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The Yankees and Twins are playing a four-game series this week at Yankee Stadium. The Twins arrived to town 2-7, but even if they were showing the form of the team that won consecutive AL Central titles in 2009 and 2010, they’ve been reverted to Twinkies when facing the Bronx Bombers. Including the postseason, the Yankees have won 23 of their last 27 against the gang from the Twin Cities.

The Yankees enter 5-4 after taking two of three from the Angels. New York’s two hitting stars have been Derek Jeter (.366) and Nick Swisher; the latter is tied with the Rays’ Carlos Pena for the AL lead with 11 RBIs through nine games. It took Swisher, who sparked the Yankees to a win in Friday's home opener, 22 games last season to reach 11 RBIs and 19 in ’10. Swishalicious has

During a telephone interview with the panel of Yankees Baseball Daily Thursday night, Nick Swisher had an answer to those wondering why the Yankees have been atypically silent this offseason.

“We didn't win the most games in the American League last year with just nobody,” Swisher said. “We feel we have an amazing team.”

It’s easy to lust for the big-bang move, especially if you’re a Yankees fan, but the recent trades of Mat Latos (Reds) and Gio Gonzalez (Nationals) prove that selling teams are demanding a partner’s finest prospects in return. That’s something Brian Cashman is justifiably unwilling to do. And when you study the current landscape of the Yankees a bit more closely, not much has changed from a team that won 97 games –

As expected, the Yankees have picked up the respective 2012 options on Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher. Cano will earn $14 million and Swisher $10.25 in his final season before becoming a free agent.

While Cano has another team option ($15 million) for 2013, one that will also be picked up, there is a chance the Yankees will trade Swisher if the right deal comes along. The Yanks, though, have received three seasons of strong production from the right fielder despite his struggles in the postseason. As the New York Daily News reported on Friday, the team has ruled out pursuing free agent Carlos Beltran.

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According to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, it looks like the Yankees have decided between Nick Swisher and Carlos Beltran. Not only will the Yankees "probably pick up" Swisher's $10.25 million contract option for 2012, they will not be in the running for free agent Carlos Beltran this winter.

“That’s the clue,” a team executive told McCarron, that they “won’t be in on Beltran."

Swisher can still be traded, especially if an attractive package that includes starting pitching materialized, but the article cites that he can block deals to six teams.

A Yankees official told Wallace Matthews on Thursday that Beltran is on the team’s offseason wish list. Beltran may have the better career numbers, but Swisher is a solid every day right fielder, especially

A Yankees official told Wallace Matthews that Carlos Beltran is on the team’s offseason wish list. Before the 2005 season, Beltran was one of the top free agents on the market and reportedly offered to accept $19 million less to sign with the Yankees before inking a seven-year, $119-million contract with the Mets. Even with Bernie Williams in the twilight of his career, the Yankees instead prioritized pitching and traded for Randy Johnson.

Now Beltran is looking to score one more big deal before he calls it a career, but at age 34 (35 in April) and not having played a full season since 2008, Beltran certainly won’t get as big a cut he did six years ago. However, Beltran batted .300 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs in 142 games with the Mets and Giants last season -- and he moved

Nick Swisher: Recording artist. The affable Yankees outfielder will release his debut album on August 9 to benefit his Swish's Wishes foundation. Here's the 411:

World Series Champion and Major League Baseball All-Star Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees will be adding one more credit to his professional resume -- recording artist. On August 9th, Swisher will release his first full-length, twelve song kids CD entitled “Believe” through digital outlets. A portion of the proceeds will be going to Swish’s Wishes, Nick’s charitable foundation which is dedicated to enriching lives and lifting the spirits of children who are facing vital health issues.

"I had an absolute blast working on this project, but I couldn't have done it without having a true pro as my producer,

From Joe Auriemma at Yankee Stadium: Nick Swisher, says Joe Girardi, is sitting out his second straight game because he "needs a couple of days to get things going." Auriemma added Swisher will put in more work with hitting coach Kevin Long with the hope that sitting back and taking a deep breath will help him get over a wicked slump.

Swisher showed signs of busting out when he went 2-for-4 with four RBIs in a 13-2 win at Baltimore last Thursday, but went 0-for-6 in two games against the Mets -- striking out three times Friday night.

Dickerson went 2-for-3 with a two-run single on Sunday and is 4-for-8 in four games.

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NEW YORK -- Meet Nick Swisher, philosopher. The affable and loquacious Yankees right fielder has often shared inspirational messages with the media. Even when in the deepest of black holes, Swisher is revealing and wears an unwavering smile.

At the end of another frustrating defeat, this a 2-1 setback to the Mets, thanks to the perpetual absence of that one big hit, Swisher’s left forearm was wrapped to heal the scrapes earned by a gallant effort to snag Justin Turner’s sixth-inning fly ball to right field. A hustling Swisher slid in an attempt to snag the third out, his glove falling just short of a ball that bounced into the box seats for a ground-rule double.

Swisher and the Yankees benefited from a fortuitous bounce that saved the Mets an extra run in a tight game. The reprieve

During a weekend that I was off, Jerome Preisler, Joe Auriemma, Jack Curry, Steven Goldman and Larry Fleisher provided wall-to-wall coverage of the Jorge Posada situation that blew up Saturday night. To put a bow on this, Posada apologized and as Kimberly Jones writes, the case is closed. Posada’s actions were wrong and he manned up. Now we move on.

We move on to a New York Yankees team losers of nine of their past 12 and quite simply haven’t looked good. Even when the offense showed flickers of life Sunday night, it was the long ball that provided the majority of their five runs. Freddy Garcia failed to hold a 4-1 lead, but to pin the Yankees’ fifth straight loss and three-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox on the Chief is a misguided premise.

One at-bat tells you