CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

The Yankees came in to the game with a 1-1/2 game lead in the East, and with an opportunity to extend it by another game as the Orioles fell to the Blue Jays. This time of year, every game counts and the Yankees should be beating up on teams fighting to stay out of last place like the Twins. It did not exactly work out that way.

Phil Hughes showed some great skill tonight in holding down the Twins through the first six innings. Hughes can be feast-or-famine when it comes to his starts, but it's always amazing to me how good he is when he is in "feast" mode. Hughes pitched six and two-thirds innings of two-run ball, striking out four, and holding the Twins to only one extra-base hit.

Nick Swisher started the Yankees offense with a line-drive two-run home run in the top of the fourth. Swisher has been Mr. Clutch of late, with six of his last 12 home runs having put the Yankees in the lead. Clutch is king in the postseason - we are looking forward to more of the same from Swish.

Esmerling Vasquez started the game for the Twins. Honestly, when I saw him listed as the starting pitcher, I was thinking that this game is a slam-dunk. Surprisingly, he was able to hold the Yankees to two runs - both on the aforementioned home run. Where were the Yankees bats tonight? Vasquez seemed to have a good change up tonight, but it makes you wonder how a pitcher coming in with an ERA close to 6 can hold the Yankees to two runs? The Yankees bats have to be able to pound pitchers like this, and take advantage of similar weaknesses in playoff teams.

Russell Martin continued his hot hitting as he hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh for an extra insurance run, putting the Yankees up 3-1. Martin, whose batting average has spent most of the season on the interstate, has been surprisingly productive in clutch situations lately.

Hughes pitched into the 7th inning, but loaded the bases on a set of cheap hits. Ryan Doumit singled, Chris Parmelee walked, and Jamey Carroll reached on an infield single. After striking out Pedro Florimon, Joe Girardi went to the bullpen and Boone Logan was called upon to get the third out. After a wild pitch allowed the first run to score, Logan gave up a double to Denard Span to score two, Ben Revere walked, and Joe Mauer got an RBI single. Logan finally retired Justin Morneau to end the inning. With Logan brought in to face four left-handed hitters, three of them reached and all four runs scored with him on the mound. He is my nominee for Goat of the Game.

Derek Lowe came in to keep the Twins from scoring any more runs. He induced three quiet ground outs to give the Yankees the best chance at a rally. After a rough end of August, Lowe has been looking pretty good, and could be a key part of the Yankees postseason plan.

An honorable mention has to go out to Andruw Jones, who got a pinch-hit home run in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate. Jones' hitting has been dreadful lately. It is good to see signs of life from his bat.

The Yankees came in to this game having won 11 of their last 14 games. No team wins all of their games, but it would have been nice to extend their lead. Still, there were many positives to take from this game. Hughes, who is likely the #4 starter on the playoff roster, looked very strong. If Logan had done his job, we would have been celebrating his 17th win. Swisher is still hitting go-ahead home runs, and Russell Martin is suddenly a threat at the plate. Most importantly, they are showing some fight in the ninth inning even when they are down. They still have questions with their bullpen and their hitting, but let's hope this was a road bump - and on to tomorrow!

Final Score: Twins 5, Yankees 4

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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