The Yankees got battered last night and sent home for the season as the Tigers swept them right out of the playoffs! C.C. Sabathia got lit up as he only lasted 3 2/3 innings in which he allowed 11 hits, 6 runs (5 earned) while walking 2 batters and whiffing 3 as he more than earned the loss last night. Cody Eppley, Clay Rapada and Joba Chamberlain combined to work the next 2 1/3 innings without giving up any runs. Derek Lowe worked the 8th inning and he gave up a solo homer and David Robertson worked the ninth inning and he also gave up a solo homer. The Yankees’ pop gun offense was only 2 for 30 (.067 avg) with 3 walks and 12 whiffs last night. Nick Swisher (1 for 4 with a double and a RBI) and Eduardo Nunez (1 for 3 with a run scored, a triple and a stolen base) led the way for the Yankees offensively last night. The Yankees’ season ended with a thud as the Tigers beat them 4-0 in the A.L.C.S.

The Yankees wasted a good effort by the pitching staff due to a pop gun offense. Eduardo Nunez was 1 for 3 with a solo homer off Justin Verlander in the 9th inning, as he led the way for the Yankees’ offensively. Ichiro Suzuki (2 for 4), Mark Teixeira (1 for 4) and Robinson Cano (1 for 4) were the extent of the rest of the offense the Yankees could muster last night. The Yankees were only 5 of 32 (.156 avg) with 0 walks and 4 whiffs against the Tigers last night. Phil Hughes got the start, but he had to leave the game early due to a back injury. He worked the first three innings for the Yankees last night, giving up 3 hits, 1 run (it was earned) and he walked 3 batters while whiffing one to earn the loss. David Phelps was next up and he gave up 2 hits and 1 unearned run while working 1 inning. Clay Rapada, Cody Eppley, Boone Logan and Joba Chamberlain combined to work 4 shutout innings to finish up the game last night and give the Yankees a chance to come back, which they didn’t. The Yankees are now down 3-0 to the Tigers in this series.

The Yankees couldn’t muster much offense yesterday against Tigers’ pitching as they were only 4 for 31 (.129 avg) at the plate with 3 walks and 10 whiffs. Mark Teixeira (1 for 4 with a double), Raul Ibanez (1 for 2 with 2 walks), Alex Rodriguez (1 for 4) and Nick Swisher (1 for 3) were the only Yankees’ batters that could muster a hit yesterday. Hiroki Kuroda gave an outstanding effort yesterday. He worked 7 2/3 innings allowing 5 hits, 3 runs (all earned), no walks and 11 whiffs as he was the losing pitcher. Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain and Clay Rapada combined to get no one out while giving up 2 hits and 1 walk in the 8th inning. Cody Eppley finished off the game for the Yankees by working 1 1/3 scoreless innings to end the game last night, allowing 1 hit and whiffing 2 batters. The Yankees are now down 2-0 to the Tigers in this series as it shifts to Detroit.

The Yankees lost 38-year old righty swinging shortstop Derek Jeter for the rest of the season due to a fractured ankle last night. He was injured on a routine play in which his ankle just buckled underneath him. This is a HUGE loss for the Yankees. Jeter played in 6 games in the playoffs this year for the Yankees and he was 9 for 27 (.333 avg) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. He has now played in 158 games in the post-season in his career in which he is 200 for 650 (.308 avg, .838 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 20 homers, 61 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. 30-year old righty swinging Jayson Nix will take over as the Yankees’ starting SS moving forward. Nix has played in 3 games in the playoffs so far this year and he is 2 for 4 (.500 avg, 1.250 OPS). 25-year old righty swinging infielder Eduardo Nunez will be added to the roster before this afternoon’s game against the Tigers. He will serve as the utility man on the infield. Nunez has played in 3 games so far in the playoffs and he is 1 for 5 (.200 avg, .600 OPS) with 2 runs scored.

The Yankees couldn’t get anything going last night until the ninth inning when Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez each crushed two run homers to send this game into extra innings. But, the bats went back into hibernation the rest of the night. Adding to the tough loss last night was the fact that Derek Jeter fractured an ankle in the 12th inning on a routine play in the field and he is done for the rest of the year. Jeter was 1 for 5 with a walk in this game. Ichiro Suzuki will likely take over as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter with Jeter out of action. Ichiro was 4 for 6 with a run scored, a homer and 2 RBIs. Raul Ibanez also had another rock solid game with the bat for the Yankees as he was 2 for 5 with a run scored, a walk, a double, a homer and 2 RBIs. Russell Martin (2 for 5 with a run scored) and Mark Teixeira (1 for 4 with 2 walks and a run scored) also pitched in for the Yankees last night. Andy Pettitte turned in a decent start for the Yankees last night, working 6 2/3 innings in which he gave up 7 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 3 walks and he whiffed 5 batters. Derek Lowe brought in his gas can and he threw it on the fire last night. Lowe worked 2/3 of an inning, allowing 2 hits, 2 runs (both earned) while whiffing 1 batter. Boone Logan, Cody Eppley, Clay Rapada, Rafael Soriano and David Robertson combined to work 3 2/3 scoreless innings to give the Yankees a chance to come back, which they did. David Phelps earned the loss, as he gave up 3 hits, 2 runs (both earned), and he walked 1 batter while whiffing 1 batter. The Yankees are now down 1-0 in the A.L.C.S. with Game #2 later this afternoon.

The Yankees have added 27-year old righty side-arming reliever Cody Eppley to the A.L.C.S. roster. He pitched in 59 games (0 starts) during the regular season for the Yankees and he was 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Eppley will take the place of 25-year old righty swinging infielder Eduardo Nunez, who has been dropped from the roster. Nunez played in 3 games in the first round of the playoffs for the Yankees and he was 1 for 5 (.200 avg, .600 OPS) with 2 runs scored. Jayson Nix will be the top backup in the middle infield with Nunez out of the picture in this series.

The Yankees ditched the Orioles in five games in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers took care of the Oakland A’s in five games in their series. The Tigers knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs last year, so they are not intimidated at all heading into this series. Here is a look at the matchups in this series:

CATCHER: Righty swinging Russell Martin has random power and that is his main skill with the bat. Martin played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 3 for 17 (.176 avg, .712 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He has now played in 29 games in the playoffs in his career to date and he is 21 of 101 (.208 avg, .666 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 2 homers, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

Lefty swinging Alex Avila had a decent series against the A’s. He played in 4 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 3 for 12 (.250 avg, .833 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. Avila has now played in 15 games so far in his career in the playoffs and he is 6 for 53 (.113 avg, .391 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs.

EDGE: EVEN

FIRST BASE: Switch-hitting Mark Teixeira finally showed signs of life with the bat in the first round of the playoffs. He played in 5 games against the Orioles and he was 6 for 17 (.353 avg, .853 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. Teixeira has now played in 36 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 44 for 185 (.225 avg, .665 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 3 homers, 14 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

Lefty swinging Prince Fielder will look to do better against the Yankees than he did against the A’s. He played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 4 for 21 (.190 avg, .561 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Fielder has now played in 20 games in his career in the playoffs and he is 14 for 73 (.192 avg, .746 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 5 homers and 10 RBIs.

EDGE: SLIGHT FOR TIGERS

SECOND BASE: Lefty swinging Robinson Cano looked terrible at the plate in the first round of the playoffs. He played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 2 for 22 (.091 avg, .182 OPS) with 1 run scored and 4 RBIs. Cano has now played in 47 games in his playoff career and he is 44 for 185 (.238 avg, .740 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 8 homers and 33 RBIs.

Righty swinging Omar Infante had a rock solid series against the A’s. He played in 5 games against the A’s in the first round of the playoffs and he was 6 for 17 (.353 avg, .801 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 1 stolen base. Infante has now played in 11 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 11 for 38 (.289 avg, .684 OPS) with 7 runs scored and 2 stolen bases.

EDGE: YANKEES

SHORTSTOP: Righty swinging Derek Jeter amazingly just keeps rolling along. He played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 8 for 22 (.364 avg, .891 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Jeter has now played in 157 playoff games for the Yankees and he is 199 of 645 (.309 avg, .841 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 20 homers, 61 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

Righty swinging Jhonny Peralta has also always been a solid post-season player. He played in 5 games against the A’s in the first round of the playoffs and he was 5 for 17 (.294 avg, .627 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 stolen base. Peralta has now played in 27 games in the post-season so far in his career and he is 28 for 100 (.280 avg, .816 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers, 13 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

EDGE: YANKEES

THIRD BASE: Righty swinging Alex Rodriguez has found himself sitting on the bench at key junctures of the playoffs. He played in 4 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was only 2 for 16 (.125 avg, .347 OPS) with 1 run scored. He has now played in 72 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 71 of 265 (.268 avg, .852 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 13 homers, 41 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.

Righty swinging Miguel Cabrera didn’t do much in the first round of the playoffs either. He played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 5 for 20 (.250 avg, .668 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Cabrera has now played in 33 games so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 34 of 123 (.276 avg, .910 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 8 homers, 23 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

EDGE: TIGERS

LEFT FIELD: Lefty swinging Ichiro Suzuki was so-so in the first round of the playoffs. He played in 5 games for the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs and he was 5 for 23 (.217 avg, .554 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Ichiro has now played in 15 games in the playoffs in his career and he is 21 of 61 (.344 avg, .813 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 6 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

Lefty swinging Quintin Berry has added speed both on the basepaths and in the field for the Tigers in the playoffs so far. Berry played in 4 games for the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs and he was 3 for 10 (.300 avg, .764 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 stolen base.

EDGE: YANKEES

CENTER FIELD: Lefty swinging Curtis Granderson struggled at the plate against the Orioles, until late last night when he cracked a big solo homer. Granderson played in 5 games for the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs and he was 3 for 19 (.158 avg, .516 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 32 games so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 30 for 120 (.250 avg, .850 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 6 homers, 17 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

Righty swinging Austin Jackson is a lot like Granderson, minus the big time power. Jackson played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 5 for 20 (.250 avg, .636 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs. He has now played in 16 games so far in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 13 for 61 (.213 avg, .642 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 1 homer, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

EDGE: YANKEES

RIGHT FIELD: The guy the Yankees really need to bench is not A-Rod, it’s switch-hitting RF Nick Swisher. Swisher played in 5 games against the Orioles in the first round of the playoffs and he was 2 for 18 (.111 avg, .302 OPS) with 2 RBI. He has now played in 43 games in the playoffs in his career and he is 23 for 142 (.162 avg, .577 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 4 homers and 7 RBIs. He is the least clutch batter for either team in this series.

Lefty swinging Andy Dirks was solid in the first round of the playoffs. He played in 5 games for the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs and he was 5 for 17 (.294 avg, .647 OPS) with 1 stolen base. Dirks has now played in 7 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 6 for 22 (.273 avg, .591 OPS) with 1 run scored and 2 stolen bases.

EDGE: TIGERS

DESIGNATED HITTER: Lefty swinging Raul Ibanez has been Mr. Clutch for the Yankees so far this year in the playoffs. He played in 4 games for the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs and he was 4 for 9 (.444 avg, 1.611 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs. Ibanez has now played in 40 games so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 31 for 126 (.246 avg, .725 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 5 homers and 20 RBIs.

Righty swinging Delmon Young is a hacker at the plate. He played in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 4 for 17 (.235 avg, .513 OPS) with 2 RBIs. Young has now played in 20 games in the playoffs in his career and he is 17 for 75 (.227 avg, .751 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 5 homers, 8 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

EDGE: SLIGHT FOR YANKEES

BENCHES: It will be interesting to see how much the Yankees play the bench in this series. Lefty swinging 3B Eric Chavez played in 3 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0 for 8 with 4 whiffs. He has now played in 31 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 24 of 117 (.205 avg, .592 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers, 12 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Righty swinging infielder Jayson Nix played in 2 games against the Orioles and and was 2 for 4 (.500 avg, 1.250 OPS). Righty swinging infielder Eduardo Nunez played in 3 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 1 for 5 (.200 avg, .600 OPS) with 2 runs scored. Nunez has now played in 4 games in the playoffs in his career so far and he is 1 for 5 (.200 avg, .600 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 stolen base. Lefty swinging Brett Gardner can still only pinch run and play defense because of his elbow. Gardner played in 2 games in the first round of the playoffs, but he didn’t bat. He has now played in 30 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 14 for 57 (.246 avg, .553 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 7 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Righty swinging backup catcher Chris Stewart didn’t get to play in the first round of the playoffs for the Yankees.

The Tigers probably won’t use their bench too much in this series. Rookie righty swinging outfielder Avisail Garcia could get some starts in LF against lefty starting pitching. He played in all five games in the first round of the playoffs for the Tigers and he was 1 for 7 (.143 avg, .393 OPS) with 1 RBI. Righty swinging backup catcher Gerald Laird could get a start or two in this series. He played in 2 games for the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0 for 5 (.000 avg, .167 OPS). Laird has now played in 6 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 0 for 6 (.000 avg, .143 OPS). Lefty swinging outfielder Don Kelly only played in 1 game in the first round of the playoffs and he scored a run and knocked in a game winning run, despite not getting an official AB. Kelly has played in 10 games so far in his career in the playoffs and he is 6 for 20 (.300 avg, .786 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. Switch-hitting Ramon Santiago didn’t get into any games in the first round of the playoffs. He has played in 16 games in his career in the playoffs and he is 12 for 50 (.240 avg, .535 OPS) with 1 run scored and 2 RBIs. Righty swinging infielder Danny Worth played in 1 game in the first round of the playoffs but he didn’t get to bat. He has played in 2 games in the playoffs in his career, but he hasn’t batted.

EDGE: YANKEES

STARTING ROTATION: Both of these teams sport good rotations. Lefty C.C. Sabathia won’t be able to pitch for a few days after tossing a complete game last night. He started 2 games against the Orioles in the first round of the playoffs and he was 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. Sabathia has now pitched in 18 games (17 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 9-4 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Lefty Andy Pettitte doesn’t have the big heater anymore, but he’s still as crafty as ever. Pettitte started 1 game against the Orioles and he was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has now pitched in 43 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 19-11 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Righty Hiroki Kuroda looked good in his start against the O’s as he was 0-0 with a 2.16 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP. He has started 4 games in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Righty Phil Hughes also looked good in his only start in the first round of the playoffs, as he was 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Hughes has now pitched in 17 games (4 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.

Righty Justin Verlander also threw a complete game, on Thursday against the A’s. So he’s going to need a couple of more days before he’s ready to get back on the mound. Verlander started 2 games against the A’s and he was 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Verlander has now started 10 games so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 5-3 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Righty Doug Fister is going to start Game #1 against the Yankees. He started 1 game against the A’s in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Fister has now pitched in 4 games (3 starts) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Righty Max Scherzer is a very underrated pitcher. He started 1 game against the A’s and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Scherzer has now pitched in 5 games (4 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Right Anibal Sanchez started 1 game against the A’s in the first round of the playoffs (his post-season debut) and he was 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.

EDGE: SLIGHT FOR THE TIGERS

CLOSER: Righty Rafael Soriano was a life saver for the Yankees after Mariano Rivera was lost for the season in April. Soriano pitched in 2 games against the Orioles in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. He has now pitched in 8 games (0 starts) in the post-season in his career so far and he is 0-1 with 1 save, a 3.27 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP.

Righty Jose Valverde has always had a rough time in the playoffs. He pitched in 2 games (0 starts) against the A’s in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0-1 with 1 save, a 16.20 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Valverde has now pitched in 12 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 0-3 with 5 saves, a 6.59 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.

EDGE: YANKEES

RIGHTY RELIEVERS: David Robertson is a workhorse set-up man for the Yankees. He pitched in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.23 WHIP. Robertson has now pitched in 17 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. David Phelps only pitched in 1 game in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Joba Chamberlain could also help out in this series. He pitched in 1 game (0 starts) against the O’s and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Chamberlain has now pitched in 16 games (0 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. Veteran Derek Lowe will be the long man in the pen. He pitched in 1 game (0 starts) against the O’s and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP. Lowe has now pitched in 24 games (12 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 5-7 with 1 save, a 3.20 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

Joaquin Benoit is one of the best set-up in the majors right now. He pitched in 3 games (0 starts) against the A’s and he was 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. Benoit has now pitched in 11 games (0 starts) so far in the post-season in his career and he is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Veteran Octavio Dotel will be next up for the Tigers. He worked in 2 games against the A’s and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has now pitched in 22 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 3-1 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Al Alburquerque also looked sharp against the A’s, working in 2 games in which he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP. He has now pitched in 6 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is 1-0 with a 8.10 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Rick Porcello will be the long man in the pen if the Tigers need one. He pitched in 1 game (0 starts) against the A’s and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP. He has now pitched in 5 games (2 starts) in his playoffs so far in his career and he is 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.

EDGE: TIGERS

LEFTY RELIEVERS: Boone Logan is the top lefty in the pen for the Yankees. He pitched in 2 games in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP. Logan has now pitched in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Clay Rapada is a situational lefty. He pitched in 1 game in the first round of the playoffs and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP. He has now pitched in 4 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP.

Phil Coke is the top lefty in the pen for the Tigers. He worked in 3 games against the A’s and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He has now pitched in 14 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 6.23 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. Drew Smyly is the second lefty in the pen for the Tigers and he didn’t pitch against the A’s.

EDGE: EVEN

MANAGERS: Joe Girardi made some moves that really worked out in the first round of the playoffs and he needed them to beat the O’s 3-2. Girardi has a 21-13 (61.8%) record in the playoffs so far in his career.

Jim Leyland is as old school as a manager can get. He led his Tigers to a 3-2 series’ win over the A’s in the first round of the playoffs. He is now 35-30 (54.5%) in the playoffs in his career.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: The Tigers are going to take it to the Yankees, just like last year, and beat them in six games.

C.C. Sabathia was outstanding last night and he was the key to victory for the Yankees. Sabathia worked all nine innings last night, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 run (it was earned) while whiffing 9 batters. 78 of 121 (64.5%) pitches that Sabathia threw were strikes last night, including 20 of 32 first pitch strikes (62.5%). Curtis Granderson led the way offensively for the Yankees last night as he was 2 for 3 with a run scored, a homer and a RBI). Ichiro Suzuki (1 for 3 with a walk and a RBI), Mark Teixeira (1 for 2 with a run scored, a walk and a stolen base) and Raul Ibanez (1 for 3 with an RBI) also pitched in with the bats for the Yankees. The Yankees win this series 3-2 over the Orioles to advance to the A.L.C.S. to deal with the Tigers starting tonight.

The Yankees wasted good pitching with a pop gun offense last night. Derek Jeter (2 for 6 with 1 run scored), Mark Teixeira (1 for 3 with 3 walks) and Jayson Nix (2 for 3 with a double) led the way for the Yankees with the bats last night. The Yankees were only 7 of 44 (.159 avg) with 5 walks and 11 whiffs in this game. Phil Hughes stepped up last night for the Yankees. He pitched the first 6 2/3 innings in which he gave up 4 hits, 3 walks, 1 run (it was earned) and he whiffed 8 batters. Boone Logan (1/3 of an inning), David Robertson (1 inning), Rafael Soriano (2 innings) and Joba Chamberlain (1 inning) all pitched well in relief, giving up no runs last night. David Phelps worked 1 1/3 innings in which he gave up 2 hits, 1 run (it was earned) and he whiffed 1 batter as he was the losing pitcher. Clay Rapada and Derek Lowe each pitched to one batter and got them out to finish up the game for Yankee pitchers. The Yankees and Orioles will have a series deciding Game #5 tonight.

Manager Joe Girardi made the move of his life last night as he pinch hit for Alex Rodriguez in the 9th inning yesterday. He sent up Raul Ibanez who whacked a game tying homer off of Orioles’ closer Jim Johnson. Then in the 12th inning, Ibanez came up again and he hit a walk-off homer off of lefty Brian Matusz. Ibanez was 2 for 2 on the night with 2 runs scored, 2 homers and 2 RBIs to lead the way for the Yankees. Derek Jeter (2 for 4 with 1 RBI) and Russell Martin (2 for 4 with 1 run scored) also pitched in with the bats for the Yankees. The Yankees were only 7 of 39 (.179 avg) without a walk last night. Hiroki Kuroda was excellent last night, working the first 8 1/3 innings for the Yankees allowing 5 hits, 2 runs (both earned) while walking 1 batter and whiffing 3 of them. Boone Logan (1/3 of an inning) and Rafael Soriano (1 1/3 innings) didn’t give up any runs in this game. David Robertson finished up by working the last 2 innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 runs and he whiffed 2 batters to earn the win. The Yankees are now up 2-1 on the Orioles in this series.