Stop the bleeding here

The Sidney Greenstreet virus seems to be going around the Yankees clubhouse right now, infecting Mike Mussina, David Robertson and Kyle Farnsworth in yesterday's ugly 13-4 loss to the cellar-dwelling Orioles.

You try not to read too much into these games, or the two-game hangover that's followed New York's eight-game win streak. At the same time, the losing skid has a very real possibility of hitting three with sometimes Yankee killer Daniel Cabrera taking on AAAA superstar Darrell Rasner tonight at the Stadium.

This again illustrates the need for pitching help in the back end of the rotation. When you have Ponson and Rasner each getting the ball in a three-game stretch, you damn sure better do your best to get that game where a real Major League pitcher is going. Mussina didn't have it last night, and now you're counting on a dude who has two wins in his last 10 starts to stop a hiccup from becoming a slide. Color me uninspired.

In terms of bright spots, take solace in Xavier Nady going deep for his first hit in pinstripes. Does that make him an Official Yankee? I'm always confused about the exact qualifications needed to have that honor bestowed upon you. All Jason Giambi had to do was hit a homer in the rain. It may just come down to Joel Sherman or something.

The other big news off the day was Jorge Posada's season reached its conclusion with the decision to undergo season-ending surgery on his busted shoulder. You have to wonder if Yanks president Randy Levine was asked to fall on the sword with the whole "I want return on our investment" company line report that was going around. In reality, it's very possible the Yanks never had any intention to get Posada back this season, instead using his possible return to keep leverage as they pursued the bat that became Nady.

Luckily for the Yanks it was an all-around bad day for AL East contenders. The Rays and Red Sox -- suddenly fallible at Fenway -- both came up losers, keeping the Bombers three out in the division and two in the Wild Card chase.

Daniel Cabrera is having his typical "Am I good or do I suck ass?" season, but the 6-foot-9 beast has already beaten the Yankees twice this season. On the plus side, he has just one win in his last 12 starts and has generally been getting bukkaked this month, so it's very likely his night could last three innings.

Let's just hope Ponson doesn't follow suit.