I am moving back over to Zell’s Pinstripe Blog. Feel free to join us over there. We’re trying to transfer everything from this site to my old site, so please be patient. The blog is being updated regularly over there, so check it out. Things just didn’t work out, and we decided it would be best to do this. I want to thank all of you who read this blog, and Ihope you make the move back to my old site.

Today during the pregame, Paul O’Neill made the argument that the Yankees’ MVP thus far this season is Mark Teixeira, and looking at his numbers, they’re pretty darn impressive (.279/.379/.553; he’s also leading the AL with 25 HR). MVP races often hinge on HR numbers, and by that count it’s tough to argue against Tex, but from an actual objective standpoint, he’s just not the most valuable Yankee thus far this year (and he’s not particularly close to it, in fact). The winner might surprise you (especially if I hadn’t included his name in the title of this post).

I was at yesterday’s game, my first in a while, and apparently I bring the bad juju with me, as the Yanks lost for the first time since the allstar break. The highlight of the game, without a doubt, was Brett Gardner, who had two consecutive diving catches in CF, as well as racking up an RBI triple, a walk, and a gritty breakup of a double play at second base in the first inning.

In the last 24 hours, the Yankees’ apparent interest in Roy Halladay has seemingly amped up, with rumors flying left and right about what the Jays are demanding from Cashman, and what he’s considered moving. Jon Heyman is the main driver behind this, reporting that the Blue Jays demanded Hughes, Chamberlain and more for their ace pitcher, and later that Cashman apparently was willing to consider including Joba in the deal.

Today’s game started off like an intense pitcher’s duel. The first five innings took only an hour, and both Gio Gonzalez and Andy Pettitte were pitching gems.

Then came an RBI triple by Brett Gardner in the sixth. 1-0, Yankees.

But Andy Pettitte faltered in the seventh. He left with one out and the score tied at 1. Alfredo Aceves came in and allowed all three inherited runners to score. He also allowed a two-run double to Orlando Cabrera. In the blink of an eye, the A’s were leading 6-1.

The A’s and Yanks square off this afternoon for the third game of a four-game set. Here is the starting lineup for the Yankees:

Jeter DH
Gardner CF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Cabrera LF
Ransom SS
Molina C

Andy Pettitte will face Gio Gonzalez. Enjoy the game!

Last night Joba looked great. He was moving quickly, challenging hitters, and displayed the fire we all remember from his rookie year. The result? Only 2 hits,3 walks and a HBP over 7 innings, along with 6 punchouts and one run. Let’s temper the triumph–it’s important to note that without Matt Holliday, the Oakland Athletics are the worst offensive club in baseball (without too much close competition. With Holliday they were 29th or 30th in most of the important offensive statistics). But still, a good performance, and one Yankee fans have been dying to see out of Chamberlain.

I was at this one, and all in all, it was a well-played, manageable game that ended in a Yankee victory.

The story of the game was Joba Chamberlain, who pitched into the eighth inning and allowed only two hits and one run. Chamberlain is now 6-2 on the season with a solid 3.86 ERA.

On the offensive side, Derek Jeter drove in two runs and passed Ted Williams on the career hit list. Damon drove in three runs, and Jorge Posada hit a long home run in the eighth inning. The Yankees have now won eight in a row and 21 of 26.

“You just have to take it day by day. We’re not coming in here saying we have any streaks,” said Jeter after the game. “You just try to ride the wave as long as you can, try to keep it going.”

The Yanks and A’s square off again tonight with Joba Chamberlain taking on Brett Anderson.

Here is the starting lineup:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

I will be headed to the Stadium shortly to see my fourth Yankee game of the season. But for those watching at home, enjoy the game!

In case you’re living under a rock, I’ve got big news: Matt Holliday has been traded from the A’s to the Cardinals, in exchange for portly uberprospect 3B Brett Wallace (recently ranked #21 in Baseball America’s midseason top prospect list). Sharing the planeride with Wallace will be OF Shane Peterson and RHP Clayton Mortensen. Coming into this series, Holliday was batting 4th and playing LF for the Athletics, and let’s just be clear–the departure of Holliday makes an already soft lineup (ranked 28th to 30th in just about every advanced offensive statistic as a team) even softer.