Mad Dog going nuts

Remember this game? Turn the clock back to April 19, 2007, when Alex Rodriguez hit his second walk-off home run of the month to propel the Yankees to an 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Browsing around Wikipedia just now, I found this gem of a clip from the "Mike and the Mad Dog" radio program.

Apparently Chris "Mad Dog" Russo felt that update man Bob Heussler jinxed the Indians, allowing the Yankees to come back.

This clip has everything, from Russo screaming to a bonus John Sterling home run call. This is probably the best thing I've ever heard.

Offense delivers again

25 runs in two games, huh? Last week, I would've signed up for about seven runs in two games.

The Yankees have now won a season-high four games in a row and now sit at a record of 24-25. They will look to sweet the Mariners for the second time this season tomorrow afternoon.

Hot Yankees:

Hideki Matsui: Matsui has seven hits in his last 12 at-bats, scoring eight runs.

Jason Giambi: Giambi is 8-14 with one home run, two doubles, three RBI and five runs scored. In today's game, he had two hits to left field.

Robinson Cano: Cano is 9-17 with five doubles (three in today's game) and six RBI. In today'g game, he had three hits to left field.

Bobby Abreu had a four-RBI game, including a two-run home run in the sixth inning.

On the other hand, Derek Jeter is hitless in his last 15 at-bats.

Mike Mussina wasn't great this afternoon, as he blew a four-run lead in the third inning. However, the offense continued to support him, and he won his seventh game of the season. Mussina gave up four earned runs and surrendered seven hits and two home runs in five innings. He also struck out four and walked one.

Today was also "Phase Two" of Joba Chamberlain's transition to the rotation, as Michael Kay reminded us time and time again. He threw 40 pitches - only five more than he did on Wednesday - in two innings, striking out two and walking one. He first inning was smooth, but he threw more pitches in his second inning and was unable to come out for a third.

Despite pitching well in the tie game on Thursday, Kyle Farnsworth gave up four hits and two earned runs in his one inning of work. The two runs came on a Richie Sexson home run.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Game 49 Preview: Mariners at Yankees

Seattle Mariners (18-31)	New York Yankees (23-25)
Ichiro Suzuki CF	Johnny Damon LF
Jose Lopez 2B	Derek Jeter SS
Jose Vidro DH	Bobby Abreu RF
Raul Ibanez LF	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Adrian Beltre 3B	Hideki Matsui DH
Jeremy Reed RF	Jason Giambi 1B
Richie Sexson 1B	Robinson Cano 2B
Kenji Johjima C	Jose Molina C
Yuniesky Betancourt SS	Melky Cabrera CF

Carlos Silva (3-3, 4.91 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina (6-4, 4.11 ERA)

Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM Radio Channel 176

Mariners vs. Mussina

• Suzuki: 14-35, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Lopez: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI
  
• Vidro: 3-9, 2 2B, 2 RBI
  
• Ibanez: 11-26, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI
  
• Beltre: 0-7
  
• Reed: 1-4
  
• Sexson: 2-15, 2 RBI
  
• Johjima: 2-4
  
• Betancourt: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Yankees vs. Silva

• Damon: 5-16, 1 RBI
  
• Jeter: 7-11, 1 2B, 2 RBI
  
• Abreu: 8-10, 4 RBI
  
• Rodriguez: 5-12, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Matsui: 2-11, 2 2B, 1 RBI
  
• Giambi: 2-7, 2 RBI
  
• Cano: 3-9, 3 HR, 4 RBI
  
• Molina: 3-3
  
• Cabrera: 3-7, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Pregame concerns: Silva lost to the Yankees on May 4. In three innings, he gave up eight earned runs and 11 hits. Cabrera and Cano hit back-to-back home runs in the six-run third inning in that game. In three career starts at Yankee Stadium, Silva is 0-3 with a 12.41 ERA. ... Mussina defeated the Mariners on May 3, pitching six innings and allowing only one earned run. He is 5-1 in his last six starts. ... Joba Chamberlain should pitch two or three innings this afternoon.

It's spelled "Shelley"

Shelley Duncan is a first baseman/outfielder for the New York Yankees. Sean Brennan of the Daily News will have you believe that someone else wears No. 17 for the Bronx "Bombenrs."

It's déjà vu all over again

Last night, Robinson Cano drove in Hideki Matsui with a single to left field to score the winning run in the ninth inning.

Tonight, with the Yankees already up 7-0, Cano hit a single almost to the exact spot to score Matsui.

Cano also hit a bloop double to left field earlier in tonight's game to give him a 2-4 evening. In total, his last three hits have gone to left field.

It's great to see him going to the opposite field, and maybe it's a sign that he's finally coming out of his early-season slump.

Since May 3, Cano is 20-60 (.333) with two home runs and 10 RBI.

A hot Cano deepens the lineup, as he adds power and (usually) average to the lower third of the order.

Last season, Cano was hitting .274 at the All-Star break. He hit .343 afterward. While his average wasn't nearly as low as it is now (.214), it does show that Cano is a slow starter. Hopefully his turnaround has started.

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Game 48: Yankees win 13-2

Start spreading the news: the Yankees have won three games in a row. The Yankees, behind an offensive explosion, defeated the Seattle Mariners 13-2 Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees fell behind by one run early, but after five innings, they were up to 13 runs.

Shelley Duncan started the Yankees' offense off with a three-run home run in the second inning to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Hideki Matsui singled and Jason Giambi walked to set up the threat. They would score two more in the fourth on a Robinson Cano opposite-field two-run bloop double.

However, the game was broken open in the fifth when the Yankees scored eight runs. Matsui, Chad Moeller and Bobby Abreu each had two RBI in the inning, while Cano and Alex Rodriguez drove in the other two runs.

Mariners starter Erik Bedard was unable to survive the inning, leaving after pitching only 4 1-3 innings. He gave up nine earned runs and eight hits, while striking out three and walking one. Sean Green relieved him, but did not provide much relief. He gave up four earned runs while only retiring one batter.

Andy Pettitte recorded his first home win of the season and broke his personal four-game losing streak. He gave up eight hits and two earned runs over six innings. He also struck out a season-high nine batters and didn't walk any.

The hitting stars: Abreu, Jason Giambi and Cano had two hits apiece, and Matsui had three hits. Matsui and Giambi each scored three runs. Duncan and Cano both drove in three runs. Abreu, Matsui and Moeller each chipped in with two RBI. Each Yankee scored at least one run and every starter recorded at least one hit except for Derek Jeter. The eight-run inning was their highest-scoring inning of the season. Six of the runs scored in the inning were with two outs.

LaTroy Hawkins and Edwar Ramirez combined to pitch the final three innings. Hawkins struck out a batter and gave up one hit in his two innings of work. Ramirez walked two and struck out two in his inning.

The Yankees and Mariners return to action tomorrow afternoon. The Yankees will be bringing back Mike Mussina on short rest to start. Carlos Silva will replace injured Felix Hernandez.

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Game 48 Preview: Mariners at Yankees

Seattle Mariners (18-30)	New York Yankees (22-25)
Ichiro Suzuki CF	Derek Jeter SS
Jose Lopez 2B	Bobby Abreu RF
Jose Vidro DH	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Raul Ibanez LF	Hideki Matsui LF
Adrian Beltre 3B	Jason Giambi DH
Richie Sexson 1B	Shelley Duncan 1B
Wladimir Balentien RF	Robinson Cano 2B
Jamie Burke C	Chad Moeller C
Yuniesky Betancourt SS	Melky Cabrera CF

Erik Bedard (3-2, 3.24 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (3-5, 4.42 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: MY9, MLB.TV
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM Radio Channel 176

Mariners vs. Pettitte

• Suzuki: 10-23, 1 2B, 5 RBI
  
• Lopez: 0-2, 1 RBI
  
• Vidro: 5-19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Ibanez: 5-12, 1 2B, 2 RBI
  
• Beltre: 0-2
  
• Sexson: 4-12, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Balentien: No experience
  
• Burke: 0-3
  
• Betancourt: 1-3

Yankees vs. Bedard

• Jeter: 6-30, 1 3B, 2 RBI
  
• Abreu: 4-20, 1 RBI
  
• Rodriguez: 10-24, 2 HR, 6 RBI
  
• Matsui: 6-19, 2 RBI
  
• Giambi: 3-15, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Duncan: 1-5
  
• Cano: 3-14, 1 2B
  
• Moeller: No experience
  
• Cabrera: 2-14, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Pregame concerns: Bedard lost to the Yankees on May 2. He gave up one three runs (one earned) in seven innings. The three runs were scored in the first two innings. He is 1-2 with a 3.05 ERA in seven career games (six starts) at Yankee Stadium. ... The Yankees are winless in Pettitte's last five starts. He is 0-4 with a 6.26 ERA during that time. He has given up 35 hits and 20 runs (five home runs) in 27 1-3 innings.

King Felix scratched

Felix Hernandez, tomorrow afternoon's scheduled starter, has been scratched with a leg injury, according to Peter Abraham.

Carlos Silva, Sunday's starter, will start tomorrow and Jarrod Washburn will start on Sunday.

Washburn had a terrible start on Wednesday against Detroit, allowing nine earned runs and 12 hits in 2 1-3 innings. Against the Yankees, however, he is 5-5 with a 2.52 ERA in 11 career starts. He is 1-4 with a 2.78 ERA in five career starts at Yankee Stadium.

This also give the Yankees another lefty to face.

Girardi suspended

Manager Joe Girardi has been suspended one game as a result of last night's tirade, according to WFAN.

Girardi kicked dirt on umpire Chris Guccione, and apparently that was enough to warrant a suspension.

If memory serves me correctly, managers cannot appeal their suspensions, so Girardi will serve it tonight.

This is pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Bob Watson really seems to have it out for the Yankees.

The series ahead

The New York Yankees (22-25) begin a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners (18-30) at Yankee Stadium tonight. The pitching matchups are:

Tonight - 7:05 p.m., MY9
Erik Bedard - LHP (3-2, 3.24 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte - LHP (3-5, 4.42 ERA)

Tomorrow - 1:05 p.m., YES
Felix Hernandez - RHP (2-4, 3.34 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina - RHP (6-4, 4.11 ERA)

Sunday - 1:05 p.m., YES/TBS
Carlos Silva - RHP (3-3, 4.91 ERA) vs. Chien-Ming Wang - RHP (6-2, 3.51 ERA)

Rotation shuffle

Due to Chien-Ming Wang's calf injury, Mike Mussina will pitch on short rest on Saturday. Wang will start on Sunday to get an extra day of rest.

Wang threw a bullpen session before Thursday's game and reported no adverse affects.

Mussina threw 42 pitches in his abbreviated start on Tuesday. He gave up seven runs (one earned) in 2-3 innings in the Yankees' 12-2 loss.

Improvement

Ian Kennedy showed signs of improvement Thursday night against the Orioles. He struggled with control at times, but was able to get out of jams while limiting the damage.

In total:

6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

With the effort, he lowered his ERA by more than a run, as it now sits at 7.27.

His pitch count was high (97 pitches for 57 strikes), but many of those were thrown in the third inning even though he only allowed one run. After Alex Rodriguez spoke to Kennedy in the middle of the Orioles' rally, he seemed to settle himself down.

This was a very encouraging start and it gives Kennedy something positive to build on. If he can continue to pitch like he did tonight, the Yankees will be in much better shape.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Just what we needed

If the Yankees go on to make the playoffs, remember to look back at this series against the Baltimore Orioles as the point in which the season turned for the better.

Last night, the offense showed up, scoring eight runs while shutting out the Orioles.

Tonight, Ian Kennedy finally pitched well and the Yankees were able to survive the later innings without Joba Chamberlain as the bridge to Mariano Rivera. The bullpen obviously won't always pitch as well as it did tonight, but this was a positive.

Joe Girardi finally exploded in a Billy Martin/Lou Piniella-esque fit of emotion. The beginning to the season has been frustrating to the players and management alike, so you cannot fault Girardi for wanting to blow off some steam. Girardi also pointed to right-center field, possibly referring to the blow call last night.

Robinson Cano delivered with the clutch, two-out walk-off single in the ninth inning to propel the Yankees to their first series win since sweeping Seattle at the beginning of the month.

Last year Piniella fired up his Cubs when he had one of his fits. Maybe that is what went through Girardi's head tonight. He fired up both his team and the fans.

A win like this was desperately needed. The Mariners limp back to Yankee Stadium after getting swept at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. The three-game series will begin tomorrow night.

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Game 47 Preview: Orioles at Yankees

New York Yankees (21-25)

Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Hideki Matsui DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Shelley Duncan RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Jose Molina C
Melky Cabrera CF

Brian Burres (4-4, 3.47 ERA) vs. Ian Kennedy (0-3, 8.48 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES, MLB.TV
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM Radio Channel 176

Yankees vs. Burres

• Damon: 1-7, 1 RBI
  
• Jeter: 3-12, 2 3B
  
• Matsui: 3-8, 2 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Rodriguez: 3-11, 1 RBI
  
• Giambi: 0-2
  
• Duncan: 0-3
  
• Cano: 2-8
  
• Molina: 2-7
  
• Cabrera: 4-11

I'll be headed to the Stadium shortly, so that explains the lack of an Orioles lineup. Bobby Abreu (0-10) is sitting against the lefty Burres.

Hawkins to be suspended three games

According to the Daily News' Mark Feinsand, LaTroy Hawkins will be suspended three games and fined $2,000 for throwing at Orioles' outfielder Luke Scott twice.

Derek Jeter was hit on the hand earlier in the game, and Scott felt this was retaliation. The benches cleared, but no punches were thrown.

This was the same penalty Kyle Farnsworth originally got for throwing at Manny Ramirez. Farnsworth was not ejected and eventually talked down his suspension to one game. Hawkins was ejected.

Hawkins will appeal the suspension.

Joba's transition has begun

Why would Joba Chamberlain throw two innings and 35 pitches in an 8-0 game? Because tonight was the first night of his transition into the starting rotation.

This move obviously makes sense. While watching Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy struggle, many Yankee fans noticed that their best pitcher was just sitting in the bullpen twittering his thumbs.

Chamberlain is on a 150 innings-limit this season, and he probably would not reach that total if he spent the entire season as the eight inning guy. As a result, his innings would be limited next year, setting him back a year in his development.

He will also not have to go to the minors during this process as previously thought.

The question now is who will take his place in the eighth inning? Kyle Farnsworth has shown signs of reliability, but he has also shown signs of...well...Kyle Farnsworth. Either the Yankees will promote in-house (J.B. Cox and Mark Melancon) or they will make a trade.

It's a risk to take Chamberlain out of the eighth inning, but it's definitely one worth taking. Six or seven innings is much more valuable than one inning is in the long run.

Wang has mild calf strain

I don't want to alarm the good folks from Taiwan, but Chien-Ming Wang has come down with a mild calf strain stemming from covering first base Sunday night against the Mets.

Wang will throw a bullpen tomorrow night to see if he can make his scheduled start on Saturday against Seattle.

"I'll be fine," said Wang. "It's gotten better. I'm happy. I'm good."

Said Cashman: "If the doctors feel this is not an issue, then you move forward. If it is an issue, then you don't. Our doctors have told me if he gets through the bullpen, this is not an issue. But let's get through the bullpen (tomorrow)."

It's good that they aren't too concerned with this. Losing Wang for a couple of weeks would have been devastating.

Game 46 Preview: Orioles at Yankees

Baltimore Orioles (24-20)	New York Yankees (20-25)
Brian Roberts 2B	Johnny Damon LF
Melvin Mora 3B	Derek Jeter SS
Nick Markakis RF	Bobby Abreu RF
Aubrey Huff DH	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Kevin Millar 1B	Hideki Matsui DH
Luke Scott LF	Shelley Duncan 1B
Ramon Hernandez C	Robinson Cano 2B
Adam Jones CF	Chad Moeller C
Freddie Bynum SS	Melky Cabrera CF

Garrett Olson (3-0, 3.47 ERA) vs. Darrell Rasner (2-0, 3.00 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES, MLB.TV
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM Radio Channel 176

Orioles vs. Rasner

• Roberts: 1-5
  
• Mora: 0-4
  
• Markakis: 5-5, 1 2B
  
• Huff: 0-2
  
• Millar: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Scott: No experience
  
• Hernandez: 1-2, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Jones: No experience
  
• Bynum: No experience

Yankees vs. Olson

• No hitters have experience against Olson
  

OK, it's time to panic

You know things aren't good when Mr. Sunshine himself, John Sterling, feels that his Yankees are not a good time.

From Neil Best's Watchdog blog:

"The Yanks make a lot of mistakes; bad teams do,'' he said during the top of the first Tuesday, referring specifically to the 0-2 pitch from Mike Mussina that the Orioles turned into a three-run double.

"Bad teams really lose all kinds of games. They lose 'em close, they lose 'em big, they lose high-scoring games, low-scoring games. They lose for different reasons."

Not good, Yankees fans.

Rock bottom

Tuesday night's game has to be rock bottom. It just has to be. As bad as this team has looked recently - and they've been awful - there is no conceivable way they can play as worse as they played in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles.

It was supposed to be a night of new beginnings. While the weather was awful, Yankees fans saw a ray of hope in Alex Rodriguez. He hit a home run in his return...while the score was 10-0.

The most frustrating part of the night is that if Derek Jeter threw the ball four inches lower, the seven-run first inning would have only been a one-run first inning. But it happened, and Mike Mussina should have buckled down and not let it get to him. He's been on a great run recently, and it's a shame that stretch had to end in this fashion.

All told, the 20-25 Yankees have lost four in a row, six of their last seven and nine of their last 12. The duplication of their low point last season - 21-29 - is looking like a grim reality.

I'm not the most optimistic of fans but there is no way they will play this badly consistently. They could very well miss the playoffs, but the hitting and pitching will come eventually. And if they do miss the playoffs it won't be by much. While the Yankees are faltering, no team in the American League, especially the early wild-card contenders, has run away with anything.

The best part about a "rock bottom" scenario is that there is no where to go but up.

Going back to the game, Derek Jeter was hit on the hand and was removed from the game. X-rays came out negative and he is listed as day-to-day. Given the way the season has transpired thus far, it's shocking that there was no fracture. If Jeter had to miss an extended period of time, this season obviously wasn't meant to be.

Darrell Rasner will take the hill tonight to attempt to put an end to this nonsense. His turn in the rotation was skipped when Friday night's game against the Mets was rained out. Instead, Andy Pettitte started on his normal day on Saturday and blew up in the fourth inning. Rasner has given up four earned runs in his 12 innings this season.