Recap: Yankees 6, Orioles 2

Michael Pineda continued to dominate all opposition, striking out sixteen Orioles through seven one-run innings as the Yankees trounced the O's, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Pineda Filthy: The Yankees' interim ace fanned 12 in his first five frames, allowing just six total hits for his fifth win in six starts. He surrendered a solo homer to J.J. Hardy in the second, but was otherwise great in the series-clinching victory.

The Goose Egg is Gone: Struggling Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran hit his first home run of the year with one out in the fourth -- a solo shot to right that tied the game at one. It was Beltran's first four-bagger since August of 2014, when he went deep in a meeting with the White Sox.

Rally: The Yankees' offense proceeded to plate three more against Bud Norris in the fourth, taking the lead on a Didi Gregorius single before adding insurance on a Jacoby Ellsbury two-run double. Ellsbury's knock -- his only in five at-bats -- happened largely due to a misplay by Alejandro De Aza, but counted nonetheless for Ellsbury's 43rd hit of the season. 

McCann Can: Brian McCann crushed a Brian Matusz offering into the right-field upper-deck in the fifth, extending the Yanks' advantage to 5-1 with Pineda looking sharp. The just-fair fly ball was a no-doubter off the bat, its lone concern being which side of the foul pole it would land.

Defensive Insurance: The Yankees trailed this one 1-0 when Adam Jones hit a blooper to right in the third, a potentially-dangerous flare with two men already on base. Fortunetaly for the Yankees, though, Mark Teixeira was there to catch it, charging out to the shallow grass to make a nice over-the-shoulder snag.

Next Up: The Yankees head down to St. Petersburg on Monday when they visit the Rays in a battle of the AL East's best, beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET and airing live on the YES Network. CC Sabathia (0-5, 5.45 ERA) will get the nod for the Yankees looking to rebound from a rough outing in Toronto, facing rookie Rays right-hander Alex Colome (2-0, 1.80 ERA).

#FORG1V3N

As we all watched or have seen by now Alex Rodriguez hit his 661^st (and almost his 662^nd) home run of his career on Thursday night passing Willie Mays on the all-time home run list for fourth place. There are only three men standing in front of Rodriguez now and they are Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds in that order but that’s all the information I know, what I am more interested in is the information that I do not know. As we all know, and excuse my extreme bias and “homerism” here, the Yankees have the best, albeit spiteful, and forgiving fans in all of Major League Baseball. We want to win and if you help us win then we generally like you and cheer you on while you’re in the pinstripes. What really shocked me and touched my heart was the fact that the Yankees fans would not stop cheering after Alex hit his 661^st home run of his career until Rodriguez came out and acknowledged the fans by giving them a curtain call. Dare I say it but has Alex been forgiven?

If you ask me Alex was always forgiven because I am a forgiving person in my nature and I know that I am the farthest thing from perfect. I truly live my life knowing and understand what it means if you throw a stone while you’re living in a glass house and it’s something I am trying to instill in my children as well. The question of whether Alex was forgiven or not was never a question in my mind it was always could I get others to see what I believe is the right way to be, and I think that I have. If I haven’t I think his home response every at bat, every hit and every home run has shown that he has, at least temporarily. Rodriguez did steroids that he received from the anti-aging clinic in Miami formerly known as Biogenesis but you know what? #FORG1V3N.

Alex presumably wanted to be Derek Jeter and have as much pretty and iconic eye candy on his arm that he could from his wife Cynthia to Madonna to Cameron Diaz to Kate Hudson all the way to Torri Wilson and has made a few mistakes along the way with each of them. You know what though? #FORG1V3N. Alex took steroids with the Texas Rangers trying to live up to the expectations that came along with the biggest contract in MLB history? #FORG1V3N. Alex thought he was too big for New York and the star of a team that employed some guy named Derek Jeter? #FORG1V3N. Alex yelled at a Toronto Blue Jays shortstop on a popup, slapped the ball out of a Red Sox’s first baseman’s hands and walked across the mound that some dude named Dallas Braden was pitching on? #FORG1V3N. Biogenesis? #FORG1V3N.

All the work A Rod has done with local charities in New York? #FORG1V3N. All the work he has done with the Yankees and HOPE Week at Yankee Stadium? #FORG1V3N. Alex worked himself back from a hip surgery that many said would end his career in 2009 and still hit 30 home runs and knocked in 100 RBI on the dot for the first place Yankees. #FORG1V3N. The 2009 World Series and playoff run where he bashed his way into the hearts of Yankees fans everywhere with clutch home run after clutch home run after clutch home run. #FORG1V3N. Alex worked himself back from a second hip surgery and a year off with a suspension to not only tie but pass Willie Mays on the all-time home run list while helping the Yankees win games and silence all the doubters. #FORG1V3N.

Game Thread: Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees 5/10

For the final time this weekend the New York Yankees play host to Buck Showalter’s Fighting Baltimore Orioles at home inside Yankee Stadium. This afternoon we will watch as Big Mike Michael Pineda looks for his seventh straight decision victory while Bud Norris looks to bounce back from a bad start against the New York Mets. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

It’s Mother’s Day so I would be shocked if many are reading this right now but to the few that are, thank you. Enjoy the game Yankees family. No Yankees ticket pushing, no “follow @GreedyStripes on Twitter” and no asking to comment in the comments section, just a go Yankees from me today!

Big Mike, Mr. Pineda, do work son. Happy Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 10^th. Many of you know it as Mother’s Day 2015. Happy Mother’s Day goes out to all the mothers, wives and women in the world today, this day and this post is for you. Whether you have children of your own, you’re stepping up to raise someone else’s children, you have a dog or you just have people you consider to be your sons or daughters this day is for you. Also let’s not forget the single fathers out there who have to be both every single day, my hat is tipped for all of you.

Happy Mother’s Day! Give your mom a call, a card, whatever as I am sure she will at least appreciate the gesture. Have a great day Yankees family, I’m going to California Dreaming with the wife this afternoon and may be a bit quiet on Twitter and the blog.

Have a great day!

Game Preview: Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees 5/10

The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles complete their four game series this afternoon in the Bronx in a Mother’s Day showdown at Yankee Stadium. This has been a closely contested series and I expect nothing less from each team this afternoon in the getaway game. This afternoon the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound looking to finish off the series on a high note against the Orioles starter Bud Norris. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and on MLB TV.

• Pineda pitched easily his best game of the 2015 season last time out when the big right hander went eight innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pineda did not allow a run and has now won his last six decisions dating back to the 2014 season.

• Norris pitched maybe his worst start of the 2015 season last time out when his Orioles faced off against the New York Mets. Norris allowed three runs in the fourth inning but was able to go seven innings in a season high. The Orioles lost to the Mets in the contest though as New York completed the sweep over Baltimore.

After this game this afternoon the Yankees head back out onto the road to face off with the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals before returning home next weekend for a series with the Texas Rangers and Bernie Williams Day. The Yankees keep winning and keep staying in first place making this a fun season to be a part of thus far. Let’s keep the good times rolling this afternoon in the Bronx. Go Yankees!

TGP Daily Poll: Pink & Mustaches Clash

If you’re voting on Knoda vote yes because the prediction is that pink (that players wear on Mother’s Day every year) will clash with the mustaches that the Yankees have going on this season. #FearTheStache #UnlessHeIsWearingPink.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

Jorge Mateo is still putting together an all-out assault on Billy Hamilton’s minor league record for stolen bases in a single season although he has fallen behind the pace a bit this week. Last week when we checked in Mateo was coming off a great week and weekend and looked to have a real shot at making a run for the record if he stayed healthy. Whether he breaks the record or not is less important as all the eyes that he is opening up inside the Yankees organization is.

Didi Gregorius may be keeping the seat warm for this young man in the Bronx if he can translate stats like these into a major league career:

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A	25	105	13	24	3	1	1	11	21	5	8	21	.258	.314	.344	.658

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Recap: Orioles 6, Yankees 2

Chase Whitley had a rare bad outing, surrendering five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings as the Yankees fell to the Orioles, 6-2, on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. 

Starter Struggles: Whitley allowed three home runs during his stint on the mound, giving up six hits in total for his first loss of the year. He served up a solo shot to Jimmy Paredes with two outs in the third, followed shortly by another solo blast from Chris Davis and a two-run bomb from Alejandro De Aza in the fourth. 

A Wasted Opportunity: The Yankees made Baltimore's Wei-Yin Chen throw more than 40 pitches to get out of the second, but couldn't push a run across to support the ill-fated Whitley. They actually scored just once in seven innings against Chen, crossing home in the fifth on a John Ryan Murphy sac fly.

Heating Up?: Batting with two on and two out in the eighth, Carlos Beltran laced a clutch RBI single to center -- his third ribbie in the last two days. It pulled the Yankees to within four at the time, raising Beltran's average on the season to .194.

It Was Close: The Yankees put two men in scoring position with two down in the ninth, and had a chance to make some noise with the surging Brett Gardner at the plate. Gardner chopped one to first, however, officially being ruled out after a challenge. 

All Good Things Have to End: Jacoby Ellsbury went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in this one, snapping his 11-game hitting streak. He lined a Tommy Hunter offering hard off the glove of Ryan Flaherty in the eighth, but it was scored an error. 

Next Up: The Yankees will look to win this series on Sunday when they meet the Orioles for the finale in the Bronx -- beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET and airing live on the YES Network. Michael Pineda (4-0, 2.97 ERA) will take the hill for the Yankees hoping to build off Tuesday's gem in Toronto, facing slumping O's right-hander Bud Norris (1-3, 9.75 ERA).

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/10: Don Mattingly Who?

On this day in 1953 the Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella hit a double and a home run driving in all five Dodgers runs in a shutout victory over the Phillies at Ebbets Field. Campanella had 40+ RBI's in the first 30 games of the season setting a Major League record. The record would not be matched until the Yankees Tino Martinez matched the feat in 1997. Don Mattingly who?

Also on this day in 1934 the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 11-3 and the Yankee clipper Lou Gehrig had himself a week. Gehrig hit four extra base hits tying a big league record including two doubles and two home runs. Gehrig had 12 total bases and seven RBI's in just five innings when he benched himself due to a severe cold.