The Yankees were 2-4 last week as they were outscored 29-27  by their opponents.  The Yankees got poor pitching and their bats still have not started to heat up yet.  The Yankees entered this week with a 21-27 record which had them in 4th place in the American League East, 12.5 games behind the Red Sox.

18 year old righty swinging Jose Tabata is off to a decent start in Hi-A ball for the Yankees.  Tabata is the #2 ranked prospect in the Yankees system according to Baseball America.  In 42 games in A-ball, Tabata is 51 for 171 (.298 avg, .735 OPS) with 17 runs, 1 homer, 20 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Tabata is often asked about when the Yankees inquire about trades, but they have resisted so far and should continue to do that.

No one thought much about Brian Bruney when the Yankees picked him up last season.  But, he’s been lights out since he has become a Yankee and he’s been awesome so far this season.   In 23 games, Bruney is 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP for the Yanks so far this season.  In 21.1 innings, Bruney has only allowed 11 hits while walking 13 and whiffing 22.  Bruney has a good arm and he’s just wild enough that batters don’t dig in against him.

It’s been a long, long time since Mariano Rivera has had as many losses as saves but he does have that right now!  In 16 games this season, Rivera is 1-3 with 3 saves, a 6.75 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP!  Batters are going up to the plate hacking against Rivera and it’s been paying off for them.  In 14.2 innings this season, Rivera has allowed 17 hits and three homers!  But, Rivera has whiffed 14 batters while only walking 4 and it appears that he still has good stuff as his fastball is still blazing in the high 90’s.  Look for him to rebound soon and become the “Sandman” once again.

The Yankees were 2-4 last week despite outscoring their opponents 27-25.  The Yanks wasted some decent pitching as their hitting has continued to slump as of late.  Coming into this week the Yankees were 19-23 which has them tied for 2nd place in the American League East with the Orioles, 10.5 games behind the Red Sox.

Bobby Abreu has looked awful in both the outfield and with the bat.  in 42 games this season, Abreu is 41 for 169 (.243 avg, .634 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 2 homers, 22 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  The Yankees need Abreu to pick it up or he will continue to hit in the bottom third of the lineup.  The smart money would be put on Abreu to get hot with the stick soon as he’s way too good of a hitter to keep this up.

The Yankees will lose Darrell Rasner for three months after he fractured his right index finger in yesterday’s game with the Mets.  He will require a surgical procedure to get his finger fixed up.  Rasner has started 5 games for the Yankees this season and he’s 1-2 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  The Yankees have recalled Tyler Clippard to replace Rasner in the rotation.  He will start tonight’s game against the Mets.  Clippard was 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in AAA ball this season.

Derek Jeter has really been on fire the last week for the Yankees.  In his last six games, Jeter is 11 for 22 (.500 avg, 1.168 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 7 RBIs.  Amazingly, Jeter has not whiffed in the last 6 games he’s played in and he’s using the whole field hitting the ball where it’s pitched.  When Jeter is on a roll like he is now it’s almost impossible to pitch to him.  The Yanks just need to get some of the other guys to start swinging well and then they will start scoring a ton of runs, because as good as Derek Jeter is….he can’t do everything by himself.

The Yankees were 3-4 last week as they were outscored 28-26.  The Yankees didn’t hit too well and that cost them last week as they got decent pitching for once.  The Yankees are now 17-19 which has them tied for 2nd place in the A.L. East with the Baltimore Orioles, 8 games behind the Red Sox.

Finally, the Yankees played like the team they should be.  They went 5-1 last week as they outscored their opponents 43-22 as everything came together for them.  The Yanks enter this week in 2nd place in the American League East with a 14-15 record, 5.5 games behind the Red Sox.