Chicago @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 30, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 4, NY Yankees 6
The New York Yankees have not spent a lot of time at home this season, but that's probably a good thing for Javier Vazquez.
Vazquez will be trying to turn his season around when the Yankees face the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
The veteran Vazquez has drawn the wrath of the New York fans as the weak link in an otherwise very strong rotation. The right-hander, who came over in a trade from the Atlanta Braves in the offseason, has allowed 25 hits and five home runs in 20 innings this season and is carrying a robust 9.00 ERA.
Vazquez has taken a pounding from the New York media since allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings to suffer a loss at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last Sunday. He has made only one of his four starts at home this season and should be in for a rather unwelcome reception from the Yankee Stadium faithful.
New York fans aren't quick to forget a second half of 2004 that saw Vazquez go 4-5 with a 6.92 ERA while allowing 14 home runs and 90 hits in 79 1/3 innings. Nor will they ever forget the postseason that year, when he gave up a grand slam to Johnny Damon in Game 7 of the ALCS.
Vazquez was banished to Arizona that winter in the trade that brought Randy Johnson to New York. He spent one season with the Diamondbacks before moving on to the White Sox, with whom he went 38-36 in three seasons.
The Puerto Rican Vazquez did not exactly leave Chicago on good terms, either, as manager Ozzie Guillen suggested that Vazquez was not exactly the toughest pitcher he had ever seen.
But he seemed to turn a corner with Atlanta in 2009, posting a 15-10 record with a 2.87 ERA and getting some Cy Young votes. New York is counting on that success to carry over to the 2010 campaign eventually.
The Yankees have been able to brush off Vazquez's poor start because of the strength of the rest of the club, which pushed its home record to 6-1 with a 6-4 win in the series opener. Derek Jeter was the star, driving in four runs and finishing a double short of the cycle.
Robinson Cano had another hit in Friday's win and leads the majors with a .400 batting average.
Cano and Jeter will be taking their cuts Saturday against left-hander John Danks, who has been stellar so far this season. The 25-year-old owns a 1.55 ERA and has lasted eight innings in each of his last two starts.
Danks will have a hot bat in support of him in Paul Konerko, who hit his 11th homer of the season on Friday to extend his major league lead in the category.