If the Yankees 1-4 hitters can hit for better than .275 each game, they will have no problem getting the job done against the Angels, however, if they can’t come through, this could go to the Angels. Either way, I feel that the Yankees pitching will show up to play and will not disappoint in the postseason.

Many Yankee fans think that if the weather is rough, it will favor the Yankees, and I couldn’t agree more. When you play in a colder environment, it is the small ball that wins games. When it comes to small ball, the Yankees are probably the best. True, they like to swing for the fence, but they also know when to lay down the bunt or hit a sacrafice fly. Let the rain pour, baby!! The Yanks will not lose when their is bad weather. Mark my words.

Yankees beat the Angels 3-2

After not winning a series in Anaheim for some time, the Yankees proved to everyone that they still got it, and most importantly, they can win when needed. The Yankees beat the Angels 3-2 behind a strong performance from one of their “sleeper” players.

I was just pleased that AJ Burnett decided to show up for work and actually do what he is expected to do. Burnett was an animal on the mound with 11 strikeouts. He was pretty much the reason that the Yankees walked out with  a victory and their heads held high.

Here are a few quick thoughts about the game:

-The struggling Robinson Cano, came through tonight with runners in scoring position, which he has struggled with all season. Int the fourth inning, he delivered a two run single, and was later hit in by a double to the gap by Melky Cabrera.

-Burnett gave up only two runs on seven hits before departing with one out in the sixth inning. Damaso Marte, Jonathan Albaladejo, Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy strung together 2 1/3 innings of scary but scoreless relief. Mariano Rivera obviously came in with another save.

-With the victory, the Yankees have achance to clinch the AL East with a sweep of the Red Sox in the Bronx this weekend.

Posada and Matsui

ANAHEIM – Yankee Stadium went out with a whimper last fall, closing its doors before the postseason began. Its successor won’t have that same fate in its inaugural season.

The Yankees celebrated clinching a spot in the postseason after a thrilling 6-5 win over the Angels, a berth they earned when Texas lost earlier Tuesday night.

They still have some work to do in order to wrap up the AL East title, but no matter what happens over the final 12 days of the regular season, playoff baseball will be returning to the Bronx next month after a one-year hiatus. “I think there was a bad taste last September in our mouth, not going to the postseason,” Joe Girardi said. “This group came together very quickly as a team. They spent a lot of time investing in each other in the offseason and in spring training, and they got very close.”

The Yankees actually clinched long before their game went final, as they were batting in the eighth inning when the out-of-town scoreboard at Angel Stadium flashed the final from Oakland, officially putting the Bombers in the postseason for the 14thtime in the past 15 years.

The lead over the Red Sox grew to six games, thanks to Boston’s loss in Kansas City, reducing the Yankees’ magic number for the division crown to six. The Red Sox lead the Rangers by seven games in the wild-card race.

Alex Rodriguez – who hit a two-run homer earlier in the game to help build a five-run lead – hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth to snap a tie game. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth, notching his 41st save.

The New York Yankees picked up a game in the race for home-field advantage in the AL, moving 5-1/2games in front of the Angels. The win was the Bombers’ first in five tries at Angel Stadium, a place they may have to visit again next month in the playoffs.

“This has been a tough place for us, so winning out here is important,” Girardi said before the game. “And getting back to winning series, because we haven’t done that since Tampa. It’s been a while since we’ve been in a stretch like that.”

A.J. Burnett has a chance to lift the Yankees to their first series win in Anaheim since 2004, taking on Scott Kazmir this afternoon in the finale of the three-game set.

A-Rod and Jorge Posada each drilled two-run homers in the third inning – Rodriguez hitting his on a 3-0 pitch from Ervin Santana – giving the Bombers a 4-0lead. Hideki Matsui added a solo shot in the fifth.

Chad Gaudin eased his way through the Angels lineup over the first four frames, holding it to three hits and a walk, allowing only one runner to advance beyond first base. After getting two quick outs in the fifth, Gaudin needed only one more to qualify for the victory, but he never got it.

Jeter tagging out Vlad

The Yankees fell short again today in Anaheim.

The Angels started off hot in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. After two doubled by Vlad Guerreor and Tori Hunter, the Yankees already seemed like the air was taken out of their sail.

They fought back ahrd and gave it a valiant effort, butfell short. The only teo runs that the Yankees were able to get across home plate were thanks to two solo shots by Alex Rodriguez in the seventh, and Hidkei Matsui in the eighth.

The Yankees lead in the AL East is slowly shrinking as the Yankees continue to lose and the Red Sox continue to win. They are still up on the Red Sox by five games, but there is still a month of ball to play. Let’s hope they can keep their head’s up ad play the type of game they are exected to play.

Andy Petite got the loss for the Yankees while Joe Saunders got the win with his stellar pitching on the mound.

The Yankees look to be the first team to clinch a playoff spot tomorrow as they face off again against the Angels.

Cano going deep. nydailynews-photo

Robinson Cano hit a three-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 5-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Chicago reliever Randy Williams retired the first two batters in the tenth before walking two, setting the stage for Cano’s to hit a 2-2 into New York‘s bullpen in right-center for his first walk-off homer.

“It’s exciting,” Cano said. “You run around the bases and see the fans clapping and all your teammates at the plate. It’s something that you sometimes can’t describe. It’s great.”

AJ Burnett

AJ Burnett was throwing the stinky cheddar and could not be touched for the first few innings. He had 12 stikeouts in just six innings, but made three mistakes that cost him and the Yankees the game: two walks and a fastball to Ian Kinsler in the top of the fourth that ended up in the left field bleachers.

I really want to start dogging on AJ Burnett, but I really can’t. the last couple of times e has thrown he has completely been deserving of me dogging on him, but today, I just can’t bring myself to do it. He was a stud on the mound. The Yankees didn’t put up enough runs, and they left 12 men on base. This loss goes to the offense. They just didn’t come through in the clutch.

Also, it doesn’t hel pwhen Phil Coke comes into the game and gets shelled for another couple of runs. It seems lile the midle relievers are always questionable for the Yankees. If the Yanks get a big win, it is normally because their starter goes deep into the game and then Mariano Rivera comes in and the game is over. But when the Yanks rely on their middle relievers for three to four innings, that is when it all comes tumbling down.

Burnett, who was a work horse on the mound, got another loss, which makes him 0-4 in his last six starts, which includes a game when he threw 7 2/3 shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox. He is definately going to need a couple of wins before the playoffs start to get him into the zone. If not, it could be questionsable throwing him up on the bump.