The LoHud Yankees Blog

Looking for something to do this weekend? Head to New Britain, Conn., and support the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

The Thunder need to take three of four games from the Rock Cats to make the Eastern League playoffs. It’s the final series of the regular season. The teams play at 7:05 p.m. tonight and tomorrow. The games on Sunday and Monday are at 1:35 p.m.

The best seats in the house are $15 and you get get in for as little as $5. New Britain Stadium is modern and easy to get to. If you’re interested in attending, follow this link for information.

Jorge Posada’s comeback season continued last night as his four RBI helped the Yankees beat the Blue Jays.

The Yankees are being cautious with Mariano Rivera. This notebook also has updates on Brett Gardner, Jonathan Albaladejo, Joba Chamberlain and George Steinbrenner.

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If you use Safari, you might have trouble clicking to the second part of the story. I’ve informed the tech people about that and they’re working to fix it. If you click to print the story, you can read the story in its entirety even if you cancel the printing.

Yes, I know I usually post last night’s stories first thing in the morning. This is what happens when you wake up late. Sorry about that.

This from the Yankees:

On Thursday, September 10 at noon, Yankee Stadium will host a press conference on the field to announce the upcoming boxing match between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, taking place on November 14, 2009, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Gates will open at 11:00 a.m. to the public for the free event, with the press conference slated to begin at noon.

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Hopefully this event is a precursor to an actual fight taking place at the Stadium. That would be a great event to see. The old Stadium, as you know, hosted some historic fights over the years.

Pacquiao is the most exciting fighter in the sport right now and he would draw a ton of people if he ever fought at the Stadium.

Nick Swisher and Jerry Hairston Jr. were talking after the game last night about the unfathomable abuse the Yankees were subjected to at the Rogers Centre.

Fans were cursing the players, throwing things at them and generally behaving like idiots. According to Swisher, Toronto has become the worst environment in the league for opposing players. The Yankees have had issues all season, particularly with fans throwing debris at the players in the bullpen. The team’s two security guards were stationed out there last night to keep anything from happening.

Meanwhile, some dope picked up a foul ball and nearly pegged Alfredo Aceves in the head in the sixth inning. The man stood raising his arms and getting congratulated by fellow idiots. It took nearly five minutes for security to reach the area and when they did, the crowd booed.

This has been happening all season to other teams. There is a clear lack of security in the ballpark.

One of our readers, Kevin, sent me this note last night:

I have been to many games since I moved here from Southern Ontario last year. In all but two or three of those games, I have seen large-scale fights break out all over the stadium, police officers having to run to the sections to make arrests, unbelievable profanity being used, as well as debris tossed onto the field.

The fans here tend to get drunk (at $10 a beer too) and all hell just breaks loose.

Major League Baseball needs to do something about this. It’s a matter of time before somebody gets hurt.

A few charity and health-related items I wanted to make you aware of:

Nick Swisher is working with Lee National Denim Day to raise money to fight women’s cancer. Go to his page to make a donation to the cause. $5 is all it takes — along with wearing jeans on Oct. 2.

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In the first-ever effort during a New York Yankees game, Ed Randall’s Bat For The Cure charity will help fans fight the battle against prostate cancer by partnering with the New York Yankees in an unprecedented effort to save lives by providing free, simple prostate cancer screenings for any adult man attending the game at Yankee Stadium on September 9.

The free tests will begin at 3 p.m. when the Yankees open the Stadium gates a full hour earlier than they normally would for an evening game. The screenings will take place at the First Aid Office located on the Main Level behind home plate. The tests will continue throughout the Yankees’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition, the Yankees have agreed to continue the screenings for as long as any fan at the game wants to take advantage of the free tests.

This is the first time prostate cancer screenings will be conducted during a game at Yankee Stadium and provides a no-cost opportunity for men at the game, especially men over 40, to have their PSA levels tested for any indication of prostate cancer. High PSA levels are a recognized warning of prostate issues.

Doctors and medical technicians from St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center have joined with Ed Randall’s Bat For The Cure to provide the safe and simple screening. Men will be notified of the results within two weeks.

“It is an honor for my organization to partner with the most famous sports franchise in history at the most storied sports venue in the world for this lifesaving initiative,” Ed Randall, the Chairman and Founder of Ed Randall’s Bat For The Cure said. “I owe a debt of gratitude to New York Yankees’ Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost for suggesting the idea for the screenings. It’s a debt I won’t be able to repay. But I know the greatest reward for the entire Yankees’ family will be the lives saved because of this partnership.”

The latest statistics on prostate cancer are saddening: prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men with 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer expected in the US this year, enough to fill Yankee Stadium six times over. Overall, one in three men will develop a prostate problem, one in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and for African-American men one in four will develop the disease. Yet, through early detection, prostate cancer is almost 97 percent treatable.

This will be quick because I’m about to fall asleep.

• Jorge Posada’s homer in the ninth inning gave the Yankees seven players with at least 20 homers. That ties the MLB record also held by the 1996 Orioles, the 2000 Blue Jays and the 2005 Rangers. Derek Jeter has 17.

“I don’t care if I hit another one,” he said with a little grin.

• The Yankees also have seven players with at least 70 RBI. Jeter has 61.

• Alfredo Aceves leads the majors with 10 wins in relief.

• A-Rod has hit in 12 straight at 20 of 47. He is up to .276.

Alex also ran into a female police officer while chasing a foul ball in the fifth inning. The two became briefly tangled up. “I’m just glad she didn’t read me my rights,” Rodriguez said. “Only me. How embarrassing.”

• The Yankees have had five win streaks of seven games or more this season. That’s the most in the majors since the 1998 Yankees. That bunch won 114 games and then the World Series.

• In the current seven-game win streak, the Yankees have outscored their foes 57-19.

• Toronto has dropped 15 of 19 and is 32-60 since May 19. They’ll run Roy Halladay out there against Joba tomorrow.

That’s it for me. Catch you tomorrow … but not too early. Thanks to everybody for reading tonight.

YANKEES (85-48)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cani 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: RHP Chad Gaudin (1-0, 3.21).

BLUE JAYS (59-73)
Scutaro SS
Hill 2B
Lind LF
Overbay 1B
Wells CF
Ruiz DH
Snider RF
Bautista 3B
Chavez C

Pitching: LHP Ricky Romero (11-6, 3.95).

TIME/TV: 7:07, YES.

STATE OF THE STRIPES: The Yankees have won six straight, seven of eight and 23 of their last 29. They lead the Red Sox by 7.5 games in the American League East and the Angels by 6.5 games in the race for home field advantage in the playoffs.

STATE OF THE JAYS: Yikes. Toronto was 27-14 on May 18 and led the division by 3.5 games. They are 32-59 (.352) since. The Jays have lost three straight, six of seven and 14 of their last 18.

A LITTLE BIT LUCKY: The Yankees have a run differential of +141 (now the best in the majors, by the way). Based on the Pythagorean winning percentage determined by Bill James, the Yankees should have 79 wins.

THE JETER METER: Derek Jeter has 2,713 career hits. He needs only nine more to pass Lou Gehrig for the most in franchise history.

HOMER HAPPY: The Yankees have hit 208 homers, a pace that would give them 253 for the season. The franchise record is 242 by the 2004 team. The Major League record is 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.

JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY: Johnny Damon has a seven-game hit streak that has bumped his batting average up to .293.

A-ROD ON A ROLL: Alex Rodrigez has hit in 11 straight at 18 of 43 (.419), albeit with only three extra-base hits. He has 11 RBI in that stretch. His batting average has climbed from .254 to .274.

HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHES: Closer for the weekend Philip J. Hughes of Orange County has a 1.14 ERA in 31 relief appearances. Check out his last 10 outings:

10 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts. Remember these days when he wins the Cy Young in 2011 in his second full season as a starter.

DOMINATION: The Yankees have outscored their foes 47-14 in their six-game win streak.

THIS CAN’T BE TRUE, BUT SOMEHOW IT IS: Jeter is 3 of his last 13.

GODZILLA SLUMPING: Hideki Matsui is 4 of his last 24 with two RBI.

THE MELKMAN: Melky Cabrera is 10 of 24 in his last six games. He’s up to .274.

ON THE iPOD RIGHT NOW: Someone Else’s Bell by Squeeze.

Back with much more later on.

UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: Jon Albaladejo was called up.

UPDATE, 5:50 p.m.: A few updates from the clubhouse: Mariano Rivera will not pitch today and could pitch a brief bullpen tomorrow. But as he said, if he feels anything, he’ll shut it down and try again in a few days. … Albaladejo looks like Carlo after Sonny Corleone got through with him on the street. He has two black eyes and a big cut on his forehead. He was playing catch with Edwar Ramirez on Monday and missed a ball that cut. It conked him in the noggin. Albie was worried he wouldn’t get called up, but he recovered quickly and here is is. … Joba talked about his start tomorrow but when I asked him whether he needed to start getting better results, he said he has been pitching well. Somebody needs to show him the stats. … If you’re expecting Girardi to hold Jeter out so he can break the hits record at home, forget it. Jeter wants it over and done with. The man is not much for milestones, however significant.

UPDATE, 5:56 p.m.: George Steinbrenner speaks! This from the AP:

George Steinbrenner is planning to travel to New York for some postseason games if the AL East-leading Yankees make the playoffs.

Steinbrenner spent three hours in his office at the team’s spring-training complex Thursday. When asked about the Yankees’ solid play, the 79-year-old owner said: “Let’s keep it going.”

UPDATE, 7:11 p.m.: We are underway from the Rogers Centre. Sparse crowd on hand for the game. The roof is open and it’s a pleasant night. 71 degrees. Enjoy the game.

UPDATE, 7:20 p.m.: And the Yankees lead 3-0. Ricky Romero is pitching like Cesar Romero. Ugly baseball by the Jays, too, as Travis Snider let a ball get by him in RF.

UPDATE, 7:30 p.m.: OK, Chad Gaudin, they gave you a 4-0 lead and you’re facing a team that has made October tee times. You should be able to go a solid six innings.

UPDATE, 7:45 p.m.: Romero strikes out the side. Jeter now 3 of his last 15.

UPDATE, 7:48 p.m.: Jeter with the UZR, whatever that means.

UPDATE, 8:32 p.m.: Sorry for the lack of updates, Chad Gaudin is putting me to sleep. Yankees 5-0 here in the fourth inning and Gaudin has put seven men on base in 3.1 innings.

UPDATE, 8:35 p.m.: The No. 9 hitter of a horrendous team is 2 for 2 with an RBI against Gaudin. Yankees 5-1 and Toronto has the tying run at the plate with one out. They better get one of their 54 relievers up soon.

UPDATE, 8:41 p.m.: Brutal effort here by Gaudin. Just awful. It was 5-0 and you let a team that quit weeks ago back into the game.

UPDATE, 8:45 p.m.: Ace slams the door. This could be another one of those 3.2-inning relief wins that Aceves specializes in. He has been immensely valuable in that role.

UPDATE, 8:54 p.m.: Romero has seven strikeouts and six walks. He’s at 91 pitches and won’t be around much longer.

UPDATE, 8:56 p.m.: A-Rod continues to keep it simple and effective, driving an RBI single into center field. His team gets back in the game and Romero walks two guys to start the next inning. Cito Gaston has to have something better to do than manage this team.

UPDATE, 9:12 p.m.: The lead is back to four runs. Let’s see if Aceves can bring some sanity to this game.

UPDATE, 9:22 p.m.: Atta boy, Derek. Bunting with a four-run lead in the sixth inning to get a runner to third. Why not? It’s not like you’re one of the best hitters in the history of a celebrated franchise.

UPDATE, 9:26 p.m.: Nice sacrifice. There is less chance to score with a runner on third and one out then there is with a runner on second and no outs. For a guy who was supposed to down with such metrics, how does Joe Girardi not understand that?

UPDATE, 9:35 p.m.: Chavez is 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI for the Jays.

UPDATE, 9:38 p.m.: Unreal. There was a foul ball on the first-base side and a fan threw it back on the field and nearly hit Aceves.

Toronto has some of the worst fans in the league and there is another example. There have been several incidents of fans throwing debris on the field this season and now this happens.

This is why that foolish “tradition” of throwing home run balls back on the field needs to be stopped. It’s a matter of time before some drunk hits a player and causes an injury. A fan who throws a ball back on the field should be arrested and prosecuted.

Now the Toronto fans are booing and heckling security as they look for the offender.

UPDATE, 10:05 p.m.: Yankees take a 7-5 lead into the eighth inning of a slow-moving game. I need to get cracking on my newspaper story. Back with more after the game.

Gritty, gutty Brett Gardner hit leadoff for Triple-A Scranton today. He was 0 for 2 with a walk at Buffalo. He also outraced a cheetah in the outfield before the game, which was quite impressive.

It looks like he was taken out for a pinch hitter, which makes sense as they only wanted him to play five innings in his first game back since breaking his left thumb in July.

Look for Brett to rejoin the Yankees on Monday for the twinbill against the Rays.

Runs scored
Damon 95
Jeter 95
Cano 90
Teixeira 82
Swisher 67
Rodriguez 63
Cabrera 57
Matsui 49
Posada 47

Home runs
Texieria 32
Damon 24
Matsui 23
Swisher 23
Rodriguez 23
Cano 22
Posada 19
Jeter 17
Cabrera 11

RBI
Teixeira 101
Damon 75
Rodriguez 75
Cano 74
Matsui 73
Swisher 72
Posada 66
Jeter 61
Cabrera 50

Three things these lists scream at me:

1. Sign Johnny Damon for 2010

2. A-Rod clutchability is a product of knowing it’s not all on him.

3. Kevin Long is clearly some manner of genius.

I’d be curious to know the last team that had eight players hit at least 20 home runs and drive in at least 70 runs. If I had another Red Bull, I’d try and figure it out. But I’ll let one of you pretend to do some work in your office while you look it up.

This is worse than when they had to shoot Old Yeller.

WCBS’s Tom Kaminski snapped these photos today in the Bronx. They’re taking down the facade at the old Stadium and getting it ready to be chopped up and sold.

For more photos, check out the WCBS.com gallery. Thanks to Roxanne from WCBS for sending along the link and photos.