and Giambi flied out after a Matsui walk.

Bottom of 4th: Ugly inning for Pettitte. Following a double by Longoria, he served up an RBI single to Gomes, who later scored (with Hinske) on a two-run triple by Bartlett. Then Iwamura followed with a single. Four runs on five hits (Ughh!) Rays 5, Yankees 0.

Top of 5th: The Yankees go away quietly. Cabrera led off with a single, but Cano lined out to short and Molina grounded into a double play.

Bottom of 5th: This was not one of Pettitte’s better outings. He didn’t come out for the fifth after allowing five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Chris Britton came in on relief and walked Longoria, who scored on a base hit by Navorro. Rays 6, Yankees 0.

Top of 6th: The Yankees had first and second with one out on singles by Gonzalez and Jeter, but Abreu grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 6th: Ok, something to cheer about. The Yankees kept the Rays off the board. Yippey!

Top of 7th: This is getting hard to watch. The Yankees have just five hits against Garza. Matsui struck out while Cabrera and Cano lined out.

Bottom of 7th: The Rays got another run, making a Yankee comeback highly improbable. Jose Veras replaced Britton to start the inning and allowed a run-scoring ground out to Hinske. Gomes reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring. Rays 7, Yankees 0.

Top of 8th: Attention readers, the Yankees have finally scored a run. It only took Garza to leave the game. Molina doubled off Gary Glover and later scored on Damon’s ground out. Garza, by the way, had his best outing of the year after scattering five hits while striking out three and walking one in seven scoreless innings. He threw 108 pitches, 68 for strikes. Rays 7, Yankees 1.

Bottom of 8th: Veras gave up singles to Iwamura and Pena before Edwar Ramirez came on and struck out Longoria to end the inning. Ok, last chance for the Yanks. Matsui, Giambi and Cabrera are up.

Top of 9th: This one is over. Trever Miller replaced Glover and worked a 1-2-3 inning. Matsui struck out, while Giambi and Cabrera flied out. Final: Rays 7, Yankees 1.

Hey fans! Marc here as today’s blogger on this Mother’s Day. The Yankees (19-19) are trying to win 2-of-3 as Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.77 ERA) will try to out duel fellow lefty Nate Robertson (1-4, 6.64 ERA) and the Tigers (16-22).

It’s raining right now in Detroit. The tarp is still on the field. Looks like they will wait to see if they can get this one in.

Stay tuned for weather updates.

Sorry folks, this one has been postponed. No word on when it will be made up.

Hey baseball fans, Chris Mascaro here to bring you all the live game action of the Yankees (18-19) and the Tigers (16-21). The Tigers have had the Yankees' number so far this season, going 4-0 against them.

The Yankees sit in 4th place, 4.5 games behind the Red Sox, while the Tigers are also in 4th, but just 3.5 games behind the Twins in a relatively weak AL Central thus far.

Today, Darrell Rasner (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will toss his second game of the season. Since Kei Igawa doesn't really seem like the fix for the Yanks' starting pitching problems, the onus is on Rasner to stick in the rotation until Phil Hughes heals and Ian Kennedy works out his issues down on the farm.

Jeremy Bonderman (2-3, 4.17) gets the ball for the Tigers. He was great in his last start against the Yanks on April 30 at the Stadium.

While watching the first game of the Mets doubleheader, I heard an interesting stat. Gary Cohen said that the Mets have the highest percentage of lefty at-bats in the major leagues at 67 percent. The Yankees were the second at 62. The league average? 42 percent. Surely not having A-Rod (righty) and Posada (switch hitter) in the lineup affects that stat.

Maybe that's why the Yankees are just 4-6 against lefties this season. Won't be a problem today against the righty Robertson, but I thought it was an interesting stat nevertheless.

Okay we're almost ready for baseball on FOX!!

Top of the 1st: The captain homered for the first time this season to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Then two straight singles by Abreu and Matsui were followed by walks to Giambi and Melky, the latter walking in a run to give the Yanks a 2-0 lead.

Cano hit a rocket to second baseman Ramon Santiago with the bases loaded and one out, but he started a nifty 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and avert potential disaster for the Tigers in the first inning.

Bottom of the 1st: Matt Joyce hit his first career home run, on what looked to be an easy fly ball. But Abreu lost it in the sun and the ball carried right over the right centerfield fence to pull the Tigers within one at 2-1. Otherwise, Rasner looked okay, but the mistake to Joyce cost him.

Top of the 2nd: A 1-2-3 inning for Bonderman. Betemit and Chad Moeller gave the ball a ride, but both were warning track shots. Granderson made a nice running catch on Betemit's drive. Damon struck out for the second time today, and looks uncomfortable with Bonderman's off-speed stuff.

Bottom of the 2nd: Rasner looks like he's settled down now. He got Miguel Cabrera to fly out, struck out Gary Sheffield and got Edgar Renteria to ground out to third. He only has thrown 26 pitches, while his counterpart Bonderman already has 41. Could be a short day for the Tiger starter.

Top of the 3rd: Bonderman looked like he's settled down as well, getting Jeter and Abreu to ground out and then striking out Matsui on three nice sliders.

Bottom of the 3rd: The Tigers squandered a leadoff single by Pudge Rodriguez. Santiago bunted him over, but Granderson grounded out and Joyce popped out. Why did Leyland bunt with no outs and a runner on first? Does he think runs will be at a premium with Rasner dealing? Seemed like an odd play, especially with a guy (Santiago) who's been hitting at a .370 clip this season.

Top of the 4th: Two out hits will get you to heaven, they say. Betemit flied one to the deepest part of the park in dead center to score Robinson Cano, who walked. Yanks lead 3-1, but Betemit looks like he tweaked something on the play, and he was yanked in favor of Morgan Ensberg. The Yanks can't afford any more injuries, so I'm sure they are hoping Betemit's injury isn't serious.

The Yanks are making Bonderman work today. He's got 79 pitches through four innings.

Bottom of the 4th: Rasner has his second 1-2-3 inning of the game. He's given up just two hits through four innings, and thrown just 49 pitches so far. Just what the doctor—er, manager—ordered.

Top of the 5th: After a Jeter single, Girardi dialed up a hit-and-run. Abreu served a pitch into left field, and when Matt Joyce slipped, Jeter was able to score and Abreu moved to second. Yanks took a 4-1 lead.

Leyland lifted Bonderman after that in favor of Bobby Seay. Bonderman went 4+, allowing five earned runs on six hits, with three strikeouts and four walks.

Giambi doubled in Abreu to make it 5-1 Yanks. The run was charged to Bonderman.

Cano singled with two outs but Giambi blew past Bobby Meachem's stop sign at third base and was thrown out by Pudge trying to retreat.

Bottom of the 5th: Rasner walked Sheffield to start the inning (his first base on balls issued this season), but Jeter made a nice stab on a Renteria liner. Sheffield was moving on a hit-and-run, so he was easily doubled up. Seems like Leyland is really trying to manufacture runs against Rasner, but nothing seems to be working. Pudge lined out to end the inning. Rasner has only 60 pithes through five innings. Great effort by him today.

Top of the 6th: Ensberg walked, the fifth issued by Tigers pitching, but Damon grounded out on a fielder's choice and then was thrown out trying to steal second.

Bottom of the 6th: Granderson gave the ball a ride, but Abreu caught it on the warning track for the second out. Joyce singled with two outs, and has two of the Tigers' three hits, but he was stranded there after Guillen grounded into a force out.

Top of the 7th: 1-2-3 go Jeter, Abreu and Matsui off Seay. Still 5-1 Yanks.

Bottom of the 7th: Magglio Ordonez singled to lead the inning off, and Rasner was pulled after 87 pitches in favor of Kyle Farnsworth. He pitched wonderfully, allowing two earned runs on four hits over six innings with one strikeout and one walk.

Farnsworth gave up a single to the first batter he faced, Miguel Cabrera, and then Gary Sheffield ripped a shot down the left-field line to score Ordonez, and make it 5-2 Yanks.

Renteria had a soft pop to Cano for the first out, and then Pudge went down swinging on a 3-2 count. Placido Polanco pinch hit for Santiago and flew out to Jeter to end the inning. After some early jitters, Farnsworth did a nice job getting out of a 2nd and 3rd, no-out jam.

Top of the 8th: Francisco Cruceta came in and sat the Yankees down 1-2-3. He struck Melky out on a nasty changeup. By the way, Seay did a nice job in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk over three innings with one strikeouts and no runs.

Bottom of the 8th: Joba struck out Granderson for the first out and induced ground outs by Joyce and Guillen for a 1-2-3 inning. No fist pumps after the inning. Mo Rivera will face the heart of the Tigers' order in the ninth.

Top of the 9th: Cruceta gave up a two-out bloop single to Damon, but Jeter stranded him there after striking out looking. (Cruceta pumped his fist after the out, for the record.)

Nice job by the Tigers' bullpen keeping the Yankees within reach, with five inning of work and no runs. The offense hasn't chipped away at the lead though.

Bottom of the 9th: Mo Rivera gave up a leadoff single to Magglio Ordonez (7-of-13 off Rivera), but got Cabrera to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Sheffield grounded out to Cano to end the game.

Yanks win, 5-2.

Here's the recap:

WP--Rasner (2-0)
LP--Bonderman (2-4)
HR: NYY 1 (Jeter, 1st), DET 1 (Joyce, 1st)

Yankees (19-19)
Tigers (16-22)

Darrell Rasner threw six innings, allowing two earned runs of four hits with a walk and a strikeout. Derek Jeter went 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs, and Bobby Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.

Take care everyone!

Hey fans. The last time these two teams played, the Detroit Tigers (15-21) swept the Yankees (18-18) in a three-game series at the Stadium. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again. The Yankees have Kei Igawa starting tonight. You remember him, right? The Yankees signed Igawa last year, but he was ineffective as a starter and was demoted. Well, he’s back. Given that Phil Hughes is hurt and Ian Kennedy has under-performed, Igawa has a second chance to show what he can (or cannot) do. At Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Igawa went 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He is going up against Kenny Rogers, who is 2-3 with a 6.27 ERA.

Top of 1st: The Yanks had something cooking with two on and one out, but Rogers, the crafty veteran, got Matsui to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 1st: It wasn’t a pretty inning for Igawa. He got hit hard, allowed a leadoff double to Ivan Rodriguez, who later scored on sacrifice fly by Carlos Guillen. He allowed a double to Ordonez, but escaped further trouble when he got Miguel Cabrera to fly out to end the inning. Tigers 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 2nd: The Giambino homered to right to tie things up. Wilson Betemit followed with an infield single, but got picked off by Rogers to end the inning. Yanks 1, Tigers 1.

Bottom of 2nd: Nice inning for Igawa. No further damage has been done. Let’s see if he can settle down now.

Top of 3rd: The Yanks had first and second with one out on a double by Cabrera and a walk by Jeter, but Abreu struck out and Matsui hit a weak grounder back to Rogers.

Bottom of 3rd: Not a good inning for the Yanks. First Duncan couldn’t handle a throw by Jeter. Then Betemit failed to few plays. Pudge ripped an RBI double past him; he could not bare hand a weak grounder from Polanco; then Ordonez lined a run-scoring single past him, before Sheff hit an RBI double. Tigers 4, Yanks 1.

Top of 4th: The Yanks go down in order.

Bottom of 4th: Igawa’s major league career may just be over. He gave up four singles in the inning, including RBI base hits to Pudge and Polanco, forcing Girardi to take him out. Jonathan Albaladejo came in and didn’t allow anymore runs. Ordonez struck out looking to end the inning. Igawa’s line: six runs on 11 hits in three innings. Tigers 6, Yanks 1.

Top of 5th: The Yankees are just not getting any timely hitting. Cano and Cabrera each singled in between a Moeller strikeout, but the Captain hit into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 5th: Betemit made up slightly for his poor fielding by starting a double play on a ball hit by Sheffield. Yankees keep Tigers off the board. Let’s see if they can get to the old man and score more runs.

Top of 6th: Not sure if they Yankees are bad or Rogers is really good? Might by a combination of the two, I suppose. The Yankees had second and third on a single by Duncan and a double by Giambi, but Betemit grounded out to third to end the inning. Still 6-1, Tigers.

Bottom of 6th: Albaladejo left the game with a right hand injury. Let’s hope he is ok. LaTroy Hawkins relieved him and got Polanco to line out to second and Guillen to ground out to first. Granderson, who hit for Raburn, singled, stole second and went to third on Moeller’s errant throw.

Top of 7th: OK, the Yankees got one back. Cano led off the inning with a ground-rule double, which ended Rogers night, and moved to third on a wild pitch by Zach Miner before trotting home on a single by Moeller. Tigers 6, Yankees 2.

Bottom of 7th: 1-2-3 inning for Hawkins. He got Ordonez and Cabrera to ground out to Jeter then struck out Sheffield.

Top of 8th: Yanks go down in order. One more inning to go, folks.

Bottom of 8th: Looks like Betemit won’t be playing third base again anytime soon. He has looked awful there. Renteria hit one to him to start off the inning and he made another error. Luckily, the error didn’t cost the Yankees as Thames grounded out, Granderson struck out and Pudge flied out. Edwar Ramirez pitched the inning by the way after Hawkins pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings.

Top of 9th: The Yankees scored three runs off closer Todd Jones on a run-scoring groundout by Cano, an RBI single by Jeter and an RBI double by Abreu. But after intentionally walking Matsui with two outs, Jones got Duncan to fly out. Final: Tigers 6, Yankees 5.

Pregame chatter

Cleveland Indians (16-17) at Yankees (17-18), 1:05 p.m.

Starters: Paul Byrd (1-2, 3.74) for the Indians and Mike Mussina (4-3, 4.23) for the Yankees.

Broom and doom: The Indians go for their first three-game sweep of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in over 19 years in the series finale this afternoon.

Last starts: Byrd got a no-decision, scattering four hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings in his team's 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners last Thursday. Mussina has won his last three starts, including a win over Seattle last Saturday. He allowed a run and seven hits in six innings against the Mariners.

We'll have game updates here. Just click your refresh button. The live chat box and polls will appear below.

Top of 1st: Grady Sizemore starts the game with a single to right. Jamey Carroll grounded into a fielder's choice (Sizemore was out at second). David Dellucci flied out to centerfield. What is Dellucci doing batting third and DHing? Jhonny Peralta struck out. Good comeback by Mussina.

Bottom of 1st: 1-2-3 inning for Paul Byrd.

Top of 2nd: Mussina counters with his own 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom of 2nd: First hit of the day for the Yankees, a single to left center by Hideki Matsui. Matsui's hitting streak is now at 17 games. But no damage. Jason Giambi flied out and Melky Cabrera grounded into a double play on a hit-and-run attempt.

Top of 3rd: Another 1-2-3 inning for Mussina. And he's only thrown 37 pitches through three innings.

Bottom of 3rd: We've got a semi-pitcher's duel going here. Byrd retires the Yankees in order.

Top of 4th: After giving up the leadoff single to Sizemore, Mussina has now retired 12 straight. Seven outs have been on groundballs.

Bottom of 4th: Johnny Damon homers to right to put the Yankees on the board. Matsui is still hot at the plate and got his second hit of the afternoon. Jason Giambi cranks his first homer at the Stadium since last August -- a two-run shot -- and the Yankees get to Byrd and post a three spot. Yankees 3, Indians 0.

Top of 5th: Well, that was a quick. Casey Blake's big RBI double (he went to third on the throw home) chased home two runs. Bobby Abreu couldn't come up with Blake's hit as it glanced off his glove a few steps before the wall in right. Blake scored on a RBI single through the hole at shortstop and third to tie the game. Yankees 3, Indians 3.

Bottom of 5th: Robinson Cano's leadoff double leads to a run. After a productive sacrifice fly to center by Wilson Betemit moved him to third and Jose Molina failed to get him in, Damon picked Molina up with a double to left to put the Yankees back on top. Yankees 4, Indians 3.

Top of 6th: Ross Ohlendorf is in to relieve Mussina and he tossed a 1-2-3 inning to keep the Tribe at bay a half inning after the Yankees regained the lead.

Bottom of 6th: Yankees go down quietly and we move to the seventh.

Top of 7th: Another scoreless inning by Ohlendorf. He's looked solid today and has allowed only one hit in two innings of work.

Bottom of 7th: Byrd came out for the seventh, but got pulled after Cano smashed a solo shot into the seats in right. He's stroking the ball well today. Betemit joined the HR party with a deep shot to center and the Yankees' offense is in gear. Yankees 6, Indians 3.

Top of 8th: Joba Chamberlain shook off his last outing and pitched a relatively easy scoreless inning of relief. He even got the guy who homered off of him Tuesday, David Dellucci, swinging.

Bottom of 8th: Matsui lines into a double play with Abreu running to end the eighth and the Yankees will have to settle for a three-run lead going into the ninth. "Enter Sandman" is playing so you know what that means.

Top of 9th: Mariano Rivera collects save No. 9 and the Yankees salvage the final game of this three-game series with the Tribe. Time for them to hit the road for a seven-game road trip that will take them to Detroit and Tampa and time for me to go to the clubhouse for some postgame thoughts. Final: Yankees 6, Indians 3.

Hey all, Katie here blogging tonight, for what promises to be a fine pitching duel. Yankees ace Chien- Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00) faces Cleveland's Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96) in game two of a three game series between the Yankees and the Tribe. One interesting stat: Derek Jeter has a .471 average against Lee. Feel free to get the comments going....just keep 'em clean! I'll be back after top of the first!

Top 1st
Not a great start for Wang. He walks the lead-off man and gives up a hit the next batter. He's gonna have to sharpen up to battle with Lee tonight. With runners in the corners, Martinez' sac fly scores Sizemore and the Indians are the first to draw blood. 1-0

Bottom 1st
Lee has given up only two (two!) walks in 37 2/3 innings. Jeez. 1-2-3 inning for him. Yankees are gonna need to make him work.
1-0 Cleveland

Top 2nd
Wang gives up another walk, but strikes out Marte with a runner in scoring position.
1-0 Cleveland

Bottom 2nd
Matsui manages a single on a pop-up to short, but he Yankees can't get anything going.
1-0 Cleveland

Top 3rd
Nice 1-2-3 inning for Wang. The Yankees are going to need more of that outta of him tonight to compete with Lee.
1-0 Cleveland

Bottom 3rd
Lee with a 1-2-3 of his own. No sign of budge from him yet.
1-0 Cleveland

Top 4th
Peralta grounds one past a diving Jeter to reach first. With two outs, Blake, batting only .200, comes up clutch with an RBI base hit. Molina with a good effort on the swipe tag, but Peralta's run puts the Tribe up two.
2-0 Cleveland

Bottom 4th
Another 1-2-3 for Lee. Strong through 4.
2-0 Cleveland

Top 5th
Marte singles on a line to left and Sizemore walks. Last night's hero Dellucci drives in an RBI. Tribe up three now. Molina throws a bullet to third and beats Sizemore attempting to steal third.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 5th
Yankees manage to string together back-to-back hits, but with two on and two outs Molina flies out to right.
3-0 Indians

Top 6th
1-2-3 for Wang. At least he's giving the Yankees some longevity here.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 6th
With 2 outs, Abreu legs out the throw to first on his grounder for an infield single. Good hustle. Duncan then slips one down the left field line for a double. Matsui strike out swinging though, leaving the Yanks still scoreless.
3-0 Cleveland

Top 7th
A 5-pitch inning for Wang, who retires the Indians in order. Nice throw by Cano for the third out.
3-0

Bottom 7th
With 2 outs, Ensberg hits a nice dribbler that remains in the grass for a base hit, but Molina strikes out during the next at-bat. Yankees still scoreless through 7. Ouch.
3-0 Cleveland

Top 8th
Farnsworth in for Wang. Second night in a row for him, and he has a solid inning, preventing any insurance runs on Cleveland's part.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 8th
Lee is out. No runs, no walks, and 7 K's for him tonight. Perez in to relieve. Jeter strikes out on a check-swing and he is NOT happy with the call. Rare to see Jeter argue a call. Next at-bat and Abreu slaps a double to left, but Shelley Duncan's hits a bleeder to right for the third out.
3-0 Cleveland

Top 9th
Albaladejo in for Farnsworth. With bases loaded, Molina bails Albie outta trouble with a great double play to end the inning. Molina has to be a bright spot for Yanks fans tonight-he's played great defensively in Posada's place.
3-0 Cleveland

Bottom 9th
Betancourt in for Perez, and the Yankees go down in order. Nothing new. Great pitching from the Indians tonight.
3-0 Cleveland Final

10:28 -- That's it. Yankees go down without a fight in the ninth and lose the first game of this series. Final: Indians 5, Yankees 3.

10:17 -- Indians add to their lead in the top of the ninth and Rafael Betancourt is to close it out for the Tribe. Crowd here is trying to urge the Yankees on.

10:10 -- Yankees bats have gone completely dead. They've done nothing since the fourth and are in big trouble. We go to the ninth.

10:00 -- Joba is in, and as we know it's all about Joba. He walked Sizemore to lead off the eighth and then Peralta with one out before pinch hitter David Dellucci took him deep to right for a three-run homer. Ouch. A very un-Joba like performance by No. 62. Indians 5, Yankees 3.

9:41 -- Yanks still can't solve the Indians bullpen and we head to the eighth.

9:28 -- Pettitte left with one out in the seventh and Kyle Farnsworth came in to take over. Farnsy, as Joe Torre would call him, struck out Kelly Shoppach and got Andy Marte to fly out to end the inning with a runner on first.

9:18 -- Status quo. Yanks don't get to Perez. ... Oh yeah, forgot to mention some of the Giants assistant coaches were here to flip the switch to lower the number of remaining regular-season games to 65. No sign of Michael Strahan, though.

9:02 -- A one-out throwing error by the captain leads to nothing and the Yankees still hold a one-run advantage. Pettitte has allowed two runs on four hits through five. Rafael Perez is in to relieve Carmona so he is indeed done. Pettitte is over 90 pitches, so his night could be ending soon, too.

8:54 -- Abreu getting mowed down at third with one out on Matsui's hard single to right changed the complexion of the fifth and the laboring Carmona is off the hook. Gotta believe his night is done. The Indians coaches have worn a path to the mound tonight with all the visits.

8:41 -- Pettitte appears to have found some sort of rhythm. He's struck out three in the last two innings.

8:34 -- Matsui's leadoff walked paid off as Giambi laced a pitch to left just over the head of Francisco, scoring Hideki all the way from first. Robinson Cano, who has been struggling, singled in Giambi to put the Yanks back on top. Yankees 3, Indians 2.

8:17 -- Indians get to Pettitte. With one out in the fourth, Jhonny Peralta homers on a 2-and-1 pitch over the adidas sign in center to put the Tribe on the board. Pettitte did strike out the final two batters of the inning and stranded a runner at second. Indians 2, Yankees 1.

8:03 -- We're through three. Bobby Abreu was thrown out trying to steal second for the third out. Yankees aren't getting to Carmona yet.

7:51 -- Pettitte maneuvers around a leadoff infield single and thanks to Jose Molina gunning down Ben Francisco from his knees, he escapes without any damage done.

7:40 -- Yanks go quietly in their half of the second. Wilson Bettemit lined out hard to right in his first AB. Guess he is seeing the ball well just as he indicated to me in the clubhouse before the game.

7:33 -- Are there many others out there who field the pitching position as well as Pettitte? He made that snare of Ryan Garko's chopper look a lot simpler than it should have been. He's sharp so far, which is good news for the Yankees' mix-and-match starting pitching staff.

7:26 -- Hideki Matsui extends his career-high hitting streak to 15 games with a single and the Yanks get on the board on Jason Giambi's bases-loaded fielder's choice grounder to first. Yankees 1, Indians 0.

7:15 -- Roderick Boone here at Yankee Stadium checking in. Nice start there for Pettitte. Three easy outs, two coming on lazy pop ups. Beautiful day/night at The Stadium by the way. Game time temp is a balmy 73 degrees. I'm sure my man Anthony Rieber is jealous. It's been pretty cold when he's been here.

Pregame chatter

Cleveland Indians (14-17) at Yankees (17-16), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: Fausto Carmona (3-1, 2.60) for the Indians and Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.93) for the Yankees

Notable: The Yankees try for their season-high fourth straight win this evening. Tonight begins a three-game series against the Indians at Yankee Stadium.

History lesson: Pettitte is 6-8 lifetime against the Indians with a 4.63 ERA in 17 starts. Carmona has made five career appearances against the Yankees, including two starts, and is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA.

First inning: Darrell Rasner pitching, Adrian Beltre hits massive two-run home run to left.
Yanks get two singles, Matsui and Giambi bounce out to end frame
2-0 M's
Second inning: Rasner has a 1-2-3.
Morgan Ensberg singles with two outs against Carlos Silva. That's all for the Yanks.
Third inning: Ichiro has an infield single, steals second, is stranded.
Yanks score six runs on six hits. Damon single, Jeter single, Abreu RBI single, Matsui RBI double, Giambi sac fly, Cabrera two-run homer, Cano homer. That's all in a row. Carlos Silva left in to absorb the entire beating.
6-2, Yanks
Instant analysis: Who needs A-Rod and Posada?

Fourth inning: The rout is on. Rasner allowed two singles but worked out of trouble. Yanks knocked out Silva and scored two more. RBI double from Jeter, RBI single from Matsui.
Silva's line: 3 innings, 11 hits, eight runs. But no walks.
Yanks 8, M's 2

Fifth inning: Status quo. Rasner looks good.

Sixth inning: 1-2-3 for Rasner. Johnny Damon makes a spectacular diving catch to rob Beltre. Good for people who have Damon in the spectacular diving catch fantasy league.
Jeter singles leading off, his fourth hit of the game. No runs scored against Mark Lowe though.

Seventh inning: Rasner went six, removed after 76 pitches. Ohlendorf allows a hit but throws a scoreless frame.
M's righthander Brandon Morrow throws one high and tight to Morgan Ensberg, who hit the dust. Purpose pitch? Not sure what the purpose would be.
Score still 8-2. Farnsworth coming in for the eighth.

Eighth inning: Farnsworth looked good too! What a day for the Yankees. Allowed only a single to Raul Ibanez.
Jeter struck out in attempt for five-hit game. Got a standing ovation anyway. No curtain call requested or denied.
Mariano Rivera coming in for an inning of work.
Boy the Mariners look dead.

Ninth inning: Easy as pie for Mo. 1-2-3
Yanks win, 8-2.
Bye.

Hey Yankees fans! Marc Jimenez here as today's blogger. Let's look at the starters. You have 39-year-old Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.73 ERA), who has won his last two starts, against 22-year-old Felix Hernanadez (2-1, 2.22 ERA). This should be interesting. Will Mussina baffle Seattle’s bats with his slow stuff or will Hernandez blow away the Yanks with his heater?

Feel free to share your comments anytime. By the way, another solid performance by Wang (6-0) last night. He allowed a run on three hits in six innings as the Yanks defeated the Mariners 5-1. Let’s hope Mussina can match Wang’s production. If not, Hank Steinbrenner will likely have something to say.

Top of 1st: Mussina looked good to start the first as he retired the side in order.

Bottom of 1st: The Yanks got a run after Abreu singled in Damon, who ripped a leadoff double to extend his hitting streak to seven games.. Yanks 1, Mariners 0.

Top of 2nd: Mussina is perfect through two. He got Beltre to ground out, fanned Clement and got Sexson to fly out to left.

Bottom of 2nd: Hernandez made quick work of the Yanks in the second, striking out Ensberg to end the inning on a nasty pitch. Looked like a slider or splitter.

Top of 3rd: Well, there goes Mussina’s shutout. Ichiro slapped a run-scoring single up the middle. Yanks 1, Mariners 1.

Bottom of 3rd: The Yanks retook the lead thanks to some sloppy play by the Mariners. Jeter doubled in Damon and scored on a single by Matsui. After a Giambi walk, Cabrera drove in Matsui. By the way, Damon recorded his 400th career double. Way to go! Yanks 4, Mariners 1.

Top of 4th: Mussina is looking pretty good. He worked around singles to Ibanez and Clement and got Sexson to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 4th: Boy, the Yanks blew a chance to break this game open. With the bases loaded and one out, Matsui flied out to shallow center and Giambi grounded out.

Top of 5th: Ok, Mussina made it through five while allowing just one run. I would say that’s a good start for him. Let’s hope he can keep it up. He is at 71 pitches.

Bottom of 5th: Hernandez retired the side in order by retiring Cabrera, Cano and Ensberg.

Top of 6th: Another good inning by Mussina! He struck out the side! All swinging: Ibanez, Clement and Sexson. The only blemish was a throwing error by Ensberg.

Bottom of 6th: Damon belted a two-run homer to the upper deck in right following a single by Molina. Cha Seung Baek got Giambi to fly out to center to end the inning. Hernandez’s line: 6 runs on 12 hits and 3 walks in 5 2/3 innings. Yanks 6, Mariners 1.

Top of 7th: Mussina was done after six solid innings and Hawkins held down the fort.

Bottom of 7th: The Yanks just wasted a perfectly good leadoff double by Melky. Cano continues to struggle. He struck out and is batting .150. By the way, the Kentucky Derby is on later today. Does anyone under 40 care about horse racing?

Top of 8th: Edwar Ramirez relieved Hawkins and nearly walked the bases loaded, but he got Sexson to ground out to end the inning.

Bottom of 8th Yanks go down quietly in the inning. Abreu drew a two-out walk, but Matsui flied out to Ichiro.

Top of 9th: Jose Veras came in for Ramirez and retired the side in order. Final: Yanks 6, Mariners 1.

10:08 p.m.: Well, another dominating performance by Rivera. This guy is amazing. Yankees fans need to relish every moment this guy gives you. No other team knows what that feels like. I keep waiting for him to show signs of slippage and he gets better and better! The Yankees win 5-1. Good night!

9:59 p.m.: I picked the Angels to win the AL West before the season and I am glad I did. The Mariners bullpen is awful. They can't win with this relief corps. Even J.J. Putz is struggling. People think because the Mariners and Mets picked up an ace they are playoff-bound. I don't buy it. Yankees scored two runs and lead 5-1 as Rivera comes in.

9:38 p.m.: So this was the smelling salt the crowd needed to wake up? The place was electric when Joba entered. Ichiro showed how good he is by getting a hit off Joba. Not many people can make that claim. I'm one who thinks Joba should stay in the pen. The game is over once he comes in and very few teams in baseball can say that. Right, Mets fans?

9:24 p.m.: Bedard has retired 14 in a row. He will be a hard-luck loser. Blame this on the defense. Bedard will be one of the top pitchers in the AL this season. This is a charity win for the Yankees. (yes, I don't expect Joba and Mo to blow this).

9:16 p.m.: This is why Farnsworth is so frustrating. He has great stuff and looks so bad at times. He was on tonight with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. I''ll chalk it up to the cold weather since no one is hitting. Yankees 3, Mariners 1

9:06 p.m. Bedard has settled in retiring 11 straight. He hasn't allowed a hit since the second inning. If it wasn't for the porous Mariners defense, we would have a tie game. Kyle Farnsworth is in and the boos accompanied him. He is one of my favorite Yankees.

9:00 p.m.Don't worry Yankees fans. Wang looks to be fine. He allowed a run but it was due to Ichiro, who singled and stole two bases before scoring on a groundout by Ibanez. Yankees 3, Mariners 1

8:51 p.m.: Bobby Murcer pulled the lever for the new Yankee Stadium countdown. Only 68 games left.

8:43 p.m.: The Yankees get a scare when Wang motions for the trainer. Maybe a blister? He threw a ball on the next pitch to walk Burke and then induced Betancourt into a 4-6-3 double play. If the Yankees lose Wang can you say the AL version of the Pirates.

8:34 p.m.: Not much going on as the Yankees go quietly. Bedard is up to 70 pitches. He hasn't pitched that bad. The defense has let him down big time. Top 5th Yankees 3, Mariners 0

8:27 p.m.: Another good inning by Wang to work around a leadoff double. Do the Mariners even want to be out here? They seem listless. Bot 4th Yankees 3, Mariners 0

8:17 p.m.: The Mariners defense has been atrocious. Catcher Jamie Burke missed a pop-up that was foul and I know the wind is swirling, but that has to be caught. That is error number four. If Sexson makes an error, the entire infield will have made an error. I don't remember seeing each member of the infield and the catcher make an error in one game. Maybe in RBI baseball, but not in a real game. I bet Bedard wishes he was back in Baltimore tonight. Top 4, Yankees 3, Mariners 0

8:03 p.m.: Wang lost the no-hitter on a single by Betancourt in the top of the third, so there goes my chance for watching history. I have been to two one-hitters in my life. Both by Mets pitchers and I'm sure I'll never see them pitch a no-hitter. Wang has allowed some hard hit balls, but he is pitching well. Yankees 3, Mariners 0

7:53 p.m.: Another Mariners error to start the inning by Beltre. Then after Molina struck out, Ensberg ran on the pitch and was easily out, but second baseman Jose Lopez couldn't handle the throw for the Mariners third error. This is like a 50-year old softball league. This will come back to haunt the Mariners. Here it comes, Gonzalez singles (Robinson who?), and Melky Cabrera hits a two-run double. What a start for Melky. The guy has been very good so far. I'm very impressed. Bedard can't be happy. The defense has been awful and now Bedard has a high pitch count.

7:38 p.m. Wang started the inning by allowing a scorching line drive to left by Adrian Beltre. Then was he a little scared by the young prospect Jeff Clement? He walked him on four pitches, just his 12th of the season with one out. Sexson struck out swinging on a full-count. (How many times have we said that this year?). Then he got another Mariners prospect Wladimir Balentien to strike out swinging. Balentien has good power. Wang has struck out a lot more batters this year. If he continues to do that, he will really take another step toward the upper-echelon of pitchers.

7:28 p.m. The Yankees took advantage of a one-out error by shortstop Yuniesky Betancour allowing Derek Jeter to reach. With two outs, Matsui dunked one into leftfield scoring Jeter for a 1-0 lead. Jeter passed Joe DiMaggio and is now fourth on the all-time Yankees list for runs scored with 1,391. Matsui extended his hitting streak to 12. Remember, Bedard is pitching in his second game back from the DL and it's a cold night, so any chance to make Bedard throw more pitches and get into that terrible Mariners bullpen is a good thing.

7:13 p.m.:Adam Ronis here from Yankee Stadium. A quick first inning for Wang. Ichiro hit a ball to deep right, Jose Lopez grounded out 1-3 and Raul Ibanez hit a fly ball to deep left that Hideki Matsui took an odd route to. The wind is blowing in from left, so it was held up. I can play a better outfield than Matsui. Seriously, if anyone has seen me play, they will back me up. Could be a rare quick Yankees game with Wang and Bedard.

Pregame chatter

Seattle Mariners (13-16) at Yankees (14-16), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: Erik Bedard (2-0, 2.04) for the Mariners and Chien-Ming Wang (5-0, 3.23) for the Yankees.

Last starts: Wang was spectacular last Sunday, winning a 1-0 pitcher's duel against C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians. Wang gave up just four hits and struck out a season-best nine batters through the first seven innings against the Indians. He has won all six of his career starts against Seattle, along with a 2.01 ERA. Bedard came off the disabled list last weekend and beat the Oakland A's, allowing just two hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings.

Final shot: A fabulous pitching matchup tonight as the Yankees begin a three-game series against Seattle. The Yankees are in the middle of a nine-game homestand, losing the first three to the Detroit Tigers.

NOTE: I'll provide updates during the game in this spot, but I can only post after each half-inning. Just hit your refresh button. The live chat and poll questions will be going on below.

Hey everyone! Forecast wasn't lookin' good for tonight's game, but we'll see if the weather holds. Just a heads-up: we're tinkering with our new live blog format. You can still comment on the cover it live forum, but I'll be posting the nuts and bolts here. As per MLB rules, I can only post every 1/2 inning and can only include so much play-by-play, but we'll work through it! So feel free to get this thing started, just keep those comments clean (no doubt the urge to comment on the many torrid affairs of Roger Clemens will be tempting, but we gotta keep it family-newspaper appropriate) :)

Tonight's starting lineups:
Detroit-
Curtis Granderson CF
Placido Polanco 2B
Gary Sheffield DH
Magglio Ordonez RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Carlos Guillen 3B
Jacque Jones LF
Brandon Inge C
Ramon Santiago SS

New York-
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Shelley Duncan 1B
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera CF
Morgan Ensberg 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Chad Moeller C

Top 1st
A 1-2-3 inning for Kennedy and Sheffield received a very NY welcome (boos)....
0-0

Bottom 1st
Damon leads off with a walk, and Jeter advances him to second on a ground ball to left for a base hit. Abreu then nails a fastball for a three-run homer to right
3-0 Yankees

Top 2nd
Kennedy looks good through two. Much more aggressive. He's attacking the zone and it's paying off.
3-0 Yankees

Bottom 2nd
And a 1-2-3 inning for Detroit.
3-0 Yankees

Top 3rd
Santiago drops in a double to left that Damon couldn't come up with that sets up Granderson's RBI for the Tigers' first run. Two on and two out and Mags ties it up with a two-run double to deep right. Next batter and Cabrera gives the Tigers a lead with an RBI triple. And the rain is coming down.
4-3

Bottom 3rd
Three up, three down.
4-3 Tigers

Top 4
Kennedy strikes out Inge, en route to a 1-2-3 inning. Kennedy rebounded nicely there, but we'll see if he can maintain his focus.
4-3

Bottom 4
Matsui and Ensberg both with base hits, but with two on and two outs, Moeller strikes out swinging. Stranding runners in scoring position....
4-3

Top 5
After walking Sheffield, Girardi makes a trip to the mound. Gotta wonder how much longer he'll last. Maggs singles to left and Albaladejo is in to relieve Kennedy. Line on Kennedy: 4 2/3 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 1 strikeout, 3 walks. Albie (that his new nickname since his last name is too hard to spell) ends the inning with a strikeout to escape further damage.
4-3

Bottom 5
With Jeter and Abreu at first and second, Shelley Duncan drives in an RBI to tie the game. Santiago makes a great play on what would've been a Cabrera RBI to keep it tied.
4-4

Top 6
After Guillen lines one to right and Jacque Jones smacks a double to deep left, Santiago smacks a two-run triple. Although Damon had a good shot at the double, Santiago now has a double and a triple. Albie musters two strikeouts however, to send it to the bottom of the 6th. Weather becoming a bigger factor now.
6-4 Tigers

Bottom 6th
Moeller gets a base hit with a grounder to left. Bobby Seay in now for Robertson. Farnsworth warming up in the 'pen for the Yankees. Inge can't field Damon's dribbler down the right line. Jeter shows some great hustle, beating the throw to first on a ground ball to third. Bases loaded, two outs and Abreu flies out to center.
6-4

Top 7
Albie back in for the 7th and he gets hit hard. Cabrera, who had a RBI triple earlier, blasts a two-run homer to put the Tigers up four. Guillen rips a double to right and that'll be it for Albaladejo.
8-4

Bottom 7
Yankees can't jump-start any offense there. Really missing A-Rod and Posada at this point.
8-4

Top 8
Damon shakes off a little speculation of whether his injury is a little worse than he's let on with a great catch on Granderson's shot to left and Britton gets a 1-2-3.
8-4

Bottom 8th
Cano to second base on an error by Granderson, but Jeter leaves him stranded on third with a ground out to second.
8-4

Top 9
Well at least Britton's playing well...
8-4

Bottom 9
That's it. Ballgame.
8-4

Pregame chatter

Yankees (13-13) at Cleveland Indians (12-13), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: Mike Mussina (2-3, 4.94) for the Yankees and Aaron Laffey (0-0, 0.00) for the Indians.

Last starts: Mussina goes for back-to-back wins. He gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings against the Chicago White Sox last Wednesday. Laffey fills in for Jake Westbrook, who is on the DL. Laffey has never faced the Yankees. He was 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts for Cleveland a year ago.

Good times, bad times: The good - Chien-Ming Wang pitched sensationally on Sunday, allowing no runs, just four hits and nine strikeouts to pick up the win. The only run the Yankees needed was on a solo home run by Melky Cabrera, his team-leading fifth of the young season. Cabrera hit just eight all of last season. The bad - Jorge Posada is headed to the DL for the first time in his career with a shoulder injury. He will meet with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who repaired his torn labrum in 2001.

Good afternoon Yankees fans.

We'll bring back the new blog technology from Friday night for today's game at Jacobs Field (whoops, I mean Progessive Field).

Please check the live blog box below once the game gets going. You are free to send in some comments during the game. It's an interactive blog so you play a role.

We'll also have some polls going throughout the game. Enjoy.

Pregame chatter

Yankees (12-13) at Cleveland Indians (12-12), 1:05 p.m.

Starters: Chien-Ming Wang (4-0, 3.94) for the Yankees and C.C. Sabathia (1-3, 10.13) for Cleveland.

Aces rule: Sabathia has been horrible this season. He's allowed 27 runs in 18 innings. But the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner beat Kansas City on Tuesday, giving up four hits over six scoreless innings. Sabathia is just 1-7 with a 7.13 ERA in eight career starts against the Yankees. Wang beat the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, allowing three runs and 10 hits in six innings. Wang lost twice to the Indians in last season's ALDS.

Bottom of 9th: This one is over folks! Victor Martinez ripped a game-winning single to left to give the Indians a 4-3 victory. Ross Ohlendorf relieved Farnsie and was not sharp. He struck out Blake then served up back-to-back singles to Sizemore and Dellucci. After throwing a wild pitch, which moved both runners into scoring position, Ohlendorf intentionally walked Hafner to get the force at any plate, but couldn’t retire the talented Martinez. FINAL: Indians 4, Yanks 3.

Top of 9th: The Yanks missed yet another chance to score as the Captain grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and third. Damon singled to center (his fourth hit) and took third on a base hit by Cabrera.