Suckered By the Yankees Again

"They brought in Joba?!!!"

There's a famous scene in the Godfather Part III - a horrible movie by any standard - that has stood the test of time. It's been repeated, re-phrased, re-imagined, and spoofed a 1,000 times over.

Al Pacino's Michael Corleone says with much exasperation, "Every time I try get out, they pull me back in!" When it comes to the Yankees, it's more like "Every time I try to get in, they pull me back out." Sunday was one of those days. Having already won the first two games of a three game series against the Baltimore Orioles, Andy Pettitte continued his August turnaround with six solid innings.

The Yankees led 3-0 when the first two Orioles reached to start the 7th inning. Joe Girardi sent for Shawn Kelley to face Matt Wieters. The Orioles' catcher singled to drive in Baltimore's first run of the day and then J.J. Hardy hit an opposite field 3-run home run to put the Orioles ahead for good.

Kelley gets a pass; though every game is a must win, he's been pretty solid all season. The next two relievers don't get a pass from though, especially one of them. Boone Logan replaced Kelley and gave up a hit and a walk. When Logan is on, he's fantastic and when he stinks, he smells worse than East River. There's no-in between for the left-hander.

Things got worse moments later when Girardi signaled for number 62 to enter the game. Joba Chamberlain should never be in another game in a Yankees uniform unless it's an Old-Timer's Day and he's buzzing  the head of a 70-year old Kevin Youkilis.  Rumors have it that Adam Jones could be seen drooling as he watched Chamberlain warm up from the on-deck circle.

Chamberlain retired Manny Machado on a failed bunt attempt, but Jones blasted one to deep center for a 7-3 Orioles lead that was three more runs than the O's would need. The Yankees had momentarily moved into third place, but slinked back to fourth place in the AL East after Sunday's sudden score change. They also dropped  back to 3.5 out in the wild card after Oakland won.

The Yankees now play a more inept Chicago White Sox team that swept a three game series with the Yankees in Chi-town in August. With this Yankees team, you just don't know what you'll get...except for aggravation.

Bad Pitches, Bad Players, Bad Judgment Makes Bad Games

gif courtesy of eutawstreetreport.com

It's a Netflix (Saturday) night in the household- a wise decision to avoid a night of Yankees baseball. Since the game is being broadcast on FOX, it made the decision somewhat easy.

After the once proud pinstripes looked like laughing stocks in Baltimore last night, it was time to for a baseball breather. The game pretty much summarized what the Yankees season has been all about. Poorly timed pitching, guys playing out of position, crucial errors, and a complete lack of hitting. That last one is not so shocking considering the lineup the Yankees are trotting out on a daily basis.

CC Sabathia got the start last night and was handed a 3-0 lead early. He made the most of it through five innings without a hit allowed to the Orioles. Then came the 6th inning and there went the ball game. After Nate McLouth broke up the no-no with a single, the decision to play David Adams out of position badly backfired on Joe Girardi.

Alexi Casilla hit a weak tapper to the first base side of Sabathia. It was his ball all the way, but Adams, a natural second baseman that has been learning third base, charged the ball from his position at first base. It was Adams second career appearance at first and the inexperienced showed.

With Robinson Cano unable to get over to cover the bag, Casilla easily reached with an infield single. Then things went from bad to worse. Manny Machado laced a one-out double to the gap and right-center and scored an out later from third on an Adam Jones single to tie the game at 3-3.

The Yankees picked up a quick run in the 1st inning on a Robinson Cano RBI single off of rookie T.J. McFarland, who was made his first career start. Two innings later Vernon Wells and Chris Stewart produced RBI singles for a 3-0 Yankees lead. It appeared for once the Yankees might have a fairly easy night.

Yes, I know, laughing material. The team had 11 hits, but only four after the 3rd inning. They struck out 11 times, including a hat trick by Alberto Gonzalez, just another in a long line of hit-less wonders that filled out the 25-man roster this season.

As for Sabathia, his velocity was pretty good for a change- 93 mph most of the night and 95 at one point - but he made some bad pitches, one in particular, just as he did against the Rays in his last start. The Yankees got Sabathia off the hook after he allowed Wil Myers' grand slam in the Rays game, but there was no rescue job after Sabathia surrendered a game winning home run to the left-handed hitting McLouth in the 7th.

Sabathia expressed the frustration felt by himself, the team, the front office, and all of the fans when he threw his glove and hat in a fit of rage in the dugout. I felt like throwing the remote (Which I hadn't done since Game 5 of the 1994 NHL playoff series between the Rangers and Devils, but that's a story for another time.)

Girardi and GM Brian Cashman get mixed reviews from the Yankees fan base and from me as well. I think they have their strong points and some glaring weaknesses. I'm not happy with Girardi's in-game decisions (The binder reliance) and his need to mix and match/counter the opponents every late inning move.

I'm sure Lyle Overbay needed a rest, but was there not a better option at first base than Adams? The answer is actually not really, which gets thrown back to Cashman for not mixing and matching his players. Girardi could have gone with Gonzalez, who has only seven games of experience at first base, but has 419 games of Major League experience and probably would have handled it better. Adams would have then just been back at third base.

The bottom line is the decision time is nearing.  With the trade deadline looming on the horizon, the Yankees entered Saturday's night play 5 1/2 games behind Boston. Eduardo Nunez should be back next week, meaning Adams or Gonzalez will be gone. Francisco Cervelli should be back shortly thereafter, with Austin Romine ticketed for a return to Scranton. But then what?

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez aren't close to returning. Curtis Granderson? Who knows. Cashman needs to bring in reinforcements (People please stop bring up Justin Morneau, have you bothered to look at his numbers this year and his injury track record?) or this season will be done when the calendar turns to August.

Buy or sell Yankees, either way make a decision.

Every O Has His Day

Sometimes you just have to give credit where credit is due. That was the case when the Yankees lost for just their second time in12 meetings with the Baltimore Orioles.

Following the game plan that seems to be etched in stone for decades, the Yankees struggled with a rookie pitcher. Jake Arrieta, making his major league debut, limited the Yankees to four hits over six innings and settled down after he allowed three over the 2nd and 3rd innings. The Orioles' bullpen also had a rare solid outing with closer of the day David Hernandez notching his first big league save.

A.J. Burnett was handed a 3-2 lead and seemed to be in a groove after allowing a pair of runs in the 1st inning. But he surrendered Scott Moore's first home run of the year in the 5th to tie it and gave up a pair of one out rockets an inning later to give Baltimore the lead for good.

Luke Scott ripped a shot to right that appeared would be caught by a leaping Nick Swisher, but the Yankees right fielder seemingly mistimed his jump and Scott had himself a triple. Adam Jones followed with a gapper to right-center for a double and a 4-3 Orioles lead.

Robinson Cano's streak of nine straight multi-hit games at Camden Yards came to an end, but he did reach on a one out double in the 2nd inning. Two batters later Curtis Granderson plated him with a triple in the right field corner.

An inning later the Yankees took the lead when Chad Moeller reached on a lead off walk and scored on Derek Jeter's double. Jeter moved to third base on the play and scored on Nick Swisher's sac fly to give the Yankees their only lead of the game, 3-2.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez left the game after just a half inning of play due to stiffness in his groin. He barely moved on an RBI hit by Jones in the bottom of the 1st and was lifted for pinch-hitter Ramiro Pena in the top of the 2nd. For now he's day-to-day, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sit out a couple of games against the Houston Astros this weekend.

Jorge Posada's catching sessions have gotten more intense, but there's still no word as to when he'll return to the position in a game.

photo courtesy of Syracuse.com

Yankees Steamroll O's

There was plenty of buzz in the D.C. metro area last night, all of it south of Baltimore where Stephen Strasburg was making his major league debut for the Washington Nationals. Meanwhile, the Yankees buzz sawed the Orioles 12-7 at Camden Yards.

Nick Swisher drove in five runs, Curtis Granderson belted a grand slam, and Mark Teixeira broke out of his slump, for one night at least, with three hits and a home run. All of the offense was more than enough for Phil Hughes to pick up his eighth win despite not having his best stuff.

While Strasburg was making history with 14 strikeouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Yankees jumped all over Kevin Millwood for the second time in a week. Swisher, the games second batter, continued his assault on Camden Yards with a 2-run home run. The right fielder has a career .339 average at the Orioles' home with 14 HR and 36 RBI in 31 games.

Two innings later, the Yankees the loaded the bases off of Millwood and Granderson broke the game open with his second career grand slam. Since returning from the DL on May 28, Granderson is hitting.324 (12-37) with eight RBI and eight runs scored.

Hughes said afterwards that he didn't feel quite right out on the mound, and the Orioles took advantage, banging out nine hits and scoring three runs in six innings. But the offense more than picked up the slack.

With the lead cut to 6-3, the Bombers put a six spot up on the board in the 7th. Swisher delivered a bases loaded double that plated three and Teixeira took out his most recent struggles on a Matt Albers pitch, sending it deep into the night for his 9th home run.

Notes

Just because you're the last man on the roster, doesn't mean you don't have to earn your way. I was not pleased when the Yankees re-signed Chad Gaudin after the A's released him in May and I continue to not be pleased. Last night, the Yankees almost needed to use "real" relievers when Gaudin gave up four runs over the final two innings. His ERA rose to 8.53 in the process.

Jorge Posada got closer to getting back behind home plate by catching Andy Pettitte's bullpen session yesterday.

Tuesday was the 41st anniversary of Mickey Mantle Day at version I of Yankee Stadium. The Mick had his number retired before a packed house.

Late mention, but congrats to Bob Lorenz for the job he did over the weekend doing play-by-play in the Yankees-Blue Jays series. He quickly proved that he, like Ken Singleton, is a better play-by-play guy than Michael Kay.

Yankees Rock the 7th to 7th Win

7 in 7th Gives Yankees 7 Straight

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Adam Jones • Alex Rodriguez • Brad Bergesen • Brian Roberts • cc sabathia • Chris Ray • Derek Jeter • Mark Teixeira • Yankees recap 5/19 • Yankees vs. Orioles

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	3	2
NY Yankees	2	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	X		9	7	0

WP - Sabathia (4-3) LP - Bergesen (1-2)

The Yankees were in the midst of another nail biter last night when theoffense decided to end things early for a change. Well, the 7th inning really isn’t early, but it’s earlier than the 9th or 10th. The Yankees scored seven runs to blow open a 2-1 game and beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-1. CC Sabathia gave up a run in the 1st inning, but shut down the Orioles for the next six innings to win his third game in a row.

Alex Rodriguez homered for the fourth straight game to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the 1st inning, but the Yankees couldn’t add on any runs against rookie Brad Bergesen, who retired 13 in a row at one point. But the 23-yr old issued back to back one out walks to Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano in the 7th. Hard thrower Chris Ray came on for the O’s and was promptly greeted by a line drive single to right by Melky Cabrera to load the bases. Shortstop Robert Andino mishandled Francisco Cervelli’s slow grounder for a run scoring error and Derek Jeter brought home three runs with a line drive double to the gap in right-center for a 6-1 Yankees lead. Jeter picked up 2 RBI and Cervelli scored the third run when Adam Jones made an errant relay throw to the infield.

Jeter moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Johnny Damon’s single to center and Mark Teixeira put a cherry on top of the sundae with a tremendous 2-run blast to the second deck in right field for a 9-1 lead. It was Teixeira’s 11th home run of the season and his fourth in the last four games.

Sabathia avenged his opening day disaster against the O’s by beating them for the second straight time. He allowed just one hit after the 1st inning and struck out 7. Sabathia has given up just three earned runs in his last 24 innings pitched.

Game Notes

Brian Bruney was activated before the game and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He also shaved his head. Edwar Ramirez was sent down to Scranton to make room on the 25-man roster. Basically, the Yankees could have flipped a coin between Ramirez and Jose Veras.

Chien-Ming Wang traveled to Yankee Stadium to throw a bullpen session with Dave Eiland. No word yet though on when he will be activated.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the four game home run streak is the eighth of A-Rod’s career, the most among active players. It’s also the fifth time he’s accomplished the feat with the Yankees. A mark that only Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Yogi Berra have achieved.

Phil Hughes tries to get on track tonight when he faces Jeremy Guthrie.

Hughes Sets Yankees Back

Yankees Return to the Norm in O’s Rout

May 10th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Adam Eaton • Adam Jones • Aubrey Huff • Brett Tomko • Greg Zaun • Phil Hughes • Yankees 5/8 recap • Yankees vs. Orioles

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	0	1	3	1	0	0	0		5	6	1
Baltimore	0	8	1	2	0	0	0	1	X		12	16	0

WP - Eaton (2-3) LP - Hughes (1-2)

The day after Phil Hughes tossed seven shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers, local sports radio shows were inundated with callers demanding that Chien-Ming Wang be traded and/or Joba Chamberlain be sent to the bullpen. They may be rethinking that stance. Hughes had his second straight poor outing Saturday night and the Baltimore Orioles pounded the Yankees 12-5.

As well played as Friday’s game was, last night’s game was a complete debacle. Hughes’ night was done after he had recorded just five outs. The Orioles put a snowman up on the board in the second inning in one of the worst displays of baseball this side of a t-ball game. Luke Scott and Luis Montanez opened the inning with seemingly harmless singles. Then all hell broke loose.

Greg Zaun followed with a single to right. Luke Scott was held up at third base, but Nick Swisher’s throw home couldn’t have been caught by Yao Ming standing on three ladders. To compound matters, Hughes wasn’t paying attention as he jogged to back up home plate. Scott scored easily ahead of Hughes relay throw to Francisco Cervelli for the O’s first run of the night.

Hughes hit Cesar Izturis on an 0-2 pitch to load the bases and Brian Roberts brought home the Orioles’ second run with a sac fly. A Hughes wild pitch,an Adam Jones RBI double, and Aubrey Huff’s fifth home run of the season extended the lead to 7-0. Hughes finally retired Melvin Mora for the second out of the inning, but was yanked after he put two more men aboard.

Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher homered for the Yankees, but it was way too little, too late. The Orioles added four more runs off of Edwar Ramirez and Brett Tomko, who was making his Yankees debut.

Game Notes

The Yankees are the eighth organization Brett Tomko has pitched for. He quickly indoctrinated himself into the Yankees bullpen by surrendering a home run to the first batter (Adam Jones) he faced.

Johnny Damon’s home run was his fifth in his last 10 games.

The Yankees’ pitching has a major league worst 5.88 ERA. They’ve already given up double digits in a game fives times in 30 games, and their walks and hits per inning ratio (WHIP) is the fourth worst in baseball.

Joba Chamberlain may be scratched from today’s rubber game of the series due to a popped blood vessel in his right thumb. He suffered the injury when he tossed a ball back to the infield during batting practice yesterday. Al Aceves will go in his stead if Chamberlain can’t make it. Koji Uehara, who beat the Yankees on April 8, will start for the Orioles.

Drubbed Again, Naturally

The Yankees could have shaken off Sunday night's miserable loss to Boston by starting out their homestand on the right foot against Baltimore last night. But Mike Mussina was knocked around like Jerry Quarry and the Yankees were thrashed for the second straight night, this time by the last place Orioles, 13-4. The offense was also anemic once again, this time against Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie.

It's games like these last two that makes it difficult to fully get behind this Yankees ball club. The Yankees offensive numbers over the past 10 games, of which they have won 8, looks quite impressive. But they did nothing in three games against Oakland and weren't effective against two of the three Red Sox starters.

It didn't help that Mike Mussina put his teammates in a quick hole. Moose escaped the 1st inning unscathed, thanks to a relay from Xavier Nady to Derek Jeter to Jose Molina, to nail Brian Roberts at home plate. But Yankees killer Kevin Millar struck in the 2nd inning, blasting a 3-run home run. Millar is now hitting .300-20-54 in 103 games against the Yankees. Ramon Hernandez went back to back with Millar for a 4-0 Orioles lead.

The Yankees went down in order in the first three innings before Johnny Damon led off the 4th with a single. That was quickly erased when Derek Jeter bounced into, yet, another double play. Bobby Abreu followed with a walk, but Alex Rodriguez tapped out to Hernandez to end the inning.

The Orioles extended their lead in the 5th when Adam Jones followed Roberts' double with an RBI triple and scored on an Aubrey Huff sac fly. A 6-0 lead after 5 and Mussina's night was done. The Orioles slammed David Robertson and Kyle Farnsworth for 7 more runs, including a grand slam by Jones.

Down 11-0 in the 7th, the Yankees finally got on the board on Xavier Nady's first American League home run and a 3-run shot by Damon. But it was much too little and definitely much too late.

Things don't get easier tonight with the erratic Darrell Rasner going for the Bombers against Daniel Cabrera. A feel good 8-game winning streak could easily become an ugly 3-game losing streak. The Yankees only bit of good fortune last night was losses by both the Rays and Red Sox.


July 28, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore	0	4	0	0	2	5	0	2	0		13	17	1
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0		4	9	0

Baltimore	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Roberts, 2B	4	2	2	0	2	1	0	.286
Jones, CF	6	3	3	5	0	1	4	.280
Markakis, RF	4	0	1	0	1	1	2	.290
Huff, DH	4	1	2	3	0	1	2	.295
Mora, 3B	4	1	1	0	0	1	2	.249
a-Fahey, PH-SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.241
Scott, LF	5	2	2	0	0	2	1	.262
Millar, 1B	5	2	3	3	0	1	0	.245
Hernandez, R, C	4	1	2	1	0	0	2	.252
Castro, J, SS-3B	5	1	1	1	0	2	3	.135
Totals	42	13	17	13	3	10	16
a-Popped out for Mora in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Markakis (30, Mussina), Huff (31, Mussina), Roberts (39, Mussina), Millar (17, Veras). 3B: Jones (6, Mussina). HR: Millar (15, 2nd inning off Mussina, 2 on, 0 out), Hernandez, R (12, 2nd inning off Mussina, 0 on, 0 out), Jones (7, 6th inning off Robertson, 3 on, 1 out), Huff (21, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Roberts 3; Jones 8; Markakis 2; Huff 6; Mora; Scott 2; Millar 7; Hernandez, R 5; Castro, J. RBI: Millar 3 (53), Hernandez, R (43), Jones 5 (48), Huff 3 (67), Castro, J (1). 2-out RBI: Huff 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Huff; Scott; Jones 2. SF: Huff. Team LOB: 7. FIELDING E: Roberts (5, throw). DP: (Roberts-Castro, J-Millar).

Baltimore	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Guthrie (W, 7-8)	6.1	3	1	1	2	4	1	3.49
Cormier	0.0	2	3	2	0	0	1	4.05
Bierd	1.1	3	0	0	1	2	0	1.47
Walker	1.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	4.70

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, DH	5	1	2	3	0	1	3	.317
Jeter, SS	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	.285
Betemit, SS	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.254
Abreu, RF	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	.279
Sexson, 1B	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	.219
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	.323
Moeller, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.225
Giambi, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	2	3	.249
Christian, RF	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.250
Cano, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.267
Nady, LF	3	1	1	1	0	1	1	.323
Cabrera, CF	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	.250
Molina, C	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.229
Totals	36	4	9	4	3	6	14
BATTING 2B: Molina (15, Cormier), Cano (23, Bierd). HR: Nady (14, 7th inning off Guthrie, 0 on, 1 out), Damon (7, 7th inning off Cormier, 2 on, 1 out). TB: Damon 5; Jeter; Betemit; Sexson; Cano 2; Nady 4; Cabrera; Molina 2. RBI: Nady (58), Damon 3 (43). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi 2; Damon 2. GIDP: Jeter. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING Outfield assists: Nady (Roberts at home).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Mussina (L, 13-7)	5.0	8	6	6	1	4	2	3.56
Robertson	0.1	4	5	5	2	0	1	4.97
Ramirez	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.35
Marte	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	3.38
Farnsworth	1.0	2	2	2	0	2	1	3.65
Veras	1.0	2	0	0	0	2	0	2.86

Cormier pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

WP: Robertson.
HBP: Nady (by Guthrie), Rodriguez, A (by Guthrie),
Hernandez, R (by Veras).
Pitches-strikes: Guthrie 102-62, Cormier 23-15,
Bierd 38-21, Walker 19-13, Mussina 95-63, Robertson 31-14,
Ramirez 7-6, Marte 15-9, Farnsworth 22-13, Veras 18-12.
Ground outs-fly outs: Guthrie 9-6, Cormier 0-0,
Bierd 1-1, Walker 1-3, Mussina 5-5, Robertson 0-1,
Ramirez 0-2, Marte 0-1, Farnsworth 0-1, Veras 0-1.
Batters faced: Guthrie 25, Cormier 3, Bierd 8, Walker 5,
Mussina 23, Robertson 7, Ramirez 2, Marte 4, Farnsworth 5, Veras 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Walker 3-0, Ramirez 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Sam Holbrook. 1B: Chad Fairchild.
2B: Mark Wegner. 3B: Jeff Kellogg.
Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 8 mph, R to L.
T: 3:31.
Att: 54,120.

Drubbed Again, Naturally

The Yankees could have shaken off Sunday night's miserable loss to Boston by starting out their homestand on the right foot against Baltimore last night. But Mike Mussina was knocked around like Jerry Quarry and the Yankees were thrashed for the second straight night, this time by the last place Orioles, 13-4. The offense was also anemic once again, this time against Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie.

It's games like these last two that makes it difficult to fully get behind this Yankees ball club. The Yankees offensive numbers over the past 10 games, of which they have won 8, looks quite impressive. But they did nothing in three games against Oakland and weren't effective against two of the three Red Sox starters.

It didn't help that Mike Mussina put his teammates in a quick hole. Moose escaped the 1st inning unscathed, thanks to a relay from Xavier Nady to Derek Jeter to Jose Molina, to nail Brian Roberts at home plate. But Yankees killer Kevin Millar struck in the 2nd inning, blasting a 3-run home run. Millar is now hitting .300-20-54 in 103 games against the Yankees. Ramon Hernandez went back to back with Millar for a 4-0 Orioles lead.

The Yankees went down in order in the first three innings before Johnny Damon led off the 4th with a single. That was quickly erased when Derek Jeter bounced into, yet, another double play. Bobby Abreu followed with a walk, but Alex Rodriguez tapped out to Hernandez to end the inning.

The Orioles extended their lead in the 5th when Adam Jones followed Roberts' double with an RBI triple and scored on an Aubrey Huff sac fly. A 6-0 lead after 5 and Mussina's night was done. The Orioles slammed David Robertson and Kyle Farnsworth for 7 more runs, including a grand slam by Jones.

Down 11-0 in the 7th, the Yankees finally got on the board on Xavier Nady's first American League home run and a 3-run shot by Damon. But it was much too little and definitely much too late.

Things don't get easier tonight with the erratic Darrell Rasner going for the Bombers against Daniel Cabrera. A feel good 8-game winning streak could easily become an ugly 3-game losing streak. The Yankees only bit of good fortune last night was losses by both the Rays and Red Sox.


July 28, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore	0	4	0	0	2	5	0	2	0		13	17	1
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0		4	9	0

Baltimore	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Roberts, 2B	4	2	2	0	2	1	0	.286
Jones, CF	6	3	3	5	0	1	4	.280
Markakis, RF	4	0	1	0	1	1	2	.290
Huff, DH	4	1	2	3	0	1	2	.295
Mora, 3B	4	1	1	0	0	1	2	.249
a-Fahey, PH-SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.241
Scott, LF	5	2	2	0	0	2	1	.262
Millar, 1B	5	2	3	3	0	1	0	.245
Hernandez, R, C	4	1	2	1	0	0	2	.252
Castro, J, SS-3B	5	1	1	1	0	2	3	.135
Totals	42	13	17	13	3	10	16
a-Popped out for Mora in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Markakis (30, Mussina), Huff (31, Mussina), Roberts (39, Mussina), Millar (17, Veras). 3B: Jones (6, Mussina). HR: Millar (15, 2nd inning off Mussina, 2 on, 0 out), Hernandez, R (12, 2nd inning off Mussina, 0 on, 0 out), Jones (7, 6th inning off Robertson, 3 on, 1 out), Huff (21, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Roberts 3; Jones 8; Markakis 2; Huff 6; Mora; Scott 2; Millar 7; Hernandez, R 5; Castro, J. RBI: Millar 3 (53), Hernandez, R (43), Jones 5 (48), Huff 3 (67), Castro, J (1). 2-out RBI: Huff 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Huff; Scott; Jones 2. SF: Huff. Team LOB: 7. FIELDING E: Roberts (5, throw). DP: (Roberts-Castro, J-Millar).

Baltimore	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Guthrie (W, 7-8)	6.1	3	1	1	2	4	1	3.49
Cormier	0.0	2	3	2	0	0	1	4.05
Bierd	1.1	3	0	0	1	2	0	1.47
Walker	1.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	4.70

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, DH	5	1	2	3	0	1	3	.317
Jeter, SS	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	.285
Betemit, SS	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.254
Abreu, RF	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	.279
Sexson, 1B	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	.219
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	.323
Moeller, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.225
Giambi, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	2	3	.249
Christian, RF	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.250
Cano, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.267
Nady, LF	3	1	1	1	0	1	1	.323
Cabrera, CF	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	.250
Molina, C	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.229
Totals	36	4	9	4	3	6	14
BATTING 2B: Molina (15, Cormier), Cano (23, Bierd). HR: Nady (14, 7th inning off Guthrie, 0 on, 1 out), Damon (7, 7th inning off Cormier, 2 on, 1 out). TB: Damon 5; Jeter; Betemit; Sexson; Cano 2; Nady 4; Cabrera; Molina 2. RBI: Nady (58), Damon 3 (43). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi 2; Damon 2. GIDP: Jeter. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING Outfield assists: Nady (Roberts at home).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Mussina (L, 13-7)	5.0	8	6	6	1	4	2	3.56
Robertson	0.1	4	5	5	2	0	1	4.97
Ramirez	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.35
Marte	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	3.38
Farnsworth	1.0	2	2	2	0	2	1	3.65
Veras	1.0	2	0	0	0	2	0	2.86

Cormier pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

WP: Robertson.
HBP: Nady (by Guthrie), Rodriguez, A (by Guthrie),
Hernandez, R (by Veras).
Pitches-strikes: Guthrie 102-62, Cormier 23-15,
Bierd 38-21, Walker 19-13, Mussina 95-63, Robertson 31-14,
Ramirez 7-6, Marte 15-9, Farnsworth 22-13, Veras 18-12.
Ground outs-fly outs: Guthrie 9-6, Cormier 0-0,
Bierd 1-1, Walker 1-3, Mussina 5-5, Robertson 0-1,
Ramirez 0-2, Marte 0-1, Farnsworth 0-1, Veras 0-1.
Batters faced: Guthrie 25, Cormier 3, Bierd 8, Walker 5,
Mussina 23, Robertson 7, Ramirez 2, Marte 4, Farnsworth 5, Veras 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Walker 3-0, Ramirez 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Sam Holbrook. 1B: Chad Fairchild.
2B: Mark Wegner. 3B: Jeff Kellogg.
Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 8 mph, R to L.
T: 3:31.
Att: 54,120.