Lucky 7.00's: Mussina, Clemens Keep Winning
The rest of the rotation has been equally maddening ... Andy Pettitte gave up 11 hits in just over six innings and took the loss in his last start, but showed enough to warrant a move back to the active roster in fantasy leagues ... Roger Clemens has a 7.63 ERA over his last three starts, while Mike Mussina has posted a 7.25 mark over his past four turns, yet the two are on pace to finish 16-6 and 23-6, respectively ... Only David Wells pitched consistently well throughout June, posting a 3.09 ERA -- yet he finished the month at 2-3.

Coomer Ready to Return; Hitch in Sterling's Plans
Sterling Hitchcock returned to the DL June 28 with a sprained lower back, while Ron Coomer, who at .344 with three homers has been an important player in many AL-only leagues, has missed a week with a pinched nerve in his neck. Coomer could return as early as Sunday, but don't expect much out of Hitchcock the rest of the season. Randy Choate was recalled from Columbus to replace Hitch, but Choate has surrendered nine runs in 3.1 innings over his last three appearances and only has value in those "weird reverse leagues where Jason Tyner is your A-Rod," as Montreal correspondent Matt Kellison recently put it.

Maybe Colangelo Will Make the Same Deal?
Marcus Thames, recalled when Juan Rivera was injured, returned to Columbus in favor of Karim Garcia. The veteran lefty is a career .223 hitter with good power, suited to Yankee Stadium -- but he also tends to overswing and strike out in bunches and will be best remembered as the player Arizona traded even up for Luis Gonzalez. With Shane Spencer battling a sprained left wrist, that was Enrique Wilson, whose slugging percentage sits 20 points below Jason Giambi's batting average, playing RF for New York Saturday. John VanderWal has been lost on the Yankees bench most of the season, but he almost has to see more playing time until this clears up.

Probable Starters 6/30: Pettitte vs. NYM (Trachsel) 7/2: Clemens vs. CLE (TBD*) 7/3: Wells vs. CLE (TBD*) 7/4: Mussina vs. CLE (TBD*) * CLE rotation not set since Colon trade

Breaking News: Jorge Posada is Pretty Good
Jorge Posada left Saturday's game after fouling a pitch off his knee, but doesn't expect to miss any time. You know, Posada rarely receives coverage in this space, and that's not an intentional slight; he's the best fantasy catcher in the AL, and it's not even close. He's not spectacular -- his batting average has tumbled 60 points since the end of April -- but he's on pace to finish .262/27/103, and he plays every day. He'd better; there's no legitimate replacement beyond Alberto Castillo, who's hardly an everyday player. Given Tampa Bay's recent "We'll take cash" fire sale proviso, look for John Flaherty to end up in pinstripes.

Elliptical Information ...
Trade talk has heated up since Bartolo Colon packed his bags for those trying-to-buy-a-pennant moneybags Expos, but season-ending injuries to Juan Rivera and Brandon Claussen mean anyone talking with the Yankees would have to settle for Spencer and perhaps Erick Almonte ... Oh, by the way, Mariano Rivera is back. He's fine. Did you miss him? ... Interleague play clearly affected Nick Johnson, who is 2-for-16 with just one RBI since returning to AL-only action ... Derek Jeter is back over .300 and on pace for 20 homers and 35 SB, while Jason Giambi's pace projects to .316/43/131 ... Isn't that about what we expected from each?