Afternoon Baseball

But the Yankees don't know it, apparently. All those wins in a row are getting negated by bad hitting and yes, some good pitching. Jeff Francis is a good hurler who's getting better, and there's little shame in getting shut down by him.

Here's the thing -- the Yankees are still nine games back in the division. Forget the AL East, not that it's new for me to be saying that. The wild card has been coming back to the Yankees, who started the day five games out (four in the loss column). The real enemies are the AL Central and West. The Red Sox are but a distraction.

Andy Pettitte was pitching well until I walked by the TV at work and said, "Oh, he's got a shutout working." Then, he gave up a two-run homer. Sorry, everyone.

I'm not thrilled to see Andy Phillips at first. I thought he got his chance (which I advocated) and stunk last year. I'm not a fan of his, but a fan of his getting a chance. I think 110 games is plenty.
On the other hand, it's true Miggy Cairo wasn't going to keep up his hitting. Lots more on Phillips, Phelps and more from a much-more unabashed Andy fan.

The other thing that's odd is these 9 p.m. starts. I'm thinking the Rockies are the only team in the Mountain Time Zone, because I can't remember this for any other series. Just thinking out loud there.

Labels: Yankees