Gotta Be Startin' Something

I wish I could say I expected the Yankees to pull that one out, but there was just no good reason to believe.

The Yankees entered the ninth trailing by two and facing one of the best closers in the game. They had been 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, the only runs scoring on two homers.

What followed has to leave us hoping that this is the turning point of the season.

Brett Gardner, playing only because Johnny Damon was ejected in third inning, led off against Joe Nathan with a triple and Melky Cabrera capped off the three-run rally with a two-run, bloop single to lead the Yankees to their third straight win, 5-4 over the Twins Friday at Yankee Stadium.

The inning featured some tough, grind-it-out at bats and finished with a celebration near second base.

Gardner, who in the seventh inning became the first Yankee to hit an inside-the-park homer since Rickey Ledee in 1999, nearly had his second of the game, but stumbled rounding first base after lining a shot into the gap in right-center.

Mark Teixeira singled to drive in Gardner and make it 4-3 before Alex Rodriguez gave the inning some juice by drawing a walk in a seven-pitch at-bat.

But Hideki Matsui struck out and Nick Swisher grounded out to first, and the rally was in doubt. That's when the Twins elected to something very strange. They walked Robinson Cano intentionally.

Nathan is as nasty as it gets, and typically you never see a closer intentionally walk anyone. The last time Mariano Rivera issued an IBB was in 2007. Closers are typically macho and never want to show fear of, or too much respect to any batter, regardless of who is on deck. Yet, Nathan walked Cano to get to Melky.

And the move backfired.

The comeback rescued the Yankees from what was shaping up to be an ugly defeat.

Phil Hughes, was not as awful as he had been in his previous two outings, but still was not great, likely securing his return trip to Scranton after his next start on Wednesday. He allowed three runs on six hits and four walks in five laborious innings.

He actually had a smooth first inning, retiring the side on 11 pitches. But in the second, Justin Morneau hit the first of his two homers, getting to a good curve down and away and hooking it into the stands in right. Hughes just seemed to come undone after that. He got out of the inning without allowing another run, but his confidence was shaken.

It's getting to the point where we have to start wondering if he has the makeup to be a major leaguer. We've seen that he has great stuff, but he hasn't been consistent from start to start and he appears to get rattle easily. Then again, he's only 22. Maybe he just needs more seasoning.

The bullpen was solid, aside from a leadoff homer to Joe Mauer off Phil Coke in the seventh.

However, the Yankees offense until the ninth was awful, failing to take advantage of scoring opportunities in the second, third, sixth and seventh. Derek Jeter got the Yankees on the board with a homer in the fifth to make it 3-1. Gardner's second homer of the season -- Dave, that's two more than Big Papi -- made it 4-2.

We've seen this team stop and start so much this season that it's tough to have faith that is indeed the roll we've been waiting for. And the Yankees still have plenty of flaws. But whenever you see a dramatic win like this, it makes it just a little easier to believe.

Hey Johnny...
Use your head! Yes, those two strikeouts were on awful calls, but you're this team's hottest hitter. You've been carrying the lineup for the last two weeks. You need to keep your bat in the lineup. You need to keep your cool. You argued balls and strikes and then showed up the ump. He had no choice but to run you. It was a stupid a move. Just be thankful that Gardner bailed you out.

Runners In Scoring Position
Friday
2-for-11 (.182)
Season
80-for-324 (.247)

Up Next
Saturday vs. Twins, 1:05 p.m., YES
Nick Blackburn (2-3, 4.32 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.89)

Let's see if Joba can straighten out his first-inning struggles and produce a big-time start.