NY Yankees: Get Some Rest

Today, the Yankees got their first day off since May 28th. After 17 straight games I'm sure they needed it, especially after all the tension and stress of playing the Red Sox and Mets. But looking forward, will the Yankees have enough to rev them up to beat the lowly Nationals?

Washington comes to the Boogie Down with the league's worst record at 16-45 and rumors swirling around that their manager Manny Acta's job is in jeopardy. I'm not saying the Yanks will sweep, but they should.

The Yanks send (in this order) CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain to mound for this series. CC should come away with a win. But the bigger story is the do or die start that awaits Wang on Wednesday. He hasn't won a game this season (0-4, 14.34 ERA) and his confidence must be in the toilet. And I know (because I've played) confidence is contagious, and so is lack there of. It's not going to happen over night, the Yanks need to work on this with him. I think the bullpen would do him some good and and eventually he'll get it back if you keep throwing him out there. The question is....do Yankee fans have the patience to wait it out? Probably not.

Meanwhile, as for the hitting. No one thought the Yanks would pound out 9 runs against Johan Santana on Sunday. But who knows, Yankee hitters haven't seen the National's pitchers before, so I am not going to even say that I expect them to beat up on Washington's pitchers.

All I know is that I hope this day off gets Alex Rodriguez back to his hitting ways. A-Rod along with Nick Swisher were the only two starters who DIDN'T get a hit in Sunday's blow out. A-rod is batting .230, and is 3 for 24 in his last 7 games.

And a welcome back of sorts, former Yankee Nick Johnson, who played for the Yankees from 2001-03 will get his first at bat in the new Yankee stadium. I'm sure the short-porch in right has Johnson salivating.

"I've watched some games on TV," Johnson told the Nationals' official Web site. "It looks pretty nice. We'll see how the ball flies."