Long ball powers Yankees past Blue Jays

The Yankees hit a lot of homeruns. The actual number, 173, leads all of baseball. The Yankees hit seven against the Blue Jays, en route to a 2-1 series win. And for the first time in my lifetime, the Yankees hit back-to-back homeruns in three consecutive games.

• On Monday, it was Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston Jr. who went back-to-back in the 4th. Derek Jeter also homered in the 5-4 loss, which snapped the Yankees seven game winning streak.
• Tuesday, with the game tied at five in the eighth inning, it was Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada who went back-to-back as part of a four run frame, as the Yankees won 7-5.
• Today, Johnny Damon (.282 avg, 22 hrs, 67 RBI's) and Cano went back-to-back in the fourth inning, as the Yankees won the rubber match 4-3.

Damon now has five homeruns and eight RBIs in last 9 games. His career high is 24 homeruns, which he accomplished in in his first year with the Yankees back in 2006. I think it's safe to say he will surpass that number this year.

The Yankee lineup is so dangerous because every batter in the order has the ability to hit one out of the park. That is why the Yankees are never out of a game, becuase even if they're losing, they have the ability with one swing of the bat to get right back in it. The 2006 Tigers hold the record with 11 players to finish the year with ten or more homeruns, but the Yankees may seriously challenge that this year.

Having tremendous power in your lineup is also important when you don't get a good outing from your starting pitcher. With the type of power the Yankees have, they can slug their way to a victory even if their starter isn't sharp that day.

Other Notes:

• Chad Gaudin (1-0) made his Yankee debut today, and earned himself the win by pitching a scoreless 10th and 11th inning. He looked sharp, stricking out three and only allowing one hit. Joe Girardi said in the postgame that Gaudin will probably start Sunday's game.
• Jeter had to leave today's game after the second inning after being hit by a pitch on the foot. X-Rays were negative, and hopefully Jeter won't miss any time.
• At 71-43, the Yankees hit their high watermark of the season by going 28 games over .500.
• The Yankees went 6-1 on their seven game homestand, and have the best home record in baseball at 41-18.
• The Bombers head west for a the first seven games of a ten game road trip. They open up a four game series with the Mariners tomorrow, followed by a three game series with the A's.
• C.C Sabathia (12-7 3.76 ERA) will take the mound tomorrow. The lefty comes off his best start of the year, when he shut out the Red Sox in Saturday's 5-0 win. Former Pirate Ian Snell (2-8 5.42 ERA) will start for the Mariners.

(AP Photos/Kathy Willens)