Red Sox Suffer Another Blow

The Boston Red Sox have suffered one injury after another this season, but have still managed to stay within striking distance in the AL Eastern division and wildcard races. But the latest blow to the Red Sox could be devestating.

All-Star 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis is out for the season after deciding to undergo surgery on a torn muscle at the base of his right thumb.

For now, Mike Lowell, just activated from the DL himself, will take Youkilis' place in the lineup. While Lowell was an outstanding defender, his bat is no longer what it was and is well below the standard that Youkilis has established.

The Red Sox realize it and are apparently willing to take drastic measures to get another bat in the lineup. The Boston Herald reported that the Red Sox have had discussions internally about taking a look at Carlos Delgado, who has not played at all this year due to 2009 hip surgery.

Another possibility would be Adam Dunn if he gets through waivers.

Snowy Sunday Hot Stove

Northern New Jersey didn't get as much snow as southern NJ or areas that normally get less snow. But it's a good day to get ready for football by talking some baseball hot stove.

Boston and Texas have been talking a Mike Lowell deal for weeks, but now things are off. A physical revealed torn ligaments in Lowell's thumb. The tear will require surgery and a 6-8 week recovery period. The deal could be revisited once Lowell recovers, but it's dead for now.

The Oakland A's and Coco Crisp are close to a one year deal per ESPN's Buster Olney. Crisp's career has gone downhill since his back to back star years (2004-2005) in Cleveland when he averaged 15 home runs and 70 RBI. He's still a threat to steal, but the power has diminished as has his OPS.

In case you missed it on Friday, the Cubs sent "Mr. Personality", Milton Bradley to the Mariners for overpaid/underachieving starting pitcher Carlos Silva. Bradley brings his ton of baggage to Seattle at $10 million per season for the next two years. He's a bargain, but do the M's really want to put up with Bradley's antics? He'll primarily split DH with Ken Griffey Jr. and see some time in the outfield as well. As for Silva, what were the Mariners thinking when they gave him a four year deal for $11-$12 million per year.

12 Shopping Days 'til Xmas Hot Stove

Happy Hanukkah, no matter your spelling. When exactly is Festivus this year? I can just see Hal and Hank Steinbrenner competing in the feats of strength. Hank would probably start off well, but Hal would then use Hank's heft against him.

So what has happened since we checked in last. Winter meetings are obviously done. There have been signings, some rumors, some trades, and some near trades.

The Mets four year offer to free agent outfielder, and one time Mets minor leaguer, Jason Bay created quite the buzz on New York sports talk radio yesterday. Debates centered on whether or not the Mets offer was a legit one.

The offer of $65 million was just $5 million over an offer proposed by the Red Sox. Many fans and members of the media feel the Mets could have made a much bigger impact on the bidding with a bigger boost than 5 mill. Perhaps even throwing a 5th year into the deal may have made a lot more noise.

The Mets also made an offer to one of their top priorities, free agent catcher Bengie Molina.


The Rangers-Red Sox deal is still in the works and is still expected to happen. That's the one where Mike Lowell goes to Texas to take over first base, while catching prospect Max Ramirez heads to Beantown. Money is still being worked out and it's possible the Rangers still have concerns about Lowell's hip. It'll probably get done though.

Today is the deadline for non-tendering players. Chief among them will be the Yankees own, and one of my personal favorites, Chien-Ming Wang. I'll have more on this later.

Cards GM John Mozeliak confirmed that the team has made a formal offer in an attempt to retain the services of free agent Matt Holliday. Mozeliak told St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist/radio host Bernie Miklaz Friday that he expects to hear back from Holliday's agent, Scott Boras, in 48 hours.

The Royals have signed veteran catcher Jason Kendall to a 2-yr, $6 million deal.

The White Sox have signed right-handed reliever J.J. Putz to a 1-yr, $3 million deal to set up closer Bobby Jenks. Putz was expected to be a large part of the Mets bullpen last season after his acquisition from Seattle, but injuries shortened his season.

Tony Pena Jr., son of the Yankees bench coach, and one time infielder has signed a minor league contract with the Giants as he continues his attempt to become a reliever.

FoxSports stated Thursday the Phillies are the front-runners to land Roy Halladay. Not so fast, said Phils' GM Reuben Amaro in response. Amaro may be playing his cards close to his vest, but he does not expect to land the Blue Jays ace.

The Giants and Marlins have had in-depth discussions about a deal that would bring second baseman Dan Uggla to the Bay area.

The Red Sox picked up pitcher Boof Bonser from the Twins for a PTBNL.

Millwood Moved as Meetings Continue

The third day of the winter meetings saw veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood traded from the Texas Rangers to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named later. In obtaining Millwood and cash, the O's add a workhorse starter to a rotation that is filled with youngsters (Jeremy Guthrie being the exception.).

Ray missed most of the 2008 season after under going Tommy John surgery and struggled in his return this past season. He gives the Rangers a veteran set up man with closing experience.

In other moves and rumors:

The Pirates are close to agreeing to terms with much injured infielder Bobby Crosby, who has spent his entire career with the A's. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Crosby would receive a 1-yr, $1 million deal that will include incentives in addition to the base salary.
The Florida Marlins have dealt one time closer Matt Lindstrom to the Houston Astros for pitcher Robert Bono, shortstop Luis Bryan and a player to be named later. Lindstrom will have the chance to take over the closing role from departing free agent Jose Valverde.

The Brewers have signed pitchers Randy Wolf (3 years, $27 million) and LaTroy Hawkins (2 years, $7.5 million). I can't say that's the wisest way to use their money.

The Red Sox and Rangers are reportedly discussing a deal for Mike Lowell. The Sox are reportedly interested in Adrian Beltre as a replacement.

Trade Winds Not Strong Thus Far

Sure, there are plenty of MLB Trade Rumors out there, but how many major deals will really be pulled off? With teams scaling back on the free agent market, there's been no sign to indicate things will change for the in-season trading period. Other than Roy Halladay, nothing is a given, and even the Halladay deal will only get done if the Blue Jays get a fair return.

More minor deals, like the one that sent infielder Felipe Lopez from Arizona to Milwaukee yesterday, are likely to occur.

So it's time to look at some of the various rumors and what might go down over the next 11 days.

Roy Halladay - As we alluded to, there are some obstacles to a Halladay deal getting done. Besides fair market value, the Blue Jays will not allow any team a window to negotiate a new deal with Doc. Halladay must also approve his point of destination. SI's Jon Heyman still feels that the Phillies are the favorites to land the ace, with prospects Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald, and Carlos Carrasco being discussed. So far though, the Phillies have been unwilling to include Drabek in any deal. (If only the Yankees had kept Kyle's father Doug when they obtained Rick Rhoden from Pittsburgh in 1986.)

Jon also mentioned on his Twitter acc't that Halladay's preferences (according to pal) are: 1. win. 2. quiet. 3. spring in fla.; thinks he'd OK Phil, Stl, NY, Bos, etc.

For the Yankees to pull off a deal it would take Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, Austin Jackson, and Jesus Montero or Francisco Cervelli. The Yankees have reportedly asked Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi to give them a chance to match or beat any deal.

Adam Dunn - There are teams looking for a 1st baseman/DH, but not many that want to pick up the remainder of Dunn's 2-year, $20 million deal that he signed prior to this season. The Daily News' Adam Rubin reported today that Nats' GM Mike Rizzo is insisting the Nats won't deal Dunn, but it's hard to believe they wouldn't consider it. Fanhouse's Ed Price reported last week that the Tigers had interested in Dunn, but couldn't work out the financial part of the deal.

Red Sox hot corners - With Mike Lowell's injured hip continuing to give him trouble, the Red Sox are in the market for a replacement 3rd baseman or a 1st baseman that would enable Kevin Youkilis to slide across the diamond. Possibilities could be the Nats' Nick Johnson, Rockies corner man Garrett Atkins (though the Rockies asking high price is very high at the moment), O's Aubrey Huff

Bullpen Help: There's never a time that a major league ball club couldn't improve their pen. That's one of the reasons the O's have been inundated with calls for closer George Sherrill, who could be moved back to a set up spot if dealt. The LA Times reports the Angels have been talking to the O's about Sherrill, but Baltimore is looking for 2 top prospects in return.

Red Sox Continue to Roll Yanks

Red Sox Continue ‘09 Dominance

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: al aceves • Jason Bay • Joe Girardi • Jon Lester • Jonathan Papelbon • Mark Teixeira • Mike Lowell • Phil Hughes • Yankees 5/4 recap • Yankees vs. Red Sox

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

When the Yankees look out on the mound at the Boston Red Sox‘ Jon Lester, they see the culmination of good scouting, hard work, and talent coming to fruition. The Yankees hope one day they can look at Phil Hughes the same way. For now though, Hughes is still a work in progress. Meanwhile, Lester is dominating major league hitters. He did so last night in beating the Yankees 6-4 after a 2 hour-17 minute rain delay that pushed back the start of the game to 9:22 ET.

Save for a couple of home run balls, Lester used a mid-90s fastball and wide sweeping breaking pitches to strike out 10 hitters in 7 innings. In doing so he evened his record at 2-2. Hughes was ineffective in his four innings of work. YES announcer Michael Kay repeatedly pointed out that Hughes only allowed one run per inning, but those runs add up. Hughes threw 94 pitches, just 56 for strikes. He allowed 7hits, walked 4, and struck out just 2 in an outing that was the complete opposite of the dominant performance he had last week in Detroit.

Mike Lowell was Hughes’ biggest nemesis. He cracked a long home run in the second inning that gave the Sox a 2-0 lead and added an RBI single an inning later. David Ortiz, hitting just .208 entering the game, had a pair of doubles off Hughes, with an RBI and a run scored.

The Yankees were as lifeless as the rain soaked crowd for much of the game. Lester struck out Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, and Mark Teixeira to start the game, then added strikeouts of Melky Cabrera and Jose Molina with two on and two out in the second inning. It wasn’t until Jeter was called out on strikes in the fifth inning that the Yankees came to life.

Jeter didn’t like the called third strike from home plate ump Jerry Meals, who had seemingly squeezed the strike zone on Hughes in the early innings. Joe Girardi quickly came out to protect his shortstop and was ejected for arguing ball and strikes, but gave Meals a piece of his mind before exiting. With Molina on first, Damonlaunched his 5th home run of the season into the right field seats and just like that the Yankees were back in the ball game. The crowd finally had some life and really got fired up when the next hitter,Teixeira, homered to left-center field to cut the Red Sox lead to just one.

Al Aceves, recalled earlier in the day from Scranton, replaced Hughes to start the fifth and pitched effectively. The one blight on his record was a 2-run home run surrendered to Jason Bay that gave the Red Sox a 6-3 lead. Teixeira got it back to 6-4 with his second solo home run of the game, this time from the left side of the plate, in the eighth to set up a showdown with Jonathan Papelbon.

When Ramon Ramirez followed Teixeira’s home run by walking Robinson Cano, Red Sox manager Terry Francona didn’t hesitate to bring on his closer for a five out save. It was an unusual call by Francona, who doesn’t like to use Papelbon for more than an inning, but it paid off in the long run. Papelbon struck out pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui, and after a single by Cabrera, retired Molina on a pop up.

The Yankees had one more potential rally in them in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Brett Gardner reached on a lead off single and Papelbon hit Jeter with a pitch to put the tying runs on base with no one out. But Damon flied out and Teixeira struck out, leaving it up to Nick Swisher. First Gardner and Jeter made it more interesting by pulling off a double steal. When Papelbon walked Swisher to load the bases, the fans that remained were on the edge of their seats. That excitement quickly turned to groans whenPapelbon struck out Cano to end the game at 1:10 a.m.

Game Notes

Jose Molina had to bat for himself in the eighth inning, because Jorge Posada had to leave the game with a bad hamstring. Posada had injured the leg last week. He’ll be sent for an MRI today and a trip to the disabled list is not out of the question.

Alex Rodriguez’s teammates and opponents, including David Ortiz, don’t believe Selena Roberts‘ accusation that A-Rod tipped pitches to opponents. Former teammates like Michael Young have also said the accusation is absurd.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jon Lester became the first Red Sox left-handed pitcher in 73 years to strike out 10 or more Yankees. Lefty Grove last accomplished the feat in 1936.

Elias also came up with this crazy stat. It was only the second time in 773 visits to Yankee Stadium(s) that Boston scored a single in each of the first four innings- the “picket fence”.

The series concludes tonight with Joba Chamberlain squaring off against Josh Beckett.

Here's my recap of the latest Yankees' fiasco for Baseball Digest

We Want a Pitcher not a Belly Itcher

April 26th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: a.j. burnett • damaso marte • dustin pedroia • Jason Bay • Jason Varitek • Josh Beckett • Mike Lowell • Robinson Cano • Yankees recap 4/25 • Yankees vs. Red Sox

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	2	0	2	2	0	2	2	1	0		11	15	1
Boston	0	0	0	5	3	1	3	4	X		16	13	1

The Yankees would be lucky if that’s all their fans yell when they return to the Bronx on Thursday. The Yankees’ pitching was supposed to be the strength of the team this year, but so far it has been a miserable failure. The latest case in point was a blown 6-0 lead on Saturday and then an eventual 16-11 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The victory extended the Red Sox’ winning streak to nine games.

A.J. Burnett has been outstanding this season, but was extremely fallible on Saturday. The bullpen, on the other hand, has been horrible all season and continued their dismal performance yesterday afternoon into the evening.

The Yankees jumped on Red Sox starter Josh Beckett for a pair of runs in the first inning, added two more on a Robinson Cano home run in the third, and another two on a Cano double in the fourth. But after he breezed through the first three innings, things unraveled for Burnett in the home half of the fifth. The Red Sox scored five times, highlighted by a grand slam from their captain Jason Varitek, to cut the lead to 6-5. An inning later, the Red Sox took their first lead of the day, and sent Burnett to the showers, when Jacoby Ellsbury hit a game-tying home run and Jason Bay followed with a 2-run double.

The Red Sox did their best to help the Yankees out. Terry Francona left Beckett in too long and the Yankees sent him packing in the sixth on a game-tying 2-run home run by Johnny Damon, and an inning later Dustin Pedroia committed a 2-run error to put the Yankees back on top 10-8, but New York proved way too hospitable to their hosts.

Mike Lowell, who had been hitless up to that point, took Jonathan Albaladejo deep with two men aboard in the Boston half of the seventh to put the Red Sox back on top 12-10. Cano homered again to cut the lead in half in the top of the eighth. But the Red Sox put the game away, with the help of a blown call by second base ump Brian O’Nora, in their half of the inning.

Ellsbury reached on catcher’s interference to start the inning, and with Pedroia batting, took off for second. Jorge Posada’s throw tailed to the first base side of the bag, but Cano grabbed it and in one motion tagged Ellsbury on the ankles before the Red Sox center fielder could reach second base. Ellsbury was clearly out, but O’Nora called him safe.

Pedroia capitalized on the situation with an RBI single to center that ended Edwar Ramirez’s night. Damaso Marte, who looked pretty good (other than allowing the game-winning home run to Kevin Youkilis) on Friday night, showed more improvement on Saturday. He got David Ortiz to fly out, and after he wisely issued an intentional walk to Youkilis, struck out J.D. Drew. But Girardi decided, unwisely, to mix and match again.

With two right-handers coming up, Girardi sent for David Robertson, recalled earlier in the day from Scranton. Robertson walked Bay to load the bases and then gave up a bases-clearing, back breaking double to Lowell for the 16-11 finale.

Game Notes

Andy Pettitte, a long time stopper for the Yankees, will try to salvage the series finale tonight in another nationally televised game (8:05 ET ESPN). Justin Masterson starts for Boston.

The Elias Sports Bureau has come up with lots of “good” negative stuff on the 2009 Yankees. Only four other teams have ever allowed 15 or more runs on three or more occasions in the their first 20 games. It was also the fourth time in franchise history the Yankees led by as much as six and lost by as much as five. While he didn’t figure in Saturday’s decision, A.J. Burnett nearly ruined his 32-0 mark when handed a lead of at least five runs.

Bullpen ERA’s other than Mariano Rivera and Brian Bruney:

Robertson 3.86
Coke 4.70
Albaladejo 5.23
Veras 6.30
Ramirez 7.36
Marte 15.19
Claggett 43.20

Related posts:

The Pennant Race - 8/12

The Mets bullpen imploded once again yesterday afternoon. After building a 5-1 lead, the Mets frittered it away. The Pirates cut the deficit to 5-4 and then scored 3 runs in the ninth off of Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoenweis.

The Mets lost no ground though because the Phillies lost to the Dodgers 8-6 and the Marlins were beaten by the Cardinals 4-2. Manny Ramirez drove in another 2 runs and James Loney drove home 3 as the Dodgers built a 7-1 lead and then hung on for dear life. LA is now one back of Arizona in the NL West.

Joel Pineiro out pitched the Marlins' Anabel Sanchez and Yadier Molina and Joe Mather homered for the Cardinals.

The Brewers pasted the Nationals 7-1 to complete a four game sweep and picked up a half-game on the idle Cubs.

The Twins victory over the Yankees moved them into first place in the AL Central after the White Sox fell to the Red Sox 5-1. White Sox starter Joe Danks had a perfect game through five innings and still had a no-hitter going after hitting Jacoby Ellsbury in the sixth. But things fell apart in the seventh when he allowed a one out single to Kevin Youkilis to snap the no-no bid and then walked Mike Lowell. J.D. Drew then really ruined Danks' night with a 2-run double that put the Red Sox up for good. The Red Sox moved a half-game closer to idle Tampa Bay with the win.

The Pennant Race - 8/12

The Mets bullpen imploded once again yesterday afternoon. After building a 5-1 lead, the Mets frittered it away. The Pirates cut the deficit to 5-4 and then scored 3 runs in the ninth off of Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoenweis.

The Mets lost no ground though because the Phillies lost to the Dodgers 8-6 and the Marlins were beaten by the Cardinals 4-2. Manny Ramirez drove in another 2 runs and James Loney drove home 3 as the Dodgers built a 7-1 lead and then hung on for dear life. LA is now one back of Arizona in the NL West.

Joel Pineiro out pitched the Marlins' Anabel Sanchez and Yadier Molina and Joe Mather homered for the Cardinals.

The Brewers pasted the Nationals 7-1 to complete a four game sweep and picked up a half-game on the idle Cubs.

The Twins victory over the Yankees moved them into first place in the AL Central after the White Sox fell to the Red Sox 5-1. White Sox starter Joe Danks had a perfect game through five innings and still had a no-hitter going after hitting Jacoby Ellsbury in the sixth. But things fell apart in the seventh when he allowed a one out single to Kevin Youkilis to snap the no-no bid and then walked Mike Lowell. J.D. Drew then really ruined Danks' night with a 2-run double that put the Red Sox up for good. The Red Sox moved a half-game closer to idle Tampa Bay with the win.

Red, White, and Boo

After the Yankees lackluster performance in Thursday's 7-0 loss to the Red Sox, the Yankees held a team meeting. Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, and Derek Jeter laid it on the line. Get better soon or a lot of us could be elsewhere. The Yankees played with a lot more fire on Friday, but the results were no different. The Red Sox rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees 6-4.

The game turned on a bizarre play in the 3rd inning. The Red Sox had pushed a run across and had two on with one out. Kevin Youkilis hit a deep drive to left field off of Darrell Rasner. Damon raced back to the wall, leaped, and had the ball in his glove. That was until he hit the wall and the ball popped out. But instead of going over the wall for a home run or falling immediately back into the field of the play, the ball laid precariously on top of the wall for a few moments. When it finally did roll back into play, it took the assistance of a fan to point out the ball to Damon, who was momentarily dazed and confused. Youkilis made it to 3rd base with a game tying triple and Damon had to leave the game with a sprained acromioclavicular joint in his left shoulder.

The Yankees had taken a quick lead against Josh Beckett in the 1st inning. Damon led off the game with a double and one batter later Bobby Abreu drew a walk. Alex Rodriguez then lashed a line drive to left field to score both runners as Abreu just beat the throw home. The relay enabled A-Rod to move to third and he scored easily on Jason Giambi's fly out to center field for a 3-0 lead. But the Yankees wouldn't do much against Beckett the rest of the day.

The Yankees did have a chance in the 4th, loading the bases with 2 outs, but Jose Molina grounded out to Mike Lowell to end the inning. Then Lowell took advantage in the top of the 5th against Rasner. Red hot Dustin Pedroia led off with a single and one out later Manny Ramirez followed suit. Then it was Lowell, the one-time Yankees prospect, belting a 3-run home run a few rows back in the left field seats for a 6-3 lead.

Boston set up man Hideki Okajima has not been lights out like he was last year and the Yankees built a rally against him in the 7th inning. Melky Cabrera singled and Molina followed with a base on balls. After Brett Gardner bounced into a force out, Derek Jeter walked to load the bases. But Okajima retired Abreu on a pop out and Manny DelCarmen came in to get A-Rod on an inning-ending ground out as the skies opened up with a torrential downpour.

The game resumed after an 88-minute rain delay and the Yankees would have one more shot after a botched call by the umpires. With a man on and 2 outs in the 9th, Jeter lined Jon Papelbon's pitch to center field. Coco Crisp made a diving back hand grab for the final out, only it wasn't. The catch was ruled a trap (TV replays would show otherwise) and Jeter had himself an RBI double. That gave Abreu a shot as the tying run and he nearly made it happen. But his deep drive to center field fell into Crisp's glove about five feet shy of the 408-ft sign in center field.


News and Notes

Mike Port, VP of Umpiring, said discussions would take place to figure out the proper rulings on Youkilis' ball.

“The guess is that if it had stayed there, it would have been a home run because it had broken the front plane, but we’ll discuss it with supervisors in the next few days,” he said. “The great thing about this game is that after 100 or more years, you still see things that may not have happened before.”

The Yankees and Red Sox wore alternate caps with the team's logos intertwined with red, white, and blue. It's thought to be the first time the Yankees have ever worn an alternate piece of clothing.

Jason Varitek wore a red, white, and blue chest protector that will be auctioned off for charity.

Red, White, and Boo

After the Yankees lackluster performance in Thursday's 7-0 loss to the Red Sox, the Yankees held a team meeting. Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, and Derek Jeter laid it on the line. Get better soon or a lot of us could be elsewhere. The Yankees played with a lot more fire on Friday, but the results were no different. The Red Sox rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees 6-4.

The game turned on a bizarre play in the 3rd inning. The Red Sox had pushed a run across and had two on with one out. Kevin Youkilis hit a deep drive to left field off of Darrell Rasner. Damon raced back to the wall, leaped, and had the ball in his glove. That was until he hit the wall and the ball popped out. But instead of going over the wall for a home run or falling immediately back into the field of the play, the ball laid precariously on top of the wall for a few moments. When it finally did roll back into play, it took the assistance of a fan to point out the ball to Damon, who was momentarily dazed and confused. Youkilis made it to 3rd base with a game tying triple and Damon had to leave the game with a sprained acromioclavicular joint in his left shoulder.

The Yankees had taken a quick lead against Josh Beckett in the 1st inning. Damon led off the game with a double and one batter later Bobby Abreu drew a walk. Alex Rodriguez then lashed a line drive to left field to score both runners as Abreu just beat the throw home. The relay enabled A-Rod to move to third and he scored easily on Jason Giambi's fly out to center field for a 3-0 lead. But the Yankees wouldn't do much against Beckett the rest of the day.

The Yankees did have a chance in the 4th, loading the bases with 2 outs, but Jose Molina grounded out to Mike Lowell to end the inning. Then Lowell took advantage in the top of the 5th against Rasner. Red hot Dustin Pedroia led off with a single and one out later Manny Ramirez followed suit. Then it was Lowell, the one-time Yankees prospect, belting a 3-run home run a few rows back in the left field seats for a 6-3 lead.

Boston set up man Hideki Okajima has not been lights out like he was last year and the Yankees built a rally against him in the 7th inning. Melky Cabrera singled and Molina followed with a base on balls. After Brett Gardner bounced into a force out, Derek Jeter walked to load the bases. But Okajima retired Abreu on a pop out and Manny DelCarmen came in to get A-Rod on an inning-ending ground out as the skies opened up with a torrential downpour.

The game resumed after an 88-minute rain delay and the Yankees would have one more shot after a botched call by the umpires. With a man on and 2 outs in the 9th, Jeter lined Jon Papelbon's pitch to center field. Coco Crisp made a diving back hand grab for the final out, only it wasn't. The catch was ruled a trap (TV replays would show otherwise) and Jeter had himself an RBI double. That gave Abreu a shot as the tying run and he nearly made it happen. But his deep drive to center field fell into Crisp's glove about five feet shy of the 408-ft sign in center field.


News and Notes

Mike Port, VP of Umpiring, said discussions would take place to figure out the proper rulings on Youkilis' ball.

“The guess is that if it had stayed there, it would have been a home run because it had broken the front plane, but we’ll discuss it with supervisors in the next few days,” he said. “The great thing about this game is that after 100 or more years, you still see things that may not have happened before.”

The Yankees and Red Sox wore alternate caps with the team's logos intertwined with red, white, and blue. It's thought to be the first time the Yankees have ever worn an alternate piece of clothing.

Jason Varitek wore a red, white, and blue chest protector that will be auctioned off for charity.

Around the Horn - 5/6

Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz each homered as the Red Sox doubled up the Tigers, 6-3. Lowell's was his first blast of the year as well as his first RBI. It was an odd night for Dice-K (5-0) who allowed only 2 hits over 5 innings, but walked 8. It was the 4th straight win the Sox while the Tigers dropped their 4th straight.

Dustin McGowan and Javier Vazquez settled into a good pitcher's duel last night in the Blue Jays 1-0 win over the White Sox. A Matt Stairs home run in the 7th inning was the game's lone run as closer B.J. Ryan escaped a bases loaded jam in the 9th to preserve the victory for McGowan.

The Angels and Royals also hooked up in a pitcher's duel between the rejuvenated Ervin Santana and veteran Brett Tomko. Tomko only allowed 2 hits in 7 innings, but wouldn't be around for the finish. The Angels scored 4 times in the 9th with Garrett Anderson and Brandon Wood each hitting home runs. Santana went the distance on 97 pitches, allowing just 4 hits, while issuing no walks, and striking out 9.

Emil Brown singled in the game winner in the bottom of the 10th for Oakland as the A's beat the Orioles 2-1. The O's had tied the game in the 9th off of closer Huston Street after starter Dana Eveland (7 IP) and the A's set up men blanked the O's for the first 8 innings.

The Mariners snapped a 5-game losing streak when they beat the Rangers 7-3 last night. Wladimir Balentien belted a 3-run home run and Richie Sexson added a solo shot to back the quality start of Jarrod Washburn.

Johnny Cueto won his first game since April 3rd when the Reds beat the Cubs 5-3. Cueto struck out 8 in 6 innings and Adam Dunn belted a tape measure 2-run home run. Cubs rookie standout Geovany Soto continues to open eyes. He homered as part of a 3-3 day and is hitting .352.

The Dodgers Rafael Furcal homered off the Mets Oliver Perez to start the bottom of the 1st inning and it was all down hill for Perez after that. Blake DeWitt hit his first major league home run and Matt Kemp also went deep against Perez, who had his 3rd bad start in a row (and 4 out of 5). Chad Billingsley picked up the win in the Dodgers 5-1 victory.

The Cardinals blew 3 leads before Rick Ankiel's RBI ground out in the 9th finally beat the Rockies 6-5. Jason Isringhausen picked up his 11th save for the Cards who are now 21-12.

The Phillies rolled over the Diamondbacks 11-4 as Jamie Moyer beat AZ with his arm and his bat. Moyer became the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to record a multi-hit game at age 45 or over. The game was a contrast in styles and age, as Moyer, making his 558th appearance hit 78 mph for much of the night, while 23-yr old DBacks rookie Max Schuerzer, who threw as hard as 98 mph on the night, made his major league debut.

Around the Horn - 5/6

Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz each homered as the Red Sox doubled up the Tigers, 6-3. Lowell's was his first blast of the year as well as his first RBI. It was an odd night for Dice-K (5-0) who allowed only 2 hits over 5 innings, but walked 8. It was the 4th straight win the Sox while the Tigers dropped their 4th straight.

Dustin McGowan and Javier Vazquez settled into a good pitcher's duel last night in the Blue Jays 1-0 win over the White Sox. A Matt Stairs home run in the 7th inning was the game's lone run as closer B.J. Ryan escaped a bases loaded jam in the 9th to preserve the victory for McGowan.

The Angels and Royals also hooked up in a pitcher's duel between the rejuvenated Ervin Santana and veteran Brett Tomko. Tomko only allowed 2 hits in 7 innings, but wouldn't be around for the finish. The Angels scored 4 times in the 9th with Garrett Anderson and Brandon Wood each hitting home runs. Santana went the distance on 97 pitches, allowing just 4 hits, while issuing no walks, and striking out 9.

Emil Brown singled in the game winner in the bottom of the 10th for Oakland as the A's beat the Orioles 2-1. The O's had tied the game in the 9th off of closer Huston Street after starter Dana Eveland (7 IP) and the A's set up men blanked the O's for the first 8 innings.

The Mariners snapped a 5-game losing streak when they beat the Rangers 7-3 last night. Wladimir Balentien belted a 3-run home run and Richie Sexson added a solo shot to back the quality start of Jarrod Washburn.

Johnny Cueto won his first game since April 3rd when the Reds beat the Cubs 5-3. Cueto struck out 8 in 6 innings and Adam Dunn belted a tape measure 2-run home run. Cubs rookie standout Geovany Soto continues to open eyes. He homered as part of a 3-3 day and is hitting .352.

The Dodgers Rafael Furcal homered off the Mets Oliver Perez to start the bottom of the 1st inning and it was all down hill for Perez after that. Blake DeWitt hit his first major league home run and Matt Kemp also went deep against Perez, who had his 3rd bad start in a row (and 4 out of 5). Chad Billingsley picked up the win in the Dodgers 5-1 victory.

The Cardinals blew 3 leads before Rick Ankiel's RBI ground out in the 9th finally beat the Rockies 6-5. Jason Isringhausen picked up his 11th save for the Cards who are now 21-12.

The Phillies rolled over the Diamondbacks 11-4 as Jamie Moyer beat AZ with his arm and his bat. Moyer became the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to record a multi-hit game at age 45 or over. The game was a contrast in styles and age, as Moyer, making his 558th appearance hit 78 mph for much of the night, while 23-yr old DBacks rookie Max Schuerzer, who threw as hard as 98 mph on the night, made his major league debut.

Yankees vs. Red Sox - April 12

We have an afternoon affair in Fenway today, Mike Mussina (1-1, 3.09) going up against Josh Beckett (0-1, 9.64). Courtesy of Peter Abraham, here are this afternoon's lineups:

YANKEES
Johnny Damon LF
Melky Cabrera CF
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jose Molina C
Alberto Gonzalez SS
Mike Mussina RHP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
J.D. Drew RF
Jason Varitek C
Sean Casey 1B
Julio Lugo SS
Josh Beckett RHP

Even though you don't want to sit Damon 2 straight days, Matsui is swinging a pretty hot bat right now. We're not sure we would have left him out of the lineup, even though he's just 3-14 against Beckett.

Red Sox vs. Moose

Coco Crisp 8-24 1 RBI
J.D. Drew 0-7
Julio Lugo 8-30 1 HR 5 RBI
David Ortiz 14-54 (.259) 3 HR 7 RBI
Dustin Pedroia 3-8
Manny Ramirez 24-95 (.253) 6 HR 18 RBI
Jason Varitek 8-60 1 HR 3 RBI
Kevin Youkilis 4-15 2 RBI

Mussina has to be happy that Mike Lowell can't play. The Sox 3rd Baseman is 11-19 (.579) against Moose with 3 HR and 8 RBI.

Yankees vs. Beckett

Bobby Abreu 9-50 2 HR 4 RBI 18 BB 17 K
Wilson Betemit 0-5
Melky Cabrera 7-18 2 RBI
Robinson Cano 7-18 1 HR 4 RBI
Johnny Damon 5-21 4 RBI
Morgan Ensberg 1-6
Jason Giambi 5-15 2 HR 6 RBI
Hideki Matsui 3-14
Jose Molina 0-3
Jorge Posada 6-15 2 RBI
Alex Rodriguez 6-22 1 HR 5 RBI

The always obnoxious FOX broadcast begins at 3:55 EDT.

Yankees vs. Red Sox - April 12

We have an afternoon affair in Fenway today, Mike Mussina (1-1, 3.09) going up against Josh Beckett (0-1, 9.64). Courtesy of Peter Abraham, here are this afternoon's lineups:

YANKEES
Johnny Damon LF
Melky Cabrera CF
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jose Molina C
Alberto Gonzalez SS
Mike Mussina RHP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
J.D. Drew RF
Jason Varitek C
Sean Casey 1B
Julio Lugo SS
Josh Beckett RHP

Even though you don't want to sit Damon 2 straight days, Matsui is swinging a pretty hot bat right now. We're not sure we would have left him out of the lineup, even though he's just 3-14 against Beckett.

Red Sox vs. Moose

Coco Crisp 8-24 1 RBI
J.D. Drew 0-7
Julio Lugo 8-30 1 HR 5 RBI
David Ortiz 14-54 (.259) 3 HR 7 RBI
Dustin Pedroia 3-8
Manny Ramirez 24-95 (.253) 6 HR 18 RBI
Jason Varitek 8-60 1 HR 3 RBI
Kevin Youkilis 4-15 2 RBI

Mussina has to be happy that Mike Lowell can't play. The Sox 3rd Baseman is 11-19 (.579) against Moose with 3 HR and 8 RBI.

Yankees vs. Beckett

Bobby Abreu 9-50 2 HR 4 RBI 18 BB 17 K
Wilson Betemit 0-5
Melky Cabrera 7-18 2 RBI
Robinson Cano 7-18 1 HR 4 RBI
Johnny Damon 5-21 4 RBI
Morgan Ensberg 1-6
Jason Giambi 5-15 2 HR 6 RBI
Hideki Matsui 3-14
Jose Molina 0-3
Jorge Posada 6-15 2 RBI
Alex Rodriguez 6-22 1 HR 5 RBI

The always obnoxious FOX broadcast begins at 3:55 EDT.

But It's Only April

Seriously, it's not even tax date yet and we've already got a Yankees-Red Sox series. We're not ready for this. Of greater concern, we don't think the Yankees are either. To make matters worse, 2 of the 3 games are nationally televised. So we have to put up with Joe Buck's bullshit on Saturday and the not-so entertaining Miller-Morgan show on Sunday.

There's also a story out this morning that some moron Red Sox fan, working as a construction worker on the new Yankee Stadium, buried a Red Sox shirt while cement was being poured. It was his way of creating a new jinx. Burying Red Sox, sounds like a good idea.

Things get underway this evening with Chien-Ming Wang going up against rookie Clay Buchholz. Saturday's probably a good day to do something else- Mike Mussina vs. Josh Beckett. Sunday finishes the 3-game series off with Phil Hughes against Dice-K. Have we made it perfectly clear how much we hate Fenway and its neanderthal inhabitants?

The Red Sox, like the Yankees, are off to a bit of a slow start. They have an identical 5-5 record and just placed Mike Lowell on the DL with a sprained thumb. There's also no Curt Schilling (HALLELUJAH) for 4-6 months.

David Ortiz is just 3-36 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Manny Ramirez drove in 5 runs in the 2-game series with the A's in Japan, but has driven in just 3 since. But J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, Julio Lugo, and Jason Varitek are all off to good starts.

Dice-K pitched poorly in Japan, but has been lights out in his 2 starts back in the states. Josh Beckett suffered through back troubles in spring training and had a poor outing his in his first start off the DL last weekend. This will be just the second start of the season for Buchholz.


Red Sox vs. Wang

Sean Casey 1-10
Alex Cora 5-18 1 HR 4 RBI
Coco Crisp 6-23
J.D. Drew 1-11
Jacoby Ellsbury 1-1 1 RBI
Julio Lugo 6-31 1 RBI
David Ortiz 15-30 2 HR 10 RBI 6 BB
Manny Ramirez 13-22 2 HR 5 RBI
Jason Varitek 1-16
Kevin Youkilis 7-21 3 RBI 8 BB

This is Clay Buchholz's first appearance against the Yankees.

But It's Only April

Seriously, it's not even tax date yet and we've already got a Yankees-Red Sox series. We're not ready for this. Of greater concern, we don't think the Yankees are either. To make matters worse, 2 of the 3 games are nationally televised. So we have to put up with Joe Buck's bullshit on Saturday and the not-so entertaining Miller-Morgan show on Sunday.

There's also a story out this morning that some moron Red Sox fan, working as a construction worker on the new Yankee Stadium, buried a Red Sox shirt while cement was being poured. It was his way of creating a new jinx. Burying Red Sox, sounds like a good idea.

Things get underway this evening with Chien-Ming Wang going up against rookie Clay Buchholz. Saturday's probably a good day to do something else- Mike Mussina vs. Josh Beckett. Sunday finishes the 3-game series off with Phil Hughes against Dice-K. Have we made it perfectly clear how much we hate Fenway and its neanderthal inhabitants?

The Red Sox, like the Yankees, are off to a bit of a slow start. They have an identical 5-5 record and just placed Mike Lowell on the DL with a sprained thumb. There's also no Curt Schilling (HALLELUJAH) for 4-6 months.

David Ortiz is just 3-36 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Manny Ramirez drove in 5 runs in the 2-game series with the A's in Japan, but has driven in just 3 since. But J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, Julio Lugo, and Jason Varitek are all off to good starts.

Dice-K pitched poorly in Japan, but has been lights out in his 2 starts back in the states. Josh Beckett suffered through back troubles in spring training and had a poor outing his in his first start off the DL last weekend. This will be just the second start of the season for Buchholz.


Red Sox vs. Wang

Sean Casey 1-10
Alex Cora 5-18 1 HR 4 RBI
Coco Crisp 6-23
J.D. Drew 1-11
Jacoby Ellsbury 1-1 1 RBI
Julio Lugo 6-31 1 RBI
David Ortiz 15-30 2 HR 10 RBI 6 BB
Manny Ramirez 13-22 2 HR 5 RBI
Jason Varitek 1-16
Kevin Youkilis 7-21 3 RBI 8 BB

This is Clay Buchholz's first appearance against the Yankees.

Around the Horn - 4/11

Mad Dog Russo must be having a wet dream, the Giants have won 3 in a row. Kevin Correia gave them 7+ shutout innings last night in a 5-1 win over the Cardinals.

Rookie of the Year candidate Geovany Soto had 4 hits, including a home run in the Cubs 7-3 win over the Pirates. Jon Lieber threw 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball to pick up the win.

The Marlins sent the Nationals to their 7th straight loss, 4-3. Jorge Cantu enjoyed a 3-hit, 2 RBI night.

Aaron Heilman and the Mets blew a 3-0 lead, but Angel Pagan saved the day with the game winning single in the bottom of the 12th for a 4-3 win over the Phillies. Heilman has allowed 6 runs in 6 innings this season.

Edwin Encarnacion's 2-run HR snapped a 1-1 in the 7th to lead the Reds over the Brewers 4-1.

The Braves-Rockies game was rained out and will be made up at a later date. The Braves did place closer Rafael Soriano on the 15-day DL with elbow tendinitis.

The Orioles 6-game winning streak came to a screeching halt, as the Texas Rangers swept them in a twi-night doubleheader. Kevin Millwood improved to 1-2, 1.29 in helping the Rangers take game 1, 3-1. Michael Young homered, and C.J. Wilson completed a two-save night as the Ranger took the nightcap, 5-4.

Travis Buck drove in all 3 A's runs, including the game winning 2-run double in the 12th, as Oakland topped the Blue Jays 4-3. Keith Foulke gave up a run in the bottom of the 12th, but picked up his first save since 2005. The A's lost Rich Harden to the DL once again, this time with a strained back.

The Tigers got offense for the 2nd straight night- 6 runs- but their pitching got pummeled in a 12-6 loss to the Red Sox. Mike Lowell was put on the DL with a sprained left thumb, but his replacement, Sean Casey, knocked in 3 runs.

2-0, 0.64 ERA. Looking at those stats, you wouldn't think we would be taking about Rays starter Edwin Jackson, but that's exactly what his numbers are so far. The normally erratic right-hander went 8 innings in the Rays 7-0 pasting of the Mariners. Backup catcher Mike DeFelice knocked in 3 runs.

The Twins and White Sox were rained out and we'll make it up at a later date.

The Indians had the day off, but rewarded Fausto Carmona with a 4-year, $15 million deal.

Around the Horn - 4/11

Mad Dog Russo must be having a wet dream, the Giants have won 3 in a row. Kevin Correia gave them 7+ shutout innings last night in a 5-1 win over the Cardinals.

Rookie of the Year candidate Geovany Soto had 4 hits, including a home run in the Cubs 7-3 win over the Pirates. Jon Lieber threw 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball to pick up the win.

The Marlins sent the Nationals to their 7th straight loss, 4-3. Jorge Cantu enjoyed a 3-hit, 2 RBI night.

Aaron Heilman and the Mets blew a 3-0 lead, but Angel Pagan saved the day with the game winning single in the bottom of the 12th for a 4-3 win over the Phillies. Heilman has allowed 6 runs in 6 innings this season.

Edwin Encarnacion's 2-run HR snapped a 1-1 in the 7th to lead the Reds over the Brewers 4-1.

The Braves-Rockies game was rained out and will be made up at a later date. The Braves did place closer Rafael Soriano on the 15-day DL with elbow tendinitis.

The Orioles 6-game winning streak came to a screeching halt, as the Texas Rangers swept them in a twi-night doubleheader. Kevin Millwood improved to 1-2, 1.29 in helping the Rangers take game 1, 3-1. Michael Young homered, and C.J. Wilson completed a two-save night as the Ranger took the nightcap, 5-4.

Travis Buck drove in all 3 A's runs, including the game winning 2-run double in the 12th, as Oakland topped the Blue Jays 4-3. Keith Foulke gave up a run in the bottom of the 12th, but picked up his first save since 2005. The A's lost Rich Harden to the DL once again, this time with a strained back.

The Tigers got offense for the 2nd straight night- 6 runs- but their pitching got pummeled in a 12-6 loss to the Red Sox. Mike Lowell was put on the DL with a sprained left thumb, but his replacement, Sean Casey, knocked in 3 runs.

2-0, 0.64 ERA. Looking at those stats, you wouldn't think we would be taking about Rays starter Edwin Jackson, but that's exactly what his numbers are so far. The normally erratic right-hander went 8 innings in the Rays 7-0 pasting of the Mariners. Backup catcher Mike DeFelice knocked in 3 runs.

The Twins and White Sox were rained out and we'll make it up at a later date.

The Indians had the day off, but rewarded Fausto Carmona with a 4-year, $15 million deal.

Around the Horn - 4/10

The city of Detroit is breathing a sigh of relief this morning. The Tigers won themselves a ball game last night, 7-2 over the defending champion (ugh) Boston Red Sox. The Tigers scored almost half their total for the entire season up to that point. Jeremy Bonderman got the much coveted victory.

Mike Lowell left the game in 2nd inning with a sprained thumb. Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez picked up his 2,500th career hit.

The Angels slugged 4 home runs, including Mike Napoli's 1st career grand slam, in their 9-5 win over the Indians.

The A's rallied for 4 runs in the 9th against Jeremy Accardo to beat the Blue Jays 6-3. Mark Ellis had himself a nice day- 4 hits, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, and 2 stolen bases. Oh, if Bobby Crosby can stay healthy. He's hitting .306 and drove in 3 runs last night.

The Mariners pounded the Rays 7-1. Jamie Burke's 3-run home run, the 2nd long ball of his career, put the game out of reach.

Jason Kubel hit a grand slam and drove in 6 in the Twins 12-5 pasting of the White Sox. Chisox starter John Danks gave up 7 runs in 2.1 innings pitched.

The Orioles and Rangers were rained out. They'll play a twi-night doubleheader today.

The Mets finally snapped the Phillies dominance, 9 straight wins, of them with an 8-2 win at Shea. 4 Phillies errors lead to 6 unearned runs and a Mike Pelfrey win.

Micah Owings improved to 2-0 in the Diamondbacks 4-3 win voer the Dodgers. Eric Byrnes had 3 hits, 2 RBI, and run scored.

Kerry Wood blew his first save, allowing a game tying home run to Jason Bay in the 9th, but the Cubs went on to beat the Pirates, 6-4 in 15 innings. The Cubs had a chance to win it in the 14th with a pair of runs, but Adam LaRoche hit a game tying home run off of Kevin Hart. Hart finally picked up the win on Felix Pie's 2-run single.

Youngsters Justin Germano and Jonathan Sanchez hooked up in a pitchers duel as the Padres and Giants put up goose eggs through 8 1/2 innings. Dan Ortmeier finally doubled in the game winner in the bottom of the 9th.

Mike Jacobs homered twice and drove in 4 in the Marlins 10-4 drubbing of the Nationals. Jorge Cantu hit his first home run in a Marlins uni. It was the 6th straight loss for the Nats.

Adam Dunn and Corey Patterson homered in the Reds 12-4 rout of the Brewers.

One more blow out- the Rockies handed one to the Braves, 12-6. Ryan Spilborghs and Yorvit Torrealba combined for 9 RBI.

The Cardinals beat the Astros 6-4 behind Albert Pujols' first two home runs of the year.