New York Yankees Look to End Skid Tuesday Night against Baltimore Orioles

The New York Yankees (58-47) lost their second straight game Monday night. This loss was absolute blowout, as the Baltimore Orioles (50-55) beat the Bronx Bombers, 13-4. 

Mike Mussina pitched five innings and gave up six earned runs on two home runs. Both home runs came in the second inning. Kevin Millar hit a three-run shot, followed by a solo shot from Ramon Hernandez.

Youngster Adam Jones hit a grand slam off of reliever David Robertson in the sixth to put the game away for good.

The only highlights for the Yankees were a three-run shot by Johnny Damon and a solo homer by newly acquired Xavier Nady in the seventh, which accounted for the Yankees' only runs of the night.

Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie went six-and-one-third innings and was dominant in the Bronx. His only blemish was the Xavier Nady home run. He had four strikeouts and won his seventh game of the season.

Kyle Farnsworth came on in the eight inning and gave up a two-run home run to Aubrey Huff. Farnsworth continues to show weaknesses on the mound. It's a good thing the Yankees picked up Damaso Marte from the Pirates, as they are going to need him in big situations.

The Yankees will look to put this game behind them and continue to get closer to the top of the AL East. Luckily for them, Boston and Tampa Bay also lost their games on Monday night. So in the AL East, nothing was gained and nothing was lost.

On Tuesday night, all three AL East teams will give it another go. The Yankees play their second game of a three-game set against the Orioles and face right hander Daniel Cabrera (6-6, 4.86). 

The big guy has struggled as of late, giving up six or more runsi back-to-back losses. The Yankees are not the team you want to face to get back on track; they can hurt you in a hurry.

The Yankees send Darrell Rasner (5-7, 4.83) to the mound as they look to get back on the winning side of things. Rasner is 1-1 against the Orioles this season. He could easily be 2-0 against them, with an amazing 0.69 ERA through 13 innings of work against the Orange Birds.

In other news, longtime Yankee catcher Jorge Posada has decided undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after all. 

The Yankees could still land another catcher soon to complement Jose Molina. But they are very comfortable having Molina behind the plate; he is one of the best, if not the best, defensive catchers in baseball.

The Yankees remain three games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay, and two back of Boston.

“We’ve got to stop this two-game losing streak and get back on the winning track,” manager Joe Girardi said.