Week In Review: The Bottom Line

June 19-25, 2006

Record for the Week: 4-2, 22 runs allowed, 24 runs scored
Overall Record: 42-31 (2nd Place, two and a half games out)

Player of the Week: Johnny Damon., posted a .409/.500/.682 week, and supplied all the offense in the Yankees' win of the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. Jason Giambi gets a runner-up credit, blasting a couple of homers and posting .300/.391/.600 line for the week, but contributing to the loss in Sunday's nightcap with some malhudeous defense. On the pitching side, Mariano Rivera threw up five blank frames en route to three saves. Jaret Wright and Randy Johnson also had good starts.

Dregs of the Week: Melky Cabrera's funk continues (.227/.227/.273). Overall, Derek Jeter's .685 OPS (.292/.393/.292) last week was more valuable than Jorge Posada's .683 OPS (.261/.292/.391), although Posada might have had the bigger hits.

Other Stats: Phillips 11 PA (1.055 OPS), Cairo 11 PA (1.071 OPS), Bubba Crosby 10 PA (.400 OPS).

Story of the Week: It's easy to take for granted a 4-2 week, especially when the Red Sox are on such an amazing roll. But the fact is, the Yanks' pitching was solid this week perhaps as well as the pitchers have performed, as a unit, since April when the Royals were in town.

There are still some disturbing signs. Robbie Cano came up lame in the doubleheader nightcap, yet another injury the bombers don't need. He goes on the 15 day DL, showing just how thin the organization is at that spot--it's now Miguel Cairo and Nick Green manning the keystone. Melky's troubles continue, meaning that he might not be the short-term solution the Yankees need in the outfield. Again, not much help coming that way, either. Oh, and the booing of Alex Rodriguez continues, after just about every out.

Still, 4-2 is a good week. I'll take the Yanks going 4-2 each week for the rest of the season, and straight on through October.