Girardi's Choice Of Joba Seals the Deal

Joba's fist pumping days are a distant memory.

The Yankees have a worn out bullpen, no one is questioning that. What is being questioned is why Joe Girardi continues to call on Joba Chamberlain in crucial situations. Thursday night the one time phenom quickly turned a 3-1 deficit into a 6-1 blowout that was punctuated by an Adam Lind 3-run home run. Final score, Toronto Blue Jays 6 Yankees 2.

It was another devastating loss in a devastating season. With Texas and Tampa Bay on the verge of a four game split, the Yankees have found themselves running in place while the Orioles and Indians inch closer to reeling in one of the wild card teams. The Yankees now sit three back of Texas (four in the loss column) and four behind the Rays (five in the loss column). Cue Frank Sinatra singing, "the end is near". Except, Girardi should not have done it "his way".

Obviously it wasn't all Chamberlain's doing; Hiroki Kuroda once again looked 68 instead of 38. He "held" Toronto to three runs in six innings, but it could have been a lot worse considering he gave up eight hits and walked four.  The Yankees offense sputtered again with journeyman Todd Redman looking like a Cy Young candidate. The 28-year old has beaten the Yankees twice in the last three weeks.

But with the game on the line, with a lead still in reach, Girardi pushed the wrong button...again. A quick look at Joba just since August 1, shows that the Yankees were better off bringing in anyone from the bullpen other than Chamberlain.

8/2 - Entered with Yankees down 5-2 to San Diego; turns it into a 6-2 game. Final score, Padres 7-2

8/10 - Entered with Yankees down 6-2 to Detroit; two on and one out. Gave up 3-run home run to Torii Hunter to put game out of reach. Final score, Tigers 9-3

8/15 - Entered with Yankees down 7-1 to Angels; gave up back to back hits to make it 8-1. Final score, Angels 8-4

8/16 - Entered with Yankees up 10-3 on Boston; loaded the bases in the 9th. Girardi has to go to David Huff for the final out. Final score, Yankees 10-3

9/1 - Entered with Yankees down 4-3 to Baltimore; two men on with one out. Allowed 3-run home run to Adam Jones. Final score, Orioles 7 Yankees 3

9/5 - Entered with Yankees and Red Sox tied 8-8 in the 10th inning. Gave up a pair of hits including Shane Victorino game winning single. Final score, Red Sox 9 Yankees 8

9/6 - Entered with Yankees trailing Red Sox 10-8 in the 8th inning. Intentionally walked David Ortiz, threw a wild pitch, unintentionally walked Mike Napoli, walked Daniel Nava to force in a run, and allowed RBI single to Stephen Drew. Final score, Red Sox 12 Yankees 8

Chamberlain has spent much of the year extending the other team's lead or diminishing the Yankees lead. Brian Cashman made a huge mistake in not giving Chamberlain away for whatever he could get. The Yankees will make no qualifying offer to Chamberlain, which means they will not receive a draft pick when the one-time three digit thrower leaves via free agency after this season.

Yankees Should Grab Brennan Boesch

Brian Cashman has been watching the waiver wire like some people watching the Kardashians. Cashman would like a bat as big as Kim Kardashian's behind, but none of those are available. A pretty good bat did become available Wednesday morning.

Though he is inconsistent, has difficulties with left-handers, had thumb surgery which caused him to miss the 2011 post-season, was left off the 2012 post-season roster, and hurt an oblique muscle this spring, the Yankees should pounce on 27-year old Brennan Boesch.

The outfielder became available on Wednesday after the Detroit Tigers gave him his release. With the acquisition of Torii Hunter over the winter there wasn't going to be a lot of playing time for the Tigers' incumbent right fielder. Boesch spent his entire career with the Tigers organization after he was selected in the third round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft.

He broke into the Majors in 2010 and averaged 14 home runs and 58 RBI over three seasons. Though he has a propensity to be a very streaky hitter, Boesch still managed to put together a .799 OPS over 115 games in 2011. His OPS dropped 140 points last year, which or may not have been due to the thumb surgery he had in '11.

Boesch is a player who needs to cut down on his strikeouts and draw more walks, which translates to being more selective at the plate. With that in mind, it was just two years ago that he hit 16 home runs to go along with a .283 batting average and .458 slugging pct. With the short porch in Yankee Stadium, Cashman should be bombarding Boesch's agent Scott Boras with phone calls. Boesch could fill the role Raul Ibanez played last season and though he bats from the left side, he would be an upgrade over right-handed hitting veteran outfielders in camp (Matt Diaz, Juan Rivera, and Ben Francisco).

Boesch's salary jumped from approximately $.5 MM in 2011 to $2.3MM last year, but the Yankees could probably get him much cheaper with a minor league deal (throw in some incentives too). Boesch is also not eligible for arbitration until next year. Boesch is a decent outfielder, though he would more likely see time in left field rather than in right field with Ichiro Suzuki already stationed there.

Okay, enough talking, Cash get moving.

Time to Call It A Day

There are a number of teams still in the MLB playoff race, but there are a number of teams that should be calling it quits by September 1. That's the day rosters expand and must include players that are to be part of a playoff squad.

A number of teams were buyers at the trade deadline when they clearly shouldn't have been. Between now and 9/1, some of those teams should be looking to waive dead weight and/or trade players to true contenders.

Johnny Damon - The Tigers are dead in the AL Central (9) and Wildcard (14) races. Damon signed a 1 year, $8 million deal in the off-season and is an ideal candidate for the Tigers to move. After a great start in April, Damon absolutely stunk over the next two months before a semi-revival in July. He's started August just 4-22, but perhaps all that could change if he is into a pennant race. Then again he's hitting just .268 against right-handers.

Manny Ramirez - The Dodgers were aggressive at the deadline, getting Ted Lilly among others. But LA is going nowhere. They're 8 back in the NL West and 7 back of division rival San Fran in the Wildcard. Time to throw Manny out there and see if there are takers. The downside of course is that he's on the DL right now with a bad calf. He then aggravated it this past week, but delayed an MRI after feeling claustrophobic. (Not sure why he would have to go in head first for a calf?) Because of the uncertainty, Manny being Nuthead is likely to pass through waivers unclaimed, allowing the Dodgers to move him to his next port of call.

Adam Dunn - The Nats were never in it, but if a team has claimed (as rumored) Dunn, Washington is crazy not to move the big slugger. You can always bring him back, but getting nothing for him other than draft picks is absurd. Dunn blasted a pair of 3-run blasts last night, causing GMs everywhere to salivate.

The Mets - Sorry Mets fans, but you know better than anyone that this team is finished. Some minor moves today- released Alex Cora, sent down Jesus Feliciano, called up Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada. It's time for the Mets to start making major moves, most likely in the off-season. But if you can move Jose Reyes with good results, go for it. The Mets need a change and it should start with their oft-injured, oft-under performing shortstop. Someone would probably take Jeff Francoeur. Unfortunately, no wants Luis Castillo.

Hideki Matsui - Oh beloved Godzilla; World Series hero; poor 2010 performer. Sorry for that last one, but so true. With the Angels getting further and further behind in the AL West and Wildcard races (10, 12 respectively), Tony Reagins should be moving "The Hideki" to a contender. Juan Rivera too. Torii Hunter too. The once proud centerfielder said he can't handle the position any more. With two years left on Hunter's deal, Reagins should look for a taker.

Breaking News: Beckett given 6 game suspension

MLB has suspended the Red Sox' Josh Beckett six games and fined him an undisclosed amount of money for throwing at the Angels' Bobby Abreu on Sunday.

With Abreu at the plate, Beckett took a long time going over signs with catcher Jason Varitek before finally deciding on a pitch selection. As he was about to deliver, Abreu stepped out of the batter's box looking for a time out. Beckett fired the ball over Abreu's head, causing both benches to empty.

Things settled down, but trash talk between the two teams instigated another bench clearer. No punches were thrown, but Angels manager Mike Scioscia, coach Mickey Hatcher, outfielder Torii Hunter, and pitcher Justin Speier were all tossed from the game. Hatcher was also suspended one game.

Remarkably, no one from Boston was ejected including Beckett, who caused the entire incident. The umpires clearly did a poor job of handling the situation.

Angels Weave Another Victory

Yankees vs. Angels. Who do you think won? The Yankees preferred to keep Ian Kennedy in the minors, but injuries forced them to bring him up for last night's game. Only two innings in, the front office was probably already ruing their decision. Kennedy did no better than his previous starts this season, getting hammered for 5 runs in two official innings. He actually faced five batters in the third inning, but retired none of them and the Angels went on to a 10-5 victory.

The Yankees closed the gap to within 6-5, but Darrell Rasner and Brian Bruney let the game get out of reach again and there would be no comeback like last Sunday's improbable Yankees win over the Angels.

Kennedy remains a conundrum. He rocketed through the Yankees farm system last year, and perhaps that was the problem- getting to the majors too quickly. This year he's been like an amateur golfer who can't put two good shots in a row together.

Singles by Eric Aybar and Vlad Guerrero put two men aboard with two outs in the first inning and both runners scored on a Torii Hunter double. Hunter's career numbers against the Yankees are mediocre, but this season he's homered twice and driven in 8 runs in just three games.

The Yankees managed to briefly hold the lead, 3-2 after Alex Rodriguez belted a solo home run, his 25th, in the second inning, and the Yankees loaded the bases in the third. Jason Giambi drew a bases-loaded walk from Jered Weaver and Xavier Nady reached on an infield single. With a chance to do more damage, Robinson Cano continued his poor hitting with the bases loaded by bouncing into an inning-ending ground out.

The lead would be short lived as the Angels jumped on Kennedy in the third, sending him to an early shower. A Mark Teixeira double followed by a Guerrero single tied the game, and consecutive singles by Hunter, Garrett Anderson, and Howie Kendrick brought home two more for a 5-3 lead. None of the balls were hard hit, but they were hits nonetheless.

Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, the Yankees made it a game again when Nady hit his 5th home run in 13 games in Pinstripes. It was also his 13th RBI as a Yankee. Cano followed with a triple and scored on a Melky Cabrera ground out to cut the Angels lead to 6-5. But there would be no more joy in Anaheim for the Yankees.

Hunter opened the seventh inning with a home run off of Rasner and the Angels piled 3 more runs on in the inning to finish off the Bombers. But really they were finished off when Ian Kennedy took the mound.


News and Notes

Howie Kendrick, 4-5 last night, is batting .507 (36-71) in 18 career games against the Yankees. He's also sporting a 1.263 OPS.

Joba Chamberlain said he'd be ready to go the first week of September, but Joe Girardi is taking a much more conservative approach, mainly so Chamberlain doesn't try to rush back.

Alex Rodriguez's home run was the 548th of his career.

The Yankees dropped to 6.5 games back in the AL East after Tampa beat Seattle 5-3. Boston lost to Chicago, so the Yankees remain 3 back in the Wild Card.

Angels Weave Another Victory

Yankees vs. Angels. Who do you think won? The Yankees preferred to keep Ian Kennedy in the minors, but injuries forced them to bring him up for last night's game. Only two innings in, the front office was probably already ruing their decision. Kennedy did no better than his previous starts this season, getting hammered for 5 runs in two official innings. He actually faced five batters in the third inning, but retired none of them and the Angels went on to a 10-5 victory.

The Yankees closed the gap to within 6-5, but Darrell Rasner and Brian Bruney let the game get out of reach again and there would be no comeback like last Sunday's improbable Yankees win over the Angels.

Kennedy remains a conundrum. He rocketed through the Yankees farm system last year, and perhaps that was the problem- getting to the majors too quickly. This year he's been like an amateur golfer who can't put two good shots in a row together.

Singles by Eric Aybar and Vlad Guerrero put two men aboard with two outs in the first inning and both runners scored on a Torii Hunter double. Hunter's career numbers against the Yankees are mediocre, but this season he's homered twice and driven in 8 runs in just three games.

The Yankees managed to briefly hold the lead, 3-2 after Alex Rodriguez belted a solo home run, his 25th, in the second inning, and the Yankees loaded the bases in the third. Jason Giambi drew a bases-loaded walk from Jered Weaver and Xavier Nady reached on an infield single. With a chance to do more damage, Robinson Cano continued his poor hitting with the bases loaded by bouncing into an inning-ending ground out.

The lead would be short lived as the Angels jumped on Kennedy in the third, sending him to an early shower. A Mark Teixeira double followed by a Guerrero single tied the game, and consecutive singles by Hunter, Garrett Anderson, and Howie Kendrick brought home two more for a 5-3 lead. None of the balls were hard hit, but they were hits nonetheless.

Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, the Yankees made it a game again when Nady hit his 5th home run in 13 games in Pinstripes. It was also his 13th RBI as a Yankee. Cano followed with a triple and scored on a Melky Cabrera ground out to cut the Angels lead to 6-5. But there would be no more joy in Anaheim for the Yankees.

Hunter opened the seventh inning with a home run off of Rasner and the Angels piled 3 more runs on in the inning to finish off the Bombers. But really they were finished off when Ian Kennedy took the mound.


News and Notes

Howie Kendrick, 4-5 last night, is batting .507 (36-71) in 18 career games against the Yankees. He's also sporting a 1.263 OPS.

Joba Chamberlain said he'd be ready to go the first week of September, but Joe Girardi is taking a much more conservative approach, mainly so Chamberlain doesn't try to rush back.

Alex Rodriguez's home run was the 548th of his career.

The Yankees dropped to 6.5 games back in the AL East after Tampa beat Seattle 5-3. Boston lost to Chicago, so the Yankees remain 3 back in the Wild Card.

Yankees Waste Ponson Effort

Sidney Ponson gave the Yankees more than they ever could have expected last night against the Los Angeles Angels. Ponson hadn't thrown 7 shutout innings since 2004, so when the happens against the team with the best record in baseball, you had better win the game. But the Yankees couldn't do anything against Angels starter Ervin Santana and Mariano Rivera once again coughed up a run in a tie game. The outcome was a 1-0 loss, the Yankees fifth in their last six games.

No blame could placed on the large shoulders of Ponson, who allowed just 2 hits over 7 innings, and escaped a number of jams. In the 5th, he loaded the bases with one out by walking Juan Rivera and Jeff Mathis after Garret Anderson had singled to break up the no-hitter. But Chone Figgins helped him out by popping up on a 2-0 pitch and Maecir Itzturis flied out to Johnny Damon in left.

In the 7th, Ponson allowed a lead off single by Mark Teixeira, but it was quickly erased when Vlad Guerrero bounced in a 6-4-3 double play. Meanwhile, Ervin Santana was matching Ponson's zeros.

The Yankees appeared to be off to a good start when Johnny Damon started the bottom of the 1st inning with a walk and Derek Jeter singled through the right side. But Santana struck out Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez, and retired the slumping Jason Giambi on a pop up.

In the 4th, Abreu singled with one out and stole 2nd base, but was eventually stranded at 3rd, when Giambi and Robinson Cano both flied out. In the 6th, Damon singled and stole 2nd base after there were two away, but the Angels intentionally walked A-Rod and Giambi failed again, striking out for the inning's final out.

Second guessers had a field day after Damaso Marte retired the side in order in the 8th, including a pair of strikeouts, but wasn't brought back for a second inning. Doubting Mariano Rivera? It's become the new thing in non-save situations. And unfortunately, Rivera lived up to that new founded attitude.

He walked Mark Teixeira to start the 9th, just the 5th walk he has allowed in 48.1 innings. Guerrero then singled to right, allowing pinch-runner Reggie Willits to easily reached 3rd base. With the infield in, Torii Hunter hit a bullet off the mound and into center field for the game's lone run.

Francisco Rodriguez made easy work of the Yankees in the 9th. He struck out A-Rod looking on a 3-2 pitch, and Giambi and Cano on routine fly outs for his major league leading 45th save.


News and Notes

Brian Bruney was recalled before the game and Chris Britton was sent back down to Scranton.

August 1, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
LA Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	4	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	0

LA Angels	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Figgins, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	2	4	.281
Izturis, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	.263
Teixeira, 1B	2	0	1	0	2	0	0	.284
1-Willits, PR	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.185
Quinlan, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.262
Guerrero, RF	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	.285
Hunter, CF	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	.281
Anderson, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.284
Kendrick, 2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	3	.331
Rivera, LF	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	.240
Mathis, C	2	0	0	0	1	1	1	.222
Totals	29	1	4	1	5	4	17
1-Ran for Teixeira in the 9th.
BATTING TB: Teixeira; Guerrero; Hunter; Anderson. RBI: Hunter (59). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Izturis 2. GIDP: Guerrero; Kendrick. Team LOB: 6. FIELDING DP: (Kendrick-Izturis-Teixeira).

LA Angels	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Santana (W, 12-5)	8.0	5	0	0	2	8	0	3.38
Rodriguez, F (S, 45)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.42

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.315
Jeter, SS	4	0	2	0	0	1	1	.282
Abreu, RF	4	0	1	0	0	2	4	.286
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	0	0	1	2	3	.323
Giambi, DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	5	.253
Cano, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	.260
Betemit, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.250
Rodriguez, I, C	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	.292
Cabrera, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.249
Totals	31	0	5	0	2	9	15
BATTING TB: Damon; Jeter 2; Abreu; Betemit. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi 2; Cano. GIDP: Rodriguez, I. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Damon (16, 2nd base off Santana/Mathis), Abreu (14, 2nd base off Santana/Mathis). FIELDING DP: 2 (Jeter-Cano-Betemit, Jeter-Betemit).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Ponson	7.0	2	0	0	4	1	0	4.23
Marte	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3.60
Rivera (L, 4-4)	1.0	2	1	1	1	1	0	1.49

WP: Santana.
IBB: Rodriguez, A (by Santana).
Pitches-strikes: Santana 118-73, Rodriguez, F 13-7,
Ponson 96-48, Marte 15-10, Rivera 19-13.
Ground outs-fly outs: Santana 7-9, Rodriguez, F 0-2,
Ponson 5-15, Marte 0-1, Rivera 2-0.
Batters faced: Santana 30, Rodriguez, F 3, Ponson 26,
Marte 3, Rivera 5.
Umpires: HP: CB Bucknor. 1B: Joe West.
2B: Ed Rapuano. 3B: Ed Hickox.
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, L to R.
T: 2:32.
Att: 53,997.

Yankees Waste Ponson Effort

Sidney Ponson gave the Yankees more than they ever could have expected last night against the Los Angeles Angels. Ponson hadn't thrown 7 shutout innings since 2004, so when the happens against the team with the best record in baseball, you had better win the game. But the Yankees couldn't do anything against Angels starter Ervin Santana and Mariano Rivera once again coughed up a run in a tie game. The outcome was a 1-0 loss, the Yankees fifth in their last six games.

No blame could placed on the large shoulders of Ponson, who allowed just 2 hits over 7 innings, and escaped a number of jams. In the 5th, he loaded the bases with one out by walking Juan Rivera and Jeff Mathis after Garret Anderson had singled to break up the no-hitter. But Chone Figgins helped him out by popping up on a 2-0 pitch and Maecir Itzturis flied out to Johnny Damon in left.

In the 7th, Ponson allowed a lead off single by Mark Teixeira, but it was quickly erased when Vlad Guerrero bounced in a 6-4-3 double play. Meanwhile, Ervin Santana was matching Ponson's zeros.

The Yankees appeared to be off to a good start when Johnny Damon started the bottom of the 1st inning with a walk and Derek Jeter singled through the right side. But Santana struck out Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez, and retired the slumping Jason Giambi on a pop up.

In the 4th, Abreu singled with one out and stole 2nd base, but was eventually stranded at 3rd, when Giambi and Robinson Cano both flied out. In the 6th, Damon singled and stole 2nd base after there were two away, but the Angels intentionally walked A-Rod and Giambi failed again, striking out for the inning's final out.

Second guessers had a field day after Damaso Marte retired the side in order in the 8th, including a pair of strikeouts, but wasn't brought back for a second inning. Doubting Mariano Rivera? It's become the new thing in non-save situations. And unfortunately, Rivera lived up to that new founded attitude.

He walked Mark Teixeira to start the 9th, just the 5th walk he has allowed in 48.1 innings. Guerrero then singled to right, allowing pinch-runner Reggie Willits to easily reached 3rd base. With the infield in, Torii Hunter hit a bullet off the mound and into center field for the game's lone run.

Francisco Rodriguez made easy work of the Yankees in the 9th. He struck out A-Rod looking on a 3-2 pitch, and Giambi and Cano on routine fly outs for his major league leading 45th save.


News and Notes

Brian Bruney was recalled before the game and Chris Britton was sent back down to Scranton.

August 1, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
LA Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	4	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	0

LA Angels	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Figgins, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	2	4	.281
Izturis, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	.263
Teixeira, 1B	2	0	1	0	2	0	0	.284
1-Willits, PR	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.185
Quinlan, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.262
Guerrero, RF	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	.285
Hunter, CF	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	.281
Anderson, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.284
Kendrick, 2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	3	.331
Rivera, LF	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	.240
Mathis, C	2	0	0	0	1	1	1	.222
Totals	29	1	4	1	5	4	17
1-Ran for Teixeira in the 9th.
BATTING TB: Teixeira; Guerrero; Hunter; Anderson. RBI: Hunter (59). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Izturis 2. GIDP: Guerrero; Kendrick. Team LOB: 6. FIELDING DP: (Kendrick-Izturis-Teixeira).

LA Angels	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Santana (W, 12-5)	8.0	5	0	0	2	8	0	3.38
Rodriguez, F (S, 45)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.42

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.315
Jeter, SS	4	0	2	0	0	1	1	.282
Abreu, RF	4	0	1	0	0	2	4	.286
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	0	0	1	2	3	.323
Giambi, DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	5	.253
Cano, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	.260
Betemit, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.250
Rodriguez, I, C	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	.292
Cabrera, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.249
Totals	31	0	5	0	2	9	15
BATTING TB: Damon; Jeter 2; Abreu; Betemit. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi 2; Cano. GIDP: Rodriguez, I. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Damon (16, 2nd base off Santana/Mathis), Abreu (14, 2nd base off Santana/Mathis). FIELDING DP: 2 (Jeter-Cano-Betemit, Jeter-Betemit).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Ponson	7.0	2	0	0	4	1	0	4.23
Marte	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3.60
Rivera (L, 4-4)	1.0	2	1	1	1	1	0	1.49

WP: Santana.
IBB: Rodriguez, A (by Santana).
Pitches-strikes: Santana 118-73, Rodriguez, F 13-7,
Ponson 96-48, Marte 15-10, Rivera 19-13.
Ground outs-fly outs: Santana 7-9, Rodriguez, F 0-2,
Ponson 5-15, Marte 0-1, Rivera 2-0.
Batters faced: Santana 30, Rodriguez, F 3, Ponson 26,
Marte 3, Rivera 5.
Umpires: HP: CB Bucknor. 1B: Joe West.
2B: Ed Rapuano. 3B: Ed Hickox.
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, L to R.
T: 2:32.
Att: 53,997.