Yankees lose 6-5

Thanks to those who were following along with me on Twitter.

The Yankees lost to Team USA 6-5 this afternoon in Tampa. Yes, it certainly was strange seeing Derek Jeter play against the Yankees, but I eventually forgot about it after a while. Too bad Michael Kay kept bringing it up every chance he got.

Jeter went 2-for-4 against his team with a two-RBI single to center field. As for players wearing the Yankees uniform, Brett Gardner went 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Jorge Posada and Cody Ransom each went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and pitched into the third inning for the first time this spring. The last pitch he threw was the two-run single to Jeter. Other than that, he looked good. He gave up three hits, struck out two, walked none and hit one batter. Eric Hacker struggled, almost to the point where it was painful to watch. He didn't retire any of the six batters he faced, allowing two hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks.

The Yankees resume their Grapefruit League schedule tomorrow when they face the Atlanta Braves in Lake Buena Vista at 1:05. Ian Kennedy will start for the Yankees.

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Follow today's game with me on Twitter

I will be "tweeting" live updates during today's game on Twitter.

All you need to do is click this link and my updates will show up as you refresh the page.

ST Game 7: Team USA at Yankees

Team USA is taking on the Yankees today at 1:15 on the YES Network and MLB Network. Here are the lineups:

Team USA
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Derek Jeter SS
Chipper Jones DH
David Wright 3B
Adam Dunn RF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Ryan Braun LF
Brian McCann C
Curtis Granderson LF

Roy Oswalt RHP

New York Yankees
Johnny Damon LF
Brett Gardner CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Xavier Nady RF
Cody Ransom 2B
Kevin Cash C
Angel Berroa SS
Justin Leone 3B

Phil Hughes RHP, followed by Phil Coke, Michael Dunn, Jose Veras, Eric Hacker, David Robertson and Kanekoa Texeira

Does booing Pedroia and Youkilis make one unpatriotic?

Opposite day

Today is one of those weird days - you know, something that only happens nine times a century (thanks, Vazzano).

Derek Jeter will suit up and play against the Yankees this afternoon. How bizarre.

At least he's not playing for the hated Red Sox, and at least he's not a traitor. Jeter is taking on the noble cause of representing this great country in the not-so-great World Baseball Classic.

Today should be an interesting day to say the least. I'll be back later with the lineups. First pitch it slated for 1:15 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on YES and MLB Network.

Bernie Williams: "Moving Forward"

As some of you may know, Bernie Williams is releasing his second album entitled "Moving Forward" on April 14. Ben from Rock Ridge Music is working with Williams on the project and sent along two songs in WMA format.

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

"Glory Days" with Bruce Springsteen on vocals

Enjoy!

Yankees tie Astros 5-5

There's no tying in baseball!

Chien-Ming Wang pitched two scoreless innings and Melky Cabrera had two hits in the Yankees' 5-5 tie against the Astros.

Wang gave up two hits in his two innings of work and didn't strike out or walk a batter. The Yankees' bullpen didn't fare as well, as George Kontos was charged with three earned runs in a 1/3 of an inning.

Cabrera tripled an drove in two runs in his three at-bats. Angel Berroa hit a solo home run in the fourth inning as part of a 2-for-3 day.

The Yankees will play Team USA tomorrow afternoon in Tampa at 1:15 p.m on YES. Derek Jeter will be suiting up against the Yankees. Phil Hughes will start for the Yankees, while Roy Oswalt starts for Team USA.

AP Photo

Sabathia pitches in simulated game

CC Sabathia threw 28 pitches in a simulated game against Hideki Matsui and Kevin Cash today in Tampa. His first start of the spring is scheduled for Friday.

"Just trying to get a feel for it, the first time throwing to guys without a (pitching) screen up," Sabathia said. "It felt good."

Sabathia's fastball looked strong, but he considers his cutter a work in progress.

"It usually takes awhile for it to get right," Sabathia said. "I'll keep working at it and hopefully it will be ready for the season."

Meanwhile, Mariano Rivera is still on schedule for Opening Day. He will throw his first bullpen session of the spring sometime this week.

And live from Kissimmee, it's 4-0 Yankees in the second inning. Chien-Ming Wang gave up one hit in the first inning but was able to strand the runner.

ST Game 6: Yankees at Astros

The Yankees are playing the Astros this afternoon in Kissimmee at 1:05. Chien-Ming Wang is pitching in his first game since injuring his foot last season against the Astros, ironically enough. Jorge Posada is in the lineup as designated hitter, and will throw long toss before the game.

New York Yankees (2-3)
Johnny Damon LF
Melky Cabrera CF
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Cody Ransom SS
Jose Molina C
Juan Miranda 1B
Angel Berroa 2B
Doug Bernier 3B

Chien-Ming Wang RHP, followed by Brett Tomko, Steven Jackson, Wilikin De La Rosa, Michael Dunn, Anthony Claggett and George Kontos

Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano have all left to join their World Baseball Classic teams. Jeter is representing the USA, while Rodriguez and Cano are suiting up for the Dominican Republic.

It feels very strange writing about a baseball game while my classes were canceled due to snow today.

You've got a friend in me

CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain on Toy Story Mania! 3-D at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

AP Photo

A-Rod 'cooperative'

Peter Abraham posted MLB's press release concerning Alex Rodriguez's meeting with MLB officials.

Officials from Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigations and Labor Relations Department interviewed New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for two hours today. Mr. Rodriguez was cooperative.

The Office of the Commissioner will have no further comment at this time.

There you have it.

Yankees lose 13-11

The offense - particularly Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner - shined Sunday afternoon in Sarasota against the Cincinnati Reds. But the pitchers didn't, as they gave up 13 runs, including three runs charged to starter Alfredo Aceves in one inning of work, to lose 13-11.

Gardner went 2-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run in the third inning. Derek Jeter and Cano went 3-for-3; Cano hit a home run, a double and drove in four. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez each added two hits - Rodriguez hit two doubles and drove in two runs.

Mark Melancon was the only pitcher who didn't give up an earned run on the day. Damaso Marte gave up two earned runs in one inning.

The Yankees will play the Astros tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. in Kissimmee. Chien-Ming Wang will start.

Albaladejo leaves game with leg injury

Bryan Hoch is reporting that Jonathan Albaladejo left today's game in the third inning after being struck in the left calf on a ball hit by Jeff Keppinger.

Albaladejo missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his elbow.

Yankees lose 7-3

The Twins are Yankee killers. For the second straight day, the Yankees lost to the Twins.

I was unable to watch the game, so here is Bryan Hoch's recap.

The Yankees will face the Reds tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Alfredo Aceves will start.

Posada sratched due to shoulder soreness

Here comes one of the first negatives of spring training. Jorge Posada was removed from today's lineup due to shoulder soreness. From Peter Abraham:

Spoke to Posada and Girardi. Posada felt some pain while stretching on Thursday and has been playing since. He didn’t think it was a big deal, But when he woke up with it again today, he said something to the trainer and was checked out by the doctor.

He won’t throw until Tuesday at the earliest. They’re describing it as the first setback he has had in his rehab but nothing to be too concerned about. But obviously there are concerns. To me, this illustrates that while the Yankees are a stronger team than they were last season, Posada and Mariano Rivera remain major concerns.

Uh oh. Shelley Duncan was put in at DH instead.

If I hear anything else, I'll post an update.

ST Game 4: Twins at Yankees

The Yankees and Twins are playing each other for the second straight day today. This time it's in Tampa and will be broadcast on the YES Network and WCBS-AM 880 at 1:15 p.m.

Here are the lineups, courtesy of Bryan Hoch.

Minnesota Twins
Denard Span RF
Nick Punto SS
Delmon Young LF
Jason Kubel DH
Brian Buscher 1B
Luke Hughes 3B
Matt Tolbert 2B
Drew Butera C
Carlos Gomez CF

Francisco Liriano LHP

New York Yankees
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jose Molina C
Melky Cabrera RF

Joba Chamberlain RHP, followed by Michael Dunn, Jose Veras, Dan Giese, Kei Igawa, Dave Robertson, Steven Jackson and Kanekoa Texeira (no relation)

I will be unable to watch the game live; I am covering the men's and women's basketball games against Central Connecticut today. Thus, there will be no live commentary.

Bradley Suttle has a blog

Yankees prospect Bradley Suttle has a blog, and posted for the first time this afternoon.

The 23-year-old third baseman batted .271 in 96 games for Class-A Charleston last season, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 44. He was drafted by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.

His blog is aptly named "A lesson in Suttle-ty." I hope he keeps it going throughout the season. The link to it has been added to the Yankees blogroll on the right-hand side of the page.

Yankees lose 5-4

The Yankees' bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings, blowing a 3-1 lead, to fall to the Twins 5-4 in Fort Myers.

Ian Kennedy gave up one hit over two innings, striking out three and walking one. Brett Gardner (CF), Nick Swisher (1B) and Jorge Posada (DH) each had two hits - Gardner hit a double. Justin Leone also added a home run.

Andrew Brackman gave up a home run to Jason Kubel in the sixth inning.

The Yankees will face the Twins tomorrow in Tampa. The game is set to begin at 1:15 p.m. and it will be broadcast on YES and WCBS-AM 880.

ST Game 3: Yankees at Twins

The Yankees (2-0) are taking on the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers this afternoon. The game will not be televised.

New York Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Cody Ransom 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Xavier Nady RF
Melky Cabrera LF
Angel Berroa SS
Justin Leone 3B
Francisco Cervelli C

Ian Kennedy RHP, followed by Eric Hacker, Andrew Brackman, Wilikin De La Rosa, Anthony Claggett and Michael Dunn.

I'm intrigued by Brackman. Too bad we can't watch him pitch today.

A-Rod told to keep Sucart away from ballpark

After homering in yesterday's game against the Blue Jays, Alex Rodriguez hopped into an SUV driven by Yuri Sucart, Rodriguez's cousin who supplied him with steroids.

According to the AP's Ronald Blum, Rodriguez has been told to keep Sucart away from ballparks.

The message was given to the star third baseman on Thursday, said a person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team did not make an announcement. The message applied both to spring training and the regular season, the person said.

Speaking at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., general manager Brian Cashman said only that matter of Rodriguez being picked up from his spring training opener Wednesday by his cousin “has been handled.”

Good news. It didn't make sense for Rodriguez to have the guy around after he was identified in the first place.

Yankees win 5-1

The Yankees are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 11-2. Too bad it's only February.

Phil Hughes started today, and pitched two shutout innings, despite hitting two batters. He threw 33 pitches for 22 strikes and struck out one batter. Hughes was consistently reaching 92 mph with his fastballs. The two hit batters are a concern, but he was able to work out of trouble in the first inning.

Phil Coke also pitched two shutout innings, so did Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Mark Melancon and Jonathan Albaladejo. J.B. Cox gave up one run on three hits in his one inning of work.

At the plate, the Yankees hit two home runs, including a solo home run by Jorge Posada in the third inning. He also drove in a run on a ground-rule double to center in the fifth. Shelley Duncan followed with a three-run home run of his own in the seventh.

Mark Teixeira also hit a single in his first game as a Yankee.

The Yankees travel to Fort Myers tomorrow to face the Twins at 1:05 p.m. Ian Kennedy will go for the Yankees.