Yankee Notes: May 18th, 2006

A few blitz comments from action in Wednesday's game:

1. Chien Ming Wang was lights out. He seems to have found his stride, and the double plays he's getting are beautiful to watch.

2. Good to see Giambi back in the lineup. He probably benefitted from the day off.

3. Kameron Loe has looked good in both his outings against the Yankees this year. The problem for him, like many young pitchers, is that he becomes very hittable the 2nd and 3rd time through the order. He needs to work on mixing things up a bit more to keep batters on their toes.

4. Posada's on one of his hot streaks. It couldn't come at a better time with Sheffield presumably weeks away. Go get 'em Jorgie.

5. Johnny Damon needs a couple of days off. I know we're short handed now, but we've gotta play this thing for the long haul. Jeter can hit leadoff, and Bubba will do a nice job in center. I propose the following lineup to make this happen:

Jeter (SS)
Cano (2B)
A-Rod (3B)
Giambi (DH)
Posada (C)
Crosby (CF)
Phillips (1B)
Cabrera (LF)
Reese (RF)

It's not the most imposing lineup in the world, but the defense should be solid, and it accomplishes the goal of preserving the battered Damon for a later date. Just a thought.

6. Finally, Erabiel Durazo was let go by the Texas Rangers. He had been playing at AAA Oklahoma but has been suffering from a hamstring strain. We have Carlos Pena playing at Columbus and he would figure to get the first call up for bench help, but Durazo seems like the superior player to me. I've always been a fan, and never understood why he didn't get a regular job somewhere. Between Arizona and Oakland I thought there'd be an everyday position for that bat. He's a career .381 On Base guy with good power. I think of him as a kind of Giambi-Lite. Why not grab him off waivers if he falls to us? I'm guessing he'll never make it to the Yankees, but I can dream.