When September opened, one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Yankees was how much they could trust A.J. Burnett in a big playoff start. He'd just flopped at Fenway Park for the second time, calling into question his fitness under the spotlight and making some Yankee fans worry about their investment in the right-hander.
Those fears subsided thanks to Burnett's strong final month, however. He went 3-1 with a 3.83 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings pitched. What was the difference? Jose Molina was wearing the tools of ignorance for all but one of the seven September outings while Jorge Posada sat on the bench, which is why he'll get the start with Burnett on the mound in Game 2 of the ALDS.
For every Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte with a history of success in the October, the Yankees seem to have a player who has to prove himself in this coming one.
You'll hear all about from now until those players redeem themselves -- or the Yankees are eliminated.
"It's going to be a huge deal," said CC Sabathia, who will take a 7.92 ERA from his five playoff starts into Game 1 of this year's Division Series.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Yankees are still fired up despite their large lead in the AL East.
After two Yankees pitchers hit Blue Jays batters in Tuesday's game, Toronto's Jesse Carlson threw behind Jorge Posada in the bottom of the eighth.
Posada glared, benches briefly emptied, but there were no punches. Yet.
Instead of letting it end there, or charging the mound, Posada waited until he walked and then scored a run to give Carlson a shove after he crossed home plate.
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
You hear that, fantasy baseball owners? Josh Hamilton's sole purpose on this Earth is to mess with you. Really, there's no way to over-dramatize the crap he's put fantasy owners through. Initially, he would have been the crown jewel in a dynasty league with minor-leaguers. When those types finally gave up on him, he made the show for the Reds. Then, he started to catch on for the Reds, but couldn't stay healthy. So he goes to the Rangers and puts himself on a record RBI pace, only to significantly slow down in the second half. In 2009, the bona fide elite-level fantasy outfielder has only played 35 games. He's only hitting .240. And he's out until mid-July.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Oh what a difference a month makes. Josh Beckett's ERA in April stood at 7.22, including a two-game span where he was shellacked for 15 runs. Since then he's hurled five straight quality starts and posted a 2.38 ERA in May. His ERA is now 4.60 and his WHIP is 1.47, both of which fail to indicate his true current value. Often, like in Beckett's case, you can only get an accurate gauge by looking at what a player's done lately instead of viewing overall stats.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
I think we can all agree that it's far too early to start voting upon who the best 2009 players are when it's only the middle of May. That being said, there are certainly some shining stars at this point who deserve some props. Plus, Major League Baseball recently released their All-Star ballots for our voting pleasure -- we vote on who will start the All-Star Game. If that's not important, I don't know what is. Let's take a gander.
The Yankees are about to get a much-needed boost to their lineup. The team with the payroll exceeding the GDP of many countries in the world is sitting at a modest 13-14 heading into Thursday's date with the Tampa Bay Rays. They've lost four straight games. The offense is fifth in the AL in runs scored and fourth in OPS, and they just lost Jorge Posada to the disabled list.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
He's only 21 years old. He's only 21 years old. Whenever you get frustrated that your future fantasy stud is struggling, it's important to take a breather and repeat those words. When I was 21, I think I spent my Wednesday nights playing Counter-Strike and eating bad pizza. Justin Upton, on the other hand, has to deal with expectations that he's the next Willie Mays. Whatever happened to the 27-year-old "breakout" rule? Suddenly it's six years younger?
It didn't just rain on the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday night, it poured. They waited 2 1/2 hours to lose a fourth straight game to the Red Sox, saw their manager ejected in the proceedings and watched their starting catcher limp off the field with a hamstring injury. It will be a while before they see Jorge Posada on the field again.
Posada was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with what's being called a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring. That means it is a partial tear, and it probably means that it will be June before he'll be back behind the plate or playing DH for the Yankees.
NEW YORK -- Yankees catcher Jorge Posada left Monday night's game against the Red Sox with a right hamstring injury and will have an MRI exam Tuesday to evaluate the problem. Manager Joe Girardi said Posada would not play in Tuesday's game, and made it sound as if the injury could be serious.
"He said he felt it grab, and it's not something we need right now, but it's something we'll have an answer on after the MRI," Girardi said. "I'm not sure how bad it's going to be."
Posada was dealing with a hamstring injury last week, but Girardi said this one is new and higher up on the leg.
When September opened, one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Yankees was how much they could trust A.J. Burnett in a big playoff start. He'd just flopped at Fenway Park for the second time, calling into question his fitness under the spotlight and making some Yankee fans worry about their investment in the right-hander. 
NEW YORK -- Can a team win the World Series with an ace sporting a 7.92 ERA and a cleanup hitter with one RBI in his past 59 at-bats in the playoffs?
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
The Yankees are about to get a much-needed boost to their lineup. The team with the payroll exceeding the GDP of many countries in the world is sitting at a modest 13-14 heading into Thursday's date with the Tampa Bay Rays. They've lost four straight games. The offense is fifth in the AL in runs scored and fourth in OPS, and they just lost 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
It didn't just rain on the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday night, it poured. They waited 2 1/2 hours to lose a fourth straight game to the Red Sox, saw their manager ejected in the proceedings and watched their starting catcher limp off the field with a hamstring injury. It will be a while before they see 
NEW YORK -- Yankees catcher 
