Schadenfreude 21 (A Continuing Series)

Q: When was the last time the Yankees won a game in which they scored fewer than five runs?

George King, Post:

A two-week dance through the elite gardens of the American League was supposed to tell us a lot about the Yankees. Four games against the Tigers in The Bronx. Three in Anaheim versus the Angels. Four more with the Tigers at Comerica Park.

With four tilts (one against the Tigers; three with the Red Sox) remaining, here is what we have learned: The Yankees don't have enough starting pitching to be a serious threat to the Red Sox in the AL East or catch the Mariners in the wild-card chase.

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

For the third time on this road trip, the Yankees came up on the short end of a close game, having dropped a pair of extra-inning games before yesterday's loss.

These defeats might tell Joe Torre that his team is playing on the same level as some of the American League's top contenders, but at some point, the Bombers will have to start winning these games if they plan to play into October.

No tabloids today. The back pages are more concerned with David Wells beating the Mets:


Tonight, the Yankees send Mike Mussina to the hill in Detroit. In his last seven starts, Mussina has a 6.63 ERA (52 hits and 28 runs in 36.2 IP).

A: The last time the Yankees won a game in which they scored fewer than five runs was on July 17, when they beat Toronto 3-2 in 10 innings (a stretch of 38 games). (And since June 29, they have won only two such games.)