Javier Vazquez–yes, that Javier Vazquez–pitched awesome tonight.

There’s no other way around it. Through six innings he had just 70 pitches; he walked two, struck out six and allowed just one it.

The Mets may have been struggling, but Vazquez really was that good tonight.

The problem, however, was that he was kicking rear ends and taking names against the Mets, at Citifield, which means that NL rules apply, which means that he, as the pitcher, had to bat, which, in turn, means that he, as a Yankee pitcher, had to get hurt in doing so.

The diagnosis: bruised right index finger–yeah, that means the pitching hand.

Fortunately, the X-Rays came back negative, so no broken finger, but the last thing the Yankees really needed here was another injury.

It’s not the first time an American League team has lost a pitcher due to injury while batting in the National League, and it probably won’t be the last.

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Congratulations ought to go to Kevin Russo, who had himself a game: his first major league hit, and then his first major league extra base hit, which also happened to be the only RBI hit of the game for the Yankees.

Let’s not talk about how the Yankees, in other innings, had runners on second and third with less than two out and could not score a run. Such things are depressing.

Happier things: Joba seemed to right himself, and Mariano was (mostly) his old self–though apparently Jason Bay stole his secret sauce.

Anyway, the Red Sox have lost and as this is being written, the Rays and Jays are also losing. The Yankees will send Phil Hughes out on the mound tomorrow, and go for the series win.