New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are returning home today to start a three game series with the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees just finished a four game series with the Detroit Tigers in which they lost three of the four.

It was a rather embarrassing four game series for the Yankees. You can blame it squarely on the lineup. The Yankees offense disappeared in this series, with the exception of one single inning in their lone win.

The National League had Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, and Maury Wills.

The American League had nobody for 13 years.

After the 1963 season, the American League finally had Elston Howard. The New York Yankees' catcher was the first black player to become the American League's Most Valuable Player.

On a windy day in Detroit, the Yankees were shut out for the second time in the past three games as Justin Verlander dominated them in a 6-0 loss on Thursday.

The Tigers ace allowed just four hits and struck out four in 6.2 scoreless innings as he outdueled CC Sabathia, who was touched up for six runs on nine hits in six frames.

New York's offense has gone silent over the past week. Outside of a six-run ninth on Wednesday, the Bombers have scored just nine runs in their last five games, losing four of them.

Justin Verlander pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, and Miguel Cabrera and Brennan Boesch homered to lead Detroit to a 6-0 triumph Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park. The Tigers won three of four from the Yankees in a series that featured three shutouts.

The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball right now with a 24-10 record. The Rays just completed a very successful West Coast road trip, as they won six of the nine games on the trip. They are only a half game ahead of the New York Yankees in the standings though.

The Rays have very good hitters and a great pitching staff. They have a big time star in 3B Evan Longoria. Longoria is batting .326 with eight homers and 29 RBIs so far. He has committed a few errors of late on defense, but his offense has made up for the errors in the field.

I don't like admitting that I'm wrong.

I put admission of error somewhere between getting a Novocaine-free root canal and being the Jim J. Bullock center square of a human centipede.

But right is right, and it's starting to look like that's exactly what the Yankees were when it came to their handling of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

Wednesday night against the Tigers was another big night for the farm system's golden boys. Hughes was brilliant over seven shutout innings, and Chamberlain was throwing gas in the eighth for another scoreless inning of relief.

In my rant about Dallas Braden ’s

Yankees Minor League first baseman Juan Miranda would probably be in the Major Leagues if he were on at least 15 other teams around baseball, but he’s a Yankee and stuck behind Mark Teixeira. It did make for interesting news the other day when he was almost called up only to find out that it was outfielder Greg Golson who was called up instead.

Let me start off by saying this: I love Francisco Cervelli.

I love his game, love his heart.

He calls a better game than most guys who have been around much longer than him, and boy, is he swinging a hot bat right now.

But no matter how much I love Cervelli, he will have to wait his turn to be the New York Yankees' full-time backstop.

Because for now, it's Jorge Posada's job.

Why?

Because he deserves it.

He's hung in there. He's part of the core four. He's done so much for this team, and now, he is worthy of some respect.

Dan mentioned this in his game recap last night, but I thought I’d explain in a little more detail .

Nick Swisher left last night’s game in the eighth inning when an old biceps injury flared up. He initially felt something in his arm a few weeks ago, but thought nothing of it because it went away so quickly. He re-aggravated the injury while hitting in the batting cages between games last night.