NEW YORK _ It's a testament to the Yankees' depth and ferocity that two opposing things can simultaneously be true. They are, by far, the best team in the AL East. And, as of Friday, they also have accomplished that despite sending a record-breaking 29 players to the injured list this season.
So, in some ways, Friday was just another painful day in Yankee Land. They started the morning by putting Gio Urshela to the IL with a left groin strain, and by the end of the third inning, CC Sabathia was pawing at his surgically repaired right knee, a sign that he too was about to become a casualty.
Really, the only thing slightly unusual about Friday's game against the A's was that the Yankees were unable to compensate for the carousel of players headed toward MRI machines _ losing to the Athletics, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
