Yankees return to Pittsburg

The soft underbelly of the Yank's 2008 schedule continues in Pittsburg tonight. The once proud Pirates will be rekindling the joy of the 1960 World Series when Pittsburg stunned the baseball world with it's victory over the Bronx Bombers. Memory lane is nice but that was then this is now: "The Pittsburg Pirates haven't been a losing team forever. It just seems that way. The Pirates have had 15 consecutive losing seasons and are on the brink of making some ignominious history. With another sub-.500 season, they will tie the major league record for the most consecutive losing seasons."--Baseball Prospectus 2008 Guide. Records are made to be broken.

Tonight's mound match up features Darrell Rasner vs. lefty Tom Gorzelanny. Who is this guy? "Amidst the disappointment of another awful Pirates season was the emergence of Gorzelanny in 2007 as one of baseball's best young pitchers. A rare power left-hander, Gorzo has a live fastball, an outstanding slider and he's gaining a feel for setting up hitters and pitching to their weakness. Add in outstanding mound presence and a killer instinct, and all the pieces are there for him to continue to develop as a top-of -the-rotation starter."--BP. Here's another perspective from SI.: "Only 25 staff ace Tom Gorzelanny took a major leap last season, winning 14 games and pitching into the sixth inning in 25 of 32 starts. But his increased workload (40 more innings than '06) may have lead to fatigue in September when the 6'2'', 220-pound lefthander had a 5.77 ERA. The Pirates prodigy enters tonight's game with an ERA of 6.59--a cautionary tale for those who believe Joba's talent will be a joy ride to the top of the rotation.

The 2008 New York Yankees have been the beneficiaries of the schedule maker's generosity. While the Red Sox compete with the NL's contenders, the Bomber's fatten up on cupcakes. (Upon further review, I wrote something similar prior to the Red's series.) While Pittsburg relives a glorious past,the Bronx Bombers look to exploit the present.