Shields Shuts Down Yankees To Tie Wild Card

The Boston Red Sox had a nine game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays on September 4. After the Rays beat the Yankees and the Red Sox lost to the Orioles Monday night the two teams were in a perfect tie in the wild card race at 89-71.

James Shields came within one out of a complete game in a 5-2 win over the Yankees. He scattered six hits and a pair of Robinson Cano RBI, including the second baseman's 28th home run of the year. The Rays offense took advantage of inexperienced Hector Noesi, who made just his second big league start. Just like his first start, Noesi didn't make it out of the 3rd inning.

B.J. Upton's 2-run double in the 3rd tied the game at 2-2 and Johnny Damon put Tampa ahead for good with an RBI single. The Rays added tack on runs in the 4th, on a Kelly Shoppach home run off lefty Raul Valdes, and a Damon sac fly in the 7th.

The Yankees had a mild chance in the 9th when Alex Rodriguez reached on an Evan Longoria error, but Jorge Posada bounced into a double play. When Shields walked Eric Chavez, manager Joe Maddon went to closer Kyle Farnsworth, who retired pinch-hitter Jesus Montero on a game ending ground out.

Meanwhile up in Baltimore, the Orioles and Red Sox were tied 2-2 in the 6th as Baltimore's Tommy Hunter kept pace with the much more heralded Josh Beckett. Chris Davis then put Baltimore ahread with an RBI double and set the stage for Robert Andino.

Last week Andino killed the Red Sox when he cleared the loaded bases with a double of Jonathan Papelbon to send Boston to another loss. Andino struck again tonight when he drove a deep fly to center field with two aboard. Jacoby Ellbsury leaped, had the ball, but lost the ball when he crashed into the wall. Both base runners scored easily and Andino raced aroud the bases for an inside-the-park-home-run and a 6-2 Orioles lead.

Boston cut it to 6-3 in the 9th and had the tying run at the plate in the person of Adrian Gonzalez. Closer Jim Johnson got Gonzalez to fly out and then struck out Jed Lowrie swinging to end the game and erase the Red Sox wild card lead.

Notes

Russell Martin was ejected from the Yankees game after a pitch from Hector Noesi was called a ball. Martin made a wisecrack to home plate ump Paul Schrieber who tossed him.

Courtesy of Dellin Betances - the Yankees rookies took their annual hazing Monday night. That's Andrew Brackman and Betances as Milli Vanilli, George Kontos as one half of WHAM, Hector Noesi as Prince, Austin Romine as Madonna, Jesus Montero as MC Hammer (looks more like the Indian from the Village People), and Brandon Laird as Slash. (Thanks to Marc Carig for filling in some of the blanks)

AL Playoff Rotations Forming

The Yankees' Joe Girardi knows he has CC Sabathia to start Game 1 of the ALDS against either the Detroit Tigers or Texas Rangers (or by some miracle the Los Angeles Angels) and Ivan Nova to go in either Game 2 or 3. But the rest is up in the air.

Perhaps Freddy Garcia solidified a spot on Saturday afternoon with six shutout innings in a win against the struggling Boston Red Sox. So who starts Game 4? Bartolo Colon? A.J. Burnett? CC Sabathia on 3 days rest?

Colon has allowed five or more earned runs in four of his last seven starts. He's been particularly bad in his last two starts; he allowed six earned runs in four innings against Tampa Bay (after eight days off) and followed that up with a seven run (five earned) outburst in three innings against Toronto.

Burnett's been miserable the entire second half with a couple of sprinkles of decent thrown in. In a word: non-trustworthy.

So that means CC Sabathia on three days rest for Game 4; something the big guy hasn't had a problem with in the past. There's no question that Sabathia hasn't been as sharp in the second half as was in the first. Some blame coming back from not one, but two rain delays in the same game, while others point to the use of a six man rotation. Whatever the reason, the Yankees will need Sabathia to be on top of his game if they are to make any kind of a run this post-season. Which means he'll likely be the Game 4 starter with Nova, on regular rest, starting the "if necessary" Game 5.


Detroit's Jim Leyland has made it easy. He has steadfastly said that his ace and the sure winner of the AL Cy Young, Justin Verlander, will not be brought back on three days rest. That means Verlander in Games 1 and 5, Doug Fister in Game 2, Max Scherzer in Game 3, and Rick Porcello in Game 4.


The Texas Rangers will use C.J. Wilson to start things off, but then Ron Washington has some decisions to make. It's likely he'll call on left-handers in the first three games with Derek Holland and Matt Harrison pitching Games 2 and 3 (possibly in the reverse order). If Washington doesn't want to go with Wilson on three day's rest, he'll choose from right-handers Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando. Lewis is the likely choice with the way Ogando has struggled in the second half. Washington could also mix things up by starting Lewis in Game 2 since his numbers are much better on the road than at home. Ogando, meanwhile, will move to the pen where he was outstanding in 2010.


If Boston holds on to the wild card, they are two games ahead of Tampa Bay after Saturday's play, Josh Beckett goes in Games 1 and 5, followed by Jon Lester. John Lackey is likely to be the number three starter with Erik Bedard in Game 4. Tim Wakefield will step in if any of the starters have a physical issue.

Terry Francona has to be worried about the normally reliable Lester, who is 0-3 in his last three starts with 18 earned runs allowed in just 13.2 innings pitched. In years past Beckett would have gone on three days rest in Game 4, but with his back issues that is not a scenario Boston can/should use.

The Outsiders

If Tampa Bay does ease Boston out of the final spot, David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson are likely to get the five starts. It all depends, of course, on if the final playoff spot comes down to the final day. If Tampa Bay needs a fourth starter, they'll go to Jeff Niemann. If Niemann's back isn't healthy, than Wade Davis will get the nod.

The easiest thing for any team do is just go out and win three straight and then we don't have to all worry about who is pitching when.

J.P. Morgan Gongs Phil Hughes

The Gong Show was classic 1970's television. Made on the cheap (it would be perfect for today's watered down television). It featured 'B' list celebrities like Jaye P. Morgan and Jamie Farr who would judge talented, semi-talented, or more likely, really bad acts. When the judges couldn't take it any more they would grab the big gong stick ('cause I don't know what you actually call the drumstick with the big marshmallow looking thing on the end) and slam the gong, crushing the hopes of the performer. (My wife and I still refer to anyone named Gene/Jean as "Gene, Gene, The Dancing Machine") Last night the gong would have been heard loud and clear when Phil Hughes put the Yankees in a 4-1 hole and then couldn't hold a 5-4 lead. The only missing was the over sized cane to yank him off the mound. The Red Sox went on to a 9-5 win to even the three game series with A.J. Burnett facing Jon Lester in the rubber game tonight.

Hughes had a chance to step up and grab the #5 spot in the rotation, but after getting slammed by Oakland last week, he wasn't much better in Fenway Park. The California native started the game with mid-90's velocity, but his speed began to peter out as his location faltered. Derek Jeter had given the Yankees 1-0 lead in the 3rd with an RBI single off Red Sox starter and winner Josh Beckett, but Boston took the lead in their half of the inning. Dustin Pedroia followed a single by Marco Scutaro and a double by Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI ground out to tie the game. Hughes retired Adrian Gonzalez, but Joe Girardi's decision to intentionally walk David Ortiz backfired when Jed Lowrie singled in the go ahead run.

The Red Sox extended their lead to 4-1 in the 5th when David Ortiz crushed a pitch to the deepest part of the park in center field with a man aboard. One wonders what Francisco Cervelli was thinking as he watched Ortiz stand at home plate for 10 minutes, then raise both arms to the sky as he stood on home plate after circling the bases. With Beckett on the mound the Yankees could have been, but they got off the mat and actually took a short lived lead.

Beckett hit Mark Teixeira to start the 6th and then threw a wild pitch to move him into scoring position. Robinson Cano delivered an RBI double to halve the Red Sox lead and Nick Swisher worked a good at-bat to draw a walk. Eric Chavez ripped a fastball into the right field corner that skipped past Josh Reddick and tied the game. It was ruled a 2-run double with an error added in to allow Chavez to reach third. Eduardo Nunez's fly to center brought home Chavez and just like that the Yankees had their first lead of the night.

But after retiring Carl Crawford to start the bottom of the 6th Hughes walked Josh Reddick. Girardi should have pulled his starter right there, but Jaosn Varitek made him pay when he reached out and cued a ball down the third base line. Instead of hopping into the stands or ricocheting off the side wall, the ball took a weird hop off the wall and got by Brett Gardner for a game tying double. Hughes stayed in to get Scutaro for the second out before Girardi went to LOOGY Boone Logan to face Ellsbury. Logan had struck out two batters with the bases loaded to help win Tuesday's game, but this time out he grooved one to the Red Sox centerfielder who turned on it for his 24th home run of the season and a 7-5 Red Sox lead. Jason Varitek then put the game away in the 8th when he smacked a 2-run home run off of Luis Ayala.

NOTES

Derek Jeter had two more hits last night and finished August with a .387/.435/.472 split and 13 RBI in 25 games. He also had a league high 41 hits for the month.

No matter how A.J. Burnett does this evening, he probably has the #5 spot in the rotation locked up. Hughes has shown he can be good in short spurts and that would be better for his dipping velocity as the game goes on. Burnett, meanwhile, may be nothing more than an innings eater, but he's not suited to the pen. Neither pitcher figures to even be part of the post-season plans, though Hughes could be in the pen.

Robinson Cano finished August with a 1.014 OPS, 7 HR, and 29 RBI. His month also included a 16 game hitting streak.

I'm Limping Up To Boston

The Yankees may be without the services of shortstop Derek Jeter for the upcoming series in Boston and possibly longer. "El Capitan" bruised his kneecap on a foul ball in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader and was a late scratch in the nightcap for that reason.

Though you know Jeter will be fighting to get into the lineup, it's likely that Eduardo Nunez is at shortstop for most, if not all, of the seriesi n Fenway Park that begins Tuesday night.

CC Sabathia hopes his problems with the Red Sox this season are resolved this time around. Sabathia is 0-4, 7.20 against Boston and 17-3, 2.40 against the rest of baseball. He's also not been as sharp since the All-Star break. His ERA is nearly a full point higher and he's already allowed more home runs than he did prior to the break. Ironically though, his
walks and hits per nine innings (WHIP) has gone down.

Phil Hughes follows Sabathia in the series and looks to bounce back from his horrendous outing against Oakland last week.

The Yankees got Hughes off the hook with a tremendous offensive outburst in a 22-9 win. Hughes' start could also be vital since Joe Girardi plans to go back to a five man rotation after the Boston series. With A.J. Burnett going in the series finale, Hughes can take a big step up if he has a productive outing.

Speaking of Burnett and the $33MM the Yankees still owe him and will likely be stuck with - I erroneously wrote earlier that there was on $22MM left, thinking of the deal he had previously signed with Toronto - Burnett's August records as a Yankee are 1-2, 11.91 (2011 - 5 starts),0-4, 7.80 (2010 - 5 starts), 0-4, 6.03 (2009 - 6 starts).

Boston will send out John Lackey,

Topsy Turvy Two Weeks | Baseball Digest

Topsy Turvy Two Weeks | Baseball Digest

It’s been a little over two weeks since the start of the Major League baseball season; so far we’ve seen some things that everyone would expect, but there has been plenty to make us go, “huh?”

The Baltimore Orioles started out like gangbusters winning their first four games and six of seven. The media quickly jumped on the bandwagon, “The Orioles have turned things around”; “Buck Showalter is a genius”. Well hold on to your crab cakes, the O’s have lost eight straight. Teams live and die with their pitching- during the losing streak the Orioles’ staff has given up nearly seven runs a game. Let’s all hold off on considering the O’s AL East contenders. Mm, k?

Speaking of fast starts, the AL Central leaders squared off last night. Twins? Tigers? White Sox? Forget it; it was the Indians and Royals. Yes, Cleveland and Kansas City entered Monday night’s play as the only two AL Central teams above .500. The Tribe won in extra innings and are a remarkable 12-4. The Indians rotation has been bolstered by their #3 and #4 starters, Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin, who have gone a combined 6-0, 2.03 in their six starts. The Indians have also gotten big time offensive production from an unexpected source- their middle infield. Second baseman Orlando Cabrera and shortstop Asdrubel Cabrera have combined for 25 RBI. And could it be that Travis Hafner’s shoulder is finally healthy? “Pronk” has a 1.061 OPS through 14 games. The Indians also turned the season’s first triple play- you can check it out here.

The Indians built most of their record without the services of center fielder Grady Sizemore who returned on Sunday with a home run. In two games, Sizemore is 5-9 with a pair of doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored.

Will Troy Tulowitzki break Barry Bonds’ home run record? No, but the star shortstop is healthy (and hopefully he stays that way), which should mean a huge offensive year. The Rockies have won 12 of their first 16 games in no small part because of Tulo’s 1.259 OPS, 7 HR, and 14 RBI. 2010 NL MVP contender Carlos Gonzalez has also picked up where he left off with 12 RBI. The Rockies are getting contributions from everywhere and at this rate I am going to have to eat my words for saying the Rockies wouldn’t make the playoffs. I get some redemption for talking about how overlooked Jhoulys Chacin was as a rookie last season. He’s off to a 3-0, 1.64 start and has picked up the slack for the injured Ubaldo Jimenez.

It looks like someone has finally gotten through to Matt Kemp, the Dodgers’ Mr. Inconsistency. Who better than new manager and hitter extraordinaire Don Mattingly? Kemp has always had the ability, but has been knocked for his inability to produce. Hello .459 batting average. Throw in 3 HR, 13 RBI, and 8 SB, and you have a monster season in the making. No expects Kemp to keep the average going, but a .325-30-100 line sure would be appreciated by the Dodger faithful.

The Twins are the consensus pick to repeat as AL Central champs, but they better wake up soon, especially their bullpen. Off to a 6-10 start and in last place, the Twins bullpen, a supposed strength is crumbling. Joe Nathan, a year removed from Tommy John surgery, returned to his closer role and last year’s closer Matt Capps became the 8th inning guy. Great 1-2 punch, right? Someone forgot to tell the two of them. Perhaps he’s not at 100%, but whatever the reason Nathan is out at closer after two blown saves, a loss, and five earned runs allowed in 5.1 IP. Capps struggled in the set up role, but has saved both games he entered as the new closer (he did blow one save prior to that in extra innings after Nathan had blown the lead in the ninth inning.)

Monday night the Tigers’ Ryan Raburn became the first player to hit a ball off the roof in Seattle’s Safeco Field. The ball was foul the entire time and fell between third baseman Chone Figgins and catcher Miguel Olivo in foul territory.

Ryan Franklin’s days as St. Louis’ closer are close to being over (they should have been already). The guy with the creepy goatee has blown four saves already in just 16 games. With the competitive NL Central, you just can’t be giving games away. At least someone hold him down and shave that thing off.

Some Q & A between me and me.

Should Yankees fans be worried about Derek Jeter and Phil Hughes?

Worry is probably too strong of a word, but if you follow the Pinstripes you should be concerned. Some fans and media (e.g. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan) have already pushed the panic button and feel Jeter should be batting eighth or ninth. While Jeter struggled for most of last season and hasn’t hit too many balls out of the infield this season, this season has only consisted of 14 games. Jeter’s reputation, at the very least, has earned him a full month or more before a move should even be considered.

Hughes is the bigger concern for manager Joe Girardi at the moment and rightly so. In his three starts, last year’s 18-game winner’s velocity has been missing in action. Normally throwing 92-93 mph, Hughes isn’t hitting 90 on the radar gun this season and has been battered around the ballpark. He’s now on the DL with a “dead arm”, which he at first didn’t want to own up to (perhaps he’s not really injured), and will work on long tossing to strengthen his prized right arm.

Are Josh Beckett and John Lackey for real?

Good question. Beckett has had back to back dominate performances, one of them against an impressive Yankees lineup. While I don’t believe he’ll continue throwing 2-hit ball for seven innings, it does give Red Sox Nation some hope. Lackey on the other hand could be a real problem. The 215 innings Lackey threw last year concerned me since he his numbers have steadily declined since he topped 200 innings in 2006-2007. He’s won one of his two starts this season, but has an ERA of 15.88 and has had his turn skipped once. Manager Terry Francona: “A lot of his pitches, it didn’t seem like he finished them, [he] left them in the middle. He had two walks, a hit batsman, and all three scored. Against that (Yankees) lineup, you got to make them earn everything they get, because they’re that good.”

Is Zach Britton the real deal?

Though he got knocked around in his last start, you bet he is. While Britton, the Orioles number one pitching prospect wasn’t expected to contribute until later in the season, he won his first two games and posted a 0.69 ERA. ESPN’s Buster Olney feels that Britton could generate as much buzz this year as the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg did last season.

Will Jose Bautista pop 50 home runs again?

Not a chance, but Bautista should hit 30-35. He’s hit three already and is slugging at a .510 rate, but a lot will depend on how much protection he gets in the order. At the moment that responsibility falls to Adam Lind; after a quick start, Lind is hitting just .230 as he tries to recapture his 2009 season (.305-35-114).

Biggest surprise and disappointment

Teams – If Tampa Bay hadn’t just won 7 of 10 it would have been them, but the Red Sox 2-10 start (now 5-10) is the winner for losing/disappointment. 2-10? Incomprehensible. I have to go back to the Tribe for the surprise. 12-4? Get out of here.

Players – Alex Gordon, KC. The uber-prospect may finally be reaching the heights expected of him. He’s batting .353 so far and is playing like someone with confidence. Finally. (Matt Kemp gets honorable mention) The biggest disappointment, hands down, is Boston’s Carl Crawford. The big free agent signee is already being vilified in Boston for his .133/.175/.167 splits. And when you don’t get on base, you don’t steal. Crawford has just two thefts in three attempts. (Phil Hughes gets honorable mention)

No Joshing Around For Beckett

0-6 and 2-7 are no way to start a baseball season, but that's the way the (AL East) heavily favored Boston Red Sox kicked off the 2011 campaign. You bet there was panic in Boston, but things may be a little better now for the hometown team after they took two of three from the Yankees this past weekend.

The Red Sox won the series because Josh Beckett looked like a younger version of himself. Fastballs popped, breaking pitches snapped, and batters swung and missed. Beckett struck out 10 and limited the Yankees to two hits over eight innings in a 4-0 victory.

CC Sabathia allowed just one earned run, but struggled all night, couldn't make it out of the 6th inning, and lost his first game (and first decision) of the year. Both teams had a chance to score early, but couldn't get the clutch hit. David Ortiz grounded out with two on and two out in the 1st for Boston. Carl Crawford lofted an inning ending fly out to Brett Gardner in left a frame later. The Yankees put two aboard with one out in the 3rd, but Dustin Pedroia deftly fielded a Gardner grounder up the middle and turned a double play.

Boston finally broke through in their half of the third, but as is usually the case in a series between these two, it wasn't without some drama and an unusual play. The Red Sox loaded the bases with no one out for Ortiz, but Sabathia got him to hit into a run scoring 4-6-3 DP. But not so fast...2nd base ump Mark Wegner called interference on Kevin Youkilis for going out of his way (which on replay he clearly did) to try to break up the double play. Wegner returned Pedroia to 3rd and Adrian Gonzalez to 2nd (infuriating Terry Francona in the process), and the Yankees had a tremendous break. At least for a moment. Mike Cameron merely dribbled a grounder to the left side that Eric Chavez could not make a play on and Pedroia scored afterall. Chavez was in at 3rd to replace Alex Rodriguez who sat out with flu-like symptoms.

The Red Sox added two more runs off of Joba Chamberlain and another off Freddy Garcia, who was making his season and Yankees' debut. But those runs didn't matter; not with vintage Josh Beckett on the mound. The Yankees only other serious chance to score came in the 4th when Mark Teixeira drew a one out walk and Robinson Cano followed with a single. But Beckett struck out Curtis Granderson and got Nick Swisher to ground out to end the threat.

Notes

Derek Jeter's woes continued with an 0-4 night that included three ground outs and a strikeout. His average dropped to .206 and has prompted many Yankees fans and some of the media to call for him to bat in the bottom of the order. While I understand the concern, I can't see making that move after just a handful of games. In case anyone hasn't noticed, Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Jorge Posada, and Nick Swisher are all hitting near or below .200. A lineup shake up isn't necessarily the answer.

A.J. Burnett is suddenly the Yankees stopper. He'll look to put the Yankees back on track when the Pinstripes open a series with Baltimore at the Stadium tomorrow.

So much for talk of Mark Teixeira's hot start- he's back to his April woes. After hitting 3 HR with 10 RBI in the team's first three games, Tex has gone 2-21 with 10 strikeouts.

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.

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BD Spring Training Report: Twins “Liri” To Deal Francisco | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Twins “Liri” To Deal Francisco | Baseball Digest

Trade rumors concerning Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano began at the trade deadline last season, continued throughout the hot stove season, and are still being bandied about during spring training. The latest chatter has the New York Yankees inquiring about the left-handed starter with big time potential and a surgically repaired elbow.

First reported by USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale on Jim Bowden’s radio show, Brian Cashman reportedly contacted Twins’ GM Bill Smith about Liriano’s availability. Later reports had a rumored Yankees offer of pitching prospect Ivan Nova and light hitting/good glove infielder Ramiro Pena. Needless to say, rumored or real, the Twins would not ship Liriano for that minor of a package.

Both teams should be wary of how they proceed. Liriano underwent Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of 2007 and limited him to 76 innings in 2008. Liriano struggled mightily in 2009 as he tried to regain his form- he pitched to a nearly 6 ERA and allowed 21 home runs. Last season, Liriano finally started to look like the 2006 version of himself. He averaged over nine strikeouts per nine innings, recorded a 3.62 ERA, and allowed less than a hit per inning.

But there are some details that should be pointed out. First, Liriano threw a career-high 191-2/3 innings (nearly 55 innings more than his prior top innings count) and seemed to wear out in September. His post-season performance against the Yankees was nothing to write home about either (5.2 IP 4 ER 6 H 3 BB 7 K). And his regular season ERA was more than a full point higher on the road than in his spacious home ballpark (Target Field).

Liriano complained of shoulder soreness and a tired arm shortly after reporting to spring training a few weeks ago and his initial bullpen sessions were cancelled. Manager Ron Gardenhire downplayed it as tendinitis, but the Twins have to be concerned about their pitcher with the nastiest selection of pitches. Part of the reason for the early spring issues was that Liriano did not consistently do his off-season strengthening exercises. As Scott Miller of CBS Sports pointed out, that showed a lack of maturity.

There is talk that Minnesota will wait until the July trade deadline gets closer to have a better gauge of the market (Minnesota has Liriano under control for another season, so they may not be in a rush to do anything as well), but if the Twins do move Liriano, they are better off moving him sooner rather than later. Shoulder injuries and any necessary surgeries are much trickier and take longer to come back from than elbow injuries. Liriano’s shoulder may not be a serious issue at all, but buyers should beware of what they may be purchasing/giving up prospects for in return for the 27-yr old.

The Washington Nationals should finally get a look at Chien-Ming Wang on a mound. The Taiwanese hero and two-time 19 game winner with the New York Yankees is scheduled to pitch in a minor league intrasquad game on Friday. Not so good news for his teammate Cla Meredith who will have to undergo Tommy John surgery today.

Twins beat writer Joe Christensen tweeted this morning that Justin Morneau is making progress in his recovery from concussion symptoms, but was still not cleared by doctors on Tuesday to participate in any exhibition games.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett who took a baseball to the head and suffered a mild concussion on Monday has been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Scott Boras has one less big name client- Mark Teixeira. There was no reason given for the dismissal.

Indians GM Chris Antonetti told the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes that he does not expect outfielder Grady Sizemore to be ready for opening day (April 1). “It’s still a possibility,” said Antonetti. “But I’d say it’s less likely than more likely that he’ll be ready for the start of the season. We’re hopeful it will still be near the start of the season. Whether that’s a few days or a few weeks, we just don’t know yet.”

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos assured fans that GM Andy MacPhail is “…not going anywhere.” MacPhail’s contract expires at the end of the 2011 season. “Andy and Buck [Showalter] are a great combination,” Angelos told the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck.

It's Time To Roll The Dice On Greinke

You should never make a move in reaction to another's move unless your playing chess or at war, and when I say war I really mean war (Note to Kellen Winslow Jr.).

Brian Cashman made a number of poor moves last winter. Nick Johnson chief among them. This off-season the main focus has been on Cliff Lee. We all know how that panned out. But that had nothing to do with Cashman, though some feel otherwise. Lee never wanted to play in NY and for that matter didn't want to return to Texas either. I doubt Nolan Ryan is getting vilified in Arlington.

More importantly, the Yankees chief rival in the AL East has gotten stronger. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez have replaced Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre in the lineup. That's a big plus for the Red Sox especially since, at the moment, the Yankees have no left-hander in the starting rotation.

So what's an elfin, building rappelling GM to do? Go hard after Zack Greinke. The Royals righty has decided he's had enough of bad baseball in Kansas City. The team has no hope for contending especially since ownership is putting their luxury tax dollars right into their own pockets.

We all know that Greinke has been dealing with anxiety issues. He's not the only one in major league baseball or in life to do so. Not all have gone public with their inner demons. It's now a trendy thing too, but it's still taboo in many circles to admit to "mental" issues. People hear the word mental and they think psychotic which is absurd. Some of us deal with anxiety, depression, or other psychological issues on a daily basis. That's what therapy and/or meds are for, unless your Tom Cruise of course.

The Yankees rotation right now is CC Sabathia (A+), Phil Hughes (B), A.J. Burnett (A, B, C, D, F depending on the day; hell, depending on the inning). My feeling is Andy Pettitte will be back, but until he makes his mind up, and decides he likes the money figure, that's up in the air. The rest is Ivan Nova (high upside, little experience), Sergio Mitre (experience, mediocre), and a bunch of kids who aren't ready for prime time.

Felix Hernandez isn't going anywhere according to the Seattle Mariners hierarchy. The remaining free agent starters aren't front end guys, unless you count Carl Pavano. Don't make me laugh.

As the headline says, it's time for the Yankees and Brian Cashman to roll the dice on Zack Greinke. Perhaps they have studied reports about Greinke's well-being. We know that playing in the plain states is not the same as playing in the Big Apple. NYC has chewed up many a player (Yes, Bobby Bonilla had the smile wiped off his face), who thought they could handle it. But Greinke isn't the same guy he was three years ago. People get past the things holding them back and they get better. I know from experience.

Greinke had his ups and downs this past season on the mound, but playing for a bad team with little fan support doesn't help. Playing with a passionate fan base, with a lineup that can hit, and with a defense can support you will do wonders for your game. Yes, he will have to listen to monotonous questions about his well being. It's best to hold a press conference with no or little questions (the Yankees can see to that) and get it out of the way immediately if they land him.

Greinke won't come cheaply. Possibly Jesus Montero. Ivan Nova. Brandon Laird. Andrew Backman. Delin Betances. Gary Sanchez Hector Noesi. Those are names I'm throwing out..it won't take all of them.

Greinke makes $11.5M in 2011 and $13.5M in 2012. That's $25M off the Royals payroll, which means the Yankees shouldn't have to give up as much either if the Royals were taking some of the money on.

The time is now. The Rays are going to be considerably weaker than the last year. The Red Sox offense has gotten stronger, their pen better with the addition of Bobby Jenks, but their rotation still has questions. Jon Lester is a stud. Josh Beckett is coming off an awful year, which included injury. John Lackey is on the downside. Clay Buchholz was magnificent, but can he repeat? Dice-K, Tim Wakefield? More awful than good.

Only one team should make it out of the west, but the White Sox and Twins will battle for both the AL Central and Wild Card, which means the Yankees MUST bolster their starting rotation and bullpen in order to REALLY compete in the AL East and for the Wild Card.

So roll the dice Brian Cashman, roll the dice. Show the Yankees fan base you have the stomach for it.

Ugly, Uglier, Ugliest

The last 3 games could be described in the title above, pretty much in any order you choose. Just as things were looking back up again - 4 wins in 5 games, a 2.5 game lead in the AL East - things went to pot again. Three straight losses and back into 2nd place in the division.

It started out on Wednesday when a 2 hour-11 minute rain delay forced starter A.J. Burnett from the game. Now obviously you know what you're going to get from Burnett on any given evening, but when play resumed Joe Girardi chose to go with the back end of the bullpen to finish the final six innings. Why?

Girardi continues to baffle the mind with his moves. Did he figure he had his ace CC Sabathia pitching the finale against the Rays and since he had a 2.5 game lead he could just reserve the top pen guys? He seemed to forget that the Rays were throwing David Price against Sabathia and nothing is ever a given.

Needless to say the pen completely put Wednesday's game out of reach (7-2 loss). Then came Thursday and Sabathia didn't have it. Price wasn't as sharp as he was either when the two locked horns the prior week in Tampa, but he was able to watch as Sabathia lost the strike zone and the game, 10-3. Javier Vazquez also added some comic relief by hitting three straight batters. (I hope Cashman doesn't plan on bringing Vazquez back in 2016.)

The lead in the east had shrunk back to a half-game with the Boston Red Sox coming to town for the last regular season series at home this year. Andy Pettitte was making his second start since being activated off the DL last Sunday. As good as he was that day in a no-decision against Baltimore, that's how bad - actually more like 10 times worse - he was last night.

The Red Sox took batting practice against Pettitte and then Jonathan Albaladejo came on to throw some feul on the fire (Albaladejo looks like Mark Melancon 2.0 - great minors, poor majors) as the Yankees faced a 10-1 deficit. The Bombers banged out six home runs - two each by A-Rod and Mark Teixeira, and one apiece for Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson - but still came up short 10-8.

The Yankees now find themselves looking up at the Rays, a half-game back in 2nd place. Today they have to face Jon Lester and we have to listen to the idiots on Fox (Hopefully we'll be spared Buck, who may be already at an NFL site to set up for Sunday). Ivan Nova goes for the Yankees.

The series finishes Sunday night (Miller and Morgan, oy) with the unpredictable Dice-K going against the more unpredictable Dustin Moseley. What's the over/under on how many times Miller say Adrian "Bel-TRAY"?

Nothing Like a Good Beckett Smashing

Getting ready for today's Yankees-Red Sox series finale, but still smiling over last night's Josh Beckett drubbing. A 7-2 win made even better by a remarkable performance by Dustin Moseley.

Subbing for A.J. Burnett, Moseley was solid all night, leaving after 6.1 innings with just a Bill Hall home run allowed. Moseley was given a heads up on Saturday after Burnett bullpen session led to back spasms on Friday.

The Yankees busted the game open and sent Beckett to the showers with a 5-run 5th inning. Derek Jeter drove in 3 runs on the night and passed Babe Ruth for 39th place on the all-time MLB career hits list. He's now one hit behind another Hall of Fame member, Mel Ott, for the next spot on the list.

Mark Teixeira continued his hot second half, with his fifth home run in eight games. It was also the first time Tex had success against Beckett. And Tex became the 4th players with 25 home runs or more in each of his first eight seasons.

Lance Berkman, for now, quieted the idiot boo birds with a 3-hit night and Alex Rodriguez got over his banged up shin to steal his 300th career base. He's just the third player, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds are the others, to have 600 home runs and 300 steals. A-Rod also became the 10th player with 300 steals, 200 home runs, 2,500 hits, and 1,500 runs scored. Seriously, they actually keep track of this.

One down note in this game was Joba Chamberlain. Yes, he was victimized by a cheap infield RBI single by Mike Lowell, but it was his 3-2 pitch to punch and judy hitter Marco Scutaro that was disturbing. A slider. A guy with a plus fastball and he threw a slider. Needless to say, Scutaro walked and Joba exited. He really needs some mental pitching lessons.

Ker-Plop

"Good Thames, Bad Thames, you know I've had my share" - Peter Botte via Twitter

I hadn't seen such similiar back to back games played since games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series, Unlike those two unbelievable World Series finishes, the Yankees only came out on top in half of this duo with the Red Sox. Oh, and these games were a lot uglier.

Previously on Yankees baseball - you remember Monday night...Marcus Thames becomes an instant hero with a 2-run walk-off home run off of enemy closer Jon Papelbon. Flash forward to Tuesday (perhaps I should call it Lost instead of Flash Forward...either way neither will be on the air for ABC next year). The goodwill towards Marcus Thames disappears in an instant as he drops a 9th inning fly ball. The error led to a pair of Red Sox runs and the Yankees lost 7-6 after building a 5-0 lead against Josh Beckett.

The problems started for the Yankees though an inning earlier. The Red Sox torched Joba Chamberlain for four runs, three of them earned. The inning started with a close play at first that could have altered the outcome of the game. Alex Rodriguez made a nice stop of a Marco Scutaro hard grounder, but threw wide of first base. Mark Teixeira stretched to make the grab, but 1st base umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that Teixeira's foot was off the bag. Replays were inconclusive. Though many Yankees fans felt it was an out, there was no way you could tell from the replays available.

Consecutive hits by Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, and Kevin Youkilis cut the lead to 5-4 before Chamberlain finally retired Victor Martinez. But David Ortiz's one out single tied the game and set up the 9th inning craziness.

An umpire again had an influence as Darnell McDonald appeared to be out on strikes for the second out of the 9th inning. But Mariano Rivera's pitch which hit the inside corner was ruled a ball by home plate ump Angel Campos and McDonald took advantage with a one out single.

Scutaro's bat caused another error as Thames dropped the shortstop's pop up to put two men aboard. Pedroia grounded out, but Jeremy Hermida, who had replaced Drew earlier, lofted a deep fly to left. For some reason, the Yankees had Randy Winn playing shallow as if he were facing the number 9 hitter in a little league lineup. The ball fell in easily for a go ahead 2-run double.

The Yankees rallied once again against closer Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th, but this came up short. Scutaro partially returned the favor by whiffing on Rodriguez's grounder to start the inning for an error. A Robinson Cano double cut the deficit to one, but with two men aboard, Juan Miranda grounded out and Winn struck out to end the game.

Fasten Your Seat Beats, Full Week Ahead

Have you recovered from Sunday's loss to the Twins? Really, still a little pissed/upset/second guessing? Time to move on. Big week ahead.

The Red Sox come to town tonight for a quick two game series. That's followed by a pair of games with the AL East leading Rays and then it's off to Citi Field for a three game series with the Mets.

Dice-K and Josh Beckett face off against Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia as things kick off tonight at the Stadium. Dustin Pedroia, the team's leading HR and RBI man is expected to be back in the lineup for Boston tonight after sitting out Sunday's game with a sore knee.

Before going 0-3 on Sunday, David Ortiz went 12-28 (.429) in the prior seven games with 3 HR and 11 RBI.

Beckett has lasted just 10 innings in two starts against the Yankees this year, with 14 runs allowed. For his career he's 9-6, 5.96.

When the Rays come to town on Wednesday, they will do it without veteran Pat Burrell. Pat the Bat was designated for assignment on Sunday after a year-plus of underachievement. Burrell signed a 2-yr, $16 million deal prior to the 2009 season, but never came close to living up to it.

Wednesday night will see Wade Davis do battle with A.J. Burnett. The series concludes on Thursday with James Shields facing Andy Pettitte.

Javier Vazquez opens the Mets series...or will he. Joe Girardi is hedging his bets. The Yankees bullpen needs some help and Vazquez may be a contributor during the week. It really does not make sense for Girardi to mess with Vazquez to this degree. His confidence is lagging as it is.

The bullpen will get Chan Ho Park back tonight, with Ivan Nova likely ticketed back to Scranton.

There's a New Sheriff in Town

On one side was the crusty old gunslinger. On the other side, the kid trying to prove himself in a hell hole. At the end of the night it was the old gunslinger who lost his composure and started firing stray bullets and it was the kid who remained tried and true. Old John Wayne movie? Nah, just the first of a three game set between the Yankees and Red Sox in Fenway Park.

Josh Beckett, not so old, but plenty crusty, started out like a house afire. He struck out five of the first six Yankees. But as the night wore on, the veteran right-hander lost control. Nick Swisher drove a hanging curveball from Beckett in the 4th over the wall in center for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

Beckett completely fell apart in the 6th, and though scoring, the Yankees weren't happy about it. Joe Girardi's squad had already lost Nick Johnson to a wrist injury (more on that further down) when Robinson Cano took a Beckett cutter to the inside of his left knee. Cano tried to stay in the game, but left shortly thereafter for a pinch-runner. He told the media after the game he wanted to get out before it felt worse. Girardi later said he wouldn't be surprised if Cano has to miss a game or two.

With two aboard and one out, the Red Sox elected to intentionally walk Brett Gardner to load the bases and set up a potential double play. But Beckett's 3-2 fastball nearly knocked Francisco Cervelli on his behind and forced in a run. Cervelli was visibly disgusted as he moved towards first base, having been dusted earlier in the game for calling a timeout when Beckett (or Suckett as I prefer) was about to pitch.

After a Randy Winn single gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead, Beckett drilled Derek Jeter in the back to force in another run. It also brought the Yankees bench to the top step of the dugout where Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia were among those jawing at the Red Sox starter.

After run producing singles by Marcus Thames and Mark Teixeira, Sox manager Terry Francona finally pulled his ace from the game. Afterwards, Beckett told the media he wasn't sure why he lost his command so quickly, and the Yankees Derek Jeter said there was no way Beckett was throwing out him with the bases loaded.

It will be interesting to see though if anything develops over the final two games. Once cooler heads prevail, it's quite possible the Yankees will feel Beckett really wasn't throwing at them and will let things go. Or they'll feel it doesn't matter whether it was on purpose or not and someone on the Red Sox will have to eat some rawhide. I have to agree with Michael Kay (yeah, it happens) that Beckett's expression and demeanor certainly were not of a guy who cared about where his pitches were going at that point.

Lost in all this, of course, was the terrific job once again done by Phil Hughes. He improved to 4-0 with a stellar seven innings of work. He allowed a pair of runs, scattered seven hits, walked one, and struck out seven. He had great command of all his pitches and made more than a few Red Sox look silly at the plate.

Notes

Nick Johnson will be placed on the DL and was being sent back to New York to evaluate his right wrist. It's been bothering him for a while, but felt worse after Johnson took some swings in Friday night's game.

Prior to the game, the Yankees sent down outfielder Greg Golson and brought up pitcher Romulo Sanchez. The Yankees will bring up a player for Saturday's game, likely an infielder to help out with Cano hurting. It's possible Juan Miranda will eventually get a call too with Johnson on the DL.

Yankees-Red Sox Opening Night Lineups

Courtesy of the NY Daily News' Mark Feinsand:

YANKEES

Derek Jeter, SS
Nick Johnson, DH
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Jorge Posada, C
Curtis Granderson, CF
Nick Swisher, RF
Brett Gardner, LF

CC Sabathia, LHP

RED SOX

Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Victor Martinez, C
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Mike Cameron, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS

Josh Beckett, RHP

Yankees End Road Trip with a Bang

The Yankees finished off their very successful road trip (7-3) last night, bashing a career best (or worst depending on how you look at it) 5 home runs against Boston starter and loser (we mean that in more than one sense of the word) Josh Beckett. The 8-4 victory gave the Yankees their second straight series win against the Sox, and after having lost their first 8 games against Boston, they have won 6 of 7 contests with their division rivals.

Derek Jeter set the tone by hitting the first pitch of the ball game into the Boston bullpen in right-center. It was Jeter's 21st career lead off home run, tying him with Alfonso Soriano for 2nd best mark in franchise history (Rickey Henderson has the all-time record with 24 lead off HR's).

Hideki Matsui hit a pair of home runs for the 2nd time in 3 games, and the 3rd time in the last 7 games he has played. Strangely, Matsui has alternated the last 9 games between a hit or hits, and an Oh-fer. Matsui has also flown under the radar for the last 2 months. Since July 1, he's hitting .292 with 13 HR and 40 RBI in 41 games played. (His splits are .292/.374/.620)

Alex Rodriguez also went deep, just the 3rd time he has done so in the month of August. All 3 home runs have come against the Red Sox.

And Robinson Cano tied his career high with his 19th home run of the season. It somewhat made up for the 2 errors he made in the field. And..remarkably..Cano was complimented by EPSN's Joe Morgan for the way he pivots and turns the double play. But that didn't make up for a horrendous night of broadcasting by Morgan and his partners Jon Miller and Steve Phillips. (If you still don't believe there is an anti-Yankees bias on ESPN- did you notice they showed highlights of Boston's win on Saturday, but none of the Yankees' 20 run output on Friday?)

The game wasn't all about home runs though. Another great job by CC Sabathia, who ran his record in August to 5-0 (2.65 ERA) and now leads the majors with 15 wins. The big guy allowed 3 earned runs in 6.2 innings, didn't walk a batter, and struck out 8 (In August - 39 K, 5 BB). He threw 118 pitches, which would have been lower if not for Cano's misplays and a bad jump on a ball in left fielf by Johnny Damon.

Speaking of Damon and bad jumps, he leapt for a ball that hit nearly half way up the Monster. All righty then.

Phil Hughes worked for the first time in the series, throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball.

Mariano Rivera pitched the 9th, also his first time in the series, in a non-save situation. He walked the lead off man on 4 pitches, but then retired the next 3 hitters with ease.

Jeter had another multi-hit game and passed 2,700 career hits (2,701). He's not just 20 hits behind all-time franchise leader Lou Gehrig. Remarkable.

The moron called Jonathan Papelbon is feeling a little insecure these days (well maybe more insecure). Papelbon is upset at the prospect of the Red Sox possibly acquiring Billy Wagner from the Mets.

"I like the way our bullpen sets up right now," Papelbon said Sunday. "We have a good dynamic in the bullpen. We have guys who know how to work well together. It's not that simple."

Actually it is that simple (as is Papelbon). Getting Wagner would be a great addition to the Sox pen, and would ease some of the burden on Hideki Okajima. But clearly, this is about Papelbon concerns over possibly losing his closing job one day. Papelbon could have been a member of the 2004 Red Sox- he is most definitely an idiot.