The Yankees were 2-4 last week as they were outscored 29-27  by their opponents.  The Yankees got poor pitching and their bats still have not started to heat up yet.  The Yankees entered this week with a 21-27 record which had them in 4th place in the American League East, 12.5 games behind the Red Sox.

18 year old righty swinging Jose Tabata is off to a decent start in Hi-A ball for the Yankees.  Tabata is the #2 ranked prospect in the Yankees system according to Baseball America.  In 42 games in A-ball, Tabata is 51 for 171 (.298 avg, .735 OPS) with 17 runs, 1 homer, 20 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Tabata is often asked about when the Yankees inquire about trades, but they have resisted so far and should continue to do that.

No one thought much about Brian Bruney when the Yankees picked him up last season.  But, he’s been lights out since he has become a Yankee and he’s been awesome so far this season.   In 23 games, Bruney is 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP for the Yanks so far this season.  In 21.1 innings, Bruney has only allowed 11 hits while walking 13 and whiffing 22.  Bruney has a good arm and he’s just wild enough that batters don’t dig in against him.

It’s been a long, long time since Mariano Rivera has had as many losses as saves but he does have that right now!  In 16 games this season, Rivera is 1-3 with 3 saves, a 6.75 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP!  Batters are going up to the plate hacking against Rivera and it’s been paying off for them.  In 14.2 innings this season, Rivera has allowed 17 hits and three homers!  But, Rivera has whiffed 14 batters while only walking 4 and it appears that he still has good stuff as his fastball is still blazing in the high 90’s.  Look for him to rebound soon and become the “Sandman” once again.

The Yankees were 2-4 last week despite outscoring their opponents 27-25.  The Yanks wasted some decent pitching as their hitting has continued to slump as of late.  Coming into this week the Yankees were 19-23 which has them tied for 2nd place in the American League East with the Orioles, 10.5 games behind the Red Sox.