The Bronx Stop: A Yankees Blog

Well, call it a little bit of a joke, but The Bronx Stop mimicked Hank and said Kennedy needed to pitch like Jamie Moyer after his last start.

And just like Mike Mussina got the win after Hank made that comment, Ian Kennedy got the win* (well he should have but didn't actually...) after we said it. Interesting...hahaha

Mark Feinsand/New York Daily News:

The dramatic ending to Thursday nights game was made possible by a solid performance by Ian Kennedy, who may have needed the threat of losing his job - again - to get his act together.

One night after it was announced that Joba Chamberlain would be stretched out over the next few weeks before entering the starting rotation, Kennedy gave the Yankees his best effort of the season.

Kennedy allowed just one run on four hits in six innings, matching his longest outing of the season while giving up less than three runs for the first time in seven starts. Kennedy did walk four, but none of them came around to score.

Orioles lefthander Brian Burres denied Kennedy his first win of the season however, throwing 7-2/3 innings of one-run ball and giving up six hits without issuing a walk. Mariano Rivera (1-1) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief, following similar performances by Jose Veras and Kyle Farnsworth.

The win gave the Yankees (22-25) their first series victory since May 4. They are 2-3 on their current home stand, which concludes this weekend with three games against the Mariners.

Kennedy retired all three batters in the first inning, starting off his night on the right foot. He allowed a leadoff single by Aubrey Huff in the second, but an inning-ending double play off the bat of Luke Scott allowed him to record another scoreless frame.

Again, Kennedy ran into trouble in the third, as Adam Jones singled and Freddie Bynum tripled with one out, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Kennedy proceeded to walk Brian Roberts, putting runners at the corners.

Roberts appeared to be picked off by Kennedy, but as the Yankees had him in a rundown between first and second, Jason Giambi tried to throw Bynum out as he moved away from third. Bynum beat the throw, allowing Roberts to reach second safely with a stolen base, putting both men in scoring position.

Kennedy responded by walking Jay Payton, loading the bases and leaving most of the fans in attendance to wonder if he would make it through the rest of the inning.

But instead of collapsing as he has in similar situations during his first seven outings, Kennedy buckled down and struck out Markakis, then got Huff to fly out to left field, stranding all three men on base.