Kuzul

After a one-day plunge into second place in the American League East, the Yankees (67-40) are back atop baseball with the best record in the game as they get set to open up a big four-game series at home against the third-place Red Sox (62-47), who trail New York by six games.

Boston, which has been hampered by injuries to Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis (who was lost for the season on Thursday), has a chance to jump back in the race for first place if it can pull off a sweep this weekend.

New York, on the other hand, can bury its rival if the Bombers were to win the next four games. But that seems unlikely, as the Red Sox appear to hold the advantage in at least two of the pitching matchups.

This series could come down to Sunday’s game between A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett, and the Yankees would be very happy to just get a split and keep their distance from the Sox.

Friday, Aug. 6 – Javier Vazquez (9-7, 4.61) vs. Clay Buchholz (11-5, 2.59)

Vazquez continued his predictable season of dominating National League teams and weak American League clubs, while struggling against the better half of the AL when he surrendered four runs over 6 1/3 innings for a no-decision vs. the Rays in his last outing.

The right-hander now has a 5.09 ERA against the AL and a 4.89 mark vs. winning teams. Once again, the Red Sox fit into both of those categories.

Vazquez’s only appearance against Boston this season came on May 17, when he struck out the only batter he faced in relief to earn an 11-9 victory. In 12 career games (10 starts) versus the Sox, the 34-year-old is 3-7 with a 4.21 ERA.

Adrian Beltre (15-for-44, .441, 2 HR), J.D. Drew (10-for-28, .357, 4 HR) and David Ortiz (8-for-25, .320, 2 HR) have all had success facing Vazquez. But the same cannot be said for Victor Martinez (5-for-26, .192).

Buchholz has been brilliant over his past two starts, allowing a total of two earned runs through 15 innings to drop his ERA to second best in the league.

But the righty didn’t look so good against the Yankees on May 8, when he yielded six runs (five earned) on nine hits and five walks over five innings to take a 14-3 loss.

The opener of this series could turn out to be a high-scoring affair because Buchholz is 0-2 with a 6.53 ERA in four career starts vs. New York, including an 8.38 mark in the Bronx.

Robinson Cano is 4-for-11 (.364) off the 25-year-old, while Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are each 3-for-9 (.333) with two RBI. Mark Teixeira is 3-for-5 (.600) with a homer.

However, Curtis Granderson, Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher and Austin Kearns are a combined 0-for-16 off him, so this may be a good day to give Francisco Cervelli (2-for-3, 3 RBI) the start.

Saturday, Aug. 7 – CC Sabathia (13-5, 3.19) vs. John Lackey (10-6, 4.48)

Sabathia has recorded 12 straight quality starts, but he’s lost his last two outings after winning nine consecutive decisions.

Three of the big lefty’s five no-decisions this season have come against the Red Sox. He has a 4.76 ERA over the 17 innings in those contests. In 14 career starts against Boston, Sabathia is 5-5 with a 3.56, and the current roster hits just .207 off him.

Some of the victims include Beltre (1-for-19, .053, 7 K), Martinez (4-for-19, .211), Drew (4-for-17, .235, 7 K), Jacoby Ellsbury (1-for-13, .077, 6 K) and Bill Hall (1-for-11, .091, 4 K).

The only Red Sox hitter with a lifetime average above .290 against Sabathia is Marco Scutaro (8-for-24, .333).

Lackey once again allowed way too many baserunners in his last start against the Indians. The right-hander yielded six runs on nine hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings to increase his WHIP to a bloated 1.53.

He didn’t have that problem on April 7, however, when he held the Yankees scoreless over six frames on just three hits and two walks.

Lackey is 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 17 career starts against New York, including a 3-3 record and 3.76 mark at the old Yankee Stadium. This will be his first regular-season appearance at the new ballpark.

While pitching for the Angels, he surrendered four runs (two earned) on nine hits and three walks in a 4-1 loss in the Bronx during Game 1 of the AL Championship Series last year.

Teixeira is 19-for-50 (.380) with 11 RBIs and eight walks off Lackey. Jeter is 16-for-46 (.348) with six doubles and Posada is 12-for-31 (.387).

However, A-Rod is just 9-for-54 (.167) with an astounding 23 strikeouts and Swisher is 5-for-45 (.111) with 18 K’s, so this may be a good day to give him a rest.

Sunday, Aug. 8 – A.J. Burnett (9-9, 4.93) vs. Josh Beckett (3-1, 5.70)

The Red Sox have the pitching advantage in the first and last game of this series, while the Yanks should win Friday’s contest with Sabathia on the mound.

That means this game could be the difference between a split vs. Boston picking up two games in the standings.

The Pinstripes need a solid outing from Burnett, who gave up more runs in the fifth inning against the Blue Jays on Monday (7) than he did in all of July (6). The right-hander has a tendency to blow up once in a while, but I don’t think it’s reason to panic.

If you remove Burnett’s horrible June, during which pitching coach Dave Eiland was away from the team, his season numbers are pretty impressive at 9-4 with a 3.50 ERA.

The 33-year-old had one of his blow-up starts at Fenway Park on May 9, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) in 4 1/3 innings to take a 9-3 loss.

He pitched a little better in Boston on April 6, when he allowed three earned and struck out five in five innings to earn a no-decision as the Yankees won, 6-4. Burnett is 5-3 with a 4.92 ERA in 14 starts against the Red Sox.

Beltre is 10-for-31 (.323) with six doubles and seven RBI off the righty, but Mike Lowell, who was recently activated off the 15-day disabled list is just 4-for-20 (.200).

Beckett has pitched well since coming off the 60-day DL on July 23. He is 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA in his past three starts.

The right-hander’s last two outings before going on the DL were against the Yankees and he did not pitch well in either of them. In fact, in three outings this season vs. New York, Beckett is 0-1 with a 10.43 ERA.

In his career, he is 9-6 with a 5.95 against the Bombers, but has pitched well at the new Stadium (1-0, 3.06 in three starts).

Robinson Cano is 18-for-52 (.346) with seven doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs off Beckett. Posada is 11-for-33 (.333), but has struck out 10 times.

Teixeira is 4-for-28 (.143) with 10 K’s and Lance Berkman is 3-for-18 (.167) with seven strikeouts, so he better not start. A good replacement would be Marcus Thames (3-for-9, .333, HR).

Monday, Aug. 9 – Dustin Moseley (1-1, 4.13) vs. Jon Lester (11-7, 3.07)

Moseley makes his third start of the season in Monday’s matinee. He has been a serviceable fill-in for Andy Pettitte while the left-hander spends time on the DL.

The 28-year-old right-hander allowed five runs and two homers to the Blue Jays on Tuesday, but he was efficient, lasting into the eighth inning while throwing just 85 pitches.

Moseley was 1-0 with a 5.84 ERA in three appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox during his time with the Angels. He’s held Beltre hitless in six at-bats, but Lowell is 3-for-6 (.500) with two doubles.

Lester is in a rare funk, dropping his last four starts, including a five-inning effort against the Indians on Wednesday during which he suffered cramps in his left hamstring due to the humid weather.

The left-hander, who is second in the league with 154 strikeouts, fanned seven in a 9-3 win over the Yankees on May 9. He allowed four runs over five frames against New York on April 6, however.

Lester is 4-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Bombers, but is 1-1 with a 4.96 at the new Yankee Stadium.

Jeter (10-for-30, .333) is the only Yankee with more than three at-bats against Lester to have an average above .273. Teixeira and Swisher are each 4-for-19 (.211), while Posada is 3-for-18 (.167). Expect to see Kearns (1-for-2, RBI, walk) start this one.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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Francisco Cervelli, otherwise known as the “Cisco Kid”, was absolutely fantastic when Jorge Posada was hurt and on the DL. But could he be used for trade bait now?

In 2009, his first season of extended time in the Major Leagues, Cervelli was excellent as the third, and sometimes second, string catcher, hitting .298 in 94 at bats.

Coming into 2010, the Yankees had decided to not resign Jose Molina (the latter of the catching Molina brothers), thus making Cervelli the back up catcher behind long time Yankee Jorge Posada .

And Cervelli didn’t disappoint. He’s hitting .273 overall and has been very good hitting with runners in scoring position, with a .353 batting average in those situations for the year.

He doesn’t have a power stroke, with only one home run in 282 career at bats, but his 30 RBI and his aforementioned average with runners in scoring position make him an attractive option to any team looking for catching help as the July 31 trade deadline draws near.

Contenders that could potentially be suitors for Cervelli are:

Detroit Tigers – Alex Avila has claimed the starting job in Detroit, but he is hitting just .210 with four home runs and 15 RBI. Their back up is Gerald Laird, who is hitting an atrocious .187 with three home runs and 16 RBI. Clearly in need of Cervelli’s skills at the plate.

New York Mets – Rod Barajas has been their starter and has 12 home runs, but has been benched recently and is only hitting at a .226 clip. Henry Blanco is their back up, hitting .269, but provides little production at 38 years old.

Boston Red Sox – With both Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek on the DL, the Sox definitely need the help, but they currently sit in third place, seven games back of the Yankees and have to decide if they are going to be sellers or buyers this year. The Sox and Yanks are in the same division, which might prove to be a problem as well.

All three of these teams obviously have a need for Cervelli, but do the Yankees?

Well, that depends on how much stock you put into Jesus Montero , who has been heating up of late after a terrible start to the season.

As far as Posada goes, it appears that Girardi is content with keeping him the starter, despite his injuries and defensive lapses this year. Plus, he has gotten off to a great start to the second half, with two home runs and at least one RBI in each of the Yankees six games since the All Star break.

So if the Yankees can pry away a bullpen piece from one of those three teams mentioned, like Eddie Bonine (4-0, 2.88 ERA, 45 IP) from the Tigers, or Bobby Parnell (1.23 ERA, 14 IP, 16 K) from the Mets , then I would say Cervelli is expendable at this point. 

Crazy things happen at the end of July. We will have to wait and see.

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There are 10 days until the MLB trade deadline and there are lots of rumors, but very little actual news. There have actually been so many rumors that a few have fallen through the cracks.

Here they are:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that there are many teams that have been interested in catcher Francisco Cervelli. The Tigers wanted him in the Curtis Granderson trade last December.

The Yankees have “significant interest” in Blue Jays LHP Scott Downs, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.

The Yankees have been very quiet on the IFA front so far, but are reportedly targeting elite Mexican pitcher Luis Heredia. The expected bonus is at least $2 million.

Another IFA, 28-year-old RHP Yunesky Maya, who has been connected to the Yankees multiple times in the past, has signed with the Washington Nationals.

I’m not surprised to hear that teams are interested in Cervelli. I bet there are a couple of teams that might even use him as their starting catcher. However, I doubt the Yankees would be willing to deal him. At least not this season, but maybe during the winter. The Yankees could technically use Jorge Posada, Jesus Montero, and Austin Romine as a catching trio in 2011, which would leave them with very little need for Cervelli.

I kind of find it hard to imagine the Yankees landing Downs, but with Damaso Marte on the DL, it is certainly possible. I think the cost will just be a little too high.

Related Stories

July 18, 2010: 10 Potential Relief Trade Candidates for Yankees (1)

July 1, 2010: Cervelli Makes Me Wonder if the Yankees Should Call Up Montero (4)

June 4, 2010: With Johnson’s Return in Doubt Keep an Eye on Jesus Montero (1)

May 19, 2010: Yankees Interested in Cuban RHP Yunesky Maya (2)

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Can everyone please stop talking about a rift between Yankees catcher Jorge Posada  and starting pitcher A.J. Burnett?

The fact is, Burnett is just not a $82.5 million pitcher. He is too inconsistent.

I was never a fan of my favorite team acquiring Burnett before the 2009 season. He did however tame my doubts a bit last season.

Burnett was his inconsistent self, but for the most part, he showed us how dominant he can be. The problem is, for him to be dominant, everything has to go his way.

Burnett is going through the worst month of his career.

In June, the right hander is 0-5 with a 11.35 ERA.

It doesn’t matter which catcher is behind the plate.

The Posada and Burnett talks were once again all over the Internet and talk radio. Well guess what, Francisco Cervelli caught Burnett yesterday. The result?

Burnett could not record an out in the fourth inning against the Dodgers, giving up six hits, six walks, and 6 runs in three innings.

Everyone needs to stop blaming Jorge Posada for Burnett’s problems. Burnett is the pitcher the Yankees paid $82.5 million to.

He is a big boy. Burnett is just not that good.

He is way too inconsistent to be trusted as a number two starter. Lately, he seems barely capable of being even a number five starter.

Continue this article at Double G Sports.

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This is the latest installment of the 2010 New York Yankee progress, honoring the epic Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. According to the astute readers of imdb.com, the Baseball-Reference of the movie and T.V. industry, “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo ” is ranked as the No. 4 movie of all time .

What is more important is that the Yankees have vaulted themselves into the No. 1 record in the major leagues. With Sunday’s 9-5 win over the Houston Astros, combined with Tampa Bay’s 6-1 loss to the Florida Marlins, the Yankees and Rays are tied atop of the AL East with identical 40-23 records , the best record in MLB.

The Yankees have been 9-3 in June, fattening up on the Baltimore Orioles (5-1) and the Houston Astros (recent three game sweep), while losing two of three to the pitching-rich Toronto Blue Jays.

All numbers are from the last 14 days, unless noted.

Il Buono

No. 1 Robinson Cano —has slashed .395 BA/.469 OBP/.605 SLG/1.074 OPS, with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI and 13 runs scored. Even more impressive are his numbers over the last month at .443/.476/.660/1.136.

During one stretch of his recent 17 game hitting streak, Cano had multiple hits in eight straight (19-33, 3 2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI).

Simply ridiculous, and at the top of the leaderboards for American League MVP.

No. 2 Brett Gardner —How can you not love Brett the Jet?  After a mini-slump which brought his numbers down considerably, Gardner began to hit again (and walk), by slashing .455/.552/.773/1.324 over the last week. Included were a double, triple, and his third home run.

Until Sunday, that homer tied him for the New York city left field lead with the New York Mets Jason Bay, he of the $66 million contract. Bay hit his fourth home run Sunday, but Gardner still leads the very wealthy Bay in OPS (.822 vs. .806).

No. 3 Derek Jeter —Do you really think he was going to stay on the bad list forever? After going through a long funk at the plate and in the field, which prompted the annual “Is Derek Jeter Done?” articles, Jeter has ripped a .333/.391/.514/.906 line over the last month.

While many do not like it when Jeter goes after the first pitch, he is hitting .404 with a .908 OPS when hacking at the first offering. The key is swinging at good strikes.

No. 4 Curtis Granderson —While Granderson’s overall numbers since returning from the disabled list are not great, the team has picked up its pace since Curtis returned to the lineup and his position in center.

That is because we saw less of Randy Winn (before being released), Marcus Thames and rookie Kevin Russo.

The Yankees are 12-4 since his return, but were only 7-11 in the last 18 games he was out of the lineup.

I would still like Granderson to sit back more when he swings, as he is often out in front on the right leg during swings and misses.

No. 5 Nick Swisher —He is turning in to one of my favorite Yankee players. I was not a fan of the trade which brought him here, but he has done very well, and has been instrumental in the lengthening of the 2009 and 2010 lineups. Has hit a very consistent .308/.402/.495/896 with 19 runs, eight doubles, three homers and 16 RBI over last month.

No. 6 CC Sabathia —What? He is struggling, right? Well, he is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in his two June starts. A 6-3 record thus far should be 8-3, but CC lost a win at Boston because of a rain delay and another when Joe Girardi pulled CC early against the Sawx and the bullpen blew the game.

This is a durable pitcher who should be allowed to throw 125-135 pitches each start.

No. 7 Andy Pettitte —Happy Birthday to Pettitte, who turns 38 today. Imagine on Thursday when Pettitte faces Jamie Moyer, who is seven years older than Andy?

Age is no factor for Pettitte, who is still dominating lineups by changing speeds and hitting corners. Again, why do scouts always worry about velocity and arm strength when a guy who does not top 90 MPH can consistently get guys out?

No. 8 Yankee bullpen —Over the last two weeks, the main part of the bullpen, Mariano Rivera, Joba, D-Rob, Chan Ho Park and Damaso Marte have been outstanding. They have thrown 21 innings, allowing 12 hits, five walks, and struck out 23. That is a WHIP of .809 and the one earned run allowed leads to a miniscule 0.43 ERA.

No. 9 Javier Vazquez —He is 4-1, 3.03 ERA over the last month with a 0.918 WHIP. While he has allowed five home runs, Javy has only walked five over his last 33 innings. He has been the most consistent starter this side of Pettitte.

He is similar to Andy by changing speeds and hitting that outside corner to RH hitters with his curve ball being the key to his success.

Il brutto

No. 1 Francisco Cervelli— Wow! He has come back down to earth faster than the Space Shuttle. Over the last month, the Cisco Kid has hit under .200 with an OPS of .522. He still dos come through with key RBI singles.

His 13 hits (all singles) over the last month have produced 12 RBI. He is still a force on defense and calls a great game.

I love the way he watches the batter before he puts down the sign. Concentrate on Cervelli during a couple at bats tonight and you will see what I mean.

No. 2 Alex Rodriguez —it has nothing to do with his lack of power, because he is still hitting the ball hard. But his injury could be more severe than a few missing days. Any long term time missed could hurt the Yankees lineup at a time when it was finally complete. (I do not count Nick Johnson).

No. 3 Jorge Posada —Two swings doesn’t make a season. Posada was brutal before his two grand slam weekend, but he also swung the bat better in other at bats during the Houston Series.

Posada gets into a taking pitches groove once in a while, taking good hitting strikes. This leads to indecisiveness and too much thinking at the plate.

When Posada is aggressive and still taking his walks by not swinging at balls outside the zone, he is a much better hitter.

Stay aggressive and hit good pitches, Jorge!  

Il cattivo

No. 1 AJ Burnett —An 0-2 record with 7.11 ERA in June with four home runs allowed in two games. Combine that with five walks and 14 hits in 12.2 innings pitched, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Bad AJ go home, but tell your twin brother, good AJ, to come back out and play.

No. 2 Marcus Thames —basically it is the entire bench which stinks, but since I think Thames never should have made the team in the first place, he is my poster boy.

Thames is 2 for his last 22 with eight strikes out and an OPS of .322. By the time his injury heals, I hope Chad Huffman (or Jorge Vazquez from Triple A) takes his roster spot – for good.

Combine Thames with Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo and Chad Moeller, and the bench is 14 for 81 with four doubles and six RBI over the last month.

That is why Alex needs to be back in the lineup soon.

No. 3 Chad Gaudin —There is no conceivable reason why Gaudin actually pitches in games or is on the roster. He stinks!

Having been released twice already this season, once by the Yankees should only reiterate how bad this guy is.

There is no reason why Gaudin should have been in the June 5th game in the bottom of the 13th in a tie game at Toronto. It only took nine pitches before the Yankees were walking off the field.

That 13th inning rundown: Batter One – leadoff walk on FOUR pitches. Batter two – sac bunt on second pitch. Batter three – game winning single on an 0-2 count!

No way the Yankees should lose on the road to a division rival without using your best relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera.

Get rid of this loser, Gaudin, and bring up Mark Melancon for good.

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Well, the Yankees are looking to make a big splash. Again. With rumors surrounding the Yankees and Cliff Lee in a possible trade, you cannot help but wonder two things:

1. Who do the Yankees trade away?

2. Who is out of the starting rotation?

First, you need to remember that this might not necessarily happen through a trade. Lee is in his final contract year and is preparing to hit the winter slopes of free agency.

Let’s assume, for now, that he is traded to the Yankees. You’ll hear many rumors along the lines of “trading Robinson Cano” or “trading Phil Hughes.” Those rumors need to be dispelled now. The Yankees will never give away one of those two top young stars for a player that is soon to enter free agency anyway. The Mariners are also smart enough to not expect that much value in return.

So what would the M’s want? Many people are assuming SS Eduardo Nunez is on the table. This is one player I would miss if it meant getting Cliff Lee. Derek Jeter still has a couple of years in him, and I believe that the Yankees’ 2010 first round draft pick, SS Cito Culver, is underrated. He could be polished in time for when Jeter retires.

The Mariners are also rumored to want a catching prospect as well. I do not believe that this means Francisco Cervelli. He looks to be the official Jorge Posada replacement, as the latter has been plagued with injuries as of late (for this season anyway). Looking at the Yankees’ current prospects, I would expect that Jesus Montero or Austin Romine would be shipped west for Lee.

I’m not a supporter of trading for him though. The best bet for the Yankees is waiting until the winter.

As for the starting rotation, this deal would beg the question of “Who would be out?” The Yankees have room for improvement in their rotation…though it is not much.

CC Sabathia would be bumped down to the No. 2 spot in the rotation. This may sound crazy to some, but there’s a good reason for this. This season, Lee has a better ERA and a better BAA. He’s 4-2 on a Seattle team that does not offer much run support. CC is only 6-3, and Yankees fans have been crying for better production from him.

A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte would both be bumped down a spot as well. Phil Hughes would stay in the fifth spot in the rotation.

The odd man out? Javier Vazquez. Yes, he’s been picking up the pace lately with four wins in his last five starts. However, Pettitte is 7-1. Hughes is 8-2. Sabathia and Burnett are much more reliable.

If Lee comes to the Yanks in a trade, Vazquez is relegated to the bullpen or Triple-A. If the Yanks wait until free agency, Vazquez will be a free agent anyway. I don’t think the Yankees will re-sign him unless they are desperate. The only way I think the Yankees even consider him is if Pettitte retires, which I deem unlikely due to this year’s production.

What’s the impact? Well, you get a second true ace added to a rotation that would be a combined 31-11 at this moment. You also get another pitcher that can pitch deep into games, which will rest the bullpen a bit.

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Interleague play gets underway today in Major League Baseball.

The New York Mets and New York Yankees get together for the first of two series this season. The Subway Series may have lost some of its luster the past couple seasons, but both teams have a lot riding on this series. 

Starting tonight, the teams will play a three game series at Citi Field.

The Mets, 20-22 overall, have been struggling and have won just three of their past ten games but are 14-8 at home this season.

The Yankees meanwhile are in second place in the American League East with a record of 25-16. They have been in a bit of a slide however, losing six of their last ten and three straight.

The Yankees are just 12-10 away from Yankee Stadium this season.

For the Mets, they may be playing for their managers job. There has been speculation that a bad weekend could force the Mets organization to drop the ax on Jerry Manuel.

The Yankees are trying to get back on the winning track and keep pace with the Tampa Bay Rays. Injuries have gotten the best of both these teams, but nobody is using that as an excuse.

This three game Subway Series is big for both teams.

Continue this Subway Series Preview at Double G Sports.

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We are here with our third installment of the Clint Eastwood crusade regarding the New York Yankees. If you missed the first installment, click here .

Second installment? Click here .

The Yankees record is 25-14, three games behind the American League East leading Tampa Bay Rays. And the Yankees are home against Tampa for the next few games, then have a short road trip (across the river) to face the New York Mets for three games, and then on to Minnesota.

While the Yankees did not get into first place after Tampa’s dominant nine-game West Coast road trip earlier in the month, they have a chance to make up two games quickly.

After the Yankees, the Rays head to Houston where they luck out against the worst team in baseball.

THE GOOD

Brett Gardner

He has been really good in his time as a starter . Gardner has put up a line of .280 BA/.345 OBP/.380 SLG/.725 OPS with two doubles, a homer, 3 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He also scored 10 runs. In February, Yankee fans would have signed on the bottom line for those slash numbers for the entire 2010 season. Currently at .321/.399/.412/.811, Gardy has surpassed all of our expectations.

Alex Rodriguez 

After there was talk about his lack of power, he comes up and wins one game with a grand slam , and ties another with a two-run shot in the bottom of the 9th. Even if he wasn’t hitting home runs, I remember lots of stinging line drives ripped all over the field. His OPS is 1.064 over the last two weeks.

Mark Teixeira

The three and four hitters are finally cranking. Tex has raised his season average to .219 with a two-week spurt of .300/.375/.640/1.015 OPS with five homers and 16 RBI. Although, during the last two Yankee losses, he has come up in the last inning with runners on base and made out both times.

Francisco Cervelli

A total pleasure to watch play the game. No HR’s so far (tied with Ben Zobrist in that category). Enthusiasm, ability to call a game, sets up hitters well, and really comes through with RISP. He slashes .647/700/.882/1.582 in that situation with 15 RBI.

I like his aggressive hacks at pitches in the strike zone. Good to see that aggressive nature in this take a pitch down the middle world we live in.

Juan Miranda

Huh? Why? Well, despite his .231 average, Miranda has a .872 OPS with a long double and booming home run. I love the way he attacks the baseball, looking to hit. But while he is aggressive, he does not swing at too many bad pitches.

I have noticed his tendency of being pull happy, trying to pull fastballs on the outside corner. Even the HR he hit last night was on an outside fastball, but he did try and pull a similar pitch in the 9th inning, too.

He must only like the pitch over the plate because he takes too many fastballs on the inner half.

I truly believe the Nick Johnson signing was a waste of $5 million, when Damon or Miranda could have been had for about the same money.

Young pitchers

Because of injuries to Chan Ho Park and Alfredo Aceves, the Yankees had the Chris Britton memorial shuttle to Scranton working overtime. They needed arms and brought up Romulo Sanchez and Ivan Nova to the majors.

Both players responded very well, combining for 6.2 innings of no run ball, allowing five hits, a walk while striking out four.

Nick Swisher

I was not a huge fan of the trade for Swisher , not because of his talent, but when the Yankees got him they had a glut of 1B/DH/RF types already on the roster.

But since the injuries to Curtis Granderson and now Swisher, you really see how Swisher’s presence is missed in the lineup and in the outfield. His new mentality in the batters box really lengthened the Yankee lineup.

Phil Hughes

Despite the not so bad start Monday, Hughes still had a good two weeks. He made three starts, going 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.105 WHIP. He only walked three batters in 19 IP, a very impressive number.

Andy Pettitte

One start after being skipped and it was more of the same from Andy. 6.1 IP, no runs, good stuff and his fifth victory.

Javy Vazquez

He is moving up the charts quicker than a Taylor Swift single. He was impressive in his two outings, one a start, and one a relief appearance. He pitched seven solid innings in Detroit (but lost a tough one), and entered Monday night’s game to face Kevin Youkilis, and got him swinging with two men on.

His curve appears to have that good break and location, but he needs to keep the fastball on the corners, not in the middle of the plate.

THE BAD

Robinson Cano

He is beginning to swing at non-hittable pitches, getting himself out in the process. His last two weeks have produced .239/.327/.326/.653 OPS with six strikeouts.

CC Sabathia

Three starts, no wins, 5.09 ERA. I know he was ripped off by the bullpen last night and should have gotten the win in Boston before the rain fell, but he is the ace and he can not go three straight starts without a victory.

If I were him, I would sit down with Joe Girardi and tell him, “Unless I am getting knocked around, I want to go eight or nine innings every start. No more of this seven inning garbage.”

AJ Burnett

Two starts, 0-1 record and 8.18 ERA. He is back to Bad AJ, issuing seven free passes and 16 hits in two starts. Almost Ugly. If he has no control of the curveball, he is useless.

David Robertson  

He is improving, but he still walks too many. Six walks in five plus innings, but seven whiffs. He should throw his curveball more for strikes early in the count. No one swings at it and if they do, it isn’t a hittable pitch.

Marcus Thames  

I really would not care if this guy hit five game winning home runs last week, he stinks. The only reason he is not part of the ugly group is the one game-winning home run.

He obviously can’t field, can’t throw and can’t hit righties. He is the ultimate one-dimensional player.

And with a team beset by injuries, that is the worst type of position player to have on the roster.

THE UGLY

Derek Jeter

If I see one corpuscle of blood come across the hall…I mean one more weak ground ball to short, I am going to freak out. FREAK OUT!  

Last night, I had more confidence in Juan Miranda coming through in the ninth inning than I would have if Randy Winn got on base and Jeter came up with a chance to win the game.

He takes too many fastball strikes, can’t hit with authority with the ones he does swing at, and flails at WAY TOO MANY breaking pitches outside the zone.

Jorge Posada

He needs to play or go on the DL. It is a waste to have him on the roster without using him.

If a limping Kirk Gibson can go to the plate in the 1988 World Series against Dennis Eckersley, then Posada could have pinch hit for Winn in last night’s game.

Posada is showing his age with all the nagging injuries. As I said, either DL him or play him.

Boone Logan  

Boone Logan stinks. Why is Girardi the only one who does not see this? In 6.1 innings this season, Logan has allowed ten runners! Lefties are hitting .357 off him with a .500 slugging percentage.

Send him out and bring up a versatile position player like Kevin Russo, who is now playing outfield in Scranton.

Joba Chamberlain

Whew! Not much to say, we all saw the two games.

Joe Girardi

I pretty much said a couple things about Joe already, but for him to need another pitcher by sending down a speedy outfielder like Greg Golson when Nick Swisher is unavailable, this might be the dumbest move I have seen all year. 

Except when Girardi brings Logan into a game.

Girardi has this penchant for resting certain guys as DH’s, giving them a half day off. That is stupid. Either give them the full day or play them in the field. Have a set DH.

The revolving DH has pushed the Yankees into a non-DH situation three times recently where the pitcher would need to hit, one which was Monday night when there were no bench players left. If the game went into extra innings, then Vazquez would have had to hit.

And if Posada can not play, then Cervelli is the only catcher with Ramiro Pena as the back-up. But when Pena was removed from the game the other day (Alex went in), the DH was lost and not only did the Yankees have no one to pinch hit, they had no backup catcher at all!

Girardi needs to have much better roster management. With too many guys unavailable, but still on the roster, they need versatile guys and a set DH.

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The New York Yankees are returning home today to start a three game series with the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees just finished a four game series with the Detroit Tigers in which they lost three of the four.

It was a rather embarrassing four game series for the Yankees. You can blame it squarely on the lineup. The Yankees offense disappeared in this series, with the exception of one single inning in their lone win.

The blame can be spread throughout, as just about the entire lineup is now in a slump. Catchers Jorge Posada and Francisco Cervelli are the only two players with a series batting average over .250. Cervelli had just four at bats in the series but did manage two hits for a .500 average. One of his hits was a double. Posada returned from injury and went 4-for-9 in the series, a .444 average. Two of his four hits were doubles and he walked three times. That’s production if you ask me.

The rest of the lineup? Well, no, they did not produce very much at all. Overall, the team batted just .195 against the Tigers. The Yankees had only five extra base hits, three coming from Posada and Cervelli.

Continue this article at Double G Sports .

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On a windy day in Detroit, the Yankees were shut out for the second time in the past three games as Justin Verlander dominated them in a 6-0 loss on Thursday.

The Tigers ace allowed just four hits and struck out four in 6.2 scoreless innings as he outdueled CC Sabathia, who was touched up for six runs on nine hits in six frames.

New York’s offense has gone silent over the past week. Outside of a six-run ninth on Wednesday, the Bombers have scored just nine runs in their last five games, losing four of them.

Is it injuries, an expected slump, or the wrong people being slotted in the lineup?

Let’s take a look at the grades from the series finale at Comerica Park.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (C-) The bottom third of the Yanks’ order on Thursday resembled a Spring Training lineup. Juan Miranda, who was making his season debut after 19 career at-bats the previous two years, hit seventh; Randy Winn, who entered the game batting .219, hit eighth; and Greg Golson, who picked up his first big league hit on Wednesday, hit ninth.

Part of the problem is injuries: Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson are both on the disabled list (although neither of them were exactly tearing the cover off the ball when they were healthy). And Nick Swisher sat out due to soreness in his bicep.

I don’t have a huge problem giving Swisher a day to rest because he’s 7-for-38 (.184) with 14 strikeouts in his career against Verlander anyway, but starting Miranda, Winn and Golson on the same day against the Tigers’ best pitcher gave the Yanks very little chance to score runs.

I thought Francisco Cervelli (.408 average, .276 vs. RHP), Marcus Thames (.341 average, although he does hit only .231 vs. RHP) or Ramiro Pena (2-for-3 vs. Verlander) would’ve all been better starts than Miranda and Golson.

Most importantly, the Yankees need to figure out a way to get Cervelli into the lineup more, especially with Granderson and Johnson out. They should call up a third catcher, so Cervelli and Posada can DH when they are not catching and there’s no risk to running out of catchers in case one of them gets hurt. This is a more valuable position to have on the roster than a fifth outfielder (Golson) or a sixth infielder (Miranda).

Derek Jeter, SS: (C-) The captain continued his recent slide by going 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He is now 8-for-51 (.157) in May, or as I like to call it, the anti-Teixeira.

Brett Gardner, CF: (D) I love Gardner in the No. 2 hole and hope he remains there even after Johnson returns, but the center fielder had a rough game on Thursday, going 1-for-5 to drop to 5 for his last 20 (.250).

Mark Teixeira, DH: (D+) A lifetime .366 hitter as a DH, Teixeira went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (D) A-Rod wasn’t very patient at the plate, seeing just eight pitches en route to an 0-for-4 performance, but he did make a nice spinning play on a Magglio Ordonez grounder in the first.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (D+) Cano was 0-for-3 with a walk to drop to 5-for-28 (.179) since May 5.

Jorge Posada, DH: (A-) Posada was the only Yankees batter to pick up two hits or an extra-base knock, but in typical Posada fashion, he had a passed ball and let another pitch bounce off his glove when no one was on base.

Sabathia has a 2.50 ERA in 36 innings pitching to Cervelli. He has a 6.23 ERA in 17 1/3 innings with Posada.

New York would be best served with Cervelli catching three out of every five games, and Posada catching the other two, with both of them in the lineup at least as the DH every day.

Juan Miranda, 1B: (D+) Miranda was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Randy Winn, LF-RF: (C) I’ll give credit to Winn for fouling off a lot of pitches against Verlander and working up his pitch count, so that he had to exit in the seventh. However, the Yankees couldn’t do anything against the Tigers’ bullpen either. Winn saw 28 pitches in four plate appearances.

Greg Golson, RF: (F) I imagine I’d look exactly the same as Golson did facing those first two breaking balls from Verlander in the second inning. Then again, I’m not a Major Leaguer.

Marcus Thames, PH-LF: (C+) Despite his poor batting average against right-handers, Thames did work a walk against Verlander in the seventh before striking out against Joel Zumaya in the ninth.

CC Sabathia, SP: (F) The big lefty turned in his worst start of the season and was really done in by back-to-back homers by Miguel Cabrera and Brennan Boesch in the fourth.

Ivan Nova, RP: (A) The one bright spot in this game was the Major League debut of Nova, who struck out one and allowed just two hits in a pair of scoreless innings. But much like Romulo Sanchez, who pitched a solid 3.2 innings the other day, Nova should be headed back to Triple-A shortly.

Yankees Overall Grade: (F) The Bombers managed just four hits, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranding 11 baserunners. It was only their second lost series of the season, though, and those have both come on the road against teams that will be in the hunt for the playoffs. The Yankees face four different teams over the next eight days, all without leaving New York City.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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