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5.5 back in the wild card race, 10 back in the Al East race, with 36 games to go.

Huge game tonight with Doc Halladay going for the Jays. He is a monster on the mound and can throw a complete game with his eyes shut. Ponson is really going to have to step up. The hitters will have to step up more and somehow knock Halladay around.

In a previous post I talked about pitch recognition and that ability will be really tested tonight. With Matsui back and I-rod they have their deepest lineup all year. A nice 5-3 would be good.

The Yankees really need to win tonight and sweep the O’s over the weekend to be 4.5 or 3.5 games out when playing the Sawx next week.

I think the team needs to go 29-7 and win 96 games to be in the playoffs. It is not going to be easy but it can be done. The Rays, Sawx, Twinkies, and White Sox are not going anywhere so it will take 95-96 to be in the playoff hunt.

Two observations from last nights game.

1. A-rod is a great talent but lacks baseball skill. Down 2-1 in the 9th and you have a leadoff hit that you try and stretch into a double? I know it was a great play by Overbay but you have to get to second standing up. He also seemed to make up his mind to go to second as he was rounding first. Not a great time to be making a decision down 2-1. A-rod lacks baseball instinct. I have seen him get confused about what base to throw to with men on base. I have seen him not dive at balls he could get to. He is a very very good baseball player with great numbers but is not a great baseball player.

2. Pitch selection. It seems to me this team is having a tough time with pitch selection overall. I know it is easy for me to say this sitting on a coach with a beer but it seems like this year the team is swinging at a lot of bad pitches. When the team was winning championships they had guys with good OBP and would work the count. Maybe the team has just been pressing all year because they have been in a season long slump? I know one thing, put a good pitcher on the mound and you can shut down the Yankees offense.

6.5 back in the wild card and 11 in the Al East with 37 games to go.

The Yankees can still get on a run and go 5-0 the rest of this series and be 4.5 back when they play the Sawx next week.

Believe.

38 games to go. The Yanks lost 1/2 a game last night to the Rays and Sawx who both won.

The Yankees really need to go 5-1 on this road trip and be 4 games out starting a 3 game home series with the Sawx next week.

Tough game tonight with Rasner going against Burnett.

Matsui was taken off the DL and Christain was sent to AAA. Jason Lane was released.

If Hughes comes back, Britton will be sent to AAA.

Believe.

Another good win yesterday. It did not look good after being down 3-0 in the first inning.

First time in a while the Yankees showed some fire and came roaring back. It helped that it was against a bad team but a W is a W this time of year.

5 back in the wild card, 9.5 back in the AL East race with 38 games to go. 29-9 has to be accomplished to have a run at the playoffs.

Tuesday night is a big game. Rasner versus Burnett. All things point to a L so a W would be a nice boost.

Looks like Matsui will be back to just DH. This gives Girardi some flexibility with Damon in CF, Matsui DHing and Gardner off the bench. Or Gardner in CF, Damon DHing and Matsui a big left handed bat off the bench. Damon can also play LF and spell Nady sometimes. Christain will probably be sent down when Matsui is activated. Or Britton for the 18th time.

This is not a joke. Carl Pavano may start next Sunday. He had a better outing than Hughes last night in the minors. My feeling is Pavano needs more work. He is coming off TJ surgery and seems to be rushing back (probably so he can get some kind of a contract in 2009). But maybe Hughes needs more work at AAA? It is a tough call during a pennant race. It is a road game so maybe it is not a bad idea to have Pavano pitch.

Saxw got pounded by the Jays yesterday so the Yankees better be ready to play in Tornto this weak. They are a good team and have a good manager in Cito Gaston.

Anybody following the Olympics?

Big win yesterday. Sawx and Rays lose so the Yankees pick up a game in the AL East race and Wild card race.

There were still major issues yesterday. Hitting like crap with men in scoring position. 1st and 2nd, nobody out in the 9th and no bunt from Damon. Are the Yankees just in a bad slump or are have they given up? A big win yesterday will hopefully spark the team along.

39 games to go. 30-9 the rest of the way.

Moose goes today for number 16. He has about 8 starts left and will hopefully win 21-22 games this year. It would be a great story.

Pop quiz. Who is the oldest player to win 20 games in a season? And how old was he?

If you do not, follow the Yankees minor league teams. They have some special talent and hopefully some will reach their potential and make an impact in 2009 and/or 2010.

The Yankees are starting to cook, and I do not mean in the winning column.

Tough, tough loss last night. The Yankees had multiple chances to score runs early and did not. The fight back and tie it and then Mo loses it in the 9th. How many tough loses have the Yankees had this year????

The Yankees need to beat the teams they are supposed to (Royals, etc.) and win lots of games this month. They needed a sweep this weekend to set the tone.

If the Yankees keep playing like this, by the end of August, you can stick a fork in the Yankees because they will be done.

I like what they did with Melky. He needs consistent at bats and was not going to get them in a pennant race. He is still very young and has the tools to become a very good CF. Gardner has the possibility to be a nice spark and he gets the experience to possibly take over the job in 2009.

Sexson was a role of the dice and he did not work out. Ransom is another role of the dice and probably spells a lessening role for Betemit which is a good thing.

I do not want to hear anything about next year from anyone. The Yankees can still go 31-9 the rest of the way.

Believe.

Even though the Yanks had an off day yesterday, it was still not a good day. The Rays and the Sawx both won so it is 6.5 and 9.5 in the race for the playoffs with 41 games to go.

Big statement series starts tonight against the Royals. The Yankees need a sweep this weekend. The Royals are a pesky team that will play hard all weekend. Trey Hillman used to be in the Yankees organization and is a good manager.

Pettite and the bats need to set the tone tonight. A nice 7-2 win would be a good start.

Last week I posted that the Yankees needed to go 6-4 to stay firmly in the hunt for the playoffs. If that happened they would be 2 games out of the wild card and 5 games out of first with 41 games to go.

As it stands, the Yankees are 9 out of the AL East and 6 out in the wold card.

It is a tough off day for the team. The sands are running low.

The Yankees really need to go on a run. The Rays and Sawx are not going to choke like the Mets did last year.

A nice 12-3 finish to August would be great. Then a 19-7 finish in September would be great.

I cannot fathom sending off the old Yankee stadium with no playoff games.

It was not pretty but a big win last night in the land of the lakes. Moose deserves to win 20 games this year so he should have gotten the win. Up 6-3 after 7, the Yankees need to win the game in 9.

Big start by Rasner today. Taking 2 out of 3 and heading home for a weekend series against the Royals would be some good momentum. 4-6 road series looks a lot better than a 3-7 road series.

The Yanks picked up a game against the hurting Rays but the Sawx won a slugfest so no ground was gained in the wild card standings. 8 back in the AL East and still 5 in the wild card.

Hopefully the Rays collapse after losing Longoria and Crawford. The Yankees can only afford to lose 4-5 more games this month. They need to channel the spirit of the Rockies last year and go 20-2.

Hank is waiting till next year but true Yankee fans still believe in this year. He likes to have his name in the paper so I do not pay attention to him when he talks.

Hopefully Rasner can bounce back from a demotion to the pen and give the teams 6-7 strong this afternoon.

Hughes looked good last night in Scranton and will probably get one more start in AAA. He could be back August 23rd.

If Joba can come back strong around then, Hughes FINALLY realize his potential and Moose and Pettite pitch strong, the team can go on a nice run.

The time for resting guys is over. Damon, A-rod, Giambi, etc. need to play the last 42 games straight.

4 loses in a row. 2-6 on a trip the Yankees really needed to go 6-4 to stay in the race. Looking like a team that does not want to play in October.

If it was ever crunch time, that time is now. No more lackluster efforts, no more excuses, just wins.

Moose goes tonight and he has to be his usual control freak. The Yankees need a win, lots of them.

Rasner starts tomorrow afternoon so this road trip can turn from bad to disasterous really quickly.

This is a huge test for Girardi. Good or bad, Torre was always able to get his troops going in August and September to make a playoff run. Girardi has to light a spark under this team and get them playing harder. I am still waiting for someone to dive on that ball hit Sunday.

I was thinking last night about the possibility of keeping I-rod AND Posada. I think I-rod has played some first base for the Tigers. He also could be insurance in case Posada does not come back strong. I am also not sure Posada can catch 130-140 games a year anymore. If the Yanks can get I-rod for a 1 year deal at a reasonable price, they should look into it. Posada could catch 100 games, DH 20-30 and maybe play a little first. I-rod could catch 60 games, play first 60 games and maybe DH 20. The Yankees have a Cuban defector Juan Miranda at AAA who is a nasty left handed hitter. Maybe platoon him with I-Rod at first.