Mike Mussina pitched a good game today against the Cincinnati Reds, making a couple mistakes. But it was those mistakes that were his demise. He gave up a home run in the 2nd inning, and a costly 2-run double in the 5th inning. Those three runs were all the Reds needed today as their pitcher Edinson Volquez had the Yankees number, no matter what they did. Mussina left the game after the 8th inning, giving up a total of 10 Hits, 4 Earned Runs, Striking Out 4. A very solid performance, but not good enough for the Win.
The only offense came from two 1-run innings, in the 3rd and 7th innings, snapping a 7-game winning streak. Having swept the last two series, I suppose you can give the club a break on this one, especially when they run into a buzz saw like Volquez. The good news is that both Boston and Tampa Bay lost their respective games today as well, so they did not lose any ground in the American League East. They remain 5 games behind Boston, and look poised to make the Rays their next victim on their way to the top of this tough division. The critics are awful quiet, and rightfully so.
