The LoHud Yankees Blog

YANKEES (63-42)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Hinske RF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (8-6, 4.51).

BLUE JAYS (51-54)
Scutaro SS
Hill 2B
Lind DH
Millar 1B
Wells CF
Rios RF
Encarnacion 3B
Barajas C
Bautista LF

Pitching: RHP Roy Halladay (11-4, 2.68).

TIME/TV: 7:07 p.m./YES.

STATE OF THE ‘STRIPES: The Yankees are 3-4 on a road trip that ends tomorrow. They lead the Red Sox by a half-game in the AL East. The Yankees have lost three of four, four of six and five of the last nine.

JAYS DAYS: The Yankees are 5-2 against the Blue Jays this season.

NO HALLADAY: Roy Halladay — still a Blue Jay — is 16-5 with a 2.90 ERA against the Yankees in his career. He is 8-0, 2.10 in his last 10 starts against the Yankees. He is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA against them in two starts this season. Halladay took a no-decision on July 4 in the Bronx when he allowed five runs on nine hits over seven innings including home runs by Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada.

ANDY DANDY IN CANADA: Pettitte is 13-5, 3.95 at the Rogers Centre in 19 career starts. He is 1-1, 5.25 against the Jays this season. Pettitte has a has a 2.70 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break. Over 20 innings he has allowed only 16 hits and three walks while striking out 23.

MAGNIFICENT MARIANO: Mariano Rivera allowed a run on June 12. Here’s his line since: 18 appearances, 18 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 18 strikeouts. Opponents have hit .086 against him with a .131 on-base percentage. The Yankees are 18-0 in those games.

HUGHES COMES UP HUGE: Phil Hughes has a 0.95 ERA in 20 relief appearances and has whiffed 34 in 28.1 innings.

RISP ON THE ROAD TRIP: The Yankees are 18 of 77 (.233) with runners in scoring position on the road trip.

MELKY IS THE MAN: Melky Cabrera is 15 of 35 in his last 11 games with 10 extra-base hits, five RBI, six walks and only two strikeouts.

SWISHER SAFELY: Nick Swisher has hit safely in seven of the last eight games at 9 of 29 (.310) with five extra-base hits. He has raised his batting average from .233 to .241.

MILESTONE WATCH: Derek Jeter is six stolen bases away from 300. Only 154 players have 300.

PUTRID PITCHING: The Yankees haven’t chucked it too well in the last three games: 25 innings, 41 hits, 29 earned runs, 13 walks, 20 strikeouts.

ACE NO MORE: Alfredo Aceves has allowed 10 earned runs in his last 8.1 innings. He has only two appearances since July 21.

MELANCON COULD MATTER: Mark Melancon has not allowed a run in his last 4.1 innings.

ONE-RUN REPORT: The Yankees are 15-12 in one-run games, 4-6 in the last 10.

TOUGH DOWN THE STRETCH: Joe Girardi has handled his bullpen well over the last two seasons. The Yankees are 110-5 when leading after six innings, 120-5 when leading after seven and 129-1 when leading after eight innings.

DROUGHT: Alex Rodriguez has gone 53 at-bats since his last home run.

THE TORONTO TERROR: A-Rod has hit .303 with 31 homers in his career at the Rogers Centre.

GREATEST YANKEE EVER: Jerry Hairston Jr. is 3 for 6 with two RBI, a walk, a run scored and a sacrifice in two games as a Yankee.

POSADA PLUNGES: Jorge Posada is 3 for 23 on the road trip with one extra-base hit and two RBI.

Back with more later.

UPDATE, 5:51 p.m.: Not much new to report. Damaso Marte pitched 0.2 innings against Pawtucket today, walking one and striking out two He has now made eight appearances in the minors. The Yankees can leave him on rehab for a month.

Numbers vs. Halladay for the lineup:

Jeter 20-83
Damon 30-86
Teixeira 6-26
Rodriguez 20-66
Matsui 12-50
Posada 13-45
Cano 7-38
Cabrera 8-32
Hinske 6-24

Swisher is 2-14, hence he sits.

UPDATE, 6:11 p.m.: Here is Joe Girardi’s pre-game with the writers and Kim Jones:

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UPDATE, 7:13 p.m.: We’re underway in Toronto. Johnny Damon, as he always seems to, had a single against Halladay.

Small crowd here.

UPDATE, 7:16 p.m.: Tremendous break for the Yankees there. Halladay dropped the throw from Millar and an alert A-Rod scored on on the play as his slide dislodged the ball from Barajas.

The error was given to Millar, which I’m not sure I understand. The ball was in Halladay’s glove. Nonetheless, Yankees 2-0.

UPDATE, 7:47 p.m.: Still 2-0 but the Yankees are hitting Halladay hard. Even some of the outs have been rockets.

UPDATE, 8:19 p.m.: Halladay has reverted back into his nasty self. He has retired the last seven batters in order. Yankees 2-1 in a speedy game.

UPDATE, 8:33 p.m.: Andy has gotten away with a few tonight. I have five line-drive outs recorded in my scorebook. Terrific game between two guys who really know how to pitch.

UPDATE, 8:57 p.m.: Wow, Phil Hughes is filthy. 96, 97 then a hook that froze Jose Bautista like Ted Williams.

Pettitte’s last 26.2 innings: 7 ER and 29 K. He has his swerve on.

UPDATE, 9:03 p.m.: Johnny Damon owns Roy Halladay. Wow. He’s 32 of 90 with three homers.

UPDATE, 9:04 p.m.: And Tex goes back to back. Huge runs for the Yankees, who now lead 4-1.

UPDATE, 9:25 p.m.: Those really were huge runs as Hughes and Rivera have allowed two runs here in the eighth inning. It’s 4-3 Yankees and Mo needs to escape a jam here.

UPDATE, 9:26 p.m.: Mo squirms out of it. They’ll take at least a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth. Encarnacion, Chavez and Bautista due up for the Jays.

UPDATE, 9:44 p.m.: Nice win for the Yankees, who are 4-4 on the trip with one game left. Mariano Rivera has converted 100 of his last 103 save chances going back to 2007. That’s pretty ridiculous.

The Yankees walked the edge in this one, didn’t they? Back with reaction from the clubhouse.

Maury Brown from the Biz of Baseball Blog wrote an interesting piece today on the collision between the mainstream media and those who appropriate our work on line without paying for it, or at least giving proper credit.

As newspapers struggle to stay afloat financially, it’s a question that is not going to go away. Newspapers spend a lot of money to pay beat writers and send them on the road. Why should some blog, particularly those with advertisements, be able to use that information for free?

I’m usually flattered if some other blog links to my work. I figure anything that brings more readers here has to be good. But for every responsible blogger out there, there are other who cut and paste the work of others and either pass it off as their own or barely credit the author.

If you know the solution, contact the newspaper industry because you will be a well-paid consultant. The problem will soon be this: If newspapers decide they can’t afford beat writers, where will that information come from? Somebody has to get on the plane, go to Toronto and ask the questions.

The Yankees are taking optional batting practice in the Rogers Centre.

Good turnout. The early hitters are: Cody Ransom, Jerry Hairston Jr., Jorge Posada, Eric Hinske, Nick Swisher, Derek Jeter, Jose Molina, Melky Cabrera and Robbie Cano.

Joba Chamberlain, Mark Melancon and Phil Coke are shagging flies in center. The Yankees typically hold n early workout after days off or before the first game in a road city.

Before you get all uppity about who is not here, keep in mind that every player has a different routine. Some players like more BP, others less. Some guys prefer working out in the afternoons or hitting off a tee in the cage. A-Rod is probably doing rehab work on his hip, etc.

Now this is weird.

Over on the Demolition of Yankee Stadium blog, I saw some aerial photos of the old Stadium (via WCBS.com) that showed some sort of plant life taking root in the stands.

No clue how such a thing happens. It looks like something out of I Am Legend. Will animals soon start roaming the concourses?

This is probably some of sort of Steiner Sports scheme. Actual weeds from Yankee Stadium! Only $79.95! Authenticated!

All kidding aside, it’s sad watching the place go so slowly. Just tear it down and get it over with.

Our next live video chat will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. We’ll preview the upcoming Red Sox series and everything else going on with the Yankees.

Here is how it works: At 11, or shortly before, go to our ProTalkLive page and submit your questions. I’ll answer as many as I can for 45 minutes or so.

The deadline to sign draft picks is Aug. 17. The Yankees so far have signed 20 of their picks. But the unsigned (according to Baseball America) include:

1. Slade Heathcott
2. J.R. Murphy
5. Caleb Cotham
10. Tyler Lyons
14. Graham Stoneburner
16. Bryan Mitchell
17. Chad Thompson
20. Tom Keeling
21. Joe Talerico
22. Ben Soignier
26. Steve Bruno
28. Aaron Meade
29. Scott Maytas
30. Kyle McKenzie

Heathcott and Murphy quite likely have already agreed to the framework of their contracts. Typically, the commissioner’s office delays approving deals to try and take leverage away from other players. Baseball’s draft system is impossibly stupid, don’t get me started.

Several of the picks — including Cotham, Lyons and Meade — played in the prestigious Cape Cod League, which wraps up in the next two weeks. Lyon has been one of the best pitchers in the league, posting a 1.77 ERA in seven starts for Chatham. The Anglers are managed by an old friend of mine, John Schiffner.

Meade is 3-1, 1.91 for Harwich and has fanned 47 in 42.1 innings. The Yankees, one would think, will push hard for these guys.

Good morning from the Dick Butkus International Airport here in Chicago where everything is (hopefully) fine after some unpleasant moments this morning.

I decided to stay in Chicago on Monday instead of traveling ahead to Toronto. No offense to the good people of Toronto, but I like Chicago better. I booked myself on the first flight to Toronto this morning, which was supposed to be at 6:35 a.m. on American Airlines.

Then my cell phone rang at 3:45 a.m. and a computerized voice announced my flight had been canceled. Not only that but I was re-booked on a flight via Boston that would not get me into Toronto until 4 p.m. With the clubhouse open to the media at 3:30 p.m., that was not good.

So I called and after only 10 minutes or so, I was booked on a 9:05 a.m. direct flight on United at no extra cost. It’ll get me there in plenty of time. So assuming it takes off, everything will be fine. Wish me luck.

Almost every time people learn how often I travel, I get a story about lost luggage or some other calamity. But — knock on wood — I rarely have a problem. Flights are crowded and the level of service has plunged dramatically in recent years. But I enjoy travel. Airports are always interesting places to me. They’re like small cities constantly at rush hour. I hope one day to cover a presidential election. The machinations of a campaign are intriguing and I think it would be interesting to see a different part of the country every day. Plus it would make for great blogging and Twittering.

I actually started out as a news writer for my college paper and covered speeches at UMass by George McGovern, Jesse Jackson and the Dalai Lama. But I gravitated back to sports because that was what I knew best and what I covered for my hometown paper when I was a kid. But maybe somebody I’ll write about the serous stuff again. More serious than who the No. 5 starter will be, at least.

The Lama, by the way, was palling around with Richard Gere at the time. Now A-Rod is palling around with Richard Gere. I’m fairly sure that’s all he has in common with the Lama. Nice guy, the Lama. Very peaceful.

Not much else to report. Check back later.

Andy Pettitte is coming on strong as the Yankees head for Toronto. He will face Roy Halladay tonight.

We’ve all heard talk that the Yankees are actually operating under a budget with Hal Steinbrenner in charge. According to Brian Cashman, his payroll has limits. The Yankees actually got money back from Pittsburgh when they acquired Eric Hinske.

Does Andy Pettitte play a role in that? Under the terms of the $5.5 million deal he agreed to in late January, Pettitte can earn an additional $6.5 million in bonuses. He could get pretty close to that.

Let’s check it out:

Performance bonuses:
150 innings: $500,000.
160 innings: $500,000.
170 innings: $500,000.
180 innings: $750,000.
190 innings: $750,000.
200 innings: $750,000.
210 innings: $750,000

Roster bonuses:
120 days on the 25-man roster: $100,000.
130 days on the 25-man roster: $200,000.
140 days on the 25-man roster: $250,000
150 days on the 25-man roster: $250,000
160 days on the 25-man roster: $400,000
170 days on the 25-man roster: $400,000
180 days on the 25-man roster: $400,000

Pettitte has been on the active roster for 123 days. If he lasts the season, he will get $2 million.

He is also on a pace to finish the season with just over 200 innings, which would mean another $3.5 million. So Pettitte could finish the season with a total salary of $11 million. Given the state of the free-agent market last winter, the Hendricks Brothers did well for their client.

Pettitte will face Toronto tomorrow and Boston on Sunday. As the season moves along, he’s going to start raking it in.

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I think that’s it from me today. I’m still in Chicago and going to try and enjoy the rest of the day off before heading for Toronto. Thanks for checking in.

Our next live video chat will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. from Toronto. We can talk about the road trip, the upcoming Red Sox series or whatever else you want.

Here is how it works: At 11, or shortly before, go to our ProTalkLive page and submit your questions to the moderator. I’ll answer as many as I can for 45 minutes or so.

These chats have been fun so join in and ask your question.
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Melky Cabrera hit for the cycle for the 15th time in franchise history on Sunday. Here are the others:

Three times: Bob Meusel (1921, 1922, 1928).

Two times: Lou Gehrig (1934, 1937); Joe DiMaggio (1937, 1948)

One time: Bert Daniels (1912), Tony Lazzeri (1932), Buddy Rosar (1940), Joe Gordon (1940), Mickey Mantle (1957), Bobby Murcer (1972), Tony Fernandez (1995)