Yankees Pull to Within 1/2 a Game of First Place BoSox

New York Yankees 17

Toronto Blue Jays 6

WP- Randy Johnson (4-2), 5 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K (Terrible outing, but a win nonetheless)

LP- Josh Towers (0-5), 2 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (An even worse pitching performance)

The Yankees, for the second time in their history and for only the sixth time in American League history, scored in every inning on Saturday. The Yankees also scored in every inning in a 14-1 over the St. Louis Browns on July 26, 1939 (courtesy of MLB.com).

Keep your fingers crossed in regards to Gary Sheffield, who had to leave the game after a collision at first base.

Let's hope the Yanks have this same amount of run support for Mike Mussina tomorrow, especially considering the fact that they're facing Gustavo Chacin and then heading straight to Boston to commence this season's installation of the greatest rivalry in sports.

Lara*

F.Y.I.

*The New York Yankees pitching staff has the best ERA in the American League and the fewest runs allowed in the majors.*

Just had to get that interesting tidbit up before Jaret Wright potentially screws things up and changes that statistic very quickly. Hopefully I'm wrong about Wright, but we shall see...

The Magnificent Moose

Mike Mussina in 2006:

3-1, 2.45 ERA (4th in A.L.) in 33 Innings

30 Strikeouts (2nd in A.L.), 6 Walks

Tuesday's Start:

6+ IP, 4 Hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K- Win (3-1)

A Devil Rays' take on Mussina:

"Nasty," said catcher Toby Hall. "The guy has got like five pitches and he throws them all for strikes. He's a professional. He knows how to pitch. Nasty."

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I was lucky enough to be at the Stadium to see Moose win his 227th career game (although I didn't feel quite so lucky for awhile when the rain was pouring steadily down upon me and I began losing all feeling in my body due to the cold!). He's really been great every single time out this season; interestingly enough, Mussina, according to Elias Sports Bureau, is one of only five pitchers in the 2006 season to post quality starts every time out (minimum four starts), joining Jose Contreras, Greg Maddux, Chris Capuano and Brandon Webb.

Not bad for the old guy. Not bad at all.

Lara*

How 'Bout Them First Place New York Mets?

...What is this world coming to?! All I can say right now is that the 2006 New York Yankees are a very frustrating team to watch and root for at the minute. Hopefully, today's early game at the Stadium will bring them back to .500; regardless, as soon as I get a chance, I'll give you my take on the early season so far. No worries- I've got PLENTY of opinions to share, so check back later and let me know what you think!

Lara*

The Comeback Captain- Opening Day (Very Late!)

Yankees Win 9th Consecutive Home Opener in Exciting and Dramatic Fashion

New York Yankees 9

Kansas City Royals 7Win: Proctor (1-1)Loss: Sisco (0-1)Save: Rivera (1)Noteworthy Performances- Jason Giambi: 1-1, Homerun (1), 3 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB- Bernie Williams: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 R ***- Derek Jeter: 1-4, Homerun (2), 3 RBI***

Back to the Bronx: Opening Day at Yankee Stadium

Today at 1:00 p.m., I will be taking in the Yankees Home Opener among the most faithful of Yankees fan, the infamous Bleacher Creatures of right-centerfield. Opening Day at the Stadium is one of the most exciting sporting events of the year, and I'll be one of the lucky 56,000+ fans in attendance. So, make sure to check back once the game is over to get a recap, look at a few pictures, and read about my first-hand account of the game.

Let's Go Yankees!

Lara*

Power and Control Propels Win #2

New York Yankees 10

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1

Win: Mike Mussina (1-0, 2.77)

Loss: Bartolo Colon (0-1, 12.86)

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Mike Mussina helped snap the Yankees' four-game losing streak with a dominant performance, outpitching the reigning AL CY Young Award Winner, Bartolo Colon. Mussina went 6 innings, allowing only one earned run and striking out 5 for the 225th victory of his career.

Jorge Posada broke out of his early season slump with a 3-4 afternoon, blasting 2 homeruns and driving in 5 runs. Robinson Cano had a nice day as well, going 3-5, while Alex Rodriguez continued his incredible dominance over Colon, smacking his 5th homerun in just 8 at-bats versus the Angels' ace.

The Yankees end the road trip 2-4, and return home to the Bronx on Tuesday afternoon for their home opener.

Lara*

Tonight's Game- PATHETIC

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

NYY: Randy Johnson (1-0, 2.40)

LAA: Ervin Santana (1-0, 1.59)

A Night of Wasted Opportunities

Yankees 2, Angels 3

So, the Yankees lost again, bringing the streak to four losses in a row. Johnson pitched well, allowing 3 runs in 8 innings and striking out 8; the biggest mistake of the night was the two-run triple given up to Adam Kennedy in the 5th. The Yankee offense was ridiculously unproductive again (4 for 30 with RISP over the past four games), consisting entirely of Derek Jeter's first inning solo homerun and Hideki Matsui's solo shot in the 9th off of Francisco Rodriguez. Ervin Santana did pitch well, but the Yankees' lack of production with runners on helped him out a great deal. Looks like the Angels continue to own the Yankees, and that Ameriquest Field will remain Derek Jeter's own personal "House of Horrors," at least for the time being.

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It doesn't get any easier tomorrow, when Mike Mussina takes on the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner and Angels' ace, Bartolo Colon.

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Is there a silver lining to this horrible start? Well, if you're really depressed about this already (which you shouldn't be, by the way- at least not yet!), keep in mind that the last time the Yankees started a season 1-4 (and opened on the West Coast), they ended the season with a record of 125-50. The year, of course, was 1998. This current Yankees team is very different, but it just goes to show that you can't predict a season based on only 5 games. The offense will turn around and wake-up eventually; let's just hope it's sooner rather than later, before the Yanks bury themselves too deeply.

Lara*

Games 3 & 4...

... Both losses. Horrible 1-3 start for the Yanks, but there are still a lot of games to be played. Tomorrow is another day.

Lara*

Game 2- Yankees Lose

New York Yankees
vs.
Oakland Athletics

NYY: Mike Mussina
OAK: Rich Harden

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Yankees: 3

Athletics: 4

________________________________________________________________________

Win: Huston Street (1-0)

Loss: Scott Proctor (0-1)

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Game 2 ended with a walk-off single by Marco Scutaro in the bottom of the 9th inning. Inexplicably, Proctor was the man on the mound and earned the loss in a game where the Yankees never once took advantage of the many opportunities they had throughout the night. Harden was in trouble in the first, yet the Yanks were unable to push any runs across, and that trend continued throughout the remainder of the game. In typical fashion, Mike Mussina received very little offensive support but managed to pitch a quality game, going 7 innings, striking out 6 and surrendering 3 earned runs (although it should only have been 2; the official scorer took away a Cano error for some reason in the 5th). All in all, it was a game of lost opportunities and a pretty terrible display after last night's rout. That stellar offense we all expect to see was pretty non-existant in Oakland. Let's hope, in future games, that Alex Rodriguez remembers what to do on the base paths from now on, that Scott Proctor is never again trusted in a tie game, and that the offense stops wasting quality starts and wakes up to their potential.

Tune in for the rubber match, Wednesday night at 10:05 p.m.

Lara*

Yankees Win, The-e-e-e Yankees Win!

New York Yankees 15

Oakland Athletics 2

Win: Randy Johnson (1-0)

Loss: Barry Zito (0-1)

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Player(s) of the Game: Randy Johnson- 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Hideki Matsui- 4 for 4, 3-Run Homerun, 4 RBI, 2 BB

Play of the Game: Alex Rodriguez's 12th Career Grand Slam (430th of Career, 1 HR shy of Thome and Ripken)

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Worth Mentioning:

*Alex Rodriguez is only the fourth Yankee to hit an Opening Day Grand Slam. He joins Russ Derry (1985), Bobby Murcer (1981), and Alfonso Soriano (2003)

* Both starting pitchers, Randy Johnson and Barry Zito, were the 2002 Cy Young Award winners in their respective leagues

* Randy Johnson started his 14th Opening Day and won the start for the 7th time in his career

* The 15 runs the Yankees scored ties for the most runs ever scored on the road on Opening Day

* Barry Zito's outing was the shortest of his career- He completed only 1 1/3 innings, giving up 7 ER

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Anyone else totally worried that the Yanks won't have nearly enough offense this season? If Opening Day is any indication of things to come, we're in for quite a ride.

Lara*

ESPN Predictions

New York Yankees 2006 Preview
Manager: Joe Torre
Stadium: Yankee Stadium
2005 Record: 95-67 (T-1st in AL East)
Team Page Roster Schedule

Lineup

Johnny Damon*
CF
Best table setter in game. Hits according to score/situation.
Derek Jeter
SS
Can do it all. Tough out with inside-out stroke. Mr. Clutch.
Alex Rodriguez
3B
Superior skills. Destroys mediocre pitching. RBI machine.
Hideki Matsui
LF
Line-drive hitter with pop. Fundamentally sound in all areas.
Gary Sheffield
RF
Intimidates pitchers. Crushes fastballs and mistakes.
Jason Giambi
1B
Bat speed and confidence are back. Defensive liability.
Jorge Posada
C
No easy out. More juice from left side. Solid behind dish.
Bernie Williams
DH
Lost a step, but still has good bat control and gap power.
Robinson Cano
2B
Good opposite-field pop. Must improve double-play turn.

Pitching

Randy Johnson
SP
Warrior. Attacks hitters with mid-90s heat. Wicked slurve.
Mike Mussina
SP
Full menu of pitches. Works corners and mixes stuff well.
Carl Pavano
SP
Relies heavily on sinkerball. Uses split to close out hitters.
Chien-Ming Wang
SP
Throws fastball in mid-90s. Needs to hone offspeed stuff.
Shawn Chacon
SP
Sneaky with low-90s cheese. Hard curve is money pitch.
Kyle Farnsworth*
RP
Overpowering stuff, but can be inconsistent sometimes.
Mariano Rivera
CL
As good as it gets. Classic cutter is often unhittable.
* New to team

Complete scouting reports on each player available through Insider
ESPN.com Predictions

By Bob Klapisch

Strengths
With the addition of Johnny Damon, this lineup has the chance to score 1000 runs. It's by far the best offense of the Joe Torre era. Secondly, Mariano Rivera shows no sign of deterioration, so even if the Yankees have to rely on surviving high-scoring contests, those final three outs are as safe as ever.

Weaknesses
The starting rotation is full of question marks, including lingering injuries to Carl Pavano, and the advancing age of both Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina. Pavano hasn't pitched since last June 27, and the Yankees have no idea how effective he'll be upon returning. Mussina, 37, suffered a mysterious elbow injury last year, and the AL's batting average against him has risen 46 points since 2003.

Key Stats
The Yankees are apparently conceding a defensive vulnerability by letting Jason Giambi serve as the everyday first baseman. The reason is all in the numbers -- last year Giambi batted .319 while playing the field, 108 points higher than when he was the DH. Also, as testimony to why hitters swing early against Rivera: With an 0-2 count against the great closer, the AL is batting just .067.

Rookie Watch
Robinson Cano is either on his way to becoming a perennial All-Star, capable of hitting .300 with 25 HRs, or destined to a career .270 average with a ton of errors. It's up to him, say teammates, who've watched the second-year player closely in spring training. Cano enjoyed a fine major-league debut in 2005 -- .297 with 14 HRs, 62 RBI and a second-place finish to Oakland's Huston Street for Rookie of the Year honors. But he also committed 17 errors, second to Alfonso Soriano among AL second basemen.

I didn't have the time to write my own season preview, so I stole this from "The Worldwide Leader in Sports." I basically agree with most of what has been predicted, although I think they underestimate both Cano and Wang. Robbie Cano could seriously win a batting title this year and should be named to his first All Star team if he stays healthy, and I honestly think Wang's cool demeanor, sneaky fastball, and excellent sinker will propel him to 15+ wins. The one prediction I will make is that the Yankees will finish the season in 1st place. Not very bold, I know, but I'm extremely superstitious when it comes to baseball and I don't want to jinx my team! The season officially kicks off Monday evening at 10:00 p.m. If you're not excited at this point, then quite frankly, there's something wrong with you. We're less than two days away!

Lara*