Results tagged ‘ Adam Dunn ’
Granderson Powers Yankees To Remain Atop East
GAME 142
YANKEES 5, RED SOX 4
Just when it looks like the Yankees’ grip on first place in the American League East appears to be slipping the team seems to right itself in time to claim a narrow victory. Such was the case on Wednesday at Fenway Park.
Curtis Granderson smacked a pair of home runs and the Yankees’ bullpen bent some but did not break as New York kept its share of first place with a huge victory over Boston.
The Yankees scored three runs in the fourth inning to take an early 3-0 lead and they never relinquished it. But getting from point A to point B proved to be a bit tougher than it should have against a Red Sox team that is playing out the string of a season in which they are in last place in the division and 16 1/2 games back.
Granderson opened the scoring with a titanic moon shot home run over the Red Sox bullpen in right-center off journeyman right-hander Aaron Cook (3-10) to lead off the fourth.
After Alex Rodriguez blooped a single into center, Robinson Cano launched a high shot of his own into the Green Monster seats in left-center. It was the 30th home run of the season for the All-Star second baseman and it is a new career high for him.
The Red Sox drew first blood off rookie right-hander David Phelps (4-4) in the bottom of the fourth. Dustin Pedroia stroked a one-out double off the Green Monster in left-center and James Loney rolled a single through the hole between first and second base into right-field to score Pedroia.
But the Yankees tacked on a pair of runs against former teammate Alfredo Aceves in the seventh on a leadoff single by Derek Jeter and Granderson followed with his second home run into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center. The two home runs give Granderson 37 home runs on the season, which leads the team.
Phelps left the game with two out and two on on the sixth inning. But he really earned his pitching stripes after he opened the fifth by surrendering a leadoff triple by Jarrod Salatalamacchia. Phelps stranded the Bosox catacher by striking out Daniel Nava, inducing Scott Podsednik to hit an infield popup and fanning Jose Iglesias looking.
The bullpen for the Yankees, however, was another story.
With one out in the seventh Cody Eppley gave up a ground-rule double to Saltalamacchia. Boone Logan came in to relieve Eppley and he gave up a double off the wall in center that Saltalamacchia misjudged and failed to score.
Joba Chamberlain came in for Logan and promptly gave up an infield groundout off the bat of pinch-hitter Mauro Gomez that plated Saltalamacchia (who must have breathed a sigh of relief heard all the way in the Bronx). Then pinch-hitter Mike Aviles doubled off the wall in left to score Gomez to make it 5-3.
The Yankees’ offense, meanwhile, struggled to put additional runs across by doing what they do best: Choking with runners in scoring position. They left 10 men on base on the night and they were 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Closer Rafael Soriano was summoned to relieve David Robertson with a Loney on second and two out in the eighth. He escaped further trouble by striking out Cody Ross looking on a 3-2 pitch that Ross thought was low. Ross actually waved the bat menacingly at home-plate umpire Alfonso Marquez before he was tossed from the game.
Boston skipper Bobby Valentine had to restrain Ross to keep him from bumping Marquez. But Valentine must have an important date with his clubhouse office mirror because he also got ejected by Marquez just before the ninth inning started. It was Valentine’s sixth ejection of the season and a new Boston record for managers.
It is about all Bobby can really be stoked about this season.
Valentine could not view first-hand a bottom of the ninth inning in which Saltalamacchia launched a home run off Soriano into the bleachers in right to lead off the inning. He also had to watch on TV as Aviles reached first on an infield hit off the glove of Soriano with two out.
The Fenway faithful among the 37,230 in attendance were virtually in a frenzy. Bobby smiled into his trusty mirror.
That brought up the potential winning run in last night’s hero Jacoby Ellsbury. But Ellsbury’s string of good fortune eluded him when he bounced the first pitch right into Soriano’s glove and Soriano dispatched Ellsbury and the reeling “Dead Sox” with an easy underhand toss to Nick Swisher for the final out.
Though it might not have been pretty, Soriano earned his 37th save in 40 opportunities this season.
Coupled with Baltimore’s 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees remain in first place for the 85th consecutive day and they are tied with the Orioles with identical 80-62 records. The Rays fell three games back. The Red Sox are now 64-79 and headed for oblivion.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- Granderson seems to be showing signs of coming out of his long September slide. He is 5-for-11 (.455) with three home runs and eight RBIs in his last three games. Of course, Granderson did strike out two more times, which gives him 170 on the season, second in the American League to Adam Dunn.
- Phelps pitched extremely well in a game the Yankees desperately wanted to win. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk and he struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. It is a shame but Phelps may not get another start this season because Andy Pettitte is expected to take his place in the rotation next week.
- Cano’s home run gave him a personal high with 30 (he hit t 29 in 2010) but he remains some 43 RBIs shy of 2011 high of 118. Cano only has 77 RBIs this season mostly because he is hitting a career low .223 against left-handers and he is hitting just .235 with runners in scoring position.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- Eppley, Logan, Chamberlain and Soriano looked shaky in a game the Yankees should have breezed through. In 3 1/3 innings, the bullpen gave up three runs on six hits (four of them doubles and one homer) and they actually allowed the Red Sox back into the game. They also faced the possibility of letting the Red Sox tie it or win it in the ninth. That is just plain bad.
- Boston pitchers used Ichiro Suzuki and Chris Stewart, who were batting eighth and ninth, respectively, as escape hatches out of even bigger innings. They were 0-for-6 and they combined to strand nine base-runners.
- The 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position line speaks for itself. The Yankees were able to put the leadoff batter on in six consecutive innings from the third through the eighth innings. They only scored runs on the Cano and Granderson home runs in the fourth and seventh innings. So they squandered a lot of chances to pad the lead and let Boston have a chance to mount a comeback, which they did.
BOMBER BANTER
Jeter left the game in the eighth inning after he injured his left ankle trying to beat out a double-play grounder that ended the inning. Jeter was removed from the game by manager Joe Girardi, but Jeter vowed he will be in the lineup in the Boston series finale on Thursday. Jeter also revealed he has been battling thorough a deep bone bruise on his left shin. . . . The Yankees announced that right-hander Ivan Nova will come off the 15-day disabled list on Saturday and will start in place of Freddy Garcia against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Nova has been sidelined since Aug. 21 with inflammation in his right rotator cuff. Garcia will now pitch out of the bullpen after he was 0-1 with a 7.64 ERA over his last four starts. . . . Pettitte threw a 55-pitch simulated game on Wednesday at Fenway Park and he likely will make a start next week for the Yankees. Pettitte has not pitched since June 27 when he fractured his left ankle. Pettitte almost certainly will replace Phelps in the rotation in order to prepare the 40-year-old left-hander for some potential starts in the postseason.
ON DECK
The Yankees will hope to win the rubber game of their three-game series with the “Red Flops” on Thursday.
Right-hander Phil Hughes (14-12, 4.13 ERA) will start for the Yankees. Hughes is coming off a victory over the Orioles on Friday in which he gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings. Hughes is 4-6 with a 5.51 ERA in his career against the Bosox, but he won his last start against them at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 17.
Left-hander Felix Doubront (10-8, 5.21 ERA) will take the hill for Boston. Doubront is 1-4 with a 7.22 ERA since the All-Star break, which likely is because Doubront pitched 134 innings this season and he has not thrown more than 129 1/3 innings since 2008. He is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his career against the Yankees.
Game-time will be 7:10 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.
Yankees Roll Early, Hang On Late To Tame Tigers
GAME 110
YANKEES 12, TIGERS 8
Sometimes a victory can be as majestic and beautiful as a priceless painting and sometimes they can look like a 5-year-old child’s refrigerator drawing. The New York Yankees victory on Wednesday at Comerica Park looked more like the latter to manager Joe Girardi but he will cherish it all the same.
Fueled by a home run and four RBIs from Curtis Granderson and with CC Sabathia on a the mound nursing a 7-0 cushion, New York ended up having to fight their rear ends off in the final three innings to gain a huge win over Detroit.
Sabathia (12-3) was coasting with a 7-1 lead in the sixth inning when the Tigers pushed across two runs on a one-out single by Jeff Baker. After the Yankees added a run in the top of the seventh on an Ichiro Suzuki infield single, the Tigers then used a fielding error by third baseman Casey McGehee in the seventh to score another run on a Prince Fielder groundout to pull within 8-4 when Sabathia was removed in favor of David Robertson.
Robertson then suffered through one of those “House of Horrors” moments coming in with two out and a runner on second base.
A Delmon Young grounder that was headed to Robinson Cano for what could have been the final out was cut off by first baseman Mark Teixeira and it rolled off his glove for a infield single. Pinch-hitter Andy Dirks was fooled so badly on a 1-1 pitch he swung late and rolled a single just inside the third base bag and into left to drive in a run.
Robertson then had Brennan Boesch in a 2-2 hole when he swung at a pitch off the plate and bounced it slowly to McGehee for a single that scored another run. Pinch-hitter Alex Avila then rolled another ball past third to bring the Tigers to within a run at 8-7 before Robertson retired Ramon Santiago to end the rally.
Because of the four-run frame, Sabathia was charged with five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk while he struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings. Robertson, though none of the four singles he gave up would have broken a pane of glass, was charged with three runs on five hits in one inning of relief.
The Yankees, however, had just about enough of the Tigers in the eighth and they jumped on former Yankee left-hander Phil Coke for a pair of one-out runs on a Teixeira RBI single and an RBI groundout off the bat of Eric Chavez, who is 7-for-12 (.583) in the series.
They added another pair of runs with two out in the ninth off Bryan Villarreal on a balk with Jayson Nix on third and an RBI single off the bat of Cano. Those two runs pretty much declawed the Tigers before the bottom of the inning as Rafael Soriano retired the side in order, striking out two, to give the Yankees the victory.
Granderson, who was dropped to the No. 6 spot in the batting order after going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the series, slapped a two-out RBI single as part of a two-run first inning and he added a three-run home run in the third off Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez (6-9).
Sanchez and a vengeful Tigers manager Jim Leyland paid the price for their anger dearly in that third inning after Sanchez had hit Teixeira with a pitch in the first inning and Sabathia reciprocated by hitting Prince Fielder with a pitch in the bottom of the stanza.
With one out in the third Sanchez plunked Cano in the backside in what clearly was a purpose pitch. Home-plate umpire Tim Welke warned both benches against any further incidents. But Leyland may want to reconsider that strategy now since it worked to the detriment of his team.
Cano stole second and, one out later, Chavez drew a walk to set the stage for the former Tiger, Granderson. He launched a weak fluttering 0-1 change-up from Sanchez deep into the seats in right to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
The Yankees finally chased Sanchez in the fourth after an RBI single by Nick Swisher and Teixeira made it 7-0 on a sacrifice fly off reliever Duane Below.
Sanchez, who entered the game with a 3.99 ERA, was charged with seven runs on seven hits and two walks and struck out two in three-plus innings.
With the victory, the Yankees improved their season ledger to 64-46 and they remain 4 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The Tigers fell to 60-51 and their 10-game home winning streak is, like Sanchez, history.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- Granderson has pretty much been a vexing problem this season. He goes into stretches where he swings at every off-speed pitch in the dirt and a foot outside. Then there are times he goes 3-for-5, including a double and a home run, he scores two runs and drives in four. Granderson has 30 home runs and 66 RBIs this season but he is hitting .244 and has struck out 136 times, the third most in the majors behind Adam Dunn and Carlos Pena.
- Chavez is making the most of his increased playing time in the absence of Alex Rodriguez. Since July 30, Chavez is 12-for-26 (.462) with three home runs and eight RBIs. On the season, Chavez is now hitting .284 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs. Alex who?
- Girardi might have panicked a bit by pulling Sabathia in the seventh in favor of Roberrson. Sabathia actually was pitching pretty well at that point and he had thrown only 94 pitches. But because the Yankees have struggled this month, Girardi made the move to Roberrtson and what happened to him was borderline unfair. But Sabathia has his 12th victory and he earned it.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- Girardi decided to use six-time Gold Glove winner Chavez as the designated hitter to “rest” him and the manager found out McGehee is a butcher in the field with no range. He brought Nix in to play third in the eighth inning but, by that time, the Tigers had clawed back into the game at 8-7 because of McGehee’s substandard play at third. I guess Girardi has learned a valuable lesson.
- Cano committed an error and Teixeira also misplayed a pair of grounders so the Yankee defense was somewhat lacking. With Chavez playing third, the Yankees have a combined total of 27 Gold Gloves including every member infield. They also were on a steak of 13 errorless games since July 24. However, they did not play that way on Wednesday.
- For some reason, Girardi also turned his players loose on the base-paths and two of them got picked off. Swisher got the green light after one-out walk and was picked off by Below. Cano and Teixeira followed with singles but the Yankees did not score that inning. An inning later, Suzuki took off too early with one out and ended up be being picked off by rookie left-hander Darin Downs. Those things hurt.
ON DECK
The Yankees will complete their four-game series against the Tigers on Thursday.
Hiroki Kuroda (10-8, 3.19 ERA) will start for the Yankees. Kuroda gave up just one run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday but ended up a 1-0 loser to Felix Hernandez. Kuroda is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in limited action against the Tigers in his career.
The Tigers will counter with right-hander Doug Fister (6-7, 3.52 ERA). Fister threw a complete-game victory over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. He is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA against the Yankees in his career.
Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast by the YES Network.
Nova Wins 9th As Yanks Extend Win Streak To Nine
GAME 65
YANKEES 4, NATIONALS 1
Ask any manager and general manager in baseball to give you the three keys to winning and they all will tell that it is pitching, pitching and more pitching. The New York Yankees suddenly have the market cornered on pitching as they continue their destruction of the National League during interleague play.
Ivan Nova threw 7 1/3 innings of sparkling one-run baseball to become the first American League pitcher to win nine games as New York, on the strength of a pair of solo home runs by Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano, swept Washington at Nationals Park on Sunday to win their ninth straight contest.
Nova (7-2) only surrendered a solo home run to Adam LaRoche to lead of the second inning. He gave up seven hits and one walk while striking out four batters to record his fifth straight victory and he remains undefeated (12-0) over his last 15 road starts dating back to June 3, 2011.
The Yankees, meanwhile, reverted back to their old ways of failing to hit with runners in scoring position but they still were able to get to Edwin Jackson (3-4) to push across enough runs to win the game.
The Yankees loaded the bases in the first inning on Jackson on an infield single by Derek Jeter, a Granderson double and an intentional walk to Cano with one out. Mark Teixeira followed with a sacrifice fly that brought Jeter home with the game’s first run.
That run held up until LaRoche tied it with his team-leading 12th home run for the Nationals.
But Granderson broke the tie leading off the fifth inning by crushing a high change-up off Jackson into the bullpen in right-field for his 21st home run of the season.
Even though the Yankees put runners on base in all six innings Jackson worked, they could not come up with the knockout blow. Jackson gave up seven hits and three walks but he kept the Yankees from adding to their lead. The Yankees were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
The Yankees did manage to run up Jackson’s pitch count to 110 after six innings, which sent him out of the game and allowed the Yankees to tack on some runs against the Nationals’ bullpen.
They added a two runs in the seventh.
The first came on a solo home run by Cano off left-hander Tom Gorzelanny for Cano’s 12th home run of the season. Three batters later, Teixeira – who doubled – scored from third with two out when rookie reliever Ryan Mattheus threw a 3-2 pitch to Andruw Jones that catcher Jhonathan Solano could not catch for a passed ball. Teixeira scored easily when Mattheus failed to cover home plate.
The Yankees’ bullpen took it from there.
Boone Logan completed the eighth inning for Nova and Rafael Soriano pitched a perfect ninth to record his 13th save, which makes him the Yankees reliever who has saved the second-most games since Mariano Rivera became the team’s closer in 1996. Steve Karsay previously held that mark with 12.
With the victory the Yankees improved their A.L.-best record to 40-25 and they maintained their 1 1/2-game lead on the second-place Baltimore Orioles in the A.L. East. The Nationals, who came into the series on a six-game winning streak, dropped to 38-26.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- Nova pitched another exceptional game on Sunday. In his last three starts, Nova is 3-0, giving up only two runs on 16 hits and three walks and he has struck out 15 batters over 22 2/3 innings. That has lowered his season ERA from 5.60 to 4.32. He has not lost since a May 19 start at Yankee Stadium against the Reds and his career record is now 25-6. Anyone still think this 25-year-old right-hander is a fluke or his record is just a product of great run support?
- Granderson has been on a full-blown tear in his last eight games, which coincides neatly into the Yankees’ nine-game winning streak. Granderson has an eight-game hitting streak and he is 11-for-33 (.333) in that span with three home runs and seven RBIs. In fact, Granderson has now homered in three of his last four games and his 21 homers trails only Adam Dunn (23) of the White Sox and Josh Hamilton (22) of the Rangers in the major leagues.
- Cano has been on a tear this June. He is hitting .333 with four home runs and eight RBIs. He has failed to get at least one hit in only two games this month. On May 5, Cano had one home run and four RBIs. Since that time, he has 11 home runs and 26 RBIs and he has raised his batting average from .255 to an even .300.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- The 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position statistic just hangs out there like an albatross on the Yankees. It can be forgotten with the nine-game winning streak but the longer it continues the harder it is going to be for the Yankees to correct it when they play tougher A.L. teams, not to mention in the playoffs.
- Raul Ibanez gets the award for choking in the clutch on Sunday. He was 0-for-5 and he left seven men on base. But, to be fair to Ibanez, he hit the ball hard three times but it just so happened that it found a glove each time. Ibanez is one of the Yankees struggling during their current winning streak. In his last 10 games he is hitting .172 with a home run and three RBIs.
- Alex Rodriguez also failed to contribute anything on Sunday. He was 0-for-5 including a strikeout. Though he has a home run and nine RBIs, he is only hitting .229 over his last 10 games. He is only hitting .222 in June.
BOMBER BANTER
As expected, Nick Swisher was held out of the lineup and did not play on Sunday due to a bone bruise in his left quad. Swisher was sliding into home plate when Nationals catcher Jesus Flores’ left shin guard struck Swisher on the left thigh as Flores tagged him out in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game. Swisher received treatment for the injury and he remains day-to-day. . . . Cano’s home run off Gorzelanny in the seventh inning was pretty much a given. In his career, Cano is 6-for-8 off Gorzelanny.
ON DECK
The Yankees completed a 6-0 road trip by sweeping two N.L. teams. They now come home to open a home series on Monday against one of those teams they swept, the Atlanta Braves.
CC Sabathia (8-3, 3.70 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees. Sabathia was tagged for four runs on 10 hits over seven innings against the Braves but he won the game when the Yankees came from 4-0 down in the eighth for a 6-4 victory. In his career against the Braves, Sabathia is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA.
Lefty Mike Minor (3-4, 6.01 ERA) will face Sabathia and the Yankees for a second straight start. Last Wednesday, Minor pitched his best game of the season, limiting the Yankees to one run in 7 1/3 innings. But his bullpen – led by Jonny Venters – blew the lead and lost the game. This will be only Minor’s second start against the Yankees.
Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by ESPN and locally by the YES Network.
Tex Overcomes ‘Gee’ Forces With Clutch Homer
GAME 58
YANKEES 4, METS 2
A month ago, Yankee fans did not know what was worse, Mark Teixeira’s cough or his constant choking at the plate with runners on base.
On Saturday, Teixeira did not cough up his opportunity or choke in the clutch. He launched a huge two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Yankees losing 2-1 to Dillon Gee and the Mets and the Yankees got another strong outing from Phil Hughes to clinch the home portion of the Subway Series.
Another sellout crowd of 48,575 at Yankee Stadium watched in awe as Teixeira swung at a hanging 2-2 curveball from Gee and pulled it into the right-field bleachers for his 11th home run of the season.
Up to that point Gee (4-4) had held the Yankees hitless since the first inning when they scored a run on an Alex Rodriguez one-out RBI single, loaded the bases and – even if you were not a psychic you could have predicted this – Raul Ibanez hit into a inning-ending double play.
From that point on the Yankees could not hit Gee’s change-up if he told them it was coming. Over the next four innings, Gee only gave up a leadoff walk to Derek Jeter in the third inning and a leadoff walk to Teixiera in the fourth. (Of course, Teixiera was immediately erased on another double play off the bat of Ibanez.)
But a third leadoff walk to Curtis Granderson in the sixth proved fatal to Gee. Two outs later, Teixeira put the Yankees ahead for good.
Granderson handed the Yankees an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning by delivering his 18th home run of the season off Mets reliever Bobby Parnell.
Hughes (6-5), meanwhile, was victimized by the long-ball as he has been most of the season.
He gave up a solo home run to a 30-year-old shortstop who came into the game with just two career home runs when he played briefly for the Colorado Rockies in 2008. Omar Quintanilla, who broke up Hiroki Kuroda’s no-hitter with two outs in the sixth inning on Friday, blasted a Hughes fastball into the right-field seats in the third inning to tie the contest at 1-1.
Hughes then gave up a second solo home run to David Wright in the sixth inning, which put the Mets into the lead for the first time in the weekend series. With the two home runs he surrendered on Saturday Hughes has been nicked for 15 home runs in 68 innings this season.
Hughes left with one out in the in the seventh inning having been touched for six hits and two walks and he struck out six.
A bullpen combination of Boone Logan, Cory Wade and Clay Rapada pitch scoreless ball through eight innings and Rafael Soriano pitched around a walk and single in the ninth to get pinch-hitter Jodany Valdespin to fly out to earn his ninth save of the season in as many opportunities.
With the victory the Yankees imroved their season record to 32-25 and they remain a half-game out of first place behind the Rays in the American League East. The Mets fell to 32-28.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- For all the talk about how horrible the Yankees’ starting rotation was in April, Hughes has shut those critics up with his recent spate of good outings. In his last seven starts, Hughes is 5-1 with a 3.47 ERA. After missing most of the 2011 season with weakness in his right shoulder, Hughes is beginning to show the form he showed in 2010, when he was 18-8 and made the All-Star team.
- Teixeira would also like to forget about April be he hit just .244 with three home runs and 12 RBIs that month. Since then, Teixeira has hit eight home runs and driven in 23 runs. This is despite the fact Teixeira has hit just .171 over his last 10 games.
- Granderson’s home run in the eighth put him in third place in the major leagues with 18, trailing Adam Dunn with 19 and Josh Hamilton with 22. Granderson has also been mired in a horrific batting slump this month. He is hitting only .161 in June and has struck out 10 times in 31 at-bats this month.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- Although he is having a fine season for the Yankees, Ibanez was a big disappointment with the bat on Saturday. He was 1-for-3 but he hit into a double play in his other two at-bats and the first one came with the bases loaded. Ibanez has been one of the few Yankees to hit pretty well with runners in scoring position but he is 0-for-10 this season with the bases loaded. Ouch!
- The bottom of the order was totally useless on Saturday. Nick Swisher (batting seventh), Eric Chavez (eighth) and Russell Martin (ninth) were a combined 0-for-9 in the game and they struck out three times. Chavez, who flew out twice, was the only one of the three to get a ball out the infield.
- Swisher’s 0-for-3 night snapped a modest six-game hitting streak in which he was 8-for-21 (.381) with a home run and five RBIs. Swisher has only 17 walks this season after drawing 95 last season. He also has struck out 46 times this season, which is a high total for him.
BOMBER BANTER
It seems Brett Gardner is good about teasing us with his imminent return from the disabled list only to disappoint us again. After playing in a rehab game at Class A Charleston, Gardner reported feeling pain in his right elbow on Saturday morning and he is now sidelined indefinitely. Gardner will be sent to Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, FL, for an evaluation early next week. He also will visit with Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Cincinnati. Gardner had three at-bats and played five innings on Friday. He was expected to play again on Saturday and rejoin the team on Monday in Atlanta. Manager Joe Girardi said Gardner likely will not rejoin the team until some time after the All-Star break. . . . Kuroda said that he will be able to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday in Atlanta. Kuroda was struck in the left foot by a line drive off the bat of Daniel Murphy on Friday and Kuroda left the game for precautionary X-rays, which showed just a deep bone bruise. . . . Rodriguez’s RBI single in the first inning marked the 1,917th RBI of his career, which ties him with Eddie Murray for seventh on the all-time list. Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s hit scored Jeter with his 1,800th run, moving him past Ted Williams for 17th place on the all-time list.
ON DECK
The Yankees will go for a sweep of the weekend series for bragging rights in the Big Apple against the Mets.
Left-hander Andy Pettitte (3-2, 2.78 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Yankees. He is coming off a stellar 7 1/3 inning performance against the Rays in which he gave up just two hits and struck out 10. He has won three of his four starts at Yankee Stadium this season and he is 8-5 with a 3.69 ERA in his career against the Mets.
Opposing Pettitte will be fellow left-hander Jonathon Niese (4-2, 4.11 ERA). Niese struck out 10 in a victory against the Cardinals on Sunday. He did not allow a run in his six innings of work. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA against the Yankees.
Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by TBS and locally by the YES Network.
Grandy’s Granny Boosts CC, Yankees Past Tigers
GAME 51
YANKEES 9, TIGERS 4
In the play “Richard The Third” King Richard says “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”
In the second inning, Yankees manager Joseph Elliott Girardi (The First) must have been beseeching his charges with the refrain, “A hit, a hit, my stewardship for a hit.” After all, the Yankees have been like a barren desert when it comes to hits with the bases loaded this season.
Thankfully, Curtis Granderson must have heeded the calling and delivered a grand slam home run that staked the Yankees to a 5-1 lead they never relinquished as CC Sabathia and his New York teammates vanquished Detroit in a contest Friday at Comerica Park.
Sabathia (7-2) wobbled in the first (he gave up a run) and third innings (he gave up two runs) and threw 71 pitches in the first three innings. However, he shut out the Tigers on just two hits over the final four innings to record his sixth quality start in his last seven outings.
Meanwhile, the Yankees preyed upon 23-year-old Casey Crosby in his major-league debut. Crosby opened the second inning by walking three of the first four batters he faced. After Chris Stewart was unable to get his fly ball to left deep enough to score a run (My stewardship for a hit), Derek Jeter stepped to the plate with two out.
Crosby missed with a 3-2 pitch and Jeter drove in a run to tie the game at 1-1. (I’ll take the walk but my stewardship for a hit.)
Granderson, who struck out looking on three pitches in his first at-bat, lashed out at a 1-1 fastball and hit into the seats in deep right-field for his 17th home run of the season. (King, uh, manager Girardi’s prayers were finally answered.)
But once Sabathia found his footing with the game at 5-3 after three innings, the Yankees managed to tack on a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Stewart, which chased Crosby, a run in the eighth on a two-out double by Andruw Jones and two runs in the ninth on Alex Rodriguez’s eighth home run of the season.
Crosby (0-1) became the third pitcher who has made his debut against the Yankees this season and the third who has gone down to defeat. He was touched for six runs on four hits and four walks and struck out three in 3 1/3 innings.
Sabathia gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks and he struck out five in seven innings. Rafael Soriano came in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and one out and induced Miguel Cabrera to hit into a game-ending double play to earn his seventh save in as many tries.
With the victory, the Yankees improved to 28-23. The Tigers fell to 24-28.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- Granderson is beginning to get hot with the longball again. He now has homered in three of his last four games. In that span he is 6-for-19 (.316) with three home runs and eight RBIs. His 17 home runs leads the team and he is tied with Adam Dunn and Edwin Encarnacion for the second most home runs in the American League this season.
- Sabathia was not sharp but he somehow found a way to win his team-leading seventh game. The key point of the game was after he gave up two runs in the the second inning, Sabathia loaded the bases with two out by walking Gerald Laird. He ended up striking out Brennan Boesch swinging to end the threat.
- Jeter was 2-for-4 along with his RBI walk in the second inning and he extended his modest hitting streak to six games. In that span, Jeter is 9-for-26 (.346). His .340 season average is fourth in the A.L.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- The normally very reliable bullpen was not that good on Friday. Cody Eppley faced one batter (Cabrera) in the eighth inning and gave up a double. Boone Logan faced two batters and gave up an infield single to Delmon Young that advanced Cabrera to third. Cory Wade then came in and gave up a sac fly to pinch-hitter Jhonny Peralta. Clay Rapada opened the ninth with a 9-4 lead and ended up leaving in favor of Soriano with the bases loaded and one out after walking two batters and giving up a hit.
- Prior to Rodriguez’s two-run home run in the ninth, he was 0-for-4 in the game with three strikeouts. Crosby fanned him twice, once looking, and Brayan Villarreal blew a fastball past him in the eighth inning. Rodriguez is struggling with just eight home runs and 21 RBIs on the season despite the fact he is hitting .280.
- Though he walked and scored in the second inning, Robinson Cano was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and he grounded into an inning-ending double play in the fifth. In his last four games, Cano is just 2-for-18 (.111) with seven strikeouts. His season average has dipped to .286.
ON DECK
The Yankees will continue their three-game weekend series with the Tigers on Saturday.
The Yankees will start 37-year-old right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (4-6, 3.96 ERA), who is coming off a sterling eight innings of shutout baseball against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. Kuroda held the A’s to only four hits to win his first road contest of the season. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA against the Tigers in his career.
The Tigers will counter with right-hander Rick Porcello (3-4, 5.21 ERA). Porcello threw a quality start against the Twins on Sunday but ended up with a no-decision. He is 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA in his career against the Yankees.
Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by FOX Sports.
Nova Dazzles Chisox As Yanks Claim Tie For 1st
GAME 110
YANKEES 7, WHITE SOX 2
For a team still labeled as a team without quality starting pitching, how odd is it that the New York Yankees can claim to have the best No. 6 starter in baseball?
The 24-year-old rookie right-hander without a starting spot, Ivan Nova, sparkled and shined brighter than ever under the lights of U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday to make a bold statement that he does not want to sent back to the minors again. It would be a crime if he was.
Nova (10-4) gave up only one run on six hits and no walks and struck out a career high 10 as New York completed a four-game road sweep over Chicago for their seventh straight victory and claimed a share of first place in the American League East with the Boston Red Sox.
Since his recall on July 30, Nova has given up three runs on 12 hits and one walk and struck out 16 in 14 2/3 innings over his two starts. Recalled initially to fill in as a starter for a makeup doubleheader game on Saturday, Nova pitched so well against the Orioles last week he was given another start against the White Sox. Now that he has pitched brilliantly again, what will the Yankees do?
Manager Joe Girardi calls it a good problem to have but it is a problem just the same.
While Nova was dazzling the Chisox hitters, the Yankee offense got untracked early against White Sox starter Philip Humber (8-8).
With one out in the second inning, Robinson Cano hit a Humber fastball on a line down the left-field line and into the White Sox bullpen for his 18th home run and his second in two games.
The White Sox got a little help from Nova to score a run in the third to tie the game. After Alejandro De Aza reached on an infield single, the Yankees called for a pitchout as De Aza attempted to steal second. However, Nova threw high and to the left of catcher Russell Martin and it allowed De Aza to reach second safely.
Brent Morel singled to advance De Aza to third and De Aaza scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Juan Pierre.
The Yankees ended up taking the lead for good in the sixth on the bat and legs of Brett Gardner.
Gardner doubled to right to lead off the inning. Derek Jeter put down a sacrifice bunt to advance him to third. Curtis Granderson hit a one-hop smash right at Adam Dunn at first. Dunn stepped on the bag and fired immediately to home to catch a sliding Gardner, but Gardner slid into home plate just before A.J. Pierzynski applied the tag.
The Yankees tacked on two more runs and chased Humber in the seventh. Cano singled and Nick Swisher drew a walk. One out later, Jorge Posada singled to right to score Cano and advance Swisher to third. After right-hander Jesse Crain replaced Humber, Martin lofted a deep sac fly to center to score Swisher easily.
The Yankees turned the game into a rout by jumping on former teammate Brian Bruney for three runs in the ninth. Swisher and Eric Chavez started the inning with singles. One out later, Martin connected for a tape-measure three-run home run into left-center. Martin ended up with four RBIs and it was his first multiple RBI game since June 29 against the Brewers at Yankee Stadium.
David Roberston completed the eighth inning for Nova and Hector Noesi finished up in the ninth, though he was touched for a solo home run by Dunn.
While the Yankees were winning in the Windy City, former Red Sox starter Justin Masterson and the Cleveland Indians were beating the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 7-3. By virtue of the Yankee victory and the Red Sox loss the two teams are now in a tie for the lead in the A.L. East with identical 68-42 records.
That will set the stage for the weekend series in Boston when the Yankees will take on the Red Sox in a pivotal three-game weekend series.
The White Sox loss was their sixth in a row and they are 52-58 and fading fast in the A.L. Central.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- Nova is 10-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 18 starts. He is the only rookie starter in the majors who is six games over .500 on the season and the Yankees are 13-5 in games in which he has started. His last loss was on June 3 against the Angels. How can you send this kid to the bullpen or the minor leagues? The answer is you can’t. Nova has become a much better pitcher because he is using his slider more effectively. That has made his fastball and curve less predictable. Nova also is showing unwavering confidence.
- Martin’s home run and four RBIs are an encouraging sign. He hit .292 in April but injuries sent him reeling at the plate. He batted .200 in May, .185 in June and .200 in July. It is early but he is batting .273 in August and showing signs of breaking out of his long slump. In his last 11 games he is 12-for-41 (.293) with two home runs and seven RBIs.
- Cano is on a tear of his own. In his last nine games he is 14-for-32 (.438) with two home runs and 13 RBIs. His recent streak has raised his season average to .301, the first time he has been at the .300 mark since July 14. He now has 18 home runs and 75 RBIs on the season.
- Chavez, who was 2-for-4 on Thursday, is proving to be a very valuable replacement for Alex Rodriguez at third base. In the seven games he has started since coming off the 60-day disabled list on July 26, he is 9-for-28 (.321) with a homer and six RBIs. More importantly, Chavez is playing Gold Glove-quality defense. When Rodriguez returns, Chavez and Eduardo Nunez will make up part of a very good bench heading into the playoffs.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
Why carp about the team when it ties a season high with its seventh victory in a row and they claimed a share of first place in the East? Nova was just sensational.
BOMBER BANTER
Nova’s great pitching has left Girardi uncommitted about what the Yankees will do with him. The Yankees only have three bench players (Nunez, Chavez and Francisco Cervelli) heading into Boston. The Yankees would like to add outfielder Chris Dickerson to the roster. But that would mean they would have send a pitcher to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. It could be Nova or it could be Noesi. Beyond that, will Nova get another start next week? Girardi is not going to say for now. . . . Rodriguez worked out for 33 minutes at the Yankees’ minor-league complex in Tampa, Fl, on Thursday and he reported no problems. It was the first field workout for Rodriguez since he was placed on the 15-day DL after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee. It is unclear how long Rodriguez will need before he is activated.
ON DECK
Well, this is the big one. The series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park will determine who is first place to begin next week.
The Yankees will start 38-year-old right-hander Bartolo Colon (8-6, 3.30 ERA). Colon gave up two runs on five hits in five innings on Sunday in a victory against the Orioles. He is 7-8 with a 3.89 ERA in his career against the Red Sox.
The Red Sox will counter with left-hander Jon Lester (11-4, 3.17 ERA). Lester gave up only two runs on four hits over eight innings over the White Sox on Sunday. He is 8-1 with a 3.56 ERA against the Yankees in his career.
Game-time will be 7:10 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.
CC Notches 16th Win By Unraveling Chisox
GAME 107
YANKEES 3, WHITE SOX 2
There is an old baseball axiom that states the best way to measure a great pitcher is not when he is pitching at his best but how effective he can be pitching without his good stuff. Never was that old saying more true than on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
CC Sabathia was handed an early 3-0 lead and he had to finesse and reach deep into his arsenal to pitch eight innings and win a major league-best 16th game as New York edged Chicago to bring them within one game of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.
Sabathia (16-5) was touched for two runs on 10 hits and he walked none and struck out six over eight innings. Alexei Ramirez accounted for the two runs in the fourth when he followed a leadoff infield single by Juan Pierre with line drive home run deep into the left-field bleachers for his 10th home run of the season.
Protecting that slim one-run lead over the next four innings proved difficult because the White Sox put a total of six base-runners on during that stretch. However, Sabathia wriggled off the hook each time.
In the fifth, the White Sox had runners on first and second with no outs but Sabathia induced a popup from Brent Lillibridge and Brent Morel lined into a double play. In the sixth, Ramirez cracked a one-out double but Sabathia got Carlos Quentin on a flyout and he struck out Adam Dunn swinging for the second time. In the seventh, A.J. Pierzynski stroked a one-out double and one out later Lillibridge reached on an infield single. Sabathia ended the inning by getting Morel to fly out.
In the eighth, Quentin reached on a two-out single. But Sabathia closed out his night by striking out Dunn swinging for the third time.
Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the victory for his 28th save of the season, which ties Tigers hotdog closer Jose Valverde for the American League lead in saves.
The Yankees scored two runs early off White Sox starter Jake Peavy (4-5).
Brett Gardner opened the game with an infield single and he scored on Curtis Granderson’s double into the right-field corner. One out later, Robinson Cano sliced a ball past Dunn at first and into right-field to score Granderson and the Yankees led 2-0.
They added a run in the third inning after Granderson doubled and Mark Teixeira followed with single to right to move Granderson to third. Cano hit into a double play but Granderson scored from third and Peavy got tough the rest of the way, limiting the Yankees to just two hits and a walk over the next four innings.
But the Yankees’ ace left-hander and their Hall-of-Fame closer managed to shut down the White Sox as well.
With the victory the Yankees are a season-high 23 games over .500 at 65-42. They also now have won four games in a row and, by virtue of the Red Sox’ 9-5 loss to Cleveland, they have drawn to within one game of Boston in the division despite the fact that the Red Sox recorded their best July record in their history. The White Sox fell to 52-55.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- Granderson hit two doubles and scored two more runs as he continues to make a joke out of the runs scored category. He has a major league-best 94 runs scored, which leads Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury by 13. Taking into account his 28 home runs and 79 RBIs and his excellent play in center-field this season, he is becoming a bone fide MVP candidate.
- Sabathia may have given up 10 hits and he only had one 1-2-3 inning (the first) in the game), but he showed his mettle by buckling down whenever the White Sox mounted a threat. Sabathia is now 9-1 since June 14 and he lowered his season ERA to 2.55, which is fourth in the American League.
- Rivera looked especially sharp in recording his 28th save. He needed only nine pitches to retire the White Sox in order in the ninth. Rivera lowered his season ERA to 1.74 and he now has 587 career saves, 14 away from tying Trevor Hoffman for the top spot.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- Cano may have singled in a run in the first inning but in his next three at-bats he grounded into a pair of double plays and struck out swinging. After his five-hit night against the Orioles on Saturday, Cano is 1-for-6.
- Nick Swisher also struggled, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and he did not get a ball out of the infield. After his 3-for-6 night on Saturday, Swisher is 1-for-7.
- Francisco Cervelli was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts looking.
BOMBER BANTER
Derek Jeter did not play on Monday because of bruise on his right middle finger. Jeter was struck on the knuckle on a pitch from Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta in the third inning of Sunday’s game at Yankee Stadium. Jeter was removed from the game in the fourth inning and X-rays taken later showed no broken bones. Manager Joe Girardi said the injury does not appear to be serious and Jeter should be able to play on Tuesday. . . . The Yankees have elected to keep Ivan Nova on the roster and he is scheduled to pitch the finale of the four-game series against the White Sox on Thursday. Nova (9-4, 4.01 ERA) may actually be auditioning for the No. 5 spot in the rotation against right-hander Phil Hughes, who has not pitched well since his return form the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. If Nova pitches another good game, Hughes may be shifted to the bullpen. . . . Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to begin baseball-related workouts at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa, FL, on Thursday. There is no date for his return but the Yankees believe he could be ready by the second week of August. Rodriguez has been on the disabled list since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee on July 11. . . . Brian Cashman told reporters on Monday that he was not upset the Yankees were unable to make deal for pitching and a bench player. Cashman said teams were looking at the Yankees’ most prized minor-league prospects and Cashman said he would rather keep them for what was being offered in return.
ON DECK
The Yankees will continue their four-game road series with the White Sox on Tuesday and it will be an important day for Phil Hughes.
Hughes (1-3, 8.24 ERA) will be pitching to retain his spot in the rotation. He is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA in his four starts since coming off the disabled list. He is 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA in his career against the White Sox.
The White Sox will start left-hander John Danks (4-8, 3.79 ERA). Danks has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last five starts. He is 4-0 with 0.86 ERA since June 6. However, lifetime he is 2-2 with a 7.36 ERA against the Yankees.
Game-time will be 8:10 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast by the YES Network.
Humber Blanks Yanks By Putting Lumber In Deep Slumber
- So many times Burnett has been handed big leads and squandered them but he deserved a better fate on Monday. Burnett retired the side in order in five of the eight innings he worked. He threw 108 pitches and 67 of them were strikes. He also kept the White Sox power hitters like Quentin, Konerko and Dunn from leaving the yard. Burnett should really sue the Yankees’ hitters fro non-support.
- Granderson extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single to lead off the ninth inning. During the hitting streak, Granderson is 15 for 36 (.417) with five home runs and nine RBIs. He also walked and stole base in the fourth inning.
- For the second game in a row, Brett Gardner made a spectacular catch. In the sixth inning he made a headlong diving catch of a sinking liner off the bat of Juan Pierre.
- For seven innings the Yankees managed to make Humber look like Roy Halliday. Humber is former No. 1 pick of the New York Mets who is only starting for the White Sox because Jake Peavy is on the disabled list. But this should be no surprise because the Yankees have a history of not hitting pitchers they face for the first time. You would have more action in old episode of the “Gilmore Girls” than when the Yankees were at-bat tonight.
- Teixeira. In the fourth inning with Granderson at second and one out he hit massive popup to second baseman Gordon Beckham. He also struck out looking and — to top off his evening — Teixeira followed Granderson’s leadoff single in the ninth by hitting into a double play started by Konerko.
- Jorge Posada. With Swisher at first after being hit by a pitch and one out, Posada promptly hit into a double play started by Konerko. He also struck out and grounded out.
- Derek Jeter. With pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez in scoring position with two outs in the eighth inning, Jeter weakly bounced out to the pitcher Santos.
- Honorable mention to Robinson Cano: In going 0-3, Cano managed to see a total of seven pitches. He flew out to left on the first pitch he saw in the second, grounded out to Konerko on the second pitch in the fifth and struck out swinging on four pitches in the seventh. The pitch he fanned on was at the bill of his batting helmet.
- Rafael Soriano is quickly becoming a target of the boo-birds after another shaky appearance in relief. He gave up two hits and a walk and was only bailed out from giving up more than the one run he did on an inning-ending double play. His ERA is now at 6.75.
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