However, he also said that he prefers the Yanks over the Mets.

I think getting Fuentes would bolster the bullpen by a considerable amount. Don't forget that Fuentes was a 3-time all star. I don't think Brian Cashman (the GM) should give up too much for him, though, because we already have somebody named Mariano Rivera. Fuentes could be used as a set-up man for Mo. The presence of Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth inning is indeed disturbing. Plus, LaTroy Hawkins' disappointing season surely adds up to acquiring Fuentes.

A package of Justin Christian and a few minor leaguers should do it. Don't forget we still have Sean Henn, Chase Wright and Kei Igawa to offer as pieces to the package. This move isn't necessary, but Fuentes, as stated above, would like to come and we would give him a warm welcome if he does.

Cubs 12, Padres 3 (W) SP: Zambrano

Piniella: We've been swinging the bats very well at home. When you do that, it makes it much easier on your pitching.

Add Randy Wolf and Sean Henn to the list of pitchers the Cubs have beaten up on this year. Wolf gave up 7 ER on 8 hits with 5 walks in 4.0 innings. Henn, brought in in relief, was hardly any better serving up 5 ER on 3 hits with 3 walks in 1.2 innings. Yikes. The Cubs continue to be the masters of the big inning in 2008 adding two more 5+ run innings tonight putting their total at a major league leading 13. (The team with the second most is the Rays with 8.)

And here is the query of the day: in hopes that a certain ex-Cardinal is not coming to play CF at Wrigley after being cut by the team with the worst record in baseball because they thought he couldn't play and/or is an asshole.

TV Station: MY9

YANKEES
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui LF
Duncan 1B
Giambi DH
Betemit 3B
Cano 2B
Moeller C
Igawa LHP

Notes: Chris Britton has been sent down to make room for Kei Igawa who is making the start tonight. Hopefully it will be a good one.....Former Yankee Kenny Rodgers will be getting the start for the Tigers..........Kyle Farnswroth's 3 game suspension has been reduced to 1 game after the appeal which he will sit out tonight......Lefty Sean Henn has been picked up by the Padres after being DFA'd by the Yankees.

 Update, 7:35P.M.: Congrats to Kenny Rogers, breaking the all time record for most pick offs in a career with 92.

 Unfortunate Update, 10:13p.m.: Why do we have to wait until the the last inning to start scoring runs?? My heart was beating fast and I was pumped, but we came up short..... Kei Igawa clearly can't pitch at the big league level.

Final Score: 6 - 5 Tigers

Pitching Matchup: TRE George Kontos (0-1, 3.00) vs. ALT Derek Hankins (0-0, 0.00)

Starting Lineups:

Trenton (4-2) (4-2 road record, 2-0 vs. Altoona)

1 - Reegie Corona, SS
2 - Austin Jackson, CF
3 - Jose Tabata, RF
4 - Colin Curtis, LF
5 - Matt Carson, DH
6 - Cody Ehlers, 1B
7 - Joe Muich, C
8 - Marcos Vechionacci, 3B
9 - Chris Malec, 2B

Altoona (1-5) (1-5 home record, 0-2 vs. Thunder)

1 - Boone
2 - Webster
3 - Pacheco
4 - Corley
5 - Delaney
6 - Bowers
7 - Cruz
8 - Perez
9 - Finegan

Farm Fresh: Our apparently now daily look at what's going on elsewhere in the system...

(AAA) Scranton - While it hasn't worked out for either highly touted pitcher at the big league level just yet, Homer Bailey vs. Kei Igawa is one hell of a matchup at the Triple-A level.  Accordingly, it was a 1-0 game.

But Scranton came out on the short end of the stick, losing on a first inning RBI double by super-prospect Jay Bruce.  Never trust a guy with two first names, kids.

Oddly, Chad Moeller may go from an 0-for-3 night with 3 K's to the big leagues today.  Jorge Posada came out of the game last night with a shoulder issue.  Somewhere, Francisco Cervelli is throwing darts at a picture of Elliot Johnson.

Chris Britton, Jon Albaladejo and Edwar Ramirez combined for five innings of two-hit relief with four strikeouts.

(A) Tampa - The T-Yanks squeaked out a 1-0 win over Dunedin.  Eric Hacker is the truth, ladies and gentlemen.  Check this line out...

7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

The game was scoreless through nine after a rehabbing Sean Henn blew the perfect game, but Edwar Gonzalez drove in Chris Kunda in the bottom of the 10th for the W.

Seems like the choice is pretty obvious if the Thunder should need a starter early in the year...

(A) Charleston - It was a good night for River Dogs fans last night.  Seven runs, 16 hits and another W out of Dellin Betances added up to a 7-3 win over the Savannah Sand Gnats.

Betances clearly had some control issues, walking six batters in 5.1 innings of work.  But he also struck out eight, and allowed only two runs on two hits.

Every starter had at least one hit except for Taylor Holiday.  Brad Suttle is now hitting .500 after a 3-for-5 night, while Jesus Montero connected for his first A-Ball home run.

A lot of the offense came off of Mike Antonini, the Mets farmhand who was lights out in his debut a few days ago -- allowing no hits in six innings -- and the subject of a recent MILB.com piece.

Pre-Game Notes: Doubting anyone minds the 4:05 start on a getaway day.

Tim Lavigne, who appeared in 25 games for the Thunder, was recently released by the Baltimore Orioles organization.  Lavigne, who probably started hating his name right around the time a certain Canadian popstar became popular (see: Evan Longoria and Eva) was 0-2 with a 4.93 ERA for Trenton. 

In other moves, Dave Parrish was let go by the Rockies, and Colter Bean was axed by the Braves.  Aaron Rifkin was cut loose by the Marlins, and Gabe Lopez got canned by the Padres.

It is Kontos on the mound.  Incredible they'd let him go on three days rest, regardless of how many pitches he threw.  Phil Hughes could have thrown one pitch on April 5th, and trust me...he would not be pitching today.

Anyway, the pitching matchups have been set for the Harrisburg series.  Incredibly, it looks like Bobby Brownlie will not be pitching for the Senators.  Instead, he's pitching tonight.  If a stray storm cloud wanted to stay over there for a while so the greedy reporter could get to see Brownlie tomorrow, that would be OK.

4/10: TRE Daniel McCutchen (1-0, 0.00) vs. HAR Shairon Martis (0-0, 9.00)
4/11: TRE Phil Coke (0-0, 6.75) vs. HAR Josh Hall (0-1, 24.00)
4/12: TRE Jason Jones (1-0, 0.00) vs. HAR Marco Estrada (1-0, 5.40)
4/13: TRE Chase Wright (1-1, 2.45) vs. HAR Imsael Ramirez (0-1, 6.75)

Chad Jennings is reporting that Alberto Gonzalez has been called up to New York, and Jason Brown has been activated for Scranton to take his place.  I suppose it's worth noting that Ramiro Pena isn't in today's lineup.

Radio Links: Click here for the links to each team's broadcast.

Live Box Score: The MILB.com direct link is here.

Around the Eastern League: For scores from around the EL, go here.

In-Game Updates: After A-Jax singled and Tabata singled him over to third, Colin Curtis hit a sac fly to put the Thunder up 1-0 in the first.  That's where we stand in the bottom of the 2nd.

The Thunder are trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd.  Gee, it was hard to predict Kontos might run into trouble on short rest.  Anyway, Miguel Perez drove in two runs with a single in the bottom of the 2nd to give Altoona the lead.

Trenton then proceeded to waste a leadoff triple by Chris Malec, and the game remains 2-1.

Same score in the bottom of the 4th.  Matt Carson is now hitless in his last nine at-bats.

2-1, bottom 5.  Trenton has left seven men on base through the first five innings.  Nice game out of Austin Jackson so far, he's 2-for-3 with a run scored.

The Curve got another run off of Kontos in the 6th, and it's now 3-1.

Kontos is out, Zach Kroenke is in.  Kontos line: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.

Gotta give Kontos some credit for hanging in there today.  Looking forward to chatting with him and maybe Scott Aldred tomorrow about this whole deal...

Kroenke pitched a perfect seventh, striking out two, and it's 3-1 going into the 8th.

Hey, hey!  It's tied 3-3 in Altoona after a two-run single from Reegie Corona.  Eric Wordekemper now in for the Thunder.

Three up, three down for the Thunder in the top of the 9th.  Altoona goes into the bottom of the frame with a chance for a walk-off win.

Wordekemper gave up two singles to start the ninth and was replaced by Josh Schmidt.  Harrisburg brought in Melvin Dorta to pinch-run for Brad Corley, who got the first of the two hits and was standing at second.

Nothing against Schmidt, who has been one of the Thunder's better bullpen guys so far, but Steven Jackson being unavailable (most likely) after throwing three innings couldn't have been comforting to Tony Franklin. 
Schmidt got two outs, but couldn't get the third.  Miguel Perez singled home Jason Delaney for the walk-off win.  Had a feeling it would end that way.

Final Score: 4-3, Curve.

Post-Game Notes: Wordekemper hasn't been as good as advertised, at least not yet.  He picked up the loss, and his ERA sits at a hearty 10.12 at the moment.

Matt Carson is now hitless in his last 12 at-bats.  Looks like that hot start has turned into a mini-slump.

Joe Muich threw out one of two attempted basestealers.

Jackson, Tabata, Curtis and Malec each had two hits.  Vechionacci's 5-game hitting streak is over.

Thunder Thoughts: With the Thunder coming home tomorrow, please don't forget that I'll be back at the ballpark as well...I intend on covering the games on Thursday, Friday (unless I get Rangers-Devils tickets...in which case, you guys are on your own), Saturday and Sunday.  After that, I will likely go either Monday or Tuesday, but not both due to an Atlantic League commitment. 

If you have any specific things you want answered by any of the guys, or questions for myself, please pass them along in the comments or my inbox and I'll do what I can.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Steven White, who's had an up and down past few years, got off to a bad start this spring.  In relief of Andy Pettitte, he allowed four runs on five hits and two walks in just an inning and two thirds.

Scott Patterson finished out the fourth for him and induced a groundout with a runner on.

Sean Henn rebounded from his poor outing (which didn't count in the official spring training stats, by the way) to allow just one hit in the seventh inning while striking out one.

Colin Curtis replaced Bobby Abreu in right field and went 1-for-2 with a strikeout.

Juan Miranda replaced the prolific Jason Giambi at first base and was 0-for-1.

Robinson Cano started the game at second base and was 1-for-3 with a strikeout.

Alberto Gonzalez was 1-for-1 with an RBI after replacing Cano.

Melky Cabrera was the starting center fielder and went 0-for-1 with a walk and an RBI.

Justin Christian replaced him and went 0-for-1.

The game ended in a 7-7 tie.

--

Note: Justin Christian, and not Alberto Gonzalez, appears to have had the game-tying RBI in this game.  The official boxscore would then be incorrect.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Jeff Karstens, Scott Patterson, Steven Jackson and Edwar Ramirez pitched for "Team Goose," while Dan McCutchen and Sean Henn laced em' up for "Team Gator."  Here are the pitching lines for pitchers from Thunder past.

Team Goose
Karstens: 2 IP,  1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Patterson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Jackson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Ramirez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Team Gator
McCutchen: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Henn: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

So most of the pitchers really stood out for good reasons.  For Sean Henn...well, I guess it's more of the same.  I wonder if he's ever recovered from getting the call straight out of Double-A.  In the Yankee clubhouse last season, Henn told me that he felt like he was ready at the time, but didn't really feel like he'd showed it.

Three years later, and there are still questions about whether he's a ready for primetime player.

Another thing that may be working against him, at least in the long term, would be the loss of Ron Guidry.  While did pitch on Guidry's team, Dave Eiland is the pitching coach now, and Henn also told me last year that he credited Guidry with helping him with "certain situations and how to attack guys and what to look for and things like that." 

• First up, Joba Chamberlain will start Friday, in the exhibition opener, against the University of South Florida. Joba and Kennedy were both seen as potential starters for the game (Hughes will also pitch), so the team tried out a truly objective  technique in order to pick the starter: a coin toss.
• Next up, Ken Davidoff has a nice read on non-roster invitee, Billy Traber. Traber's a lefty with an interesting story (they usually are) and he'll be competing with Sean Henn, Kei Igawa, Chase Wright, and others for a spot in the pen. He's a longshot, but a solid spring could definitely help his case.
• Finally, according to the AP, Humberto Sanchez who has been recovering from TJ surgery, will throw off a mound in 3 weeks. The report also states Sanchez could begin pitching in the minors by the middle of May. He could possibly return this year to fortify the bullpen down the stretch, but I think it's unlikely.

Igawa could be the lefty Joe is talking about, but you also have to wonder about the true value of a lefty reliever for the team. Is there really a point in bringing in a lefty to face David Ortiz in a big game (he has a career .839 OPS against them)? You probably want a guy who can throw to multiple batters, not just one big lefty (who will probably smoke the pitch over the bleachers). I'm not sure if that's what Girardi wants or if he wants a specialist. It seems more likely that he would like a reliever who can throw against a bunch of guys. However, the only way Joe will retain a guy like that is if he can actually be effective (earn the spot), so it's not guaranteed. Igawa could still be the guy they go to as a lefty option because he can strike some guys out, and pitch to multiple batters, especially if he keeps his walks/pitches down. Also, Igawa was a big financial investment, so I doubt they'll let him rot in the minors.

There are other options, including Sean Henn (please God no), but Chase Wright (he's a lefty) can also get a look in ST. I've already stated what I think he is capable of (as a reliever) as long as his confidence and his control is in check.

"It's not so much the velocity," Hughes said. "It's really the fact that I've felt more comfortable and I've been able to trust my body. I don't have any inklings or thoughts in the back of my head that something will flare up again. I think that's the key, to trust all my pitches and finish everything."

A healthy Hughes is a happy Hughes. He's an integral part of, not only the rotation, but the future of the organization. Here's to making that non-Santana transaction worth it. There was another pitcher that actually impressed Joe Girardi today, as well. You might actually know him. His name is Sean Henn (good GOD...).

For starters, let's take a look at their top 30 Yankees prospects from 2004 and see how they turned out...

1. Dioner Navarro, C

While I will always think that dealing Dioner Navarro was a mistake, it's also fair to say that he didn't turn out quite the way a lot of people thought he would.  Only at the last trade deadline were the Yankees able to acquire an adequate backup catcher in Jose Molina, but this is a role that Navarro easily could have filled instead.

Traded in the Randy Johnson deal, he's spent the past two seasons with the Dodgers and Devil Rays.  Since L.A. shipped him off to Tampa, his stats have steadily declined, and he hit a career low .227 in 119 games last season.

2. Eric Duncan, 3B

It's interesting that while Shelley Duncan was crushing the ball at every stop of the Yankees organization, it was Eric that was getting the recognition as a top prospect.  Now, Eric is about a year away from being considered a total bust, while it's Shelley who set the world on fire in the Bronx last year.

Frequently hampered by injuries, the Yankees first pick in 2003 struggled last season in Triple-A Scranton, hitting .241 with 11 home runs and 61 RBI.

He was left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, and went unclaimed.

3. Rudy Guillen, OF

It's really hard to believe he was the 3rd best prospect in the Yankees organization at one time.  He spent parts of two seasons in Trenton, and after hitting a paltry .173 in 21 games in Double-A in 2006, he attempted a conversion to pitcher.

Last season for the Gulf Coast League Yankees, he appeared in three games, and allowed three runs in four innings of work.

4. Joaquin Arias, SS

Arias was dealt to Texas right before the start of the 2004 season and actually reached the big leagues with Texas in 2006.  He hit .545 in six games, collecting an RBI.  He only appeared in five games last season at the minor league level, and missed the majority of the season after suffering a shoulder injury.

5. Ramon Ramirez, P

Ten years from now, if anyone remembers Ramirez at all, they'll recall that he got busted for performance enhancing drugs.  In reality, Ramirez was a pretty solid pitcher who played for the Thunder in parts of three seasons.

As has been mentioned here before, the converted outfielder was dealt in the deal that netted the Yankees future Hall of Famer Shawn Chacon.  He has appeared in 83 games for the Rockies over the past two seasons, but struggled last year after an impressive 4-3 record and 3.46 ERA in 2006.

6. Robinson Cano, 2B

Is there really anything new I can tell you about Robinson Cano?  Along with Navarro, he was one of the first true top prospects that the Thunder had under their relatively new affiliation with the Yankees.  He joined Trenton in July of 2003, and stayed there until he eventually hit his way to Triple-A in June of 2004.

He briefly returned to Trenton during his All-Star season of 2006, rehabbing an injury in three games at Waterfront Park.  Cano was very generous with his time with the media, and also with the fans, and reminded everyone why he was one of the more popular players in Thunder history.

7. Ferdin Tejeda, SS

Tejeda is the second position player in the top 10 who crapped out and tried a conversion to the mound.  He wowed Thunder fans with a .174 batting average in 30 games during the 2004 season, and lasted one more year as a middle infielder before trying his hand as a relief pitcher.

He was actually quite good last season in Charleston, going 2-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 31 games. 

8. Jorge DePaula, P

Those looking for a sign that the Yankees pitching depth has improved need look no further than DePaula being ranked as their second best pitching prospect just four years ago.  I personally liked DePaula a lot, and he was subject of the very first feature I ever did on the Thunder.

But the Yankees got very little out of him (10 games over a three year span) after he battled injuries, and he eventually went back to the Rockies organization for 2007.  A 6.41 ERA in 19 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs earned him his release.

9. Estee Harris, OF

Harris was the Yankees second round pick in the 2003 draft.  That's pretty much the extent of good moments he had under the Yankees umbrella.  He never made it out of Charleston, hitting .216 in 2005 and a mind-numbing .177 in 2006.

He eventually ended up with the Road Warriors of the independent Atlantic League last season, and spent most of the season there before being acquired by the Long Island Ducks of the same league.

10. Bronson Sardinha, 3B

No, that's not a typo.  Sardinha was a third baseman at the time, and stayed that way through the 2004 season before being converted to an outfielder in Trenton for the 2005 campaign.

He was also still pretty highly regarded as a top prospect in the organization, but his average play over the next few seasons would eventually send him down the Top 30 list.  But the Yankees still thought enough of him to protect him on their 40-man roster before the start of last season, and he somewhat imexplicably got a big league call-up despite hitting just .222 in Triple-A last year.

11. Eduardo Sierra, P

Has yet to crack the big leagues after nine seasons in the minors.  Was dealt in the Shawn Chacon trade.

12. Chien-Ming Wang, P

Quite possibly the most underrated starting pitcher in the game.  He's 38-13 in his last two seasons with the Yankees, and has emerged as a perennial Cy Young contender.  Oddly enough, the highest ERA of his minor league career came in Trenton in 2003 (4.65).

13. Scott Proctor, P

Was one of Joe Torre's most reliable relievers before being traded back to Los Angeles, where they're now re-united.

14. Danny Borrell, P

One of the game's good guys, Borrell was tantalizingly close to the big leagues before injuries essentially ended his career...or so everyone thought.  He came back last season with the Oakland Athletics organization, and went 3-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 19 games, including nine starts.

15. Matt DeSalvo, P

DeSalvo recently signed with the Braves organization after finally putting it all together and getting a chance at the big league level in the Bronx last year.

16. Hector Made, SS

A made man by name only, the undersized Dominican was traded to the Phillies in the Sal Fasano deal.  Entering his seventh season in the minors, he briefly reached Double-A last season, hitting a home run for his only hit in ten at-bats.

17. Sean Henn, P

Henn had his best chance of securing a regular spot in the Yankees bullpen last season, but essentially blew it after posting an ERA of over seven in 29 games.

18. Mark Phillips, P

Phillips returned to professional baseball for the first time since 2003 last year, appearing in seven games for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.

19. Melky Cabrera, OF

Got Melky?  The Yankees still do, despite numerous trade rumors involving the young outfielder.  Several analysts have predicted the Thunder alum will be a breakout player in 2008, but for which team?

20. Jose Garcia, P

Garcia was traded to Texas in February of 2004, and eventually found his way to the Cardinals organization.  Released midway through last season by St. Louis, he also went to Newark of the Atlantic League, where he and Phillips won a championship.

21. Jose Valdez, P

Did not pitch in the 2005 season, and appeared in only 14 in 2006.  In his first full year back, Valdez went 3-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 37 relief appearances in Tampa.

22. Michael Vento, OF

Vento appeared in two games for the Yankees in 2005 before joining the Nationals organization the following season.  The career .282 hitter in the minor leagues collected five hits in nine games with Washington before spending all of 2007 in Triple-A Syracuse with the Blue Jays.

23. J.T. Stotts, SS/2B

Stotts did not play last season.  He hit just .228 with no home runs and 21 RBI in 86 games for the Thunder in 2006, primarily being used as a utility infielder.

24. Brad Halsey, P

Halsey made his Bronx debut in 2004 after going 11-4 with a 2.63 ERA for Columbus.  He pitched in a grand total of eight games for the Yankees before being shipped west to Arizona as part of the Randy Johnson deal.  After joining Oakland in 2006, he was converted to a reliever, but appeared in just three games last season due to injury.

25. Jason Stephens, P

In five seasons of minor league baseball, has appeared in just 61 games.  The sixth rounder is 17-9 with a 2.68 ERA when he does pitch, however.

26. Jon-Mark Sprowl, C

Sprowl did not play last season, and most recently played in 2006 as a member of the Cubs organization.  He hit just .118 at the Single-A level.

27. Erick Almonte, SS

Another player who eventually went to independent baseball, Almonte was off of the affiliated map by 2006 and ended up as a member of the independent Long Island Ducks.  The man best known as Derek Jeter's temporary replacement was eventually picked up by the Detroit Tigers and played well for them at the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season.

28. Tyler Clippard, P

Clippard threw the first no-hitter in Thunder history, and made a very steady climb as a prospect in the organization.  But with a glut of starting pitching prospects -- something that was clearly not a problem when this list came out -- he was dealt this off-season to Washington for reliever Jonathan Albaladejo.

29. Ben Julianel, P

Julianel had two relatively unremarkable years in the Yankees system before joining the Marlins organization in 2006.  He reached Triple-A for the first time last season.

30. Mike Knox, P

Knox last pitched in 2005, where he had an 11.50 ERA in 14 games for Single-A Tampa.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

In the 7th inning, when the Yankees let up 4 runs to break open what was a 5-1 game, this was the line of the pitchers that inning (not including their performances in previous innings):

Edwar Ramirez 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Ron Villone 0.0 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Brian Bruney 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Sean Henn 0.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Ross Ohlendorf 0.1 IP 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K

(Courtesy of ESPN.com)

According to the FOX telecast, the Yankees threw 45 pitches in a 25 innings. Sad, isn't it, that the Yankees continue with AAAA arms like Henn and Villone. Bruney can be fixed, I think, but Sean Henn, in 33.2 IP, has allowed 43 H and 26 BB, a WHIP of 2.05. A WHIP of 1.50 isn't great, forget a WHIP that high. In August and September, in 8 G and 9.1 IP, he has allowed 21 H, 18 R (16 ER), 2 HR, 10 BB, and 9 K's. He should be DFA'ed for a better pitcher (T.J. Beam? Darrell Rasner?). However, the most telling stat is that he has thrown 214 pitches, laboring a lot through his innings.

The bright spot was Derek Jeter's homer to center, a good sign his knee is getting better. There were some flashes of rivalry, as Kevin Youkilis was hit in his wrist (day-to-day with a contusion) and Jason Giambi was hit in his elbow. Moreover, Eric Hinske totally barreled into Jorge Posada...at least he was out.

Another brightspot, though, was Ross Ohlendorf. All his 4 outs were on K's, and he should a live fastball and sinker. I think he did a nice job, sans the homer to Hinske, and he should be a good arm to come out of the bullpen.

Overall not a very good game, and they must hope Roger Clemens goes 6 innings today because the bullpen has been taxed.

Oh, and his relief fared terribly. Sean Henn probably shouldn't be on this team anymore.

The final score was 18-9.

Obviously pissed off after the game, Moose answers the question "Do you know what to do to fix this?" (this meaning his crappy performance, obviously).

Angrily, "If I knew what to do, don't you think I'd have done it? Come on, Ed!"

Whoever Ed was who asked the question probably felt like a dick. I paraphrased the above comments of course, because I watch the YES Network and didn't have a tape recorder in Mussina's face, but he was very perturbed, constantly calling his performance "awful." I have to agree, but like Moose said, the Angels offense exploded tonight. Garret Anderson had 10 RBIs, the first player to do so in one night since A-Rod blasted (who else?) the Angels' Bartolo Colon on April 16, 2005. Womp womp!

At least the Yankees offense can't be blamed. They scored 9 runs, and had the pitching just been better, well, obviously they would have had it. As it stands, the Yankees are now 2.5 games behind the seemingly unbeatable Seattle Mariners and I think 5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. I'm not even going to bother to check, because they're gonna make the playoffs. This is just a hiccup. Mark my words.

Here's some news I found noteworthy:

•  Tom Verducci over at SI.com writes that while historically catchers have declined past age 36, the Yankees will still have to reward Jorge Posada handsomely after this season due to the dearth of anyone else available that's good. Pudge has been below average the past 3 years, so Jorge is the best free agent catcher this off-season. The Yanks must feel like dopes for not signing him before he went on this tear. He's irreplaceable though, so I'm sure they'll shell out the money. In the same article, however, Verducci berates Brian Cashman for saying they won't have the money to sign A-Rod without the money that Texas is already paying. He calls it bullshit, and so do I. It's the Yankees. They overpay for everyone. Don't be ridiculous. Check it out in it's entirety here.
• Andy Pettitte speaks! Over on the team site, Andy has written something about how well the team is playing. It sounds like everything he's ever said to reporters about how well the Yankees are playing, but it's nice nonetheless.
• Newsday, The Daily News, and The New York Post are all reporting the same thing about the DH situation. Damon, Giambi, and Matsui are all taking turns and they're all being real professional about it. Still, something about Damon's comments bothers me. The guy is lying through his teeth about being okay with the situation. He'll probably demand to be traded in the off-season if he's not guaranteed regular playing time (yes, that is wild blogger speculation).
• The Post ran a story about how the Yankees scouts knew their minor league pitchers were better than the one's they had in the bigs.
• From the "Where Are They Now" files: Mike Myers has signed on with the White Sox with an option for 2008. Miguel Cairo is now in the Cardinals' minor league system and will probably get called up September 1st (source).
• Newsday's Yankees blog talks about Phil Hughes homecoming to Cali last night.
• Bob Raissman of the Daily News riffs on the YES booth, dubbing Michael Kay's cohorts "The Bland Brothers." However, he notes that the rules that Cashman has laid down regarding Joba's usage has stirred up the booth, letting Al Leiter, John Flaherty and Michael Kay engage in some heated and interesting debates about it. He hopes to see more, even if Kay is a stooge. He also makes fun of Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling and Kenny Albert from the FOX telecasts. Also stooges.
• Mark Feinsand gives the Yankees proper credit for battling back last night against the Angels in his Daily News blog.
• The collective Joba handjob (aka handJoba) continues in The New York Times today. Hey, I like the guy too, and I wish him nothing but the best, but everyone needs to keep their pants on. He's pitched amazing so far, but let's wait a couple more years before we vote him into the Hall of Fame, okay?
• Murray Chass tackles the fact that while Gagne keeps blowing games for the Red Sox, the Yankees have gotten help from within. And really, doesn't all healing come from within?

Holy cow, am I done? Hey, if I missed any news today, it probably wasn't worth reading about anyway.

More from The Daily News here.