Yankees Draw 1st Blood

Yesterday I pontificated that I thought it was important for the Yankees to make a statement in their final regular season series with the Boston Red Sox. Last night's 9-5 Yankees' win did just that.

It was a satisfying win on many levels. A huge offensive game for Alex Rodriguez. A battering, literally and figuratively of top notch Red Sox starter Jon Lester. 7 stolen bases against catcher Jason Varitek and the Sox pitching staff. And most importantly, an effective start by Joba Chamberlain.

The man for whom the rules were written, went six innings for the first time in a month and a half. He allowed three runs and looked like the aggressive, hard throwing Joba that the Yankees will need in the post-season. He threw 86 pitches and was one out away from allowing just one run, when David Ortiz hit a 2-run home run off of him in the top of the 6th.

But Chamberlain also worked himself out of jams. It was something he hadn't been able to do of late. The Red Sox had 2nd and 3rd with just no out in the 5th inning, but Chamberlain retired Varitek on a foul out, struck out Alex Gonzalez, and got Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out to Mark Teixeira to retire the side.

Chamberlain's teammates were aggressive at the plate, as well as the basepaths, in giving him an early lead to work with. Derek Jeter singled to start the 1st inning, stole 2nd, and scored on Rodriguez' single. With a man aboard in the 4th, A-Rod hit a long home run into the second deck in left field for a 3-0 lead.

The Yankees then loaded the bases on Lester before Melky Cabrera hit a line drive off the pitcher's right leg. Lester went down in a heap and left the game with a bruised quad. The Yankees continued to pile on the runs and Joe Girardi mixed and matched the bullpen as the Yankees earned their 98th win.

It was a tremendous game for Rodriguez, who finished 3-3 with two walks, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases. Remarkably, despite missing a chunk of time at the beginning of the season, A-Rod is just seven RBI shy of 100. The home run was his 581st, two shy of Mark McGwire for 8th place on the all-time list.

Poll: Did Joba Earn a Post-Season Start?

Joba Chamberlain's performance tonight against Boston will start a new debate as to the possibility of him making a start in the post-season. I think maybe, but what do you think? Take the new poll and let everyone know.

Pump It Up

The Yankees and Red Sox are probably playing down this weekend's 3-game series in the Bronx. The Yankees already have a playoff spot sewn up and it's just a matter of time before the Sox sew up the wild card. There's no real reason for the Red Sox, other than to try to get home field advantage, to bust their behinds to win the AL East. It's an uphill battle as they enter the weekend 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

The Yankees, as I said, are in and most likely have the division title won. But all that being said, this is an important series for both teams. The Yankees turned the corner against the Red Sox when they swept a four game series at home from Aug. 6 - 9. They followed that up by taking 2 of 3 in Fenway from Aug. 21-23. After losing the first eight games of the series, the Yankees are now 6-9 against Boston. There's no question that the Yankees would like to continue their winning ways against the Red Sox. You always want to be in the head of your opponent and after taking 6 of 7, the Yankees have to be in the Red Sox' minds just a little bit right now. May the trend continue this weekend.

This is probably also the last chance for Joba Chamberlain to show something that could earn him a playoff start. Though he will get one more start against either the Royals or Rays, this start is against a playoff team and a very dangerous one at that.

* * *

The Yankees will probably be without Jerry Hairston Jr. this weekend. An MRI of his sore wrist showed tendinitis, so Hairston received his second cortisone shot in two weeks.

David Robertson has been ruled out of this weekend's series by Brian Cashman.

New Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor will throw out the first pitch before Saturday's game.

The Hunt for Pinstriped October

It's never too soon to start figuring out the Yankees roster for the AL Division Series. Of course 90% is set in stone, health permitting, with just a handful of question marks.

First a look at the most obvious:

Catchers

Jorge Posada

Infield

Around the Horn - Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez

Outfield

From left to right - Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher

DH

Hideki Matsui

Bench

Brett Gardner, Jose Molina, Eric Hinske

Starting Pitchers

CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte

Bullpen

Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Damaso Marte, Al Aceves


And...

So this is where the questions begin. We've sewn up 20 spots, which leaves five more to be determined.

For the bench, Jerry Hairston Jr. is a given IF he is healthy. And that's a major question after he heard something pop in his wrist yesterday out in Anaheim. If Hairston can't go, that means the much less experienced Ramiro Pena would be the backup infielder.

The Yankees are probably set in the outfield. Gardner will most likely get some starts in the playoffs and hopefully Hinske will never see the field, but be used strictly as a pinch-hitter with pop off the bench. Michael Kay keeps trying to sell us on Joe Girardi taking the speedy Freddy Guzman to be this year's Herb Washington. And we all know how that worked out.

The starting rotation is set for the division series. Beyond that, the Yankees will need a fourth starter if they advance to the ALCS, and subsequently, to the World Series. It's hard to imagine Joba Chamberlain being that guy right now. He's a mess, both pitching-wise and psychologically. Right now, a game four could go to Chad Gaudin. (At this point, Sergio Mitre should not be any part of the mix.)

The bullpen should include Chamberlain if he is not going to start. There's no reason why he couldn't face a couple of batters here or there late in the game. At this point, we would kick Brian Bruney to the curb, and we hope David Robertson will be ready to go. However, if his sore shoulder doesn't allow him to pitch much in the final 10 games, then we would skip him as well.

So, who do I go with for those last five spots?

Hairston, Pena, Chamberlain, Gaudin, Robertson. If Hairston can't go, then Guzman probably is a go. If no Robertson, then I would actually take Jonathan Albaladejo over Bruney.

And the Winner Is...

Me! Very cool...yesterday (and today) Ken Davidoff of Newsday held a contest with the giveaway being a new book"Sixty Feet, Six Inches". It chronicles a conversation between Hall of Fame members Reggie Jackson and Bob Gibson.

I was the first to correctly identify the two feats that the two were known for at the old Tiger Stadium (Reggie's mammoth home run in the '71 All-Star game and Gibson's '68 World Series win). Not only did I win, but Ken gave the blog a plug too. Thanks very much Ken!


Thanks too to Scott Crisp of NBC Dallas-Fort Worth who gave me a mention for my piece on Mark Schlereth this morning.

UPDATE 9/25:

Have to send another thank you out, this time to the boys at Deadspin for a mention on the Schlereth deal.

And Then There was One

Bobby Cox to hang it up after 2010 season.

There are only two managers in baseball today that will give you the old throwback, the classic umpire arguement. Flailing, hat throwing, dirt kicking, full out maniacal meltdown. Bobby Cox and Lou Piniella are those two. And after 2010, there will be only one. (as long as Piniella keeps his job in Chicago.)

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox announced yesterday that 2010 will be his last season managing in the bigs. The one-time Yankees farmhand and coach has been managing in Atlanta for 20 years and has been 28 years managing in the big leagues. All but four of those seasons have been with Atlanta.

Cox currently ranks fourth all-time in wins with 2,409 and his 4,336 games is 5th highest total in major league history. He's skippered one world champion, 14 pennant winners, and 15 division winners (incl. one with Toronto). Cox is the all-time leader in ejections with 132, nearly 35 more than the next manager, Earl Weaver.

The 68-yr old recently signed a one year extension.

Halo at Ya Boy

Yankees Earn Their Wings

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: a.j. burnett • Chone Figgins • Ian Kennedy • LA Angels • mariano rivera • Mark Teixeira • NY Yankees • Robinson Cano • Scott Kazmir • Yankees 9/23 recap • Yankees vs. Angels

Written for Baseball Digest Online

Perhaps the Yankees had a five year plan. It seems that what most successful businesses do. Or perhaps there’s another explanation as to why it took the Yankees five years to win a series in Anaheim. The culmination of the Yankees’ “business plan” came to fruition with a 3-2 Yankees win over the LA Angels Wednesday that was their first series win in So Cal since May, 2004. It wasn’t easy though. With Phil Hughes and Al Aceves unavailable, Joe Girardi had to throw everything against the wall to see what would stick before Mariano Rivera came on for his 42nd save.

The Yankees also had to be encouraged by the second straight good start by A.J. Burnett. Though he lasted just 5 2/3 innings in 95 degree heat, Burnett struck out 11 and limited the Angels lineup to two runs. He ran out of gas in the 6th, allowing an RBI double to Gary Matthews Jr., followed by a walk to Mike Napoli. Girardi sent for Damaso Marte to flip Chone Figgins around to the right side. The dangerous switch-hitter already had three hits, but Marte retired him on a fly to right to preserve the lead.

After that it was all mix and match and keeping one’s fingers crossed. The biggest surprise, to the pitcher himself, was when Girardi called on Ian Kennedy in the 8th. It was Kennedy’s first major league appearance this season after missing most of the year due to surgery for an aneurysm in his shoulder. It wasn’t pretty, butIPK got the job done. He loaded the bases loaded with a pair of walks and a hit batter, but got Erick Aybar on a fly to Melky Cabrera in left to set things up for Rivera.

With a lineup that was missing Alex Rodriguez (rest), Jorge Posada (foul ball off his foot), and Nick Swisher (foul ball off his knee), the Yankees knew they would have to scratch and claw for runs. Mark Teixeira stroked a one out double off Scott Kazmir in the 4th and tried to score two batters later when Shelley Duncan ripped a single to left off the glove of Figgins at third. Despite the fact Teixeira had started to head back to 2nd base, 3rd base coach Rob Thomson waved Teixeira home, hoping to break the scoreless tie. Unfortunately for Thomson, Juan Rivera made a perfect throw to nail Teixeira at the plate.

Hideki Matsui, who had drawn a walk, and Duncan both into scoring position on the play. That’s when the guy you would least expect to deliver in the clutch, did just that. Robinson Cano came into the game barely hitting over .200 with runners in scoring position, but ripped a single to right to plate both runners. WhenNapoli couldn’t handle the throw home, Cano moved to 2nd base. The play would prove important when Melky Cabrera followed with a double to easily score his buddy for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

So perhaps the Yankees finally have some confidence in the home of the Halos. What they definitely have is a six game lead over Boston in the AL East and a six game homestand ahead with the Sox and Kansas City Royals.

Game Notes

The Yankees have Thursday off before starting that 3-game set with the Red Sox. Joe Girardi has shuffled his starting rotation, moving CC Sabathia to Saturday to give him an extra day’s rest. Joba Chamberlain will go Friday night against Jon Lester.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, A.J. Burnett is just the third Yankee pitcher to record double digit strikeouts in less than six innings. Chamberlain did it earlier this season (12 K’s) and David Cone performed the feat in 1998 (11 K’s).

Jerry Hairston Jr. left the game with a wrist injury when he checked his swing in the 7th inning. Hairston hurt a popping sound and will go for tests today.

Stay Away from A-Rod

Just not sure who is telling who that.

Mark Schlereth is Wrong

Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth was just on ESPN discussing the Justin Tuck-Flozell Adams incident that took place in the Giants-Cowboys game Sunday night.

Schlereth is angry, and I mean angry, that Adams was fined $12,500 for his trip of Tuck that resulted in a shoulder injury to the Giants defensive lineman. (Adams was also fined that much because of another attempted trip later in the game, but Schelereth didn't bring that up.)

Schlereth contends that you have to stop the defender from getting to the QB no matter what. That if he had been fined every time he tried to trip a player, he'd have "played for free". Schlereth actually wants the union to step in to do something about these type of fines.

Has he lost his mind? Or more precisely is Schlereth biased as a former o-lineman, which in turn clouds his judgement? I'll go with the latter, though maybe a little bit of the former is correct too.

I agree, you have to stop the defender from killing your QB. But you do it within the rules, which means you do NOT make a play with intent to injure and that's exactly what Adams did. Tackle the player, hold them, whatever, but you do not perform just a blatantly dirty act to get the job done.

Adams isn't a first time offender. He is the most penalized offensive lineman in the league. Therefore, I stand by my original thought which is that Adams should have been suspended for one game.

You are very wrong Mark Schelereth.

The Throw Away Game

With A-Rod needing a rest, Nick Swisher sore after taking a foul ball off of his knee, and Jorge Posada suffering from bruised toes from a foul ball, Joe Girardi has put out a less than stellar Yankees line up for this afternoon's (3:35 p.m. ET) game with the Scott Kazmir and the LA Angels of Anaheim.

SS Jeter
3B Hairston
1B Teixeira
DH Matsui
RF Duncan
2B Cano
LF Cabrera
CF Gardner
C Molina

Hence, "the throw away game". Yankees need a big game out of A.J. Burnett to take 2 of 3 in the series.

A-Rod Saves the Day

A-Rod Sac Fly Allows Yankees to Escape With Win

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Alex Rodriguez • chad gaudin • Chone Figgins • Derek Jeter • ervin santana • hideki matsui • Jorge Posada • LA Angels • NY Yankees • Yankees 9/22 recap • Yankees vs. Angels

Written for Baseball Digest Online

Moses parting the Red Sea

Jesus turns water into wine

US hockey beats Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics

The Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim

While that last miracle may not be up to the caliber of the previous ones, the Yankees did indeed finally beat the Angels on their home turf last night, 6-5. Of course the victory wasn’t stress free as the Yankees blew a 5-0 lead before winning it on an Alex Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the 9th inning. The Yankees also clinched a playoff berth last night when the Texas Rangers lost to the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees also increased their lead in the AL East to six games ahead of the Boston Red Sox when the Sox lost to the Kansas City Royals for the second straight night.

The Yankees borrowed from the Angels’ aggressive play book to pull out the triumph. Brett Gardner singled off Matt Palmer and stole 2nd base, his 23rd successful theft in 28 attempts. A walk to Derek Jeter allowed Joe Girardi to play small ball, and it worked effectively when Johnny Damon bunted the runners over. A-Rod, who earlier had his his 580th career homer, hit a fly to center field off lefty Darren Oliver to bring home Gardner with the go ahead run.

Mariano Rivera, whose 36-game consecutive save chance streak ended in Seattle on Friday, walked Kendry Morales to start the 9th. But the Yankees closer then struck out Juan Rivera and Jorge Posada threw out would be base stealer Reggie Willits at 2nd base for a “strike ‘em out/throw ‘em out” double play. Rivera then retired Erick Aybar on a ground out to Robinson Cano for his 41st save.

It appeared that the Yankees might actually be in for cake walk when they jumped out to a 5-0 lead on home runs by Rodriguez, Posada, and Hideki Matsui. Chad Gaudin had relatively breezed through the first four innings in his best performance as a Yankee to date. But in the 5th he surrendered a solo home run to Yankees killer Chone Figgins, and two hits, a walk, and a run later he was out of the game in favor of Al Aceves.

Aceves was on the hill for the first time in eight days and it showed an inning later. Three singles in four at-bats, the last by Gary Matthews Jr., cut the Yankees lead to 5-3. Aceves than walked former teammate Bobby Abreu with the bases loaded to force in a run and Vlad Guerrero appeared to produce the go ahead hit when he ripped a ball down the 3rd base line. But Rodriguez dove to his right, snared the baseball and threw Guerrero out to save two, and possibly three runs.

The Yankees defense saved them in the 6th, but it came back to bite them in the 8th. A Cano error allowed Howie Kendrick to reach 1st base safely and then Jorge Posada threw a one-hopper into center field when Kendrick stole 2nd base. Just like that, the Angels had the tying run on 3rd with nobody out. Hughes retired Figgins on a pop up, but Maecir Izturis singled to right to the game at five apiece.

With the Yankees already 0-5 with runners in scoring position Rodriguez put the Yankees on the board in the 3rd when he followed Mark Teixeira’s single with his 27th home run of the season off of Halos’ starter Ervin Santana. Two batters later, Posada went deep with Hideki Matsui aboard for a 4-0 lead. Then it was Matsui’s turn in the 5th. Godzilla smoked his 28th home run of the season, with the total being evenly split before and after the All-Star break.

Game Notes

Derek Jeter picked up his 200th hit when he singled in the 4th inning. He now has seven 200-hit seasons, one shy of the team record held by, you guessed it, Lou Gehrig.

Alex Rodriguez is now three home runs by Mark McGwire for 8th place on the career home run list.

The Yankees will try to take the series tonight when they send A.J. Burnett to the mound against left-hander Scott Kazmir.

Jeter Reaches New Heights

Moments ago Derek Jeter singled off the Angels' Ervin Santana for his 200th hit of the season. It's the 7th time he has accomplished the feat.

Jeter joins the following players to reach 200 hits at age 35 or older.

Eddie Brown, Boston Braves (1926)

Bill Buckner, Boston Red Sox (1985)

Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers (1922, 1924)

Doc Cramer, Boston Red Sox (1940)

Nap Lajoie, Cleveland Indians (1910)

Paul Moliter, Mil Brewers (1991), Tor Blue Jays (1993), Minn Twins (1996)

Lefty O'Doul, Brooklyn Dodgers (1932)

Al Oliver, Montreal Expos (1982)

Sam Rice, Washington Senators (1925, 1926, 1928, 1930)

Pete Rose, Cin Reds (1976, 1977), Phil Phillies (1979)

Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians (1923)

B.J. Surhoff, Baltimore Orioles (1999)

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (2009)

Bill Terry, NY Giants (1934, 1935)

Randy Velarde, Oak A's, Ana Angels (1999)

Zack Wheat, Brooklyn Dodgers (1924, 1925)

Swinging Like a Rusty Gate

Dedicated to the Yankees who are already 0-5 with RISP thru 2 innings.

Stadiums in Latest Security Warnings

CBS News is reporting that federal authorities have issued warnings that "sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, and hotels" are the latest proposed targets of interest to terrorists.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department sent two bulletins Monday to police around the country, saying they know of no specific plots against such sites. The bulletins obtained by The Associated Press say those sites remain attractive targets to groups like al-Qaida.

The memos do not mention the ongoing high-profile investigation of a possible terrorist plot involving a Colorado man and associates in New York City. Instead, they describe the long-standing interest of terrorists to use homemade backpack bombs, car bombs, or even airplanes to attack such crowded public places.

The latest developments come on the heels of counterterrorism warnings to mass-transit systems around the nation for heightenened security and vigilance. The warnings were prompted by the investigation into an alleged terrorism plot in New York City, similar to past attacks on London's and Madrid's transit systems.

Click Here to read the full story.