Peavy, Rios, and Lee and Lots of Phone Calls

The Chicago White Sox have been miserable all year and are having a semi-annual clearance sale. Alex Rios, Jake Peavy, and Alexei Ramirez are among the sale items that have been marked down (or up). Rios and Peavy are among the most sought after veterans as Major League Baseball nears the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.(4 pm EDT)

Peavy was scratched from his scheduled start this evening and is the subject of trade talk between the White Sox and a number of teams. Boston, St. Louis, and Oakland are among those showing interest.

Rios is a conundrum, tagged early in his career as the next Dave Winfield, his career has been a roller coaster.  He made back to back American All-Star teams as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006-2007, which lead to a seven year, $64MM contract. While his production dipped slightly in 2008, the 2009 season led the Blue Jays to cut salary.

Rios was putting together a decent season with 62 RBI and a .744 OPS in 108 games when the Blue Jays placed him on post-deadline waivers. The White Sox claimed him and the Blue Jays said you could have him. Suddenly, Toronto had a lot less payroll.

Rios meanwhile didn't adjust well to his new surroundings - a .530 OPS in 41 games. Thus began the rollercoaster for Rios' career. The 2010 season saw a resurgence with 21 HR, 88 RBI, 34 stolen bases and a .791 OPS. A year later though, back down came the coaster; a .613 OPS with just 13 HR and 44 RBI in 537 at-bats. 2012? You guessed it, 850 OPS, topped .300 in his batting avg., 25 HR, 91 RBI and a 15th place finish in the AL MVP voting. Rios still has one year left on his deal, but his OPS is about 100 points less than last season and his HR and RBI pace is down again. I would stay away from him unless you have to give up little in return. He's still guaranteed $12.5MM next year.

Teams in play - Pirates, Yankees (Rios willing to waive his no-trade per NY Post's Joel Sherman); Rangers appear to be out of it for now.

Cliff Lee seems to be in this position every year. In 2002, prior to the deadline he was part of a package (Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Lee Stevens) that sent Bartolo Colon from Cleveland to Montreal. The '09 deadline saw him and Ben Francisco shipped to Philly for four players. He was sent to the Seattle Mariners that winter and was up for grabs at the 2010 deadline. After it appeared he was going to the Yankees in a Jesus Montero led deal, the Mariners sent Lee to the Texas Rangers for highly touted prospect Justin Smoak and three others.

Lee returned to Philly again as a free agent in 2010 for five years guaranteed (over $100MM) and an option for a sixth year.  It was one of the many recent mistakes GM Reuben Amaro Jr. made that boosted Philly's payroll significantly. Amaro tonight stated that there is "very little chance" that Lee gets dealt" and chances are "remote" that Michael Young does.

The rest of the field:

Ian Kennedy - Angels are going hard after him, willing to deal Howie Kendrick (Ken Rosenthal)

Marc Rzepczynski- A deal is in place that would send the lefty to the Indians (Derrick Goold, St. Louis-Post Dispatch)

Oliver Perez - Yeah, that guy. Multiple teams are said to be interested in adding Perez to their bullpen. (Jon Morosi)

Bud Norris - Astros are getting calls on Norris who would be a middle to back end of the rotation starter.

Everybody Hurts...All the Time

"Can someone untie my shoes?"

If REM had been singing about the Yankees the lyric would not have been "Everybody hurts sometimes." The Yankees not only lost a game to Seattle last night 3-2, which caused mental anguish from losing two of three to the Mariners, but Andy Pettitte and Chris Stewart both had to leave the game early.

Pettitte felt spasms in his upper back that wouldn't go away no matter how much he stretched between batters and pitches. He left the game after 4.2 innings pitched and saw his record fall to 4-3. He's already missed one start due to a balky back so there is a definite reason for concern.

His battery mate, Stewart, left the game after he felt pain in his groin running the bases. He went for an MRI and could land on the DL, which presents a problem. There are only three catchers on the 40-man roster - Stewart, Francisco Cervelli already on the DL, and Austine Romine, who has served as Stewart's back up.

Scranton has two catchers- veteran Bobby Wilson (decent glove/no bat, 191 games with the Angels) and Jeff Farnham, a 25-year old that has played just seven games at the Triple-A level. If Wilson were added, someone on the 40-man roster would have to be designated for assignment. It likely would be the end of the line for Ben Francisco, who has just five hits in 40 at-bats.

Pettitte is the bigger concern right now. The Yankees need a healthy, consistent Pettitte taking the mound every five days if they are to compete. The Texan has become much more of an injury risk the last few years. He missed chunks of time with a groin injury in 2010 and a broken ankle last season. It would be no surprise if, at the very least, Pettitte missed his next start.  It's possible Ivan Nova will be ready to rejoin the team by then.

The Mariners also had to deal with an injury last night when Pettitte's opponent, Aaron Harang, was scratched from his start due to a stiff back. Former Yankee Hector Noesi, a piece of the puzzle in the Jesus Montero-Michael Pineda deal, stepped in and stepped up. Though he didn't figure in the decision, Noesi limited the Yankees to one unearned run and three hits in 4.1 innings pitched.

Oliver Perez, the former Met, picked up the win after he struck out three batters in 1.1 innings pitched. Mike Morse hit his 10th home run if the season (off of Shawn Kelley) and scored twice. Yankees rookie David Adams picked up his Major League RBI when he doubled home Curtis Granderson in the 2nd inning to tie the game at one apiece.

Robinson Cano singled in a run in the 7th, but couldn't come through in the clutch in the 9th inning against closer Tom Wilhelmsen. Brett Gardner reached first on a single and stole second and third. But with one out and the tying run 90 ft away from home plate, Wilhelmsen struck out Jayson Nix and retired Cano on a game ending ground out.

Another Pitcher out of the Running

There's not much hope of a bidding war for the services of Oliver Perez and Ben Sheets, now that Andy Pettitte and Jon Garland are no longer available. Pettitte re-signed with the Yankees on Monday and Garland agreed to terms with the Diamondbacks earlier today.

The Arizona Republic reports that the 29-yr old right-hander took a 1 year deal with a club option for 2010. Salary is thought to be in the $6 - 8 million range. Garland would joining his 3rd team in 3 years once the deal is finalized.

After spending the first 8 seasons of his career with the White Sox, Garland was dealt to the Angels, for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, prior to the 2008 season.

Friday Night Hot Stove

Baby Come Back
With the number of free agent pitchers dwindling, the Mets have reportedly increased their 3 year offer to Oliver Perez. Jon Heyman states that Perez is still the Mets top choice, ahead of the likes of Randy Wolf, Ben Sheets, and John Garland.

Deep in the Heart of Texas
The Rangers continue to talk with Texas native Ben Sheets, and currently have to be considered the favorites to land the free agent right-hander. Sheets met with the Rangers again this week as part of "due diligence", according to GM Jon Daniels.

We have a winner...
The Cubs have found their new owners and it's not Rod Blagojevich. Chicago investment banker Tom Ricketts has been chosen by Tribune Co. to be the new owner of the NL Central club. Ricketts and family ponied up a $900 million bid and hope to be the official owners by opening day. Time is tight though as the deal must be finalized, and approved by Major League Baseball and a bankruptcy court.

Brotherly Stab in the Back
Deadspin reported yesterday that Mark McGwire's estranged brother, Jay, is trying to find a publisher for his steroid laden tome. The younger McGwire/hopeful author claims his older brother got the idea to use steroids and HGH from watching his younger brother shoot up for body building. J Mac also claims to have injected baby bro with steroids.

"Prior to the 1998 season, [Mark] had reached a level where he did not need to get any stronger and he couldn’t afford to add any more weight. So I directed him to androstenedione testosterone booster, which is non-hormonal (which is why it can be sold legally and is not affected by the 2004 Anabolic Steroid Control Act) and works naturally with your body. “Andro” increases strength and aggression while promoting reduction of body fat and a leaner look to the physique....[U]sing andro allowed Mark to avoid all the potential adverse side effects that could occur from using anabolic steroids, such as water retention, hair loss, and liver, heart, or kidney stress. In addition, he wouldn’t have cholesterol problems or testicular atrophy. And there were no problems with the law."

Talk about sticking it to someone.

Freezing Our Asses Off Hot Stove

Red Sox Nearing Deal with Big Tex?

The rumors first came from a Boston TV station and now others are chiming in. Boston's front office is in the state of Texas with Mark Teixeira hammering out a deal with agent Scott Boras. That's right the Red Sox are close to signing the free agent first basemen.

What makes this particularly aggravating is that the Yankees never really jumped into the pool. They have never made an offer to Teixeira, despite a huge hole in the Yankees lineup. Perhaps the length of the contract - Teixeira has been receiving 8-year offers - has them spooked. Think Jason Giambi. Maybe they would rather go with a short-term solution like Manny Ramirez, who they think they can get with a 3-year deal.

Teixeira is a premier first baseman, both with the bat and the glove, and could provide long-term protection in the lineup for Alex Rodriguez (Nick Swisher won't do the trick). Mike Cameron certainly isnt' the answer for the Yankees lineup.


There's No Place Like Home

After reports circulated that Rafael Furcal was about to return to the Atlanta Braves, for whom he played shortstop from 2000-2005, Furcal decided to stay put with the LA Dodgers. The shortstop signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2006 season and is expected to ink a new 3-year deal. In response, the Braves have decided to stop doing business with Furcal's agents, The Wasserman Group.


News and Rumors

Trot Nixon has signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jon Heyman feels the Mets and their own free agent Oliver Perez are too far apart on money to come to terms on a new deal.

Freezing Our Asses Off Hot Stove

Red Sox Nearing Deal with Big Tex?

The rumors first came from a Boston TV station and now others are chiming in. Boston's front office is in the state of Texas with Mark Teixeira hammering out a deal with agent Scott Boras. That's right the Red Sox are close to signing the free agent first basemen.

What makes this particularly aggravating is that the Yankees never really jumped into the pool. They have never made an offer to Teixeira, despite a huge hole in the Yankees lineup. Perhaps the length of the contract - Teixeira has been receiving 8-year offers - has them spooked. Think Jason Giambi. Maybe they would rather go with a short-term solution like Manny Ramirez, who they think they can get with a 3-year deal.

Teixeira is a premier first baseman, both with the bat and the glove, and could provide long-term protection in the lineup for Alex Rodriguez (Nick Swisher won't do the trick). Mike Cameron certainly isnt' the answer for the Yankees lineup.


There's No Place Like Home

After reports circulated that Rafael Furcal was about to return to the Atlanta Braves, for whom he played shortstop from 2000-2005, Furcal decided to stay put with the LA Dodgers. The shortstop signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2006 season and is expected to ink a new 3-year deal. In response, the Braves have decided to stop doing business with Furcal's agents, The Wasserman Group.


News and Rumors

Trot Nixon has signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jon Heyman feels the Mets and their own free agent Oliver Perez are too far apart on money to come to terms on a new deal.

The Winter of Our Discontent

This Hot Stove season is an even bigger one for the Yankees than last year's. The team is coming off, for them, a poor season and the team's roster is currently in disarray. Mike Mussina has retired. Andy Pettitte is whoring for more money. Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu have been cast aside. Other than an offer to CC Sabathia, trade talks for Jake Peavy, and salary arbitration decisions, this has been the slowest off-season for the Yankees (and all teams) in recent years. But that should all change next week. Oops! And the acquisition of Nick Swisher..duh.

The annual general manager's meeting is set to begin Monday, Dec. 8 in Las Vegas. That means that player agents will be able to bounce back and forth between teams in a short amount of time. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett are among the names that could walk away with new deals by the time the meetings end on the 11th.

The Yankees biggest focus right now is on their pitching. At the moment, the pitching staff consists of Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. Phil Hughes is certainly not being counted on as a definite as he was last season. We won't even get into Ian Kennedy.

Sabathia is of course the grand prize. But the consensus is that he prefers to staying on the west coast and in the National League, where he thoroughly dominated after being dealt to Milwaukee at the trade deadline. Money will be no object for the Yankees when dealing with the big left-hander so it will come down to Sabathia's preference, and possible pressure from the player's union to take the most money.

Burnett is number two on the Yankees hit list, but there's a significant drop off from the the one and two spots. Burnett doesn't have the resume Sabathia has and won't make nearly as much cash. But he'll still make plenty. Burnett probably won't agree to a deal until Sabathia sets the bar. He's looking for a 5-year deal in the neighborhood of $75-$80 million. Burnett has proven he can pitch in the American League, and more importantly, in the AL East. But there are concerns about his arm and his mental toughness.

The Daily News is reporting that the Braves, who are expected to officially announce their deal for Javier Vazquez later today, are reportedly set to offer Burnett a guaranteed 5-year deal. That 5th year is something the Yankees have been reluctant to offer.

Peavy is the best signed option out there, but teams are finding that the Padres are asking for too much in return. As we previously mentioned, Peavy has already shown his distaste for playing in the Big Apple, so a deal doesn't make a lot of sense. Widespread reports say that both the Braves and Cubs have broken off talks after failing to swing a three team deal.

The Yankees can always use left-handed pitching, especially if they part ways with Pettitte. The Mets' Oliver Perez makes for an interesting case. He seems to have recaptured the ability that he had in San Diego and lost after one season in Pittsburgh, but he can still be awfully inconsistent and wild at times. He went 25-17 over the last two season for the Mets, and threw a career second best 194 innings last season. After putting up a 3.56 ERA in 2007, he saw that number rise to 4.22 in 2008. You have to wonder if his stuff would translate to the American League.

Ben Sheets has had a fine career with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the 30-yr old is perennially hurt. His 198.1 innings this past season was only the 2nd time he topped 150 innings in the last 4 years. He's coming off a 13-9, 3.09, 158 strikeout season, but had trouble with his right triceps, forearm, and elbow this past season. We would definitely stay away from him.

There could be other pitchers on the move, such as those who will become free agents after the 2009 season. Plus those who were disappointments in 2008. Erik Bedard fits both those categories.

So what do we have? The Yankees have to go all out, balls to the wall, in an effort to land Sabathia. If they don't, that doesn't mean they should blow Burnett away with money. He's had one very good season and has had arm issues (see Carl Pavano). If the Yankees do land Sabathia, they may be better off going for a secondary option that is cheaper (Perez), or dealing for someone like Bedard. That will free up more money to shore up the offense with a player like Mark Teixeira or someone of that ilk.

The Winter of Our Discontent

This Hot Stove season is an even bigger one for the Yankees than last year's. The team is coming off, for them, a poor season and the team's roster is currently in disarray. Mike Mussina has retired. Andy Pettitte is whoring for more money. Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu have been cast aside. Other than an offer to CC Sabathia, trade talks for Jake Peavy, and salary arbitration decisions, this has been the slowest off-season for the Yankees (and all teams) in recent years. But that should all change next week. Oops! And the acquisition of Nick Swisher..duh.

The annual general manager's meeting is set to begin Monday, Dec. 8 in Las Vegas. That means that player agents will be able to bounce back and forth between teams in a short amount of time. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett are among the names that could walk away with new deals by the time the meetings end on the 11th.

The Yankees biggest focus right now is on their pitching. At the moment, the pitching staff consists of Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. Phil Hughes is certainly not being counted on as a definite as he was last season. We won't even get into Ian Kennedy.

Sabathia is of course the grand prize. But the consensus is that he prefers to staying on the west coast and in the National League, where he thoroughly dominated after being dealt to Milwaukee at the trade deadline. Money will be no object for the Yankees when dealing with the big left-hander so it will come down to Sabathia's preference, and possible pressure from the player's union to take the most money.

Burnett is number two on the Yankees hit list, but there's a significant drop off from the the one and two spots. Burnett doesn't have the resume Sabathia has and won't make nearly as much cash. But he'll still make plenty. Burnett probably won't agree to a deal until Sabathia sets the bar. He's looking for a 5-year deal in the neighborhood of $75-$80 million. Burnett has proven he can pitch in the American League, and more importantly, in the AL East. But there are concerns about his arm and his mental toughness.

The Daily News is reporting that the Braves, who are expected to officially announce their deal for Javier Vazquez later today, are reportedly set to offer Burnett a guaranteed 5-year deal. That 5th year is something the Yankees have been reluctant to offer.

Peavy is the best signed option out there, but teams are finding that the Padres are asking for too much in return. As we previously mentioned, Peavy has already shown his distaste for playing in the Big Apple, so a deal doesn't make a lot of sense. Widespread reports say that both the Braves and Cubs have broken off talks after failing to swing a three team deal.

The Yankees can always use left-handed pitching, especially if they part ways with Pettitte. The Mets' Oliver Perez makes for an interesting case. He seems to have recaptured the ability that he had in San Diego and lost after one season in Pittsburgh, but he can still be awfully inconsistent and wild at times. He went 25-17 over the last two season for the Mets, and threw a career second best 194 innings last season. After putting up a 3.56 ERA in 2007, he saw that number rise to 4.22 in 2008. You have to wonder if his stuff would translate to the American League.

Ben Sheets has had a fine career with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the 30-yr old is perennially hurt. His 198.1 innings this past season was only the 2nd time he topped 150 innings in the last 4 years. He's coming off a 13-9, 3.09, 158 strikeout season, but had trouble with his right triceps, forearm, and elbow this past season. We would definitely stay away from him.

There could be other pitchers on the move, such as those who will become free agents after the 2009 season. Plus those who were disappointments in 2008. Erik Bedard fits both those categories.

So what do we have? The Yankees have to go all out, balls to the wall, in an effort to land Sabathia. If they don't, that doesn't mean they should blow Burnett away with money. He's had one very good season and has had arm issues (see Carl Pavano). If the Yankees do land Sabathia, they may be better off going for a secondary option that is cheaper (Perez), or dealing for someone like Bedard. That will free up more money to shore up the offense with a player like Mark Teixeira or someone of that ilk.

The Pennant Race - 9/28

It's been an amazing final weekend of the 2008 season, with several playoff spots still up for grabs. The Phillies clinched the NL East with a win over Washington on Saturday, but the Mets victory, combined with the Brewers loss, meant the wildcard would come down the final Sunday, and possibly Monday.

The Marlins had crushed the Mets dreams in 2007, jumping all over then Met Tom Glavine in the first inning and cruised to an 8-1 victory. Johan Santana had put the Mets into position with a masterful shutout on Saturday. Sunday was a match of a pair of left-handers, Scott Olsen for the Marlins, and Oliver Perez for the Mets.

The two teams were scoreless in the sixth inning when the Marlins finally broke through. Cameron Maybin led off with a double and scored on John Baker's single for a 1-0 lead. Jorge Cantu followed with a single and both runners moved up on Mike Jacobs fly out. Jerry Manuel elected to intentionally walk Dan Uggla, but reliever Joe Smith walked Josh Willingham to force in a run. Smith wiggled out of further trouble and the Mets came right back.

Robinson Cancel started the home half of the sixth with a walk. One batter later Carlos Beltran drove the Shea crowd crazy with a game tying 2-run home run, his 27th of the season.

Meanwhile in Milwaukee, the Brewers trailed the Cubs 1-0 on an unearned run. CC Sabathia was doing everything he could to win it for the Brewers, but Milwaukee couldn't break through against an array of Cubs pitchers.

Carlos Zambrano was originally slated to start the game for Chicago, but Lou Piniella end up opting for Angel Guzman, who gave him two innings of work. Chad Gaudin, Neall Cotts, and Kevin Hart kept Milwaukee off the board through six innings.

Veteran Ray Durham greeted reliever Scott Marshall with a lead off double in the seventh. Ryan Braun's ground out moved Durham up to third, and Prince Fielder was intentionally walked to set up a potential double play. Piniella went to Mike Wuertz, who walked J.J. Hardy to load the bases. Wuertz then struck out Craig Counsell for the second out, but walked Corey Hart to force in the tying run.

The Marlins and Mets moved to the eighth inning back at Shea, still tied at 2-2. But Wes Helms connected off of Scot Schoenweis for just his fifth home run of the season and a 3-2 Marlins lead. Two batters later, Dan Uggla slugged his 32nd home run of the year off of Luis Ayala for a 4-2 Florida advantage.

With the Mets falling behind, the Brewers took it to the Cubs in the eighth. Mike Cameron singled with one out and two batters later, second year sensation Ryan Braun belted his 37th home run of the year off of Cubs set up man Bobby Howry. Braun has 71 home runs in 264 big league games.

At Shea, Jose Reyes smacked a double off of Kevin Gregg with two outs in the eighth. A Beltran walk brought up the Mets biggest hitter in the second half, Carlos Delgado. Fredi Gonzalez countered with lefty specialist Arthur Rhodes. Delgado drilled a 1-1 shot to left, but the ball stayed in the park for the third out of the inning.

In Milwaukee, Sabathia completed his seventh game in 17 Brewers starts, Ryan Theriot singled with one away, but Sabathia got Derrek Lee to bounce into a game ending double play.

A quite Shea Stadium held their breath and heads, and prayed as Matt Lindstrom came on in the ninth for the Marlins. David Wright popped out to second base and Endy Chavez hit a comebacker for the first two outs of the inning. Damon Easley drew a walk, giving the Mets on more shot with the tying run at the plate, but Ryan Church flied out to deep center to end the ball game and another disappointing Mets season.


Over in the American League, the AL Central was coming down to the last Sunday. With a half-game separating the two teams, the White Sox needed a win in order to play their 162nd game against the Tigers on Monday. The game being a make up of an earlier rain out. The Twins held destiny in their own hands, knowing that a win would ensure them, at the very least, of a one game playoff on Tuesday.

Pitching was the name of the game for both teams. Chicago's ace Mark Buehrle pitched like one. After losing the first two games against the Indians, the White Sox needed their best to give them his best. Buerhle did just that, allowing one run over seven innings to earn his 15th win of the season. Paul Konerko's solo home run highlighted a 3-run second inning that gave the White Sox the lead for good. Jermaine Dye added some big insurance with a 2-run single in the seventh before Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks sealed the win.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Twins had struggled against the Royals for two days, but Scott Baker was huge on Sunday. The Twins right-hander allowed just four hits, and struck out eight over seven innings, and the Twins rolled to a 6-0 victory. Joe Mauer and Delmon Young drove in two runs each for the Twins, who won their 88th game.

Gavin Floyd will start for Chicago on Monday, while former White Sox star Freddy Garcia goes for the Tigers. Should the White Sox win, they will face the Twins in a one game showdown in Chicago on Tuesday.

The Pennant Race - 9/28

It's been an amazing final weekend of the 2008 season, with several playoff spots still up for grabs. The Phillies clinched the NL East with a win over Washington on Saturday, but the Mets victory, combined with the Brewers loss, meant the wildcard would come down the final Sunday, and possibly Monday.

The Marlins had crushed the Mets dreams in 2007, jumping all over then Met Tom Glavine in the first inning and cruised to an 8-1 victory. Johan Santana had put the Mets into position with a masterful shutout on Saturday. Sunday was a match of a pair of left-handers, Scott Olsen for the Marlins, and Oliver Perez for the Mets.

The two teams were scoreless in the sixth inning when the Marlins finally broke through. Cameron Maybin led off with a double and scored on John Baker's single for a 1-0 lead. Jorge Cantu followed with a single and both runners moved up on Mike Jacobs fly out. Jerry Manuel elected to intentionally walk Dan Uggla, but reliever Joe Smith walked Josh Willingham to force in a run. Smith wiggled out of further trouble and the Mets came right back.

Robinson Cancel started the home half of the sixth with a walk. One batter later Carlos Beltran drove the Shea crowd crazy with a game tying 2-run home run, his 27th of the season.

Meanwhile in Milwaukee, the Brewers trailed the Cubs 1-0 on an unearned run. CC Sabathia was doing everything he could to win it for the Brewers, but Milwaukee couldn't break through against an array of Cubs pitchers.

Carlos Zambrano was originally slated to start the game for Chicago, but Lou Piniella end up opting for Angel Guzman, who gave him two innings of work. Chad Gaudin, Neall Cotts, and Kevin Hart kept Milwaukee off the board through six innings.

Veteran Ray Durham greeted reliever Scott Marshall with a lead off double in the seventh. Ryan Braun's ground out moved Durham up to third, and Prince Fielder was intentionally walked to set up a potential double play. Piniella went to Mike Wuertz, who walked J.J. Hardy to load the bases. Wuertz then struck out Craig Counsell for the second out, but walked Corey Hart to force in the tying run.

The Marlins and Mets moved to the eighth inning back at Shea, still tied at 2-2. But Wes Helms connected off of Scot Schoenweis for just his fifth home run of the season and a 3-2 Marlins lead. Two batters later, Dan Uggla slugged his 32nd home run of the year off of Luis Ayala for a 4-2 Florida advantage.

With the Mets falling behind, the Brewers took it to the Cubs in the eighth. Mike Cameron singled with one out and two batters later, second year sensation Ryan Braun belted his 37th home run of the year off of Cubs set up man Bobby Howry. Braun has 71 home runs in 264 big league games.

At Shea, Jose Reyes smacked a double off of Kevin Gregg with two outs in the eighth. A Beltran walk brought up the Mets biggest hitter in the second half, Carlos Delgado. Fredi Gonzalez countered with lefty specialist Arthur Rhodes. Delgado drilled a 1-1 shot to left, but the ball stayed in the park for the third out of the inning.

In Milwaukee, Sabathia completed his seventh game in 17 Brewers starts, Ryan Theriot singled with one away, but Sabathia got Derrek Lee to bounce into a game ending double play.

A quite Shea Stadium held their breath and heads, and prayed as Matt Lindstrom came on in the ninth for the Marlins. David Wright popped out to second base and Endy Chavez hit a comebacker for the first two outs of the inning. Damon Easley drew a walk, giving the Mets on more shot with the tying run at the plate, but Ryan Church flied out to deep center to end the ball game and another disappointing Mets season.


Over in the American League, the AL Central was coming down to the last Sunday. With a half-game separating the two teams, the White Sox needed a win in order to play their 162nd game against the Tigers on Monday. The game being a make up of an earlier rain out. The Twins held destiny in their own hands, knowing that a win would ensure them, at the very least, of a one game playoff on Tuesday.

Pitching was the name of the game for both teams. Chicago's ace Mark Buehrle pitched like one. After losing the first two games against the Indians, the White Sox needed their best to give them his best. Buerhle did just that, allowing one run over seven innings to earn his 15th win of the season. Paul Konerko's solo home run highlighted a 3-run second inning that gave the White Sox the lead for good. Jermaine Dye added some big insurance with a 2-run single in the seventh before Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks sealed the win.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Twins had struggled against the Royals for two days, but Scott Baker was huge on Sunday. The Twins right-hander allowed just four hits, and struck out eight over seven innings, and the Twins rolled to a 6-0 victory. Joe Mauer and Delmon Young drove in two runs each for the Twins, who won their 88th game.

Gavin Floyd will start for Chicago on Monday, while former White Sox star Freddy Garcia goes for the Tigers. Should the White Sox win, they will face the Twins in a one game showdown in Chicago on Tuesday.

Perez Leaves Yankees Left Out

Oliver Perez has always had the ability to be a successful pitcher in the major leagues. But whether it be his head, his arm, his heart, who knows what else, he has always had trouble keeping it together. Sandy Koufax one minute, Steve Trout the next. But not when Perez pitches against the Yankees. He dominated them once again yesterday at Shea Stadium as the Mets salvaged the finale of the three games played at home.

In an attempt to offset the left-handed throwing Perez, Joe Girardi stacked the lineup with right-handers. What that meant was Jorge Posada at 1st base, .225 hitting Jose Molina behind the plate, rookie Justin Christian in right field, and Wilson Betemit (.259 against lefties) at 2nd base. Throw in a pitcher who can't hit and you can see it wasn't a strong lineup.

You would assume that the Yankees lefties struggled against Perez, but that was not true with the exception of Johnny Damon, who started in left field and was 1-8, and Bobby Abreu who sat on the bench with an o-10. However, Robinson Cano, who has been hot lately, was 4-10 against Perez, while Jason Giambi had a hit in just 2 at-bats. No matter how you slice it, things didn't work out.

Perez limited the Yankees to just 3 hits over 7 innings, while striking out 8. His lone mistake was a solo home run hit by Betemit in his final inning of work. Darrell Rasner, meanwhile, continued to struggle.

He worked out of a 2-on, 2-out jam in the 1st inning, but the Mets broke through in the 2nd. Endy Chavez and Brian Schneider put together back to back 1-out singles, and Perez sacrificed them up a base. Luis Castillo hit a slow chopper up the middle and just beat Derek Jeter's throw to 1st for a 1-0 lead. Rasner retired David Wright on a chopper to Alex Rodriguez to escape further trouble.

In the 3rd, Carlos Delgado hit a tremendous solo home run off of the scoreboard in center field for a 2-0 lead. It was Delgado's first hit since his 9 RBI outburst in the first game on Friday.

The Yankees had a chance in the 4th, when Derek Jeter single with one out and moved to 2nd base on a wild pitch. But Perez struck out A-Rod swinging and retired Posada on a ground out to Castillo at 2nd.

Rasner was gone after 5 and Dave Robertson came on for his major league debut. He became the 3rd Yankee, along with Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy, to reach the majors after being drafted in 2006. He struck out his first batter, Perez, but gave up back to back singles to Reyes and Castillo and wild pitched them into scoring position. Wright delivered Reyes with a sac fly before Robertson retired Beltran on an inning ending fly out.

Pedro Feliciano retired the Yankees in order in the 8th and then it was up to Billy Wagner to close things out. Jeter lead off with a single and moved to 2nd base on a wild pitch, but he would be left there. A-Rod just missed one, hitting a deep fly that Chavez caught at the edge of the warning track in left-center, well short of the 358-ft sign. Posada then grounded out and Betemit struck out looking to seal the deal.


News and Notes

Oliver Perez is now 5-1, 2.61 in 6 career starts against the Yankees. He's struck out 31 batters in 41.1 innings pitched.

Jose Reyes had a tantrum when Carlos Delgado couldn't handle his throw on a Melky Cabrera ground out. The ball should have been caught, but Reyes was charged with the error. In a great act of immaturity, Reyes slammed his glove down. Anyone else think Reyes may be elsewhere next year?

It's sounding more and more like Hideki Matsui may need knee surgery.


June 29, 2008

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

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	4	0	1	0	0	3	0	.316
Jeter, SS	4	0	2	0	0	0	1	.284
Rodriguez, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.322
Posada, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.287
Betemit, 2B	4	1	1	1	0	2	1	.266
Cabrera, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.246
Molina, C	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	.225
Christian, RF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Rasner, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
a-Moeller, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.254
Robertson, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b-Giambi, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.262
Ramirez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	32	1	4	1	0	10	7
a-Flied out for Rasner in the 6th. b-Flied out for Robertson in the 8th.
BATTING HR: Betemit (4, 7th inning off Perez, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Damon; Jeter 2; Betemit 4. RBI: Betemit (12). 2-out RBI: Betemit. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Posada; Molina; Betemit. Team LOB: 4. FIELDING PB: Molina (6). DP: (Betemit-Jeter-Posada).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Rasner (L, 4-6)	5.0	8	2	2	3	3	1	4.42
Robertson	2.0	4	1	1	0	1	0	4.50
Ramirez	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.46

NY Mets	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Reyes, SS	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	.296
Castillo, 2B	5	0	3	1	0	1	1	.260
Wright, 3B	3	0	0	1	0	0	5	.285
Beltran, CF	3	0	0	0	1	1	2	.270
Delgado, 1B	4	1	1	1	0	0	2	.231
Tatis, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.256
Church, RF	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	.304
Chavez, LF	4	1	3	0	0	0	1	.242
Schneider, C	3	0	1	0	1	0	3	.260
Perez, P	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	.182
Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Anderson, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.198
Wagner, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	33	3	12	3	3	4	16
a-Flied out for Feliciano in the 8th.
BATTING HR: Delgado (14, 3rd inning off Rasner, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Reyes 2; Castillo 3; Delgado 4; Church 2; Chavez 3; Schneider. RBI: Castillo (26), Delgado (45), Wright (64). 2-out RBI: Castillo. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Delgado; Wright 2; Perez; Beltran. S: Perez. SF: Wright. GIDP: Schneider. Team LOB: 11. FIELDING E: Reyes (11, throw).

NY Mets IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Perez (W, 6-5) 7.0 3 1 1 0 8 1 4.98 Feliciano (H, 8) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.78 Wagner (S, 18) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.91

WP: Robertson, Perez, Wagner. IBB: Schneider (by Rasner). Pitches-strikes: Rasner 102-59, Robertson 33-22, Ramirez 13-9, Perez 106-72, Feliciano 17-13, Wagner 14-9. Ground outs-fly outs: Rasner 5-7, Robertson 2-3, Ramirez 0-3, Perez 4-9, Feliciano 0-2, Wagner 1-1. Batters faced: Rasner 26, Robertson 9, Ramirez 3, Perez 25, Feliciano 3, Wagner 4. Umpires: HP: Mike DiMuro. 1B: Mike Estabrook. 2B: Larry Vanover. 3B: Mike Everitt. Weather: 88 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 11 mph, R to L. T: 3:00. Att: 56,277.