Yankees: Pain, Rain, and The Stain

Tuesday night's Spring-Winter schizophrenic rain/snow storm wiped out the Yankees first of two with the Chicago Cubs. A day-night doubleheader (really a pair of single games with different start times and an akward reference) is scheduled for today, Wednesday. If you can only make it to one, choose the 1:00 p.m. start. It's plenty cold out, but you will not be warm tonight.

Just like the weather, the Yankees have had some ups and downs the first month of the season. But after they took three of four from Boston, the semi-Bronx Bombers were tied for first place in the AL East with a 7-6 record. However, it hasn't come without a price.  Mark Teixeira got hurt about two seconds into the season and hopes to return from a hamstring injury on May 1.

Francisco Cervelli is well acquainted with the DL. He'll have plenty of time to treat his Grade-2 hamstring strain, after being placed on the 60-day DL for the injury he suffered Sunday night. It remains to be seen if the injury is that bad or if the Yankees just had to find a way of opening spots on the 40-man roster. John Ryan Murphy, formerly known as J.R. Murphy (against his will), was called up to back up Brian McCann. He should get the start in tonight's game.

In addition to Cervelli, Derek Jeter missed the last two games against Boston with a sore quad, Brian Roberts sat out with a sore lower back, and McCann took a Red Sox ricochet off his hand.

Tests came back negative on McCann and he's in the lineup for the first game on Wednesday. Jeter is not, but is expected to play the nightcap. Roberts has not been DL'ed, but is not expected to play at all today. Roberts told the media he could "...play if needed", but is on pain meds and Joe Girardi wants him to have additional rest. The Yankees brought up Scott Sizemore and he's got the start at third base this afternoon, while Yangervis Solarte will play second base. Dean Anna (shortstop) and Kelly Johnson (first base) fill out the rest of the infield.

David Robertson feels he is on track to return from the DL on April 22. Robertson has been sidelined with a strained groin since April 7. Shawn Kelley and David Phelps have picked up saves in his absence.

All eyes will be on Michael Pineda tonight, after he was accused by the media of using a substance on his pitching hand in his last start. Pineda had, what appeared to be, pine tar on his pitching hand for part of last Thursday's start against Boston. The substance disappeared after it was discussed on the game's broadcast.

The Red Sox made no accusations of cheating, primarily because their own pitcher that night, Clay Buchholz, has been rumored to use several substances during a game. With only circumstantial evidence, MLB decided not to mete out any punishment.

Wong, Get back to where you once belonged

Perhaps if the Beatles tune "Get Back" had been playing in Kolten Wong's head the Cardinals rookie would not have been picked off first base to end Game 4 of the World Series.

One night after the Cardinals won Game 3 on an a defensive obstruction call, the Red Sox evened the Series at two games apiece with the help of a boneheaded play. Down two in the 9th, Allen Craig came through in the clutch just as had in Game 3 with a 1-out, pinch-hit single.

After seeing Craig struggle to run on an injured foot the night before, manager Mike Matheny replaced him with Wong, the rookie who appeared in 32 games this season. After Uehara retired Matt Carpenter on a pop-up for the second out, Wong broke a cardinal rule of baseball and the game was over.

One of the basic tenets of baseball is knowing when your run is not important. In Sunday night's game the Cardinals trailed by a pair of runs, with the tying run at the plate. In this case the batter was post-season terror Carlos Beltran.

Beltran could have tied the game up with one swing of the bat or at least kept the game going by reaching base safely. Slugger Matt Holliday was in the on-deck circle when Uehara caught Wong leaning the wrong way. Worse than the play itself was Wong's reasoning, which totally flew in the face of logic (repeat after me, "you're run doesn't matter!")

"...I was just getting ready, getting aggressive," he said. "It was a hitting situation. Carlos, he can drive the ball. If that ball got down somewhere, I was hoping to go first to third, maybe score." ¹

You have to feel bad for the kid, who was fighting back tears when he spoke to reporters afterwards, but everything in the quote above shows that he wasn't follwing the directions he was given. Mike Matheny told reporters:

"He was reminded once he got on base, and also he was reminded that the run didn't mean much, be careful, shorten up. And he got a little extra, then he slipped and the slip cost him."

Wong also said his foot slipped as he went to retreat back to the base and "that's it". Should be interesting to see what oddity occurs tonight as Game 5 is played three days before Halloween.




1 - St.Louis Post-Dispatch

Pitching Matchups Set For Boston Series

Kuroda needs to get the Yankees off on the right foot with his right arm

From the Star Ledger:

FRIDAY: Hiroki Kuroda (11-10, 2.99 ERA) v. John Lackey (9-12, 3.48 ERA).

SATURDAY: CC Sabathia (13-12, 4.82 ERA) v. Jon Lester (13-8, 3.86 ERA).

SUNDAY: Ivan Nova (8-4, 3.17 ERA) v. Clay Buchholz (10-0, 1.61 ERA).

You get to suffer through a FOX telecast on Saturday and an ESPN telecast on Sunday night. I recommend the mute button.

Can You Hit Rock Bottom After 2 Games?

Tonight's second game of the Yankees-Red Sox series was about as dismal as the first. Ah, but with even colder temperatures.

So, can you hit rock bottom after just two games are played? Because it sure feels like it right now. Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, hurry up!

Hiroki Kuroda did himself no favors tonight. How many times, I don't care about instinct, does a pitcher have to stick his pitching hand up on a ball hit through the middle? Kuroda did just that and was out of the game quicker than the fans exited Monday's opener.

Having given up a run on three singles in the 1st inning, Kuroda's digit was victimized by Shane Victorino to start the 2nd. Two hit batters, one to force in a run, and a walk later, Kuroda accompanied trainer Steve Donahue and manager Joe Girardi back to the dugout.

The Red Sox then smacked around Cody Eppley and Adam Warren, which is not a surprise, especially in the case of Warren. I've said it before and it bears repeating, Warren is not a Major League pitcher. Yes, he's still young, but in the short time he's pitched in the Majors and in Spring Training he has looked completely overmatched.

The highlights tonight...yes, there were a couple. Travis Hafner hit his first home run as Yankee. Vernon Wells made a 7-1 game a bit of a contest again with a three-run home run off old buddy Al Aceves in the 8th inning. It was also Wells' first dinger as a Bronx Bomber and one of his three hits on the night.

But after a lead off single in the 9th by Eduardo Nunez, Joel Hanrahan picked up his first save for the Red Sox. (Every time I hear Hanrahan's name I think of Paul Newman taunting the opposing goalie named Hanrahan in Slap Shot. You can find the clip on Youtube.)

Nunez was 2-3 in the game with a stolen base, but also committed his first error. Kevin Youkilis had a pair of hits, while Robinson Cano went 0-4.

Gene Monahan was in the dugout during the game.

With a new rule instituted this year, an interpreter accompanied Girardi and Donahue to the mound to check on Kuroda.

Stephen Drew has been out with a concussion, but he better hurry back at the rate Jose Iglesias is hitting. Known for his defense and not his bat, Iglesias has gone 5-9 (.556) in the first two games.

Andy Pettitte will try to salvage the final game of the series Thursday night against Ryan Dempster, who will be making his Red Sox debut.

Oh, can't forget this..reported by several fans who heard the game on the radio. John Sterling referred to Travis Hafner as the "Pronk Bomber". Yeah, it really is that bad.

Happy Yankeeversary

It was a big day in Boston on Friday afternoon, the Old Town Team was celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. A veritable plethora of Boston Red Sox alumni was introduced prior to the game with the Yankees. From 91 year old Bobby Doerr to Carl Yastrzemski to Jim Rice to Johnny Pesky to Rico Petrocelli to recently fired manager Terry Francona. On and on it went. Then the teams got down to business and the Red Sox continued to struggle.

The teams wore throw back uniforms circa 1912, which contained no numbers on the back. But like most Yankees-Red Sox contests over the years, the Yankees got the better of Boston. This time the Yankees crashed the Red Sox party with five solo home runs, including a pair of Eric Chavez blasts, and came away with a 6-2 victory. Ivan Nova was very good for six innings and won his third game of the season. He allowed two runs, seven hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out five. David Ortiz's solo home run in the 2nd inning was one of the few mistake pitches Nova made on the day.

Meanwhile the Yankees took advantage of a shaky Clay Buchholz. The right-hander missed most of last season with a back injury and hasn't looked good so far this season. The Yankees led 1-0 in the 2nd when Nick Swisher hit an opposite field blast for third home run and 14th RBI of the season. Two batters later Chavez hit his first long ball of the season.

Chavez struck again in the 4th with a long blast to deep centerfield for his first multi-home run game in six years. One inning later, Alex Rodriguez, who also had an RBI single in the 1st, took Buchholz deep for his second round tripper of the year.

The Red Sox got a run back in the home half of the 5th on Mike Aviles' RBI double, but that was the last run the Red Sox would score against the Yankees pitching. Cory Wade, David Robertson, Cody Eppley (in his Yankees debut), and Mariano Rivera scattered three hits over the final three innings to seal the win. The Yankees weren't done scoring though- Russell Martin added one more home run when he finished Buchholz's scoring line with a solo blast in the 6th.

Canadian Clubs Red Sox

A lot of people were disappointed when the Yankees announced they had signed veteran catcher Russell Martin this past off-season. They looked at it as a roadblock for Jesus Montero's progression to the Major Leagues. But not too many people are complaining about Martin right now.

The former Dodger continued his fast start by clubbing a pair of home runs this afternoon as the Yankees outscored the Boston Red Sox 9-4 at Fenway Park. In addition to Martin's pair of blasts, Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano went deep to give birthday boy (26) David Robertson his first win of the season.

Ivan Nova started for the Yankees and pitched out of several jams, but couldn't make it out of the 5th inning. A Cano mishandled double play ball could have ended the 5th and continued Nova's day, but instead it led to a Dustin Pedroia 2-run double that cut the Yankees lead to 5-4. The Yankees pen was solid though, especially Robertson and Joba Chamberlain, who got the Yankees through the 7th. (Luis Ayala mopped up the final two frames).

The Yankees got off to a fast start against Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz with a pair of runs in the 2nd inning and Martin helped send him to an early shower in the 4th. After Granderson walked, Eric Chavez stroked one of his three hits, a double off the Monster, and Martin followed with his first home run of the day. Singles by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez (sandwiched around an out) ended Buchholz's day, his shortest non-injury outing since last July 21.

With Nick Swisher aboard, Granderson slugged his second home run of the season, off Felix Doubrant, in the 5th to give the Yankees some much needed breathing room. Cano's solo home run an inning later came off ex-teammate Al Aceves, as did Martin's second shot in the 7th.

Notes

Derek Jeter was 1-4 and now needs 67 hits to reach 3,000.

Robinson Cano was 3-5 and is a .367 career hitter at Fenway Park.

Russell Martin is hitting .321 with 3 HR, 9 RBI, and 2 SBs in 8 games.

Full Count Pitch - Don't Count Your Wicked Awesomes Just Yet

Many pundits think the Red Sox are a lock in the AL East, but FCP is here to give you some food for thought.

Listening to/reading ESPN or other media outlets you would think the Boston Red Sox would not have to play one game in 2011 to capture the AL East title. The experts see the addition of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to a healthy lineup and think “1,000 runs scored and a dominant team”. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman reported the other day that one AL Scout said, “I don’t see how Red Sox lose the AL East.”

Hang on, unnamed source; I can see a few reasons how they might lose and I’m going to tell you and everyone else. Let’s start with the Red Sox’ starting pitching. The quintet of Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka looks pretty good on paper, but let’s take a closer look.

There’s no question that Lester is an ace, a #1 stud, who is easy to root for given that he conquered cancer. But he does struggle in April (16 starts 3-5 and a career worst 4.58 ERA) and that could have an overall effect on the team’s start. Lester will be fine as the weather gets warm, though, and is one of the most reliable starters in baseball. John Lackey, on the other hand, is not the same pitcher he was with the Angels. His ERA has steadily risen over the last three seasons from 3.75 to his worst ERA in six seasons (4.40) last year. The league average against him has also gone from .260 to .277 over the same time period, and his strikeouts per nine innings has gone from 8.6 in 2005 to 6.5 in 2011.

Click Here to read the rest of this free article at FullCountPitch.com

Cervelli and Yankees Drop the Ball

The course of a baseball game or life can change an instant. Okay, enough paraphrasing John Sterling. Francisco Cervelli learned the hard way last night just how much one play can change things. Cervelli's drop opened the flood gates last night en route to a 6-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Yankees starter Javier Vazquez may have flashed back to October '04 when he surrendered home runs to David Ortiz and Ryan Kalish, but it was his multiple walk in the park that really ruined his and the Yankees' night.

The Bombers, as is their custom lately, took an early lead and then went to sleep on offense. Up 2-1 in the 2nd on a Mark Teixeira blast, Vazquez gave up a lead off double to Adrian Beltre to start the 2nd inning, but got J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell to hit back to back pop ups. The only problem was that Cervelli dropped Lowell's would be second out.

Vazquez struck out Kalish, but then completely lost the strike zone, issuing consecutive walks to Jed Lowrie and Jacoby Ellsbury to force in a run. Vazquez then left a hanger in the zone that Marco Scutaro ripped to left for a 2-run double and 4-2 Red Sox lead.

The Yankees wasted a 2-on, no one out opportunity in the 4th, but chipped away with a run in the 5th. Derek Jeter reached with one out when he was plunked by a Clay Buchholz pitch. Nick Swisher followed with a single to right and two batters later Alex Rodriguez delivered an RBI single. Robinson Cano had a chance to tie things up, but grounded out to end the inning.

Vazquez, known as "Hang 'em Javy" by disgruntled Yankees fans lived up to his longball reputation when he served up a back breaking 2-run shot to Kalish in the 6th. It was the rookie's 1st major league home run and gave Boston a 6-3 lead.

The Yankees final try came in the 9th when Jeter reached on a 2-out walk by closer Jonathan Papelbon, but Swisher flied out to end the game.

Notes

The Yankees remained in first place in the AL East thanks to some help from Toronto, which beat Tampa Bay 2-1.

Since July 1, Mark Teixeira is hitting .328 with 11 HR, 35 RBI, and OPS over 1.000 in 31 games.

New daddy CC Sabathia will try to stop the Yankees skid when he faces off today at 4 p.m. against John Lackey.

Slugger Carlos Delgado worked out for the Red Sox in the Stadium's indoor batting cage and could be signed to a deal as early as today.

Another Red Sox went on the DL yesterday; this time it was lefty Hideki Okajima with a hamstring strain.

Vazquez's fastballs were mostly below 90 mph last night; not a good sign.

UPDATE 12:35 pm 8/7 - Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Carlos Delgado has agreed to a minor league with the Red Sox. If not called up by 9/1, he becomes a free agent.

"You wanted the animal..." - Wolverine

CC Dominates Red Sox

August 8th, 2009

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Alex Rodriguez • cc sabathia • Clay Buchholz • David Ortiz • Derek Jeter • Mark Teixeira • terry francona • who stole my laptop? • Yankees 8/8 recap • Yankees vs. Red Sox

CC Sabathia was paid $161 million this past off-season to be the ace of the Yankees pitching staff. Thus far, it’s been up and down season for the left-hander. The Yankees posted just a 12-11 record in Sabathia’s starts entering Saturday’s game with the Boston Red Sox, but this afternoon the Yankees certainly got their money’s worth. Sabathia no-hit the Red Sox for 5 1-3 innings and the Yankees won their third straight game of the four game series, 5-0.

Sabathia struck out a season high 9 batters as he earned his 12th win of the season and the Yankees recorded their first back to back home shutout victories of Boston since 1963. Sabathia threw 123 pitches in a 7.2 inning stint before turning things over to Phil Hughes. Jacoby Ellsbury broke up the no-no with a clean single to center field. CC’s only real trouble came in the 7th when he walked Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis lined a single to center field. But he struck out David Ortiz and got Mike Lowell to bounce into an inning ending double play.

Clay Buchholz, facing the Yankees for the first time this season, pitched effectively through six innings. The Yankees scored single runs in the 3rd, on a Mark Teixeira RBI single, and 6th innings (a Jose Molina sac fly after an intentional pass was issued to Melky Cabrera) for a 2-0 lead. The Yankees added a run in a wacky 7th inning that saw Red Sox reliever Ramon Ramirez, a former Yankees prospect, ejected from the game.

Ramirez buzzed Teixeira before issuing him a 1-out walk. His very next pitch nailed Alex Rodriguez in the left arm, the same general area that Dustin Pedroia was hit on Thursday night by Mark Melancon. Home plate ump Jim Joyce immediately tossed Ramirez from the game and then explained his positioned to a weary Terry Francona. Both teams had been warned in the 1st inning after Buchholz threw behind A-Rod’s back.

Enrique Gonzalez came on and gave up a single to Hideki Matsui and two batters later walked Nick Swisher to force in a run. Mariano Rivera was readying himself to enter the game in the 9th, but took a seat when Derek Jeter went the opposite way for a 2-run home run and a 5-0 Yankees lead.

Game Notes

The Yankees have held the Red Sox scoreless for 24 innings, the longest streak (according to STATS, LLC) against their hated rivals since a 33 inning stretch in 1952.

The Yankees will attempt their first 4-game home sweep of Boston since 1985 when Andy Pettitte faces Jon Lester Sunday night.

Mark Melancon was demoted to Scranton prior to the game in favor of veteran Josh Towers. But according to the Daily News’ Mark Feinsand, via his Twitter account, it will be only for a day. Towers is expected to be DFA’ed prior to Sunday’s game to make room for Chad Gaudin. To make room on the 40-man roster, Damaso Marte was transferred to the 60-day DL.

The Pennant Race - 8/21

You just get the feeling that for the second straight year, the Mets and Phillies will come down to the final weekend to determine the NL East winner. The Mets are playing good baseball, but they haven't been able to put much cushion between themselves and the Phillies since moving into first place.

Mike Pelfrey has really stepped up this season and did again last night, limiting the Braves to three hits in a complete game, 6-3 Mets victory. David Wright continued his run at the NL MVP with his 24th home run and 97th RBI. Rookie Dan Murphy's two RBI gave him 11 in 18 games and he's batting .404 in 47 at-bats.

The Phillies got a complete game of their own from Brett Myers, who scattered nine hits in shutting down the Nationals 4-0. Washington has lost 12 straight. After a brief stint in the minors, Myers has returned to form and is 3-1, 1.47 in his last five starts.

The Marlins' hopes are fading away. They dropped a 6-5 game to the Giants last night that put them 5 games behind the Mets and 7.5 behind the wildcard-leading Brewers. Florida rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Bengie Molina's sac fly won it for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth.

Speaking of the Brewers, they got themselves back to within 5 games of the Cubs with a 5-2 win over the Astros. J.J. Hardy hit a 2-run home run to help Manny Parra win his 10th game. Ryan Braun sat out for the 9th time in 11 games due to lower back soreness.

The Reds edged the Cubs 2-1 despite starter Ted Lilly allowing just two hits over seven innings.

The Cardinals remained 2.5 behind the Brewers in the wildcard with an 11-2 thumping of the Pirates. Todd Wellemeyer won his career-high 11th game and reached the century mark in strikeouts for the first time.

The Diamondbacks moved two games ahead of the Dodgers with an 8-6 win over the Padres. Neither starter Dan Haren nor Jake Peavy was good, but after allowing four runs in the first inning, Haren settled down to get the win. Adam Dunn belted a 3-run home run, his 34th of the season.

The Rockies played spoilers, beating the Dodgers 4-3. The Dodgers lead 3-0 early, but Brad Hawpe almost single-handedly beat LA. He reached on an error that cut the lead to 3-2, singled in the game-tying run in the seventh, and singled again in the ninth to drive in the go-ahead run.


There was no movement in the AL Central standings as both the White Sox and Twins were daytime winners. Chicago got four home runs in a 15-3 rout of the Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. tied Sammy CheaterSosa with his 609th career home run, and his first in Chicago. Gavin Floyd earned his 13th win.

Francisco Lirano and four pitchers pitched the Twins to a 3-1 win over the A's. Little-used reserve Mike Redmond drove in two runs.

The AL East's top two teams remained 4.5 apart as they both lost last night. The Angels beat the Rays 5-4, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit, and then winning after blowing a 4-3 lead. Garret Anderson's ninth inning single was the game winner. K-Rod notched his 48th save.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but it was all Baltimore after that as the Orioles won it 11-6. Melvin Mora, who had four RBI, and Ramon Hernandez each hit 3-run home runs. Clay Buchholz was hammered for five runs in 2.1 IP and is reportedly headed back to Pawtucket.

The Pennant Race - 8/21

You just get the feeling that for the second straight year, the Mets and Phillies will come down to the final weekend to determine the NL East winner. The Mets are playing good baseball, but they haven't been able to put much cushion between themselves and the Phillies since moving into first place.

Mike Pelfrey has really stepped up this season and did again last night, limiting the Braves to three hits in a complete game, 6-3 Mets victory. David Wright continued his run at the NL MVP with his 24th home run and 97th RBI. Rookie Dan Murphy's two RBI gave him 11 in 18 games and he's batting .404 in 47 at-bats.

The Phillies got a complete game of their own from Brett Myers, who scattered nine hits in shutting down the Nationals 4-0. Washington has lost 12 straight. After a brief stint in the minors, Myers has returned to form and is 3-1, 1.47 in his last five starts.

The Marlins' hopes are fading away. They dropped a 6-5 game to the Giants last night that put them 5 games behind the Mets and 7.5 behind the wildcard-leading Brewers. Florida rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Bengie Molina's sac fly won it for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth.

Speaking of the Brewers, they got themselves back to within 5 games of the Cubs with a 5-2 win over the Astros. J.J. Hardy hit a 2-run home run to help Manny Parra win his 10th game. Ryan Braun sat out for the 9th time in 11 games due to lower back soreness.

The Reds edged the Cubs 2-1 despite starter Ted Lilly allowing just two hits over seven innings.

The Cardinals remained 2.5 behind the Brewers in the wildcard with an 11-2 thumping of the Pirates. Todd Wellemeyer won his career-high 11th game and reached the century mark in strikeouts for the first time.

The Diamondbacks moved two games ahead of the Dodgers with an 8-6 win over the Padres. Neither starter Dan Haren nor Jake Peavy was good, but after allowing four runs in the first inning, Haren settled down to get the win. Adam Dunn belted a 3-run home run, his 34th of the season.

The Rockies played spoilers, beating the Dodgers 4-3. The Dodgers lead 3-0 early, but Brad Hawpe almost single-handedly beat LA. He reached on an error that cut the lead to 3-2, singled in the game-tying run in the seventh, and singled again in the ninth to drive in the go-ahead run.


There was no movement in the AL Central standings as both the White Sox and Twins were daytime winners. Chicago got four home runs in a 15-3 rout of the Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. tied Sammy CheaterSosa with his 609th career home run, and his first in Chicago. Gavin Floyd earned his 13th win.

Francisco Lirano and four pitchers pitched the Twins to a 3-1 win over the A's. Little-used reserve Mike Redmond drove in two runs.

The AL East's top two teams remained 4.5 apart as they both lost last night. The Angels beat the Rays 5-4, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit, and then winning after blowing a 4-3 lead. Garret Anderson's ninth inning single was the game winner. K-Rod notched his 48th save.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but it was all Baltimore after that as the Orioles won it 11-6. Melvin Mora, who had four RBI, and Ramon Hernandez each hit 3-run home runs. Clay Buchholz was hammered for five runs in 2.1 IP and is reportedly headed back to Pawtucket.

The Pennant Race - 8/11

The Rays just keep on trucking. They squashed the Mariners, 11-3, on Sunday to set a franchise record with their 71st win. They also moved 4.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East after Boston lost to the White Sox, 6-5 on Sunday. The Yankees dropped back to 8.5 out.

The AL Central will be a fight to the finish with the Twins continuing to breathe down the White Sox' necks. Just a half-game separates the two teams. The Twins are also just 1.5 back of the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

The Angels, of course, are racing to the finish line in the AL West.

The Phillies continue to cling to the lead in the NL East, 2 games ahead of the Mets and 2.5 ahead of the Marlins. The Cubs have a healthy 4 game lead over the Brewers, while the Cardinals continue to fade, 7 games back, though just 3 out of the Wild Card.

And in the not so wild West, the Diamondbacks lead Manny and the Dodgers by 1.5 games.

The Diamondbacks got a big time performance on Sunday from their ace, Brandon Webb, who went out and became the majors' first 17-game winner. Bad news too though for AZ, as second baseman Orlando Hudson was lost for the year with a dislocated wrist.

The Diamondbacks go on the road to face the Rockies and Astros this week.

The Dodgers and Giants have always crushed each other's hopes no matter who was better, and that continued this weekend as the Giants took two walk-off wins in their three games. The Dodgers led 2-1 in the 10th on Saturday, but after the Giants tied the game on an error, Aaron Roward sent the Giants home as winners with a single.

A two run rally in the 9th on Sunday gave the Giants another come-from-behind win. With the score tied 4-4, light hitting Eugenio Velez provided the game-winning hit.

Manny is still doing his part though, hitting .459, 4-11 in 9 games. Tough week ahead for the Dodgers though, as they host the Phillies and Brewers.

The Mets were hoping to get a sweep over the Marlins, but Josh Johnson again showed how much Florida has missed him. He allowed 2 runs and 5 hits over 7 innings to improve to 3-0, 3.19, in his 6 starts this season. After establishing himself as the most consistent Mets starter after Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey has gotten pounded in two of his last three starts.

The schedule is favorable for the Mets this week as they go on the road to face the Nationals and Pirates.

The Phillies dropped the first game of their series with the Pirates on Friday, but got a huge start from Brett Myers (7.2, 1 ER, 5 H) on Saturday and came from behind on Sunday when Chase Utley belted a 2-run home run. It was Utley's first home run at home in over a month.

The Phillies go west for the Padres and Dodgers before returning home for a big 8-game homestand.

The Cubs took 2 of 3 from the Cards with a big outing from Ryan Dempster on Sunday. Dempster recorded 85 saves over the last three seasons, but has really stepped up in his return to the rotation, recording his 13th win in a 6-2 Cubs victory.

The Cubs visit the southeast this week to take on the Braves and Marlins.

CC Sabathia's reps must be drooling all over themselves. They had to be concerned when their big left-hander was slow out of the gate, but after turning things around in Cleveland, he has been dominating National League hitters with the Brewers. Sabathia tossed a complete game shutout of the Nationals on Friday. It was his fourth complete game in seven starts since the trade to the NL, and he now has seven complete games on the season. That total in today's game is like completing 35 games back in the 1970's.

Another pending free agent, Ben Sheets, gave the Brewers another lift on Saturday, when he tossed a complete game shutout of his own. Ned Yost finally relented and used the pen on Sunday in a 10 inning Milwaukee win. It came on a Gabe Kapler walk-off home run. Yost does have a concern now though: Ryan Braun's lower back. The stud second-year player injured it on Saturday and missed yesterday's game.

The Brewers visit SoCal this week to face the Padres and Dodgers.

Wait a minute. Are we imagining things? Well, not in this case. That really was Rocco Baldelli in Tampa's lineup on Sunday. The injury-prone outfielder went 1-4 with an RBI in his first major league game since May 15, 2007. His timing was perfect with Carl Crawford landing on the DL with a hand injury. Crawford felt something pop in Saturday's game and its been diagnosed as a tendon problem.

Tampa managed just a split of the four game series after blowing a lead in Saturday's game, but they still extended their lead with the Red Sox losing 2 of 3 over the weekend. Boston and Chicago go at it for a fourth time tonight.

The Rays travel to Oakland and Texas this week.

Much has been made of Clay Buccholz in Boston, especially after his September no-hitter, but the right-hander has struggled in his first full season in Beantown. Yesterday's loss dropped him to 2-8, 6.32 this season. The Red Sox also lost Tim Wakefield to the DL with a sore shoulder and Bartolo Colon has been slow in rehabbing an injured back. The Red Sox may turn to David Pauley or could pull Justin Masterson back out of the bullpen to take Wakefield's spot in the rotation.

The Red Sox start a 6-game homestand on Tuesday with Texas and Toronto coming to town.

The White Sox have hit five home runs in the first three games of their series with the Red Sox, and have belted a major league-leading 165 for the season. They have seven players in double figures, with Carlos Quentin leading the team with 31. Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome are both closing in on the 30-mark while Nick Swisher and Joe Crede are approaching the 20 home run level.

The White Sox host KC for a 3-game series and then go out west to face the slumping A's for 3 games.

The Pennant Race - 8/11

The Rays just keep on trucking. They squashed the Mariners, 11-3, on Sunday to set a franchise record with their 71st win. They also moved 4.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East after Boston lost to the White Sox, 6-5 on Sunday. The Yankees dropped back to 8.5 out.

The AL Central will be a fight to the finish with the Twins continuing to breathe down the White Sox' necks. Just a half-game separates the two teams. The Twins are also just 1.5 back of the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

The Angels, of course, are racing to the finish line in the AL West.

The Phillies continue to cling to the lead in the NL East, 2 games ahead of the Mets and 2.5 ahead of the Marlins. The Cubs have a healthy 4 game lead over the Brewers, while the Cardinals continue to fade, 7 games back, though just 3 out of the Wild Card.

And in the not so wild West, the Diamondbacks lead Manny and the Dodgers by 1.5 games.

The Diamondbacks got a big time performance on Sunday from their ace, Brandon Webb, who went out and became the majors' first 17-game winner. Bad news too though for AZ, as second baseman Orlando Hudson was lost for the year with a dislocated wrist.

The Diamondbacks go on the road to face the Rockies and Astros this week.

The Dodgers and Giants have always crushed each other's hopes no matter who was better, and that continued this weekend as the Giants took two walk-off wins in their three games. The Dodgers led 2-1 in the 10th on Saturday, but after the Giants tied the game on an error, Aaron Roward sent the Giants home as winners with a single.

A two run rally in the 9th on Sunday gave the Giants another come-from-behind win. With the score tied 4-4, light hitting Eugenio Velez provided the game-winning hit.

Manny is still doing his part though, hitting .459, 4-11 in 9 games. Tough week ahead for the Dodgers though, as they host the Phillies and Brewers.

The Mets were hoping to get a sweep over the Marlins, but Josh Johnson again showed how much Florida has missed him. He allowed 2 runs and 5 hits over 7 innings to improve to 3-0, 3.19, in his 6 starts this season. After establishing himself as the most consistent Mets starter after Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey has gotten pounded in two of his last three starts.

The schedule is favorable for the Mets this week as they go on the road to face the Nationals and Pirates.

The Phillies dropped the first game of their series with the Pirates on Friday, but got a huge start from Brett Myers (7.2, 1 ER, 5 H) on Saturday and came from behind on Sunday when Chase Utley belted a 2-run home run. It was Utley's first home run at home in over a month.

The Phillies go west for the Padres and Dodgers before returning home for a big 8-game homestand.

The Cubs took 2 of 3 from the Cards with a big outing from Ryan Dempster on Sunday. Dempster recorded 85 saves over the last three seasons, but has really stepped up in his return to the rotation, recording his 13th win in a 6-2 Cubs victory.

The Cubs visit the southeast this week to take on the Braves and Marlins.

CC Sabathia's reps must be drooling all over themselves. They had to be concerned when their big left-hander was slow out of the gate, but after turning things around in Cleveland, he has been dominating National League hitters with the Brewers. Sabathia tossed a complete game shutout of the Nationals on Friday. It was his fourth complete game in seven starts since the trade to the NL, and he now has seven complete games on the season. That total in today's game is like completing 35 games back in the 1970's.

Another pending free agent, Ben Sheets, gave the Brewers another lift on Saturday, when he tossed a complete game shutout of his own. Ned Yost finally relented and used the pen on Sunday in a 10 inning Milwaukee win. It came on a Gabe Kapler walk-off home run. Yost does have a concern now though: Ryan Braun's lower back. The stud second-year player injured it on Saturday and missed yesterday's game.

The Brewers visit SoCal this week to face the Padres and Dodgers.

Wait a minute. Are we imagining things? Well, not in this case. That really was Rocco Baldelli in Tampa's lineup on Sunday. The injury-prone outfielder went 1-4 with an RBI in his first major league game since May 15, 2007. His timing was perfect with Carl Crawford landing on the DL with a hand injury. Crawford felt something pop in Saturday's game and its been diagnosed as a tendon problem.

Tampa managed just a split of the four game series after blowing a lead in Saturday's game, but they still extended their lead with the Red Sox losing 2 of 3 over the weekend. Boston and Chicago go at it for a fourth time tonight.

The Rays travel to Oakland and Texas this week.

Much has been made of Clay Buccholz in Boston, especially after his September no-hitter, but the right-hander has struggled in his first full season in Beantown. Yesterday's loss dropped him to 2-8, 6.32 this season. The Red Sox also lost Tim Wakefield to the DL with a sore shoulder and Bartolo Colon has been slow in rehabbing an injured back. The Red Sox may turn to David Pauley or could pull Justin Masterson back out of the bullpen to take Wakefield's spot in the rotation.

The Red Sox start a 6-game homestand on Tuesday with Texas and Toronto coming to town.

The White Sox have hit five home runs in the first three games of their series with the Red Sox, and have belted a major league-leading 165 for the season. They have seven players in double figures, with Carlos Quentin leading the team with 31. Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome are both closing in on the 30-mark while Nick Swisher and Joe Crede are approaching the 20 home run level.

The White Sox host KC for a 3-game series and then go out west to face the slumping A's for 3 games.

Around the Horn - 5/13

Pitching was the name of the game in Cleveland last night as the Blue Jays and Indians split a doubleheader. Both teams won by 3-0 margins as all four starting pitchers were on their game. In the opener, Fausto Carmona and A.J. Burnett locked horns in a scoreless duel until the 6th when David Dellucci provided the Indians with an RBI single. One inning later Asdrubel Cabrera smacked a 2-run home run to put the game out of reach. Carmona finished with his second career complete game shutout.

The two teams went scoreless in the night cap after the Jays Shaun Marcum pitched 2-hit ball thru 8 innings and Indians starter Cliff Lee's scoreless 9 innings lowered his ERA to 0.67. The Jays finally put 3 on the board in the 10th to gain the split. Cabrera topped off his night with an unassisted triple play.

The Twins took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox with a 7-3 win. Livan Hernandez got roughed up early, but then settled in to improve to 6-1. Clay Buchholz couldn't hold a 3-0 lead as Craig Monroe and Delmon Young drove in 2 runs each. Monroe had 6 RBI in the final 2 games of the series.

Crazy one in Arlington; Seattle blew 5-0 and 6-5 leads, then the Rangers blew a 4-run lead in the 9th. Ruben Vazquez finally settled things with a walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th for a 13-12 Rangers win. Earlier in the game Vazquez exchanged words with M's reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith after Vazquez took exception to Rowland-Smith's reaction to his strikeout (imagine if it were Joba). That lead to Baseball Tonight's John Kruk delivering the line of the night. "Neither of those guys is good enough to be yelling like that."

The Angels snapped a 4-game losing streak by out scoring the White Sox 10-7. Vlad Guerrero homered and drove in 4 runs to help Nick Adenhart pick up his first major league win.

The Nationals embarrassed the Mets 10-4 on a career night for Odalis Perez. And that was just at the plate. The veteran left-hander turned a so-so outing for his first win of the year, but he was 3-3 with 2 RBI, a run scored, and a sacrifice. Lastings Milledge had his first two RBI against his former mates.

The Pirates and Braves split a twinbill in Pittsburgh. Zach Duke and company blanked the Braves 5-0 in the opener. Freddy Sanchez drove in 3 runs and Adam LaRoche homered. Tim Hudson dominated the nightcap as the Braves earned a split with an 8-1 win. Brian McCann and Mark Kotsay drove in 3 runs each.

The Cubs pounded the Padres 12-3 to boost Carlos Zambrano's record to 6-1. Alfonso Soriano homered and is 6-10 in his last 2 games.

The Astros moved 5 games over .500 and Roy Oswalt won his 4th straight in Houston's 7-3 triumph over the Giants. Lance Berkman homered and his 3 hits have him batting .393.

The Reds held off the Marlins 8-7. Jeff Keppinger and Brandon Phillips homered to help Aaron Harang win his second game.

Around the Horn - 5/13

Pitching was the name of the game in Cleveland last night as the Blue Jays and Indians split a doubleheader. Both teams won by 3-0 margins as all four starting pitchers were on their game. In the opener, Fausto Carmona and A.J. Burnett locked horns in a scoreless duel until the 6th when David Dellucci provided the Indians with an RBI single. One inning later Asdrubel Cabrera smacked a 2-run home run to put the game out of reach. Carmona finished with his second career complete game shutout.

The two teams went scoreless in the night cap after the Jays Shaun Marcum pitched 2-hit ball thru 8 innings and Indians starter Cliff Lee's scoreless 9 innings lowered his ERA to 0.67. The Jays finally put 3 on the board in the 10th to gain the split. Cabrera topped off his night with an unassisted triple play.

The Twins took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox with a 7-3 win. Livan Hernandez got roughed up early, but then settled in to improve to 6-1. Clay Buchholz couldn't hold a 3-0 lead as Craig Monroe and Delmon Young drove in 2 runs each. Monroe had 6 RBI in the final 2 games of the series.

Crazy one in Arlington; Seattle blew 5-0 and 6-5 leads, then the Rangers blew a 4-run lead in the 9th. Ruben Vazquez finally settled things with a walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th for a 13-12 Rangers win. Earlier in the game Vazquez exchanged words with M's reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith after Vazquez took exception to Rowland-Smith's reaction to his strikeout (imagine if it were Joba). That lead to Baseball Tonight's John Kruk delivering the line of the night. "Neither of those guys is good enough to be yelling like that."

The Angels snapped a 4-game losing streak by out scoring the White Sox 10-7. Vlad Guerrero homered and drove in 4 runs to help Nick Adenhart pick up his first major league win.

The Nationals embarrassed the Mets 10-4 on a career night for Odalis Perez. And that was just at the plate. The veteran left-hander turned a so-so outing for his first win of the year, but he was 3-3 with 2 RBI, a run scored, and a sacrifice. Lastings Milledge had his first two RBI against his former mates.

The Pirates and Braves split a twinbill in Pittsburgh. Zach Duke and company blanked the Braves 5-0 in the opener. Freddy Sanchez drove in 3 runs and Adam LaRoche homered. Tim Hudson dominated the nightcap as the Braves earned a split with an 8-1 win. Brian McCann and Mark Kotsay drove in 3 runs each.

The Cubs pounded the Padres 12-3 to boost Carlos Zambrano's record to 6-1. Alfonso Soriano homered and is 6-10 in his last 2 games.

The Astros moved 5 games over .500 and Roy Oswalt won his 4th straight in Houston's 7-3 triumph over the Giants. Lance Berkman homered and his 3 hits have him batting .393.

The Reds held off the Marlins 8-7. Jeff Keppinger and Brandon Phillips homered to help Aaron Harang win his second game.

American League Around the Horn - 4/28

We can't think of too many people who would have predicted they would wake up on April 28 and the Tampa Rays and Baltimore Orioles would be atop the AL East. Or the Detroit Tigers would be in the AL Central basement. Or for that matter, the Oakland A's would be six games over .500 and tied with the Los Angeles for first place in the AL East.

The Rays are riding the hottest streak now. They went into Boston and took three straight and have won six in a row overall. The Red Sox were starting to roll, a six game winning streak of their own. Then they lost a pair in a row before the Rays came to town and out did them. The Rays (11-6) and Yankees (9-8) are the only teams with winning records against their AL East foes.

There were some classically pitched games in the series. The Red Sox Clay Buchholz had a 1-hitter going entering Saturday's 8th inning. Two seconds later he was losing 2-1 when Dionner Navarro singled and Aki Iwamura hit his first home run of the season. On Sunday, Josh Beckett gave up 4 hits and struck out 13 in 7 innings, and lost! James Shields threw a complete game 2-hit shutout to beat him.

The Mariners lost 2 of 3 to Oakland after doing the same with the Orioles. Felix Hernandez was dominating the A's on Sunday, but gave up 4 runs in the 8th inning to take the loss in a 4-2 game.

The Rangers were involved in another blow out, except this time they were on the winning end. Vincente Padilla blanked the Twins, who had scored 12 runs on Saturday, 10-0.

The White Sox and Orioles had a great pitcher's duel on Saturday. Sox starter John Danks had a perfect game through five innings, before Adam Jones singled and eventually scored. Guillermo Quiroz then hit his first major league home run. Orioles starter Brian Burres allowed just 3 hits in 8 innings for the win. The White Sox Carlos Quentin managed to get with the bases loaded in both games to get a pair of bruises and RBI.

American League Around the Horn - 4/28

We can't think of too many people who would have predicted they would wake up on April 28 and the Tampa Rays and Baltimore Orioles would be atop the AL East. Or the Detroit Tigers would be in the AL Central basement. Or for that matter, the Oakland A's would be six games over .500 and tied with the Los Angeles for first place in the AL East.

The Rays are riding the hottest streak now. They went into Boston and took three straight and have won six in a row overall. The Red Sox were starting to roll, a six game winning streak of their own. Then they lost a pair in a row before the Rays came to town and out did them. The Rays (11-6) and Yankees (9-8) are the only teams with winning records against their AL East foes.

There were some classically pitched games in the series. The Red Sox Clay Buchholz had a 1-hitter going entering Saturday's 8th inning. Two seconds later he was losing 2-1 when Dionner Navarro singled and Aki Iwamura hit his first home run of the season. On Sunday, Josh Beckett gave up 4 hits and struck out 13 in 7 innings, and lost! James Shields threw a complete game 2-hit shutout to beat him.

The Mariners lost 2 of 3 to Oakland after doing the same with the Orioles. Felix Hernandez was dominating the A's on Sunday, but gave up 4 runs in the 8th inning to take the loss in a 4-2 game.

The Rangers were involved in another blow out, except this time they were on the winning end. Vincente Padilla blanked the Twins, who had scored 12 runs on Saturday, 10-0.

The White Sox and Orioles had a great pitcher's duel on Saturday. Sox starter John Danks had a perfect game through five innings, before Adam Jones singled and eventually scored. Guillermo Quiroz then hit his first major league home run. Orioles starter Brian Burres allowed just 3 hits in 8 innings for the win. The White Sox Carlos Quentin managed to get with the bases loaded in both games to get a pair of bruises and RBI.

Sometimes Win is spelled U-g-l-y

As good as Chien-Ming Wang was in 2-hitting the Red Sox in Fenway Park last Friday, that's how bad he was last night. The Wanger was handed 3-1 and 7-3 leads, but couldn't hold either. As a matter of fact he stood to be the losing pitcher when the Red Sox went ahead 9-7, but the Yankees bullpen outpitched their New England brethren and the Yankees escaped with a 15-9 victory.

The Yankees had built those early leads with the help of some long balls in the 1st inning. Bobby Abreu smacked a 2-run homer, his second, and Alex Rodriguez followed with a solo blast deep into the Red Sox bullpen in left-center. A-Rod's home run, his fourth this season, pushed him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for sole possession of 15th place on the all-time home run list with 522 career blasts.

But Wang's pitches were off target all night. He had a 4-run lead entering the fateful 5th inning when the game got out of his hands. He gave up a lead off double to Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz followed with an RBI single. Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis both singled up the middle to load the bases with no one out. When J.D. Drew delivered a 2-run single to right, Wang's day was done.

Ross Ohlendorf came on and struck out Jason Varitek looking for the first out of the inning. But Sean Casey singled to center to tie the game. Ohlendorf K'ed Julio Lugo, but a walk to Jacob Ellsbury loaded the bases for Pedroia, who delivered again, this time with a 2-run single to left-center. In an odd inning for Ohlendorf he than blew a fastball past a swinging Ortiz for the third out.

But the Red Sox 9-7 lead was short lived. Julian Tavarez had replaced starter Clay Buchholz in the 4th inning and quickly ran into trouble in the Yankees half of the 5th. Tavarez retired Rodriguez to start the inning, but Hideki Matsui singled and scored on Jorge Posada double to left, with Posada moving to 3rd on the throw home. After a walk to Jason Giambi, a slumping Robinson Cano came through with a game tying single to right. Chad Moeller walked to load the bases and then Melky Cabrera hit the game turning ground ball.

What could have been an inning ending double play turned a 2-run play and the lead for the Bombers. Moeller was forced at 2nd, but Lugo's relay to 1st was off target, allowing Cano to join Giambi in crossing home plate.

Meanwhile the Yankees pen closed the door on any more Red Sox rallies. LaTroy Hawkins, who has been getting more attention for his number (he made the switch to 22 last night) than his actual pitching efforts, threw 2 scoreless innings to allow the Yankees to take control of the game back. Hawkins who was rattled for 6 runs in a 2-3 of an inning performance on April 4, has now turned in 5 straight scoreless performances (covering 7 innings). He picked up his first win as a Yankee and his first in the American League since 2006 when he was with Baltimore.

The Yankees blew the game open on 2-run doubles by Posada and Giambi in the 9th. Mariano Rivera had been warming up to appear in his third straight game for the first time since 2001, but the insurance runs allowed him to take the night off.

News and Notes

The good news continues for Harlan Chamberlain. According to Joe Girardi, Joba's Dad is on a ventilator about 40-50% of the time, and was able to sit up in bed some yesterday. No timetable has been set for Joba's return.

Brian Bruney bounced back from his bad outing on Monday with a 1.2 scoreless innings last night. Billy Traber did his job, retiring the only batter he faced, David Ortiz.

Jimmie Foxx is the next player up for A-Rod to catch on the home run list. Foxx hit 534 home runs in a 20-year career. Somewhat overlooked has been the number of runs A-Rod has scored in his career. He passed Eddie Matthews for 60th place all-time on Tuesday, and will very shortly jump all the way up to 54th.

Chad Moeller is the type of back up catcher the Yankees have had until Jose Molina came to town. Decent glove, no bat. But last night Moeller was on fire, going 3-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

It turns out that Wilson Betemit's eye problems are much worse than pink eye. The Yankees infielder is dealing with corneal ulcers. He's beeing treated with eye drops and will be re-examined next week. It didn't effect his play during the day, but he was having difficulty seeing during night games.

Depsite 9-7 records, the Yankees and Red Sox now both sit atop the AL East.

Boston	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Ellsbury, CF	5	0	0	0	1	0	5	.233
Pedroia, 2B	5	2	2	2	1	0	4	.318
Ortiz, DH	5	1	1	1	0	1	3	.121
Ramirez, LF	4	1	3	1	1	1	0	.323
Youkilis, 3B	5	1	1	0	0	3	3	.368
Lowrie, 3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Drew, RF	5	2	3	2	0	0	1	.349
Varitek, C	4	1	1	0	1	2	4	.260
Casey, 1B	3	1	2	2	2	0	2	.321
Lugo, SS	5	0	1	1	0	1	5	.273
Totals	41	9	14	9	6	8	27
BATTING 2B: Ramirez (7, Wang), Varitek (4, Wang), Pedroia (5, Wang). TB: Pedroia 3; Ortiz; Ramirez 4; Youkilis; Drew 3; Varitek 2; Casey 2; Lugo. RBI: Ramirez (15), Lugo (2), Casey 2 (7), Ortiz (4), Drew 2 (10), Pedroia 2 (5). 2-out RBI: Ramirez; Pedroia 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Youkilis; Pedroia 2; Ellsbury; Ortiz; Casey. Team LOB: 11. FIELDING E: Lugo (6, throw). Outfield assists: Drew (Cabrera at 2nd base).

Boston	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Buchholz	3.2	8	7	7	1	2	2	6.75
Tavarez (L, 0-1)	1.1	3	4	3	2	1	0	7.04
Aardsma	2.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1.80
Timlin	1.0	3	4	4	2	1	0	27.00

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Cabrera, CF	4	1	1	1	1	1	2	.295
Jeter, SS	4	2	2	2	1	0	1	.324
Abreu, RF	5	1	1	2	0	2	2	.288
Rodriguez, 3B	4	2	2	1	0	1	0	.313
Matsui, LF	4	2	2	0	1	0	1	.327
1-Damon, PR-LF	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Posada, DH	5	2	2	3	0	0	2	.270
Giambi, 1B	4	2	2	2	1	0	0	.139
Cano, 2B	5	1	1	1	0	0	3	.177
Moeller, C	4	1	3	1	1	0	1	.400
Totals	39	15	16	13	5	4	12
1-Ran for Matsui in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Moeller (1, Buchholz), Posada 2 (2, Tavarez, Timlin), Rodriguez (6, Timlin), Giambi (2, Timlin). HR: Abreu (2, 1st inning off Buchholz, 1 on, 1 out), Rodriguez (4, 1st inning off Buchholz, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Cabrera; Jeter 2; Abreu 4; Rodriguez 6; Matsui 2; Posada 4; Giambi 3; Cano; Moeller 4. RBI: Abreu 2 (9), Rodriguez (9), Moeller (1), Jeter 2 (6), Posada 3 (6), Cano (4), Cabrera (6), Giambi 2 (6). 2-out RBI: Moeller; Jeter 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Abreu; Jeter; Moeller. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Cabrera (2, 3rd base off Tavarez/Varitek).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Wang	4.0	9	8	8	3	2	0	3.81
Ohlendorf	1.0	2	1	1	2	3	0	3.27
Hawkins (W, 1-0)	2.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	7.00
Traber (H, 1)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.50
Bruney (S, 1)	1.2	2	0	0	1	1	0	1.80

Wang pitched to 4 batters in the 5th.
Ohlendorf pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

WP: Tavarez.
IBB: Matsui (by Timlin).
HBP: Rodriguez (by Aardsma).
Pitches-strikes: Buchholz 85-53, Tavarez 34-17, Aardsma 25-14, Timlin 28-17, Wang 69-37, Ohlendorf 32-16, Hawkins 32-21, Traber 1-1, Bruney 35-21.
Ground outs-fly outs: Buchholz 4-5, Tavarez 3-0, Aardsma 1-4, Timlin 0-2, Wang 7-3, Ohlendorf 0-0, Hawkins 2-2, Traber 0-1, Bruney 1-3.
Batters faced: Buchholz 20, Tavarez 9, Aardsma 8, Timlin 8, Wang 24, Ohlendorf 7, Hawkins 7, Traber 1, Bruney 8.
Inherited runners-scored: Tavarez 2-1, Ohlendorf 2-2, Hawkins 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Tim McClelland. 1B: Larry Vanover. 2B: Mike Everitt. 3B: Mike DiMuro.
Weather: 59 degrees, clear.
Wind: 10 mph, R to L.
T: 4:08.
Att: 54,667.