With Tanaka Signed, Time For the Other Chips to Fall Into Place

Of course he's smiling, he's got a guaranteed contract.

The front offices of Major League Baseball teams around the country waited and waited. They waited until Japanese-born pitcher Masahiro Tanaka chose the team and the contract he would play for in his quest for success in the United States. With that done and pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in a couple of weeks, it's time for the remaining free agent pitchers to find a new home or return to their existing ones.

Matt Garza didn't take long at all to decide on which team it would be (the Milwaukee Brewers), but it did take some time to get the contract finalized. With some concerns over lingering arm issues, the Brewers gave Garza a guaranteed four years and $50MM, incentives that could tack on another $4MM, and an option for 2018 that will give Garza the opportunity to earn $67MM when everything is said and the contract is done.

A.J. Burnett had trouble deciding if he wanted to play any more, but once he did the Baltimore Orioles decided to go (MLB Network's Peter Gammons tweeted) "all in" on the lanky right-hander. After the success Burnett had in the National League the last two seasons with Pittsburgh, you would think he would stay in the NL, but those offers may not be forthcoming.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the Toronto Blue Jays have looked extensively at the medical records of Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana. The Blue Jays are hoping to make an official offer to at least one of them. ¹ Both have been hoping for long term, big money deals.

Bronson Arroyo has had his name brought up by many teams, but told ESPN"s Jayson Stark that he has yet to receive an official offer. He's baffled by the lack of action.

"I get [Clayton] Kershaw," Arroyo told ESPN.com. "I get why he got all that money. But then you've got guys like Dice-K [Matsuzaka], who came over here and was good for the first couple years but then didn't pan out. And when he doesn't pan out, they all just forget and go on to the next guy who's not proven, and pay him. 

"Meanwhile, they forget about guys like me, who have done the job for the last eight or 10 years, and treat them like they've never done anything in this game. That's hard, man." ²

Scott Baker was an emerging star for the Minnesota Twins over the stretch of 2009-2011, but Tommy John surgery wiped out 2012 and most of 2013. The 32-year old signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners and was given an invitation to spring training in his comeback attempt.

Journeymen Paul Maholm, Jason Hammel, and one time stud Tommy Hanson are all still available. Back end of the rotation starters Jerome Williams, Jason Marquis, and Roberto Hernandez (the former Fausto Carmona) are all still on the market as well. Either they are holding out for guaranteed money or teams are still waiting to sign them to minor league deals.

15 more days until the sound of ball thudding into catcher's mitt. I can't wait.


1 - foxsports.com
2 - espn.com

New Year, New MLB Rumors

Nelson Cruz is among those still wondering where his next contract is.

Happy New Year to one and all. We are just 43 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to camp. A truly great Valentine's Day gift. There are quite a number of free agents still not signed, but I would expect some trades, mostly minor, to occur prior to spring training.

The biggest news right now is, of course, the chase for Masahiro Tanaka. With the posting fee reduced to $20MM there are plenty of teams that will try to persuade the Japanese star to sign with them. Only a handful will be able to afford the $100MM he's expected (or expecting) to sign for.

ESPN's Jayson Stark reported that, according to some Major League execs, the Seattle Mariners could be big time players in the negotation battle. The Yankees have to be concerned after the ridiculous contract that Mariners gave Robinson Cano. Apparently, they still have quite a bit of cash to play with.

You can onlyhope that Ichiro Suzuki refuses to discuss playing in Seattle with Tanaka and only will talk about playing in New York..and only discuss the positives.

There are other big name pitchers on the market, though the names don't necessarily merit the contracts they are looking for. Matt Garza, Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez are tops among them. The Twins, who already signed Phil Hughes and re-signed Mike Pelfrey, are willing to give big money, but not years to a pitcher like Garza. Then again the report was from ESPNradio 1500's Darren Wolfson who also reported last week that the Twins had an interest in Tanaka. I hadn't laughed that hard in a while. Everyone has an interest, but the Twins NEVER spend that kind of money...well, outside of Joe Mauer and that hasn't worked out so well.

The Cleveland Plains Dealer's Paul Hoynes reported that Jimenez is looking for $17MM-$20MM annually. Apparently he needs that much to get counseling for his delusions. Jimenez was phenomenal in the first half of 2010 and has been downright awful in every season since, except for the second half of last year (1.82 ERA). But you don't give a guy that much money based on 13 starts.

Santana is another pitcher who is clearly pricing himself out of the market. The right-hander has been too inconsistent in his career to command an upper dollar contract. The Arizona Diamondbacks are interested in Tanaka, but are more likely to be able to sign Santana, whom they have major interest in.

Bronson Arroyo is still out there, but he appears to be everyone's plan 'B'. Perhaps he's asking for too much money after hearing WFAN's Mike Francesa talk about him like he's Walter Johnson.

No rumor here; good luck to Mark Mulder who is attempting a comeback with the Los Angeles Angels. The left-hander hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2008 due to shoulder problems. He's been working as a commentator since then, but decided to give it another try. The 36-yr old signed a minor league deal with an invite to spring training and reportedly threw in the low 90's during December auditions.

It's not just the big names pitchers still waiting for offers. Outfielder Nelson Cruz, who was one of the players suspended 50 games in 2013 for the Biogenesis scandal, has yet to find a new team. He won't be returning to his old one, the Texas Rangers, after they signed Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year, $130MM contract. Jeff Wilson (Ft. Worth Star Telegram) reported that there are four (unnamed) teams interested in the unsigned 33-year old.

First baseman/DH Kendrys Morales is still looking for a new home as well after one season with the Mariners. Morales may never be the same player he was before he broke his leg in 2010, but he's become a productive hitter again. One that would benefit from a hitters park rather than pitcher friendly Safeco Field. Most of the rumors are writers saying "this team" should sign Morales.

Despite rumors, probably started by his agent Scott Boras, Stephen Drew will not be signed by the Yankees. Brian Cashman stated Monday that the team has no plan to sign Drew.

Two major closers remain unemployed, though one thought he had a job. Grant Balfour agreed to terms with the Baltimore Orioles on a multiple year deal, but some warning bells on an MRI of his right shoulder caused the deal to fall through.

Fernando Rodney was dominant when he closed for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012 and had a pretty good year with them in 2013. Teams have to be wary, however, of Rodney inconsistent past. For most of his career, he was not a pitcher you could trust in a big situation.

Time to check some email. I wonder if I got anything from Alex Rodriguez or Randy Levine.

Rays Continue to Churn Out Pitchers: Cobb Chews Up Yankees

The Rays key to pitching success

While the Yankees have been waiting for their pitching prospects to pan out, the LA Dodgers, Oakland A's, and Tampa Bay Rays seem to crank out Major League ready pitchers as if they were put together in a factory.

While the Dodgers youngsters, outside of Clayton Kershaw, haven't produced quite as well as they have in the past, the A's and Rays have dominated the last decade with good, live arms. Due to budget constraints, both teams deal away their pitchers once their on the brink of earning big money, and they always bring back a nice booty of prospects in the process.

Facing the Rays 19 times a year, the Yankees have had the misfortune of going up against Tampa Bay's plethora of pitching talent. After averaging nearly 5.5 runs per game this season, the Yankees were held to five runs total in the three game series with the Rays that concluded Wednesday night. It was no surprise then that the Rays took two of the three games, with the Yankees defeat of ace David Price their lone victory.

The Rays dealt Matt Garza to the Cubs following the 2010 season for a package of players, including prospects Chris Archer (another pitcher, #36 in Baseball America's top 100) and shortstop Hak-Ju Lee (ranked the #56 prospect by mlb.com).

This past off-season it was James Shields' turn to move on. He was dealt with another former pitching prospect, Wade Davis, to the Royals for one of the top ranked hitters in the minor leagues (Wil Myers),one time highly ranked pitching prospect Mike Montgomery,and the #45 prospect in MLB.com's top 100 (Jake Odorizzi).

The Rays tabbed Matt Moore to replace Garza and Alex Cobb to supplant Shields. In his second full season, Moore is 4-0, 1.04 and has averaged better than 10 strikeouts per 9 innings. His performance has come on the heels of an 11-11, 3.81 campaign last year that saw him strikeout 175 hitters in 177.1 innings pitched. The left-hander won't be 24-years old until June and isn't arbitration eligible until 2017.

Cobb showed promise in a nine game call up in 2011 and got 23 starts last season. His 11-9 record with 4.03 ERA and 1.247 WHIP had to bolster Rays GM/Exec VP Andrew Friedman's confidence that he could deal Shields.

So far it has paid off. Cobb beat out Jeff Niemann for the final spot in the rotation and has gone 3-1, 1.82 in his first four starts. He came within two outs of his third career complete game in Wednesday's 3-0 win against the Yankees. It was a game in which Cobb out pitched veteran Andy Pettitte.

The rumor mill has already begun that David Price will be the next Rays pitcher to go. The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner is making more than $10MM this year and is arbitration eligible in 2014. Something tells me the Rays front office isn't concerned though.  They've got an Archer, a Montgomery, an Odorizzi, a Taylor Guerrieri (#44 MLB.com), and an Enny Romero waiting in the wings.

Notes

Cobb was masterful in the rubber game of the series; he allowed a pair of hits through 8.1 innings pitched before Brett Gardner's single sent him to the showers. Fernando Rodney, who blew up in Tuesday night's loss, allowed another base hit to Tuesday's hero, Ichiro Suzuki, before he retired Robinson Cano and Travis Hafner to preserve the victory.

The Yankees only managed to get one runner to second base against Cobb, who retired the side in order in five separate innings and faced the minium in another thanks to a double play. 72 of his 106 pitches were for strikes, very similar to the 105/68 Pettitte threw in two and one-third less innings.

The game was scoreless until the 5th inning when Pettitte hit light-hitting catcher Jose Molina on the foot. Kelly Johnson followed with a single to right that went through Brennan Boesch, getting a rare start in the outfield. Molina's lack of foot speed was the only thing that prevented a run from scoring on the play.

With second and third and no one out, Pettitte looked like he might get out of the jam when he struck out Desmond Jennings and Ryan Roberts. But Ben Zobrist slapped a hanging curveball to right for a two-run double.  Sean Rodriguez added insurance an inning later with a solo home run.

Eduardo Nunez looked like a different player in the field last night, with a couple of spectacular plays at shortstop. He stopped a hard shot up the middle, did a 360 degree turn and threw the batter out. Later he made a stop deep in the hole between short and third and made a hard, one bounce throw for the out at first base.

BD Hot Stove: Garza Goatee To Wrigley in 8 Player Swap? | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: Garza Goatee To Wrigley in 8 Player Swap? | Baseball Digest

Matt Garza has been the subject of trade rumors all off-season, but the latest speculation was that he would not be traded prior to spring training. Apparently you can’t go by speculation. Several sources are reporting that Garza and his mini goatee are set to head to the Chicago Cubs. ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine reports the deal as an eight player swap, with two minor leaguers going with Garza to Chicago for five prospects.

Garza had been acquired from the Twins prior to the 2008 season for outfielder Delmon Young. He was 34-31 (including a career high 15 wins last season), 3.86 in three seasons in Tampa and helped the team to its first post-season and World Series appearances in ’08. The Rays continue to lose players to free agency, while moving larger salaried players (Garza’s salary jumped from $433K in ’09 to over $3.3M in ’10) and continuing to build an already strong farm system.

The Cubbies’ prospects are said to be Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee,Brandon Guyer, Sam Fuld, and Robinson Chirinos. Archer is a 22 yr old right-hander that was acquired from the Indians in the Mark DeRosa deal. He was the organization’s pitcher of the year in 2010 after going 15-3, 2.34 between Single- and Double-A.

The 24-yr old Guyer was the org’s player of the year after posting a 344/.398/.588 line at Double-A. The outfielder, a 2007 draft pick, also stole 30 bases.

Lee is 20-yr old Korean shortstop that stole 57 bases over two seasons at two different levels of ‘A’ ball. Thus far he’s strictly been a singles hitter.

Chirinos is a 26-yr old catcher that has been in the Cubs organization since he was plucked out of Venezuela at age 17. He’s yet to play a full season at Triple-A, but has shown some promise with the bat, including 18 home runs in 2010. He was just added to the 40-man roster this past October.

Fuld may be the most interesting story of all the prospects, though he may never make it in the bigs. The 5’10″ outfielder was a stat whiz growing up and has battled diabetes since childhood. The 29-yr old has averaged 22 steals the past two seasons at Triple-A and at this point is projected as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Andy Pettitte told the NY Post’s Brian Costello that at this point he wants the Yankees to act as if he is not a member of the team. Sounds like Pettitte will either retire or make a mid-season appearance ala Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez.

Despite Scott Boras’ pleas, the Yankees say they have no interest in giving Rafael Soriano major money to set up for Mariano Rivera.

Cano And Away We Go

Rafael Soriano throws hard. Robinson Cano swings smooth. Sometimes when the two forces meet, magic happens. It did tonight at the Trop in Tampa when Cano smashed a tape measure home run off Soriano (2-1) in the top of the 9th for a 5-4 Yankees win.

The victory pushed the Yankees lead over the Rays back to two games in the AL East and kept Boston, which had topped Detroit earlier, eight back.

It was a game in which the Yankees battled throughout, coming back from 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3 deficits. It was a game won despite managing just six hits off of starter Matt Garza and the Rays' pen. It was a game won despite a mediocre outing from Yankees starter Javier Vazquez.

It was a game won due to the long ball and a strong performance from the Yankees bullpen. Mark Teixeira hit a monster 2-run home run in the 6th to tie the game at 3-3. Then after Vazquez surrendered a solo home run to Friday's hero Matt Joyce, Nick Swisher tied things back up with a solo shot off Garza in the 7th.

Boone Logan and David Robertson (2-3) retired all five men they faced to set up Cano's heroics in the 9th. Soriano had retired Alex Rodriguez, who was 0-3 with a walk in his quest for #600, on a pop up to start the inning, but there would be no denying Cano.

The 2nd baseman had three hits on the night to raise his average to .334 and sent Soriano's fastball to the back of the right field seats. That left things up to Mariano Rivera. The Yankees closer picked up his 22nd save, allowing just a 2-out bloop single before retiring Jason Bartlett on a game ending force out.

Notes

Lance Berkman, wearing his customary #17, went 0-4 as the DH. He batted in the 2nd spot in the lineup. Austin Kearns donned #26, but did not enter the game.

Matt Garza No-Hits Tigers

Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays has just completed a 9-inning no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers. It's the first no-no in Rays' history.

Garza retired Don Kelly on a ground out to start the 9th, then struck out Gerald Laird looking for the 2nd out. Pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago hit a soft liner to Ben Zobrist in right field for the final out.

The two teams were actually locked into a double no-hitter entering the 6th with Max Scherzer blanking the Rays. But after loading the bases on a pair of walks and an error, the Rays ended Scherzer's bid and broke the game open on Matt Joyce's grand slam. Joyce had grown up in the Tigers' system before being dealt for Edwin Jackson prior to the 2009 season.

Garza threw 120 pitches, 80 for strikes, and allowed just a walk to Brennan Boesch in the 2nd inning. He also struck out six.

The Rays had already been no-hit twice this season, by Jackson, who is now with the Diamondbacks and by Oakland's Dallas Braden. In getting the no-no the Rays become the first team since the 1991 Chicago White Sox to both throw a no-hitter (Wilson Alvarez vs. Balt.) and be no-hit (KC's Bret Saberhagen).

Yankees Take Tampa Opener

Nick Swisher's hustle helped score the game winner.

Written for Baseball Digest Online

Derek Jeter moved no closer to Lou Gehrig's all-time Yankees hit record, but the Yankees took the opener of a day-night doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-1. CC Sabathia and Matt Garza dueled for seven innings in a 1-1 game before the Yankees broke through against the Rays bullpen in the 8th inning. Mariano Rivera came on in the 9th, making his first appearance since September 1st, and picked up his 39th save.

Jeter was 0-4 and made the final out in the 7th. He then watched as seven of his teammates came to the plate an inning later. Nick Swisher drew a lead off walk from Lance Cormier and Mark Teixeira followed with a single to right. Gabe Kapler booted the ball, allowing both runners to move up a base. Joe Maddon knows the Yankees well so he walked Alex Rodriguez to set up a match up with Robinson Cano. The 2nd baseman entered the game hitting just .240 this season with the bases loaded. But Cano drove a ball to deep center to score pinch-runner Jerry Hairston Jr. with the go ahead run.

Maddon sent for submariner Chad Bradford, but Jorge Posada lined an RBI single to right and Eric Hinske added another insurance run with a sacrifice fly. That left things up to Rivera to close things out. He walked Pat Burrell to start the inning, but struck out Evan Longoria, retired pinch-hitter Gabe Gross on a pop up, and struck out pinch-hitter Aki Iwamura to tie Brian Fuentes for the AL lead in saves.

Phil Hughes pitched a scoreless 8th inning to improve his record to 6-2. He got off the wrong foot, issuing a lead off walk to speedster Carl Crawford. But the Yankees guessed correctly and called for a pitch out. It enabled Jorge Posada to throw out Crawford trying to steal 2nd base.

The Yankees had just seven hits on the day, three of them by A-Rod, who drove in the Bombers first run with a 1st inning single. Longoria tied the game at one apiece with his 29th home run, and 101st RBI, in the 2nd inning.

Game Notes

CC Sabathia allowed three hits, walked four and struck out 10, matching his season high.

Brett Gardner was 0-3 in his return to the Yankees line up. He had been on the DL since July 26 with a fractured wrist.

A.J. Burnett faces Andy Sonnanstine in the nightcap.

What We Learned From the Rays Series

With the Yankees taking 2 of 3 from last year's AL Pennant winner, we learned/confirmed a few things.

• Throw the Joba Rules out the window. With the way he's pitching right now, there's no way you can shut down Joba once he hits an innings limit. Perhaps if pitchers weren't babied so much they could last longer. I grew up watching horses like Catfish Hunter and Nolan Ryan..rub some dirt on it and get back in there.

• Chien-Ming Wang's season is over and his career is in jeopardy. With arthroscopic surgery scheduled for yesterday on the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint, Wang's season was finished and his 2010 was put in question. It's possible his 2010 season could be compromised as well

  "We're certainly going to miss him, especially later in the season when the games mean more and more," Jorge Posada said. "At least he knows what's going on. He's been through a lot, but he's still young and he still has a lot to go." "Now it's about Wang; it's not about the Yankees anymore," Posada said. "He's got to get healthy and take care of himself. Whatever he's got to do to be Wang again, he's got to do it."

• Matt Garza stands up for his teammates. Garza admitted to hitting Mark Teixeira last night after Evan Longoria was hit on Monday and got buzzed last night. Teixeira was fine with it and so am I. Nothing wrong with protecting your teammates..though Garza is one ugly MFer.

• The Rays were a flash in the pan last year. Everything went right for the Rays last year, but not this year. Their bullpen has stunk all year and their starting pitching isn't as good as it was.
  

• Pat Burrell stinks...at least this year. What a horrible signing this turned out to be. Teams really screwed up not signing Bobby Abreu. The Rays should do everything they can to move him.

• Brian Bruney still stinks.
  

• We've been saying it all year and we'll say it again. It's so nice to have a 1st baseman that can play defense.

• George Steinbrenner was in the house last night and was feisty. While we've never been fans of King George, that's still good to see.

• Roy Halladay is still a Blue Jay, which means the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers will still be on the prowl for him.

• Ken Singleton should be the primary YES play-by-play guy not Michael Kay.

• The Trop should be burned/exploded/whatever'ed to the ground. What a fugly place.
  

There's probably more, but that's all we have time for.

Mo Gets Back on the Horse

Rivera Redeems Himself in Baseball Cathedral

June 8th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: al aceves • Evan Longoria • Gabe Gross • grant balfour • J.P. Howell • joba chamberlain • mariano rivera • Mark Teixeira • Matt Garza • nick swisher • Yankees 6/7 recap • Yankees vs. Rays

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

WP - Aceves (4-1) SV - Rivera (13) LP - Balfour (2-1)

All the buzz before yesterday’s game between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays centered on Saturday’s controversial intentional walk to Rays’ slugger Evan Longoria. It was part of Mariano Rivera’s failure in a tie game that later had him angry, though he claimed otherwise, at his manager. So it wasn’t only fitting that with Rivera in to protect a one run lead in the 9th, the game came down to Longoria for the final out. Rivera retired him on a ground out to Robinson Cano to preserve the Yankees 4-3 victory and got Joe Girardi to admit, albeit jokingly, that “…maybe Mo was right”. YES sideline/clubhouse reporter Kim Jones also prodded Rivera with her first post-game question, asking if the Yankees closer felt some vindication for the Longoria situation. Rivera downplayed the situation and was much happier to redeem himself for losing Saturday’s game.

The Yankees pulled out another come from behind victory on Sunday, scoring three times in the 8th inning to overcome a 3-1 lead. They did it with some major help from the Rays themselves. Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira reached on one out singles (Teixeira seems to be in the middle of every rally these days) and Grant Balfour walked Alex Rodriguez to load the bases. J.P. Howell walked Cano to force in a run and Willy Aybar butchered Jorge Posada’s potential double play grounder to tie the game.

The Yankees got another break when Hideki Matsui’s chopper up the middle was hit slowly enough to allow him to beat the relay throw to first as the Rays tried to turn two. Though Girardi praised Posada for breaking up the double play by running through second baseman Ben Zobrist, Posada actually would have been smarter to stop running and force Zobrist to either chase him or just throw to first to get Matsui.

Melky Cabrera had a chance to bust the game open after Nick Swisher walked to put two aboard, but struck out swinging. Soon, “Enter Sandman” blared over the PA system as Rivera jogged in from the bullpen. He made quick work of the Rays, getting Matt Joyce on a ground out to Teixeira and then struck out Gabe Gross with a nasty cutter before setting up the final showdown with Longoria.

Joba Chamberlain threw a fairly effective six innings before turning things over to Al Aceves, who improved to 4-1 with the win. He gave up an RBI double in the 3rd inning to Joyce, but took a 1-1 game into the 6th, where he ran into trouble. Though his fastball increased in MPH, Chamberlain lost his command of it. He struck out Carl Crawford to start the inning, but then gave up singles to Aybar and Carlos Pena and issued a 2-out walk to Joyce. With the bases loaded, Chamberlain hung one to Gross, who ripped it to center for a 2-run single and a 3-1 Rays lead.

The Yankees only managed one run, a solo home run by Swisher, against Rays’ starter Matt Garza despite having at least one man on base in every inning but the first. Aceves continued his excellent relief work. He tossed two scoreless innings and struck out the last four men he faced, including the side in the 8th.

Game Notes

The rubber game of the match is this evening at 7:05 p.m. ET. Andy Pettitte faces Andy Sonnanstine. One would think Phil Hughes would be at the ready in case Pettitte’s back acts up. If not, why is Hughes still up with the ball club?

How about this obscure stat from the Elias Sports Bureau - “Mariano Rivera induced a ground out from pinch-hitter Evan Longoria to cap a one-two-three ninth inning and notch his 13th save of the season. It was only the second save of Rivera’s career in which he recorded the final out by retiring the major-leagues’ outright RBI leader. He did it previously on July 16, 2005 at Fenway Park when David Ortiz popped out to end the game.”

Burnett Dominates Rays

Here's my recap for Baseball Digest of tonight's game.

Burnett gives an A+ performance

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: A.J.Burnett • brett gardner • Carl Crawford • Carlos Pena • Dan Wheeler • Derek Jeter • Matt Garza • New York Yankees • nick swisher • Tampa Bay Rays • Yankees recap 4/14/09

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

WP - Burnett (2-0) LP - Howell (0-1)
HR - Swisher (4)

It may only be the second week of the regular season, but A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher are making a push for the AL CY Young and MVP Awards. All kidding aside, both players are doing their best to get the Yankees off to a good start this season. Tuesday night they both played pivotal roles in the Yankees 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Once again the Yankees were looking for Burnett to pick them up after a terrible start the previous night by Chien-Ming Wang. Burnett not only picked them up, he carried them. He threw six innings of no-hit ball before Carl Crawford laced a single to left to start the seventh. In picking up the win, Burnett struck out nine over eight innings, while allowing just three hits and one walk.

With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth, the Yankees only top rookie candidate stepped up. Brett Gardner drove a ball over the head of Crawford in left for a lead off double. Derek JeterJoe Maddon stuck with left-hander J.P. Howell since Mark Teixeira’s tendinitis bothers him when he’s hitting from the right side. But Teixeira nearly hit one out, settling for a sacrifice fly and an RBI to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. followed with a bloop single to center to put runners on the corners with no one out. Rays manager

With Mariano Rivera warming up in the bullpen the Yankees put the game out of reach in the ninth. Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera stroked back to back singles to start the inning. Dan Wheeler looked like he would work his way out of trouble after retiring Ramiro Pena, who failed to get a sacrifice bunt down, and Jose Molina. But Gardner came through with a big two-out hit, this time powering up to center field for a ground rule double over the head of B.J. Upton, who slammed the outfield wall in disgust, for a 4-2 lead.

Then it was the captain’s turn. Jeter had been been in a 1-20 slump entering the game, but he smashed a Wheeler fastball over the fence in right-center for a back breaking 3-run home run.

Burnett cruised through the first six innings, retiring 17 of the 18 hitters he faced. A one-out walk to Pat Burrell was the only base runner he allowed to that point. Burnett struck out at least one batter in every inning except the third and struck out two batters in an inning four times. But he quickly ran into trouble in the seventh.

Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena followed Crawford’s no-no break up hit with singles of their own to cut the Yankees lead to 2-1. Burrell’s fly ball to right brought in the tying run before Burnett struck out Dioner Navarro and Molina picked Pena off of first base to end the inning.

The Yankees gave Burnett a quick 1-0 lead to work with in the first inning. Back to back singles by Gardner and Jeter, and a walk to Teixeira loaded the bases with no one out. Starter Matt Garza struck out Swisher, but Jorge Posada, who was in the lineup as the DH, drove in the first run of the game with a fly ball to left field. The Yankees extended the lead to 2-0 in the sixth when Swisher homered for the second straight night and the fourth time in six games.

Games Notes

Xavier Nady left the game after the seventh inning with sharp pain in his right elbow. Nady had Tommy John surgery on the arm back in 2001 and will be sent for an MRI on Wednesday.

Derek Jeter is now one home run behind Jason Giambi (209) for 10th place on the franchise’s all-time home run list.

The series wraps up on Wednesday with a 4:08 pm EDT start. Andy Pettitte (1-0, 1.29) faces off against Andy Sonnanstine (0-1, 9.64) in the rubber game of the series.

Line Drive in the Paper Lifts Phils

It wasn't pretty, but the Phillies will take it. Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies didn't hit one ball out of the infield - actually they only put one ball into play - in scoring the winning run to take a 2 games to 1 advantage in the World Series. Last night's game ended about 1:47 a.m. EDT after a one hour-thirty one minute rain delay caused the first pitch to be thrown at 10:14 p.m., the latest start in World Series history.

The Rays had rallied from a 4-1 deficit, tying the game with a run in the eighth inning. But Rays reliver J.P. Howell hit Eric Bruntlett to start the home half of the ninth inning. Grant Balfour replaced Howell, and with Shane Victorino batting, immediately threw a wild pitch. Catcher Dioner Navarro quickly retrieved the ball and fired to second to try to gun down Bruntlett, but his throw sailed wide to the right side of second base and into center field, allowing Bruntlett to reach third base. Victorino was intentionally walked and Joe Maddon came out to discuss strategy with his pitcher and infielders.

Those infielders were increased by one when right fielder Ben Zobrist, a natural infielder, moved behind second base to give the Rays a 5-man infield. An intentional walk to Gary Dobbs loaded the bases for catcher Carlos Ruiz. With the infield and outfield playing in, Ruiz chopped a high Balfour fastball that a charging Evan Longoria could only whip home with an underhand, off-balance throw. The ball sailed high and wide and the Phillies had themselves a victory.

Though the game came down to the bottom of the ninth Jamie Moyer was the story of this game. The 45-yr old had struggled in his first two post-season starts, allowing 8 runs in 5.1 innings pitched. But his manager Charlie Manuel stuck by him, saying in his Friday news conference that Moyer had earned his World Series start. Now he's earned a second one, which would be a deciding seventh game if necessary.

Moyer pitch into the seventh inning, leaving with a 4-2 lead and one out. A third run was charged to him after an inherited runners scored on a ground out, but this was clearly Moyer's night. He kept the Rays off balance with his mixture of slow, slower, and slowest pitches. He quickly gave up a 1-0 lead in the second inning and Phillies fans had to be concerned. But after Ruiz's solo home run off Matt Garza in the bottom of the second gave the Phillies the lead back, Moyer took control. He allowed just two more hits through the sixth inning.

Moyer's counterpart, Garza, had been dominant in the first two rounds of the post-season, but struggled last night. Maddon had to come out in the first inning to settle him down after allowing a lead off single to Jimmy Rollins, a walk to Jayson Werth, and a wild pitch that moved both runners into scoring position. He allowed just one run, but was tagged for three solo home runs on the night.

Meanwhile the Phillies extended their lead when their two big men, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit back to back home runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-1 lead. The Rays big men continued not to deliver. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria, who has to endure the asinine chant of "Eva" from the Phillies faithful, both went hitless last night and are hitless for the series. Their teammates did pick them up last night though.

Carl Crawford began the seventh with a bunt single and Navarro followed with a double to left to bring the tying run to the plate. The Rays seem to be specializing on RBI ground outs in the series and that trend continued when Gabe Gross' bouncer to Howard to cut the lead to 4-2 and moved Navarro to third. Chad Durbin replaced Moyer and got Jason Bartlett to bounce into another run scoring ground out that made it a 4-3 game, but prevented a bigger inning.

In the eighth, with Ryan Madson on the mound, B.J. Upton stroked a lead off single and stole second base with one away. The Rays aggressive play on the basepaths paid off when Upton stole third and scored on Ruiz's throwing error. But Ruiz would have the last laugh.


News and Notes

Pena and Longoria are now a combined 0-22 in the series.

Ruiz's game winner made the Phillies 2-33 with runners in scoring position.

Steve Carlton threw out the first pitch, which was made ironic since Moyer beat him for his major league win in 1986.

Line Drive in the Paper Lifts Phils

It wasn't pretty, but the Phillies will take it. Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies didn't hit one ball out of the infield - actually they only put one ball into play - in scoring the winning run to take a 2 games to 1 advantage in the World Series. Last night's game ended about 1:47 a.m. EDT after a one hour-thirty one minute rain delay caused the first pitch to be thrown at 10:14 p.m., the latest start in World Series history.

The Rays had rallied from a 4-1 deficit, tying the game with a run in the eighth inning. But Rays reliver J.P. Howell hit Eric Bruntlett to start the home half of the ninth inning. Grant Balfour replaced Howell, and with Shane Victorino batting, immediately threw a wild pitch. Catcher Dioner Navarro quickly retrieved the ball and fired to second to try to gun down Bruntlett, but his throw sailed wide to the right side of second base and into center field, allowing Bruntlett to reach third base. Victorino was intentionally walked and Joe Maddon came out to discuss strategy with his pitcher and infielders.

Those infielders were increased by one when right fielder Ben Zobrist, a natural infielder, moved behind second base to give the Rays a 5-man infield. An intentional walk to Gary Dobbs loaded the bases for catcher Carlos Ruiz. With the infield and outfield playing in, Ruiz chopped a high Balfour fastball that a charging Evan Longoria could only whip home with an underhand, off-balance throw. The ball sailed high and wide and the Phillies had themselves a victory.

Though the game came down to the bottom of the ninth Jamie Moyer was the story of this game. The 45-yr old had struggled in his first two post-season starts, allowing 8 runs in 5.1 innings pitched. But his manager Charlie Manuel stuck by him, saying in his Friday news conference that Moyer had earned his World Series start. Now he's earned a second one, which would be a deciding seventh game if necessary.

Moyer pitch into the seventh inning, leaving with a 4-2 lead and one out. A third run was charged to him after an inherited runners scored on a ground out, but this was clearly Moyer's night. He kept the Rays off balance with his mixture of slow, slower, and slowest pitches. He quickly gave up a 1-0 lead in the second inning and Phillies fans had to be concerned. But after Ruiz's solo home run off Matt Garza in the bottom of the second gave the Phillies the lead back, Moyer took control. He allowed just two more hits through the sixth inning.

Moyer's counterpart, Garza, had been dominant in the first two rounds of the post-season, but struggled last night. Maddon had to come out in the first inning to settle him down after allowing a lead off single to Jimmy Rollins, a walk to Jayson Werth, and a wild pitch that moved both runners into scoring position. He allowed just one run, but was tagged for three solo home runs on the night.

Meanwhile the Phillies extended their lead when their two big men, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit back to back home runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-1 lead. The Rays big men continued not to deliver. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria, who has to endure the asinine chant of "Eva" from the Phillies faithful, both went hitless last night and are hitless for the series. Their teammates did pick them up last night though.

Carl Crawford began the seventh with a bunt single and Navarro followed with a double to left to bring the tying run to the plate. The Rays seem to be specializing on RBI ground outs in the series and that trend continued when Gabe Gross' bouncer to Howard to cut the lead to 4-2 and moved Navarro to third. Chad Durbin replaced Moyer and got Jason Bartlett to bounce into another run scoring ground out that made it a 4-3 game, but prevented a bigger inning.

In the eighth, with Ryan Madson on the mound, B.J. Upton stroked a lead off single and stole second base with one away. The Rays aggressive play on the basepaths paid off when Upton stole third and scored on Ruiz's throwing error. But Ruiz would have the last laugh.


News and Notes

Pena and Longoria are now a combined 0-22 in the series.

Ruiz's game winner made the Phillies 2-33 with runners in scoring position.

Steve Carlton threw out the first pitch, which was made ironic since Moyer beat him for his major league win in 1986.

Calling on the Ghost of the Bambino to Smote the Red Sox

Seriously, can we get a little help here? The Rays were seven outs away on Thursday night of reaching their first World Series. We already had the Red Sox obituary 90% written when Boston came back from a 7-0 deficit to force a game 5.

Then it was Josh Beckett last night, fighting off a strained oblique, to hold the Rays to two runs on four hits in five innings. Let us make this clear- we don't like Beckett, but he's gained our respect. Something his big mouthed teammate with the ketchupy sock will never get from us. Beckett says he's not hurt, but he clearly is. He doesn't have to point out to the media how much he aches and what he has to do to compensate for it or how big his bowel movement was that morning. He just goes and pitches, and he's become one of the best big game pitchers in baseball.

Another big veteran on this Sox team, which is John Sterling's words, "gutty" and "gritty", is catcher Jason Varitek. The Sox captain could very well be playing his last days in a Red Sox uniform. He's a free agent to be and wants a Jorge Posada like contract (5 years). But Varitek hasn't hit in a month of Sundays. He still calls a great game, but swings a wiffle ball bat against 95-mph fastballs. But last night Varitek reached into the past and hit a James Shields delivery into the seats in right field to put the Sox ahead for good 3-2.

A Jason Bartlett throwing error contributed to an insurance run and then the biggest difference, besides experience, between these two teams came to the forefront. The Red Sox were able to send out Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, and Jon Papelbon to combine for four hitless, scorelss innings to even the series up at three games apiece.

The finale is tonight at the Trop with Jon Lester facing Matt Garza. We don't have to tell you who we think will win tonight's game. Now if some spectral force could have an impact...

Calling on the Ghost of the Bambino to Smote the Red Sox

Seriously, can we get a little help here? The Rays were seven outs away on Thursday night of reaching their first World Series. We already had the Red Sox obituary 90% written when Boston came back from a 7-0 deficit to force a game 5.

Then it was Josh Beckett last night, fighting off a strained oblique, to hold the Rays to two runs on four hits in five innings. Let us make this clear- we don't like Beckett, but he's gained our respect. Something his big mouthed teammate with the ketchupy sock will never get from us. Beckett says he's not hurt, but he clearly is. He doesn't have to point out to the media how much he aches and what he has to do to compensate for it or how big his bowel movement was that morning. He just goes and pitches, and he's become one of the best big game pitchers in baseball.

Another big veteran on this Sox team, which is John Sterling's words, "gutty" and "gritty", is catcher Jason Varitek. The Sox captain could very well be playing his last days in a Red Sox uniform. He's a free agent to be and wants a Jorge Posada like contract (5 years). But Varitek hasn't hit in a month of Sundays. He still calls a great game, but swings a wiffle ball bat against 95-mph fastballs. But last night Varitek reached into the past and hit a James Shields delivery into the seats in right field to put the Sox ahead for good 3-2.

A Jason Bartlett throwing error contributed to an insurance run and then the biggest difference, besides experience, between these two teams came to the forefront. The Red Sox were able to send out Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, and Jon Papelbon to combine for four hitless, scorelss innings to even the series up at three games apiece.

The finale is tonight at the Trop with Jon Lester facing Matt Garza. We don't have to tell you who we think will win tonight's game. Now if some spectral force could have an impact...

Dodgers Get their Fight on

Payback's a Bitch

The Dodgers didn't show a whole lot of life in the first two games of the NLCS, but last night they showed plenty of fire in a 7-1 win over the Phillies in Los Angeles. It was anticipated there would be retaliation last night after Brett Myers threw a pitch behind Manny Ramirez in game 2. Myers said the pitch slipped, but none of the Dodgers were buying it. When catcher Russell Martin was hit on the hand by a Jamie Moyer pitch last night and later was buzzed by a Clay Condrey fastball, there was no doubt what was going to happen. With a big lead and two out in the seventh, Hiroki Kuroda got retribution by going head hunting for Shane Victorino.

The benches emptied, and although there was plenty of yelling, finger pointing, and shoving, no fights came from it. The benches emptied again when the inning ended and Victorino had some choice words for Kuroda. This was a statement game for the Dodgers and in more ways than one.

LA took care of business early, making 45-yr old Jamie Moyer look twice his age. Already leading 2-0 in the first, Blake DeWitt delivered a bases loaded double to break the game open. Moyer was gone after retiring just one batter in the second inning. Charlie Manuel has to seriously reconsider his decision to have Moyer slated for a possible game 7 should the series go that long.

Once LA took care of their game, they went on the offense to let the Phillies know they will not be pushovers in the series. LA is back in this thing.

Box Score

Manny Being Manny

Evan Roberts of WFAN had some more amusing lines from Manny this morning. According to Manny, he's not likely to sign with the Mets in the off-season, because Shea is not a good hitter's park. Only thing is, Manny forgot the Mets will no longer be playing at Shea.

Manny also said he's looking for a six year deal. One would think that means he wants guaranteed money for those six years and not a shorter deal with options. One would think Manny is nuts and they would be right.

Games 3 and 4

Joe Blanton goes against Derek Lowe tonight as the Dodgers try to even the series. Meanwhile in Boston, the Rays and Red Sox resume their series with game 3. The 4:37 EDT start has Matt Garza going up against Jon Lester.

Dodgers Get their Fight on

Payback's a Bitch

The Dodgers didn't show a whole lot of life in the first two games of the NLCS, but last night they showed plenty of fire in a 7-1 win over the Phillies in Los Angeles. It was anticipated there would be retaliation last night after Brett Myers threw a pitch behind Manny Ramirez in game 2. Myers said the pitch slipped, but none of the Dodgers were buying it. When catcher Russell Martin was hit on the hand by a Jamie Moyer pitch last night and later was buzzed by a Clay Condrey fastball, there was no doubt what was going to happen. With a big lead and two out in the seventh, Hiroki Kuroda got retribution by going head hunting for Shane Victorino.

The benches emptied, and although there was plenty of yelling, finger pointing, and shoving, no fights came from it. The benches emptied again when the inning ended and Victorino had some choice words for Kuroda. This was a statement game for the Dodgers and in more ways than one.

LA took care of business early, making 45-yr old Jamie Moyer look twice his age. Already leading 2-0 in the first, Blake DeWitt delivered a bases loaded double to break the game open. Moyer was gone after retiring just one batter in the second inning. Charlie Manuel has to seriously reconsider his decision to have Moyer slated for a possible game 7 should the series go that long.

Once LA took care of their game, they went on the offense to let the Phillies know they will not be pushovers in the series. LA is back in this thing.

Box Score

Manny Being Manny

Evan Roberts of WFAN had some more amusing lines from Manny this morning. According to Manny, he's not likely to sign with the Mets in the off-season, because Shea is not a good hitter's park. Only thing is, Manny forgot the Mets will no longer be playing at Shea.

Manny also said he's looking for a six year deal. One would think that means he wants guaranteed money for those six years and not a shorter deal with options. One would think Manny is nuts and they would be right.

Games 3 and 4

Joe Blanton goes against Derek Lowe tonight as the Dodgers try to even the series. Meanwhile in Boston, the Rays and Red Sox resume their series with game 3. The 4:37 EDT start has Matt Garza going up against Jon Lester.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/4

Phil Mushnick takes a shot at "screamers" Michael Kay and Gary Cohen. (kudos to TBL for the find.)

As you know by now instant replay made its debut in last night's Yankees-Rays game. While the ESPN replays were inconclusive, ump Charlie Relaford and the office in NY were privy to a replay that showed the ball did clear the foul pole in fair territory before hooking into foul territory. The most remarkable thing, by far, is that only two minutes and 15 seconds elapsed before a ruling was made. Maybe the NFL can learn from it.

Jason Giambi played last night despite suffering a nasty gash to his eyelid after walking into a bathroom door.

Mike Schmidt congratulated A-Rod on passing him on the all-time home run list.

Via the Phillies' PR department, Schmidt said he was happy for Rodriguez, whom he spoke to during the introductions at the All-Star Game in July at Yankee Stadium.

"I want to congratulate Alex on 548 and wish him well the remainder of 2008," Schmidt said before the milestone blast.

Damon Opponheimer must rue the day he picked C.J. Henry over Matt Garza.

Bobby Murcer has been nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. Fans can take part in the vote at Yankees.com.