The Yanks have been playing so well this week that I nearly forgot that they have enough players staying at the DL Resort and Casino to staff a complete team. Hughsie, Wang and IPK haven't been missed too much thanks to Jobamania, the Moose, the surprisingly good bullpen, and even SiDawg Crosby, but Matsui's and Damon's absence have been noticed. They've scored just 18 runs over the last 6 games, including the game against the Sox in which they got shut down completely, and even though they won 4 of those 6 it was largely due to the pitching - there was no particular offensive free for all going on.

We finally got some updates on those two today. Bad news on Damon, whose delicate shoulder is still too swollen and tender for him to swing a bat, even at a ball on a tee, so we won't be seeing him back anytime soon, an unfortunate turn of events considering the hot year he was having. As for Matso Ball Soup, he's faring only slightly better - he's playing tee-ball down in Tampa already but hasn't graduated to real BP just yet. I can't find any news on actual timelines for returns for either dude, probs because the Yanks just don't know when they'll be healed up enough. For now, we'll have to cross our fingers and hope for a hit or two here and there from Brett Gardner and hope the pitching can keep up the good work.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Ponson!