The Yankees have to be content. 2-for-4 against an Angels team that just beat the crap out of Boston is pretty good. Some may argue that the Halos gave this game away today. Sure, four errors and ten unearned runs is not pretty. But at the same time the Yanks did something with their extra at-bats and that is critical.

And just look at the new guys hit. Xavier Nady with his six RBI. Pudge with a home run…

So what happens to Darrell Rasner who got mauled today (five runs in four innings)? Ian Kennedy is getting a starting spot and either Rasner or Sidney Ponson is taking the hit. Who sits??? Rasner who has been consistently just below average all year or Ponson who somehow has managed to turn 111 hits in 89.1 innings into a 6-2 record. And yes, he did look impressive Friday against the Angels by tossing seven innings of two-hit ball.

Tough call…the almost average farmhand or the career underachiever who’s winning for some reason… I want to say Ponson should go because he feels like a ticking time bomb to me, but at the same time I find him fascinating. How long can he keep giving up this absurd number of hits and still win ballgames? It’s like watching a guy on a greased tightrope slowly wobble his way along. You’re almost sure that he’ll fall, the question is…when?

In the end, this question probably won’t matter as Phil Hughes will be back soon and given a chance to join Kennedy in the rotation. Meanwhile, Rasner and Ponson will be watching, hoping Hughes continues to be a chronic injury problem.

Hangovers ARE no fun…like the one the Yankees experienced last night when they hosted Baltimore. The 13-4 loss was an experience in emotional letdown compounded by 4am arrival back in New York. It’s hard to blame the Yanks who just went through the emotional high of having their season become relevant again up in Boston. Still, it would also be hard to blame any Yankee ticket holder who demanded his/her money back last night (seats ain’t cheap these days).

Where to start?…Mike Mussina. He’s not getting old and alarmists don’t have to worry that the magic ride is over yet…Moose just looked bad and also had key defensive lapses behind him. Jason Giambi let a ball past him for a key double to start the fifth. To that point the Yanks were still in the game, down 4-0. A few hits later it was 6-0 and the wheels pretty much fell off.

Later in the game Bobby Abreu once again proved he’s chronically afraid of the right field wall while the Yankee bullpen looked mortal for the first time in recent memory. All said, it was a game to forget about and move on from.

If there’s any consolation from getting whupped like that, it’s knowing that the Sox and the Rays also lost last night. Now, the Yanks will take another crack at the last place O’s with Daniel Cabrera (who has had some career days against the Yankees) going against Daryl Rasner.