Angels Thump M's 8-2; Wild Card Update

Up to the second update - the Angels, behind Jered Weaver, beat the Mariners 8-2. The Yankees are a half game back in the Wild Card standings and can move into a tie with a win.

Angels Thump M's 8-2; Wild Card Update

Up to the second update - the Angels, behind Jered Weaver, beat the Mariners 8-2. The Yankees are a half game back in the Wild Card standings and can move into a tie with a win.

Tonight's Lineups (8/29)

Thanks to Peter Abraham for the early lineups :)

Josh Beckett vs. Roger Clemens

RED SOX
Lugo SS
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Lowell 3B
Youkilis 1B
Drew RF
Varitek C
Crisp CF
Hinske LF

YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Giambi 1B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF

Tonight's Lineups (8/29)

Thanks to Peter Abraham for the early lineups :)

Josh Beckett vs. Roger Clemens

RED SOX
Lugo SS
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Lowell 3B
Youkilis 1B
Drew RF
Varitek C
Crisp CF
Hinske LF

YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Giambi 1B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF

The Pennant Race

With a little over a month to go in the season, divisions and both wild cards are up for grabs. We'll skip the AL East and wild card since we think you've already have all the info on that one. But here goes.

NL East

The Mets have had an up and down season, but have still dominated the division. It's unlikely that they won't hold on to/run away with the lead, but Philly is making it interesting. One day after beating the Mets 9-2, the Phillies rallied from a 2-0 deficit to send the game into extra innings. Ryan Howard drove the home crowd crazy with a walk-off 2-run HR. The Phils now trail the Mets by 4 games going into their contest tonight. Oliver Perez faces off against Jamie Moyer, who has really been bad of late, in tonight's game. If the Mets win the tonight and tomorrow for a 4-game split, the Phillies will walk away empty handed.

The Braves lost to the Marlins in extra innings, and remain a distant 6 games back of the Mets.

NL Central

Big series between the Cubs and Brewers. The Brewers lead the division for much of the season before hitting the skids. The Brewers lead 3-0 behind Jeff Suppan last night. But the Brewers pen took over in the 7th and immediately gave up 4 runs. The Cubs 5-3 win pushed the Brewers into 3rd place, 2.5 back. The defending champion Cardinals remained just 2 back with a 7-0 win over Houston. Great match up in tonight's game, Ben Sheets vs. Carlos Zambrano.

The Cards have a tough one as they pit Kip Wells against Roy Oswalt.

NL West

Another big 1-2 division series. Arizona against San Diego. The Padres won 3-1 Monday night behind Jake Peavy and last night beat up Brandon Webb in a 6-4 win. The Pads now trail the division leading Dbacks by just 1 game. Young vs. old tonight (no, not either of the Chris Young's) - Micah Owings vs. Greg Maddux in the 3rd of 4 games.

The Dodgers beat the Nats 4-3 to move within 4.5 of AZ, and today picked up Esteban Loaiza off of waivers from the Oakland A's. He'll be immediately plugged into their rotation.

AL Central

The Indians bounced back from their 3 game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, by going 9-4, including winning their last 4 in a row. That put them 3.5 ahead of the Tigers, who except for this past weekend's series with the Yankees, have struggled against everyone. That included a 6-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals last night. The Tigers hope to bounce back tonight when they send rookie Andrew Miller against one-time phenom, Zack Greinke.

The Twins quietly crept to within 4.5 of the Indians, but the Tribe quickly dispatched them the last 2 nights, 8-3 and 6-5. The series concludes tonight with a great match up of Johann Santana vs. C.C. Sabathia.

AL West

Yet another series between the top 2 teams in the division. The Angels John Lackey dominated the Mariners Monday night in a 6-0 win, and battled back last night from a 5-0 deficit to win 10-6. The 2 losses dropped the Mariners 4 back of the Angels.


NL Wild Card

The Padres are the top dog right now, with a 3 game lead over the Phillies. The Dodgers are 3.5 back, while the Braves sit 5 back. We're not going to bother getting into the rest of the teams on the periphery.

The Pennant Race

With a little over a month to go in the season, divisions and both wild cards are up for grabs. We'll skip the AL East and wild card since we think you've already have all the info on that one. But here goes.

NL East

The Mets have had an up and down season, but have still dominated the division. It's unlikely that they won't hold on to/run away with the lead, but Philly is making it interesting. One day after beating the Mets 9-2, the Phillies rallied from a 2-0 deficit to send the game into extra innings. Ryan Howard drove the home crowd crazy with a walk-off 2-run HR. The Phils now trail the Mets by 4 games going into their contest tonight. Oliver Perez faces off against Jamie Moyer, who has really been bad of late, in tonight's game. If the Mets win the tonight and tomorrow for a 4-game split, the Phillies will walk away empty handed.

The Braves lost to the Marlins in extra innings, and remain a distant 6 games back of the Mets.

NL Central

Big series between the Cubs and Brewers. The Brewers lead the division for much of the season before hitting the skids. The Brewers lead 3-0 behind Jeff Suppan last night. But the Brewers pen took over in the 7th and immediately gave up 4 runs. The Cubs 5-3 win pushed the Brewers into 3rd place, 2.5 back. The defending champion Cardinals remained just 2 back with a 7-0 win over Houston. Great match up in tonight's game, Ben Sheets vs. Carlos Zambrano.

The Cards have a tough one as they pit Kip Wells against Roy Oswalt.

NL West

Another big 1-2 division series. Arizona against San Diego. The Padres won 3-1 Monday night behind Jake Peavy and last night beat up Brandon Webb in a 6-4 win. The Pads now trail the division leading Dbacks by just 1 game. Young vs. old tonight (no, not either of the Chris Young's) - Micah Owings vs. Greg Maddux in the 3rd of 4 games.

The Dodgers beat the Nats 4-3 to move within 4.5 of AZ, and today picked up Esteban Loaiza off of waivers from the Oakland A's. He'll be immediately plugged into their rotation.

AL Central

The Indians bounced back from their 3 game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, by going 9-4, including winning their last 4 in a row. That put them 3.5 ahead of the Tigers, who except for this past weekend's series with the Yankees, have struggled against everyone. That included a 6-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals last night. The Tigers hope to bounce back tonight when they send rookie Andrew Miller against one-time phenom, Zack Greinke.

The Twins quietly crept to within 4.5 of the Indians, but the Tribe quickly dispatched them the last 2 nights, 8-3 and 6-5. The series concludes tonight with a great match up of Johann Santana vs. C.C. Sabathia.

AL West

Yet another series between the top 2 teams in the division. The Angels John Lackey dominated the Mariners Monday night in a 6-0 win, and battled back last night from a 5-0 deficit to win 10-6. The 2 losses dropped the Mariners 4 back of the Angels.


NL Wild Card

The Padres are the top dog right now, with a 3 game lead over the Phillies. The Dodgers are 3.5 back, while the Braves sit 5 back. We're not going to bother getting into the rest of the teams on the periphery.

Ian Kennedy, Come on Down!

Mike Mussina is out of the rotation. For 1 start any way. The Yankees made it official last night, announcing that last year's number 1 pick, Ian Kennedy, would be starting Saturday's game vs. Tampa Bay.

Kennedy has been outstanding at 3 different levels this year, moving up along with his best friend, Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees hope he can be as successful as his pal.

Kennedy compiled a 12-3, 1.91 record with 163 strikeouts in 146.1 innings. The 22-yr old allowed only 91 hits and walked 50.

photo courtesy of mlb.com

Ian Kennedy, Come on Down!

Mike Mussina is out of the rotation. For 1 start any way. The Yankees made it official last night, announcing that last year's number 1 pick, Ian Kennedy, would be starting Saturday's game vs. Tampa Bay.

Kennedy has been outstanding at 3 different levels this year, moving up along with his best friend, Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees hope he can be as successful as his pal.

Kennedy compiled a 12-3, 1.91 record with 163 strikeouts in 146.1 innings. The 22-yr old allowed only 91 hits and walked 50.

photo courtesy of mlb.com

The Bronx is Burning, Again

Johnny Damon hit a clutch 2-run home run against his former teammates, and Mr. August, Andy Pettitte, was brilliant in defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-3 last night at Yankee Stadium. Jason Varitek's home run in the top of the 7th had tied the game 3-3 and left Pettitte smashing his glove in the dugout at inning's end.

But Andy Phillips lead off the bottom of the inning with a single of Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Melky Cabrera successfully sacrificed him to 2nd. Damon jumped on Dice-K's (13-11) first pitch and sent it just over the fence in the right field short porch for his 9th HR of the season. The crowd went crazy and amped it up even more when Joba Chamberlain got up in the Yankees pen.

Chamberlain's first Yankees-Sox experience was a memorable one. After walking Kevin Youkillis on a 3-2 pitch, Chamberlain got David Ortiz to pop out on a high fastball. He struck out Eric Hinske on 3 straight pitches before Mike Lowell hit a soft liner to center for a single. But Joba the Great came right back and fooled J.D. Drew for an inning ending strikeout.

Mariano Rivera was even more outstanding in the 9th, blowing away Varitek and Coco Crisp, before getting Julio Lugo on a soft liner to Robinson Cano for the game's final out and his 21st save.

The Yankees staked Pettitte to a quick 2-0 lead when they jumped on Dice-K in the 1st inning. The Bombers loaded the bases on a single by Damon, a walk to Bobby Abreu, and Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch in the small of the back. Hideki Matsui grounded into a force out to score one run and Jorge Posada delivered another with an RBI double. Matsuzaka escaped further trouble when Cano's drive to deep right-center settled into the glove of Crisp for the final out of the inning.

Boston got 1 run back in the 2nd on Manny Ramirez's 20th home run of the season. It was Ramirez's 13th straight season with at least 20 home runs. He would have to leave the game later with back spasms. David Ortiz's sac fly tied the game up in the 3rd, but the Captain brought some excitement back in the 5th.
Derek Jeter, hampered by injuries, was muddled in a 1-18 slide when he drove a Dice-K delivery to right for his 9th home run, and 1st since August 1st. Then it was up to the former idiot, Damon, and the guns, Joba and Mo, to finish things off.

...
The Yankees pulled to within a game of the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card chase. The M's jumped on the Angels Ervin Santana for 5 runs in the 1st inning, but ex-Yankee Jeff Weaver helped pay them back for the misery he caused. The Angels came back for a 10-6 win.

Andy Pettitte earned his 198th career victory, and finished August 6-0, 2.36.

Joba Chamberlain has now thrown 10 scoreless innings over 8 appearance. He's allowed just 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 17.


Derek Jeter's home run was the 192nd of his career, tying him with Tino Martinez on the all-time Yankees list. It so happened the Bam-Tino was in attendance.

photos courtesy of AP

The Bronx is Burning, Again

Johnny Damon hit a clutch 2-run home run against his former teammates, and Mr. August, Andy Pettitte, was brilliant in defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-3 last night at Yankee Stadium. Jason Varitek's home run in the top of the 7th had tied the game 3-3 and left Pettitte smashing his glove in the dugout at inning's end.

But Andy Phillips lead off the bottom of the inning with a single of Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Melky Cabrera successfully sacrificed him to 2nd. Damon jumped on Dice-K's (13-11) first pitch and sent it just over the fence in the right field short porch for his 9th HR of the season. The crowd went crazy and amped it up even more when Joba Chamberlain got up in the Yankees pen.

Chamberlain's first Yankees-Sox experience was a memorable one. After walking Kevin Youkillis on a 3-2 pitch, Chamberlain got David Ortiz to pop out on a high fastball. He struck out Eric Hinske on 3 straight pitches before Mike Lowell hit a soft liner to center for a single. But Joba the Great came right back and fooled J.D. Drew for an inning ending strikeout.

Mariano Rivera was even more outstanding in the 9th, blowing away Varitek and Coco Crisp, before getting Julio Lugo on a soft liner to Robinson Cano for the game's final out and his 21st save.

The Yankees staked Pettitte to a quick 2-0 lead when they jumped on Dice-K in the 1st inning. The Bombers loaded the bases on a single by Damon, a walk to Bobby Abreu, and Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch in the small of the back. Hideki Matsui grounded into a force out to score one run and Jorge Posada delivered another with an RBI double. Matsuzaka escaped further trouble when Cano's drive to deep right-center settled into the glove of Crisp for the final out of the inning.

Boston got 1 run back in the 2nd on Manny Ramirez's 20th home run of the season. It was Ramirez's 13th straight season with at least 20 home runs. He would have to leave the game later with back spasms. David Ortiz's sac fly tied the game up in the 3rd, but the Captain brought some excitement back in the 5th.
Derek Jeter, hampered by injuries, was muddled in a 1-18 slide when he drove a Dice-K delivery to right for his 9th home run, and 1st since August 1st. Then it was up to the former idiot, Damon, and the guns, Joba and Mo, to finish things off.

...
The Yankees pulled to within a game of the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card chase. The M's jumped on the Angels Ervin Santana for 5 runs in the 1st inning, but ex-Yankee Jeff Weaver helped pay them back for the misery he caused. The Angels came back for a 10-6 win.

Andy Pettitte earned his 198th career victory, and finished August 6-0, 2.36.

Joba Chamberlain has now thrown 10 scoreless innings over 8 appearance. He's allowed just 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 17.


Derek Jeter's home run was the 192nd of his career, tying him with Tino Martinez on the all-time Yankees list. It so happened the Bam-Tino was in attendance.

photos courtesy of AP

Odd Rumor of the Day

From the NY Post via Yahoo Sports. Tony Pena is being considered for the Houston Astros job. Pena refused comment when asked about it. Okay, that's now the odd part. Here it is.

The rumor is based on the fact that Pena is the godfather of one of Tim Purpura's children. I guess the Post didn't get the memo that Purpura was fired as GM when Phil Garner got let go.

Odd Rumor of the Day

From the NY Post via Yahoo Sports. Tony Pena is being considered for the Houston Astros job. Pena refused comment when asked about it. Okay, that's now the odd part. Here it is.

The rumor is based on the fact that Pena is the godfather of one of Tim Purpura's children. I guess the Post didn't get the memo that Purpura was fired as GM when Phil Garner got let go.

Yankees and Red Sox start a HUGE 3 game series at the Stadium tonight. Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-10, 3.76) vs. Andy Pettitte (11-7, 3.69).

As expected, the Yankees have sent Sean Henn back down, and Chris Britton finally makes his return to the majors.

Here are tonight's starting lineups:

Red Sox

D. Pedroia 2b
K. Youkilis 1b
D. Ortiz dh
M. Ramirez lf
M. Lowell 3b
J.D. Drew rf
J. Varitek c
C. Crisp cf
J. Lugo ss

Yankees
J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui dh
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
A. Phillips 1b
M. Cabrera cf

Yankees and Red Sox start a HUGE 3 game series at the Stadium tonight. Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-10, 3.76) vs. Andy Pettitte (11-7, 3.69).

As expected, the Yankees have sent Sean Henn back down, and Chris Britton finally makes his return to the majors.

Here are tonight's starting lineups:

Red Sox

D. Pedroia 2b
K. Youkilis 1b
D. Ortiz dh
M. Ramirez lf
M. Lowell 3b
J.D. Drew rf
J. Varitek c
C. Crisp cf
J. Lugo ss

Yankees
J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui dh
J. Posada c
R. Cano 2b
A. Phillips 1b
M. Cabrera cf