This Week In Yankees Baseball

Well, hello there everybody. Welcome to This Week In Yankees Baseball. Yankees fans are happy that Mark Teixeira‘s bat is back. But there is big concern over CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter.

Sabathia started the week on Sunday by lasting only 3 2/3 inning against the Rays. Yankees fans have seen him bounce back strong after short outings before.  But when he took the ball for his next turn on Saturday against the Brewers, he surrendered three home runs in his first return there since 2008.

After giving up back-to-back home runs, CC settled down to retire eight straight. But reports after the game confirmed CC going on the disabled list with knee inflammation.

Yankees fans also are concerned as The Captain, Derek Jeter, continues to struggle. Jeter did have a couple of bright spots this week, though. He went two 2-for-4 in a 4-1 loss to Jered Weaver and the Angels on Monday. Then he homered on Wednesday to support a sold performance by Vidal Nuno in the Yanks’ 9-2 win over the Angels.

Nuno pitched 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing one run and four hits. It was a home coming of sorts for Nuno, as family and friends attended the game in California.

Besides Jeter’s home run, the Yankees got homers from Brian Roberts in their 4-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday, and from Yangervis Solarte, who  hit a three -run shot in a 5-3 victory over the Brewers on Friday.

But the fireworks of the week came from manager Joe Girardi. In Monday’s game against the Angels, Girardi became frustrated at the calls of home plate umpire Laz Diaz.

Girardi hollered and fussed at Diaz in the manner of Billy Martin and Lou Piniella. He even got himself tossed. Good goin’, Joe. Some of those umps think that the new instant replays excuse them from their appointments with the eye doctor. It’s a shame that balls and strikes are not fair game for dispute.

Not lost in all of the excitement, was that David Phelps allowed only one earned run in 5.1 innings. Phelps and Nuno seem to be building their stamina in the absence of Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova.

Combine that with Hiroki Kuroda‘s eight-strike out effort on Tuesday, and the Yankees rotation is holding together.

Oh, and by the way, Masahiro Tanaka is still undefeated. Twenty-four and Oh, here we go!

How about that!