No Mo, No Win

Farnsworth blows sweep, Tigers prevail 7-6

Mariano Rivera once again proved to the Yankees just how vital he is to their success. Rivera was out of commission for yesterday's game, and possibly the entire weekend series in Baltimore, after hurting his back while changing his shoes. With Rivera sitting out with back spasms, the task of closing out a 6-5 lead against the Detroit Tigers last night fell on the arm of Kyle Farnsworth. And Farnsworth failed miserably. The Tigers completed a comeback from a 5-0 deficit with a pair of runs off of Farnsworth in the 9th to salvage the final game of the four game series.

As is often the case with Farnsworth (1-3), a walk got him into trouble. This time it was former Yankee Marcus Thames receiving the free pass with one out in the 9th. Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez followed with singles to tie the game and put the winning run in scoring position on 2nd base. Carlos Guillen then singled thru the right side and Terrence Long's balloon throw home wasn't close or nearly in time.

Hard throwing rookie right-hander Justin Verlander had started the game for the Tigers and had to battle through a blister problem. The Yankees knocked him around to the tune of 6 runs in the first 5 innings. But has often been the case this season, Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang struggled with the lead. Leading 5-0, Wang issued a bases loaded walk to Ordonez and RBI singles to Guillen and Omar Infante to cut the lead to 5-3 after 4.

Jason Giambi got one of those runs back in the 5th with his 14th home run of the season, but Wang couldn't make it out of the bottom of the 5th to earn a win. A walk to Curtis Granderson and consecutive singles by Thames and Rodriguez loaded the bases with none out. Joe Torre had seen enough and brought in rookie right-hander Darrell Rasner who had just been recalled from Columbus. Rasner gave up a two-run single to Ordonez to cut the margin to 1 run before retiring the next 3 hitters.

Without the tenure to tell Torre to get back in the dugout as Mike Mussina did the previous night, Rasner could only walk off the field when Torre pulled him after an inning and two-thirds to set up a lefty-lefty match up between Mike Myers and Curtis Granderson. It typified Torre's tendency to overmanage in these situations. Why use your lefty specialist in the 6th inning? Myers made matters worse by walking Granderson. Scott Proctor came on and was back to his form of early May, striking out four in 2 1-3 scoreless innings.

The Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when Robinson Cano doubled, his first of four hits, and scored on a double by the hot hitting Andy Phillips. In the third the Yankees blew it open, or so they thought, when Jorge Posada cleared the loaded bases with a double to right and came home on a sacrifice fly by Phillips. Three Tiger relievers blanked the Yankees over the final 4 innings as their hitters chipped away at the lead. Farnsworth then gave up a chunk.

Notes

Derek Jeter sat out a second straight game with a sore right wrist, but insisted that it was merely Joe Torre being cautious.

As expected, Gary Sheffield was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Results of an MRI showed a torn tendon in his wrist. Kevin Thompson was recalled from Columbus to take his spot on the roster. He's expected to be used off the bench and to start against tough left-handers.

Shawn Chacon is scheduled to make a rehab start at Double-A Trenton on Sunday.