The Yankees played horrendous baseball dropping a 12-5 contest to the Pirates. Pirate’s starter Tom Gorzelanny provided the Yankees with a handful of golden opportunities consisting of five walks, two of which were to pitcher Darrell Rasner, but the offense was in no mood to accept generous gifts. The Yankees stranded eight men on base and grounded into two double-plays with runners in scoring position in the midst of Gorzelanny struggling to throw strikes. The heart of the lineup collapsed as Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, and Jason Giambi went one-for-13. The lone bright spot from tonight’s offensive showing was outfielder Justin Christian who was called up to fill-in for the ailing Jonny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Christian went two-for-four with two RBI and could prove himself he belongs on the bench with his blazing speed if he continues to perform during his call-up stint. The pitching surrendered 19 hits collectively and Darrell Rasner provided the Yankees with his worst start of the season surrendering seven runs in five innings. Rasner has not been sharp his last three outings surrendering 15 runs in his last 13.2 innings of work and if the Yankees want stability in the rotation Rasner must become consistent, as he was earlier this season. LaTroy Hawkins tossed 2.2 innings throwing a career-high 49 pitches and Edwar Ramirez pitched the remainder of the game, as the bullpen was completely ineffective during tonight’s blow-out. The pitching which was the staple of the Yankees seven game win streak, but was absent tonight. The Yankees have now lost three-of-four and are reminding fans why they have looked like a .500 team for a majority of the season. The Yankees are 11-15 in series openers this season which contributes to the issue of playing like a .500 team. The Yankees look to bounce back tomorrow after tonight’s horrific showing, as Joba Chamberlain faces Zach Duke.
Darrell Rasner has struggled mightily as of late losing five of his last six starts.
Posted by zachirsch 