Yankees, AJ get pummeled by first place Rays - but that's not the bad news

AJ Burnett looked terrible last night against the Yankees' only competition in the AL East, losing 10-6 in the Bronx. It was another lackluster performance by the Yankees as a whole, soring some garbage runs after the game was well out of reach. AJ was terrible, Boone Logan was worse, and Mark Melancon hopped right on the suck train himself.

With all that being said, it was one game of 162 (or 19 if you want to talk about the ridiculous amount of times they are forced to play divisional opponents). The real news in the Yankees Universe is that Jorge Posada has a hairline fracture in his foot, and could be out up to a month. Up until now, the Frankie Cervelli bandwagon was a cute little idea. Now, Yankee fans and followers wake up this morning looking to the kid to be a stabilizing force for a struggling pitching staff in a more long-term capacity. Look, I love Cervelli. He plays his balls off, and handles himself behind the plate. Do I think he is a starting catcher on a championship team? Maybe, if the heavies are hitting. But wiith a lineup that is already depleted (Winn and Thames in the outfield!!11!!!!1), the Yankees could really use Jorgie's bat right now.

Mind you, I am not all doom and gloom. Frankie has handled the bat in limited time this year, and that could continue. Hell, the only reason he got reps last year at all was that Posada and Molina got hurt, and that team did OK. However, Posada is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated offensive players in the league and replacing him in the lineup is no small feat. So, cue the crazy rumors about everyone who has ever hit a home run in the Major Leagues. I beg the beat writers, please do not force me to read about Jermaine Dye and Pat Fucking Burrell.

The Frankie Cervelli Farewell Tour

Back on May 5th I posted a piece suggesting that the Yankees sign Paul LoDuca, citing the fact that the catchers that the team had in the system would be a detriment in the lineup. Francisco Cervelli has gone ahead and made me look like an asshole.

Now that Jose Molina is playing in rehab games, Cervelli becomes a lame duck as the Yankees backup catcher. During his time here, however, Cervelli has been impressive. He has handled veteran pitchers admirably, at one time sparking rumors that A.J. Burnett would rather work with him that Jorge Posada. Frankie has also, most notably, handled himself with the bat to the tune of a .269/..284/.346 slash line to date.

What Cervelli's stint will be remembered for, though, is his unwavering enthusiasm for the game and energetic appraoch to the game. I am not much for "rah-rah" shit in baseball, but at times the Yankees are missing any semblance of that component. Cervelli, as with Nick Swisher, has provided a youthful exhuberance to a team that was painfully flat at times last year and others. Jesus Christ, I just wrote "youthful exhuberance" on a blog filled with a trucker-like vernacular. I suck.

Anyways, thank you to Francisco Cervelli from Yankee fans as a whole. See you again in September.