Time to Step it Up

It's going to be a tough week for the Yankees. They are currently in the middle of a series with the Rays in Tampa, have a four game set with the Orioles in Baltimore, and then go to Boston to face the Red Sox. With the Orioles now 1 game behind them, and the Rays 2.5 games behind, the Yankees NEED to play their "A" game to shut both teams out. Injuries are definitely going to play a huge factor in these series. While Alex Rodriguez returned to the team in game one of the Yankees-Rays series yesterday and looked good, Mark Teixeira and Granderson have been out for small injuries. Andy Pettitte is making slight improvements and the team hopes he will throw off the mound in a bullpen session in Baltimore this weekend. Granderson pinch hit in yesterday's game against the Rays in the ninth inning to try to get the win, but couldn't deliver. Granderson is in the lineup tonight. Mark Teixeira (strained calf) is expected to return at the end of this week or early next week.

The Yankees seem to be in a slump offensively. While CC Sabathia dealt last night and struck out four, and only allowed eight hits, the offense could not deliver to overpower the Rays. A-Rod had his first hit during his first game back, while the rest of the offense came from Eric Chavez, Russell Martin, and Raul Ibanez. In order for the Yankees to score and to start winning games again, they need to be able to score runners. They are leaving too many men on base, while other teams like Tampa Bay are taking advantage of that. Good pitching can only get a team so far. While Sabathia did his job (the game was tied at 3 when he exited), David Robertson gave up a hit to Gimenez, and Roberts scored, giving the Rays a 4-3 lead. The Yanks could not deliver.

The return of Granderson and Teixeira might be their answer. Once they come back, Nova and Pettitte will still be on the DL, with a very strong possibility that they might return within a few weeks. On the Joe Girardi show, Michael Kay asked the status of Brett Gardner and whether or not he would be activated this season if the team needs him. Girardi said right now they are not planning on activating him but that might change if they really do decide that they need him for the remaining of the season. Andruw Jones, who was a strong force for the Yanks a couple of weeks ago has been struggling of late. Nick Swisher also is struggling after having a great month in July and early August. The Yankees really miss Teixeira at first base. It is very difficult to fill his shoes defensively, even though Nick Swisher (who has played first most of the time Teixeira has been out) is good.

Tonight's pitching matchup is Freddy Garcia (7-5, 4.90 ERA) vs. A. Cobb (8-8, 4.39 ERA). While steady, Garcia has not continually been successful on the mound but with the injury to Nova and Pettitte he has gotten many more starts. He has gotten the job done lately, but now the Yankees offense has to help him and score runs. As always, go Yanks!