Game#34: Yankees @ Jays. CC Sabathia Looks to Feed off Last Start…

(The Voice of Yankees Universe)

CC Sabathia will get the ball tonight in a game which the Yankees could really use to get a winning streak going. These Yankees have been so inconsistent and it would just be nice to not worry about the team day in and day out. CC was very impressive in his last outing, pitching a complete game shutout and showed the fans what he is really capable of. We should expect Sabathia to pitch like that with the biggest pitching contract in the history of baseball. Hopefully he has another good outing tonight.

Derek Jeter is back in the lineup tonight which is definitely a good sign. Hideki Matsui is back as well, and starting in the DH spot. Brett Gardner is getting the start in center field tonight over Melky Cabrera. I guess he deserves that after the performance he put on last night. Enjoy the game. Go Yankees!

New York (15-16) vs.  Toronto (23-13)

Pitching Match Up: 

LHP CC Sabathia (2-3, 3.94 ERA)   vs.   LHP Brian Tallet (2-1, 4.95 ERA)

Yankees Lineup

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Gardner CF
Cervelli C 

Game News & Notes:

• Johnny Damon has been ridiculous in the last nine games. He’s 17 of 38 (.447) with 16 RBI, 10 runs scored and 12 extra-base hits including five home runs. He has at least one extra-base hit in nine straight games and has scored at least one run in nine straight games. His slugging percentage was .460 before this streak started. It’s up to .630 now.
• Rookie Ramiro Pena is 12 of his last 27 with three extra-base hits. Mark Teixeira is up to .202. Nick Swisher is 3 for 30 with 16 strikeouts.
• Alex Rodriguez is 2 for 15 since that dramatic home run in Baltimore. He has scored one run in five games but has drawn enough walks to build a .350 OBP.
• At 5.64, the Yankees have the highest ERA on baseball. They’ve issued 133 walk. Only Cleveland (136) has more in the AL.

• In 20 relief appearances against the Yankees, Tallet has a win, a hold and a 2.86 ERA.

• Johnny Damon has a season-high nine-game hitting streak and an extra-base hit in each of those games, making him the only big leaguer to do so this year.

• Hideki Matsui is questionable with a tight right hamstring.

• Yankee Stadium hosted New York University’s 177th Commencement Exercises on Wednesday, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and addressing the crowd of 25,760.

    The game will take place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. The game is scheduled to start at 7:07PM ET. The game will be televised on the YES Network and can be heard on the radio on WCBS 880. 

(News & Notes courtesy MLB.com  / Lineup courtesy of Peter Abraham)

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