Results tagged ‘ Michael Young ’

Garcia Bests Rangers Despite Hamilton’s Blasts

GAME 117

YANKEES 3, RANGERS 2

The final score on Wednesday should read Yankees 3, Rangers 0, Josh Hamilton 2.

On a night where a pair of mammoth solo home runs by Hamilton was all Texas could muster for an offense, Freddy Garcia and New York held on to take the first three games of a four-game series between the two top teams in the American League.

The Yankees scored three runs in the third inning off Rangers starter Scott Feldman (6-8) on an RBI double by Nick Swisher, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Curtis Granderson and a big two-out RBI single by the red-hot Eric Chavez.

That was all Garcia eventually would need. But Hamilton made it interesting by launching a 400-foot blast off Garcia into the second deck in right with one out in the fourth inning. It was the first regular-season home run Hamilton has hit in the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.

The home run also ended a drought of 20 innings in which the Rangers were held scoreless in this series by the Yankees.

The Rangers were able to load the bases on Garcia right after the Hamilton homer. However, Garcia was able to wriggle out of further trouble by inducing Geovany Soto to hit into an inning-ending double play.

But with one out in the sixth, Hamilton was able to connect off Garcia again with a moon shot measured at about 455 feet into second deck in right. It was his major-league leading 34th home run of the season.

But Garcia was able to complete 6 2/3 innings. Other than the two home runs, Garcia shut down the Rangers on just two other hits and a walk and he struck out six to win his third straight start. Garcia now has won five games since he was inserted into the rotation on July 2, which leads the team.

Garcia also is 5-0 with a 1.90 ERA in his last seven starts against the Rangers, dating back to 2004.

Jayson Nix, playing in place of an ailing Robinson Cano, opened the third against Feldman with an infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a lined single by Derek Jeter. Swisher, who was 3-for-8 with two home runs and seven RBIs in the first two games of the series, added to the Rangers’ misery with a bloop opposite-field double that landed just inside the line in left-field to score Nix while Jeter made it to third.

Granderson followed with a high fly to deep center that easily scored Jeter. Then, one out later, Chavez, who entered the day hitting .550 in his last five games, stroked an opposite-field single that scored Swisher.

But after that inning, Feldman got stingy and pitched around a lot of danger to keep the game close.

Feldman left after six innings having given up thee runs on seven hits and four walks and he struck out seven. After going 3-for-3 with runners in scoring position in the third, the Yankees were held to 0-for-8 the rest of the game and they stranded 10 runners.

Boone Logan replaced Garcia with two out and nobody on to retire pinch-hitter Michael Young to end the seventh. David Robertson then pitched a 1-2-3 eight, striking out two batters.

Rafael Soriano came on in the ninth and struck out Hamilton swinging and retired Adrian Beltre on a deep line drive to the warning track in left.

On a play in which Swisher dug out a one-hop throw from Chavez and stayed on the bag on a grounder off the bat of Nelson Cruz, first-base umpire Marty Foster incorrectly ruled that Swisher came off the bag for what was scored an error on Chavez. That added a bit of drama for the crowd of 45,921 who braved an hour and 45 minute rain delay in the Bronx to see this clash of A.L. titans.

But Soriano pitched around the error and retired David Murphy on a ground-ball force out to pick up his 29th save in his 31 opportunities this season.

With the victory, the Yankees have won seven out of their last eight games. They also have a streak of eight straight home victories over the Rangers that dates back to last season.

Their season record is now 70-47, the best record in the American League. The victory also gives the Yankees a six-game edge over the second-place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The Rangers fell to 67-49.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • What has been the biggest knock on the 2012 Yankees? Their supposedly suspect starting pitching, of course, with CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte on the disabled list. But David Phelps, Hiroki Kuroda and Garcia have combined to give up just four runs on 12 hits and four walks and fanned 13 batters in 18 2/3 innings against a very good hitting Rangers team. That is a starters’ ERA of 1.93 and a WHIP of 0.86. This staff is better than they might seem just looking at their ERAs. In his nine starts since July 2, Garcia has not given up more than three earned runs in eight of them and he has an ERA of 3.69 in those starts.
  • Chavez continues to turn back the clock to his 2001 season with Oakland in which he hit .288 with 32 home runs and 114 RBIs. Chavez was 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in the game. In his last six starts, Chavez is 14-for-23 (.609) with three home runs and seven RBIs. The 34-year-old veteran is doing more than his share filling in for an injured Alex Rodriguez.
  • Swisher is just about as hot as Chavez. In the series he is 4-for-13 (.308) with two home runs and eight RBIs. In his last nine games, he is 13-for-39 (.333) with two home runs and 11 RBIs. His hot streak has raised his season batting average to .263.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Some poor strategy and some poor execution of a bunt cost the Yankees a few potential chances to tack on to their lead. Ichiro Suzuki led off the sixth with an infield single. Instead of having Suzuki steal or having Nix bunt Suzuki over, manager Joe Girardi had Nix swing away and he hit into a double play. In the eighth, Nix did bunt after another leadoff infield single by Suzuki and Nix reached first because the bunt was so well placed. However, Jeter popped up his bunt attempt and reliever Mike Adams let it drop and turned it into a double play that killed the rally.
  • Mark Teixeira had a night to forget. He was 0-for-4, struck out three times and he did not get a ball out of the infield. Teixeira entered the game with an eight-game hitting streak in which he was 11-for-32 (.344) with three homers and five RBIs.
  • Russell Martin’s season from hell continues. The Rangers’ pitchers pretty much used the catcher, who entered the game hitting .199, as an escape hatch to big innings. Martin was 0-for-3 with a walk and he stranded seven runners. Martin lined out to right on the first pitch off reliever Alexi Ogando with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

BOMBER BANTER

Cano was held out of Wednesday’s game due to a stiff neck, but Girardi said he did not think it was anything serious. Nix replaced Cano at second base and was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored.  . . .  In Rodriguez’s absence, Chavez, Nix and Casey McGehee have gone a combined 26-for-68 (.382) with seven homers, 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 19 starts at third base.

ON DECK

The Yankees can take out their brooms and complete a four-game sweep of the mighty Rangers on Thursday.

Right-hander Ivan Nova (11-6, 4.70 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees. Nova gave up two runs on five hits and a walk and struck out 10 in 7 1/3 innings to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. He is 2-1 with a 4.67 ERA in his career against the Rangers.

The Rangers will counter with left-hander Derek Holland (7-6, 4.92 ERA). Holland was locked in a pitching duel with Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Holland struck out nine and retired 22 of the 24 batters he faced, but he settled for a no-decision. He may want to wear a batting helmet on the mound Thursday because he is 0-5 with a 9.26 ERA lifetime against the Yankees.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

 

‘Okie Dokie’ Hiroki Has Rangers Firing Blanks

GAME 116

YANKEES 3, RANGERS 0

In his last three starts, Hiroki Kuroda was 0-1 with two no-decisions despite recording an ERA of 2.61. Even though he was pitching a no-hitter through six innings on Tuesday it appeared that Kuroda was headed to yet another no-decision or a loss because the Yankees also were held scoreless through six innings.

But Nick Swisher came through for the second straight night with a big home run, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh, and Mark Teixeira followed him with a solo blast of his own while Kuroda ended up throwing a two-hit, complete-game shutout as New York defeated Texas again in the second game of the clash of the two titans of the American League.

Kuroda (11-8) issued only two walks over the first six innings before Elvis Andrus led off the seventh inning with an infield single to shortstop Jayson Nix. Kuroda was able to get out of the inning, stranding Andrus on third. Michael Young hit a solid single into center to lead off the eighth, but he quickly was erased in a double play off the bat of David Murphy.

Kuroda pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to record his fourth career complete game and his second of the season.

The Yankees had no trouble getting runners on base against Rangers starter Matt Harrison (13-7). The hard part was getting a timely hit to score one of them.

Harrison kept the Yankees from scoring by stranding seven runners over the first four innings, including three in the third inning when Curtis Granderson flew out to center with the bases loaded.

However, the Yankees finally broke through in the seventh inning when Derek Jeter stroked a one-out single into center. Rangers manager Ron Washington then decided to replace Harrison with right-hander Alexi Ogando.

Swisher battled Ogando for seven pitches into a full count before he tomahawked a high fastball into the second deck of the bleachers in right-field as a crowd of 44,533 fans at Yankee Stadium went delirious.

Before those fans got the chance to settle back into their seats Teixeira smacked a 2-1 fastball about 10 rows deep in the right-field bleachers, marking the ninth time this season the Yankees have hit back-to-back home runs.

Kuroda finished the night having thrown first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 29 batters he faced and he threw 74 of his 109 pitches for strikes (68 percent). Andrus was only the Rangers to reach scoring position as the Yankees backed Kuroda up with a pair of double plays.

It was Kuroda’s first victory since July 23 against the Seattle Mariners.

The victory improved the Yankees’ record to 69-47, two games better than the Rangers for the best record in the American League. The Yankees currently lead both the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles by 6 games in the American League East. The Rangers fell to 67-48.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Swisher’s home run was his 16th of the season and he is now on a nice little hot streak at the plate. In his last eight games, Swisher is 12-for-34 (.353) with two home runs and 10 RBIs. In his two games against the Rangers, Swisher is 3-for-8 (.375) with two home runs and seven RBIs.
  • Teixeira’s home run was 23rd of the season and he still leads the team in RBIs with 77. He now has a eight-game hitting streak in which he is 11-for-32 (.344) with three home runs and five RBIs. He was 2-for-4 on the night and it raised his season average to .260.
  • Kuroda has never looked better on the mound for the Yankees. He kept a dangerous Rangers’ attack off-balance all night with his his slider and split-finger fastball. In Kuroda’s 14 starts since May 21, he is 10-2 with a 2.90 ERA. In his two losses he gave up only five runs in 13 1/3 innings, which is a 3.38 ERA. His season ERA is now 3.06, which is eighth best in the A.L.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

I could mention Granderson’s flyout with the bases loaded and his two strikeouts but that would be nitpicking. Kuroda was sensational and Swisher and Teixeira came through to give him the support he deserved. The Yankees have a shot to win the four-game series on Wednesday. Things are looking up!

BOMBER BANTER

X-rays on Alex Rodriguez’s fractured left hand showed positive results and the brace on his hand will be removed. Rodriguez now will be able to do strength exercises and the Yankees are still targeting a return to action for the third baseman some time in September. Rodriguez has been on the disabled list since July 24.  . . .  Andy Pettitte was given clearance by team’s medical staff to begin long tossing as he continues his recovery from a fractured left ankle. The Yankees have no timeline for Pettitte’s return but they hope he is able to pitch in September in order to be able to be ready for the postseason.

ON DECK

The Yankees hope to clinch the four-game series against the Rangers on Wednesday.

Veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia (6-5, 4.85 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees. Garcia allowed just two runs in six innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday to win his second consecutive start. Garcia is 8-5 with a 4.10 ERA in his career against Texas.

The Rangers will throw right-hander Scott Feldman (6-7, 4.64 ERA). Feldman gave up four runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings on Friday in a loss against the Detroit Tigers. He is 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA in his career 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.

 

Beltre, Rangers Do Texas Two-Step On Yankees

GAME 18

RANGERS 7, YANKEES 3

Adrian Beltre homered and drove in three runs on Wednesday to lead Texas to series victory over New York at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

Mike Napoli and Mitch Moreland added solo home runs for the Rangers and Robbie Ross (4-0) threw 2 2/3 innings of perfect relief to get credit for the victory.

For the fourth consecutive start, Phil Hughes (1-3) failed to pitch six innings, giving up four runs on five hits and striking out two in 2 2/3 innings. David Phelps, thought to be in line to get a shot at starting, was not much better, surrendering three runs on five hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

With the loss the Yankees’ season record falls to 10-8. The Rangers are 15-4.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Raul Ibanez was one of the few bright spots for the Yankees. He was 2-for-4 including a solo home run off Neftali Feliz in the seventh and an RBI double in the fourth to plate the Yankees’ first run. In limited play, Ibanez, 39, is hitting .271 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
  • Derek Jeter is hotter than a July evening in Texas. He was 2-for-4 in the game to raise his season average to an astounding .420, which is third in the major leagues behind the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and Red Sox DH David Ortiz.
  • Other than Phelps, the bullpen did a good job of keeping the Yankees close for most of the game. Clay Rapada, Cody Eppley, Boone Logan and Rafael Soriano kept the Rangers scoreless over the three innings they pitched, giving up only one hit and a walk. Despite some of the starters struggling the bullpen is still holding up well.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • The time has come for the Yankees to place Phil Hughes in the bullpen. Trailing 1-0 with one out in the third inning, Hughes unraveled. Mitch Moreland singled and Ian Kinsler followed with a bloop opposite-field double to right. After an RBI groundout by Elvis Andrus, Hughes hit Josh Hamilton with a pitch. Beltre, who homered off him in his previous at-bat, stroked an RBI single and Michael Young followed with an RBI double. After Hughes brushed Nelson Cruz’s jersey with an inside pitch, Girardi removed him from the game. Hughes is 1-3 with a 7.88 ERA.
  • Curtis Granderson looks absolutely clueless at the plate. He was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in the game. In the series, Granderson was 1-for-9 with three walks and five strikeouts. None of the swinging strikeouts came on pitches that were in the strike zone.
  • After going 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position in their victory over the Rangers on Monday, the Yankees were 2-for-14 over the last two games. Alex Rodriguez was the poster boy for the futility, going 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and he did not get a ball out of the infield.

BOMBER BANTER

If losing the game were not enough, the Yankees learned earlier Wednesday that right-hander Michael Pineda has a slight anterior labral tear and he will have to undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery next Tuesday. Dr. David Altchek, the Mets’ team physician, will perform the surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, assisted by Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. Pineda, 23, will miss a minimum of 12 months. Pineda and 19-year-old right-hander Jose Campos were acquired in February in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for 22-year-old slugger Jesus Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi.  . . .  Meanwhile, left-hander Andy Pettitte gave up four runs (three earned) in five innings and took the loss as Double-A Trenton lost to Erie 10-4 on Wednesday. Pettitte struck out three and walked one and threw 59 of his 81 pitches for strikes. Pettitte is scheduled to make two more starts before being placed on the major-league roster.

ON DECK

The Yankees finished the road trip with a 3-2 mark and now they come home to face the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

The good news is their best starting pitcher will open the series. Ivan Nova (3-0, 3.79 ERA) is riding a streak of consecutive victories and he can tie Rogers Clemens’ team record of 16 with a victory. Nova gave up two runs on seven hits and fanned five batters last Friday as the Yankees defeated the Red Sox 6-2 on Fenway Park’s 100th birthday. Nova is 0-0 with a 0,00 ERA against the Tigers but did defeat them in Game 1 of the ALDS last October.

Unfortunately, the Yankees will be facing Justin Verlander (2-1, 1.72 ERA). Verlander blanked the Rangers for six innings while striking out eight in his last start. The reigning American league MVP and Cy Young Award winner is 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA against the Yankees in his career.

Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

 

Gardner’s RBI Hit In 12th Gives Yankees Sweep

GAME 67

YANKEES 3, RANGERS 2 (12 Innings)

Brett Gardner was inserted into Thursday’s game as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning because manager Joe Girardi elected not to start him against a left-handed pitcher.

But in the 12th inning, Gardner delivered a one-out single to right to score Curtis Granderson with the winning run off left-handed reliever Michael Kirkman as New York completed a three-game sweep against a Texas team that denied the Yankees a trip to the World Series last season.

The game had remained tied 2-2 since the bottom of the sixth inning when Kirkman (1-1) began his third inning of work by allowing a bloop single near the line in shallow right-field to Granderson. After Mark Teixiera flew out to left, Kirkman hit Robinson Cano on an 0-2 pitch that Rangers manager Ron Washington claimed hit Cano’s bat. However, home-plate umpire Mike Winters awarded Cano first base, moving Granderson to second.

Then Gardner stroked a 1-0 pitch on the ground sharply past second baseman Ian Kinsler into right-field. Granderson rounded third and slid home well ahead of the throw from David Murphy to win the game for the Bombers.

Cory Wade (1-0), part of the Yankees’ new-look bullpen minus Joba Chamberlain and Rafael Soriano, pitched two perfect innings of relief to earn his first victory as a Yankee and his first major-league victory in two years.

But the first part of the day belonged to the new-look starter who had replaced Bartolo Colon in the starting rotation.

Brian Gordon, 32, made his first major-league start against a Rangers team with which he made his only three major-league appearances in 2008. And Gordon did not disappoint. Gordon held the Rangers to two runs on seven hits and three walks and he fanned three batters in 5 1/3 innings of work.

However, Gordon did pay a price for walking Taylor Teagarden to begin the fifth inning when the Rangers catcher later scored on an Ian Kinsler double to tie the game at 1-1.

But with Endy Chavez at third and Kinsler at first, Gordon struck out Elvis Andrus swinging and walked Josh Hamilton intentionally to load the bases. Gordon then induced Michael Young to pop up to Cano for the second out. Gordon then battled Adrian Beltre to an 0-2 count. But Gordon lost control of a curve and hit Beltre with the pitch to force in the lead run.

The Yankees had opened the scoring in the game in the second inning off Rangers starter C.J. Wilson when Russell Martin drove in Cano from third base with a two-out single into center. The Yankees later tied the score in the sixth when Jorge Posada, hitting .088 batting right-handed on the season, stroked a one-out double into the gap in left-center that scored Cano from first.

Wilson gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks and fanned 10 batters in eight innings. But the Yankee bullpen of Hector Noesi, David Roberston, Mariano Rivera and Wade kept the Rangers scoreless over the next seven innings to allow Gardner to notch his first walk-off hit for the Yankees and his first face full of post-game pie from A.J. Burnett.

With the victory the Yankees not only swept the Rangers, but they won the nine-game season series 7-2. They also moved their season mark to 39-28 and they remain 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East. The Rangers leave the Bronx with a 36-34 record.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Gordon was signed on Thursday and placed on the active roster just before the game after he opted out of his contract a day earlier with the Phillies’ Triple-A Lehigh Valley club, where he was 5-0 with a league-best 1.14 ERA. He spent 15 years in the minors and 10 of those seasons as an outfielder. But after a solid 84-pitch major-league debut, Gordon received a standing ovation from the 47,487 fans on hand. Girardi said Gordon will start again next Tuesday in Cincinnati and he will get a chance to get his first major-league at-bat.
  • Gardner was relegated as a defensive replacement in the last two games with the Rangers but he is one of the Yankees’ hottest hitters. On Thursday he was 2-for-2 after entering the game in the ninth inning for Andruw Jones in left-field. Both hits came off the lefty Kirkman. Since June 4, Gardner is 17-for-36 (.472) with five doubles and a triple and four RBIs. Gardner has had seven multiple hits games over that 12-game span.
  • Wade’s two innings of perfect relief now give him three perfect innings in his first two appearances as a Yankee. Wade was released by the Rays from their Triple-A Durham club on Monday and he was signed to minor-league contract with the Yankees and activated on Wednesday. Wade, 27, pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and 2009 but missed the 2010 season because he had to undergo shoulder surgery.
  • Granderson had three of the Yankees’ 11 hits and scored the winning run in the 12th inning. Granderson raised his batting average to .285 after hitting .249 in his last season with Detroit and hitting .247 with the Yankees last season. Granderson best season was in 2007 with the Tigers, where he hit .302.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Wednesday’s hero Mark Teixeira did not carry his success into Thursday’s game. He was 0-for-6 with four infield groundouts. Teixeira’s average is now .251. He also left eight men on base. His biggest out was when he grounded out to Andrus at short in the ninth inning with two out and the bases loaded.
  • Granderson also deserves some criticism for his at-bat against veteran lefty Darren Oliver in the ninth inning. Granderson was at the plate with one out and the bases loaded after Oliver had walked Nick Swisher. Granderson had worked Oliver into a 3-2 count and Oliver threw a breaking pitch that swept well out of the strike zone. But Granderson swung wildly at it and fanned at what would have been ball four and the end of the game.
  • The Yankees again displayed some bad base-running in the game early. Swisher led off the game with a single to left. Granderson followed with a single to right and Swisher easily beat Murphy’s throw to Beltre at third base. However, Swisher overslid the bag and Beltre tagged him out. A bit later, Granderson was throw out stealing second by Teagarden. The Yankees also ground into a pair of costly double plays that took Wilson off the hook.

BOMBERS BANTER

In order to make room on the roster for Gordon, the Yankees optioned Lance Pendleton to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and they released right-handed reliever Amauri Sanit. Pendleton had a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings with the Yankees. Sanit gave up 10 runs in seven innings with the Yankees before landing on the 15-day disabled list with an elbow injury.  . . .  Martin returned to the starting lineup after missing seven of the last eight games with back stiffness. Martin was 2-for-4 and drove in a run. However, Martin’s biggest contribution was throwing out two runners. He gunned down Andrus stealing in the first inning and Murphy in the sixth. Backup catcher Francisco Cervelli has struggled all season throwing out base-runners and Martin has been missed.  . . .  The Yankees announced that former managers Joe Torre and Lou Piniella and outfielder Bernie Williams will be among the participants in Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium on June 26. Piniella will be donning a Yankee uniform for the first time since 1988.

ON DECK

The Yankees are now in Chicago and will begin a series of interleague games with a weekend series against the Cubs in Wrigley Field starting on Friday.

Freddy Garcia (5-5, 3.60 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. Garcia is coming off a strong 6-2/3 inning performance in a victory over Cleveland on Sunday. He has also had some success against the Cubs. He is 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA against them in his career.

The Cubs will start left-hander Doug Davis (0-5, 5.90 ERA). Davis is coming off a 108-pitch, five inning outing against the Phillies in which he walked five batters. In the last 10 years, Davis is 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA against the Yankees.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

Tex Lays Down Law As Yanks Bushwhack Rangers

GAME 66

YANKEES 12, RANGERS 4

When Mark Teixeira came up to the major leagues with the Rangers, he learned a lot about hitting from his teammates Michael Young and Alex Rodriguez. On Wednesday night, it was obvious that the help they provided paid huge dividends as he got older.

Teixeira blasted a pair of home runs and drove in four runs to lead New York on an air assault on the Texas pitching staff in another laugher at Yankee Stadium.

Teixeira connected on a two-run home run hitting right-handed against left-handed starter and loser Derek Holland in the first inning to give the Yankees an early 2-0 lead. He later connected for another two-run homer in the sixth inning hitting left-handed off right-hander Mark Lowe to extend the Yankees lead to 9-4. It is the 11th time in his career that Teixeira has hit home runs from both sides of the plate in one game, tying him with Eddie Murray and Chili Davis for first on the all-time list.

It also was Teixeira’s 20th and 21st home runs of the season and ties him with teammate Curis Granderson and Toronto’s Jose Bautista for first in the major leagues. His two home runs were part of a five-home run barrage on the Rangers, giving the Yankees a major league-leading 103 home runs on the season.

Eduardo Nunez, who is replacing an injured Derek Jeter at shortstop, hit a solo home run in the fourth and Ramiro Pena, who was called up on Tuesday from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace Jeter on the roster, also homered in the sixth inning. Robinson Cano hit a three-run shot off Rangers closer Neftali Feliz in the eighth inning to close out the onslaught.

Ivan Nova (6-4) was the beneficiary of the run support. Nova gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks and struck out two batters over 5 2/3 innings to earn the victory.

The Yankees, meanwhile, pummeled Holland (5-2) for six runs on seven hits and five walks in only five innings. In the past two days, the Yankees have beaten two Ranger starters who were a combined 12-1 for 12 runs on 13 hits and six walks in 6 2/3 innings.

With the victory, the Yankees improved their season record to 38-28 and they are now a season-best 10 games over .500. They remain 1 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. The Rangers fell to 36-33.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Teixeira has been on a huge tear since June 5. He is 10-for-32 (.313) during that span with five home runs and 15 RBIs. His four RBIs on Wednesday now give him the team lead in RBIs with 53, one better than Granderson. Teixeira and Granderson are the first Yankee teammates to have 20 or more home runs at this stage of the season since 1961 when Mickey Mantle had 22 and Roger Maris had 27.
  • Nunez continues to impress after just two games replacing Jeter. He was 2-for-4 with a homer, a single and two stolen bases. In the last two games, he is 4-for-8 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He has raised his average to .250 from .214. In addition, Nunez turned 24 on Wednesday. Yankee players may start jokingly calling Jeter “Wally Pipp.”
  • Cano’s home run was his 14th of the season and he now has 45 RBIs. Though he is far off his .363 batting average he had posted at this time last season, Cano is still producing in the No. 5 spot and no second baseman in the American League is close to his numbers.
  • Pena was given a start at third base to allow Rodriguez to DH and he contributed a solo home run in the sixth inning off Rangers reliever Mark Lowe. Pena also added a single in the second inning and he finished 2-for-4 on the day.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
  • Despite Nunez’s fine day at the plate and on the bases, he also committed his sixth error of the season on a Josh Hamilton grounder to lead off the fifth inning. Nunez chose to play the ball off to the side and the ball bounded over his glove into center-field. It shows that although Nunez is a good hitter with execellent speed, he is still a work in progress in the field.
  • Catcher Francisco Cervelli is still having issues with his throwing. In the first inning he was unable to throw out Ian Kinsler attempting to steal on a pitchout. Cervelli’s throw short-hopped past Nunez and rolled into center-field. Teams continue to take advantage of Cervelli’s throwing problems while starting catcher Russell Martin tries to recover from back stiffness.
  • Nova was not sharp in his outing but he did seem to be able to limit the damage. In the first six innings, the Rangers left seven runners on base and Nova left with two outs in the sixth clinging to a 6-4 lead.

BOMBER BANTER

As expected, manager Joe Girardi announced that 32-year-old minor-league veteran Brian Gordon will start for the Yankees on Thursday. The Yankees signed Gordon as a free agent when he opted out of his contract with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A Lehigh Valley club. Hector Noesi, who warmed up in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game but did not pitch, will remain as the long reliever in the bullpen.  . . .  The Yankees added right-handed reliever Cory Wade to the roster two days after signing him to a minor-league deal. Wade pitched the eighth inning on Wednesday and had a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Wade was 2-1 with a 1.23 ERA for the Rays’ Triple-A Durham club but was released. The Yankees sent down right-hander Kevin Whelan to make room on the roster for Wade.  . . .  In addition, the Yankees transferred reliever Rafael Soriano to the 60-day disabled list. Soriano threw a bit on Tuesday but the Yankees were not convinced he had progressed enough to continue a throwing program. So Soriano will rest for at least a week before throwing again. Soriano has been sidelined since May 14 with right elbow inflammation.  . . .  Martin missed another game due to back pain. He has now missed seven of the last eight games. Girardi said although Martin’s back is better, he will start him until Martin can tell him the back pain is gone.  . . .  Jeter will not travel with the Yankees on their road trip to Chicago and Cincinnati but, instead, he will go to Tampa, FL, to begin a rehab program for his strained right calf. Jeter is eligible to return to the roster on June 29.

ON DECK

The Yankees have already won the season series with the Rangers and they have won the first two games of this three-game set. They will go for the sweep on Thursday.

The Yankees will substitute Gordon for Bartolo Colon, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Gordon was 5-0 with an International League-best 1.14 ERA at Lehigh Valley. His only stint in the majors came with the Rangers in 2008. He gave up one run on four hits in four innings.

The Rangers will counter with left-hander C.J. Wilson (7-3, 3.09 ERA). Wilson is 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA in his last four starts. Wilson has not faced the Yankees this season. Last season, he was 0-1 with a 5.65 ERA against them.

Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

Yankees’ Super Sub Chavez Torpedos Texas With RBI Hit

GAME 14
YANKEES 6, RANGERS 5
With Alex Rodriguez out of the lineup on Sunday the Yankees knew they would have their hands full in trying to beat the Rangers. But with Eric Chavez playing for Rodriguez there was no real reason to worry.
Chavez slapped a line-drive single up the middle off Arthur Rhodes (0-1) with two out in the bottom of eighth inning to score Mark Teixeira with the game-winning run as New York edged Texas at Yankee Stadium.
Rafael Soriano (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to get credit for the victory and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in seven chances. Rivera now has seven saves and a victory and has had a hand in eight of the Yankees’ nine victories.
The Yankees also established a all-time team record by hitting 27 home runs in the first 14 games of the season, breaking a record established by the 1932 team. Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson each homered off Rangers starter Alexi Ogando.
The Yankees ran their record to 9-5 and they have now established a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Toronto in the American League East. The Boston Red Sox are in last place, five games out. The Rangers lost the road three-game series to the Yankees and fell to 10-5.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
  • Chavez is proving in the early season he will be a very valuable player off the bench. He was 2-for-4 with a run-scored as well as stroking the game-winning hit. He is 7-for-15 (.467) in limited playing time this season.
  • Cano opened the Yankee scoring with a solo home run off Ogando to lead off the second inning. Up to that point, Ogando had been unscored upon in 13 innings this season. It was Cano’s fourth home run of the season.
  • Martin continues to impress behind the plate and with the bat. He blasted his fourth home run of the season to left with two out and Chavez on first in the fifth inning to tie the score at 3-3.
  • Granderson’s round-tripper came with none out and Derek Jeter on first in the sixth inning and it gave the Yankees their first lead of the night. It was Granderson’s fourth home run of the season and his first off a right-handed pitcher.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
  • CC Sabathia started for New York and pitched his worst game of the season. He was tagged for four runs on eight hits and two walks and he struck out six in 6 1/3 innings of work. However, he left with a lead.
  • Joba Chamberlain coughed up the lead with one out in the seventh inning by walking Ian Kinsler and  one batter later Michael Young drove in Kinsler with a long double to right-center.
  • Yankee pitching had a rough night against Young and Adrian Beltre. Young was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Beltre was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI, including a two-run home run in the first inning. The rest of the Rangers’ hitters were 4-for-28 (.143).
  • After two days of not starting, Brett Gardner was inserted back into the lineup. However, his struggles with the bat continue. He was 0-for-2, hitting into a double play and a striking out. Andruw Jones pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning. Gardner’s average is now down to .140.
BOMBER BANTER
Rodriguez said that he hopes to be able to play in Toronto on Tuesday or Wednesday. He received treatments of ice, heat, whirlpool and sauna for his stiff back on Sunday. A precautionary MRI came back clean and Rodriguez said he does not believe he will have to go on the disabled list.  . . .  The Yankees said that 37-year-old right-hander will make his first start of the season on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. Colon has been inserted into the rotation in place of Phil Hughes, who is on the disabled list trying to build up arm strength. Colon has pitched 11 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and has an 3.97 ERA.  . . .  Manager Joe Girardi said the team was very close to sending Hughes to the minors to work out his drop in velocity. However, Girardi said the team believes it would be better for Hughes to work on his problems outside of game situations.
ON DECK
The Yankees have Monday off and will open a two-game series in Toronto on Tuesday.
The Yankees will send to the mound A.J. Burnett (3-0, 4.67 ERA), who pitched six shutout innings against the Orioles on Wednesday only to be tagged for a pair of two-run homers in the seventh. But Burnett has won each of his three starts and he is 2-4 with 5.84 ERA against his former team.
The Blue Jays will counter with rookie right-hander Kyle Drabek (1-0, 1.93 ERA), who has walked 11 batters over his first 18 2/3 innings. But, he has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his six starts. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in one start against the Yankees last season.
Game-time will be 7:07 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast locally by My9.

Hail To ‘Chief:’ Garcia Baffles Rangers In Yankee Debut

GAME 13
YANKEES 5, RANGERS 2
After his masterful performance on Saturday the New York Yankees might consider playing “Hail To The Chief” when Freddy Garcia leaves the mound after a good game.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who is nicknamed “Chief” because of his resemblance to the character Chief in the film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” drove Texas hitters nuts with six innings of two-hit, no-run baseball as New York beat the Rangers at Yankee Stadium.
Garcia (1-0), who had not pitched as a starter since an exhibition game on March 29, showed no rust at all on a dark, cold, damp and windy day in the Bronx, N.Y.
Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano backed up Garcia with a homer apiece. Teixeira hit a two-run home run the first inning and added a run-scoring fly ball in the third. He then singled ahead of Cano’s two-run home run that capped the scoring the ninth.
Derek Holland (2-1) took the loss despite pitching a solid 7 2/3 innings for Texas. 
Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his sixth save in six chances. It is the earliest point of the season in which Rivera has collected six saves.
With the victory, the Yankees raised their season record to 8-5. The Rangers dropped to 10-4.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
  • With his fifth home run of the season, Teixeira tied Jorge Posada for the team lead and he also is tied with Miguel Cabrera, Texas’ Nelson Cruz and Posada for the American League lead. Teixeira’s three RBIs give him 14, which ties him with Cleveland’s Asdrubal Cabrera for the A.L. lead.
  • Cano’s home run extended his hitting streak to eight games. He has three home runs and 10 RBIs and he is hitting .315 on the season. 
  • To show how masterful Garcia was against a good-hitting Texas team, four of the six innings he pitched were 1-2-3 innings. He walked one and struck out one and threw 84 pitches, 55 of them strikes (66%). No Ranger base-runner made it past second base.
  • After grounding into a record six double plays on Friday, the Yankees hit into only one double play on Saturday. 
NAGGING NEGATIVES
  • The Yankees relieved Garcia in the seventh with their end of the game troika of Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Rivera. Chamberlain and Rivera did their jobs but Soriano nearly blew the lead for Garcia in the eighth. He gave up a leadoff double, one out later walked a batter and then gave up back-to-back RBI singles by Elvis Andrus and Michael Young before inducing an inning-ending double play. Soriano’s ERA is a hefty 9.53 after two bad outings.
  • Brett Gardner was rested for two games with a left-hander pitching so Andruw Jones could get some at-bats. Jones was 2-for-3 but was replaced by Gardner in the eighth. Gardner reached base in the ninth on an error and promptly got picked off by Darren Oliver. When it rains it pours for Gardner this season.
  • Posada is also struggling at the plate despite his five home runs. Posada was 0-for-3 and his batting average has dipped to .171.
BOMBER BANTER
For the second time this season the Yankees rewarded fans who braved the awful weather conditions. They offered free tickets to anyone who have a valid ticket for Saturday’s game, whether you attended the game or not. The paid attendance was 41, 876 but there were a lot fewer than that actually in the stands.  . . .  Alex Rodriguez left the game in the seventh inning with what was called lower back and oblique stiffness. Rodriguez told reporters that he felt the discomfort before the game and it got progressively worse in the cold conditions. No tests are planned and he is considered day-to-day. A-Rod was 0-2 in the game with a walk and he was replaced by Eric Chavez.  . . .  It took until the 13th game of the season but Gustavo Molina made his first appearance with the Yankees behind the plate. Because of off days and rainouts the Yankees were able to allow Russell Martin to catch the first 12 games. Molina was the only position player in Major League Baseball who was on the Opening Day roster and had not played in a game until Saturday. Molina was 0-for-3.
ON DECK
The Yankees were able to draw even in the three-game series and will go for the series victory on Sunday night.
The Yankees will rely on their ace left-hander CC Sabathia (0-1, 1.45 ERA), who gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings in a loss against the Red Sox last Sunday. He is 8-3 with a 4.29 ERA against the Rangers in his career.
The Rangers will counter with 27-year-old right-hander Alexi Ogando (2-0, 0.00 ERA), who has pitched 13 scoreless innings in his first two starts. He has not faced the Yankees as a starter but is 1-0 with 0.00 ERA lifetime.
Game-time will be 8:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by ESPN.

Rangers’ Pen Implodes As Yankees Rally To Take Opener

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES – GAME 1
YANKEES 6, RANGERS 5

The New York Yankees are a lot like a cockroach. When you step on them you better make sure they are dead.
As the Texas Rangers found out on Friday night, the cockroach may be limping but still may have enough strength to get away from you.
Down 5-1 in the top of the eighth inning with a dominant C.J. Wilson on the mound, the Yankees fashioned a five-run comeback as seven consecutive batters reached base on five different Texas pitchers to snatch Game 1 of the American League Championship Series away from the stunned Rangers.
Since the 1995 postseason, the Yankees have registered 14 victories after trailing after seven innings, which is tops in the majors. They also have outscored the Rangers in their postseason meetings 15-0 after seven innings.
With the victory, the Yankees also dealt a very deep psychological blow to a Ranger bullpen that was second to the Yankees with a 3.61 ERA during the regular season. More importantly, they also managed to take home-field advantage away from the Rangers.
Brett Gardner started the inning and the rally by legging out what looked to be a routine ground ball to Jorge Cantu at first. But Gardner slid in headfirst to beat Wilson to the bag on the relay throw from Cantu.
Derek Jeter followed by lacing a line-drive double down the left-field line to score Gardner. The hit also chased Wilson from the game, despite the fact he had cruised through the first seven innings.
Veteran left-handed reliever Darren Oliver dug the Rangers an even bigger hole by walking both Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira on 3-2 pitches. Manager Ron Washington then went to his bullpen for side-winding right-hander Darren O’Day to pitch to Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez ripped O’Day’s first offering so hard he nearly took Michael Young’s glove into left-field with it and Jeter and Swisher scored to draw the Yankees to within a run.
Washington dipped into his bullpen again for left-hander Clay Rapada to pitch to Robinson Cano, who had homered off Wilson to lead off the seventh inning to put the Yankees on the board. Cano laced Rapada’s first pitch up the middle in to center-field to score Teixeira with the tying run. 
Center-fielder Josh Hamilton bobbled the ball and allowed Rodriguez to take third.
As Washington started to wear out a visible path to the mound at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, a crowd of 50,930 — the fourth largest in Rangers history — mostly sat in stunned silence as left-hander Derek Holland was summoned to pitch to designated hitter Marcus Thames — still with nobody out.
Thames battled to a 2-2 count and muscled a broken-bat line-drive single into left-field to give the Yankees their first lead of the night. The Rangers looked to see if team president Nolan Ryan, who threw out the first pitch before the game, would begin to warm up for his shell-shocked Texans.
Wilson ended up his nightmare evening by being charged with three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 7-plus innings of work. O’Day (0-1), who oddly was unscored upon in the American League Division Series against the Rays, was charged with the loss.
The real unsung heroes for the Yankees were relievers Joba Chamberlain and Dustin Moseley (1-0). 
Ace left-hander CC Sabathia was uncharacteristically wild in giving up five earned runs on six hits and four walks and three strikeouts in only four innings of work — the shortest outing of his postseason career. 
However, Chamberlain and Moseley came on and combined for three no-hit shutout innings of relief. Moseley struck out four of the seven batters he faced in two innings. The pair laid the groundwork for the Yankees’ comeback by silencing the Rangers’ bats, which had put up three runs in the first inning on a Hamilton home run.
They added two runs in the fourth on a two-out double by Young, which put the Yankee cockroaches down 5-0. They were limping but still breathing.
Kerry Wood made things interesting for the Rangers in the eighth by walking Ian Kinsler on four pitches to start the frame. But Wood forced a cardinal sin from Kinsler and picked him off first base with the potential lead run at home plate. Wood escaped the inning without further incident, which turned the game over to the best closer in postseason history.
Mariano Rivera gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland to begin the ninth. The Rangers, who had rallied to force Rivera to blow two saves this season, felt pretty good about their chances to do it again when Elvis Andrus bunted Moreland to second on a two-strike sacrifice bunt.
However, postseasons to Rivera are different from the regular season. 
Rivera fanned Young and Hamilton bounced out to Rodriguez on one pitch to end the game and give the Yankees their 10th consecutive postseason win over the Rangers, which dates back to 1996.
For Rivera it was his major-league-leading 42nd career postseason save. In 137 2/3 career innings in the postseason, Rivera also has a major-league-best 0.72 ERA and an 8-1 record. 
Rodriguez put it best after the game, telling reporters “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. You’ve still got to get 27 outs. We had a lot of good at-bats [in the eighth inning].”
Unfortunately for the Rangers, they recorded only 21 outs before the walls of Rangers Ballpark at Arlington came crumbling down.
Perhaps a play in the first inning was the harbinger of what was to come. 
With Sabathia wild and out of the strike zone, he walked Andrus and Young slapped a 3-1 cripple pitch into center for a single to move Andrus to third. Before Sabathia knew it, Hamilton blasted an 0-2 pitch on a line down the right-field for a three-run home run.
It was the first home run of the postseason for the Rangers’ MVP candidate, who hit .111 in the ALDS with the Rays.
After Sabathia retired Vladimir Guerrero on a long drive to center-field that Curtis Granderson caught at the base of the wall, Sabathia loaded the bases. Nelson Cruz singled, Ian Kinsler walked and, one out later, Matt Treanor drew another walk.
With Sabathia on the ropes again, the left-hander uncorked a pitch high in the strike zone that eluded Jorge Posada behind the plate. But the ball ricocheted off the wall and bounced right back to Posada as Cruz broke from third attempting to score.
But Posada flipped to Sabathia and Sabathia managed to tag a sliding Cruz on the left shoulder just before the left foot of Cruz reached the plate to end the inning.
Sabathia now has an ERA of 5.83 in his five postseason starts in which he has had more than six days of rest. 
For Wilson there is nothing left but to ponder what could have been. In his three starts against the Yankees in the regular season, he was 0-1 with a 5.86 ERA and he never got past the sixth inning in any of them.
Tonight he and his teammates in the bullpen let the cockroach and a very important game get away.
ON DECK

The ALCS resumes on Saturday afternoon and the Rangers have very little time to recover from a devastating loss.
They will start right-ha
nder Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72 ERA). In the ALDS against the Rays, Lewis pitched five scoreless innings but he did not get a decision because — stop me if this sounds familiar — the bullpen gave up the lead late to the Rays. Lewis did not face the Yankees this season but he has a 6.89 ERA against them in three career starts.
The Yankees will counter with All-Star right-hander Phil Hughes (18-8, 4.19 ERA). Hughes is coming off a brilliant series-clinching victory over the Twins in the ALDS. Hughes gave up just four hits over seven scoreless innings. Hughes has not given up an earned run in 15 1/3 career innings at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington.
Game-time will be 4 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by TBS.

Why Blame The Ump? The Pitcher Gave Up The Home Run

I found it very amusing when I saw Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon going nuts as home-plate umpire Jim Wolf during Thursday’s 6-0 loss to the Texas Rangers.
It amused me because the reason Maddon was angry was because first-base umpire Jerry Meals did not call Michael Young out on a check-swing appeal. Rays reliever Chad Qualls thought he had Young struck out but Meals ruled no swing.
Of course, Young hit the next pitch for a three-run home run that turned the game from 2-0 to 5-0 and the Rays go on to lose 6-0.
The odd thing about it is Wolf and Meals were not to blame. Not even Young was to blame.
Instead of being angry at the the umpire how about getting angry with the pitcher who served up the home run? If Qualls makes a quality pitch and Young makes an out, does Maddon go out and act like a 8-year-old child in front of a national TV audience?
No!
Yet he waited until the home run is hit to make an issue of the call because it ended up hurting his team. But Qualls hurt the team by serving a fat pitch to a good hitter. Maddon should have vented his wrath against him and not the umpires.
No matter how much you want to believe it is not true, umpires are not perfect. They are human and they make mistakes. Meals did miss the call. 
But, so what? It is part of the game and by putting on a uniform and participating in the sport you have signed up to abide by the rules and how the rules are interpreted is up to the umpires.
Are the Rays 0-2 and on the brink of elimination because of one missed call or could it be because David Price was outpitched by Cliff Lee and James Shields was outpitched by C.J. Wilson?
Is it Meals’ fault that the Rays have scored only one run and have only eight hits in two games?
I can’t believe how silly this controversy is all about one second out of 18 innings in which the Rays have played like they have never seen a bat or ball or know what game they are playing.
It really has been a problem with this team all season. Look at the batting averages of their players in the starting lineup. They have been no-hit so many times in the past two years it has become a joke. They have also been a few near no-hitters, too.
That indicates to me a team that has overachieved. The Rays draw walks and get on base anyway they can so they can turn games into track meets. They have to do that or they will lose games.
When they fail to get on base, they end up looking like the team we saw the last two days in St. Petersburg, FL.
Years ago the Oakland Athletics decided to sign world-class sprinter Herb Washington as a pinch-runner. The idea was he would wreak havoc on the bases with his amazing speed. It was another idea from the mind of Charlie O. Finley, the team’s flamboyant owner.
It did not work out to well.. Washington could run alright. But he did not know the nuances of the game: How to read pitchers, how to get a good lead, how to slide properly, etc. The end result of the Washington experiment is that it is impossible to steal first base.
That is why the best base stealers in baseball history had one thing in common. They could get on first base enough to make that speed work.
The Rays have a gifted base stealer in Carl Crawford. No doubt.
However, the rest of the team is severely lacking in players who can consistently get on base to make the running game enough of a weapon.
This may not show itself during a regular season when the Rays are playing the Orioles or Tigers or Mariners.
But it will rear its ugly head when the playoffs start and instead of facing pitchers like Brad Bergesen, Jeremy Bonderman and Jason Vargas, they are facing guys like Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay. 
Suddenly those .230 hitters like B.J. Upton and Jason Bartlett are not getting on base. The more the Rays try to get them on base, the more frustrated they get when they don’t.
Then when their pitchers get hit around by the better hitters they are facing like Young, Robinson Cano or Ryan Howard they fall behind. But they do not have the offense to catch up because Carlos Pena is hitting .200 and their speed can’t get out of the starting gate.
It is shame, too.
The Rays do not have the financial resources to keep Crawford and Pena this winter. Both will leave via free agency to teams that actually can afford to pay them what they are worth.
So it makes you wonder if this Rays team and the one from 2008 is going to be it for them. It certainly looks that way. They do not have the money to compete with Boston and New York.
Players are not stupid. Why settle for $5.5 million playing in St. Petersburg when they can make $11.5 million playing in Philadelphia, New York or Chicago.
You can lock up players like Evan Longoria and David Price for only so long. They suddenly come to the realization at age 28, like Sabathia did, that the great promise the early teams may have showed is long gone and they want to win and make more money.
That will be legacy of the Rays going forward. This recent success will pass quickly and the players who signed up for the long-term will get disillusioned and move on to bigger market teams who can pay what they are worth.
Crawford and Pena are just the tip of the Rays’ iceberg.
Tropicana Field is an albatross around the team’s neck, too. Unless ownership can somehow find a way out of that mistake and into an open-air baseball stadium, the fans will never show up in enough numbers to keep the franchise going.
A move to Orlando would make so much sense. A centrally located team that can draw from the eastern, western, northern and southern regions of the state could help ownership build the fanbase that can support the contracts to keep the better players.
But unless and until that happens we have seen the last of the Rays as a contender.
I guess maybe somehow the Rays and their fans can blame that on Meals for missing that call, too.

Royals Blank Rays To Hand First Place Back To Yanks

GAME 160
YANKEES at RED SOX (POSTPONED, RAIN)

Nobody warmed up in the bullpen at Fenway Park and no one took any swings in batting practice, yet the New York Yankees reclaimed first place in the American League East.
The reason: The Tampa Bay Rays, seemingly so giddy about their return to the postseason, they have forgotten how to pitch, hit and field in Kansas City.
Bruce Chen, a 33-year-old journeyman left-hander who signed a minor-league contract with the Royals this off-season, dazzled the Rays with a two-hit complete-game shutout on Friday for his first major-league shutout. It was the second straight Rays’ loss to the Royals in the four-game series.
The Yankees, meanwhile, were hanging out at Fenway for three hours waiting for the game to be postponed. It will now be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader beginning at 4:10 p.m. on Saturday.
The Rays have now lost five of their past six games and they perhaps ceded some of the control they have on that tiebreaker they own with the Yankees if they end up tied in the American League East.
Truth be told, the Yankees likely would not mind being the wild-card team and losing home-field advantage in the AL playoffs if they could avoid Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers, who would await them if they won the division.
Oh, manager Joe Girardi talks a good game about how home field is important because the alternative would be face the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, where they own the best home record in baseball.
However, the Yankees are Kryptonite to the Twins. 
The Yankees managed three walk-off wins in a single four-game series at Yankee Stadium last season. They also swept them in the old Metrodome. Then they rolled them out of the playoffs in three straight games last season like they were bugs on the windshield.
Things have not been much different this season.
The Yankees have won four of six with the Twins this season and the four wins have come with a combined score of 17-7. The one loss at Yankee Stadium came from a grand slam home run by Jason Kubel off Mariano Rivera, in one of the All-Star closer’s rare meltdowns.
The other loss at Target Field came from Kubel’s two home runs and five RBIs off Javier Vazquez and the back end of the Yankees bullpen.
Neither scenario figures to befall the Yankees this time. Rivera rarely loses his edge in the playoffs and Vazquez may not even make the postseason roster. He certainly will not start any of the games.
As for Kubel, he has hit all of .173 since Sept. 1 with three home runs and 11 RBIs and he is hitting just .231 since the All-Star break.
The Twins have just got back an injured Joe Mauer behind the plate and there are rumors Justin Morneau will give it a go despite missing close to three months with a post-concussion syndrome. The question remains, how good can Morneau be in not facing live pitching since July 7?
If the Yankees can handle the Twins with Morneau at 100%, it stands to reason they just as easily beat the Twins without him or with him at 75%.
So the Yankees will have to make up their collective minds how much the A.L. East and home-field advantage means when the price comes at facing Cliff Lee in Game 1. 
Lee is Kryptonite to the Yankees and it would be a scary prospect depending on a rusty Andy Pettitte and a young Phil Hughes to get the Yankees must wins in Games 2 and 3 against a Rangers offense that boasts stars like Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Michael Young and Ian Kinsler. 
I am not saying much that has not been discussed on radio talk shows and speculated about in the New York media.
You wonder what Girardi is thinking by throwing Vazquez against the Blue Jays on Wednesday and having Burnett face the Red Sox on Saturday if it is not to allow the Rays a chance to claim first place.
I know Burnett is the No. 4 starter and the team needs him straightened out. However, Burnett has always been, from the start of his career to now, a 50/50 proposition as a pitcher. He either pitches like Roy Halladay or he pitches like Vazquez. There is just no in-between with Burnett.
So maybe instead of pitching Burnett we pitch CC Sabathia with Pettitte on Saturday and have Phil Hughes start on Sunday and damn the innings limit. That would be the way you would play it if you really wanted to win the East.
But I am not sure Joe and the Yankees are going to be too broken up if they have to pack for Minneapolis.
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