Record Last Week: 3-4 (38 RS, 44 RA)
Season Record: 63-42 (581 RS, 510 RA), 0.5 games up
Opponents This Week: @ Toronto (2 games), vs. Boston (4 games)

Top stories from last week:

• Having won nine of ten coming into the week, the Yanks promptly continued their winning ways on Monday as AJ Burnett dominated the Rays. The Yanks played an ugly brand of baseball the next night, but Joba Chamberlain turned in another sterling effort on Wednesday to wrap up the series win.
• Nick Swisher hit a majorly clutch homer in the ninth against his former team in the first game against the White Sox, but the Yanks lost the series opener in walk-off fashion. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead the next day, Sergio Mitre gave it all back and then some, while an all-around ugly game on Saturday resulted in the team’s third straight loss. Powered by Melky Cabrera’s cycle, the Yankees escaped from Chicago with a win in the series finale yesterday.
• The trade deadline came and went, with the Yanks picking up utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. and minor league pitcher Jason Hirsh in separate deals. The Yanks were reportedly interested Bronson Arroyo but thankfully nothing came of it. They also made a run at Jarrod Washburn, but the price was too high. Brian Cashman & Co. will still be on the lookout for pitching in August, but the pickin’s might be slim.
• The only other roster moves of the week came when Shelley Duncan was called up, and then sent back down the very next day.
• In a rather unsurprising turn of events, Chien-Ming Wang needed season ending shoulder surgery. Now the Yankees must decide what to do with him in the offseason. Sadly, uberprospect Jesus Montero also went down for the season with a fractured finger.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Record Last Week: 6-1 (39 RS, 26 RA)
Season Record: 60-38 (543 RS, 466 RA), 2.5 GB
Opponents This Week: @ Tampa Bay (3 games), @ White Sox (4 games)

Top stories from last week:

• Hideki Matsui started the new week off with a bang, launching a walk-off homer in the series opener against the O’s on Monday. Sergio Mitre’s pinstriped debut was good enough to earn him a win on Tuesday, and AJ Burnett did his thing to close out the series in style.
• After sweeping Baltimore out of town, the Yanks welcomed the Jason Giambi-less A’s to the Bronx. CC Sabathia outdueled local kid Vin Mazzaro on Thursday, and Joba Chamberlain dominated Oaktown for the team’s eighth straight win on Friday. The streak came to an end thanks to an Al Aceves meltdown the next day, but Derek Jeter steered the team back into the winner’s circle with a clutch two-run single yesterday and wrapped up a 9-1 homestand.
• Unfortunately, it’s not all good news as Chien-Ming Wang felt pain in his injured shoulder. First he was just going to get a third opinion from the almighty Dr. James Andrews, but now he’s actually going to head out to Birmingham so Andrews can check him out. All we can do is hope for the best.
• The Yankees also lost part-time centerfielder Brett Gardner for at least two weeks when he broke his thumb on a slide into second. It’s really unfortunate because Melky Cabrera’s production has been heading south since April.
• Thankfully, things are looking up for Ian Kennedy, who appears to be ahead of schedule in his rehab from an aneurysm and plans to get throw some innings in winter ball.
• MLB’s trade deadline is this Friday, and while things started out quietly, the Yanks have since been linked to everyone from Cliff Lee to Chad Qualls to Scott Downs. But remember, trading for big name pitchers doesn’t always work out.
• Oh, and Brett Tomko was DFA’ed. And there was much rejoicing.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Record Last Week: 3-0 (9 RS, 5 RA)
Season Record: 54-37 (504 RS, 440 RA), 1.0 GB
Opponents This Week: vs. Baltimore (3 games), vs. Oakland (4 games)

Top stories from last week:

• After a brutally long four day layoff for the All Star Break, the Yankees started the second half with a bang. Mark Teixeira’s late inning three run homer gave the team a win on Friday, then CC Sabathia outlasted Justin Verlander in a classic pitcher’s duel on Saturday. Joba Chamberlain followed that up with his best performance in nearly two months to complete the sweep yesterday.
• Sergio Mitre was officially named the fifth starter, but the move will probably be temporary because  Chien-Ming Wang is ready to start a throwing program. Damaso Marte also started a rehab assignment.
• We polled the RABiverse, and Mariano Rivera’s bases loaded walk was voted as your favorite moment of the first half. The Yankees launched an official fan club called the Yankees Universe.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Record Last Week: 3-4 (44 RS, 45 RA)
Season Record: 51-37 (495 RS, 435 RA), 3.0 GB
Opponents This Week: All Star Break, vs. Detroit (3 games)

Top stories from last week:

• The week started with a frustrating loss in the series finale against the Blue Jays. Hard to complain about winning three of four against the division rival, but everyone was really gunning for that four game sweep.
• Up in Minnesota for the final time on Tuesday, CC Sabathia kicked the series off with a convincing win. AJ Burnett battled the next day and kept the team in it long enough for another win, and even though spot starter AL Aceves didn’t give the team any length on Thursday, they were able to finish off the sweep.
• The Yanks decided to start their All Star break early when they got to Anaheim, coasting as they were swept at the hands of the Angels. Hopefully they’ll rebound nicely in the second half after their seven day vacation.
• A couple of important Yankees are slumping at the moment, including All Star starter Mark Teixeira. Andy Pettitte has been struggling since last summer, and Joba Chamberlain’s last few starts have been nothing short of dreadful. I even suggested he should go to Triple-A before his latest meltdown. The Yanks could make a run at the available Roy Halladay, but it’ll probably cost a few of their untouchables.
• The only roster move of the week was the call up of Mark Melancon to aid an overtaxed bullpen.
• Down on the farm, Sergio Mitre put together a pair of strong starts to put himself in consideration for a post-All Star Break spot start. Jesus Montero was ranked the third best prospect in the game according to Baseball America’s Midseason Top 25 Prospects List.
• Alex Rodriguez climbed into the top ten on the career homerun list over the weekend, nothing short of amazing (PEDs or not) considering he went turn 34 until later this month.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Record Last Week: 5-1 (36 RS, 26 RA)
Season Record: 48-33 (451 RS, 390 RA), 1.0 GB
Opponents This Week: vs. Toronto (1 game), @ Minnesota (3 games), @ Anaheim (3 games)

Top stories from last week:

• Following the off day, the Yanks continued their winning ways on Tuesday despite blowing a few leads. Andy Pettitte was solid the next night in earning another win, but CC Sabathia just didn’t have it Thursday as the Yanks weren’t able to complete the sweep.
• The Blue Jays came to town next, and AJ Burnett started the series off by steamrolling his former mates. Jorge Posada led the team to a walk-off extra innings win on Saturday despite Robbie Cano’s best efforts to sabotage it, and the team ended the week on the good end of a barn burner.
• Unfortunately, the Yanks lost Chien-Ming Wang to the disabled list after he left Saturday’s game with a shoulder strain. It’s still not clear who will take his spot in the rotation.
• The Yankees acquired Eric Hinske from the Pirates for some spare part minor leaguers not more than a few hours after we mused about the composition of the bench. Ramiro Pena was optioned to Triple-A to work on becoming a utility man.
• On the trade front, we found out that a few teams were interested in Wang, and that the Phillies even made an offer for him at some point. The Yanks are still on the look out for a reliever, and are reportedly interested in Chad Qualls.
• Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were elected to this year’s All Star Game. Tex and the Cap’n will start the game.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Record Last Week: 5-1 (37 RS, 18 RA)
Season Record: 43-32 (415 RS, 360 RA), 3.0 GB
Opponents This Week: vs. Seattle (3 games), vs. Toronto (3 games)

Top stories from last week:

• While last week was arguably the worst of the season, this week was probably the best. Tuesday’s game in Atlanta was one to forget, and Brian Cashman had to make a surprise appearance to fire up the troops. Joe Girardi used a well timed ejection to propel the team to a win the next night, and they wrapped up the series with a win despite Andy Pettitte’s now regular shakiness.
• After righting the ship in Atlanta, the Yanks returned home for a series in Flushing with their kid sister, the Mets. The Amazin’s literally threw Friday’s game away with a flurry of comical errors in the second, while AJ Burnett was just too much to handle on Saturday. Mariano Rivera picked up career save number 500 and career RBI number one in the Interleague play finale last night.
• On the trade front, we know the Yanks are seriously interested in Huston Street, but a potential target disappeared when Mark DeRosa was shipped to St. Louis. The Yanks will probably be out on the lookout for a bat now that Xavier Nady is likely out for the rest of the year after reinjuring his elbow.
• Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos were elected to the Futures Game, and Ian Kennedy’s return from a aneurysm continues to progress. Jose Veras was even traded this week, what more could you ask for?

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Record Last Week: 2-4 (18 RS, 18 RA)
Season Record: 38-31 (378 RS, 342 RA), 4.0 GB
Opponents This Week: @ Atlanta (3 games), @ NY Mets (3 games)

Top stories from last week:

• As it turns out, the best day of last week was pretty much Monday’s off day. Robinson Cano powered the Yankees to a win with his best game of the season on Tuesday, but Chien-Ming Wang struggled again in a loss on Wednesday. After a brutally long rain delay, the Yanks barely put up a fight in losing to the Nationals on Thursday. It’s not exactly the end of the world, but losing two of three at home to the worst team in baseball is inexcusable as it gets.
• It looked like the Nats’ series was a thing of the past when the team took game one of it’s series in Miami, but a buzzsaw named Josh Johnson shut the Yanks down on Saturday. The week ended on the downest of down notes, as CC Sabathia had to leave Sunday’s game with biceps tendinitis before a late rally fell short.
• The bullpen has been lights out of late, but the problem is that the starters haven’t pitched well and the bats aren’t doing much of anything. It would be nice to get all three rolling at once.
• With the calendar closing in on July, we’re starting to hear more and more trade rumors. The Yanks won’t be shopping Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady around, and after watching Pedro Martinez’s workout, the Yanks aren’t interested in signing him. Hideki Matsui even drew some interest from a Japanese club, but he shot that down quickly. Other than that, it’s pretty quiet.
• Jose Veras was designated for assignment when Brian Bruney came off the DL. Damaso Marte’s shoulder was given the stamp of approval by Dr. James Andrew, and he’ll continue his rehab in Tampa.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.