The Yankees game was threatened because of Hurricane Earl, but they managed to get the game in as the Yankees won 7-3 over the Toronto Blue Jays for their 7th consecutive victory.

Here are some highlights:

• Ivan Nova started and didn’t have the same stuff he had in his first two starts. His line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.
• The bullpen continues to be impresive, Boone Logan, David Robertson, Kerry Wood, and Mariano Rivera combined for 4.1 scoreless innings.
• The offense was big today without the benefit of the home run.
• Curtis Granderson lead the way, going 2-for-3 with 3 RBI’s.
• Brett Gardner‘s legs were also big contributors as he scored 3 runs, he also had an RBI.
• Lance Berkman, Ramiro Pena, and Eduardo Nunez also had multi-hit games.

Even though the Yankees are in the midst of a battle for the AL East against the menace known as the Tampa Bay Rays, and trying to defend their world title, one cannot help  but speculate what the future holds, especially when it involves the speedy left fielder Carl Crawford.

Crawford, who has spent his entire nine season career in Tampa Bay, will be a free agent at the end of this season.  Through those nine season, Crawford has averaged a .295 batting average, 13 home runs, 77 RBI’s with an OBP of .336.  This season, Crawford is hitting .284 with 15 home runs, 71 RBI’s with an OBP of .347.

Perhaps his greatest tool, Crawford possesses absolutely tremendous speed, stealing 41 bases in 51 attempts, currently second in the American League behind Juan Pierre of the Chicago White Sox.

There is no doubt that the Yankees will be interested in Crawford, especially with his left handed stroke in Yankee Stadium.  He will command big money, perhaps in the 16-20 million per year range, and money has never been an issue with the Yankees.

The only question would be the length of the deal.  At 29 years old, he will undoubtedly command a 6-7 year deal, maybe more.  One can only speculate that there are worries if his legs will hold up, especially towards the tail end of that deal, when he will be 35-36 years old.  He is an incredible athlete though, which is a positive.

But, with a possible addition of Crawford, that will mean a subtraction of either Curtis Granderson or Brett Gardner.  Nick Swisher is a lock for next season, especially with the year he has put together, as well as his improved defensive abilities.

If I were to guess, it would be Brett Gardner getting the bump.  Playing his first full year as a starter, Gardner thus far has put together a pretty good and respectable season, hitting .284 with five home runs, 41 RBI’s with an OBP of .389.  He also has 39 stolen bases in 46 attempts.  But, after a fast start to the year, he hasn’t been hitting as well of late.  Perhaps Gardner could take a reserve role, backing up Crawford and Granderson while providing blazing speed off the bench.  Gardner could even be used as trade bait.

Granderson has struggled mightily at times this season, and he has had stretches where he flourishes.  He is hitting .249 with 17 home runs and 45 RBI’s this season. He tweaked his swing with Kevin Long in Kansas City, and ever since then he has been hitting better.  But, it is after all his first season in New York, and many players struggle in their first full season with the Yankees, adjusting to the Yankee lifestyle.  Who knows, perhaps working more with Long in the off season and going into next year with some New York Experience, Granderson could very well get his offensive numbers back to where they were last season with Detroit.

But, next seasons outfield may look exactly like this seasons.  Crawford may not even land with the Yankees.  He could very well stay put in Tampa Bay, although very unlikely, or he could sign elsewhere.  Boston and the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem are also possible destinations for Crawford.

The Yankees, winners of five straight, are about to embark on a rarity in baseball scheduling: five consecutive day games.  Luckily for the Yankees, they have thrived this season in day games, going 31-16.

The teams collectively hits better during the day, with a team batting average of .283 in day games compared to a .262 clip at night.

Here are some individual player statistics of those who fare better during the day than at night:

• The red hot Mark Teixeira loves the day this season.  He is batting at a higher average of .326 during the day, compared to .228 at night.  His on base percentage during the day is .415, 72 points higher than his .343 at night.  He is also slugging .646 in day games, while only slugging .431 at night.
• The struggling Derek Jeter has significantly better numbers in day games this year, batting .326 compared to his .233 at night.
• Todays starting pitcher CC Sabathia (18-5, 3.14), who is currently 10-0 at Yankee Stadium this season, boasts a 2.93 ERA during the day, and hitters are only batting .203 against him in day games.
• The ever inconsistent AJ Burnett (10-12, 5.15), whose scheduled turn in the rotation would occur Monday, September 6th in game two against Baltimore, has pitched incredibly better during the day this season.  Compared to his 5.91 ERA at night, he has a 3.02 ERA during the day.  That is difficult to imagine considering the struggles he has gone through all season long.  Also, he holds opponents to a .236 average in day games, compared to .298 at night.
• Phil Hughes (16-6, 4.10), scheduled to start on September 5th against Toronto, has fared slightly better during the day than at night.  His ERA during the day is 3.91, a little better than his 4.19 during the day, while also going 6-1 this season during the day (10-5 at night).
• Jorge Posada bats .316 during the day, while slugging .617, with an OBP of .397 during the day compared to .222, .378, and .348 respectively at night.
• Brett Gardner’s daytime batting average is .304, while his nighttime batting average is sitting at .275.  His OBP is better during the day at .418 compared to .372 at night.

As the Yankees look to extend their five game winning streak, the daytime isn’t a bad time to do so.  Look for the above players to have an impact, considering their success in day games.

With last night’s disappointing 8-6 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees have fallen into a tie for 1st place with the Tampa Bay Rays. Dustin Moseley is on the mound this evening for the Yankees as they now have to worry about falling behind the red hot Rays.

Here are some notes:

• AJ Burnett allowed 8 earned runs in 4.2 innings last night. It was his worst start since June 26. He had a 2.00 ERA in 5 starts in July.
• Nick Swisher homered twice last night. He now has 22 homers this season. He now has 11 homers at Yankee Stadium, he only had 8 all of last season there.
• Joba Chamberlain pitched a scoreless 9th, he hasn’t allowed an earned run in 3 appearances since losing his role as the primary 8th inning setupman.
• Brett Gardner might be getting more respect at the plate.

That’s all for right now. I’ve been a little slow with the updates since the deadline passed. Sorry about that, but I’ve needed some kind of break from the blog. I should be back posting regularly tomorrow.

The Yankees have played back-to-back games against the Mariners and have not faced one reliever. A night after Cliff Lee went the distance and beat the Yankees, Felix Hernandez got a complete game shutout and won 7-0. Javier Vazquez didn’t pitch especially well or bad, but he is on hook for the loss.

Here are some notes:

• Brett Gardner has been out for the past couple of days with a forearm issue, but he is in the lineup today.
• RHP Dustin Moseley is expected to be added to the roster today. Chad Gaudin and Chan Ho Park are the most likely to get DFA’d.
• Marcus Thames has begun playing in rehab games and should be back soon. Either Chad Huffman or Colin Curtis will be sent down.
• Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves have thrown off a mound this week. Mitre could get into a rehab game soon.
• How is it that Mariano Rivera is so damn good? Watch this video. Trust me, you’ll like it.
• The Yankees outfielders haven’t liked the condition of the outfield grass since the Yankees held a boxing match at the stadium about a month ago.

I thought that the Yankees were going to have issues with the outfield this season. I go to a fair amount of Brooklyn Cyclones games and they regularly hold concerts on that field and it shows. I hoped that the Yankees are hiring better grounds crew guys, but their talents can’t make up for putting a few thousand pounds of metal on a field like that. This news is especially bad because the Yankees are already planning two Jay-Z/Eminem concerts there in September and their stage will be bigger than the boxing ring was.

If I told you before the season that Derek Jeter would have a worse batting average than Nick Swisher in the middle of June, you probably would have said “Are you crazy?”, or something of that nature.

Now that we are in the middle of June, and Swisher does have a higher batting average than Jeter, you have to wonder how the Yankees are in first place.

Well, to say the least, it has been quite an unusual year for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees have been thrust into first place by several unexpected seasons by players that you least expected a big year from.

Phil Hughes has been a major boost for the Yanks this year, now 10-1 on the season, which is the best record on the team. Hughes is arguably the best starter this year, and has certainly been a big surprise for the Yankees.

Brett “the Jet” Gardner has become a big part of the Yankee offense this year. He is hitting .320, with 49 runs scored, and has swiped 23 bases in 28 attempts. His speed has been a refreshing new look for the Yankees.

Many Yankee fans, including myself, were very worried about not resigning Johnny Damon, but after the start that Gardner has had, I think we can all happily say “Johnny who?”.

Another player who has really come into his own and has official staked his claim as the best second baseman in baseball is Robinson Cano.

Not only is he leading the Majors in hitting, but he leads the Yankees in nearly every offensive category, hits, RBI, home runs, you name it he’s leading the way. Not to mention his 1.009 OPS for the season.

Nick Swisher is yet another player having a career year and giving the Yankees all that he can. Heading into tonight, Swisher is hitting a career high .298 (nearly 50 points higher than his career average), and has driven in 44 RBI to the tune of 11 home runs.

But the one, that I think nobody saw coming, is ageless Andy Pettitte. After another strong outing last night, Andy is now 9-2 on the year, with a 2.48 ERA. He is having a career year at age 38 and just might get another shot at the Cy Young award.

Not too shabby for a guy that is on the brink of retirement every year.

So in a year when Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, A.J. Burnett, Javier Vazquez, and 90% of the bullpen have all struggled, I find it pretty amazing that the Yankees sit atop the AL East with the best record in baseball.

Balloting for the American League All-Star team is not over, not until July 1st, and the Yankees currently have two players with the most amount of votes for their positions, SS Derek Jeter and 2B Robinson Cano.

Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada are all in second place at their respective positions, but only Teixeira is close enough to still have a chance. In the outfield the Yankees don’t have anybody in the top three or four, but they are currently holding down spots five, six, and eight with Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, and Brett Gardner in those spots respectively.

Swisher has been putting together a great season so until the voting is over and done with I’m not going to count him out. He’s even campaigning for it using his Twitter account.

Here are the most recent numbers:

The Yankees had an off-day yesterday and are getting ready for a big week as they have a World Series rematch against the Phillies coming up followed by the Subway Series this weekend. If you are looking to place to make a bet on one of these games online betting seems to be pretty popular these days.

Here are some notes:

• Brett Gardner plans on using a protective ring on his thumb the rest of the season.
• Yankees minor league outfielder David Winfree has a clause in his contract that allows him to look for a team that is willing to put him on the 40-man roster. The clause only allows him 24 hours to find this team and that time started either yesterday or today so if we don’t get any updates by tomorrow we can assume he’s staying with the Yankees.
• Here are a list of players rumored to have been signed by the Yankees since the draft: Kyle Roller 1B – 8th Round, Zach Varce RHP – 11th, Chase Whitley RHP – 15th, Preston Claiborne RHP – 17th, Mike Ferraro OF – 20th, Trevor Johnson LHP – 22nd, Shane Brown OF – 23rd, Conor Mullee RHP – 24th, Casey Stevenson 2B – 25th, James Gipson RHP – 31st, William Oliver RHP – 35th, Nick McCoy C – 36th, Nathan Forer RHP – 46th, Frederick Lewis LHP – 47th.
• Most of the college students that were taken in the draft and have signed already will be heading for Staten Island, a practice that was confirmed by Yankees vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman.
• Staten Island won’t be officially unveiling their roster until this Friday, but Robert Pimpsner of Baseball Digest updated his list of expected SI players.

I’ll be trying to make it out to Staten Island a few times this season to cover some games and maybe get some player interviews. So be on the look out for that.

In my last update I actually gave you a couple of injury notes on Alex Rodriguez (groin), expects to play Tuesday, Marcus Thames (hamstring), out two more weeks, and Alfredo Aceves (back), threw off of flat ground, but the Yankees have been banged up quite a bit this season and one post just wasn’t enough.

Here are some more notes:

• Jorge Posada caught his first game since going on the DL with a broken foot. After the game Posada described the foot as “sore,” but then backed away claiming it was just fatigued. Joe Girardi said he’s a little concerned and Posada isn’t likely to start catching everyday for a while.
• Brett Gardner started again yesterday after missing time last week due to a sore thumb. Things looked good on the field as he went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, but afterward he said it wasn’t 100 percent and that he expects the injury to linger for some time. As long as they don’t think he’s making it worse he isn’t expected to sit.
• Nick Johnson who has been out for some time with a wrist injury had his brace removed this week. He hasn’t been cleared to hit yet, but is doing most day-to-day stuff with it. This is a good sign and as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks he could avoid season ending surgery.

The Yankees have been banged up quite a bit this season. They haven’t had too many real serious injuries, Johnson and Aceves have probably been the most serious, but they have had to deal with quite a few players who aren’t at 100 percent. It seems like everyone is getting mostly good news and hopefully the team will be back closer to full strength in a couple of weeks.

Last season Brett Gardner broke his thumb while playing in the outfield and the injury caused him to spent over a month on the DL. This season that was mostly an afterthought until the other day when the Yankees pulled Gardner from the lineup. After the game manager Joe Girardi informed reporters of the reason and Gardner told them that the same thumb that he broke last season was often sore, but this was the only time it was bad enough to come out of a game.

So the Yankees sent Gardner in for an x-ray. That came back negative, but the Yankees still haven’t felt comfortable enough to use Gardner as anything other than a pinch runner. He’s also scheduled to receive an MRI when the Yankees get back to New York tomorrow.

This is probably just precautionary, but the fact that a broken thumb from last season is still a lingering pain for Gardy does raise some concern. When Curtis Granderson landed on the DL last month it really hurt the Yankees both defensively and with their offensive consistency. If Gardner lands on the DL too it could become a big problem for the Yankees and force them to deal for an outfielder.

Like I said though, the MRI is probably just precautionary. He isn’t likely to be in the lineup tonight and probably not tomorrow either. The Yankees can deal with that, but anything beyond that might send them to the phones looking for outfield help.