Indians 1, Yankees 0: Derek Jeter Injured In Defeat

The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 1-0, Monday night -- a loss that hurt because of several missed scoring opportunities early in the game. Watching shortstop Derek Jeter leave the game in the fifth inning with a strained right calf made the loss hurt even more.

Jeter singled in the first inning for the 2,994th hit of his career, six away from becoming the first Yankee to amass 3,000 hits. He left the game after hobbling to first base after hitting a fly ball in the fifth inning. Early reports indicated uncertainty as to whether or not Jeter would be able to play Tuesday night when the Yankees host the Texas Rangers. The hope has been that the Yankee Captain would reach the 3,000-hit plateau during the current homestand, which has just three games remaining. Missing even one game will, obviously, make that much more difficult.

As for the game, Yankee starter A.J. Burnett (6-5) was as good as he has been all season. He allowed just one run in 7.2 innings, striking out eight. Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco (6-3) was better, however, shutting out the Yankees for seven innings as the Indians avoided being swept in the four-game series.

Cleveland's only run came when Michael Brantley tripled, a ball a diving Nick Swisher nearly caught, and scored on an Asdrubal Cabrera single.

The Yankees had several opportunities early in the game, but after scoring 24 runs in the first three games of the series could not take advantage. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning. But Alex Rodriguez flied out, Robinson Cano struck out and Nick Swisher grounded out to short to end the threat. The Yankees put their first two runners on in the second inning, but again failed to score. In the third inning, two more base runners reached, only to be stranded.

Yankees Vs. Indians: Really, It is Derek Jeter Vs. The Clock

The next four New York Yankees games, beginning with Monday's 7:05 p.m. ET game against the Cleveland Indians, are really all about the Derek Jeter watch. Jeter, the Yankees shortstop and Captain, is seven hits away from 3,000 entering play Monday night. The Yankees have four games left at home before going on a road trip and both Jeter and Yankee fans would like to see him eclipse the mark before the Yankees go to Chicago to face the Cubs in inter-league play.

"It's impossible for it not to be in your head, because I'm asked that question all the time," Jeter said of the attention on the milestone. "All I can control is having good at-bats and trying to hit the ball hard and hopefully find some holes."

Carlos Carrasco, 5-3 with a 4.52 ERA, will pitch Monday night for Cleveland. A.J. Burnett, 6-4, 4.37, pitches for New York.

Following Monday night's game the Yankees host the Texas Rangers for a three-game series. When Jeter reaches the mark he will be the only Yankee to have ever done so.

Yankees 9, Indians 1: New York Routs Cleveland

The New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians have one game left in an unusual four-game weekend 'wrap-around' series. The way things are going, the Yankees are going to hate to see the reeling Indians leave town. New York walloped Cleveland Sunday, 9-1, their third straight victory over Cleveland, which has now lost nine of 10.

The Yankees banged out 18 hits Sunday and have won the first three games of this four-game series by a combined score of 24-8.

Freddy Garcia pitched into the seventh inning for the victory, evening his record at 5-5. Offensively, Alex Rodriguez knocked in three runs, keying a five-run fifth with a two-run double and finished with three hits. Curtis Granderson had four hits, two RBI and two runs scored and Brett Gardner sparked each of New York's run-scoring innings with two doubles and a triple. Derek Jeter had two hits for the Yankees to reach 2,993 for his career, while Cleveland's Orlando Cabrera reached 2,000 hits with a single in the second inning.

The Yankees have bounced back nicely to even their record to 3-3 on a 10-game homestand that started inauspiciously when they were swept in three games by the rival Red Sox.

Bartolo Colon Injury: Right-Hander Placed On Disabled List

The New York Yankees made the move they were expected to make on Sunday, placing right-handed starting pitcher Bartolo Colon on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Outfielder Chris Dickerson was recalled from AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Colon, 38, suffered the injury while covering first base during Saturday’s game against Cleveland, which the Yankees won, 4-0. Colon (5-3, 3.10 ERA) had pitched 6.2 innings of shutout ball before being injured.

The Yankees are already minus starting pitcher Phil Hughes, who has been out since early in the season with apparent shoulder injuries. The Yankees also lost reliever Joba Chamberlain for the season last week with a torn elbow ligament, and have seen their bullpen decimated by injuries this season. Rafael Soriano and Pedro Feliciano, both signed as free agents in the offseason, are out with injuries. Soriano has an elbow injury and Feliciano a shoulder problem, and there is no timetable for either to return.

Bartolo Colon Injury Isn't Funny For The Yankees

When New York Yankees right-hander Bartolo Colon hobbled off the mound Saturday with a hamstring injury, you knew the fat jokes were coming. The guy is 5-foot-11, 265 pounds, so that was inevitable. And easy.

There is nothing funny about Colon’s injury for the New York Yankees, though. The 38-year-old has, amazingly, become the Yankees’ No. 2 starter after being plucked off the scrap heap by GM Brian Cashman last winter. Colon (5-3, 3.10 ERA) was pitching a shutout when he went down in the seventh inning Saturday.

Hector Noesi, impressive earlier in the season, was apparently already en route to New York to join the bullpen. The Yankees will have to dig deeper into their farm system for a replacement since Phil Hughes is not ready to return yet.

So, this is another hit for an already thin Yankee pitching staff. How many more of these can the team take?

A-Rod, Granderson And Teixeira Homer In Win

Bronx, NY (Sports Network) – Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira each hit a solo home run as the New York Yankees topped Cleveland, 4-0, in the second edition of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Brett Gardner added a double for the Yankees, who have taken the first two games in the series after suffering a home sweep at the hands of the rival Red Sox.

Bartolo Colon (5-3) pitched into the seventh inning but departed with a strained left hamstring. The right-hander held Cleveland to two hits and a walk with six strikeouts over 6 2/3 scoreless frames.

Mitch Talbot (2-3) was ejected for hitting Rodriguez in the sixth. He worked 5 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits for the Indians, who have dropped eight of their last nine.

Colon Takes The Hill For The Yankees

(Sports Network) – The slumping Cleveland Indians try to maintain their one- game lead in the American League Central this afternoon as they battle the New York Yankees in the second test of a four-game set at Yankee Stadium.

Cleveland may be first in the division heading into the weekend, just ahead of the Detroit Tigers, but dropping two straight and seven of the last 10 is no way to perform with a huge series against the Yankees and a three-game visit to Detroit immediately following.

In the series opener on Friday, things got a bit chippy in the second inning when Mark Teixeira got involved in a shouting match with Indians starter Fausto Carmona after he was hit by a pitch, leading to both benches emptying to join the scuffle before the hosts delivered a knockout blow on the scoreboard by a count of 11-7.

Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson each homered and Teixeira contributed a three-run double, while Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each had three hits and an RBI as the Yankees bounced back following their three-game sweep at the hands of the despised Boston Red Sox.

Ivan Nova made it through seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks to earn the victory for New York.

Over on the other side, Carmona was tagged for six runs on eight hits and three walks in only four innings on his way to falling in his fifth consecutive start.

Catcher Carlos Santana delivered a home run and plated two for the visitors, while Matt LaPorta contributed a couple of hits and knocked in a pair of runs as well for a club that has fallen in seven of the last eight outings. The lone victory during that stretch for the Indians was a 1-0 decision over Minnesota on Tuesday.

Stepping to the mound against his former club today is Bartolo Colon for the Yankees. The 14-year veteran and 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner is riding a two-game win streak at the moment thanks to a 5-3 triumph over the Angels last weekend in California.

In the matchup with Anaheim, Colon gave up three runs on six hits and a pair of walks, striking out four as he posted his fourth win of 2011.

Colon currently sports a 4-3 record with a 4.00 ERA versus the Indians over his career, showing some signs of having control issues by allowing 17 walks in just 54 innings of work.

As for the visitors, they’ve tabbed right-hander Mitch Talbot as the starter today. The third-year man from Cedar City, Utah last pitched on Sunday as he made it through six innings against Texas, allowing two runs on a pair of solo home runs, eight hits total and three walks, against four strikeouts in a 2-0 setback at home.

Talbot has appeared in just five games thus far in 2011, displaying some control issues of his own by posting 13 walks in 28 innings.

For the Yankees, who are now an even 9-9 versus teams from the Central Division, they are sitting in second place in the East, two games behind the Red Sox, who have stretched their win streak to seven in a row. In the previous two seasons New York has had much success against the Tribe, putting up an 11-5 mark during their head-to-head meetings.

While Granderson and Teixeira are two of the top home run hitters in the AL right now with 19 and 18 long balls, respectively, the immediate focus still falls on 17-year vet Derek Jeter, who needs just nine more hits to reach 3,000 for his career.

Yankees 11, Indians 7: New York Overpowers Cleveland

Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson each homered and Mark Teixeira added a three-run double for the Yankees in an 11-7 victory over the Indians that turned a bit contentious in the second inning.

Teixeira got involved in a shouting match with Indians starter Fausto Carmona after he was hit by a pitch in the second, leading to both teams leaving their benches to join the scuffle. While there was no serious threat of an ensuing brawl, the Yankees beat up the Indians on the scoreboard.

Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each had three hits and an RBI to help the Yankees put their three-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox behind them.

Ivan Nova (5-4) lasted seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks to earn the win.

Carmona (3-8) was roughed up for six runs on eight hits and three walks in just four frames en route to dropping his fifth straight start.

Carlos Santana hit a solo homer and drove in two for Cleveland, which was coming off an unsuccessful 1-6 homestand.

Carmona walked the bases loaded in the first inning, and all three runners scored. Cano knocked in Derek Jeter with a single, Teixeira scored on Nick Swisher's sacrifice fly and Posada brought in Rodriguez with a base hit.

"Obviously walking to bases loaded in the first inning did him in," stated Indians manager Manny Acta, who also said he had never seen Carmona that wild.

Granderson belted one high into the second deck down the right-field line in the second, and Carmona, clearly frustrated, sent his next pitch between Teixeira's numbers on the back of his jersey, causing an uneventful clearing of the benches.

"If you want to send a message, if you're upset the way you're pitching and upset you gave up a home run, just throw the ball below the waist. I've been hit plenty of times in my career, but any time it's a purpose pitch up near my head, near my neck, I don't like that," Teixeira explained.

New York continued its onslaught the next inning, as Brett Gardner doubled off the wall in right-center to plate Cano. In the fourth, Rodriguez powered one into the bleachers in left-center for a 6-0 cushion.

Cleveland had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth and managed only one run on Michael Brantley's fielder's choice grounder to first.

Santana homered in the sixth, then gave the run back in the bottom half when he tried to nab Granderson trying to steal third and threw the ball away, allowing Granderson to score easily.

The Yankees pushed across four against Chad Durbin in the seventh, as Teixeira knocked in three on a bases-loaded double to the right-field gap before scoring on Rodriguez's two-bagger to center.

Kevin Whelan, called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the game, walked four Indians in the eighth to force in a run, and Cleveland put together a late rally in the ninth.

Santana hit an RBI single and Shin-Soo Choo worked a walk off Lance Pendleton to bring in a run and force Mariano Rivera out of the bullpen in a non-save situation.

LaPorta greeted the closer with a two-run single, but Rivera retired the next two hitters to get the four-game series started on a winning note for the hosts.

Jeter doubled in the seventh to pull within nine hits shy of 3,000 for his career...Rodriguez's homer was his 12th of the season and 625th for his career...Before the game, the Yankees learned reliever Joba Chamberlain will need to undergo Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his season and likely part of next year's as well...The Yankees optioned outfielder Chris Dickerson to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Whelan.

Indians Vs. Yankees: Lots Of Questions For Reeling New York

Most of the buzz around the New York Yankees right now centers around Joba Chamberlain, and the damaged elbow that will cost him the rest of the 2011 season and likely require Tommy John surgery. Are the 'Joba Rules' to blame? Did the Yankees hurt Chamberlain by bouncing him from relieving to starting and back to relieving? Did manager Joe Girardi use him improperly? How will the Yankees replace one of the key cogs in their 'Bridge To Mo?'

You know, these are all legitimate questions. Having just finished an ugly series in which they were swept by the Boston Red Sox and fell two games back in the American League East, and with the Central Division-leading Cleveland Indians arriving at Yankee Stadium Friday night to begin a four-game series, what went wrong with Joba is hardly the only thing the Yankees have to worry about right now.

The Bronx Bummers Bombers are a mess right now. The problems begin with the bullpen, but the Boston series revealed flaws that -- if they were not obvious already -- should be now.

Let's take a look at this currently wheezing patient, and see if we can find prescriptions to bring it back to health.

The broken bullpen. Maybe the better word for it is 'torn.' There is Joba's torn elbow ligament. There is Pedro Feliciano's torn shoulder capsule. There is Rafael Soriano, the high-priced free-agent reliever on the shelf with a messed-up elbow and, probably, some torn-up self confidence. Mariano Rivera is still there, of course, and David Robertson should be fine. There is no one else out there, though, that Girardi can feel really good about handing the ball to. Which means maybe Robertson will be the next guy with a torn-up shoulder.

GM Brian Cashman says the Yankees will "look from within first," and Lohud has a good breakdown of the likely internal candidates, including a few trade possibilities. No one on that list gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

The Yankees may trade for a relief pitcher at some point, but Buster Olney points out that they won't give up any top prospects to do it. That, incidentally, is the right idea.

There are, of course, relievers the Yankees have let go who are scattered all around the big leagues and are doing a good job. Alfredo Aceves pitched 3.2 scoreless innings against New York Wednesday. Ex-prospect Mark Melancon is closing for Houston. There are several others.

The starting rotation. Face it, the Yankee rotation is pretty much CC Sabathia and ... well, CC Sabathia. Bionic Bartolo Colon has pitched well, but can we count on that continuing. Freddy Garcia is a veteran soft-tosser and Boston exposed him this week. Ivan Nova is an inconsistent kid trying to figure it out. A.J. Burnett is still a basket case who can't be relied on in big spots. Phil Hughes? Who knows what he is? We know what he isn't, though. He isn't the Franchise, the guy the Yankees can build a rotation around for a decade.

Cashman has admitted that there really isn't a top-flight starter who will be on the market this summer. The young pitchers the Yankees have coming along -- notably Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances -- are still at least a year away. So, it's really cross your fingers and hope for a good second half from Hughes.

The offense. Jorge Posada is barely hanging on to his career, and mostly sentimentality is keeping him in pinstripes. Nick Swisher is having an awful year. Robinson Cano is not having a year to match 2010. Curtis Granderson is slowing after a great start. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are good, but not what they used to be.

A trade for someone like Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets is making more and more sense. So is the idea of getting Posada off the roster and getting top prospect Jesus Montero at-bats as a designated hitter.

Hard to believe the Yankees were ranked No. 1 in MLB.com's most recent power rankings. Right now this looks like a team that will have its hands full simply trying to patch together a pitching staff capable of getting it to the playoffs.