Yanks Take Game One

CC Sabathia and Matt Garza locked horns for seven innings each as game one of today's double header was a pitcher's duel. CC continued his recent run of dominace, going seven innings allowing three hits, one run, four walks and ten strikeouts. His only run allowed came on an opposite field solo shot from Mrs. Tony Parker that just barely cleared the fence in the second inning. Brett Gardner returned from the DL, started in center field, and helped Sabathia out with a diving, run-saving catch in the fifth inning.

Garza was equally as good, going seven innings, five hits, one unearned run, one walk, and seven strikeouts. The only blemish on his record game in the first. With two outs and no one on base, Mark Teixeira grounded into the shift. Tampa shortstop Jason Bartlett, playing on the outfield grass on the second base side of the bag, bobbled the ball, allowing Teix to reach. Alex Rodriguez then worked a full count and Teixeira, taking off with the pitch, came around to score on A-Rod's double.

Phil Hughes worked a scoreless, hitless eighth for the Yanks. The only baserunner he allowed was a leadoff walk to Carl Crawford, who was promptly caught stealing on a first pitch pitchout.

The Yankee bats remained relatively quiet until the bottom of the inning. Nick Swisher drew a leadoff walk. Teixeira followed with a base hit to right field, and while Swish likely would have reached third base anyway, Gabe Kapler's bobble helped and his off line throw allowed Teix to take second. After A-Rod was intentionally walked, Robinson Cano hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, plating pinch runner Jerry Hairston Jr with the go-ahead run. Jorge Posada and Eric Hinske followed with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly respectively, pushing the lead to 4-1.

Mariano Rivera came on for the ninth. In his first appearance since last Tuesday, Mo walked the lead off man then sat down three in a row, two by strikeout, to give the Yankees the game.

(Photos)

Game 138: Working Class Hero

It might be Labor Day but unlike most of you, the Yankees will be putting in extra work today with a day/night double header against the Rays. The Yankees haven't seen the Rays since the end of July and as a result they still have 7 games remaining against them in the season series, the next four at home and a three game set to close out the regular season in Tampa from October 2nd - 4th. The Yankees hold the edge in the season set 6-5 as of now but it could tip pretty heavily either way depending on how these last 7 match ups go.

The Rays are quite unlikely to make the postseason at this point, trailing the Red Sox by 7 in the Wild Card standings with 26 games remaining and only 3 head to head meetings with the Sox. It would seem they are resigned to their fate, given that they shipped Scott Kazmir to the Angels for minor leaguers just before the waiver trade deadline hit. Despite numerous pundits picking the Rays to finished ahead of either the Yanks or the Sox or both this year, they never lead the AL East and currently trail the Yanks by 14.5 games.

Former Twin and consummate asshole Matt Garza takes the hill for the Rays today. He started against Joba Chamberlain in the last game contested between the two teams and was fined after he admitted that he intentionally hit Mark Teixeira in the shoulder with a 94 MPH fastball in retaliation for Evan Longoria being brushed back earlier in the game and hit earlier in the series. Garza is sporting a pretty solid 4.01 ERA but has won only one game in his past 11 starts watching his record fall to 7-9.

CC Sabathia will toe the rubber first for the Yanks today. Over his last 6 starts he's been everything the Yanks could ask for and then some, rocking a 1.83 ERA, striking out 53(!), walking just 7(!!) and averaging over 7 1/3 innings per start. He's picked up 5 decisions during that time and has put himself in position to chase 20 wins as the season winds down. He better get going those because he needs 4 more and probably has six more starts to go. The big man's ERA is about a run and a half higher during daytime starts this year, but September is has been his best month throughout his career.

Making his triumphant return to the Yankees after hitting the DL with a broken thumb and making the line up 11.1111% hustle-y-er in the process, is the one and only, the gritty and gutty, the scrappy and feisty... Brett Gardner, ladies and gentlemen! He'll be making the start in CF for the first game, getting his jersey dirty and doing the little things that help the team win. (Otherwise known as being short and white.)

While most people celebrate Labor Day by not working, the Yanks will be rolling up their sleeves twice as high and their getting hands twice as dirty, in the city where the very first Labor Day in the States was ever celebrated. Heroic, I say.

There's room at the top they are telling you still,
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,
If you want to be like the folks on the hill.

A working class hero is something to be.