Edinson Volquez out-dueled Mike Mussina on Friday night as the Reds beat the Yanks 4-2. It was a terrific evening at the Stadium, weather-wise, and the Yankees had their chances–the tying run was at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, and Jason Giambi just missed a change up with two men on in the seventh (he would hit a long fly out to death valley, another one he was just behind). Mussina scattered ten hits over eight innings but really only made one mistake–a flat fastball to Jolbert Cabrera in the fifth. Johnny Damon lost a fly ball in the lights to start the inning:

“I saw it, I felt I had a bead on it,” Damon said. “Then, you’re seeing shadows. It makes me disgusted. I didn’t realize it hit off my glove. That’s tough to overcome when you’re facing a tough pitcher. Unfortunately, losing the ball in the lights cost us three.”
(Lapointe, N.Y. Times)

It was a night of near-misses.

Volquez was a lot of fun to watch. He was “effectively wild,” but not like Daniel Cabrera. He wasn’t wild enough to be hitting guys. But his pitches darted every which way. More to the point, when he fell behind in the count, he was able to come up with the big pitch. He was supremely confident, and why not? He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any start this season.

It’s hot n hazy again in New York today. A 1:00 start promises to bring plenty of heat.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!