--C Jorge Posada will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced. Posada had said earlier this month he would see if he could continue playing as a designated hitter if the team needed him to do so. But with each day that passed, Posada was in danger of missing time in the 2009 season as well, considering his rehab is expected to take at least six months. With the addition of OF Xavier Nady and the subsequent move of Johnny Damon to DH, the decision became easier to make. Posada said in a statement his focus will now be on coming back 100 percent next year rather than less than that this season.
--DH Hideki Matsui is continuing to hope he can avoid surgery on his injured left knee. Matsui took 20 swings off a tee and said he felt "pretty good." If he continues to progress, Matsui said, he could be back in one to two weeks. --LF Xavier Nady picked up his first hit as a Yankee, knocking a home run in the seventh inning of a 13-4 loss to Baltimore. He went 1-for-3 in the game, putting him at 1-for-10 as a Yankee.
--RHP Mike Mussina had one of his worst starts of the season, but it also served to show just how effective he's been in the last couple of months. Mussina gave up a season-high six earned runs in five innings. It was his shortest start since May 24 and marked only the third time this year Mussina hadn't made it past the fifth inning.
--RHP Dave Robertson followed Mike Mussina with a rare poor outing, giving up five runs on four hits in just 1/3 of an inning. The big blow came on a grand slam by Baltimore's Adam Jones. Robertson hadn't given up a run in his last seven appearances and had yielded just two all season, but the barrage ballooned his ERA to 4.97.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Number of games the Yankees gained on first-place Tampa Bay in the nine games from the All-Star break through July 27.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Wow. I want to kiss you." -- Alex Rodriguez to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman after the trade that brought in Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, as reported by the New York Post.
