All-Star selection

The 2008 All-Star selection show will be airing live on TBS at 2:00 p.m.

If you remember back to last year, ESPN released the rosters before TBS' broadcast, and Major League Baseball responded by taking away ESPN's credentials at the 2007 All-Star Game.

Hopefully something similar happens this year (though I'm sure ESPN has learned its lesson), because the Home Run Derby will be annoying enough with Michael Kay being the stadium announcer. We don't need Chris Berman and his endless "backs" as well.

I'll post the roster as it's released.

Kennedy struggles in AAA

Ian Kennedy pitched two innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before rain forced the game to be called.

When he was pitching, he wasn't pitching well. He allowed one run on two extra-base hits (a home run and a double), walked two batters and didn't strike anyone out.

Tim Bontemps has quotes from a scout on hand:

"He wasn't very good," said a scout who saw the game. "His velocity was 87-90, and his fastball was straight. He didn't have good command, and his curve was loopy and it hung a lot, but he had a plus change."

"To me it didn't look like a rehab start, and (then) you'll put him back," the scout said. "He's got to work his way back up. . . . His command is what makes him what he is, and you'd like to see the velocity pick up a little. I'd like to see some more sharpness on the breaking pitch, and a little better command."

We know that Kennedy is just one of the "other 175 players in the minors," so he will not be getting any preferential treatment. As such, starts like these - even though it didn't count in the books - are troublesome.

Mussina bails out offense

Last time out, Mike Mussina struck out eight and allowed two earned runs over six innings and lost 2-1.

This afternoon, Mussina struck out five over six shutout innings, as the Yankees won 2-1. This was his 11th win of the season and he did it in front of Terry Francona, who will be picking the American League All-Star pitching staff.

The Yankees had the bases loaded with one out twice in the game and only came away with one run (an elusive sacrifice fly by Brett Gardner). The other run came on another rare two-out, RISP single by Melky Cabrera.

Mariano Rivera struggled in the ninth, hitting two batters and allowing two hits, but was able to escape a bases loaded, no-out situation only giving up one run in the process.

After losing the first two games of this series, a blown save by Rivera would have been absolutely devastating. We all know Rivera is cool under pressure, but even the most confident of Yankees fans had to be surprised he was able to get out of the jam the way he did.

Joba Chamberlain and Tim Wakefield will square off in the ESPN game tomorrow night as the Yankees look to split this four-game series.

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Game 88 Preview: Red Sox at Yankees

Boston Red Sox (52-37)	New York Yankees (45-42)
Jacoby Ellsbury LF	Brett Gardner LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B	Derek Jeter SS
J.D. Drew RF	Bobby Abreu RF
Manny Ramirez DH	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mike Lowell 3B	Jason Giambi DH
Kevin Youkilis 1B	Wilson Betemit 1B
Coco Crisp CF	Robinson Cano 2B
Jason Varitek C	Melky Cabrera CF
Alex Cora SS	Jose Molina C

Justin Masterson (4-2, 3.75 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina (10-6, 3.87 ERA)

Time: 3:55 p.m.
TV: Fox
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM Radio Channel 176

Red Sox vs. Mussina

• Ellsbury: 2-3
  
• Pedroia: 6-13, 1 2B, 1 RBI
  
• Drew: 1-11
  
• Ramirez: 28-100, 6 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 24 RBI
  
• Lowell: 11-19, 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI
  
• Youkilis: 6-19, 1 2B, 2 RBI
  
• Crisp: 8-24, 3 2B, 1 RBI
  
• Varitek: 11-64, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Cora: 0-2

Yankees vs. Masterson

• No Yankees have experience against Masterson
  

Damon's still around

We have word from Ed Price that Johnny Damon is still on the active roster. It was reported last night that he'll miss at least two games and that the disabled list could be a possibility.

If he is indeed placed on the disabled list, it would be for the first time in his career.

Damon has been one of the few offensive bright spots this season, as his .856 OPS is fourth among the regulars. Hideki Matsui, who is also one of the offensive regulars on this disabled list, has an .862 OPS. Taking two players with similar, positive offensive productions will obviously have its drawbacks.

I was in favor of Brett Gardner's call-up, because I felt it would have been nice to combine his speed with Damon's speed at the top and bottom of the lineup. Never did I think that Gardner would have to play alongside Melky Cabrera. On the other hand, Cabrera is 3 for his last 6, so hopefully, maybe he's coming out of whatever funk he's been in.

Don't expect any major moves

Ed Price brings us quotes from Brian Cashman regarding the Yankees' intentions at the trade deadline.

"I don't try to react to anything," he said, "other than if something's right, we're going to be aggressive on it. If it's not right, we won't. In the meantime, we have talent here that's better than the way it's performing.

"So it's up to myself, my staff and my players to figure it out together and certainly not count on something from the outside to get us going. Because most of the answers are right here in front of us."

On the other hand, it seems unlikely the Yankees will be sellers at the deadline. Johnny Damon, after Thursday's loss and lengthy team meeting, intimated that players feared that possibility. "We're trying to find a way to get this team where it needs to be, which is a postseason berth," Cashman said. "That's the mindset."

Quotes like these are troubling. If Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson are the answers, then the Yankees should be sellers at the deadline.

However, anything can happen between now and July 31. Also, these quotes were uttered before another awful Rasner outing.

The eternal optimist in me hopes that this is just a smokescreen. If the Yankees are serious about participating in a three-team race in the AL East, then something rather large needs to be done.

(Some) hitting and no pitching

The Yankees were somehow able to score three runs against Josh Beckett in the first inning.

It's a shame that Darrell Rasner hasn't been able to make it stand up. Through three innings, he has walked two and has given up five hits and three earned runs.

When the Yankees finally are able to score runs, they can't make them stand up. I wouldn't be shocked if Mike Mussina pitched a great game tomorrow while the Yankees' offense gets shut down.

Meanwhile, Johnny Damon left the game due to injury, and the Yankees are making Beckett's job a whole lot easier.

Game 87 Preview: Red Sox at Yankees

New York Yankees (45-41)

Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C

Josh Beckett (7-5, 3.65 ERA) vs. Darrell Rasner (4-6, 4.42 ERA)

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

Yankees vs. Beckett

• Damon: 6-27, 4 2B, 4 RBI
  
• Jeter: 8-27, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Abreu: 11-57, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI
  
• Rodriguez: 7-28, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
  
• Giambi: 5-21, 2 HR, 6 RBI
  
• Posada: 7-21, 1 2B, 2 RBI
  
• Cano: 9-24, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
  
• Cabrera: 8-26, 1 2B, 4 RBI
  
• Molina: 1-5

Pregame concerns: Billy Traber has been recalled and Alberto Gonzalez was optioned out. ... They say momentum is as good as your starting pitcher. It's nice to have Darrell Rasner on the mound after a 30-minute closed-door team meeting.

The food chain

The Yankees are 12-0 against the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Houston Astros. They are 33-41 against everyone else.

The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 7-0 tonight after getting swept at the hands of the surging Tampa Bay Rays. It just may be time to accept the fact that the Yankees are not a very good team.

Game 86 Preview: Red Sox at Yankees

Boston Red Sox (50-37)	New York Yankees (45-40)
Jacoby Ellsbury LF	Johnny Damon LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B	Derek Jeter SS
J.D. Drew RF	Bobby Abreu RF
Manny Ramirez LF	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mike Lowell 3B	Jason Giambi DH
Kevin Youkilis 1B	Jorge Posada C
Coco Crisp CF	Robinson Cano 2B
Jason Varitek C	Wilson Betemit 1B
Julio Lugo SS	Melky Cabrera CF

Jon Lester (6-3, 3.48 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (9-5, 3.98 ERA)

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

Red Sox vs. Pettitte

• Ellsbury: 2-2, 1 RBI
  
• Pedroia: 5-17, 1 2B, 5 RBI
  
• Drew: 6-20, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Ramirez: 31-72, 8 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI
  
• Lowell: 6-17, 1 2B, 3 RBI
  
• Youkilis: 6-13, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Crisp: 4-16
  
• Varitek: 17-49, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI
  
• Lugo: 6-25, 1 3B, 3 RBI

Yankees vs. Lester

• Damon: 3-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Jeter: 0-3
  
• Abreu: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI
  
• Rodriguez: 0-1
  
• Giambi: No experience
  
• Posada: No experience
  
• Cano: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI
  
• Betemit: No experience
  
• Cabrera: 2-2, 1 RBI

I'll be headed to the game soon. Hopefully the weather improves. Enjoy the game, everybody!

The series ahead

The New York Yankees (45-40) begin a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox (50-37) at Yankee Stadium tonight. The pitching matchups are:

Tonight - 7:05 p.m., YES
Jon Lester - LHP (6-3, 3.48 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte - LHP (9-5, 3.98 ERA)

Tomorrow - 1:05 p.m., YES
Josh Beckett - RHP (7-5, 3.65 ERA) vs. Darrell Rasner - RHP (4-6, 4.42 ERA)

Saturday - 3:55 p.m., Fox
Justin Masterson - RHP (4-2, 3.75 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina - RHP (10-6, 3.87 ERA)

Sunday - 8:05 p.m., ESPN
Tim Wakefield - RHP (5-6, 3.72 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain - RHP (2-2, 2.22 ERA)

Baseball is a strange game

After scoring seven runs in their last four games, the Yankees scored nine runs in one inning tonight.

They have gotten decent pitching over these last four games, and the one night they get awful starting pitching (Sidney Ponson gave up seven earned runs in five innings), the Yankees score 18 runs.

If only they could have spaced out some of those runs earlier this week.

Oh well, bring on the Red Sox.

Game 85 Preview: Rangers at Yankees

Texas Rangers (44-41)	New York Yankees (44-40)
Ian Kinsler 2B	Johnny Damon LF
Michael Young SS	Derek Jeter SS
Josh Hamilton CF	Bobby Abreu RF
Milton Bradley RF	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Frank Catalanotto DH	Jason Giambi DH
Chris Davis 1B	Jorge Posada C
Max Ramirez C	Robinson Cano 2B
Brandon Boggs LF	Wilson Betemit 1B
German Duran 3B	Brett Gardner CF

Luis Mendoza (1-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. Sidney Ponson (5-1, 3.50 ERA)

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

Rangers vs. Ponson

• Young: 9-27, 2 2B, 4 RBI
• Bradley: 0-4
• Catalanotto: 13-39, 1 2B, 4 RBI

Yankees vs. Mendoza

• No Yankees have experience against Mendoza.
  

Melky takes a seat

I just had a chance to look at the lineup, and I was happy to see that Melky Cabrera is not in the starting lineup. Instead, Brett Gardner is in center field batting ninth.

Since April 25 (the last day Cabrera's season average was over .300), he is batting .219/.280/.292 in 219 at-bats and 241 plate appearances. He also has three home runs and 22 RBI over that period. There is one word that can describe this stretch: dreadful. Cabrera has been so bad that Robinson Cano has overtaken him in the batting average race much sooner that I ever would have thought.

Cabrera is still young (23), but I don't know how much more growth there is for him. I've always felt that he's been overrated by Yankees fans, as he is essentially a glorified fourth outfielder.

That said, Gardner is 0-for-6 with two strikeouts and one stolen base. While early, he will need to prove that he can stay in the lineup, or else Cabrera will have to start.

Posada is killing this team

Teams are beginning to run marathons on Jorge Posada's right arm, and rightfully so.

Since coming off of the disabled list, he has been unable to unleash crisp throws to second base and threw to the foul side of third base in the ninth inning tonight. A good throw probably would have had Ian Kinsler.

Posada's offense hasn't exactly made up for his poor defense, either. He is 19-for-67 with two home runs and nine RBI since returning on June 5.

It's a shame that Jose Molina and Chad Moeller can't replace Posada's offensive potential, because I'd be in favor of either of them start behind the plate if they could hit.

Hopefully Posada's scheduled off-season surgery will correct whatever probably he has, but if the Yankees have three more years of this (and he still wants to catch), there will be problems.

Speaking of killing this team, Melky Cabrera needs to be benched or sent packing. He is absolutely lost right now. Why wasn't he bunting in that spot? Brett Gardner bunted in the first inning and Posada inexplicably bunted a ball foul later in the game. Yet Cabrera, who has been terrible since May, doesn't bunt there?

Incredibly frustrating

The Yankees have left a running in scoring position on base in each of the first three innings so far. This obviously includes the wasted leadoff double by Johnny Damon to start the game.

I hate the bunt in the first inning. I know the team is struggling to score runs, but they also can't give up outs. I don't know the exact stats regarding getting in the runner from third with less than two outs, but seeing Bobby Abreu predictably pop out with Damon on third sent me through the roof.

Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain was at 74 pitches after three innings. He won't be around much longer, and it'll be loads of fun watching LaTroy Hawkins try to get outs at Yankee Stadium.

Game 84 Preview: Rangers at Yankees

Texas Rangers (43-41)	New York Yankees (44-39)
Ian Kinsler 2B	Johnny Damon DH
Michael Young SS	Brett Gardner LF
Josh Hamilton RF	Bobby Abreu RF
Milton Bradley DH	Alex Rodriguez 3B
David Murphy LF	Jason Giambi 1B
Marlon Byrd CF	Jorge Posada C
Chris Davis 1B	Robinson Cano 2B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C	Wilson Betemit SS
Ramon Vazquez 3B	Melky Cabrera CF

Kevin Millwood (5-4, 5.08 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.03 ERA)

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

Rangers vs. Chamberlain

• No Rangers have experience against Chamberlain

Yankees vs. Millwood

• Damon: 3-15, 2 2B, 1 RBI
  
• Gardner: No experience
• Abreu: 14-39, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI
  
• Rodriguez: 6-14, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
  
• Giambi: 5-11, 2 HR, 3 RBI
  
• Posada: 1-10
  
• Cano: 4-10, 1 RBI
  
• Betemit: No experience
  
• Cabrera: 4-9, 1 2B, 1 3B

Pregame concerns: Derek Jeter has the night off.

A-Rod to sit out derby

Alex Rodriguez will not participate in the home run derby which will be held on July 14. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I need to stay away from that," Rodriguez, the leading vote-getter for third basemen on the American League All-Star team, told the Daily News. "My responsibility is to the New York Yankees. I need to my swing to be at its best."

Rodriguez, batting .322 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs for the Yankees this season, made similar comments after passing on the Home Run Derby last season, when the All-Star Game was in San Francisco.

"I've never been good at it, No. 1," Rodriguez said last year, adding, "I've worked hard for my swing and I definitely don't want to let anything get in the way of it. My only responsibility this year is to the New York Yankees."

The Yankees already have one player who has been negatively affected by the home run derby (Bobby Abreu), so maybe he's had some influence in Rodriguez's decision.

I can't complain about this.

Game 83 Preview: Rangers at Yankees

New York Yankees (44-38)

Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C

Scott Feldman (1-3, 4.60 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina (10-5, 3.93 ERA)

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

Yankees vs. Feldman

• Jeter: 1-1, 1 HR, 3 RBI
• Cabrera: 1-1
• Molina: 0-1

Pregame concerns: Not sure why Johnny Damon isn't playing. It probably is related to his foot injury, however.

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.