For a season that looked like it was over in April, it’s turning into a pretty exciting August:
The Yankees prepared for a trip to the West Coast today with an emphatic 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers and a sense that they had righted themselves after a three-game losing streak last week.
The Yankees took three of four games from the Tigers and play their next three games against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. After that comes another four-game series with the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit.
“We’re getting on a run here where we’re going to find out how good we are,” Manager Joe Torre said before the game.
If the Yankees’ young relievers keep pitching this way, the Yankees could be very good. Joba Chamberlain threw nine pitches — all strikes — to retire the side with two strikeouts in the seventh inning. Edwar Ramirez followed with two perfect innings to close out the victory and earn his first major league save. Ramirez struck out the side on changeups in the eighth.
Chien-Ming Wang improved to 14-6, Wilson Betemit drove in four runs and Hideki Matsui drove in three. A home run by Johnny Damon broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth and gave the Yankees the lead for good.
Next up, its a three-game stand with the Angels, followed by four against Detroit, and then a three game home stand against the Red Sox. By the end of August, the AL East could be a very different place.
