Tex time

I've detailed the Yankees heroics up to the 10th inning, but it's what happened in the last two frames that decided the game, of course.

Mark Teixeira hit the world's shortest walkoff home run, chipping a ball off the left field fence, to send the Yankees to a 4-3 win in the bottom of the 11th.

It was New York's 14th walkoff win of the year (several of which have been over the poor Twins), and A.J. Burnett rewarded it with another pie to the face.

(Burnett was actually the starting pitching tonight, too, in a great performance that disspelled questions about his recent performance. So it's nice that the pie-dishing was not his only exercise for the day.)

The after-game interview was so beautiful. Sure, everyone talks about team and blah blah, but to see A-Rod grinning from ear-to-ear and just loving that his team won was fantastic.

It almost didn't happen, of course. In the top of the 11th, the New York bullpen almost let it get away before some gutsy pitching worked the pinstripes out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam. After nabbing two Twinsies on first-pitch outs, Almost-the-Goat-Gardner snared a fly to give Teixeira his rip at tying the game.

Gardner? A goat? Yes, yes.

The fleet-footed center fielder came in the game in the bottom of the 10th after Jorge Posada showed his postseason magic with a broken-bat single to center.

(Underlying storyline: Posada had been left out of his starting pitcher role when manager Joe Girardi turned to Jose Molina instead since A.J. Burnett had pitched better when in tandem with him throughout the season. Posada was, of course, upset, especially since the not-getting-younger veteran has been working so hard to get back to the playoffs, not to mention working hard to be able to play at all. But Posada was able to be in just the position he wanted (a major contributor to the game) when he came in two-thirds of the way through the contest after Burnett was done. In the bottom of the 10th, with the game on the line, he got his postseason pressure chance and did exactly what he had to do.)

The commentator said Gardner had been running sprints in the batting cages under Yankee Stadium, but the way he moves, he probably didn't need a warmup. He took off during Derek Jeter's at-bat and easily made it to second, long ahead of an off-the-mark throw. Then, when Minnesota's star closer, Joe Nathan, inexplicably tried to hold him on second (yes, second), Gardner took third (but not before falling in his butt en route, which drew a grimace from Jeter, who was watching from the batter's box).

It looked like that was it. Nathan's gaffe would decide the game, since Gardner was now on third with just one out.

Jeter was intentionally walked, and the reliable Johnny Damon came up, but then the stupidity came out.

The third base coach had Gardner running on contact, which wouldn't have been an issue except that Damon hit a pitch hard, in the air, that was snared for an out. A quick toss later, and the inning was over, with Gardner caught off the bag.

Who knows who made the decision to send Gardner, but it obviously was a very bad one.

Now, instead of the Yankees winning or at least still having a runner in scoring position, it was the 11th inning. That prospect looked even worse a few pitches later, when Minnesota loaded it with no outs.

But the Yankees came through, and in beautiful, Yankees-2009 fashion. Strong defense in the diamond, a good starting pitching effort, quality relief, timely hitting, and a couple bombs.

So good.

The only Yankees with more than a hit were Teixeira (RBI) and Rodriguez (3 RBI). Jeter, Robinson Cano and Posada each had the other hits.

Burnett worked six innings and struck out six while allowing only three hits and one run. Mariano Rivera had three strikeouts over his four outs, and Phil Hughes was let off the hook despite allowing two earned runs that put the Twins ahead.

The Yankees left nine men on base throughout the night, but that was nothing compared to the Twins, who stranded 26.

It's to the MetroDome for the third game. Andy Pettitte will throw for New York.

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Above: After Alex Rodriguez hit his game-tying, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, he simply turned to the home dugout and pumped his fist. He knew.

Yankees in playoffs, take series from Angels

The Yankees edged into the playoffs yesterday when Texas lost, then topped the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on the fast feet of Brett Gardner, who ran home on an Alex Rodriguez sacrifice fly.

Today, the Yankees beat the Angels again, this time holding off a small comeback to win 3-2. That gives New York the series victory, a reassuring sign after the slides of late (and the recent lackluster performance by the Yankees in the playoffs against the Angels).

That means that all that's left for the Yankees is the division. New York looks to hold off Boston, while in the Central Detroit competes against Minnesota. Los Angeles is holding off Texas's last gasps in the West.

The Yankees are 6.5 games up on the Red Sox headed into Boston's game at Kansas City tonight (where the BoSox have already lost two). After another Royals-Sox bout tomorrow, the Red Sox come to the Bronx for a three-game set this weekend, with Boston's last chance to make a run at the division.

In today's game A.J. Burnett helped everyone calm down by pitching into the sixth with 11 strikeouts and only two earned runs. It was only his second win since July as the Yankees try to line up reliable starters behind CC Sabathia.

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Gardner!

I'm a Melky Cabrera fan, but I can warm up to Brett Gardner, especially when his speedy legs win the game.

After tying the game in the eighth, the Yankees win on a walkoff single (their 13th walkoff win of the year) as Francisco Cervelli sends Gardner home in the bottom of the ninth.

Gardner had started the ninth with a single, stolen second, then advanced to third on a Derek Jeter groundout.

The Yankees' 5-4 win over the Blue Jays avenges a poor loss last night and puts them at 94-53 for the season and one step closer to clinching a playoff berth.

Meanwhile, Jorge Posada has been suspended for a game after last night's scuffle.

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A little tussle in the Bronx

Apparently, the Yankees read my post, because they came out fighting in the bottom of the eighth — but not the kind of fighting I was looking for.

Jorge Posada apparently tackled the Jays' catcher, and manager Joe Girardi emerged from the scuffle with a cut and a bruised head.

Way to show some fire, Yanks.

It's a shame I missed the fight. There's nothing like a sewer rat of a catcher taking down a blue bird. (The guy at the desk next to me here at the sports department of the Daily News Tribune says he hopes Posada didn't ruin his mug. Ha.)

Johnny Damon squandered a bases-loaded situation in the same inning, and the Yankees lost 10-4. Sergio Mitre was the unfortunate pitcher in the five-hole for New York, getting shellacked for seven earned runs through five innings while Roy Halladay held off the Bombers.

Brett Gardner, newly returned to the team, was great in his starting role tonight. He went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI. Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter were also 2-for-4 with an RBI apiece.

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Stinkin' Yankees

Well, it's a good thing the Yankees won't be facing the Baltimore Orioles or the Toronto Blue Jays in the playoffs, because New York has been horrible against them lately. (New York is currently losing to Toronto 9-2.)

As the last two weeks until the end of the season trickle by (with most of the playoff berths tied up in both leagues), many teams are trying to conserve talent and rest players. That could really hurt the Yankees, though. They need to keep plugging, keep hitting, keep pitching...especially with all the lackluster playoff performances they've had lately.

In the tiny series that are the first round of the playoffs, even a great team can get sent home with a couple bad games. And considering the crap that A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain have been tossing off the mound lately (actually, Chamberlain would be throwing crap, but he hardly stays in long enough to throw anything), it's looking scary. CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte can't handle it all, and they've been shaky plenty of times this season, too (although Sabathia is a real September-October workhorse).

The good news is, the Yankees bullpen is great, and those pitchers have able to keep their arms fresh as the bum half of the pen has taken care of these last few games.

The return of Brett Gardner to the lineup has also given New York a little spark, and the spate of young players that showed up with the September expansion of the rosters has also been a good test of the Yankees' wide range of weapons.

But really, Yankees? Losing to the Blue Jays? And by half a dozen? That's got to stop.

Roy Halladay, a usual Yankees foil, was pitching for Toronto today. That means that as good as the Yankees are this year, they're still not drop-dead amazing enough to dethrone players who usually give them fits, such as the entire rosters of Red Sox and the Angels and even Detroit's Justin Verlander (a probably first-round foe). Not a good sign.

These next few games will be a good test to see whether New York is going to keep its foot on the gas, or whether the Yankees are letting off just in time for the most important games of the season.

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Pitching, in good form

CC Sabathia tossed a shutout through seven innings today to lead the Yankees past the Detroit Tigers 2-1. Sabathia has the best ERA of all New York starters (3.66) and is the first one to nine wins (9-6).

Melky Cabrera legged out a key single that allowed New York to win the game by a run, which is ironic since his spot on the team has been on and off with speedster Brett Gardner.

Meanwhile, Derek Jeter is third in the American League with a .325 batting average, and Mark Teixeira is third in homers (22) and fourth RBIs (66).

Boston dropped a game today, bringing the Yankees within two of the division leaders.

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Enough about those "highly paid" Yankees

Whine about the Yankees' incredible spending power if you will, but remember that it's veterans who have risen through the system (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada) and low-paid or young players (Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Cody Ransom) who are doing most of the work.

Right now, it's the top of the sixth, and the Yankees are beating the Twins 6-4. Ransom and Gardner have two RBIs apiece and Jeter has another.

The only place you can really get away with whining about all that money buys? Half of the starting rotation (CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett) and the No. 3 hole (Mark Teixeira), I guess. But still, the rotation is building on Yankee veteran Andy Pettitte, and New York-raised Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes.

A lot of money has been spent, but that's not necessarily where the wins are coming from.

Check out the Yankees' payroll here. With the exception of the aforementioned veterans, who deserve a pretty buck after spending their entire career in New York, the Yankees' big contributors for the days are all making regular MLB money. Cut out the ridiculously paid guys (Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Burnett, etc.), and the Yankees would still have a contending team.

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Yankees hit 50 wins

The Yankees won their 50th game of the season tonight, pulling out a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

A.J. Burnett continued his solid pitching, allowing only two runs over his six and one-third innings. Mariano Rivera notched his 22nd save, out of 23 chances.

Brett Gardner singled in two runs, and Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher (both 1-for-4, 1 RBI), Derek Jeter (2-for-5) and Jorge Posada (2-for-3) helped the Yankees at the plate.

Tomorrow night the Yankees close out their series in Minnesota, going for their second sweep of the Twins this year, before flying to Los Angeles to face the American League West-leading Angels (46-36) on Friday.

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HR-less win shows Yankees' balance

The Yankees topped the Twins 10-2 tonight with nary a homer, once again showing New York's ability to win with a balanced attack.

Ace CC Sabathia led the defense, allowing only one run over seven innings (with just three Ks), and every Yankees starter had a hit. Over the night, the Bombers patched together 16 hits, including a 4-for-6 night by Mark Teixeira and a triple-led 3-for-5 round by Brett Gardner.

The famed Minnesota onslaught, meanwhile, saw sluggers Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer both go 0-for-3.

On the season, the Yankees aren't really stacking the statistics categories, either. Mariano Rivera's 21 saves are third in the American League, and Teixeira's 20 homers and 62 RBIs are in the top five, but no other Yankees are leading in major statistical categories.

Instead, the team is using a balanced attack. In my tally of the top three Yankees in batting average, homers, and RBIs, I have seven different guys sharing the honors. The four starting pitchers that have been tossing regularly for the Yankees have virtually the same ERAs and win-loss totals. And when players hit the DL or take a night off, the bench players (such as catcher Francisco Cervelli) are hitting, too.

The Yanks were 17-17 when they came into their last series against the Twins, a four-gamer that they swept en route to their current 49-34 record. They needed a few walk-offs in that series; I'm not sure they'll need any this time.

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Tex? Good. Gardner? Errr....

Mark Teixeira did his job again today, driving in four runs with a double and a homer, but some shoddy play by the Yanks with runners on base (I'm thinking Brett Gardner at the plate) doomed the Bombers to a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Tribe.

Gardner was up in the top of the ninth with a speedy teammate on second, but all he could do was hit a bouncer that set up a double play from the next batter.

Chien-Ming Wang gave another solid relief performance, tossing three perfect innings, and the top three Yankee batters all went 2-for-4 (although there was quite a dispute over one play at first that could have easily been another Derek Jeter hit). But New York never got rolling, and it was more entertaining watching the seagulls fly in and stroll around the field than sit through all nine innings of this game.

New York can grab another W tomorrow before heading back to the Bronx and facing the American League-leading Texas Rangers. I hope Melky's back by then; they need his hot bat.

(Notes: Tex's home run ties him for the home run lead in the American League; the Yankees tied the Major League record for games without an error with 17 straight, which equals the Red Sox's 2006 mark.)

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Another W for NY

The Yankees came back late again, topping the Twins 5-4. This is the kind of team they need to be if they're going to make any sort of run. Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner have fueled each other, "competing" for the same spot (they'll be on the field together if they continue to play well). Starting pitcher Phil Hughes didn't start, but he had an average outing, enough to let the bats win the game.

If manager Joe Girardi can continue to tap into the style of play the Yankees have right now (including some feistiness from Johnny Damon, who got tossed after getting fired up over some strikes-and-balls at home plate), New York can start nabbing two of three and even go on a run.