Mike Mussina Leads Yanks to Sweep of Twins

Mike Mussina continued his dominance Wednesday afternoon, tossing eight shutout innings to lead the Yankees to a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

The Moose has now won a major league best 13 games, while sporting a 3.26 ERA, which ranks him among the top 10 in the AL in that category.

Mussina's victory is just the latest in six straight strong outings by Yankee starters to open up the second half of the season.  Over that stretch, the members of New York's rotation are 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA.  And they're doing this without their ace Chien-Ming Wang.

But the best thing to come out of the sweep of the Twins may be the resurgence of the Bombers' bats.  The Yanks scored at least five runs in three straight games for the first time since June 27.  It's no coincidence that Johnny Damon's stint on the DL came in between those two streaks.

Here are the grades from the Pinstripes' 5-1 win over Minnesota at the Stadium.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A-) He attempted two steals, which was good, but I don't understand taking Mussina out after the eighth.  The Moose was completely dominating the Twins' hitters and he had even retired the last four batters he faced, three by strikeout. 

LaTroy Hawkins was terrible in the ninth, forcing Girardi to bring in Mariano Rivera with a four-run lead, which wasn't a big deal because Mo hadn't pitched since Sunday and there's an off day Thursday, but it's an unnecessary move that really frustrates me.

Johnny Damon, DH: (F) He didn't contribute on this day.  Damon went 0-4 with a K.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A) The Captain went 2-4 with a double and a run scored.

Bobby Abreu, RF: (D) Not a good day on the base paths for Abreu, who was picked off and caught stealing.  He went 0-3 but walked and scored.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (B) People don't always notice when A-Rod is clutch.  His two-run double in the sixth broke this game open.

Richie Sexson, 1B: (C) Sexson got the start against the lefty Glen Perkins and went 0-3 with a sac fly.  The jury is still out on whether or not the addition of Sexson will have any impact on the stretch run.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (A) Cano is the second half MVP for the Yankees so far.  He's picked up multiple hits in each of the six games the team has played since the break, including a 2-4 performance on Wednesday which makes him 14-27 since Friday.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (A) Here's a guy who really needs to get going.  Cabrera took a step in the right direction Wednesday, going 2-3 to raise his average to .248.

Jose Molina, C: (D) Molina went 0-3 with a run scored on the same day that Jorge Posada announced he would put off shoulder surgery for the time being in an attempt to return to the team this season as a 1B/DH. 

Did anyone else think it was odd that Posada phoned Joe Torre for counsel on this matter?  Doesn't Posada realize that he has a current manager that was once a big league catcher, as well?  Seems strange to me.

Justin Christian, LF: (A+) It was a big day for Christian who got the Yankees on the board in the fifth with a two-out, two-run double.  He also singled and stole a base.

Mike Mussina, SP: (A+) It's usually a good day when you strike out more batters (7) than you allow to reach base (6).

LaTroy Hawkins, RP: (F) I'm convinced Girardi only brought him in so that Rivera could get a save opportunity.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A) Get one guy out with a four-run lead and that counts as a save?  What a ridiculous statistic.

Overall Yankees Grade: (A) Like on Tuesday, it took a little while for the offense to get going, but once it did, it was plenty of support for Mussina who has been absolutely unhittable of late.

With their second straight sweep, and sixth consecutive victory, the Yankees remain 3.5 behind Tampa Bay in the East and are just 2.5 behind Boston, as the Red Sox play at Seattle.  Over the past week, New York has leapfrogged both Oakland and Minnesota in the standings.  Could Boston be next?