Yankees Give Rays The 'G' Treatment

It's not quite the same as the M & M boys of Mantle and Maris, but the Tampa Bay Rays got a double dose of the letter 'G' on Wednesday night. Curtis Granderson homered, made a marvelous catch in centerfield, and shook off a mid-90s David Price fastball to his back to help Freddy Garcia and the Yankees to a 4-0 win.

Garcia was every bit as good as he was bad against the Blue Jays last week. He would have pitched seven full innings if not for an Eduardo Nunez error that kept the inning alive. Garcia was on target all night, 66 of his 93 pitches were for strikes, as he struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Granderson gave him a good head start when he followed Derek Jeter's lead off walk in the 1st inning with his 26th home run of the season into the right field seats. It was just the fourth home run a lefty batter had hit against the left-handed Price in his career (the second by Granderson). The Yankees added some insurance in the 9th on a two out, two run single by Nunez for a 4-0 final. Until then the game was a nail biter. Garcia struck out Matt Joyce with two runners aboard to end the bottom of the 1st and did the same to Evan Longoria in the 3rd.

Sam Fuld doubled with two away in the 4th and moved to third on a wild pitch, but Garcia K'ed Sean Rodriguez to strand another Rays' runner in scoring position. Casey Kotchman's two out double in the 5th put two runners in scoring position for Longoria, who hit a deep drive to center field. Granderson, who lost a crucial fly ball in the ceiling Tuesday night, this time had the ball all the way and tracked it down just before crashing into the center field wall.

The Yankees bullpen was dominant in the game as well. Boone Logan came on in the 7th to strike out Casey Kotchman to strand a pair, and David Robertson and Mariano Rivera struck out two of the three batters they each faced.

Notes

Tampa Bay's Matt Joyce earned the "Golden Sombrero" with a four strike out night.

Eric Chavez went 4-5 as a DH for the Single-A Tampa Yankees on Wednesday. He'll play the field on Thursday.

Rafael Soriano, who pitched 1.1 innings in a rehab appearance for Tampa on Tuesday, will make another appearance on Thursday.

Ivan Nova was placed on Scranton's disabled list with a sore ankle.

Welcome To The Dunderdome

Baseball was meant to be played on grass fields in outdoor stadiums. Due to weather and financial restrictions, domes and artificial turf were introduced to the game beginning in the 1960's. But by no means was baseball ever meant to be played in a warehouse. A warehouse with poor lighting, poor acoustics, catwalks, hanging fixtures, wires, a fish tank (ok, rays tank) and other assorted paraphernalia. Ball parks can be quirky. There is nothing quirky about a puke green decorated warehouse that costs teams wins.

Minnesota did Major League Baseball a favor when it built it's new beautiful Target Field and abandoned the piece of garbage (and outfield fences made of garbage bags) known as the Metrodome. Now Tampa Bay needs to do the same and jettison the Trop. Heck if you have to screw and swindle the fans and voting public like Florida's slimy owner, Jeffrey Loria did. Perhaps owner Stuart Sternberg can ring Loria up for some pointers on bilking the constituency.

Why all the anger? All of the vitroile, as Michael Kay likes to say. Because when you see your team lose a game because of the Tampa Bay's excuse of a ball park, it pisses you off.

Bartolo Colon, who struggled with his confidence and control since returning from the DL, had gotten his mojo back (the Trop also caused me not to use an Austin Powers-Bartolo Colon photoshopped picture!) Tuesday night against the Rays. He struck out a season high nine batters and held a 2-1 lead in the 7th inning. Joe Girardi pulled him after 105 pitches and back to back one out singles by Robinson Chirinos and Sean Rodriguez. That's when the Trap Trop came into play.

Boone Logan got pinch-hitter Justin Ruggiano to hit a routine fly to center field, but Curtis Granderson lost sight of the ball in the ceiling and it dropped in for a single. Suddenly instead of two on and two out, the Rays had the bases loaded and just one out. Logan again made the right pitch, this time to Elliot Johnson, getting the pinch-hitter to hit a comebacker. But instead of a possible inning ending double play, the ball ticked off the glove of the 6'7" Logan for a game tying error.

So what did Logan do? He made another good pitch. Johnny Damon hit a shallow fly that normally would not allow a runner to score from third base. But the ball was too deep for either shortstop Eduardo Nunez or second baseman Robinson Cano to reach. Instead Granderson made a sliding catch that enabled Ruggiano to get a good jump off third and score easily ahead of the wild throw home.

The Yankees only put one base runner on in the final two innings, but that was erased when Cano, who supplied the Yankees runs with a 2-run homer ended the 8th by grounding into a double play.

Starter Jeremy Hellickson held the Yankees to five hits over seven innings and picked up the victory (9-7). Reid Brignac, who was hitting .192 at the time, singled in the Rays first run in the 5th inning.

Notes

Brett Gardner swiped two more bases (the Yankees had four steals in all) to take over the AL lead with 29, one more than Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury and Texas' Elvis Andrus. Gardner has been successful in 14 consecutive steal attempts.

Joel Peralta earned his first save of the season and the third of his career by pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Prior to the game the Yankees put Sergio Mitre on the disabled list with a sore shoulder and called up left-hander Steve Garrison from Double-A Trenton.

Since the 5-5 day that enabled Derek Jeter to reach 3,000 hits and beyond, the Yankees captain is in a 5-26 slide.

Yankees Walk To Win

Mark Teixeira snared the last out from the stands.

A.J. Burnett was going through one of those frustrating nights last night that has become the hallmark of his 2 1/2 years as a Yankee. He wasn't putting hitters away, he put his team in a 4-1 hole, and he got into a verbal disagreement with a Yankees fan sitting behind the visitors' dugout. But the Tampa Bay Rays had a bigger issue. They had used nine pitchers the night before- actually the same day, since the game ended after 1 a.m., in a 16-inning loss to the Red Sox. The result was a kid making his Major League pitching debut and a come-from-behind 5-4 win for the Yankees.

23-yr old Alex Torres was one out away from getting out of a 9th inning jam, but it was not meant to be. He gave up a lead off single to Curtis Granderson, but struck out Mark Teixeira for the first out. (Teixeira, like players and managers on both sides, had trouble with home plate umpire Ed Hickox' balls and strikes calls and it affected his final two at-bats, both of which were strikeouts.) Granderson swiped second with Robinson Cano up and moved to third when Cano grounded out to second.

Rays' manager Joe Maddon decided to intentionally walk Nick Swisher to set up a matchup with the less productive Andruw Jones. The move backfired though, when Torres unintentionally gave Jones a free pass to load the bases. Then, everything exploded in Maddon's face when Torres missed with a 3-2 pitch to Russell Martin to force in the go-ahead run. Mariano Rivera then pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 24th save.

Trailing 1-0, the Rays came right back with a three spot in the bottom of the 1st inning. Burnett got off on the wrong foot by walking Johnny Damon and then allowed a single to Ben Zobrist. Evan Longoria brought both runners home with a double to left-center for a 2-1 Rays lead. Casey Kotchman singled to move Longoria up a base, but Teixeira's Gold Glove defense temporarily saved Burnett from further trouble.

Teixeira gloved B.J. Upton's grounder, froze Longoria at third and started a 3-6-3 double play. (It helped that Upton, as usual, didn't run hard to first). Burnett didn't take advantage of his good fortune though, when he fielded Sean Rodriguez' chopper and threw wildly to first for a run-scoring error.

Rookie starter Alex Cobb held the Yankees to three hits over six innings, but the Yankees chipped away at the lead in the 8th against Cesar Ramos and former Yankee reliever Kyle Farnsworth. Cano singled to start the frame and Swisher followed with a walk. Farnsworth retired Jones, but gave up back-to-back singles to Brett Gardner and Martin to produce a run, and another scored on Eduardo Nunez' fielder's choice.

David Robertson struck out two of the three batters he faced in the 8th inning to raise his record to 3-0. He now has 59 strikeouts in 37.1 innings.

Brandon Laird, Come On Down

The Yankees roster has seen a number of new names and faces this season and another has been added to it. Due to an emergency appendectomy to utility man Ramiro Pena, the Yankees have recalled Brandon Laird from Triple-A Scranton.

Unlike Pena, Laird has made his reputation with his bat and not his glove. He tore up Double-A Trenton last season before a promotion in August to Scranton. Laird started off slowly this season and has raised his OPS to just .711. He does have 10 home runs and 49 RBI playing primarily third base, with some time across the diamond and in the outfield.

Laird hit 23 home runs and drove in 90 runs in 107 games for the Eastern League's Thunder in 2010. He also added 22 doubles and 38 walks and was a Double-A All-Star. He's the younger brother of MLB veteran catcher Gerald Laird.

Pena, who turned 26 today, is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Joba Chamberlain, already sidelined with Tommy John surgery, had an appendectomy two weeks ago.

FullCountPitch - GMs, Man Your Phones!

It’s less than two weeks until the annual MLB trade deadline, the time when buyers and sellers manipulate their rosters to make a run at the playoffs in the current season or re-tool their teams for the future.

These next two weeks will determine whether the teams become buyers or sellers. There are so many teams still in play in the divisional and wild card races that the demand currently outweighs the supply. Teams currently on the bubble could fall off with a bad stretch or they could become more aggressive with a winning streak.

As for the players available, there aren’t a lot of sexy names out there and I would expect this season’s deadline trading to be a fairly boring one. Of course, one major deal could change all of that. Here’s a look at the teams that are buying/selling and some of the players that could be switching uniforms by the time August rolls around.

AL East

Buyers – Boston, New York

The Red Sox and Yankees would both like to add a starting pitcher as well as add depth to their bullpens. (as would every other contender in baseball.) There are no big names out there, unless you believe the “Ubaldo Jimenez is on the market” rumors. The media should know by now that just because a team is scouting another team’s minor leaguers that doesn’t mean trade talks are going on. It’s just the nature of the business. A more likely scenario would have both teams discussing Huston Street or Rafael Betancourt with Colorado.

As for a starting pitcher a deal for someone like the Astros’ Brett Myers would make more sense. A’s GM Billy Beane will most certainly receive calls for one of his young pitchers, but Beane is not likely to deal Trevor Cahill or Gio Gonzalez at this point unless he gets a large haul in return.

Moderate Buyer – Tampa Bay

The Rays aren’t going to make a big splash at the deadline. They simply won’t deal any of their top prospects – Desmond Jennings, Jake McGee, etc., – especially since there aren’t many available players worth a top notch prospect. The Rays do need another bat though if they are to stay in the divisional and wild card races. Perhaps a Michael Cuddyer? The Rays reportedly covet St. Louis’ Colby Rasmus, who doesn’t see eye to eye with his manager, Tony LaRussa.

If things go south for the Rays in the next two weeks, they could also find themselves as sellers. With Johnny Damon’s semi-resurrection, the Rays could certainly get back something of value for him should they decide to deal him. There are constant rumors about outfielder B.J. Upton, but teams are leery about Upton’s lack of steady performance and, at times, hustle.

Seller – Baltimore, Toronto

The Orioles have pitching, not necessarily great pitching, but pitching nonetheless that could be moved. Unlike last season when the Orioles could find no takers for Kevin Millwood (possibly asking for too much), the Orioles should be able to move Jeremy Guthrie. The 32-yr old right hander has one of those strange oddities about his numbers over the last four seasons- thumbs up in the even number years, not so much in the odd numbered years. The Rangers are reportedly showing interest as they hope to add some depth to their rotation.

The Orioles also have inconsistent closer Kevin Gregg and the more dependable set up man Koji Uehara who could bring back some low level prospects. Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez would basically have to be given away. Offensively, the Orioles might find a taker for 1st baseman Derrek Lee, but again they won’t get much in return since Lee has had only one month in which his OPS has eclipsed .700. Any chance of dealing Vlad Guerrero prior to the waiver deadline ended when Guerrero suffered a fracture in his right hand, courtesy of a pitch from Boston’s Kyle Weiland.

The Blue Jays are building for the future and have a number of good, talented players on the way, some of which have been up this season already (Kyle Drabek, Zach Stewart), or are about to be (Brett Lawrie). The Blue Jays will find takers for Jon Rauch and/or Frank Francisco. Both have bounced back and forth between set up and closer, with Rauch now in the 9th inning role.

With Lawrie due to arrive in early August, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion is expendable, but his .299 OBP suits him for a reserve role (his .412 SLG Pct could make him a useful pinch-hitter). Outfielder Corey Patterson, who turns 32 in August, could also serve in a reserve outfield role for a number of teams.

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

CC Stops The Bleeding

"You ain't hitting this."

After shaky outings from Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, you can bet Joe Girardi was ecstatic to put CC Sabathia's name on the lineup card as the starting pitcher.

Sabathia became the Major's first 14-game winner with a dominant eight inning performance against the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-1 Yankees win. The victory snapped the Yankees two game losing streak with a chance to gain a split of the series tomorrow afternoon.

Sabathia won his seventh straight after he allowed a run in the first inning. Rajai Davis drew a lead off walk and stole his 25th base of the season. One out later Yunel Escobar singled past a diving Robinson Cano for a 1-0 Blue Jays lead. But Sabathia would allow just one more hit until John McDonald's one out double in the 8th. He allowed three walks, struck out eight and won for the 12th time in 13 starts. The 6'7" left-hander has also won seven straight starts and has allowed just two earned runs in his last 39.2 innings pitched.

The Yankees took the lead in the 2nd inning when Andruw Jones followed Nick Swisher's ground rule double with an RBI single off Rickey Romero. Jones homered twice in Thursday night's loss. Brett Gardner's double put boith runners in scoring position with Jones scoring on Eduardo Nunez's chopper to third.

The Yankees played sloppy defense in the first two games, but Saturday it was Toronto's turn to do some gifting. Curtis Granderson drew a lead off walk to start the third and one out later Robinson Cano singled him to third. Romero struck out Swisher, but Cano broke for second to draw a throw from catcher J.P. Arencibia. Second baseman Aaron Hill threw wildly home as Granderson scored the Yankees third run.

The Yankees scored again in the 4th when Gardner, who had three hits, hit a bloop to center and hustled to second for a lead off double. He scored from third on a two out RBI single by Derek Jeter for a 4-1 Yankees lead.

The Blue Jays got back to back one out bloop singles off Mariano Rivera in the 9th, but the Yankees closer picked up his 23rd save when he struck out Hill and got Travis Snider to ground out to Jeter to end the game.

Notes

In addition to his three hits, Brett Gardner stole his 10th consecutive base without getting caught.

Eric Chavez will reportedly start a rehab assignment any day now.

Eduardo Nunez's fielding trouble continued Saturday. He made his 12th error of the season.

The Blue Jays hope to get Jose Bautista (twisted ankle) back on Tuesday. For now, he's in a walking boot.

Yankees Still On Break

The Yankees have had two games since the All-Star break, but apparently no one has notified them yet. Thursday they started with an embarrassing 16-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Friday night the Yankees were doubled to death by Toronto in a 7-1 loss. The two games have exposed the elephant in the room/stadium. The Yankees starting pitching staff is still a question mark.

The rotation had exceeded expectations during the first half, but cracks began to show when Bartolo Colon went on the DL with a hamstring injury. Colon has made two starts since being activated and is pitched poorly both times out. After Thursday night's first inning exit, Colon admitted he's been tentative due to his leg injury. Colon's success in the first half was due to his blazing fastball and aggressive approach.

Colon's allowed five runs in 5.2 innings against Tampa Bay on July 7, but things went worse for him last evening. He had trouble getting over to first base to cover on a grounder to Mark Teixeira and couldn't move quickly enough on a pair of swinging bunts on the third base side of the mound.

In fairness to Garcia, he entered Friday evening on a streak of five straight starts with three runs or less allowed and at least six innings pitched. But Friday night Garcia hung one breaking pitch after another to the tune of five doubles in five innings. That is the problem when you have two aging starters whose best days are behind them. Colon has had physical issues for a number of years, while Garcia is no longer the hard thrower he once was. If he's on, he's terrific, but when he's not you get games like tonight's.

The Yankees still need to improve the rotation for the long haul of the second half. Whether it is Ivan Nova or a pitcher acquired through a trade, something needs to be done.

CC Tops

CC, how do I love thee,
Let me count the wins,
Thirteen at the All-Star break!

CC Sabathia knew he had to be at his best on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays own ace, James Shields, was toeing the rubber for the visiting team. All Sabathia did was go out and throw a complete game shutout in the Yankees 1-0 win.

Sabathia, who was named to the All-Star team on Sunday though he won't pitch in the game, was superb. He rared back in the 9th inning and blew a 98-mph fastball by Elliot Johnson to end the game. His 9th strikeout of the game improved Sabathia's record to 13-4 and lowered his ERA To 2.72. In his last four starts (31.2 IP), Sabathia is 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA (one earned run allowed), 42 strikeouts, and a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Overall, the big man has won his last six starts and 10 of the last 11 times he's been on the mound.

Sabathia faced just two batters over the minimum as he got some help from his defense. Catcher Russell Martin threw out B.J. Upton and Sean Rodriguez on steal attempts and Andruw Jones doubled Upton off of first base on a fly out to right field.

The Yankees couldn't do much better off of Shields, who lowered his ERA to 2.33 despite the loss. The Rays gifted the Yankees a run in the 7th to break the scoreless tie. Robinson Cano led off the inning with a single and was nearly doubled off first when Jorge Posada flew out to shallow center. But Upton's throw sailed into the seats for a two base error. Rays manager Joe Maddon is never afraid to throw caution to the wind, but a two out decision in the inning cost the Rays the game.

Shields tried to pick Cano off of third base, but Sean Rodriguez was late to cover and Shield's throw sailed wide to allow Cano to score the game's lone run. The run proved to be enough for a Yankees team that had neither Alex Rodriguez or Nick Swisher in the lineup and managed just four hits on the day.

Notes

A-Rod will undergo knee surgery today on his slightly torn meniscus and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. He visited with specialist Dr. Lee Kaplan in Miami on Sunday and will follow Kaplan's recommendation to have the procedure done. Eduardo Nunez will get the majority of playing time while A-Rod is out. No word on who the Yankees will add to the roster in A-Rod's place, but that decision does not have to be made immediately with the the league at the All-Star break.

Speaking of All-Stars, reliever David Robertson has been added to the squad as a replacement. "Houdini" has had quite a year; he moved into the 8th inning set up role when Joba Chamberlain had Tommy John surgery and has struck out a remarkable 56 batters in 35.1 innings pitched (14.3 per nine innings).

Nick Swisher sat out his second straight game on Sunday with a strained quad, but hopes to be back in the lineup when play resumes on Thursday.

What The Opposition Had to Say About DJ 3K

As you read these comments, a lot of them from the top players in the game, you know that it's mainly scrubs and jealous players that call Derek Jeter overrated.

From NY Daily News:
Joe Torre (in section 121B): In the end, though, "I don't think it could've been scripted any better - Yankee Stadium, day game, Saturday afternoon, playing one of your division rivals and the best pitcher on their staff out there," Torre said. It was apt that Jorge Posada was in the lineup and was the first to greet Jeter at the plate, Torre said, and that Mariano Rivera closed the game.

Perfect for Jeter, who "is about as loyal a Yankee and proud to be a Yankee as anybody I've ever been around," Torre said. "This was just so heartwarming for me. My daughter was here, my wife. I can't tell you what this meant to me."

From NJ.com (Star Ledger):

Alex Rodriguez: “Only a guy like Derek Jetercan have a day, and a moment, and a hit like he had today.”

From ESPNBoston: Prior to their own game, Boston gathered around the TV set to watch some history.

Dustin Pedroia: "It's not just me, it's the whole league. This guy has played the game right for a long time. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer and when he's done, I don't think there will be a bad thing said about him. He's a first-class guy. He's a winner. The highest praises you could say about a guy is what you would say about Jeter."

Tim Wakefield: "It's a fitting tribute to a guy that has spent his whole career with one organization and has been a true professional his whole career there. For him to get 3,000 hits in the amount of time that he's done it is pretty amazing. It shows how great of an athlete he is and I have the utmost respect for him the way he goes about his business. He's as professional as anyone. It's pretty cool that I've faced him the most times of anybody."

Terry Francona: "If you like baseball, he's a lot of what's good in baseball. He respects the game. He plays the game right. He makes me proud for the way he goes about his business."

Jason Varitek: "For anyone, that's a fabulous feat. To be a part of it in your generation of players is pretty neat. He's been a superstar pretty much since Day 1 that I've been in this uniform and have played against him. He's carried himself that way, he's played that way and there's a reason he has 3,000 hits."

"A great part of my career are the head-to-head battles with that organization. That has been hundreds and hundreds of games. It's been fun. I have the utmost respect for him as a player, the way he conducts himself and the way he conducts himself as a champion."

Jonathan Papelbon: "He's been one of the true statesmen of the game. He plays the game the right way," Papelbon said. "From my perspective, I've always loved to compete against him. Every time I have an at-bat against him, it seems like it's a 12- to 15-pitch at-bat. For me, and for this season, it's one of the high points of baseball."

From the NY Times:
Terry Collins: “I thought it was tremendous, not only for Derek Jeter, but it was great for baseball,” he said. “He’s one of the true great players and to do what he did today to celebrate 3,000 hits is incredible.”

Collins said he expected more magical chapters from Jeter.

“You know, if you wrote a story, that would be the ending to it,” he said. “When he’s going to retire, the last game he’s going to get four hits and get the game winner and he’s going to make a play in the hole and make a jump throw to first and nip the guy in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Yankees are going to win the last game and the World Series.”

From SignOnSandiego.com:
Tony Gwynn: “Jeter did it right. That was great. I know a lot of guys, including me, the mindset that you had your entire career is out the window as you get close to 3,000. I went into a homestand needing 12 hits. No problem. I got six. I needed six in St. Louis, got five. That was the most I pressed in my career.” “It’s still cool, 3,000 is one of those moments you never forget.”

From ESPNNew York:
Casey Kotchman, who tipped his cap to the Yankees legend as Jeter broke into his home run trot past him.: "I felt like that was the right thing to do out of respect for what he's done and what he means to the sport," Kotchman said. "On a single or a double I thought I'd have my chance to shake his hand and give him a hug and say congratulations first. When he went in the seats, that wasn't going to happen and I wasn't going to be able to shake his hand so I tipped my cap."

Johnny Damon, former teammate: "It was a great moment for Derek, his family and the history of the Yankees franchise. Derek stands for the good stuff in baseball. I'm proud of him."

David Price: "I feel like everyone in this locker room has mutual respect for Derek Jeter, probably everybody in baseball, it's not like he's done anything to anybody to have not the same amount of respect as everybody else," Price said. "He's done it the right way and I know a lot of guys respect him."

Joe Maddon: Maddon said it was a great day at Yankee Stadium, while saying it was unfortunate Jeter went 5-for-5 against his team, including the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning. He said his team will always remember being part of this game and he has an appreciation for what happened.

From Miami Herald:
Jack McKeon: “It’s nice to see a guy do that, especially at his home park,” Marlins manager Jack McKeon said.

Randy Choate, former teammate: “That guy has lived a pretty storied career,” Choate said. “I don’t know what more you could want, and it couldn’t happen to a better person.”

From NY Post:

Wade Boggs: "It is an exclusive honor, achieved by only a select group, that not many people can call their own," Boggs said in a statement. "It is a monumental achievement, and Derek has climbed the mountain. He's reached that honor, where he can stake his flag in the mountain and call it his own."

"I had no doubts that Derek would reach this milestone," Boggs said. "He is a very consistent player and he never deviated from his game."

Derek Jeter's 3000 Storybook Day

Derek Jeter is a private person to the rest of the world. Buttoned up in interviews. Quietly lives his life off the field, even when dating the most beautiful starlets. But when Derek Jeter is on a baseball field there is nothing quiet about what he does. The "Flip Play", "Mr. November", the dive into the stands, are all part of Jeter's very public baseball persona. We all knew Jeter would get his 3,000th hit any day now, but only Jeter puts on the type of show he did on Saturday.

Jeter became just the second player (Wade Boggs the other) to hit a home run for his 3,000th hit. He got it in his second at-bat (3rd inning) after he singled through the left side his first time up. It tied the game at 1-1 against David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays. But Jeter was far from through.

He ripped a double to left in the 5th and scored on a Curtis Granderson single.

One inning later he singled to right with a very Jeterian swing, the one you would have expected on #3000, and then stole second on the back end of a double steal with Brett Gardner.

With the game tied 4-4 in the 8th (after a rare David Robertson bad inning) he singled back through the middle, past the drawn in infield to score Eduardo Nunez from third with the go ahead/winning run.


A 5-5 day, the first player to perform such a feat on the day he got his 3,000th (Craig Biggio also had a five hit days, in six at-bats when he got his 3,000 hit in an 11 inning game). He became the 28th player to reach the 3K total. He beat Pete Rose by nine days to become the fourth youngest player to achieve the milestone. With his third hit of the day he passed the great Roberto Clemente for 27th place on the all-time hits list. He needs just four hits to catch Al Kaline, seven to catch his former teammate Boggs, 17 to reel in Rafael Palmeiro, and 20 to chase down the speedy Lou Brock. He could conceivably move into the top 20 by season's end.

Back to the hit itself. Jorge Posada, Jeter's best friend on the team, said he would be the first to greet the Yankees captain when he got his 3,000th hit and he was right. Posada was first in line to hug Jeter as he crossed home plate. Mariano Rivera was right behind him with his arms outstretched. All of Jeter's teammates, manager, and coaches followed suit. And the fans, who were standing throughout his entire at-bat, roared on and on.

And no one left when the game ended. YES' Kim Jones interviewed a very humbled Jeter on the field ("Hitting a home run was the last thing I was thinking about") after Rivera recorded the save. The interview was interrupted near it's end when the fans en masse changed "Der-ek Je-ter". The captain raised his cap in acknowledgement for a group that just could not shower enough love on their long-time player and icon, and one of them in particular displayed a very Jeterian quality.

Christian Lopez caught Jeter's home run in the left field bleachers. He could have, as John Flaherty said, sold it to the highest bidder. But Lopez, who was brought into the YES broadcast booth during the game, would have none of it. He didn't want anything other than to give Jeter the ball. He was at the game because his girlfriend had bought seats as a birthday gift for him. His Dad, wearing a DiMaggio jersey put a bear hug around his son to keep others from trying to grab the ball away from him. (the ball actually hit his hands first.)

While he may not have gotten money, Lopez had a day he won't soon forget. The recent college grad with a degree in government has been working at a Verizon Wireless store to "get by". It wouldn't be suprising if his fling with fame got him a job more to his liking and interests. What it did get him was a load of "DJ 3K" merchandise and a set of suite tickets for every home game, playoffs included, for the rest of the season. And the very excited young man ("You're the voice of the Yankees" he excitedly exclaimed to Michael Kay.) got his best gift after the game. He got to meet the man himself and had pictures taken with him.

The only thing missing from the day was his Jeter's mom Dorothy and his sister Sharlee who were at a christening, but Jeter's dad Charles kept them appraised by phone. He did an interview with Kim Jones shortly after his son's big hit and you could tell where Derek got his values from. The first thing papa Jeter said was, "We really need a win today".

Jeter got the hit, the win, and a day he'll never forget. Neither will any of the rest of us.

A-Rod Has Torn Meniscus

Not good news from Yankeeland this morning. The team revealed that Alex Rodriguez has a slight meniscus tear in his right knee and may need in-season surgery. As someone who has had a torn meniscus in their right knee for the last eight years, let me tell it can really hurt sometimes. I've just had no reason to mess with it since most of the time it doesn't bother me.

My good buddy @YankeesInk is covering today's game and tweeted that Joe Girardi is waiting to make a decision as to whether or not A-Rod will play in today's game. If so, he'll be the DH.

Jeter Has 2 For 2

With last night's rainout between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter's chances of getting hit #3,000 at home diminished by one. The Yankees asked Tampa to play a day-night twinbill today, but the Rays said no, preferring to make the game up in September. Anyone who is angry at Tampa for doing that is bananas. They have to think about winning not about DJ.

Also bananas is Buster Olney, who tweeted this gem on Twitter this morning.

Obviously if not for his pursuit of 3,000 and the chance to reach the milestone at home, Jeter would not have been playing every day since returning from the DL. Joe Girardi is much more cautious than that when it comes to injuries. I will agree with Olney though that Jeter could still attend the game to thank the fans who voted him as the starter in a year that he didn't deserve to start (my words not Olney's). Back to the other side of the coin, this is the first time that Jeter has backed out of a game while playing. Olney later ridiculously brought up Manny Ramirez, who constantly backed out of games, as if there was some comparison.

More bananas- people calling into WFAN or 1050ESPN to criticize Jeter for just about anything. For the Yankees losing four of five since his return as if no one else on the team should shoulder blame. Of course there have also been Mets fans pointing out how well the Mets have done since Reyes has been out of the lineup. There really are a lot of idiots out there. Like someone on 1050 this morning who brought up Jeter not attending Bob Shephard's funeral. Water under the bridge people.

As for 3,000, no one wants to get this out of the way more than Jeter. It's a distraction to him and certainly the fans, just as home run #600 was for A-Rod last year. But it is not a distraction to the team and hasn't affected the way they have played. Injuries, poor pitching, and no timely hitting is responsible for this skid. Seasons are about streaks and this is one of the bad ones. (Boston and Tampa Bay have gone through the same ups and downs too, that is why the race is so close.)

In addition to Jeter, Mariano Rivera (elbow) and Alex Rodriguez (knee) will both miss the All-Star game as well. A-Rod's knee is of major concern as he has not been driving the ball at all. The three days off and maybe today and tomorrow as well will do him good.

Speaking of All-Stars not able to play- Shane Victorino was voted in by the fans in the NL "Final Vote" and immediately went on the DL.

Bad job by NL Home Run Derby captain Prince Fielder for not selecting Justin Upton to compete in front of his home fans in Phoenix.

Back to the insane radio callers..."Nick from Manhattan" I can understand your mistrust of ball players, but to suggest that Bartolo Colon is on HGH because he is "like 40 pounds heavier" and in light of Roger Clemens upcoming trial...is idiotic. Colon has 40 pounds of hamburgers, fries, and chalupas.

Good luck to Brian Gordon. The feel-good-story pitcher - released by the Phillies - starting pitcher for the Yankees the next day - was remarkable. That the converted outfielder even got his first big league at-bats in interleague play makes the story even better. But with the return of Colon and Phil Hughes there was no room for Gordon and the Yankees sent him down. Now they have released him and sold his contract to a team in Korea. Long way to go, but if you love the game...

In non-Yankees news, another big time prospect made his debut last night. With centerfielder Peter Bourjos sidelined by a bad hamstring, the Angels recalled 19-yr old uber-prospect Mike Trout from Double-A. Though he went 0-3, it was exciting to see him out there. Trout joined Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Belt, and Lonnie Chisenhall in making their Major League debuts this season. All were among the top 25 prospects (Baseball America) in baseball prior to the season. Pineda (Sea) and Freeman (Atl) have been with their teams since day one and are among the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year.

Colon, Nunez Dominate Mets

A little after 4 p.m. on Saturday Bartolo Colon picked up right where he left off when he injured his hamstring on June 11. Colon improved to 6-3 with six shutout innings in the Yankees 5-2 win over the Mets. It was the Yankees seventh straight victory and clinched their seventh straight series victory. Colon scattered five hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out six.

Eduardo Nunez continued his red hot hitting with three hits (seven in the last two innings), including his first Major League home run. Mets starter Dillon Gee was solid through five innings, but ran into the Yankees hot bats in the 6th.

Gee retired Brett Gardner to start the 6th, but Curtis Granderson homered for the first time since June 14 (#22) to break the scoreless tie. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez followed with singles and Robinson Cano brought them home with a two-run triple into the right field corner. Nick Swisher's sac fly made it a 4-0 game.

The Mets offense got humstrung both figuratively and literally when Jose Reyes had to leave the game with a tweaked hamstring. The injury occurred in the first inning as Reyes raced to first base with a single. The Mets posed no threat to Colon until the 5th inning when they loaded the bases with one out on singles by Jason Bay, Lucas Duda, and Josh Thole. But pitcher Dillon Gee bounced a ball to Alex Rodriguez, who stepped on third and threw across the diamond for an easy inning ending double play.

Nunez's first blast came off of Tim Byrdak in the 9th and he was greeted in the dugout by the silent treatment. He laughed about it afterwards with Fox's Ken Rosenthal.

The Mets finally broke through in the 9th with a pair of runs off of Sergio Mitre in the 9th.

1st Inning, Umps Do In Mets

The Yankees-Mets Subway Series is not what it once was. The media tries to create a buzz and the fans still want to see the opponent beaten to a pulp, but there's not the tension there was earlier in the decade.

That doesn't mean there can't be a tightly contested game that is not without it's controversy. Case in point, last night's meeting between the two teams that resulted in a 5-1 Yankees win. It was just a 3-1 Yankees lead in the 7th inning when Alex Rodriguez pulled off an Oscar worthy performance and umpire Jerry Layne possibly changed the course of events. Mets shortsop Jose Reyes singled off Corey Wade to start the inning and advanced to second on a deep fly out by Justin Turner. When the ball got away from relay man Eduardo Nunez, Reyes broke for third and appeared to beat Nunez's throw to Rodriguez.

But Layne, who had run up the line from home plate, was blocked out by Rodriguez on the play. The Yankees third baseman made a swipe tag and sold it to Layne, who called Reyes out. The only problem was Rodriguez's tag attempt never reached Reyes. The Mets shortstop and third base coach Chip Hale immediately went after Layne, and manager Terry Collins was ejected as he joined the fray.

Instead of a man on third and less than two outs, the Mets had two out and none on and were done. Josh Thole reached on a one out single off Hector Noesi in the 9th prompting Joe Girardi to immediately call on (translation-overreact) Mariano Rivera in a non-save situation to close things out for the Yankees 16th win in 20 games.

As has been customary of late, the Yankees put runs together in the 1st inning. Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson started the game with back to back singles against starter Jon Niese, and both scored on Mark Teixeira's double to right. Niese finally retired Rodriguez for the first out, but Robinson Cano drilled a double to left for a 3-0 Yankes lead.

Ivan Nova wasn't particulary sharp, but made some big pitches when he needed to. Reyes and Turner began the bottom of the 1st with singles, but Nova got Carlos Beltran to pop out and Dan Murphy to bounce into an inning ending DP. The Mets did get their lone run an inning later on three straight singles by Jason Bay, Ronny Paulino, and Ruben Tejada, but stranded two runners when Niese struck out and Reyes bounced out.

In Nova's 5th and final inning, he retired the first two hitters, but gave up back to back singles to Beltran and Turner and walked Murphy to load the bases. But the right-hander, who won his 8th game, struck out Angel Pagan to escape the threat.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez made a spectacular throw, Jeterian like, when he backhanded a well hit ball and leapt to throw the runner out at first. But he thanked Mark Teixeira after the game for saving him from throwing errors on scoops made my the Gold Glove 1st baseman.

As expected, Derek Jeter will play tonight and tomorrow for the Trenton Thunder. GM Brian Cashman said Jeter will not play the full nine innings this evening.

Bartolo Colon will be activated to start this afternoon's game with Hector Noesi the likely candidate to be sent to the minors. UPDATE 3:40 pm: so much for rumors..Brian Gordon, not Noesi, was sent to Scranton to make room for Colon.