This is a gorgeous afternoon in Detroit, and there's pretty close to a full house on hand here at Comerica Park. Day games seem to be good news for the Yankee bats -- the Yankees have three of the American League's top five hitters in day games, with Hideki Matsui (.429, 12-for-28), Derek Jeter (.405, 15-for-37) and Johnny Damon (.390, 16-for-41).

Interesting town, this Detroit. The Yankees don't stay downtown, preferring to bus in from about 40 minutes away, but a lot of the writers do. Outside my hotel this morning I watched them setting up for a country music hoe-down. Someone I was talking to was checking into the hotel and was told, "Oh, you must be here for the hoe-down." Country music isn't necessarily my cup of tea but I'd check it out if we had the time.

The Hockeytown bar across the street from Comerica Park, to contrast, was blaring loud hip hop into the streets after midnight last night. We could make out lyrics from blocks away. Then we got into the worst smelling taxi cab I've ever experienced in my life. Apparently - and this is no joke - the driver was carrying around his dirty laundry in the trunk. If I had to guess, his day job is manure hauling.

With the strange scheduling here -- I know this is a day game, but it'll be night when we're all wrapped up -- it seems I'll be lucky just to squeeze in a few hands at the poker tables in town. As I've been telling everyone, Detroit is kind of like playing a three-game series in Atlantic City. Someday I'll have to swap travel stories with Chris Britton. He's probably become quite the familiar face with all his trips between New York and Scranton.

Check these stats of the day -- Jeter's first-inning home run was his first in 128 at-bats, the longest such streak to begin a season in his career ... Yankees relievers have not allowed a run in 11 IP over the last three games ... Yankees pitchers have allowed one walk in the last two games.

This stadium, Comerica Park, played host to one of the least pleasant memories of the '07 season -- an Aug. 24 game that was delayed by rain for four hours and one minute, with first pitch thrown at 11:06 p.m. ET.

The game ended on a walkoff homer at 3:30 a.m. ET the next morning. The losing pitcher? Wouldn't you know it, it was the lefty taken on Friday by the Padres, Sean Henn.

No rain here tonight, thankfully, but speaking of lefties who once drew interest from San Diego, how would the Yankees like to have a mulligan on Kei Igawa? While I don't think Igawa pitched as poorly as his line -- 3.0 IP+, 11 H, 6 ER -- indicates, it's pretty apparent that the Tigers were salivating to get their rips in against him.

Wilson Betemit's shoddy defensive play at third base really killed Igawa in the three-run third inning; by my count, there were four balls - two backhanded, one forehanded and one barehanded - that Betemit could have made a play on but didn't. Igawa is probably going to get at least one more turn through the rotation to prove that this was a fluke, but unless he starts pounding down in the zone more consistently, the jury has to be out.

Any silver lining? Well, Alex Rodriguez took about three dozen grounders on a back field in Tampa, Fla. this afternoon. The Yankees need him more than ever, on both sides of the ball.

Here are the pitching matchups for this weekend's series at Comerica Park (and no, David Wells won't be available for these three games...):

Tonight: Kei Igawa, LHP (0-0, -.--) @ Kenny Rogers, LHP (2-3, 6.27)

Scouting Report:
Yankees: After an up-and-down spring, this will be Igawa's first big league start of '08. The Japanese import had a shaky first season in the Majors and started this season 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A. Igawa did not face the Tigers in the 14 big league appearances (12 starts) he made last year, and was 0-2 with a 5.76 ERA in five starts away from Yankee Stadium.

Tigers: Rogers retired the first 11 Twins he faced in order Sunday at the Metrodome before Minnesota began chipping away at what had been a six-run lead. He arguably should have finished his afternoon with seven innings and three runs allowed, but a two-out error in the seventh extended the inning for the Twins' go-ahead rally. Rogers allowed two runs on six hits in six innings to the Yankees last week in the Bronx.

Saturday: Darrell Rasner, RHP (1-0, 3.00) @ Jeremy Bonderman, RHP (2-3, 4.17)

Scouting Report:
Yankees: Rasner made his first 2008 start in the Majors against Seattle on Sunday. He gave up two runs on two hits in the first inning, and then settled in to pitch five scoreless innings, during which he gave up only three hits. With youngsters Phil Hughes, who is injured, and Ian Kennedy, who is working out his pitching problems in Triple-A, not around, Rasner has a great chance to stick with the team and said he intends to take advantage of it. He didn't walk a batter on Sunday and yielded only six in 31 innings at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tigers: The good news for Bonderman was that his slider was more consistent as an out pitch in his last start against Boston. The bad news was he yielded a pair of two-run homers that sank his fortunes in defeat. He needed 113 pitches to last six innings, but he was much more efficient in his previous start against the Yankees. If he can keep that up in the rematch, he could continue his pattern of alternating wins and losses so far this season.

Sunday: Andy Pettitte, LHP (3-3, 3.77) @ Nate Robertson, LHP (1-4, 6.64)

Scouting Report:
Yankees: Pettitte started and recorded a no-decision in his 400th career start on Tuesday, despite limiting the Indians to two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings and striking out a season-high six batters. His only blemish was a two-run homer to Jhonny Peralta on a sinker that did not cut quite enough, a problem Pettitte continues to fight in his bullpen sessions. He lost to the Tigers on April 30 in New York, allowing five earned runs in six innings for his third loss.

Tigers: Robertson doesn't have a quality start in seven outings so far this year, and he has been inefficient with his pitches in his last two outings. Still, if he can repeat the last five innings of his victory over the Yankees from May 1, he'd be pretty happy, considering he gave up a three-run home run to Bobby Abreu three batters into his outing that night.

The Yankees had absolutely no answers for Cliff Lee on Wednesday, which hardly sets them apart from the rest of the American League. Lee's resurgence has been one of the most remarkable stories of the young season, but the Yankees were in no position to appreciate it, getting pitches to hit but pounding them into the infield grass.

Apparently, Cliff Lee makes use of the New York City subway system.

Johnny Damon was one who wants to be held personally responsible, and after going 0-for-9 so far in the Cleveland series leading into Thursday's series finale, it's valid -- but it's not like Damon is the only cylinder not firing in the Yankee engine. When's Alex Rodriguez coming back again? (They say Thursday at the earliest, but my money is on Friday vs. the Mets).

Mike Mussina tries for his fourth straight victory this afternoon under overcast skies at Yankee Stadium with a nice crowd -- and lots of kids -- on hand.

Meanwhile, here's a great quote about Mariano Rivera in today's New York Times, courtesy of Cleveland's David Dellucci: "Facing him is like playing a video game. His ball is an optical illusion. It's fun because it's so nasty. You want to go up there and see that pitch because of how nasty he is."

See Alex run, see Alex throw, see Alex catch and ... most important of all ... see Alex hit.

The Yankees had plenty to keep an eye on before Wednesday's game, watching Alex Rodriguez take his first steps back on the field since hitting the DL on April 30. By all accounts, it went quite well. A-Rod ran at about 75 percent, he estimated, and said he can't wait to start his rehab assignment in Tampa on Monday.

That lines A-Rod up to rejoin the Yankees on Wednesday against Tampa Bay, one week from today, the earliest he could possibly be activated. They'll take it. No, he didn't faint.

A few assorted notes...

Joe Girardi said he spoke to Joba Chamberlain briefly after last night's game and has no concerns that the free-spirited reliever will be able to bounce back -- "Joba's been through some tough times in his life, and he's had to get back up, and not always on the baseball field," Girardi said.

Judging by the pretty solid slap Joba threw at my left shoulder an hour before game time, he's in a much better mood this evening.

Wondering about Jorge Posada? He'll be cleared to take batting practice on Friday. Phil Hughes will tag along to Tampa while the Yankees go to Detroit, though he can't do a whole lot physically right now.

The Yankees have an interactive feature up until 5:30 p.m. during batting practice where you can send a text message to the video screens down the left and right field lines. Most are simple like "Hi Jenny" or "Go Yankees," but in the past, I've seen some pretty good ones up there -- most revolve around Carl Pavano.

Anyway, I finally cranked one up there this afternoon to salute Morgan Ensberg's devoted fandom of the Will Ferrell movie 'Anchorman,' posting "Morgan Ensberg is kind of a big deal." Actually, I just wanted to see if it would work. If you can think of anything funnier for the next few home games, fire away.
 

We saw something that hadn't been seen before last night -- Joba Chamberlain, giving up regular season runs at Yankee Stadium. It turns out he's not invincible after all, and this hurt the Yankees in a big way, with David Dellucci's three-run homer sailing a few rows into the right-field seats to crush New York in a 5-3, come-from-behind, Indians win.

After the game, "bounce back" seemed to be the big buzz words. Joe Girardi said it. So did Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees like a lot about Chamberlain's maturity level and it spoke volumes that he made a bee-line right to his locker to answer every question, prepared to accept the bad day along with all of the good ones that he's had.

His demeanor was much the same as it was after he took his first big league loss last month in Chicago, and approximately how he reacted after the "midge" game last October in Cleveland. It's remarkable that those are the only other two comparisons you can make of Chamberlain handling the media after a tough loss.

Chamberlain said that there's no pitcher who ever goes through life unscathed, and that he'll be ready and waiting to take the ball if Girardi gives it to him again on Wednesday. Girardi mentioned that you can learn a lot about a club's character by the way it comes back after a tough loss. With Cliff Lee and Chien-Ming Wang -- a combined 11-0 this year -- on the mound, this one should be worth tuning in to watch.

This was good reading this morning: For those of you ready to push the panic button on May 6, ESPN.com Page 2's Bill Byast has a reality check ready for you.

It occurs to me that 366 days have now passed since Roger Clemens stood up in George Steinbrenner's owners box at Yankee Stadium, waved to the crowd and, over deafening cheers that far exceeded anything that happened in the game, told the fans that "it's a privilege to be back, and I'll be talking to y'all soon."

It's a pretty amazing coincidence that Darrell Rasner just happened to start another Sunday game against the Mariners at the Stadium in early May, and this time, Clemens kept his distance -- obviously, a lot has changed in a year, and there's no reason to go through the play-by-play. I can tell you that being there for Clemens' Stadium return is still one of the most special moments I've been able to cover in person.

There had been weeks of speculation and the Yankees really pulled it off without a hitch -- it's still remarkable to me how they snuck Clemens in on a commercial jet, through the airport and on to the stadium without anyone finding out about it. When Bob Sheppard directed your attention to Steinbrenner's box during the seventh-inning stretch, and the scoreboard read, "Roger Clemens is now a Yankee!", I can remember my first thought. It's not printable. My second thought was to get a story up as soon as possible.

What I recall of the Yankees clubhouse that afternoon was a sense of pure giddiness and excitement, with the media pumping the idea of Clemens as a savior and most of the team doing little to downplay it. I know the Yankees won, but I'm not sure anyone paid much attention to poor Rasner, under the radar again.

Derek Jeter, to his credit, reminded people that Clemens can only pitch once every five days. Having followed Clemens' saga through the aborted ALDS Game 3 start and on through the Mitchell Report and in the hallways of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., May 6, 2007 seems so long ago.

Sitting here in the Garden State, it's strange to look at the schedule and see the Yankees dark for the evening. Don't get too used to it, but I'm sure the players are enjoying the chance to kick back and relax for a day. It's Cinco de Mayo, incidentally.

So far today I've used the afternoon to go for a four mile run and crack open the new John Feinstein book, 'Living on the Black.' I'll fire this plug in here because many of you might find this entertaining -- Feinstein followed Mike Mussina and Tom Glavine around for the entire '07 season and chronicled their ups and downs, the events and really, what it's like to be a big league pitcher. I'm only a few dozen pages in but, so far, thumbs up.

Interesting weekend out at the Stadium, wasn't it? They'll try to keep that momentum going with the Indians headed in Tuesday night for a three-game series, sending Andy Pettitte out against Fausto Carmona. As our preview notes, maybe it will be the time that Robinson Cano breaks out ... you know the Yankees can't wait for his slumbering bat to wake up.

As some of you may know, every other Monday is Yankees Mailbag day. We'll have a new one on MLB.com for you shortly but here's a few points I wanted to get to, but had to leave on the cutting room floor. ...

-- The Yankees have shown no inclination to move Derek Jeter to a new position and, though it may happen eventually, it won't be in '08. Gonzalez has hung around longer than anyone expected -- Joe Girardi had said that he'd be sent down as soon as Jeter's quadriceps injury was better, but then Wilson Betemit came down with a mysterious corneal ulcer and went on rehab with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

-- Andrew Brackman is going to miss all of '08 after Tommy John surgery. Humberto Sanchez is throwing off a mound in Tampa but has not yet pitched in a Minor League game. When he does, you can start the clock, but a good guess would be that he could be considered for an August callup.

-- Carl Pavano? Really? I must have had about 25 Pav questions, literally. Lisa Kennelly from the Newark Star-Ledger answered the question, "What is Pavano doing?" better than I can. The answer appears to be very little.

(By the way, for those of you who e-mail vulgar notes because I haven't answered your questions ... there are literally thousands of Mailbag questions and I can't personally answer each one. If you send a question to bryan.hoch@mlb.com, it has a much better chance of being answered.)

Last thought -- check out the Manager's View with Joe Girardi before every home game.

Last season at this point, it was fair to wonder what Johnny Damon's future held. This was the month that the Yankees decided to bump Damon out of center field in favor of Melky Cabrera, who was clearly outplaying Damon in every facet of the game and made an immediate impact, especially on defense. (Remember the chants of "Energy! Energy!" after the Wild Card clinching in St. Petersburg? That was all about Melky.)

Not too many people talked about it, but privately Damon wondered if there was even any future for him in New York. He wasn't even at the halfway point of a four-year contract he'd signed to play center field for the Yankees, and already he'd been pushed aside like a spare part. Damon was assured by the front office that they indeed did want him as a Yankee, and that seemed to satisfy his concerns. He had a pretty good season by the end of it.

Why bring this all up? What it gives you is a fairly accurate glimpse into how proud a player Damon is. He knows that the Yankees probably aren't the last team he'll play for in his big league career, and that's fine -- from Kansas City to Oakland to Boston to New York, there's been change.

But Damon still hopes people look to him as the sparkplug that makes the Yankees go.

"I consider myself a pretty good player in this league, and I don't want people to forget about me," he said after Saturday's game.

Hey, and if you have 30 minutes to kill, check out Yankees On Deck in a repeat airing Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on YES. I'll be checking in helping show a young cub reporter what it's like to cover the Yankees.

 

Chien-Ming Wang is quickly taking over Andy Pettitte's role as the Yankees' stopper. With a victory last night against the Mariners, the Yankees improved to 11-0 in the last eleven games Wang has pitched immediately following a loss. That's good for them, because Wang's win came on a day when Hank Steinbrenner decided to pipe up in Tampa, telling a reporter he is "very disappointed" with the way the Yankees have started the season.

That's not altogether surprising news. You know this lineup is missing two key components with Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both out, and I'm not sure anyone expected that Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes would both go through April winless. Basically the Yankees will have to try and at least tread water through this stretch without their big guns and hope to make some ground when they do get the firepower back.

They'll have to play pretty close to perfect baseball to be a plus-.500 team with their second-string in the lineup, but on a night like Friday, a good pitching performance remedies much of the problem.