Yankees traveling to the Yay Area

[BronxBomberz]

Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang sprinted to the front of the American League early this season. With a victory against Seattle on May 2, Wang became the first AL pitcher to reach the six-win mark.

But lately, the right-hander hasn't been able to move forward.

He's picked up two losses and four no-decisions in his six starts since the Seattle win, but his "W" column remains stuck. It's his longest career stretch without a victory, and Wang will look to reverse the streak Tuesday, when he faces Oakland.

His recent numbers don't reflect what the Yankees have come to expect from their ace. Wang has given up at least five runs in each of his last four starts, raising his ERA to 4.57. That number has gradually increased from 3.00 since May 2.

But manager Joe Girardi said he's not concerned that Wang's latest outings are any indication of his performance for the rest of the season. And the fact that the starter had a good throwing session Monday didn't change Girardi's mind-set.

"I'm not discouraged, so I don't really need any encouragement," he said. "I know he's going to be fine. He had a good bullpen, so I expect a good start from him [Tuesday]."

The Yankees' entire rotation has been a source of great interest lately. Joba Chamberlain's move from the bullpen generated a flood of attention, and the inconsistency of Wang and Andy Pettitte (5-5) has played a key factor in the inconsistency of the team as a whole.

"Our starting pitching there was in a little bit of a flux," starter Mike Mussina said. "Joba's still trying got get up to speed to be in full starter mode. And right now, Wang and Andy are struggling a little bit, so you've got to fight through these times and try to keep your head above water."

And Oakland might be the perfect chance for Wang to get back on the winning track. In 12 2/3 career innings against the A's, he has given up just two earned runs, and that's a number he'd like to maintain.

Pitching matchup
NYY: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (6-2, 4.57 ERA)
Wang has been struggling lately, going winless in his last six starts with a 6.45 ERA. Wang is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two starts against Oakland, and the Yankees are hoping for similar results in the series opener, as pitching coach Dave Eiland continues to work with Wang on his recent mechanical problems.

OAK: LHP Dana Eveland (4-4, 3.82 ERA)
Eveland is coming off two consecutive starts in which he lasted just 4 1/3 innings. In his previous start against Detroit, he allowed three runs on three hits and a career-high seven walks while throwing 85 pitches in a no-decision. Before allowing 10 runs in his past two starts, Eveland had surrendered just six runs total over his first four starts in May.

Tidbits
Alex Rodriguez hit his 183rd career home run as a Yankee on Monday, tying Tommy Henrich for 18th place on the Yanks' all-time list. ... Catcher Jorge Posada had a scheduled day off Monday, though he did deliver a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning. Girardi said he plans to play Posada in at least the first two games of the three-game series at Oakland. ...Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was in attendance Monday to participate in Metlife.com's countdown to the final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium.

The Official Site of The New York Yankees: News: Wang attempts to halt winless drought

Hopefully Wang gets out of his funk.

[nyjunc]

Good start to the road trip as Wang gives up only a run in a 3-1 win.

MLB - New York Yankees/Oakland Athletics Box Score Tuesday June 10, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

[NYgiantsfan5689]

He only struck out 2, gave up 7 hits, and didn't record a 1-2-3 inning though. Not exactly dominant. The A's just couldn't take advantage.

However, he did get 4 double plays. Better thank his defense after the game.

[browntown653]

Better thank his sinker is more like it...

[BronxBomberz]

Time for Darrell Rasner to get back on the Win column.

OAKLAND -- If Darrell Rasner takes a few steps off the pitcher's mound on Wednesday and looks beyond the left-field fence, he can spot the tribute the A's marked for their 1989 World Series championship, the so-called "Battle of the Bay" that was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Rasner may have been arguably the Yankees' best pitcher of the first half so far, but back then, he was just another baseball-card-collecting 8-year-old.

A 3 1/2-hour-stretch of interstate highway made the A's his home team by default, and though he actually held a softer spot for Will Clark and the Giants, Rasner spent more than a few days sitting in the cheap seats out by the foul poles and seeing the Bash Brothers do their thing.

"It used to be the biggest, greatest deal to come here," Rasner said. "I remember seeing Bo Jackson here when the Royals played the A's. We'd have seats in the upper deck behind the foul pole. I remember watching Dave Stewart pitch."

Nostalgia aside, the Yankees will be looking for another good pitching performance from Rasner. Despite the fact that he has not won in his last three starts, it's been through little fault of his own -- Rasner allowed just two earned runs over a career-high eight innings in his last start on Friday. He has been provided with just one run of support over the three-start span.

It's a trend he'll obviously look to reverse on an evening when Rasner estimates he'll leave about 25 passes for friends and family at the gates of McAfee Coliseum. A large group will be making the trek from Carson City, and Rasner's intention is to send them home happy.

"It'll just be a nice change of pace," Rasner said.

Pitching matchup
NYY: RHP Darrell Rasner (3-3, 2.58 ERA)
Rasner suffered a tough-luck 2-1 loss against the Royals Friday. It marked his third straight loss, despite giving up just two runs in eight innings. The righty threw a career-high 118 pitches, scattering nine hits and striking out four. Rasner said he won't change how he's pitching and against Oakland, he'll look for some run support from the Yankees offense, which has scored just three combined runs in Rasner's last three starts.

OAK: RHP Justin Duchscherer (5-4, 2.32 ERA)
Duchscherer survived a scary hit to his left wrist and bounced back to toss another solid pitching performance in his last start against Detroit. He allowed just two runs on three hits despite a career-high five walks. It was the fifth time this season he tossed at least six innings and the seventh time he allowed two runs or fewer. Duchscherer faced the Yankees for just one inning last year, giving up two hits and no runs. He is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA lifetime against New York, all in relief.

Tidbits
The Yankees are 10-6 at McAfee Coliseum since the start of the '04 season, the best record there by any AL team over that span. ... Right-hander Phil Hughes is expected to be examined this week and his timetable for a big league return has been pushed back to early August. ... Johnny Damon has hit safely in 18 of 20 games, batting .464 (39-84) over that span. ... The Yankees released infielder Morgan Ensberg.

The Official Site of The New York Yankees: News: Rasner reminisces, looks ahead

[nyjunc]

He only struck out 2, gave up 7 hits, and didn't record a 1-2-3 inning though. Not exactly dominant. The A's just couldn't take advantage.

However, he did get 4 double plays. Better thank his defense after the game.

He's rarely dominant, he wins by getting ground balls and turning those into double plays.

[hot_corner_gurl]

Great series guys. I seriously thought that we would be able to take it, but you guys proved me wrong. Just you wait though. We'll be back, and we'll be looking for blood.

[nyjunc]

Great series guys. I seriously thought that we would be able to take it, but you guys proved me wrong. Just you wait though. We'll be back, and we'll be looking for blood.

It's about time we won a series and to do so on the road against a good team is big. FINALLY we got good starts out of Pettitte and Wang, if they can get consistent we'll be fine. I expect they'll be alot better the rest of the way and Mussina will dip down a bit though it would be great if all 3 could pitch well at the same time.

[BronxBomberz]

Yankees win, thank god!