BLUE JAYS (39-38)
Scutaro SS
Hill 2B
Lind DH
Rolen 3B
Overbay 1B
Wells CF
Rios RF
Dellucci LF
Chavez C

Pitching: Brian Tallet (5-5, 4.47)

YANKEES (45-33)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Matsui DH
Cervelli C
Gardner CF

Pitching: A.J. Burnett (6-4, 3.93)

FROM THE CLUBHOUSE

A sleepy clubhouse downstairs as the Yankees had an 11:30 a.m. report time ... C Jorge Posada will be out of the lineup today as he continues to rest his bruised left thumb. There is apparently swelling in the joint of the thumb that they are waiting to get out ... 3B Alex Rodriguez can expect to get a complete day off at some point this weekend ... CF Brett Gardner is in the lineup because Brian Tallet has been tough on Melky Cabrera (1-for-11, .091) ... The Yankees are wearing the red stars & stripes caps all weekend, the same ones they wore on Memorial Day in Texas. It's safe to say they have been universally panned in the clubhouse. Commented Joba Chamberlain, aloud: "What is the world coming to?"

FROM THE GAME NOTES

The Yankees will begin a four-game series today vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in their final home set before the All-Star break...are 2-1 on this seven-game homestand, taking two-of-three from Seattle...had their seven-game winning snapped with Thursday's loss vs. Seattle...are 12 games above .500 - one shy of their season high-water mark - and trail the Red Sox by 3.0 games for first place in the American League East...own the third-best record in the Majors behind Los Angeles-NL (50-29) and Boston (48-30)...are 17-8 in their last 25 home games since 5/15...have won 30 of their last 46 overall games, including a season-high nine-game winning streak (5/13-21) to start the stretch...following the current homestand, the club embarks on a six-game road trip with three games at Minnesota (7/7-9) and three games at Los Angeles-AL (7/10-12) before the All-Star break from 7/13-16...are 14-11 in series openers (8-5 at home).

3B Alex Rodriguez is 10-for-his-last-26 (.385) with 8R, 4HR, 13RBI, 11BB, a .568OBP and a .846SLG in his last eight games...has raised his season batting average from .207 to .235 over the stretch...homered in back-to-back games on 6/30 and 7/1 vs. Seattle and has 4HR in his last seven contests.

In Thursday's loss vs. Seattle, 1B Mark Teixeira was charged with a ninth-inning throwing error...was his first error since 8/19/08 w/ Los Angeles-AL at Tampa Bay, snapping a 106-game errorless streak at 1B...had been the longest current errorless stretch for any Major League infielder...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Teixeira had gone his first 72 games of the season at 1B without an error, the longest single-season errorless streak for a Yankees 1B since Tino Martinez in 1996 (82G).

The Yankees are 26-27 on the Fourth of July in the expansion era (since 1961)...have lost their last three games on July 4th and seven of their last 10...will be just the second time that the Yankees will face the Blue Jays on July 4th...the two teams met on Independence Day in 1997, with the Blue Jays winning 1-0 at the Rogers Centre (then call the SkyDome)...RF Orlando Merced drove in the game's lone run with a sixth-inning solo homer off RHP David Cone.

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman celebrates his 42nd birthday today.

UPDATES ON TWITTER @BRYANHOCH

The Yankees' winning streak ended at seven games last night as CC Sabathia couldn't find it, taking the loss in a 8-4 decision to the Seattle Mariners. The contest featured Mark Teixeira's first rough day in the field while wearing a Yankees uniform, having gone 72 games this season without an error -- the longest single-season errorless streak by a Yankees first baseman since Tino Martinez in 1996 (82 games).

It looks like his energy level might be running a little bit low. Joe Girardi said he expects to either sit Teixeira or use him as a designated hitter to help him recharge during one of the Yankees' next four games, as the Bombers welcome in the Toronto Blue Jays to open an Independence Day weekend series.

I've been off the last two days, and met up with my Blue Jays counterpart Jordan Bastian last night. At his urging, I finally went to see 'The Hangover.' Funny stuff. Now if only I wasn't weeks behind the rest of the United States! See you at the Stadium today as A.J. Burnett and Brian Tallet go at it.

The Yankees came away 8-5 winners on a night when the Melk-man delivered again and it felt an awful lot longer than three hours and 16 minutes, in my humble opinion.

Sure, that might have had something to do with the 61-minute rain delay, but it didn't help that the Yankees got a so-so start from Joba Chamberlain and started the night 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

That continued until Alex Rodriguez crushed one off deep into the evening sky -- a good sign for the Bombers, who now think that A-Rod is back to playing the game at a high level.

"I haven't turned on a ball 95 [mph], up and in, in a long time," Rodriguez said.

-- It has been frustrating for Joe Girardi to watch Chamberlain keep falling into the same trouble spots, and it's not promising when you see Joba labor and slow down his mound approach - it doesn't help him. But Girardi had a great line when he talked about the expectations on a 23-year-old pitcher.

"They don't have Nintendo controllers in their back pocket," he said. "You can't expect them to be perfect."

-- Despite tonight's troubles, the Yankees are sticking with Brian Bruney as the eighth inning reliever of choice, as Girardi said they need to get him going again. Phil Hughes is content with his role, be it seventh or eighth inning, as he continues to adjust well beyond what most anyone thought he'd offer in that role.

And don't forget, having thrown only nine pitches, there's no reason he shouldn't be available in back-to-back games. That'd be a first.

-- Hideki Matsui's father, Masao Matsui, was in the house and got to see his son go 1-for-3 with the double that kicked off the Yanks' three-run eighth.

"I think he's got a little jet lag," Matsui said, through the trusty Roger Kahlon. "He might be a little sleepy, but I'm sure he's happy."

-- Eric Hinske, by the way, never made it. They'll make a roster move before Wednesday's game, assuming he gets a flight out. One last closing thought from the Stadium -- rumor has it that John Sterling was unprepared with a home run call for speedy Brett Gardner. Submitting for approval: "Brett the Jet... is cleared for takeoff!" 

MARINERS (39-36)
Suzuki RF
Branyan 1B
Lopez 2B
Griffey, Jr. LF
Sweeney DH
Gutierrez CF
Woodward 3B
Johjima C
Cedeno SS

Pitching: RHP Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64)

YANKEES (43-32)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera C

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81)

UPDATE 7:20 p.m.: The tarp is on the field but it looks like it has stopped raining. There is talk of a 7:45 p.m. start but I suspect it'll be slightly later.

UPDATE 7:30 p.m.: There it is, tonight's first pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.

FROM THE CLUBHOUSE

It was like shades of Tampa today on the field as the Yankees were taking pitchers fielding practice, covering first base on ground balls hit to the bag ... The Yankees picked up Eric Hinske because of his versatility off the bench, Brian Cashman said. They like the fact he can back up Alex Rodriguez at third base and Mark Teixeira at first base, while also playing the corner outfield positions. The move was kicked into gear by the news of Xavier Nady's likely Tommy John surgery and the Pirates threw in part of Hinske's salary, making him more attractive than Shelley Duncan ... Hinske will wear No. 14, last used by Angel Berroa. ... Looks like Alex Rodriguez can expect to get some breathers coming up. Joe Girardi said he'll rest or DH a day or two this week.

FROM THE GAME NOTES

Tonight the Yankees will play the first game of a three-game series vs. Seattle to begin a seven-game homestand which also includes four games from Friday-Monday vs. Toronto...completed a three-game sweep at the Mets on Sunday and have won five straight games (marking a season high on the road)...were 6-3 on their recent road trip (also 2-1 at Atlanta from 6/23-25 and 1-2 from 6/19-21 at Florida)...have finished their Interleague schedule with a 10-8 record for the fourth consecutive season...the Yankees are 11 games above .500, tying their season high-water mark...trail the Red Sox by 3.5 games for first place in the American League East...own the third-best record in the Majors behind Los Angeles-NL (49-28) and Boston (47-29)...are 15-7 in their last 22 home games since 5/15...have won 28 of their last 43 overall games, including a season-high nine-game winning streak (5/13-21) to start the stretch...are 13-11 in series openers this season have won four of their last five since 6/12.

Including the sixth inning when Joe Girardi was ejected on 6/24 at Atlanta, the Yankees have scored 37R in their last 40 frames, outscoring opponents 37-13 over the stretch...prior to the ejection, scored just 18 runs in 67 innings following their 15-0 win on 6/14 vs. the Mets...their 13 runs scored over a 1-5 stretch from 6/16-23 matched their lowest output over a six-game period since 5/13-20/08 when they also scored 13 runs and went 1-5.

On Sunday the Yankees wrapped up a stretch of nine consecutive games at NL ball parks (without the DH), going 6-3 and averaging 5.33 runs a game (have averaged 5.56 runs/game with a DH in 2009)...according to Elias, are one of two AL teams (also Oakland) to play nine straight games without a DH this season, tying for the longest DH-less stretch in franchise history (also 2002).

American League All-Star balloting totals were released today, with 1B Mark Teixeira (1,875,256) trailing Boston's Kevin Youkilis (1,915,303) by 40,047 votes...SS Derek Jeter (3,046,813) remains the AL leader, 58,450 votes ahead of second-place Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays (2,988,363)...the 2009 All-Star Game will be on 7/14 at St. Louis...fans can vote up to 25 times online at www.yankees.com (until 7/2) and be entered into a chance to meet one of this year's nominees.  

Just popped upon this nugget, thanks to the Yankees media relations department:

- Eric Hinske has averaged 3.94 pitches seen per plate appearance in his career, with a 4.04 mark this season.

Should fit right in ... that is, if his delayed flight ever gets here from Pittsburgh. 

Good afternoon from Yankee Stadium, a place where we feel like we haven't been all that much lately. The news of the day (so far!) is the Yankees' trade for Eric Hinske, and rumor has it that he is in the building. Wonder what he'll think when he walks into that clubhouse and sees the massive size of it, the flat-screen computers, the SwimEx pool -- all that stuff. Has to be pretty exciting to know it's now your playground.

No word yet on who'll be sent down, but you'd figure it'll be Ramiro Pena, who had a pretty good run after beating out Angel Berroa in Spring Training. That's the thanks you get for starting two Subway Series games at shortstop instead of Derek Jeter.

Here's the release from the Yankees:

YANKEES ACQUIRE INF/OF ERIC HINSKE FROM PITTSBURGH

The New York Yankees today acquired infielder/outfielder Eric Hinske from the Pittsburgh Pirates along with cash considerations in exchange for minor leaguer right-handed pitcher Casey Erickson and minor league outfielder Eric Fryer.

Hinske, 31, appeared in 54 games with the Pirates this season, batting .255 (27-for-106) with 18 runs, 9 doubles, 1 home run and 11RBI.  He has played 13 games in right field, six games at first base and three games at third base, and has made 29 pinch-hit appearances, going 8-for-24 (.333) with 5 walks.  Hinske was the Opening Day right fielder for the 2008 American League champion Tampa Bay Rays, batting .247 (94-for-381) with 21 doubles, 20 home runs and 60 RBI, making 47 starts in right field, 37 in left field, nine at first base and four at third base.  He was also a member of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox in 2007.

Hinske was originally selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft and made his Major League debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002, winning the American League "Rookie of the Year" award that season.  The left-handed batter has compiled 196 doubles, 106 home runs and 410 RBI in 957 career Major League games with the Blue Jays (2002-06), Red Sox (2006-07), Rays (2008) and Pirates (2009).

Hinske will join the team in New York today.  The Yankees will make a reciprocal roster move prior to tonight's 7:05 p.m. game vs. Seattle.

Erickson, 23, was 3-3 with a 2.25 ERA (44.0IP, 11ER) in 21 games (three starts) with Single-A Charleston in 2009.  He combined to go 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 19 appearances (15 starts) with Charleston and short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2008, leading the Staten Island staff in innings pitched (75.0) and strikeouts (77).  He was selected by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Springfield College.

Fryer, 23, appeared in 59 games with the Single-A Tampa Yankees this season, batting .250 (56-for-224) with 11 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 24 RBI.  He also collected a team-high 11 stolen bases in 16 attempts.  Fryer was acquired by the Yankees on February 4, 2009, from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Chase Wright.  He was originally selected by the Brewers in the 10th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of Ohio State University.

The last four outs last night belonged to Mariano Rivera, and that was enough to see him log his milestone 500th save, preserving a 4-2 victory over the Mets and joining Trevor Hoffman (571) as the only members of that very exclusive club.

It was a one-run lead when Rivera passed through the bullpen gates and onto the Citi Field outfield, called in to help when Brian Bruney had walked two earlier in the eighth inning. It became a two-run lead when Rivera worked a seven-pitch, bases-loaded walk from Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, which for Rivera was the real highlight of the night.

"The RBI is the best," Rivera said. "It was my first RBI. It was my 500th save."

The Yankees all look up to Rivera, the roster's senior member and its respected elder statesman. Derek Jeter said there was "no question" Rivera is the best player he has ever played with, and Andy Pettitte called Rivera "an unbelievable person, a great man, he's a great teammate and just the greatest closer that I've ever seen."

Players around the league cheered Rivera as well. Offered Jonathan Papelbon: "That's pretty amazing. The biggest thing that amazes me is that he's done it with a consistency that's pretty much unheard of. He's really never had a down year."

YANKEES (42-32)
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Cabrera LF
Gardner CF
Chien-Ming Wang RHP (0-6, 11.20)

METS (37-36)
Murphy 1B
Cora SS
Wright 3B
Sheffield RF
Tatis LF
F. Martinez CF
Schneider C
Castillo 2B
Livan Hernandez RHP (5-2, 4.05)

FROM THE CLUBHOUSE

Derek Jeter is back in the lineup after missing two games with the flu and a nasty cough. "It'll be fun," Jeter said. "I haven't even been on the bench. I was sort of quarantined for a while. It looked like it's an exciting atmosphere from what I can tell from the television." ... Jose Molina checked in and ran the bases today at Citi Field. He said that he is 95 percent and will stay with the team due to bad weather in Florida. Molina will begin a rehab assignment at some point after running the bases Tuesday at Yankee Stadium ... Bad news for Francisco Cervelli, as the Yankees won't carry three catchers ... Hideki Matsui can't wait to get out of this frustrating stretch of Interleague play. He'll be back to DHing on Tuesday vs. Seattle's Brandon Morrow ... It has been 379 days since Chien-Ming Wang won a Major League game ... Mariano Rivera needs one save for 500.

FROM THE GAME NOTES

Tonight the Yankees will play the final game of a three-game series at the Mets, wrapping up their nine-game road trip...have won each of the first two games of this series and four consecutive games overall, and are 5-3 on this current road trip (also 2-1 at Atlanta from 6/22-24 and 1-2 from 6/19-21 at Florida)...have won four straight on the road, marking a season high...tonight's game ends a stretch of 15 straight Interleague games for the Yankees (are 8-6 thus far)...will begin a seven-game homestand - their final 'stand before the All-Star Break - on Tuesday vs. Seattle (Tuesday-Thursday) and Toronto (Friday-Monday)...the Yankees are 10 games above .500, one shy of their season high-water mark and trail the Red Sox by 4.0 games for first place in the American League East...own the third-best record in the Majors behind Los Angeles-NL (48-27) and Boston (46-28)...the Yankees have won 27 of their last 42 games, including a season-high nine-game winning streak (5/13-21) to start the stretch...are 16-10 in their last 25 road games (since 4/28) after beginning the year 5-8 away from Yankee Stadium...are 16-9 in series finales and are looking for their fourth series sweep of the season.

TAKING A SWIPE: SS Derek Jeter, out the last two games with flu-like symptoms, has stolen a base in each of his last four games played...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marks the longest such streak of his career and the longest by an individual Yankee since Alfonso Soriano had a steal in four straight from 6/28-7/1/03...Elias also notes that Soriano is the only Yankee in the last 20 years to steal a base in five straight games (7/21-27/02).

TOP 20: The Yankees have outscored the Mets 29-1 over the last three contests between these teams, including 20 unanswered runs against the Mets from the seventh inning on 6/13 at Yankee Stadium to their four-run second inning on Friday at Citi Field...the streak was broken on Friday by Gary Sheffield's fifth-inning leadoff homer...the Yankees' 40 runs scored off Mets pitching this season are their most all time in the Subway Series.

PITCH MEN: Over their last 12 games (since 6/14), Yankees pitchers own a 2.40 ERA (105.0IP, 28ER) with a .198 (76-for-384) opponents batting average, leading the Majors over the stretch in both categories...over the stretch, Yankees starters are 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA (69.1IP, 21ER) and .222 (58-for-261) OBA, holding opponents to 3ER or less in each outing...Yankees relievers are 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA (35.2IP, 7ER) and .146 (18-for-123) OBA, with 41K and just 7BB.

A.J. Burnett took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and combined with two relievers as the Yankees one-hit the Mets. Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada belted opposite-field homers to power a 5-0 victory as the Bombers secured the season series.

Random statistical minutia: The Yankees' one-hit shutout at the Mets on Saturday marked the club's first one-hitter since 6/30/06 vs. the Mets at the original Yankee Stadium, when RHP Mike Mussina (4.0IP), LHP Ron Villone (2.0IP), RHP Scott Proctor (1.0IP), RHP Kyle Farnsworth (1.0IP) and RHP Mariano Rivera (1.0IP) combined to hold the Mets to 1H in a 2-0 shutout...last night's win was the Yankees' first one-hitter thrown on the road since 4/27/02 at Seattle when Ted Lilly lost a 1-0 complete-game...the last time the Yankees won a one-hitter on the road came on 9/2/01 at Boston when Mike Mussina came within one out of a no-hitter in a 1-0 Yankees victory.

Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter were idle observers for this one, and Phil Hughes also has a touch of the flu bug as well. That brings the Yankee traveling party sick bed to 10, at last count.

Tonight Chien-Ming Wang looks to score that elusive first victory as he gets the ball in the ESPN game, with Livan Hernandez on the hill for the Mets.

YANKEES (41-32)
Gardner CF
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Cabrera LF
Pena SS
A.J. Burnett RHP (5-4, 4.24)

METS (37-35)
Cora SS
A. Reyes 2B
Wright 3B
Church RF
Sheffield LF
Murphy 1B
Reed CF
Schneider C
Tim Redding RHP (1-2, 6.08)

FROM THE CLUBHOUSE
The nasty flu bug continues to infiltrate the Yankees, as Johnny Damon was kept up all night with a cough. Derek Jeter told Joe Girardi that he is feeling better and would be ready to play on Saturday (shocker!) but the Yankees are playing it safe and limiting both players to pinch-hitting duties. Mark Teixeira said he is also among those feeling under the weather.

One good part about this new Citi Field could be the center-field food areas. I can honestly say those Blue Smoke offerings were the best barbecue ribs I've ever had in a Major League stadium. Not coincidentally, that was also the first time I've ordered barbecue ribs in a ballpark.

I wanted to reserve judgment on Day 1, so here we are on Day 2. My initial scouting report on this place is that, sure, it's an upgrade over Shea Stadium. That's what Jeter said yesterday and he's right: look, Shea was one of the worst facilities in the Major Leagues circa 2008. But there is something very generic about this new place -- if you air-lifted it and dropped it in, say, San Diego, I'd believe the Padres could have played here.

There's a lack of 'feel' to the building. The Mets' colors are orange and blue, yet the seats are green and the outfield walls are black. I understand the fascination with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Jackie Robinson rotunda, but why are the security guards wearing Phillies maroon?

Beyond that, it's almost as though the Mets wanted to ignore their history at Shea Stadium - or at least put it on the back burner - and say that a new era is beginning now. They used to proudly display the achievements of '69, '73, '86, '99 and '00 on the right-field wall, and that is barely acknowledged anywhere here.

That's in stark contrast to the Yankees, who obviously went to great lengths to try and bring all of their tradition across the street. Of course, the Mets' fortunes haven't gone all that well since Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, so maybe that was intentional. Nobody asked, but there's my impressions of the building

IN-GAME UPDATES ON TWITTER @BRYANHOCH

FROM THE GAME NOTES
Tonight the Yankees will play the second game of a three-game series at the Mets, after winning 9-1 in their first-ever visit to Citi Field on Friday...have won three consecutive games and are 4-3 on their current nine-game road trip (2-1 at Atlanta from 6/22-24 and 1-2 from 6/19-21 at Florida)...is the 14th of 15 straight Interleague games for the Yankees (are 7-6 thus far)...concluded a 3-3 Interleague homestand on 6/18, going 2-1 vs. the Mets (6/12-14), and 1-2 vs. Washington (6/16-18)...the Yankees trail the Red Sox by 4.0 games for first place in the American League East...are tied with Detroit (also 41-32) for the third-best record in the Majors (Los Angeles-NL, 48-26 and Boston, 45-28)...the Yankees have won 26 of their last 41 games, including a season-high nine-game winning streak (5/13-21) to start the stretch...are 15-10 in their last 25 road games (since 4/28).

RUNAWAY: Including the inning of Joe Girardi's ejection on 6/24 at Atlanta, the Yankees have scored 28 runs in their last 21 frames...prior to the ejection, scored just 18 runs in 67 innings following their 15-0 win on 6/14 vs. the Mets...their 13 runs scored over a 1-5 stretch from 6/16-23 matched their lowest output over a six-game period since 5/13-20/08 when they also scored 13 runs and went 1-5.

LEAVING IT OUT ON THE FIELD: The Yankees have left exactly 14 men on base in each of their last two games on Friday at the Mets and Thursday at Atlanta (both victories)...marks the first time since 6/1-2/97 that the club left 14-for-more runners on in consecutive games, when they also won both contests.

PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 2,623 career hits accumulated by SS Derek Jeter prior to turning 35 on Friday were 65 more than all-time hit leader Pete Rose (2,558H) had on the morning of his 35th birthday.

DEEP THOUGHTS: 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his 564th career home run on Friday at the Mets' Citi Field, surpassing Yankees Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (563) for sole possession of 11th place on Baseball's all-time home run list...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, though Rodriguez did not make his Major League debut until 1994 (seven years after Jackson's final season in 1987), there are five pitchers who allowed home runs to both players: Tom Candiotti, Roger Clemens, David Cone, Doug Drabek and Jimmy Key...Rodriguez is 10th on the Yankee' all-time home run list with 219HR, and Jackson is 29th with 144HR...next up on Baseball's all-time list is Rafael Palmeiro (569HR).