Game 111: Facing Cy Young

After six games on the road against last place clubs, the Yankees are back home in Bronx where they welcome the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers for a four game series that kicks off tonight at 7:05 p.m. in Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees return home after going 3-3 on that trip, which made stops in Texas and Boston. New York dropped three of the first four games before taking the final two games against the Red Sox over the weekend, including a 8-7 win last night at Fenway Park.

Detroit, meanwhile, comes in town town boasting one of the best offenses in baseball, scoring 4.74 runs per game. The Tigers are coming off of a three game sweep of the Colorado Rockies after dropping five of six games heading into that series over the weekend.

With the Tigers coming into Yankee Stadium, Yankees fans might get a chance to see Joba Chamberlain pitch against in the Bronx. The former Yankees reliever signed with Detroit during the offseason after spending the first seven years of his career in pinstripes. Well, it's almost the same guy coming back -- he's got a full-on beard on his face now.

Tonight's lineup against Detroit:

LF Brett Gardner
SS Derek Jeter
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
1B Mark Teixeira
DH Carlos Beltran
C Brian McCann
3B Chase Headley
2B Stephen Drew
RF Martin Prado

Pitching matchup preview:

Right-hander Brandon McCarthy gets the ball tonight for the Yankees in the series opener.

Acquired from Arizona in a trade at the beginning of July, McCarthy is 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA in pinstripes. He's turned into a great pickup by Brian Cashman, who only had to give up Vidal Nuno to get McCarthy. With everybody else in the rotation going down to injuries, he's been exactly what they needed.

McCarthy, though, is coming off his roughest outing with the Yankees, allowing four runs and nine hits in six innings against the Rangers on July 29.

The Yankees' offense will have a very tough task ahead of them over the next few days, facing the last three Cy Young awards winners, and it begins tonight with the reigning winner, right-hander Max Scherzer, who has a 5.17 ERA in three regular-season starts at Yankee Stadium.

Scherzer -- 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA over his last seven outings -- in is coming off of a start in which he tossed seven innings of one-run ball against the White Sox on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.

Yankee Notes:

* The Yankees have placed RHP David Phelps on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right arm. Phelps left Sunday night's start against the Red Sox after just two innings because of what the team was then calling inflammation in his elbow. Joe Girardi says that Phelps won't pick up a ball for two weeks.

In a corresponding move, the Yankees recalled RHP Matt Daley from Triple-A Scranton. With Phelps on the DL, the Yankees will need to find a start to Friday night against the Indians.

* Masahiro Tanaka played catch today, making 25 throws from 60 feet. He said that he felt good and didn't feel anything wrong with his elbow. He doesn't really know when he might be back, but will continue his path back to the mound by throwing again tomorrow.

* Michael Pineda almost certainly won't be the man pitching for the Yankees on Friday night. He threw 58 pitches in a rehab outing on Sunday, and Girardi doesn't think he's stretched out enough. Pineda told reporters that he'll pitch again on Friday, but isn't sure where it'll be.

* MLB announced today that Brett Gardner has been named the AL Player of the Week after hitting .478 (11-for-23) with three doubles, five homers, seven RBI, five walks and eight runs.

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Game 104: Starting a new streak

The Toronto Blue Jays finally ended their miserable run at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, defeating the Yankees in the Bronx for the first time since August, 2012, ending the Yankees' 17-game home winning streak over the Jays.

So now the Yankees -- 7-2 since the All-Star break -- will be looking to start a new streak against the Jays, who now have some more confidence that they can, in fact, beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

This is the final game of the 10-game homestand to open up the second half of the season. After today, the Yankees will hit the road and make a stop on Texas on Monday to meet the Rangers for three games down in Arlington, then head back north for a three-game set at Fenway Park.

Today's lineup against Toronto:

LF Brett Gardner
SS Derek Jeter
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
DH Carlos Beltran
1B Brian McCann
3B Chase Headley
C Francisco Cervelli
RF Zelous Wheeler
2B Brendan Ryan

Pitching matchup preview:

Shane Greene gets the ball for the Yankees today in the finale of this three-game series. Greene enters the day 2-1 with 2.79 ERA through his first three big league starts.

The worst of those three outings was the most recent one, this past week against the Rangers. Greene exited with two outs in the 6th, and finished by giving up four runs on five hits in what would be his first loss of the season that day.

Greene, the rookie, will be going up against the veteran left-hander JA Happ, who's coming off one of his best outings of the year after throwing six scoreless innings in victory against the Red Sox.

"That might have been, in my opinion, his best outing of the year," said Blue jays manager John Gibbons told reporters. "He had a good curveball going that he established, he used quite a bit. He primarily relies on his fastball, because he has a good one, but he had a good curveball that he was throwing over the plate and a good changeup. That was big, that was a big part of the reason he held them in check."

Yankee Notes:

* The Yankees had four scouts on hand to watch Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo workout at the University of Miami on Saturday, according to the NY Post.

With almost the entire league there to watch him, some believe that the outfielder could land a contract in the range of what Yasiel Puig got from the Los Angeles Dodgers a couple years ago -- Puig signed for $42 million.

The 27-year-old is a very strong, fast player that could easily help the Yankees now and in the future, possibly filling up right field next to Ellsbury and Gardner. His power, along side the speed of Ellsbury and Gardner, that could be one of the most dangerous outfields in all of the Majors.

* It doesn't sound like Mark Teixeira will need to go on the DL. Joe Girardi told reporters that they're shooting for a Tuesday/Wednesday return for the switch-hitting first baseman.

* Carlos Beltran hasn't been missing any time lately, expect for the fact that he hasn't played in the outfield since May. Girardi also believes that Carlos Beltran isn't too far off from returning to the outfield, suggesting that he could be just a few weeks away.

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Yankee Notes: Cervelli talks, Campos optioned, Panama roster

By: Gavin Ewbank | Lead Writer

During the Yankees' 6-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles Thursday afternoon, the YES Network's Jack Curry noted that while a handful of teams have been scouting likely backup catcher Francisco Cervelli this spring, not a single team has made a trade call to Brian Cashman.

Curry added that it could change overnight and the Yankees could have three callers on the phone tomorrow morning in any scenario.

We've know for about the past week that teams have been watching the team's excess catching depth, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. The Arizona Diamondbacks are said to be looking for a big league ready backup, and could be interested, too.

After winning the backup job last spring only to get hurt in late-April, missing the rest of the season, Cervelli has essentially picked up right where he left off, hitting very well and playing good defense so far this spring.

We're about halfway through the exhibition schedule and I find it hard to believe that there is even a competition for the backup catcher role anymore, given how well Cervy has played.

At this point, even though the Yankees have holes they could help fill with a trade, keeping Cervy for the big league club and sending Austin Romine and John Ryan Murphy would be best for the club.

Besides, Cervelli is out of options, which takes away from his value, and any trade would likely be for another player out of options, so you're not getting much from trading away a player that can really help the ballclub this year.

Another sent down: The Yankees announced during today's games that RHP Jose Campos was optioned to High-A Tampa, and RHP Bryan Mitchell was sent to Triple-A Scranton.

Campos made his spring debut for the Bombers yesterday in Tampa and threw a scoreless inning against the Detroit Tigers, giving up a hit.

Mitchell only appeared in one game for the Yankees this spring, pitching two scoreless innings, giving up three hits. As Chad Jennings of Lohud noted, he's been sent to Triple-A, but that doesn't mean it's where he'll start the season.

Panama rosters: The Yankees have announced the full travel squad for the two-game series in Panama this weekend against the Miami Marlins, put together to honor Mariano Rivera. This roster stands as follows.

Pitchers: Bruce Billings, Cesar Cabral, Robert Coello, Preston Claiborne, Matt Daley, Chris Leroux, Jim Miller, David Robertson, CC Sabathia, Yoshinori Tateyama, Adam Warren, Chase Whitley.

Catchers: Francisco Cervelli, John Ryan Murphy, Jose Gil.

Infielders: Dean Anna, Derek Jeter, Corban Joseph, Jose Pirela, Yangervis Solarte, Zelous Wheeler.

Outfielders: Zoilo Almonte, Carlos Beltran, Adonis Garcia, Brett Gardner, Antoan Richardson, Alfonso Soriano.

The list of players I have also includes Gary Sanchez as a backup catcher, but he was optioned to Double-A Trenton a couple days ago. So that might just be on there by mistake.

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Yankee Notes: Contract offered to Kuroda, Yanks not talking with Cano, and more

Kuroda has an offer from the Yankees: The Yankees have offered a contract to free-agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. The Yankees are hoping that Kuroda will accept the deal, rather than retire or go back to Japan.

The deal on the table is expected to be in the $15-$16 million range over the course of the 2014 season. That price would be around what Kuroda earned last season in the Bronx. Kuroda became a free-agent after turning down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Yankees.

Kuroda went 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA last season and was that Yankees' best pitcher through mid-August before the fatigue of a long season caught up to him. His ERA in his final handful of starts was awful, and he was pitching nothing like he had in the first four months of the season.

The Yankees are hoping the Kuroda will come back to help fill a spot in the rotation that is currently headlined by a declining CC Sabathia and shaky Ivan Nova. The Yankees are also banking on Masahiro Tanaka being posted by his Japanese team once a new posting system is agreed to. Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno will battle for the fifth spot in the rotation during Spring Training.

Yankees have "nothing to talk about" with Cano: After closing the contract gap to about $80 million last week, the Yankees were expected to meet with representatives for Robinson Cano once again on Monday, but the two sides decided not to meet, Marchand says, because the gap is still too big.

As one source told ESPNNewYork.com, "There is nothing to discuss." That tone sounds a lot like what team president Randy Levine said during the GM meetings a couple weeks back: "Until he gets more realistic, we have nothing to talk about."

Cano's side was reportedly asking for a 10-year, $310 million deal, though Cano has denied ever asking for that amount of money. During meets last week, Cano's side was said to have lowered their asking price to a nine-year deal for $250-$260 million. The Yankees have raised their offer in terms of money, but only a little bit, to $170 over seven-years.

Canzler has been signed by the Yanks again: The Yankees have signed free-agent outfielder/first baseman Russ Canzler to a contract, says Matt Eddy of Baseball America.The terms of the deal are unknown.

Canzler has been a lefty-killer since 2011, hitting .307/.390/.531 (433 PA) with 17 HR, a 12 percent walk rate, and a 18 percent strikeout rate.

He was with the Yankees earlier this year, from February 4th to the 5th before being claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles the week before spring training.

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Yankee Notes: Gardner Is Fine, Jeter Returns Monday

X-Rays on Gardner's right hand come back negative:

Just a couple days after the New York Yankees placed utility man Jayson Nix on the DL for possibly the remainder of the season due to a fractured left hand, the team was given some good news on Saturday regarding Brett Gardner.

Gardner underwent x-rays Saturday morning on his right hand following Friday night's 7-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in which Gardner was hit on the right hand by a pitch from Rays right-hander Chris Archer. Luckily for Gardy and the Yankees, the x-rays came back negative.

After the game, Gardner's hand had swelled up a little bit, but it was nothing that worried Gardner. The Yankees had him undergo the x-rays anyway.

"When it got hit initially, it hurt, but afterwards, it was going well," said Gardner, who tripled in his next at-bat off Archer. "I knew it wasn't broken, so I wasn't concerned about it."

Celebrating his 30th birthday on Saturday, Gardner was held out of the Yankees starting lineup against Rays left-hander David Price, whom Gardner was 2-for-14 (.143).

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Gardner's hand had nothing to do with his benching, citing his poor numbers against Price, and also said the Gardner would likely be available to pinch-hit.

Girardi confirms Jeter will return Monday:

After the Yankees finish up their three-game series in Tampa on Sunday, they'll head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays -- who the Yanks are 12-1 against in 2013 -- and when they get there, they'll be joined by their captain.

Girardi confirmed before Saturday night's game what many had been reporting Friday night, that shortstop Derek Jeter will rejoin the Yankees in Toronto on Monday.

Jeter began a rehab assignment in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, then played again for the RailRiders on Friday, and will finish up his minor league stint on Saturday with seven innings at shortstop before traveling to Toronto.

"That's the plan," Girardi said. "As long as everything goes OK [on Saturday, Sunday] is probably just a little workout."

Entering play on Saturday, Jeter was 2-for-6 with an RBI, two runs scored, a double, and a walk in two games. Jeter has played in just five games this season for the Bombers in what has been an injury plagued season, missing time with a broken left ankle, right quadriceps strain, and currently coming off a right calf strain.

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Kuroda Faces The Angels In Series Opener

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These days, it's going to take a lot to overshadow anything Alex Rodriguez does on the field. In the 9th inning yesterday, Mariano Rivera and Brett Gardner found a way to do that.

Rivera gave up a pair of homeruns in the 9th to Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez to tie the game, marking the third consecutive blown save by Rivera, just the first time in this legendary career that he's blown a save in three straight chances.

Then in the bottom half of the 9th, Gardner ended the game with one swing of the bat, taking Jose Veras deep to right field, sending the Yanks home with a 5-4 win, and their first series win since July 5th-7th against the Baltimore Orioles.

Now the struggling Los Angeles Angels come to town, having lost five of their last seven games, and were swept by the Texas Rangers last week on walk-off homeruns in all three games of the series.

The Yankees and Angels have already met once this year, back in Anaheim, when Los Angeles took two of the three games against a Yankees team that had been struggling badly at the time.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner CF
Suzuki DH
Cano 2B
Rodriguez 3B
Overbay 1B
Soriano LF
Granderson RF
Nunez SS
Stewart C
Kuroda RHP

Pitching Preview:

The Yankees bullpen was forced to put in a heavy workload over the weekend, with Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes lasting only 4 1/3 in each of their starts on Saturday and Sunday. The bullpen will get a chance to have an easy night with workhorse ace Hiroki Kuroda taking the mound.

Kuroda has been dominant on the mound over the past five weeks, going 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA and with 28 strikeouts in six starts over that span.

"He has pitched extremely well and he should have a lot more than 10 wins," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after Kuroda's last start.

Kuroda didn't have his best stuff in his last outing, tossing seven innings of three-run ball against the Chicago White Sox, but was tagged with the loss after the Yankees failed to provide him with any run support, as usual in most of his starts.

"I wasn't really sharp out there, but I think I was able to get the big outs," Kuroda said.

Garrett Richards gets the ball for the Los Angeles Angels, making just his fourth starts for LA since taking over for Joe Blanton in the Angels in the rotation. In those three starts, Richards has an ERA of 2.50.

Richards came away with the no-decision in his last start after tossing giving up three runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out five in six innings of work, despite not having his best stuff.

Yankee Notes:

* Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before the game that Derek Jeter, who's currently on the DL with a Grade 1 calf strain, is scheduled to go through "tee and toss" drills today. "Then tomorrow I'm going to do some dry swings," he said. "In the pool."

When the Yankees leave for Boston on Friday, Jeter is expected to head south and continue his rehab at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa, Florida. Girardi was asked if Jeter would return to the lineup when he becomes eligible August 17th, and he said, "I'm not sure."

* Travis Hafner was eligible to return to the Yankees today after being on the DL since July 27th, but he's not ready yet, says Girardi. "He feels better and he's continuing his rehab," Girardi said. "But he's not ready to do baseball activities yet." Hafner might not return until September 1st, when rosters expand to 40-men.

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"Super Nova" On The Hill To Face The Padres

SAN DIEGO -- CC Sabathia is not pitching well. Last night against the San Diego Padres, he tossed his fourth straight bad outing, coughing up five runs on 11 hits, issuing at least eight base knocks for the fourth straight outing.

His poor effort led to the Yankees dropping the series opener against the Padres Friday night, 7-2 from the always nice Petco Park in the always gorgeous San Diego.

Tonight's Lineup, 8:40 pm EST @ Petco Park:

Gardner CF
Cano 2B
Soriano LF
Granderson RF
Overbay 1B
Nunez SS
Lillibridge 3B
Stewart C
Nova RHP

Pitching Preview:

As I mentioned in the opener, Sabathia has been very good on the mound lately. On the other hand, Ivan Nova has been nothing short of dominant in his starts for the Yankees, in which he posted a 2.03 ERA over four starts in July, holding opponents to a .188 batting average.

Regardless of how well Nova has pitched, he's lost each of his last two starts as the Yankees have been shutout in each of those outings, giving Nova nothing to back up he solid outings.

"It feels really bad. We haven't scored enough runs in my last two starts," Nova said after his last outing against the Rays, when he gave up just one run on six hits in seven innings of work. "Sometimes when you pitch good, it's hard to be charged with a loss. It doesn't feel great."

Coming from the opposing dugout, the Padres will be sending right-hander Tyson Ross to the hill to try to shutdown a Yankees lineup that really hasn't imposed much of a threat lately.

Tyson is coming off an outstanding start against the Arizona Diamondbacks last Sunday, when he tossed a career-high eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits to the D-Backs hitters.

Yankee Notes:

* Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced before the game that Derek Jeter will sit out for the remainder of this weekend series against the Padres, sitting out Saturday and Sunday because of issues with his right leg and calf.

Girardi said that the hope is for Jeter to return to the Yankees' lineup  Monday in Chicago when the team opens up a three game series against the White Sox at US Cellular Field.

* David Phelps was scratched from his scheduled rehab with the Double-A Trenton Thunder Sunday night because of soreness in his right elbow, according to Trenton manager Tony Franklin.

"Just a little soreness, that's it. I think the proper way to go when you're sore is to be cautious with him, push him back a day or two, see how they feel the following day and go from there. No sense in running him out there," Franklin said. "There's some concern there, even when there's some soreness. Let's see how he feels tomorrow. If he feels better tomorrow, I'm sure they'll get him back in there as quickly as they possibly can."

* The New York Daily News is reporting the Major League Baseball is no longer looking to negotiate a deal with Alex Rodriguez, with sources saying the MLB is frustrated with the comments A-Rod made Friday night, basically saying that the Yankees and MLB are trying to keep him off the field.

The NYDS is reporting the MLB is getting ready to announce a 214-game suspension for A-Rod on Monday, which would equal out to sitting out for the rest of this season and all of next season.

For the full story on this situation, click here.

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Saturday Notes: Jeter and Hafner

Derek Jeter will play shortstop on Sunday:

The Captain is coming back.....again. Derek Jeter take part in simulated game on Saturday and Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters after the game that everything went well and as long as Jeter feels going Sunday morning he'll be back in the lineup, playing shortstop.

"It's obviously someone we've been waiting for for a long time," Girardi said. "We had him for one day. We won that game, so hopefully this ratio continues."

Jeter returned for one game on July 11 and went 0-for-2 with an RBI groundout before straining his right quad, forcing him back on the DL after the All-Star break. Jeter was eligible to come off the DL on Saturday.

"You can be in great shape, but playing shape's a little bit different because you're getting used to standing around, starting and stopping, so we had to do all that," Girardi said. "As of right now, he came out very well. So we'll see how he feels tomorrow."

Hafner lands on the DL with shoulder injury:

While Jeter comes back, Travis Hafner goes down. The Yankees announced after the game that they had placed Hafner on the DL with a rotator cuff strain.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before the game that Hafner wouldn't play on Saturday before of soreness in his shoulder, saying that he suffered the injury during Friday night's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

"He has not complained of his shoulder, he has not been getting treatment really on his shoulder," Girardi said. "So I don't know if it was one swing yesterday or what, but it leads me to believe it was one swing."

Hafner has been struggling badly for the past couple of months,  batting .318 with six home runs April, but his average has dropped to .205, his OPS to .684 and he's launched just six more home runs in nearly three months.

"I suspect that it's beating him up and that's probably working against him right now that he's not playing as well as he's capable of playing, but we still have confidence," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "I know that every time he comes to the plate he's capable of a lot.

"We still believe in him," Cashman said, "but we're going to run whoever's the best option for that day unless we come up with better options."

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Struggling Bats Look To Pick It Up With Hughes On The Mound

ARLINGTON -- Right now, the Yankees offense is running on flat tires. After a 3-0 loss last night, in which the Yanks managed only three hits, all singles, the Yanks desperately need to get something going if they plan on turning this ship around.

When asked after the game, Derek Jeter gave his opinions on the concerns he has with the current state of the Yankees.

"It's tough," Jeter said. "We put way too much pressure on our pitching staff. It's hard to pitch like that when we aren't scoring runs for them. You feel as though you've got to be perfect. I'm not a pitcher, but I can only assume.

"I've been in situations where you feel like you've got to score 10 runs. It puts a lot of pressure on your offense. Right now, there's too much pressure on our pitching staff. We've got to find a way to score runs. That's the bottom line. There's no way to sugarcoat it. We just haven't been very good lately."

Tonight's Lineup, 8:05 EST @ Arlington Ballpark:

Gardner 8
Suzuki 9
Cano 4
Overbay 3
Wells DH
Nunez 6
Lillibridge 5
Mesa 7
Romine 2
Hughes 1

Pitching Preview:

Ivan Nova gave the Yankees seven innings of three-run ball Monday night, but came away with the loss after his offensive support gave him only two hits. Now it's up to Phil Hughes to continue the good pitching, trying to give the Yanks the best chance to win.

Hughes has been the topic of many trade discussions this season as he's been having a very up and down year, but he has been pitching much better lately. Over his last four starts, he's dropped his ERA from 5.09 to 4.57.

"For him, similar to CC [Sabathia], it's location of his fastball," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "At times he threw the ball very well, and at times he struggled."

He'll be making his first since the all-star break, coming off an outing against the Minnesota Twins on July 13th when he allowed four runs on five hits, while striking out a season-high 10 batters.

Hughes started his streak of good outings when he faced the Rangers on June 27th at Yankee Stadium, holding Texas to just two runs on five hits over eight innings of work.

Alexi Ogando will try to follow up Yu Darvish's solid performance, taking the mound for the first time since June 5th, after he was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.

"He's good to go -- he hasn't had any issues with his shoulder," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's done everything he needs to do to get ready. We expect him to keep us in the ballgame."

Ogando posted an 0-1 record and a 6.23 ERA over three rehab starts, but fared well in his last outing, allowing just two runs on three hits over seven innings on Thursday.

Ogando was 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA before going on the DL, and the Rangers manager said that he'll have no restrictions on his right-hander.

"He's ready to throw over 100 pitches," Washington said. "The bats of the New York Yankees will tell us how far he can go. If my ears start to hurt, I'll go get him. If I don't hear the loud sounds of their bats, we'll keep him out there."

Yankee Notes:

* As reported all throughout the morning, the Yankees have been in talks with the Chicago Cubs to acquire former-Yankee Alfonso Soriano. But many close to the Cubs, including GM Jed Hoyer, there is no deal in the works and Hoyer said that these reports are "premature".

* After Ryan Braun was handed down a season-ending suspension on Monday, many believe that Alex Rodriguez could be the next big name taken down by Major League Baseball.

Braun cut a deal with MLB to serve his suspension through the rest of the season and Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com has reported that A-Rod might also be trying to cut a deal.

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Nova And Darvish Square Off In Series Opener

ARLINGTON -- Coming off a loss to the Red Sox that went into the early Monday morning hours, the get a middle of the night flight to Texas to face to slumping Rangers. After being swept by Baltimore over the weekend, Texas is now on a season-high five game losing streak and have lost seven of the past eight games.

The Yankees haven't been playing very on their part lately, either. They've lost seven of their last 11 games and lost two of three games to the Red Sox over the weekend, falling back to seven games behind Boston in the AL East.

Now the the Tampa Bay Rays, the hottest team in baseball, playing the Red Sox, the Yankees will need to take advantage of every opportunity to gain ground on the Sox without falling farther out of contention.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Arlington Ballpark:


Gardner CF
Ichiro RF
Cano 2B
Overbay 1B
Wells LF
Hafner DH
Nunez SS
Stewart C
Cruz 3B
Nova P

Pitching Preview:

Of all the Yankee starters, Ivan Nova has probably been the most solid starters over his last few outings, allowing just three run on eight hits over two July outings prior to the break, winning both games while pitching at least eight innings in each.

Though while Nova has been pitching very well lately, he's never really had success in his career against the Rangers. He has a 5.09 ERA in four starts against them, and he gave up four runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings in his last start against Texas on August 16th, 2012.

Texas will send their second-year ace, Yu Darvish, to the mound to face the struggling Yankees' bats in the series opener. Darvish hasn't started since giving up a season-high five runs to the Astros, and he's been on the DL with a strain in his right trapezius muscle since.

"I think [the break] was good for me," Darvish said. "I was able to rest and do everything I had to do."

Darvish is 8-3 with a 3.02 ERA and 157 strikeouts, but has struggled over his last nine starts, going 1-3 with a 3.07 ERA. He's face New York once already this season, taking the no-decision after giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings back on June 25th.

Yankee Notes:

* Robinson Cano comes into play riding a 12-game hit streak and is a career .342 hitter in Texas and is 3-for-6 in his career against Yu Darvish.

* Prior to Sunday night's game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Derek Jeter had not began running and wasn't entirely sure that Jeter will be ready to play once he becomes eligible to come off the DL on Saturday.

"I guess anything is possible," Girardi said. "I'm just not sure. I think the biggest hurdle he would have to clear is running. I wouldn't rule it out, but I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent sure he'll be back [on Saturday]."

* Curtis Granderson has started taking batting practice and should participate in simulated games shortly, according to Girardi.

* Girardi also said that David Phelps threw a bullpen session on Saturday as he aims to rejoin the Yankees' starting rotation soon. Phelps is currently on the 15-Day DL with a strain in his right forearm.

"He said he felt better than his last bullpen," Girardi said of Phelps. "I don't think he means so much physically, but he probably threw the ball a lot better. When you don't throw for two weeks, you're going to be a little off."

One of the biggest unknowns with Phelps with that Girardi doesn't know what his role will be once he returns. Phelps is 6-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 18 games (12 starts) this year.

"He left as a starter, and we envision him as a starter," Girardi said. "I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen, though, when he comes back. We've got to see how he feels and how he does."

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Yanks Look For Final First-Half Win

The bats were quiet on Saturday,touching home plate only once, coming in the first inning, against the Twins and Samuel Deduno. Phil Hughes struck out 10, but come out on the losing end because of a trio homeruns he allowed on the day.

Now on the final day of the first half of the 2013 season, CC Sabathia will take the mound for the Yankees as they look to claim one more victory before setting off for the all-star break.

Today's lineup, 1:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Suzuki 8
Almonte 7
Cano 4
Hafner DH
Wells 9
Overbay 3
Nunez 6
Cruz 5
Stewart 2
Sabathia 1

Pitching Preview:

The last time CC Sabathia took the mound against the Minnesota Twins, he gave up two runs on seven hit, while walking three and striking out nine over seven innings of work to earn the 200th victory of his career.

Sabathia dominated his last start, but was once again a victim of poor run support, taking the loss against the Royals after tossing the complete nine innings while allowing just three runs on seven hits.

The Twins will send out rookie Kyle Gibson to take the mound against the Yankees for the second time this season, after taking the loss on a July 4th meeting in which the Yankees won.

Gibson gave up eight runs on 11 hits and one walk in only 5 1/3 innings pitched back on Independence Day, and he holds a 1-2 record with a 7.27 ERA through first three big league starts.

Yankee Notes:

* Travis Ishikawa elected to become a free-agent in lieu of taking a trip to Triple-A to play with the Scranton/Wilkes-Berre RailRiders. Ishikawa played one game with the Yankees, going 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts against the Royals last Monday.

* When the Yankees resume play for the second half of the season, the begin road trip that starts in Boston for a three-game set on Friday. The Yankees have set their rotation for that series: Friday for Pettitte, Kuroda on Saturday and CC on Sunday.

* Alex Rodriguez will make the trip north to join the Trenton Thunder this week for a three-game series against the Reading Phillies. As for today, he'll be batting 2nd, serving as the DH for the Tampa Yankees in his 8th rehab game.

* American League All-Star Game manager Jim Leyland said that he'll be naming three replacement pitchers on Sunday, meaning that there's still a chance Hiroki Kuroda will be at Citi Field on Tuesday.

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Yanks Go For 4th Straight Win With Hughes On The Mound

It took much longer to get it done, but the Yankees walked out of Friday's game with a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Rain was an issue all night long, causing a hour and 13 minute rain delay in the 4th inning, but once play resumed, the Yankees were able to put a pair of runs on the board and held on for the win.

Today's Lineup, 1:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner CF
Suzuki RF
Cano 2B
Wells DH
Overbay 1B
Almonte LF
Cruz SS
Gonzalez 3B
Romine C
Hughes P

Pitching Preview:

Phil Hughes dealt with the weather in his last start, leaving the game after the 4th inning because of a one-hour rain delay. Manager Joe Girardi removed Hughes from the game because he didn't feel comfortable with putting him bringing him back out after the long delay.

Though his outing was cut short, he still allowed two runs in four innings to the Royals. He's already faced the Twins this season, holding them to one run on six hits over seven innings in a July 2nd meeting in Minnesota.

For the second time this season, he'll be facing off against right-hander Samuel Deduno. Deduno took the loss for the second straight outing, Monday at Tampa Bay, allowing five runs on 10 hits, while walking two over six innings.

When facing the Yankees on July 2nd, he pitched well enough to earn the victory, allowing just three runs on five hits over six innings, but the Twins bullpen couldn't hold on for him.

Yankee Notes:

* Alex Rodriguez met with MLB investigators Friday to talk about his involvement with the Miami Biogenesis clinic. He was also suppose to play a rehab game with the Single-A Tampa Yankees on Friday, but it was rained out.

* Travis Hafner is still not in the lineup after taking a ball off his foot while taking batting practice prior to Wednesday's game against the Royals. Hafner is listed as day-to-day.

* Jayson Nix will head to Tampa on Monday to begin the next phase of his rehab. It's unclear if he'll return from the DL after the All-Star break when he becomes eligible to come off.

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Kuroda Takes The Mound In Final First-Half Start

A day after the return of Derek Jeter, the Yankees will welcome the Twins into town for the second meeting against Minnesota this season. These teams faced off in the Twin Cities last week with the Yankees walking out of Target Field with a four-game sweep.

Then with the Royals in town, the Yankees dropped the first two games of the series, but rebounded to take the final two games to send the Royals off with a series tie.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner CF
Ichiro RF
Cano 2B
Wells DH
Almonte LF
Overbay 1B
Nunez SS
Cruz 3B
Stewart C

Kuroda P

Pitching Preview:

Hiroki Kuroda will make his first start of the season against the Twins on Tuesday. Kuroda gave a good outing against the Orioles on Sunday, taking the loss while giving up only three hits over seven innings.

Kuroda is 7-6 with a 2.77 ERA on the season, and is 1-1 with a 2.62 ERA in his past five outings.

Scott Diamond will take the ball for the Twins, facing the Yankees for the second time this season. He pitched the series opener with the Yankees at Target Field on July 1, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, while walking one and striking out five in 6 2/3 innings of work.

The left-hander Diamond is 5-8 this season with a 5.52 ERA for the Twins this season.

Yankee Notes:

* Brian Cashman announced that Derek Jeter has Grade-1 quad strain, keeping him out at least through the All-Star break, but not ruling out a return to the DL for the Yankees' captain.

"We'll have to give it some time and see how he responds," Cashman said.

Jeter made his season debut on Thursday against the Royals at Yankee Stadium, going 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, injuring the quad during the third at-bat. He underwent an MRI after leaving the game, with the results showing the strain.

* Alex Rodriguez will play seven innings for the Tampa Yankees, Friday night. Cashman reported that A-Rod will not return to the Yankees before July 22.

He was scheduled to meet with MLB officials today about the ongoing investigation in the Biogenesis scandal. The details of how the meeting went is unknown.

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Nova Takes The Mound Needing A Yankees Win

Once again a lack offense gave no help to the Yankees Tuesday night as they fell to the Royals for the second day in a row, extending the losing streak to three games.

CC Sabathia did all he could, pitching a complete game while giving up just three runs on seven hits, taking the loss. The Yankees loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but came away with only one run.

"It's frustrating; a loss is a loss," Sabathia said. "It doesn't matter how many innings you throw or how many runs you give up, if you lose the game, you lose the game. That's all that really matters."

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:


Gardner CF
Ichiro RF
Cano 2B
Hafner DH
Almonte LF
Overbay 1B
Nunez SS
Cruz 3B
Stewart C
Nova P

Pitching Preview:

Ivan Nova takes the mound for the Yankees after tossing a masterful outing last Friday. Since his last call-up in June, Nova has been nothing but solid for the Yankees, pitching to a 1-1 record with a 2.95 ERA in his past three outings.

"It changed my whole mind," Nova said about his last outing. "[Knowing] I'm pitching Wednesday, that makes me build up my comfort a little bit more. It's great to have a game like that and get back on the mound."

Nova has been much better than what he was before landing on the DL in last April, eventually being placed in Triple-A. Prior to his injury, he was 2-1 with a 5.16 ERA.

"The first time I get to the Yankees, to spring training, I knew there was going to be a fight. That's what I've been doing," Nova said. "There are ups and downs, I'm not perfect. When you're down you have to find a way to get back on track, and I think I'm doing that right now."

He'll be squaring off against another former AL East opponent in Wade Davis, who's coming a good start against the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight over seven innings.

Going in the Yankees favor, Davis' ERA on the road this season is 6.81, compared to 4.44 at home, while his ERA during night games is also much higher, at 6.19.

Yankee Notes:

* A-Rod played in his 6th rehab on Wednesday, playing with the Single-A Tampa Yankees. He went 1-for-3 with a single and an RBI, his second hit during this rehab stint.

* David Robertson is still in second place in the American League Final Vote, trailing Steve Delabar of the Toronto Blue Jays. There's still plenty of time to vote, with voting ending Thursday at 4pm EST. Robertson also wanted to remind everybody that from 10am to 4pm, if you use the hashtag #HighSocksForVote, every tweet including the hashtag will count as one vote for Robertson.

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Sabathia Takes The Mound Following Milestone Win

Several factors lead to the Yankees losing to the Royals, 5-1, in the series opener Monday night. An hour long rain delay forced the Yankees to pull starter Phil Hughes from the game after only four innings. And failing to score with the bases loaded with nobody out in the 9th out the icing on the cake for Kansas City.

Now on a two-game losing streak after their six-game winning streak was snapped on Sunday, the Yankees will try to rebound in the second game of this four game set.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner 8
Ichiro 9
Cano
Hafner DH
Almonte 7
Overbay 3
Nunez 6
Cruz 5
Stewart 2
Sabathia 1

Pitching Preview:

CC Sabathia passed a major milestone in his last start, notching career win win No. 200 against the Minnesota Twins last Wednesday. He held the Twins to two runs over seven innings while striking out nine while throwing a season-high 121 pitches.

"He's been huge," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You think about all the wins that he's had, and I'm glad to get that out of the way for him. I don't like milestones. Players are going to think about it, and people are going to ask him about it. For CC, I think it's great. He's been huge for this organization."

CC did not face the Royals when the Yankees went to Kansas City in May, but he is 18-10 with a 3.26 ERA against them in his career.

He'll be going up against a former AL East foe, James Shields, who hasn't been pitching very well lately, with only one win and two no-decisions over his last three starts, while piling up a 6.48 ERA over that span.

Shields isn't coming off a great outing against the Indians, allowing five runs on nine hits while walking two and striking out three over 5 1/3 innings, which included a 34-pitch first inning.

"In the beginning of the game I was just missing my fastball," Shields said. "I kind of settled in, but it was about 80 pitches later. I've got to do a better job early in the game of getting ahead of batters."

Yankee Notes:

* Travis Ishikawa started at first base yesterday, but was replaced by Lyle Overbay in the 7th inning, who went 1-for-1 with a walk and a pinch-hit solo homerun in the 7th. His homerun would be the only run that the Yankees would score on Monday.

* Phil Hughes' night was cut short after throwing only 62 pitches in four innings when a one hour rain delay caused the manager Joe Girardi to put Adam Warren on the mound once play resumed.

"I was throwing in the cages and stuff and they asked me if I was OK, and I said, 'Yeah, I'm ready to go,'" Hughes said. "I just left it in their hands. Joe told me he never wants to mess with anyone's health, so you have to respect that."

* Derek Jeter played in his third rehab game with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Berre RailRiders, going 0-for-2 with a walk, as well as reaching base on an E6.

"I feel good, there's been no issues whatsoever," Jeter said. "I had to run a lot [tonight], and everything felt good."

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Yanks Look To Start A New Streak With Hughes On The Mound

Sitting on the cusp of victory, a two-run homerun off the bat of Adam Jones, served up by baseball's greatest closer, Mariano Rivera, the Yankees lost out on a chance to not only dish out a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, but it also snapped a season-high 6-game winning streak.

The Yankee will now try their hand at starting a new winning streak with the Kansas City Royals coming to town. These two teams have already met once this season, with the Bombers coming out of KC with a three-game sweep.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:


Gardner CF
Almonte LF
Cano 2B
Hafner DH
Wells RF
Ishikawa 1B
Cruz SS
Gonzalez 3B
Romine C
Hughes P

Pitching Preview:

A couple weeks ago, Phil Hughes was on the verge of possibly losing his starting job, but he hasn't done much to hurt his reputation since then.

Hughes held the Rangers and Twins to a combined three runs on 11 hits in 15 innings. Facing the Twins last Tuesday, Hughes allowed only run on six hits over seven innings in the Yankees 7-3 win.

"They had a lot of lefties in the lineup, and I felt like I was able to get my fastball inside to those guys, for the most part," Hughes said. "I made a few critical pitches when I had to to get out of some jams, the offense did their job, and it was a good win."

Hughes has also faced the Royals once already this season, back on May 10th. He allowed six runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, picking up the victory.

Jeremy Guthrie takes the mound for the Royals, looking for his first win since June 10th against the Detroit Tigers. Guthrie began the season off on the right foot, going 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA in April, but has hasn't been as good since then, going 4-6.

Guthrie's last start came against the Indians in which he held them scoreless through the first five innings before giving up a couple hits in the sixth, eventually followed by an inside-the-park home run when left fielder Alex Gordon crashed into the left-field wall.

Yankee Notes:

* Derek Jeter played in his second game for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Berre RailRiders on Sunday, reaching base three times, including a single a single to left field.

"It's good [to get a hit], better to get a hit than get an out," Jeter about his first rehab hit. "As long as I'm seeing the ball good, I'm fine. The results at this particular point I don't think is the No. 1 priority."

Jeter batted leadoff for the RailRiders, serving as the team's designated hitter a day after playing five innings at shortstop. Jeter drew a walk in his first at-bat, then collected his lone hit in his second trip to the plate. After striking out in his third at-bat, Jeter worked another walk in the seventh in his final plate appearance.

Reaching base three times, Jeter got a chance to work out his recovering ankle and said he wasn't at all worried about running the bases and testing his ankle.

"I'm not concerned with that," Jeter said at his postgame news conference. "I've done a lot of that down in Florida. It's good to get back into a game, but I don't have a checklist."

Jeter will be back in the field at shortstop on Monday night for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's hoping to get some more chances after only one play on Saturday; a grounder hit directly at him, nothing that made him run to the side.

* Travis Ishikawa was claimed off of waivers from the Orioles yesterday, he'll be starting at first base for the Yankees in his first game. Ishikawa will be the 25th position players used by the Yankees this year. David Adams is no longer on the 25-man roster, yet nothing has been officially announced.

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Nunez Back In the Lineup For Matinee Match

The Yankees came home winners last night in the biggest of way, with a walk-off single by Vernon Wells with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, not only giving the Yankees their 5th straight victory, but given Ivan Nova a huge win after a dominating nine inning performance.

After failing to score with the bases loaded and only one out in the 5th inning, the Yankees were presented with the exact same opportunity in the 9th, and this time, didn't fail to execute, sengin the home fans home happy.

Today's Lineup, 1:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner CF
Ichiro RF
Cano 2B
Hafner DH
Almonte LF
Overbay 1B
Cruz 3B
Nunez SS
Stewart C

Pettitte P

Pitching Preview:

Andy Pettitte will have a tough job ahead of him, trying to follow up Nova's dominating performance on Friday night, while also trying to right the ship, going 0-3 with a 5.84 ERA in his last four starts.

Pettitte's last start came on Tuesday against the Twins in Minnesota. He was removed from the game in the 6th inning after giving up a go-ahead homerun. He allowed four runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out two.

His second strikeout of the game was the big one that moved him past Whitey Ford to become the leader in strikeouts in Yankees history.

Chris Tillman is going for his 7th straight win, after going 6-0 in the month of June.

Only a handful of Yankees have faced Tillman in his career, including Robinson Cano, who's 9-for-18 with one homerun and six RBI's against Tillman, and Lyle Overbay is batting .375 with a pair of homeruns against the Baltimore right-hander.

Yankee Notes:

* Eduardo Nunez is back in the Yankees lineup, returning to action after missing the last 56 games with a left oblique strain. The Yankees have certainly been missing his bat in the lineup and will get him back batting 8th and playing shortstop today.

"The one thing that Nunez hasn't had is he hasn't played a bunch of games in a row," Girardi said. "Don't be surprised if I give him a day off here and there the next week or so, just because he's not probably equipped to play the next nine days in a row. He's probably not that type of shape yet and I'll have to be smart about it."

* David Phelps has been placed in the DL with a "slight forearm strain" and will be shut down for at least 10 days before throwing again. Him moving to the DL is what cleared up space for Nunez on the roster.

"We just felt it was in our best interest," Girardi said. "There was discussion of him just skipping him a start. Instead, just putting him on the DL, seeing that we have the All-Star break on our side. Making sure that he's healthy."

Phelps pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-run ball on Thursday against the Twins, and said he was a little sore but the pain was higher up on his arm. He underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed the strain.

* Hiroki Kuroda threw a bullpen session on Friday and felt good enough that the Yankees will slot him back into the rotation to pitch against the Orioles on Sunday. Phil Hughes will now pitch on Monday, Sabathia will start on Tuesday, and Nova will pitch in Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals.

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Yankees Go For An Independence Day Sweep

CC Sabathia put in his usual grinding, workhorse effort last night against the Twins, giving up two runs over seven innings en route to the 200th victory of his career.

Robbie Cano continued to tear the cover off of the ball, collecting a pair of hits including a game-tying two-run double in the in the 6th inning, when Twins manager Ron Gardenhire decided to pitch to the streaking slugger with first base open.

Independence Day lineup, 2:10 EST @ Target Field:

Ichiro 8
Almonte 7
Cano 4
Hafner DH
Wells 9
Overbay 3
Cruz 6
Gonzalez 5
Romine 2
Phelps 1

Pitching Preview:

David Phelps would really like to forget his last outing in which he couldn't make it past the 3rd innings, allowing nine earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Orioles last Saturday.

"Regardless of what point in the game you come out, if you give up nine runs, it's going to be agonizing," Phelps said of his performance vs. Baltimore. "Knowing you went out and didn't really give the team a chance to win is probably the worst part of it."

Other than that one start, Phelps had put together a pretty good month of June, going 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA in his four other outings. In three career starts against AL Central opponents, Phelps is 1-2 with a 1.62 ERA.

Minnesota will try to salvage the final game of the series when they send out rookie starter Kyle Gibson, who will be making only second big league start. Gibson made his Major League debut on Saturday against the Royals, allowing two runs on eight hits in six innings while striking out five.

"I thought he handled it well," Twins manager Terry Ryan said. "A lot of attention. Certainly, expectations were high. He handled the pace well. He threw strikes, kept the game moving and, most important, we won that baseball game. We're not looking for moral victories. We want to win the game."

Yankee Notes:

* Alex Rodriguez played in his second rehab game last night for the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs, going 0-for-2 with a pair of groundouts. and didn't get anything hit his way at third base.

 A-Rod swung at the first pitch of his first at-bat and hit a high chopper to the first baseman, who fielded the ball and toss it to the pitcher covering first to retire Rodriguez.

In his second at-bat, he fell behind in the count, 1-2, then on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, he grounded out to the second baseman to end the inning and his night.

"It was nice to make contact, and it's a work in progress," he said. "If I can save all of my hits until New York, I am fine with that."

A-Rod will now spend Thursday working out in Charleston, then is heading back to Florida on Friday to join the Single-A Tampa Yankees on their current road trip in Lakeland, Florida. He'll play with Tampa on Friday and Saturday, then will take Sunday off. After that, the Yankees will plan his next move.

* Eduardo Nunez was also with A-Rod in Charleston to rehab as well, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored on Wednesday and was 2-for-3 on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 in his two games for the RiverDogs.

Nunez will join the Double-A Trenton Thunder tonight for the next stage of his rehab. Yesterday, he told reporters that he hopes to return the the big league Yankees before the All-Star Break.

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Sabathia Aims To A Capture Series Win

With 17 runs in the first two games of the series, the Yankees will look to continue their offensive tear in Minnesota when they aim to capture their first series win since early May against the Seattle Mariners.

Robinson Cano continued his hot hitting last night with a three-run homerun in the 7th, his 4th homerun in three games. Alberto Gonzalez also had himself a good night, collecting a pair of hits and three RBI's in the Yankees 7-3 win. Cano is 5-for-8 against Minnesota with three home runs, six RBIs and five runs through the first two games, and is batting .571 on the current road trip.

"You know how much damage he can do, and he can get really, really hot," manager Joe Girardi said. "You look at the last four or five days, he's swung the bat really well. You want that really hot streak to go a long time. It's comforting."

Phil Hughes turned in his second straight solid outing, tossing seven innings of one run ball, permitting six hits, walking two and striking out three on 114 pitches.

Tonight's Lineup, 8:10 EST @ Target Field:

Gardner 8
Suzuki 9
Cano 4
Hafner DH
Almonte 7
Overbay 3
Stewart 2
Cruz 6
Adams 5
Sabathia 1

Pitching Preview:

CC Sabathia will try to follow up Hughes' win worthy outing, while also trying to rebound from a disappointing loss against the Baltimore Orioles last Friday night. He took a no-hitter into the 6th innings, but blew a 3-0 lead in the 6th inning, an eventually gave up a go-ahead homerun to Nate McLouth in the 7th.

"I feel like I'm wasting starts," Sabathia said after the loss in Baltimore. "I'm feeling great and throwing the ball good. I've just not been able to put together a whole start. It's just frustrating."

He'll also be looking to flip the page on June after having a fairly rough month, giving up at least four or more runs in four of his five starts, tallying up a 5.11 ERA for the month.

Minnesota will try to save the series with their right-hander P.J. Walters. Walters has given up six runs in each of his past two starts, and couldn't make it past two outs in the first inning in a loss to Cleveland on June 22nd and three only went innings in a loss to the Royals on Friday.

"That's two in a row where I hadn't done my job," Walters said on Friday. "Falling behind, obviously, last week it was walking guys, today it was falling behind and giving up hits. Either way it was two bad ones in a row. I've got to come back and straighten some things out."

Yankee notes:

* Jayson Nix missed yesterday's with a sore hamstring that the Yankees considered a day-to-day thing, but MRI results came back today showing that the back-up to Jeter's back-up is suffering with a Grade 2 strain in his right hamstring, forcing the utility man to the 15-Day DL.

* With Nix going to the DL, the Yankee went out and signed free-agent infielder Luis Cruz to a minor-league deal. Cruz his .127 with one homerun and six RBI's in 45 games with the Dodgers before electing free-agency on Tuesday. He'll be batting 8th and playing shortstop in his first game as a Yankee.

* Sabathia will be taking another shot at earning the 200th victory in his career. He'd be the 4th active pitcher with 200+ wins (Pettitte, Halladay, Hudson). The last to do so was Tim Hudson earlier this year.

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Yanks look to break the skid in Minnesota.

Unable to leave Baltimore with as little as one win, the Yankees will take their cold bats to The Twin Cities in Minnesota for a four game set against the Twins. The Yankees are coming in on a five-game losing streak, entering play at 6 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.

"We're definitely in striking distance," said manager Joe Girardi. "We're in the middle of our division right now. You'd like to be better, but it's not the case. It should be a very interesting second half."

Tonight's lineup, 8:05 ET @ Target Field:

Gardner CF
Nix SS
Cano 2B
Wells RF
Hafner DH
Almonte LF
Overbay 1B
Stewart C
Adams 3B

Pettitte P

Pitching Preview:

Andy Pettitte will look to be the man that solves as the Yankees problems while trying to fix some things of his own. Pettitte has been very great since returning from a strained trapezius in early June, going 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA over his last five starts.

Pettitte began the season 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in his first three starts, but has since struggled to go 2-6 with a 5.06 ERA.

"He had the real good first month," manager Joe Girardi said. "Then he kind of went through some starts where he didn't feel like he had all his weapons. I think he has had them all now. One inning, here or there, has cost him."

Minnesota will counter with a lefty of their own when they send out Scott Diamond, who's 1-3 over his last fours starts. He last started against the Marlins on Wednesday, working efficiently through four innings, giving up only two hits, before falling apart in the fifth, when he gave up three runs on five hits, including a home run.

Yankee notes:

*The Yankees annnounced today that Alex Rodriguez has finally been cleared to play in Minor League rehab games and will join the Single-A Charleston Riverdogs on Tuesday.

Rodriguez will play a minimum of three innings at third base for the Riverdogs, starting his 2-day rehab clock. If he plays out the full 20 days, he could return on July 22nd when the Yankees are in Texas. If A-Rod comes joins the Yankees a few days early, he could meet the in Boston.

A-Rod released this statement earlier today: "Had another good workout today and feel great and I'm excited to get back on the field tomorrow."

*Andy Pettitte is looking to change the record books tonight, needing only one strikeout to pass Whitey Ford to becomes the teams all-time leader in strikeouts, passing the current record of 1,975.

If you're looking for something to read before the game, you can check out this piece from ESPN New York about the history of Pettitte's punch-outs.

Enjoy the game, and don't forget to follow @GavinEwbank2013 on Twitter.

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