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.

BD Hot Stove: Grapefruit or Cactus? | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: Grapefruit or Cactus? | Baseball Digest

With snowfall blanketing much of the country, it’s good to know that spring training is within reach. A mere 33 days until pitchers and catcher report to sites in Arizona and Florida. With that in mind it’s never too early to present a guide to the individual spring training sites for each team (maps courtesy of mlb.com).

Florida

Dunedin – Toronto Blue Jays

Clearwater – Philadelphia Phillies

Port Charlotte – Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa – New York Yankees

Bradenton – Pittsburgh Pirates

Sarasota – Baltimore Orioles

Ft. Myers – Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox

Lakeland – Detroit Tigers

Lake Buena Vista – Atlanta Braves

Kissimmee – Houston Astros

Viera – Washington Nationals

Port St. Lucie – New York Mets

Jupiter – St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Marlins

Arizona

Surprise – KC Royals, Texas Rangers

Peoria – San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners

Goodyear – Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians

Phoenix – Chicago White Sox, LA Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s

Scottsdale – Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants

Mesa – Chicago Cubs

Tempe – LA Angels

If you get the chance to go to spring training some time, do so. The players are more accessible, the ballparks are quaint, and the atmosphere is similar to minor league baseball.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The all time leader in saves (601), Trevor Hoffman, decided to call it a career on Tuesday after 18 seasons in the bigs. His saves mark is likely to stand a year at the most with Mariano Rivera just 42 saves behind him. Hoffman spent 16 years with the San Diego Padres before pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers the last two seasons. He finished his career with a 61-75, 2.87 mark in 1035 games, all relief appearances, and averaged 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Rays certainly don’t expect him to replicate the nearly unhittable season Joaquin Benoit had in 2010, but the team has added Kyle Farnsworth to their bullpen. The deal is worth $3.25M with an option for 2012.

The Cubs have added Reed Johnson to their outfield mix with a minor league contract and invite to spring training. They also avoided arbitration with Koyie Hill, agreeing on a one year deal worth $850K.

The Tigers and Ryan Rayburn agreed on a two year deal to avoid arbitration.

The Mets signed pitcher Taylor Tankersley to a minor league deal. Now if they could only acquire Taylor Teagarden to catch him.

Miranda Reads Royals Their Rights

Miranda Gets It Right

Written for Baseball Digest Online

The Yankees are supposed to be taking it easy these days. Resting up for the post-season onslaught. But they celebrated last night’s 15th walk-off win of the season in their usual 2009 manner. And a new player was indoctrinated with a pie in the process. Juan Miranda capped a 9th inning comeback, singling in the game winner in the Yankees 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Derek Jeter (breaking Lou Gehrig’s team hit record) and Mariano Rivera (500 saves) were honored prior to the game for the new heights they achieved this season, but it was some first year Yankees that combined for the victory. Robinson Cano had tied the game up at 3-3 with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly that scored rookie Francisco Cervelli from 3rd base. Eric Hinske, who had singled earlier in the inning, stole 2nd base, and moved to 3rd when John Buck’s throw sailed into center field. Former Yankee Kyle Farnsworth intentionally walked Johnny Damon in order to face rookie Juan Miranda.

The Cuban native entered the game in the top of the 9th for Mark Teixeira and had just 15 big league at-bats. He hit a ball sharply back up the middle that ricocheted off of Farnsworth and into foul territory on the 1st base side. Miranda reached 1st base uncontested and raised his arms in a victory salute as Hinske scored the game winner. He was then mobbed by his joyous teammates and then got the special treatment of pie ala towel courtesy of starter A.J. Burnett, who had pitched impressively for the second straight start.

Burnett’s consistency is one of the Yankees biggest concerns entering the post-season, but his last two starts have done a lot to allay those fears. Last night he allowed just three hits over 6 1-3 innings and struck out 8 before leaving with two men aboard and the game tied at one apiece. Phil Coke’s physical and mental errors put the Yankees down 3-1 and would have saddled Burnett with the loss had the Yankees not come from behind.

Nick Swisher chipped away at the lead with a long home run off of rookie Anthony Lerew in the 7th to cut the deficit to one. Teixeira had earlier hit his 39th home run, tying him with the injured Carlos Pena for tops in the American League.

Game Notes

Brian Bruney had another effective outing, retiring four of the five batters he faced. He also picked up the victory to improve to 2-0.

Yogi Berra, Tino Martinez, Reggie Jackson, David Cone, Bernie Williams, Tim Raines, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada were among the current and former Yankees that helped honor Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

David Robertson pitched for the first time since September 5 after sitting out with elbow trouble. He faced three hits, retiring two and issuing a walk.

The Yankees conclude their regular season home schedule tonight with Joba Chamberlain going up against Robinson Tejeda.

Yanks Looks to Kids for Some Relief

Andy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth, Steve Karsay, Juan Acevedo, Octavio Dotel, Felix Rodriguez...the list goes on and on of the names of well known relievers the Yankees have brought in over the years in an attempt to strengthen their bullpen. For the most part, it hasn't worked out well. But this year, there's a new approach and the Yankees are hoping it pays off.

The approach is to stay in-house- the Yankees farm system is stocked full of good, strong arms, and Brian Cashman is hoping he can weave a successful pen out of them. If one guy doesn't work out, he has plenty more to choose from, without having to increase payroll.

The Daily News' Mark Feinsand takes a look at Cashman's new pen approach.

"I'm proud that they didn't sign anybody," (Jose) Veras said. "They didn't have to give a few million dollars to someone because they think that guys like me, Coke, Edwar (Ramirez) and (Brian) Bruney can do."

photo courtesy of NY Post

Vegas Update - Day 4 - 11:30 AM EST

Jason Varitek may just be a Boston Red Sox again after all. The Boston Herald is reporting that Varitek's agent Scott Boras has had in depth discussions with Boston regarding a 2-year deal. Money will be the biggest issue here as Varitek, looking for Jorge Posada like money, is coming off a horrid offensive season.

With Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz no longer available, the Cardinals are making closer Brian Fuentes their top priority.

Ramon Vazquez has been holding out for a 2 year deal and it looks like he'll get his wish. The downside is that it means playing for the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks have inked infielder Felipe Lopez to a one year deal.

The Dodgers have reportedly made a 2 year offer to retain the services of Rafael Furcal.

The Royals agreed to a 2 year, $9.5 million deal with former Yankee, Kyle Farnsworth.

Vegas Update - Day 4 - 11:30 AM EST

Jason Varitek may just be a Boston Red Sox again after all. The Boston Herald is reporting that Varitek's agent Scott Boras has had in depth discussions with Boston regarding a 2-year deal. Money will be the biggest issue here as Varitek, looking for Jorge Posada like money, is coming off a horrid offensive season.

With Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz no longer available, the Cardinals are making closer Brian Fuentes their top priority.

Ramon Vazquez has been holding out for a 2 year deal and it looks like he'll get his wish. The downside is that it means playing for the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks have inked infielder Felipe Lopez to a one year deal.

The Dodgers have reportedly made a 2 year offer to retain the services of Rafael Furcal.

The Royals agreed to a 2 year, $9.5 million deal with former Yankee, Kyle Farnsworth.

Trade Deadline Recap

This was one of the most active trade periods in recent memory. Not only were a number of deals that got done, but a number of high profile players exchanged places. Let's take a look at today's big deals and a couple of ones that had already taken place.

3 Hall of Fame Players - Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Ken Griffey Jr. were all dealt today. There have been rumors of Jr. to the White Sox on and and off for a couple of months. He finally went today, after waving his no-trade clause, for infielder Danny Richar and pitcher Nick Masset. Richar was thought to be the starting 2nd baseman for the White Sox this season before injury stalled his year. Eventually Alexi Ramirez made Richar expendable. Masset is a mediocre reliever who will just add some depth to the Reds pen.

Ivan Rodriguez gives the Yankees much needed punch at catcher while the Tigers got some much needed help in their bullpen with the acquisition of Kyle Farnsworth.

By adding Manny Ramirez to their lineup, the Dodgers have an excellent shot at overtaking the Diamondbacks for the NL West crown. Who ever would have thought Joe Torre would be managing the Man-child, and for that matter, Nomar.

The Red Sox get back a very solid player in Jason Bay. He's not Manny, but he's still a good addition. The biggest difference will be no protection for David Ortiz.

The poor fans in Pittsburgh, those who actually pay attention to baseball, get back 4 prospects. Reliever Craig Hansen, who was once thought to be closer material, and outfielder Brandon Moss, who has tremendous upside. He's a good outfielder with a decent bat, and will be just 25 in September.

From LA, the Pirates got Andy LaRoche, who joins his brother Adam, and pitcher Bryan Morris. The younger LaRoche will see time at 3rd base and eventually could supplant his brother on the other side of the diamond. He's got good power and will finally get the chance to see if he can live up to his hype. Morris is in just his second minor league season after missing 2007 due to Tommy John surgery. The 21-yr old's best pitch is his curveball.

The Reigning AL Cy Young Winner - CC Sabathia has been outstanding since his trade to the Brewers, going 4-0, 1.82 in 5 starts. The Indians have the chance for an outstanding bat in Matt LaPorta who was hitting .288-20-66 in 84 games in Double-A. He's made a slow transition to the Indians team in Akron, hitting just .212-1-7 in 14 games. Last year he drove in 31 runs in 30 games.

The Stud - Rich Harden finally won his first game as a Cub today. And yes, we are being sarcastic. Harden hasn't given as many innings as Sabathia, but his arm has to be cared for a lot more. Nonetheless, he's been outstanding, putting together a 1.11 ERA in 4 starts. He's also struck out 39 batters in 24.1 innings. Sean Gallagher is in the A's rotation and projects to be a number 3 or 4 starter. The reports on outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson are mixed. Murton, soon to be 27, did well in 2006, hitting .297-13-62 with an .809 OPS. But he's tailed off since. Patterson is getting a shot now after tearing the cover off the ball in 14 minor league games after the trade, and has the bigger upside.

The Big Bat - Mark Teixeira is playing in his second game in an Angels uniform tonight. After going 0-4 against Boston, he's 2-4 against the Yankees and drove in his first run in for the Halos. This was a great deal for the Angels. Casey Kotchman will be a very solid defender for the Braves, but the jury is still out on his bat. Pitcher Steve Marek is a hard thrower, but is pretty much a crap shoot.

So there you have it. Big names, big deals, big difference makers.

Trade Deadline Recap

This was one of the most active trade periods in recent memory. Not only were a number of deals that got done, but a number of high profile players exchanged places. Let's take a look at today's big deals and a couple of ones that had already taken place.

3 Hall of Fame Players - Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Ken Griffey Jr. were all dealt today. There have been rumors of Jr. to the White Sox on and and off for a couple of months. He finally went today, after waving his no-trade clause, for infielder Danny Richar and pitcher Nick Masset. Richar was thought to be the starting 2nd baseman for the White Sox this season before injury stalled his year. Eventually Alexi Ramirez made Richar expendable. Masset is a mediocre reliever who will just add some depth to the Reds pen.

Ivan Rodriguez gives the Yankees much needed punch at catcher while the Tigers got some much needed help in their bullpen with the acquisition of Kyle Farnsworth.

By adding Manny Ramirez to their lineup, the Dodgers have an excellent shot at overtaking the Diamondbacks for the NL West crown. Who ever would have thought Joe Torre would be managing the Man-child, and for that matter, Nomar.

The Red Sox get back a very solid player in Jason Bay. He's not Manny, but he's still a good addition. The biggest difference will be no protection for David Ortiz.

The poor fans in Pittsburgh, those who actually pay attention to baseball, get back 4 prospects. Reliever Craig Hansen, who was once thought to be closer material, and outfielder Brandon Moss, who has tremendous upside. He's a good outfielder with a decent bat, and will be just 25 in September.

From LA, the Pirates got Andy LaRoche, who joins his brother Adam, and pitcher Bryan Morris. The younger LaRoche will see time at 3rd base and eventually could supplant his brother on the other side of the diamond. He's got good power and will finally get the chance to see if he can live up to his hype. Morris is in just his second minor league season after missing 2007 due to Tommy John surgery. The 21-yr old's best pitch is his curveball.

The Reigning AL Cy Young Winner - CC Sabathia has been outstanding since his trade to the Brewers, going 4-0, 1.82 in 5 starts. The Indians have the chance for an outstanding bat in Matt LaPorta who was hitting .288-20-66 in 84 games in Double-A. He's made a slow transition to the Indians team in Akron, hitting just .212-1-7 in 14 games. Last year he drove in 31 runs in 30 games.

The Stud - Rich Harden finally won his first game as a Cub today. And yes, we are being sarcastic. Harden hasn't given as many innings as Sabathia, but his arm has to be cared for a lot more. Nonetheless, he's been outstanding, putting together a 1.11 ERA in 4 starts. He's also struck out 39 batters in 24.1 innings. Sean Gallagher is in the A's rotation and projects to be a number 3 or 4 starter. The reports on outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson are mixed. Murton, soon to be 27, did well in 2006, hitting .297-13-62 with an .809 OPS. But he's tailed off since. Patterson is getting a shot now after tearing the cover off the ball in 14 minor league games after the trade, and has the bigger upside.

The Big Bat - Mark Teixeira is playing in his second game in an Angels uniform tonight. After going 0-4 against Boston, he's 2-4 against the Yankees and drove in his first run in for the Halos. This was a great deal for the Angels. Casey Kotchman will be a very solid defender for the Braves, but the jury is still out on his bat. Pitcher Steve Marek is a hard thrower, but is pretty much a crap shoot.

So there you have it. Big names, big deals, big difference makers.

Farnsworth Dealt for Pudge

Well this is certainly not breaking news, but we received a stunning phone call out on the golf course today (thank you Mrs. MM!). The Yankees sent set up man Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Farnsworth's, who will be a free agent after the season, value has never been higher since he joined the Yankees and he was deemed expendable when the Yankees acquired Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Yankees have been looking for a catcher with offensive punch since they realized Jorge Posada's season was done. Pudge, also a free agent to be, is not the hitter he once was, but he is still a major upgrade to the offense that Jose Molina and Chad Moeller, who will probably be designated for assignment, bring to the table.

Farnsworth seemed shaken when the news was announced, and both Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi felt bad for him on a personal level. Rodriguez was surprised, to the say the last, but realized that anything can happen in baseball, and looks forward to joining the Yankees pennant race.

Farnsworth Dealt for Pudge

Well this is certainly not breaking news, but we received a stunning phone call out on the golf course today (thank you Mrs. MM!). The Yankees sent set up man Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Farnsworth's, who will be a free agent after the season, value has never been higher since he joined the Yankees and he was deemed expendable when the Yankees acquired Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Yankees have been looking for a catcher with offensive punch since they realized Jorge Posada's season was done. Pudge, also a free agent to be, is not the hitter he once was, but he is still a major upgrade to the offense that Jose Molina and Chad Moeller, who will probably be designated for assignment, bring to the table.

Farnsworth seemed shaken when the news was announced, and both Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi felt bad for him on a personal level. Rodriguez was surprised, to the say the last, but realized that anything can happen in baseball, and looks forward to joining the Yankees pennant race.

The Daily Yankeeland - 6/23

The New York Post's Steve Serby has a Q&A with Mike Mussina. His colleague Mike Vaccaro has a story on Jason Giambi's revival.

Peter Abraham reported this afternoon that Al Aceves has been promoted to Scranton. This will be the third level that the former Mexican League pitcher plays at this year.

Earlier this year Kyle Farnsworth blamed Joe Torre for his ineffectiveness. Now he's saying the Yankees fans are too fickle. Can this guy take some responsibility for his ineffectiveness? Apparently not.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s home run off of Farnsworth was his first Stadium home run since 1999. Oh, and Farnsworth didn't like that the Yankee fans showed their appreciation for Jr.'s career by giving hi an ovation. Grow up.

David Waldstein of the Star Ledger points out that Derek Jeter has reached base safely in 37 straight interleague games.

Great line from David Cone during this weekend's broadcast, as reported by Phil Mushnick. "David Cone on YES, Wednesday, was asked by Michael Kay if he ever had a teammate who didn't swear. "None I trusted," said Cone." Can you say, "Chad Curtis"?

The Daily Yankeeland - 6/23

The New York Post's Steve Serby has a Q&A with Mike Mussina. His colleague Mike Vaccaro has a story on Jason Giambi's revival.

Peter Abraham reported this afternoon that Al Aceves has been promoted to Scranton. This will be the third level that the former Mexican League pitcher plays at this year.

Earlier this year Kyle Farnsworth blamed Joe Torre for his ineffectiveness. Now he's saying the Yankees fans are too fickle. Can this guy take some responsibility for his ineffectiveness? Apparently not.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s home run off of Farnsworth was his first Stadium home run since 1999. Oh, and Farnsworth didn't like that the Yankee fans showed their appreciation for Jr.'s career by giving hi an ovation. Grow up.

David Waldstein of the Star Ledger points out that Derek Jeter has reached base safely in 37 straight interleague games.

Great line from David Cone during this weekend's broadcast, as reported by Phil Mushnick. "David Cone on YES, Wednesday, was asked by Michael Kay if he ever had a teammate who didn't swear. "None I trusted," said Cone." Can you say, "Chad Curtis"?

Pettitte, Giambi Prevent Sweep

The Yankees struggled against another rookie Cincinnati pitcher Sunday afternoon, but this time out Andy Pettitte out dueled the latest Cincinnati kid, Johnny Cueto. The result was a 4-1 Yankees win before a crowd of 54,234 in the finale of the six game homestand. The win enabled the Yankees to finish those six games 4-2 to remain 5 games (4 in the loss column) back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Pettitte was superb, scattering 4 hits over 6 innings for his 8th win of the season and the 172nd of his Yankees career. He ran into a bases loaded, one out jam in the 4th, but struck out left handed hitters, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to keep the Reds off the board.

The Yankees weren't having any success against Cueto either, getting just 2 hits over the first 4 innings, before taking the lead in the 5th. Jason Giambi lead off with the first of his three hits and Jorge Posada followed with a double into the right field corner. Robinson Cano brought home the first run of the day with a deep fly to center. Cueto stranded Posada at 3rd by striking out Melky Cabrera and retiring Johnny Damon on a pop up.

The winds, and lightning and thunder started up in the top of the 6th and heavy rains began to fall as the Reds put two men on base. Jeff Keppinger lead off the inning with a single and one batter later Pettitte hit Brandon Phillips on the toe of his right foot. But light hitting Paul Janish tried to bunt his way on and popped right up to Posada for the 2nd out. Fighting off a torrential downpour, Pettitte struck out Votto once again to strand the pair.

After a 56 minute rain delay the Yankees broke the game open against the Reds bullpen. Derek Jeter lead off the bottom half of the 6th with a single against Gary Majewski and two batters later Hideki Matsui followed suit. Dusty Baker sent for lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt to face Jason Giambi, but the move didn't pay off when Giambi delivered a 2-run double to left for a 3-0 lead. Posada, batting from the right side, doubled up the gap in righ-center for the Yankees final run.

After Edwar Ramirez tossed a scoreless 7th inning, Joe Girardi sent for Kyle Farnsworth, who made 2 mistakes. The first was giving up a 2-out home run to Ken Griffey Jr.. The second was trying to field Brandon Phillips comebacker. The ball ricocheted to Alex Rodriguez, who then compounded the problem with a throwing error to allow Phillips reach 2nd base. Farnsworth exited to have stitches between his fingers, so Mariano Rivera came in a four out save.

June 22, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		1	8	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	X		4	11	1

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Hopper, LF	5	0	0	0	0	1	3	.250
Keppinger, SS-3B-SS	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.322
Griffey, DH	3	1	1	1	1	0	1	.249
Phillips, B, 2B	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	.271
Encarnacion, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.241
Janish, SS	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	.180
a-Valentin, PH-3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.222
Votto, 1B	4	0	2	0	0	2	5	.293
Bruce, RF	4	0	1	0	0	2	4	.300
Patterson, CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.189
Ross, C	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.233
b-Dunn, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.219
Totals	34	1	8	1	2	7	20
a-Grounded out for Janish in the 8th. b-Struck out for Ross in the 9th.
BATTING HR: Griffey (8, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Keppinger; Griffey 4; Phillips, B 2; Votto 2; Bruce; Ross. RBI: Griffey (32). 2-out RBI: Griffey. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Bruce 2; Votto; Valentin; Hopper. Team LOB: 9. BASERUNNING CS: Ross (1, 2nd base by Pettitte/Posada). PO: Ross (1st base by Pettitte). FIELDING DP: 3 (Ross-Janish, Phillips, B-Janish, Votto-Keppinger-Votto).

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Cueto (L, 5-8)	5.0	4	1	1	0	7	0	5.01
Majewski	0.2	2	2	2	0	1	0	4.70
Affeldt	0.2	3	1	1	1	0	0	4.50
Lincoln	1.2	2	0	0	0	1	0	4.93

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.323
Jeter, SS	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	.279
Abreu, RF	4	0	2	0	0	1	3	.273
Rodriguez, 3B	4	0	1	0	0	1	3	.332
Matsui, DH	4	1	1	0	0	2	2	.323
Giambi, 1B	3	2	3	2	0	0	0	.271
1-Betemit, PR-1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Posada, C	4	0	2	1	0	2	2	.311
Cano, 2B	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	.227
Cabrera, CF	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.254
Totals	31	4	11	4	1	9	15
1-Ran for Giambi in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Posada 2 (9, Cueto, Affeldt), Giambi (12, Affeldt). TB: Jeter; Abreu 2; Rodriguez; Matsui; Giambi 4; Posada 4; Cabrera. RBI: Cano (26), Giambi 2 (42), Posada (19). 2-out RBI: Giambi 2; Posada. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano 2; Damon. SF: Cano. GIDP: Matsui. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Giambi (2, 2nd base off Cueto/Ross). CS: Abreu (4, 2nd base by Cueto/Ross). FIELDING E: Rodriguez (6, throw). Pickoffs: Pettitte (Ross at 1st base).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pettitte (W, 8-5)	6.0	4	0	0	2	4	0	4.04
Ramirez	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.74
Farnsworth	0.2	2	1	1	0	1	1	4.24
Rivera (S, 21)	1.1	2	0	0	0	1	0	0.76

HBP: Giambi (by Cueto), Phillips, B (by Pettitte).
Pitches-strikes: Cueto 75-50, Majewski 13-9, Affeldt 21-11,
Lincoln 17-12, Pettitte 97-63, Ramirez 9-7, Farnsworth 14-8, Rivera 30-19.
Ground outs-fly outs: Cueto 2-5, Majewski 0-1, Affeldt 2-0,
Lincoln 2-1, Pettitte 8-5, Ramirez 0-2, Farnsworth 0-1, Rivera 3-0.
Batters faced: Cueto 19, Majewski 4, Affeldt 6, Lincoln 5,
Pettitte 24, Ramirez 3, Farnsworth 4, Rivera 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Affeldt 2-2, Lincoln 2-0, Rivera 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Charlie Reliford. 1B: Greg Gibson. 2B: Brian Runge. 3B: Scott Barry.
Weather: 74 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, Out to LF.
T: 2:54 (:56 delay).
Att: 54,234.

Pettitte, Giambi Prevent Sweep

The Yankees struggled against another rookie Cincinnati pitcher Sunday afternoon, but this time out Andy Pettitte out dueled the latest Cincinnati kid, Johnny Cueto. The result was a 4-1 Yankees win before a crowd of 54,234 in the finale of the six game homestand. The win enabled the Yankees to finish those six games 4-2 to remain 5 games (4 in the loss column) back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Pettitte was superb, scattering 4 hits over 6 innings for his 8th win of the season and the 172nd of his Yankees career. He ran into a bases loaded, one out jam in the 4th, but struck out left handed hitters, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to keep the Reds off the board.

The Yankees weren't having any success against Cueto either, getting just 2 hits over the first 4 innings, before taking the lead in the 5th. Jason Giambi lead off with the first of his three hits and Jorge Posada followed with a double into the right field corner. Robinson Cano brought home the first run of the day with a deep fly to center. Cueto stranded Posada at 3rd by striking out Melky Cabrera and retiring Johnny Damon on a pop up.

The winds, and lightning and thunder started up in the top of the 6th and heavy rains began to fall as the Reds put two men on base. Jeff Keppinger lead off the inning with a single and one batter later Pettitte hit Brandon Phillips on the toe of his right foot. But light hitting Paul Janish tried to bunt his way on and popped right up to Posada for the 2nd out. Fighting off a torrential downpour, Pettitte struck out Votto once again to strand the pair.

After a 56 minute rain delay the Yankees broke the game open against the Reds bullpen. Derek Jeter lead off the bottom half of the 6th with a single against Gary Majewski and two batters later Hideki Matsui followed suit. Dusty Baker sent for lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt to face Jason Giambi, but the move didn't pay off when Giambi delivered a 2-run double to left for a 3-0 lead. Posada, batting from the right side, doubled up the gap in righ-center for the Yankees final run.

After Edwar Ramirez tossed a scoreless 7th inning, Joe Girardi sent for Kyle Farnsworth, who made 2 mistakes. The first was giving up a 2-out home run to Ken Griffey Jr.. The second was trying to field Brandon Phillips comebacker. The ball ricocheted to Alex Rodriguez, who then compounded the problem with a throwing error to allow Phillips reach 2nd base. Farnsworth exited to have stitches between his fingers, so Mariano Rivera came in a four out save.

June 22, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		1	8	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	X		4	11	1

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Hopper, LF	5	0	0	0	0	1	3	.250
Keppinger, SS-3B-SS	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.322
Griffey, DH	3	1	1	1	1	0	1	.249
Phillips, B, 2B	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	.271
Encarnacion, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.241
Janish, SS	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	.180
a-Valentin, PH-3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.222
Votto, 1B	4	0	2	0	0	2	5	.293
Bruce, RF	4	0	1	0	0	2	4	.300
Patterson, CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.189
Ross, C	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.233
b-Dunn, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.219
Totals	34	1	8	1	2	7	20
a-Grounded out for Janish in the 8th. b-Struck out for Ross in the 9th.
BATTING HR: Griffey (8, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Keppinger; Griffey 4; Phillips, B 2; Votto 2; Bruce; Ross. RBI: Griffey (32). 2-out RBI: Griffey. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Bruce 2; Votto; Valentin; Hopper. Team LOB: 9. BASERUNNING CS: Ross (1, 2nd base by Pettitte/Posada). PO: Ross (1st base by Pettitte). FIELDING DP: 3 (Ross-Janish, Phillips, B-Janish, Votto-Keppinger-Votto).

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Cueto (L, 5-8)	5.0	4	1	1	0	7	0	5.01
Majewski	0.2	2	2	2	0	1	0	4.70
Affeldt	0.2	3	1	1	1	0	0	4.50
Lincoln	1.2	2	0	0	0	1	0	4.93

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.323
Jeter, SS	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	.279
Abreu, RF	4	0	2	0	0	1	3	.273
Rodriguez, 3B	4	0	1	0	0	1	3	.332
Matsui, DH	4	1	1	0	0	2	2	.323
Giambi, 1B	3	2	3	2	0	0	0	.271
1-Betemit, PR-1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Posada, C	4	0	2	1	0	2	2	.311
Cano, 2B	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	.227
Cabrera, CF	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.254
Totals	31	4	11	4	1	9	15
1-Ran for Giambi in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Posada 2 (9, Cueto, Affeldt), Giambi (12, Affeldt). TB: Jeter; Abreu 2; Rodriguez; Matsui; Giambi 4; Posada 4; Cabrera. RBI: Cano (26), Giambi 2 (42), Posada (19). 2-out RBI: Giambi 2; Posada. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano 2; Damon. SF: Cano. GIDP: Matsui. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Giambi (2, 2nd base off Cueto/Ross). CS: Abreu (4, 2nd base by Cueto/Ross). FIELDING E: Rodriguez (6, throw). Pickoffs: Pettitte (Ross at 1st base).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pettitte (W, 8-5)	6.0	4	0	0	2	4	0	4.04
Ramirez	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.74
Farnsworth	0.2	2	1	1	0	1	1	4.24
Rivera (S, 21)	1.1	2	0	0	0	1	0	0.76

HBP: Giambi (by Cueto), Phillips, B (by Pettitte).
Pitches-strikes: Cueto 75-50, Majewski 13-9, Affeldt 21-11,
Lincoln 17-12, Pettitte 97-63, Ramirez 9-7, Farnsworth 14-8, Rivera 30-19.
Ground outs-fly outs: Cueto 2-5, Majewski 0-1, Affeldt 2-0,
Lincoln 2-1, Pettitte 8-5, Ramirez 0-2, Farnsworth 0-1, Rivera 3-0.
Batters faced: Cueto 19, Majewski 4, Affeldt 6, Lincoln 5,
Pettitte 24, Ramirez 3, Farnsworth 4, Rivera 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Affeldt 2-2, Lincoln 2-0, Rivera 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Charlie Reliford. 1B: Greg Gibson. 2B: Brian Runge. 3B: Scott Barry.
Weather: 74 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, Out to LF.
T: 2:54 (:56 delay).
Att: 54,234.