The 4-8 lose marks the first time the Yankees have been swept at home this season. The rain seemed to be coming down harder than it looked, but there was definitely noticeable precipitation. This miserable display sent the club to 2 games under .500 with a record of 14-16, and a 3 game losing streak.
The Yankees took the lead early scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning, off a 3-run blast from Abreu against Robertson for Detroit. But that was not good enough with the pitching that was offered up today. Ian Kennedy only lasted 4 and 2/3, giving up 4 earned runs, 5 Hits, and 3 Walks. Albaladejo came in relief of Kennedy, and was charged with 4 earned runs himself, after giving up an opposite field home run to Miguel Cabrera in the 7th inning. Granted it was Miguel Cabrera, but we have to be able to count on our bullpen to keep the runs off the board, while our offense hopefully works us back in the game. If our bullpen can’t stop the bleeding, what good is it then, really?
Again, this is one of those games that the Yankees would like to win. Bad weather, cold and rainy, it would be a nice game to win, for moral if nothing else. Instead it capped off a sweep in front of their home crowd. It also let them know that they are just a small step behind, right now, from some of the elite teams in baseball.
This takes the team to a record of 14-16, and 3 games back of a tie for first place in the Central with Boston/Tampa Bay, and 2 games behind Baltimore (in third after the tie-break)
A follow up…Phil Hughes has been put on the 15-Day DL, with a fractured rib, and another article just claimed he won’t be back until July. So that is that. I wonder how much of this is baseball, and how much of it is real.
A quick note…The run that Jeter scored in the 5th inning off of Shelley Duncan’s RBI hit, was magic number 1390, tying him for forth all time on the Yankee list with Joe DiMaggio.
