New York Yankees

After only scoring three runs over the first two games of the series, New York’s four-run outburst in the eighth inning lifted the Yankees to a 4-3 win over Toronto Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

1995 Record: 100-44

Most people would argue that the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees were the teams of the 1990s, frequently winning their division titles and also appearing in and winning several World Series Championships.

However, some may forget that the Cleveland Indians were also one of the most consistent teams in the '90s, almost always winning the AL Central.

The Indians had two World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997 and lost both to the Braves and Marlins, respectively.

When the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira about a year and a half ago one of the first things we were told about him was that he is a very slow starter, and then he showed it by putting up a .738 OPS last April. Then we saw him rebound by putting up a 1.138 OPS in May, and we never looked back.

The Yankees lost to the Blue Jays 3-2 yesterday in the 14th inning. Chad Gaudin was on the mound when they lost, with Mariano Rivera fully rested and waiting in the bullpen. I’ll never understand why you would ever use such an inferior reliever with Mo waiting.

Play for the win, not the statistic. I get it that the idea is that you want to extend the game, but you do that with your setup men and not your mop-up guy.

Here are some notes:

Another tough day for the Yankees in Toronto, who lost to the Jays for the second straight day. There are many reasons why this one ended up in the loss column. Some that stick out include, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base, and Mariano Rivera never even warming up let along getting into a game that lasted 14 innings. I could, and probably will, go into them each in detail, but first let's focus on the positives.

As soon as Chad Gaudin came marching out of the pen for the 14th inning today I knew the game was over, and I'm sure many of you felt the same way.

Sure enough, Gaudin walked the first batter he faced on four pitches and two batters later the game was over, with Mariano waiting for a save situation that never came.

I was on Twitter at the end of the game and many people, including beat writers, bloggers and fans, began the debate well before Gaudin threw his first pitch:

Lets face it, this season, Mark Teixeira has clearly not been the same hitter he was last season.

With his staggering batting average now down to .215, and his on base percentage at a lowly .328, he might be best suited for a couple of days on the bench.

His struggles were brought back into the spotlight today after an atrocious game against the Blue Jays, where he put up a goose egg in six at bats, which included five strikeouts and four men left on base.

After failing in his first attempt in the rotation in 2008, Phil Hughes spent most of last season in the bullpen before he got another chance. Well, Hughes certainly learned a thing or two while he was there.

We always knew that Hughes had a good fastball, but before last year he never threw a cutter. He must have had Mariano Rivera help him with it because the pitch has flown past Hughes’ curve as his second best pitch.

According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated , the Yankees are not confident that 1B/DH Nick Johnson will return at all this season and that they may look to trade for a replacement.

Johnson went on the DL almost a month ago with an inflamed wrist. The initial diagnosis was that Johnson would miss at least a month and then possibly need surgery to remove inflammation that would be another four to six weeks out. That would put him at an August return if surgery was necessary. It sounds like it may be necessary.

As reigning World Series champs and with another lineup that is dangerous from the captain leading off to the nine hole, the number 28 on manager Joe Girardi's uniform has quickly turned into a target on his back ever since opening day. However, having three starters being on the DL for a couple weeks and being in the middle of what looks to be a four-horse race in the AL East, the Yankees are still in the thick of it because players who may not be front-runners for the All-Star game have stepped up.