After playing in 1,768 straight games between Japan and the United States, Hideki Matsui was starting to look like he needed a few days off.

Now, he'll get three months.

The Major League record for consecutive games played to begin a career ended at 518 when Matsui broke his left wrist attempting to catch a Mark Loretta fly ball in the first inning of the Yankees 5-3 loss at home to Boston last night. With its left fielder joining right fielder Gary Sheffield on the DL, New York now has to find a way to keep injuries from causing the season to fall by the wayside.

From the looks of things, that won't be easy.

The Yankees will now look to prospect/horror show Melky Cabrera, sissy armed/nearsighted Bernie Williams, and the bat-less wonder kid Bubba Crosby to combine to shore up its depleted outfield. They might me be better off handing a jersey to Paul O'Neil. At least he throws tantrums well.

With Alex Rodriguez still struggling, Jason Giambi is the only run producer in what was supposed to be a nightmare of a lineup. A lineup with Bernie, Bubba, Miguel Cairo, and Jorge Posada now looks like a pitcher's wet dream.

Never mind the pitching, which has an ace that hit the backstop twice in seven pitches the other night, and a bullpen that can't even get the ball to its best guy.

The schedule won't do the Yankees any favors either. The team hosts Oakland and Texas for seven games before taking the subway over the Shea Stadium to play one of the best teams in baseball.

Follow that up with a three game set in Boston and 19-13 could become 24-23 in a hurry.