Maybe these kids on Joe Torre’s staff are getting thrown to the wolves a little too soon…perhaps the Yankee rookies have a losing record as starters this year. No matter, this kid Clippard showed some moxie tonight. For me, the key was the fourth inning where he even wound up giving up a run. He started shaky by putting runners on base early in the game, yet got some nifty glove help from Miguel Cairo who started a 3-6-1 DP. But again, it was the fourth.

These neophyte pitchers get a REAL short leash with Joe Torre and Clippard was on the verge of letting in a run with one out and Jermaine Dye on third. Well, the kid got Paul Konerko to strike out swinging on a 3-2 count…it was the kind of at-bat that young pitchers (or the Yankee bullpen) have lost batters on all season long, but Clippard hung tough. He did rain on my parade by giving up an RBI single to the next batter, but the inning was in hand at that point with two outs. Clippard looked like a gamer.

From there I have just a few more observations of the Yankees’ 7-3 win over the White Sox.

-It took a two-bagger by Cano to insure he wouldn’t get doubled off in the fifth…the Yankees had already hit into 3. And Melky wound up hitting what could’ve been a perfect DP ball to short…instead Cano scored on Cairo’s single.

-Posada’s doing something productive all the time, including plating a crucial fourth run with a sac fly in the sixth.

-Jeter bunts for a hit in the sixth while also moving Damon to third…yeah, he’s part of dying breed that still has this skill and it’s a great way to break out of a hitting slide…why can’t Giambi do something creative (like go the other way) when he struggles?

-Say what you want, I love A-Rod’s tack-on homers…he’s been clutch enough this year.

-No lead is safe with Farnsworth. He’s gotta go.

-It’s nice watching the Yanks bat in the ninth while not desperately trying to scratch across the tying run.

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