Scott Proctor non-tendered

Scott Proctor was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers today, thus making him a free agent, according to Tony Jackson.

Proctor had elbow surgery in October to repair a partially-torn flexor tendon and shave down a bone spur in the back of his elbow.

In Yankees non-tender news, Chris Britton and Justin Christian made the list. Britton only pitched 35 2/3 innings as a Yankee and Christian stole seven bases last year.

Matsui activated

As expected, Hideki Matsui was activated from the 15-day disabled list this afternoon.

Justin Christian, who pretty much sealed his fate after getting picked off first base in the ninth inning, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Matsui instantly helps the languishing offense. His numbers with runners in scoring position (.338/.449/.462) are well above the team's average of .260/.348/.387.

The Yankees have already said that Matsui will serve as the designated hitter for the remainder of the season, so the Yankees have decisions to make. The outfield is rather crowded, as Xavier Nady, Johnny Damon, Brett Gardner and Bobby Abreu need playing time. Gardner would figure to be the odd-man out, but he has five hits in his last 10 at-bats.

It's a good problem to have, however. Hopefully Joe Girardi pushes the right buttons.

Losing streak hits 4

Justin Christian was tonight's leadoff hitter, as the American League leader in batting average sat on the bench.

Johnny Damon bats .296 against lefties, by the way.

It's getting late early.

Giambi takes a seat

I caught my first glimpse of the lineup tonight and noticed that Jason Giambi is sitting against the lefty Matt Harrison. Who?

Harrison has had five career starts and lefties are batting a cool .500 against him.

Meanwhile, Giambi went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI last night. This snapped a 27-game long slump that saw his batting average fall from .268 to .249.

This season, Giambi is hitting .247/.402/.517 against lefties. That isn't far off from his numbers against righties: .259/.386/.509. In fact, his OBP and SLG are both higher when he is facing southpaws.

A bottom of the order comprised of Richie Sexson, Jose Molina and Justin Christian will surely terrify young Harrison.

Melky takes a seat

Just had a chance to look at the lineup for the first time tonight, and there was a glaring omission. Melky Cabrera is absent from his usual center field spot, with one of the heroes from yesterday, Justin Christian, getting the starting nod in his place.

Frankly, it's about time. Cabrera's OBP went under .300 after yesterday's game for the first time this season and his OPS is a staggeringly terrible .638. Let's put it this way: Darrell Rasner has a higher OPS than Cabrera does.

What happened to the Cabrera who hit five home runs and drove in 12 runs in April? He looked like he was headed for his best offensive season yet. Instead, he's headed for his worst.

He will turn 24 in a week, but he has been around for three full seasons already. When will the "he's young" excuse not be enough anymore?

It's a shame Brett Gardner couldn't hit when he was up here. He'd fit like a glove.

Igawa removed from 40-man roster

According to Ed Price, the Yankees announced today they have removed Kei Igawa from the 40-man roster.

And get this: every team passed on him on the waiver wire! Other than the Yankees, the Padres were the only other team (last year) to believe he could contribute in any way, shape or form.

Igawa is still under contract through 2011.

Update - 2:55 p.m.: To make room for the new acquisitions, Brett Gardner was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and LaTroy Hawkins was designated for assignment.

The Yankees could have sent Justin Christian down, but a similar situation arose earlier this season when the Yankees called up Christian and left Gardner in the minors so as not to hinder his development. They are presumably doing the same thing this time around as well.

Lucky 13

Mike Mussina recorded his 13th win of the season, as the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-1 Wednesday afternoon to sweep the three-game series.

Mussina pitched six shutout innings, striking out seven and scattering six hits. He is 13-6 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.26. Mussina also threw 73 of his 105 pitches for strikes.

Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Justin Christian each had two hits apiece, and Rodriguez and Christian both drove in two runs.

After LaTroy Hawkins decided he wanted to make the score closer in the ninth, Mariano Rivera came in for a one-out save, his 25th in as many chances.

With this win, the Yankees have won six games in a row overall and have won their 10 straight games at home. They are a season-high 11 games above .500

The Yankees will begin a three-game series at Fenway Park on Friday. Joba Chamberlain and Josh Beckett will take the hill for their respective teams.

Yanks and Giambi lose

The Yankees did not look like they wanted to be in Pittsburgh tonight.

The offense was putrid: a bottom of the order containing Melky Cabrera, Jose Molina, Justin Christian and the pitcher's spot is just embarrassing. All things considered, it's a shock they scored two runs.

And as soon as the Yankees were able to tie the game at two runs apiece, Jose Veras gave it right back.

This loss snaps the Yankees four-game winning streak, despite scoring only 14 runs over that span. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui need to get back as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Jason Giambi lost to Evan Longoria in the final vote contest. I guess the Support the 'Stache campaign wasn't enough. While it would have been great to see Giambi in the Home Run Derby contest, Longoria is also deserving of the All-Star nod.

Damon to the DL

Johnny Damon has been placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career with the shoulder injury, according to Ed Price.

Justin Christian has been recalled, as he doesn't have to wait the requisite 10 days to rejoin the roster because he's replacing an injured player.

Damon will be eligible to return on July 20, but Brian Cashman said that it is 50-50 that he returns by then.

He is batting .319/.387/.470 so far with six home runs and 37 RBI. It'll be up to Brett Gardner to fill Damon's shoes.

Justin Christan, we hardly knew ye

As expected, Justin Christian was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a result of the arrival of Brett Gardner, according to Peter Abraham.

Christian went 3-for-15 with a double and two RBI in his cup of coffee with the big club.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Gardner is the Yankees' starting left fielder and leadoff hitter tonight against the Texas Rangers. It should be fun seeing what he can bring to the table.

Gardner called up

According to the Times and Democrat from somewhere in South Carolina (via Greg), the Yankees have called up Brett Gardner.

Just talk to Brett Gardner. Because, Sunday afternoon, Gardner’s big-league dream came true when Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Dave Miley called him into his office and informed him that he had been called up to the team’s parent club, the New York Yankees.

“It really hasn’t set in yet,” Gardner said as his team traveled back from it’s game against Buffalo. “Absolutely, it’s a dream come true. Growing up as a little kid, you get older, and you realize how far away it is. It really hasn’t set in yet, but I think (Monday) when I get there it will definitely happen.”

It's amazing. The one day I have to fall asleep early to wake up early, this news breaks overnight.

I like this move. We haven't seen much from Justin Christian, but it's becoming clear as to why he's 28 and was in the Independent leagues.

Gardner, a center fielder by trade, is batting .287/.412/.429 with three home runs and 29 RBI for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He has 61 walks and 34 stolen bases (eight caught stealings). He can step in right away and play left field, allowing Johnny Damon to DH with Hideki Matsui on the disabled list. Or, he can force Melky Cabrera to play better to keep his position, because while he has plays solid defense, .246/.312/.354 just isn't cutting it.

The corresponding move hasn't been announced yet (it's only 7:45), however I'd expect it to be Christian.

Oh well

If you told me that the Yankees would take two of three at Shea Stadium with Sidney Ponson, Andy Pettitte and Darrell Rasner starting all three games, I would've signed up for that in a heartbeat. And that's exactly what happened.

Rasner wasn't awful, but the Yankees' righty-heavy lineup was dismal against Oliver Perez, who always seems to pitch well against the Yankees.

Bobby Abreu actually hits better against lefties than he does against righties (.316 vs. .272), so I would have started him instead of Justin Christian.

It was strange booing "Enter Sandman" when Billy Wagner came in. It was like bizarro world.

It didn't rain that much at the game, but it absolutely poured during the walk back to the car (through the Worlds Fair park and over the L.I.E.). Long story short, I was drenched.

This was my first Subway Series game, and it happened to be the last one at Shea. All in all, it was a fun game. Too bad the Yankees ended up on the wrong side.

Next is a three-game series at home against Texas.

Matsui to the DL, Igawa up

Some roster moves after this afternoon's wonderful performance:

Hideki Matsui has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with the left knee injury. Sidney Ponson is on the active roster in time to make tonight's start.

Also, Ross Ohlendorf (1.1 IP, 6 ER today) has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Kei Igawa (7-4, 3.47 ERA and 77 K in 93 1/3 IP for Scranton) has taken his spot on the roster.

I think in the coming days, the Yankees will option Justin Christian and call up Brett Gardner. Johnny Damon can slide to the DH spot and Gardner can man left field. That's what I would do, at least.

Terrible game

This game has been awful so far for the Yankees.

Ill-advised bunts by Derek Jeter and Justin Christian, terrible pitching by Dan Giese and bad managing by Joe Girardi (taking Giese out way too late).

Yet, it's only the bottom of the fifth inning. Anything can happen here.

Yeesh

Did anyone else cringe when Michael Kay started screaming about Bobby Abreu's ninth-inning two-run, two-out home run? "SEE YA!, and that cuts the lead to 12-5."

What a terrible, awful game.

Hopefully Joba Chamberlain can restore order to the pitching staff tomorrow night. The Pirates recorded 19 hits on their way to scoring 12 runs against Darrell Rasner and friends.

For those scoring at home, the Yankees have lost three of their last four to the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

One of the positives tonight was Justin Christian's performance. Despite having a fielding error, he went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double at the plate.

Traber down

Updating the previous story, Billy Traber was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Justin Christian was called up, according to Ed Price.

Despite Christian not being on the 40-man roster, the Yankees did not need to make a move, as Steven White was taken off the roster on Friday.

Yankees call up Justin Christian

The Yankees called up outfielder Justin Christian, according to George King of the Post.

Christian is 59-for-191 in 55 games this season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He is also 18-for-21 in stolen bases.

He will likely be used as a pinch runner while he is with the big club.

The corresponding roster move is not yet known.