Confident Cano Delivers

I cannot tell you how much the Yankees needed this type of win. I couldn’t help but to flash my toothy grin as soon as I saw Matsui touch home. What a great feeling for a floundering club.

That’s 2 in a row. The team has a long battle ahead, but they look like they’re up for it now that they’ve gotten some level of stability back with A-Rod’s return and Rasner’s innings.

Hawkins Suspended

LaTroy Hawkins has been suspended for 3 games after throwing at Luke Scott, not once, but twice. Maybe one day the Yankee pitchers will actually hit a guy. Scaring someone is one thing, but plunking a guy is another.

Future BP Arms

With Joba Chamberlain slated for a rotation spot, Joe Girardi says that he’ll rely upon the services of Kyle Farnsworth. Now, don’t get me wrong here, Farnsworth has pitched fairly well this season. However, would the Yankees truly let him setup multiple games for Mariano Rivera? That’s like asking Mark Belhorn to bat after Alex Rodriguez. It just doesn’t make sense for your top guy or your team.

Here are a list of possible BP arms that the Yanks could use down the stretch (courtesy of the NY Times):

The Yankees promoted the right-hander Daniel McCutchen to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, another sign he could be on the fast track to New York. McCutchen, 25, was 4-3 with a 2.52 earned run average at Class AA Trenton but has not yet been slotted into Scranton’s rotation, which also added Jeff Karstens this week.Relievers Mark Melancon and J. B. Cox, who may also figure into the major league plans this season, have done well since their promotions. Melancon, who is pitching for Trenton, pitched three scoreless innings for a victory Monday, striking out four. Cox has allowed one hit over three and two-thirds scoreless innings for Scranton.

So, despite some disputed and hazy reporting earlier on, McCutchen has made the AAA leap. Melancon and Cox are two other guys that can earn a spot in the back end of the pen (Melancon is highly regarded). The minor league system is brimming with talent and many of them can make Joba-like impacts this year, when Joba makes the highly anticipated move from reliever to starter.

A-Rod Comes Back Hitting

Alex Rodriguez has hit anything and everything since coming off the DL and joining his Yankee brethren. If he was feeling any pressure about returning to a slumping offense, don’t worry because he’s certainly not showing it. He’s had 2 homers since rejoining the club and he should actually have 3 if it weren’t for a bad call by the umps (although, to their credit, it was a difficult call). Maybe the MLB will revisit the instant replay situation in baseball? As long as its for disputed HR calls or Bartmanesque plays, I’m fine with that.