Entering the final game of the Yankees’ three game set against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Bombers needed a win to take the series victory. CC Sabathia had a shaky third inning, but he bounced back and gave the Yankees seven innings as they used big hits and Cubs defensive miscues to take a 10-4 victory.

New York got the night started off right when Brett Gardner knocked a solo homer in the first at bat of the game.  The Cubs got the run back quickly, however, as Reed Johnson lined a double to left to start the bottom of the inning.  He advanced to third on a fly out by Starlin Castro and scored on a ground out by Jeff Baker, tying the score 1-1.

The Yankees bats stayed quiet in the next couple innings, but the Cubs took the lead in the bottom of the third.  Castro singled to right, and Aramis Ramirez singled with two outs.  Former Yankee Alfonso Soriano knocked a 93 MPH fastball over the wall in left, putting the Cubbies up 4-1.

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When Derek Jeter returns from the disabled list, they have a choice to make. They can either leave their best option for leading off the lineup in that spot, or they can give the position back to someone who’s manifestly unqualified for it but is being extended the role as an honor for being great in the past. And that is what will be happening, regardless of which way you think they should go.

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The last time the Bombers traveled to the north side of Chicago it was 2003.  They faced a trio of young power pitchers – Carlos Zambrano, Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior – who were so good, even those of us who should have known better were bullish about breaking the curse.  The ‘03 Cubs would eventually come within a few outs of returning to the World Series, but fall short against the improbable Champs, the Florida Marlins (Remember them?), making an oblivious, but otherwise innocent fan infamous in the process.

At the time, I remember thinking, despite the heartbreak, with that roster and especially that young rotation, how could we not be even better in 2004 and beyond?

Being a Cubs fan, I was reminded soon thereafter, is a Promethean cruelty.

Mark Prior finished third in Cy Young voting in 2003, at the age of 22.  The following year he began his decade-long tour of baseball’s Disabled Lists.  Most recent stop: Scranton.

2003 was also Kerry Wood’s last full season as a starting pitcher.  The 26-year-old then favorably compared to Roger Clemens spent the remainder of his career as a fragile, journeyman reliever.  He posted a WAR of 5.3 in ‘03.  His combined WAR in eight seasons since: 5.7.

Only Carlos Zambrano (not scheduled to start in the weekend’s series) still had his best work in front of him in 2003.  From ‘04 to ‘07 he averaged 16 W, 216 IP, 194 K, a 3.35 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 4.4 WAR, earning himself and sizable contract in 2008 (5 yr./$91.5 Mil.).

Sadly, like so many Aces after the big payday, Big Z seemed to hit a wall in ‘08, even though he was just entering his prime.  Over the next three seasons he averaged only 11 W, 163 IP, 133 K, a 3.71 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 3.0 WAR.  And, perhaps most aggravating, he was a constant source of controversy, getting in very public squabbles with his teammates, criticizing the coaching staff and the front office, throwing temper tantrums on the mound and in the dugout, and generally maturing at the rate of Benjamin Button.  Things got so bad last season that the Cubs actually gave their $18 Million Ace a prolonged leave of absence and reconciled him to bullpen duty for several weeks upon his return.

Was it the proverbial “wake-up call”?

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According to Alden Gonzalez at MLB.com, Scott Kazmir could be on the New York Yankees radar, soon rather than later.

“Cashman said he hasn’t looked into the possibility of acquiring Scott Kazmir but will eventually. “I know he’s struggled,” he said. #yankees“

Considering Brian Cashman’s semi-successful track record dumpster diving for starting pitching this year, it’s probably not a bad idea to kick the tires on the former power pitching lefty. After all, the most they’d sign him to is a minor league deal with no guarantee of making the major league roster. In reality, it’s about as low risk of a deal as you can make.

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The Yankees will kick off a weekend series at historic Wrigley Field this afternoon, a rare trip to the North side for the Bombers, and a match up with a team American League watchers might not be as familiar with as some of the Yankees more regular opponents. So the help you get ready for the weekend, we’ve joined with Joe Aiello of View from the Bleachers, the Cubs affiliate in the ESPN Sweetspot Network to give you a first hand preview of the series.

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Despite the way you sometimes hear the game spoken of, the game of baseball has actually changed quite a bit over its history, in ways big and small. Few of those changes have created the controversy the introduction of the designated hitter in the American League has over the last four decades.

Purists, of course, absolutely loathe the designated hitter and the fact that pitchers don’t have to bat in the A.L. People have semi-jokingly proposed a Constitutional amendment to ban it, and the antipathy for the position could well keep Edgar Martinez out of the Hall of Fame for some time to come. But it’s time for a national consensus on the issue, and an acknowledgment that the DH is awesome and should be universal in baseball.

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While New England has always been considered a stronghold for Red Sox Nation, the state of Connecticut has been a battleground for team supremacy between the Yankees and Red Sox.  According to the latest annual Quinnipiac University poll, it appears the Yankees are winning.

“Forty-three percent of baseball fans surveyed in the poll, which has an error margin of 2.6 percentage points, support the Yankees. Thirty-eight percent said they are fans of the Sox.”

You can take this poll for what it’s worth, but the sub-3% margin of error shows that it’s probably pretty accurate.  Perhaps of greatest interest to me was that 7% of those polled indicated they preferred the Mets.  Funny, I didn’t know so many Connecticut residents were masochists.  I guess you learn something new every day.

A few weeks ago, before the Yankees embarked on the last road trip, we noted that the upcoming stretch of the schedule was particularly difficult. First the Yankees would not only have to travel for a 9-game road trip, they’d have to face a ridiculous number of quality starting pitchers. Then, upon returning home, they’d have to face the Red Sox, Indians, and Rangers for 10 games. That’s about as difficult a string of 19 games as your likely to see anywhere this season.

Today the Yankees played the last of those 19 games, and with a 3-2 victory in extra innings finished that run of games with a 12-7 record, or a .6315 winning percentage. Extrapolated out to a 162 game season, that’s a 102 win pace. Raise your hand if you wouldn’t have signed up for that three weeks ago?

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I started to write this post earlier, decided it was really pointless and deleted it, and then came across this really over the top and asinine post from Steve Goldman at Pinstriped Bible literally accusing the Yankees of stabbing their young Triple-A pitchers in the back by signing Brian Gordon rather than bringing one of them up to fill in for the injured Bartolo Colon. It’s so outrageously overblown he actually says it doesn’t matter if Gordon throws a perfect game today, the “message” has still been sent that “nothing will be good enough” from the likes of Hector Noesi, David Phelps, and D.J. Mitchell. I mean, there’s hyperbole, and then there’s hyperbole.

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Well this is interesting. The Yankees have released the lineups for this afternoon’s getaway day matinee with the Rangers, and Jorge Posada is starting as the DH even though LHP C.J. Wilson is starting for the Rangers. Andruw Jones is getting his regular start against a lefty in left-field, meaning that Brett Gardner is sitting again today, even though he hasn’t really had an issue with left-handers in his career and he’s been pretty hot at the plate recently.

Hopefully the Yankees are just trying to get Posada a day in the lineup before they head out for six games in National League parks where they won’t have the DH available and Posada will be relegated strictly to pinch-hitting duty, but it’s still pretty strange considering that this is the second straight game Gardner won’t be playing in, and Posada has been pretty terrible against lefties this season.

From Joel Sherman’s 3 Up blog yesterday:

You will get disparate reads on Nunez depending with whom you speak. There are organizations that think he is a ultilityman. But, for example, the Royals would not trade Zack Greinke to the Yanks unless Nunez would be put into the deal because Kansas City views him as having high-end shortstop potential.

The Yanks definitely fit into that category, as well. If you remember, GM Brian Cashman refused to include Nunez in a package when Seattle walked away from an original deal for Cliff Lee. The Yanks are among many organizations that believe quality shortstop prospects at the highest level of the minors are rare these days, even more so than catching. Therefore, if you have one you need to treat it like gold. And the Yanks think Nunez is going to be a good everyday shortstop.

I think that may be overstating how the Royals thought of him a bit (really their system was lacking up the middle position players as much as anything, and eventually they got Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar from Milwaukee), but Sherman has better sources than I so perhaps someone in the Royals’ organization told him that. Either way, I do think it’s pretty clear the Yankees are reasonably high on Nunez, and they’ve longed seemed to be higher on him than I have.

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There are a number of story lines I could focus on tonight, following the Yankees 12-4 victory over the Texas Rangers:

• the Yankees’ sixth win this season, their third straight regular season series win (regardless of the outcome of tomorrow afternoon’s game) and second straight 12 run performance against the Texas Rangers, the team that eliminated the Yanks from the playoffs last year
• Mark Teixeira’s right-lefty two home run performance, tying him with Curtis Granderson and Jose Bautista for the Major League lead
• the three other home runs hit by the Yankees tonight (putting the team at 103 HRs for the season, a pace that would shatter the existing team season home run record held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners, if the Yanks can keep it up)
• another so-so start for Ivan Nova, but good enough for the win
• the solid work of bullpen replacements Luis Ayala, Cory Wade and Jeff Marquez (no runs, one walk and 3 hits allowed in 3.1 innings of work)

But in recognition of Eduardo Nunez turning 24 years old today, I’ll focus on Nunez, the guy the Yankees are counting on for at least the next two weeks to replace starting shortstop Derek Jeter.

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Prior to tonight’s action, the Yankees announced that they had signed right-handed pitcher Cory Wade and added him to the active roster. Kevin Whelan was sent to AAA to make room for him on the active roster, and to free up a spot on the 40 man roster, Rafael Soriano, who has yet to start a throwing program as he attempts to rehab an injured elbow, was placed on the 60-day DL. Soriano will be eligible to be activated on July 12th.