Ivan Nova

After taking two of three from Baltimore, the Yankees' 10-game home stand continues with a four-game set against Kansas City.  Here is a series preview:

The Birds and Yanks will play three at Yankee Stadium after playing the same amount last weekend at Camden Yards, a series Baltimore swept.  What will happen in this one?  Here is a series preview.

We get it by now.  The once-heralded phenom Phil Hughes is what he is at this point.  Nothing more than a 4 or 5 in a Yankee pitching rotation or 3 or 4 elsewhere (National League probably) who never fully reached his full potential in New York and is more up and down than a Northeast roller coaster during the Summer time.

The Yankees have woes in the pitching rotation and one issue in the bullpen, to say the least.  Ivan Nova is in the minors trying to figure things out.  Joba Chamberlain is a mess and Phil Hughes, it seems, will never figure things out...

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said all along that he wanted 12 pitchers when Andy Pettitte came back (the veteran will return against Cleveland on Monday, June 3).  The other issue was the return of Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira.

Tim Lincecum.  Remember him?  He won two CY Young awards back-to-back in 2008 and 2009 at age 24 and 25.  Now he can barely stay in the Giants' rotation.  Phil Hughes?  Bust at age 28.  Ivan Nova won 16 games in 2011 and hasn't been heard from since.  Ricky Romero was supposed to be the ace of the Blue Jays in 2009 and beyond.  Injuries and confidence have caused him to be a below average pitcher.

Back in 2010, the Yankees failed to get Cliff Lee because minor league infielder David Adams didn't pass a physical due to a bum ankle and so the trade never happened with Seattle and Lee went to Texas instead and helped the Rangers win the pennant.  Lee, at that time, was the surest pitcher in baseball.  He isn't that now, at the age of 34, but the Yankees should still go get him.

In the Yankees 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays, injuries once again stole the headlines, further stressing Joe Girardi’s already depleted roster.

The Yanks come off a series loss in Tampa where they could have easily been swept if not for 8th and 9th inning rallies in game two.  Toronto comes off a tough series loss at Camden Yards to the Orioles but were able to salvage a game three win 6-5 after losing two one -run games.  Now the Bronx hosts these clubs for four.  Here is a series preview.

The new-look and struggling Blue Jays welcome the Yankees to Toronto for a three-game set.  New York comes in having won two of three from Arizona at Yankee Stadium.  Toronto recently lost two of three at home to the White Sox.  Here is a look at the coming weekend North of the border in a short series preview.

Interleague play has turned into an unbalanced schedule of interleague play and it has never before been this early.  Early as in Opening Day for the Angels and Reds.  Early as in NOW for the New York Yankees.  The Diamondbacks invade the Bronx in a re-match of the 2001 World Series...

As I predicted (once in a while a blind squirrel finds a nut), the Yankees took two of three from rival Baltimore in a big series considering that Andy Pettitte's start was pushed back due to back spasms.  Here is how New York did it.