Results tagged ‘ Ron Gardenhire ’

6-Run Third Allows CC, Yanks To Cruise By Twins

GAME 155

YANKEES 8, TWINS 2

It is bad enough that the Minnesota Twins have struggled to beat the Yankees during Ron Gardenhire’s reign as manager. But when you add in the fact they have been unable to beat CC Sabathia while he has sported a Yankee uniform then you can just imagine how things went for the Twins on Wednesday.

The Yankees sent 11 men to the plate as they erupted for six runs in the third inning and Sabathia tossed eight dominant innings to collect his 14th victory as New York clinched both the season series and three-game road series against Minnesota in front of 33,251 at Target Field.

Sabathia (14-6) gave up two runs on six hits and a walk while he struck 10 to run his record against the Twins since he joined the Yankees in 2009, including playoff games, to 10-0 with a 1.96 ERA . The victory also was Sabathia’s first victory since Aug. 24 and broke a personal three-game losing streak.

The Yankees also maintained their 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East with only seven games left to play.

The Twins led the Yankees 1-0 on a one-out single by Matt Carson that scored Ryan Doumit from second in the second inning.

That lead was short-lived, however, when Chris Dickerson slapped a one-out single up the middle off Twins reliever Brian Duensing in the third inning. Ichiro Suzuki added a single to center of his own and Derek Jeter drew a walk to load the bases.

Robinson Cano then smacked a scorching line-drive double over the head of right-fielder Ben Revere in right-field to score Dickerson and Suzuki as Jeter advanced to third.

Nick Swisher blooped a single into right-field to score Jeter and Curtis Granderson followed with a two-run triple off the right-field wall.

Duensing then threw a pitch to Eric Chavez in the dirt that eluded Doumit and Granderson scored easily to give Sabathia and the Yankees a comfortable 6-1 cushion.

The Yankees added a pair of runs in the sixth inning on a leadoff double by Raul Ibanez off reliever Anthony Swarzak and a one-out, two-run home run off the bat of Dickerson for his second home run of the season.

Duensing (4-11) was pressed into service with two out in the second inning because starting pitcher Samuel Deduno was forced to leave the game with severe irritation in his left eye that impaired his vision.

Duensing gave up six runs on five hits and two walks while he struck out one in one inning of work.

The Twins scored a run in the seventh when Jamey Carroll and Alexi Casilla strung together a pair of two-out singles and rookie Pedro Florimon scored Carroll when he hit a ball that caromed off Sabathia’s left shin and rolled into right-field.

But, Sabathia was firmly in control of the game. Among his 10 strikeouts, the last five were called and he also struck out Joe Mauer, who entered the contest the second-leading hitter in the American League at .326, the first three times he faced him on just nine pitches. Mauer finished the game 0-for-4.

The Yankees won their 90th game of the season – versus 65 losses – and its the 11th season in the past 12 years the Yankees have won at least 90 games. They also have won the last six season series against the Twins, whose season record fell to 65-91.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Don’t take my word for how good Sabathia was, let Mauer tell it: ”That’s the best I’ve seen him, and I’ve been watching him for a long time.” Sabathia threw 108 pitches – his third highest pitch count of the season – and 89 of them were strikes. That is a 75% strike percentage. Sabathia not only registered 94 mph on his fastball but he had superior command of it through out the contest.
  • Despite the fact that Gardenhire brought in a left-hander to replace the right-handed Deduno, lefty sluggers Cano and Granderson came through with a pair of two-run extra-base hits to give Sabathia all the run support he really needed. Though neither Cano or Granderson are having career years, Granderson has 97 RBIs and Cano has 82.
  • Dickerson got a rare start in left-field and took advantage of it by going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Because of the Yankees overload at the outfield position, Dickerson does not figure in the team’s plans with its postseason roster. But it is good to see someone from the September call-ups contribute at a crucial point of the season.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

In a game where Sabathia was in total command and the offense scored eight runs despite the fact Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira were not in the lineup you really can’t find fault with anything in this one. The Yankees’ best defense against losing the A.l. East title is just to keep winning and they have won 12 of their last 16 games.

BOMBER BANTER

Rodriguez was held out of the lineup and did not play on Wednesday due to a sore left foot after he fouled a ball of the foot in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game. Rodriguez stayed in the game but he said the foot stiffened up overnight. Though no X-rays were ordered, manager Joe Girardi believes Rodriguez will be available to play on Thursday.  . . .  Brett Gardner was used as a ninth inning defensive replacement in left-field, marking his first game action since he suffered a strained right elbow making a diving catch in a game ironically against the Twins on April 17. Both Gardner and veteran reliever David Aardsma were activated off the disabled on Tuesday and the team designated for assignment infielder Steve Pearce and left-handed reliever Justin Thomas to make room for them on the roster.

ON DECK

The Yankees make their final road stop of the season in Toronto to begin a four-game series with the Blue Jays on Thursday.

Right-hander Ivan Nova (12-7, 4.94 ERA) will start the series for the Yankees. Nova could not make it out of the third inning in his last start against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. But the Yankees won the game 10-9 in the 14th inning. Nova is 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in his career against the Jays.

Right-hander Brandon Morrow (8-7, 3.28 ERA) will get the start for the Blue Jays. Morrow was tagged for four runs in five innings and he walked a season-high four in his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays. He is 4-2 with a 4.08 ERA lifetime against the Yankees.

Game-time will be 7:07 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast by the YES Network.

 

Pettitte Wins Again As Yanks Take Target Practice

GAME 153

YANKEES 6, TWINS 3

Whenever manager Ron Gardenhire sees Andy Pettitte scheduled to pitch against his Twins he must cringe. After all, Pettitte last lost to the Twins in 2001 in a complete game he lost to Brad Radke 2-1.

Monday was no different for Pettitte and the Yankees took a little target practice at the outfield seats at Target Field.

In his second game back after coming off the disabled list, Pettitte threw six shutout innings and four Yankees hit home runs as New York extended its lead in the American League East by defeating Minnesota in front of paid crowd of 33,720.

Pettitte (5-3) scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out three batters to extend his record his against the Twins to 10-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his last 12 starts against them dating back to the 2009 season.

Meanwhile, the Yankee offense staked him to a first-inning lead against rookie right-hander Liam Hendriks (1-8) when Derek Jeter drew a leadoff walk and Ichiro Suzuki doubled to to right field.

One out later, Robinson Cano scored Jeter with an infield grounder and Nick Swisher followed with a two-run blast into the second deck in right-center, his 23rd home run of the season and the first of the four-homer deluge the Yankees put on the Twins. It was the most home runs the Twins have given up in a game all season.

With one out in the fourth inning, Curtis Granderson took Hendriks deep for his 40th home run of the season, becoming the only player in the major leagues who has has hit 40 or more home runs the past two seasons. He also is the fifth Yankee player to hit 40 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons, joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Jason Giambi.

Raul Ibanez led off the seventh inning with a tape=measure blast down the right-field line and into the third deck of the stadium for his 18th home run of the season and his third in his past three games.

One-out later, Eric Chavez lined an opposite-field shot just out of the reach of left-fielder Josh Willingham for his 14th home run of the season and Hendriks’ evening was mercifully ended with him trailing 6-0.

Hendriks was tagged for eight hits, he walked one batter and he fanned four in 6 1/3 innings.

Though Petitte was far from perfect – he had only two 1-2-3 innings – he managed to get out of trouble on ground balls, a strikeout and with a great defensive play by Granderson.

Pettitte gave up a pair of singles to Denard Span and Ben Revere to start the first inning and he walked Willingham with one out o load the bases. But he escaped any damage by striking out Justin Morneau looking and getting Ryan Doumit to bounce into a forceout.

Span and Mauer singled and were on first and third with one out in the third but Pettitte induced Willingham to hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the fourth, Doumit hit a one-out double to center and with two out Jamey Carroll singled up the middle. Granderson charged the ball in shallow center and fired it on one-hop home to catcher Russell Martin, who tagged Doumit on the left shoulder before he could reach home plate.

The Twins ruined the shutout in the eighth when rookie Pedro Florimon hit his first major-league home run off reliever Cory Wade.

They added two runs in the ninth after left-hander Justin Thomas gave up a one-out single to Morneau and walked Doumit. David Robertson came in to strike out Trevor Plouffe but pinch-hitter Chris Parmalee cracked a triple off the wall in center to score both runners.

Robertson then ended the contest by getting Florimon to ground out to Cano at second.

The Yankees have now won 26 of their last 33 games against the Twins and, combined with the Baltimore Orioles’ split of a doubleheader with the Toronto Blue Jays, they now have a 1 1/2-game lead in the division with eight games left to play.

The Yankees season record is now 89-64. The Twins fell to 64-90.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • In his two starts since coming off the disabled list with a fractured fibula, Pettitte is 2-0 and he has held the opposition scoreless over 11 innings, giving up 11 hits and three walks while striking out six. Pettitte will have one more start before the playoffs and he would be in line to start either a tie-breaker game or the wild-card playoff game, if necessary.
  • Jeter’s singled in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. He is 30-for-81 (.370) with a home run and 11 RBIs in those 16 contests. Suzuki’s double in the first extended his hitting streak to seven games. Over than span, Suzuki is 16-for-30 (.533) with two home runs, four doubles and five RBIs. With Jeter and Suzuki at the top of the order the Yankees have been rolling.
  • After looking absolutely lost at the plate for most of the past month, Ibanez looks to be coming out of his long slump with a flourish. In the past three games, Ibanez is 7-for-12 (.583) with three home runs and five RBIs.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

I could quibble about the Yankees giving up three runs late but Wade and Thomas are two pitchers who will not be on the team’s playoff roster. Manager Joe Girardi was hoping to rest Rafael Soriano, Boone Logan and Robertson, but he was forced to bring in Robertson in the ninth. That was the only real negative.

BOMBER BANTER

Mark Teixiera took batting practice, fielded ground balls and ran the bases at half-speed at the Yankees’ minor-league complex in Tampa, FL, on Monday as he tries to recover from a Grade 1 strain of his left calf. Though general manager Brian Cashman targeted Thursday for Teixeira’s return, Girardi expressed concern about playing Teixeira on the artificial surface at Rogers Centre in Toronto.  . . .  Veteran right-handed reliever David Aardsma was with the team on Monday and he could be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday. Aardsma, 30, has not pitched not pitched in the major leagues since he was with the Seattle Mariners in 2010. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2011 and he was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in February. Aardsma recorded 31 saves for the Mariners in 2010 after saving 38 games with a 2.53 ERA in 2009.  . . .  Chavez was highly critical of the current members of his former Oakland Athletics club and their antics over the weekend. Chavez was not happy with the way the team was celebrating in the visitor’s dugout after they hit three home runs to take a 9-5 lead in the 13th inning of Saturday’s game. Chavez called the display immature and unprofessional. The Yankees, however, had the last laugh by scoring four runs in the bottom of the 13th before scoring the winning run in the 14th on a bases-loaded error.

ON DECK

The Yankees will continue their three-game series in Minneapolis with the Twins on Tuesday.

Right-hander Phil Hughes (16-12) will start for the Yankees. Hughes earned his third straight victory, despite giving up four runs in five innings against the Blue Jays in his last start. Hughes is 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA lifetime against the Twins, including a victory against them on April 19 in which he gave up two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

The Twins will counter with right-hander Esmerling Vasquez (0-2, 6.75 ERA). Vasquez, 28, has failed to turn in quality start in any of his four outings this season, including his last start against the Cleveland Indians. He has never faced the Yankees.

Game-time will be 8:10 EDT and the game will be telecast locally by MY9.

 

Stewart’s 3 RBIs Boost CC To Win Over Twins

GAME 11

YANKEES 8, TWINS 3

It is not easy replacing a popular player, particularly when he is really loved by Yankee fans. But Chris Stewart may have taken his first big step on Tuesday in helping those fans get over the absence of backup catcher Francisco Cervelli.

Stewart stroked a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs that gave the Yankees the lead as part of a four-run third inning as New York’s sputtering offense came alive to support the solid pitching of CC Sabathia and New York defeated Minnesota at Yankee Stadium.

Stewart was claimed off waivers from the Giants on the final day of spring training by the Yankees and, because Stewart was out of options, the team opted to send Cervelli to Triple-A.

Trailing 3-1 entering the third inning, Andruw Jones started what proved to be the winning rally with a one-out single off Francisco Liriano (0-2). Curtis Granderson followed with a single down the right-field line that was bobbled by outfielder Trevor Plouffe and both runners moved up a base. Eduardo Nunez then slapped a ball in the hole at shortstop that Jamey Carroll could only knock down and Jones scored.

Liriano then issued his fourth walk in 2 1/3 innings to Brett Gardner to load the bases and Stewart chased the left-hander from the game with a lined single down the left-field line that scored Granderson and Nunez.

Derek Jeter capped the four-run eruption with a sacrifice fly reliever Mark Maloney to score Gardner.

Much like he had in his first two starts, Sabathia (1-0) struggled early in the game, giving up a solo home run to Josh Willingham in the second inning. With one out in the third, he gave up a single to Alexi Casilla, committed a balk to put him at second, pinch-hitter Clete Thomas then doubled to drive in Casilla and Carroll followed with a RBI single to score Thomas.

But after that point, Sabathia turned into the CC that Yankee fans are used to seeing. He retired the next 13 batters in a row until he walked Plouffe with two outs in the seventh. He did not allow another hit and left after giving up just the three runs on four hits and one walk and he struck out seven in 7 1/3 innings.

It was only the Yankees’ third quality start for their pitchers in the first 11 games.

Liriano, meanwhile, has now turned in three horrible starts in a row. He was hammered for five runs on seven hits and four walks and struck out two batters in only 2 1/3 innings. Liriano has now surrendered 17 runs (15 earned) in 11 1/3 innings over three starts. His ERA is now a stratospheric 11.91.

With the victory the Yankees are 6-5 on the season. The Twins are 3-8.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Mark it down that the first official Sabathia sighting was in the fourth inning of tonight’s game with the Twins. Sabathia settled in once he got the lead and shut down the Twins through the eighth inning. After throwing 59 pitches in the first three innings, Sabathia made it to one out in the eighth needing only 52 more (33 of them were strikes). Sabathia is habitually a slow starter who hits his stride in the summer months.
  • Last night the top part of the order carried the offense, going 8-for-16 but the team scored only three runs – all in the first inning. Tonight it was the bottom of the order that carried the team. Jones (batting fifth),  Granderson (batting sixth), Nunez (batting seventh), Gardner (batting eighth) and Stewart (batting ninth) were a combined 9-for-19 (.474) with three walks, they scored all eight of the Yankees’ runs and drove in six.
  • Gardner is very quietly have a very good season at the plate. He was 2-for-2 with an RBI double and two walks, a stolen base and he scored three runs. Gardner is hitting .321 early in the season and he is looking like he does not want to be taken out of the lineup against left-handers. Gardner also made a great diving catch off the bat Willingham to end the Twins’ two-run rally in the third inning.
  • Stewart is a career .203 major-league hitter with only 13 RBIs. On Tuesday, he was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Stewart added an RBI single in the seventh off reliever Jeff Gray to his two-run single in the third that proved to be the game-winner. Realistically the Yankees only want Stewart to shine as a defensive catcher and they do not care what he hits. But I am sure they appreciated his effort at the plate.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • It is pretty safe to say that the Yankees are looking from big things from Alex Rodriguez after he missed 63 games last season and he is coming off a very good spring. Well, the Yankees are still waiting because he was 0-for-4 on Tuesday and it dropped his average to .227. with one home run and two RBIs.
  • A-Rod was batting fourth and the Yankees are still the only team in baseball who have not gotten an RBI from their cleanup hitter this season. Rodriguez and Robinson Cano have shared that spot this season. Cano was 1-for-5 in the game and is hitting .239 with no home runs and one RBI.
  • Hopefully the Yankees will only see the Sabathia who pitched so well after the third inning. Early in the game, Sabathia was having problems with fastball command, as he had in first two starts. With the effort Sabathia won his first game and lowered his ERA to 5.59. Needless to say, there is a lot of room for improvement in that ERA.

BOMBER BANTER

Home-plate umpire Greg Gibson was a busy man on Tuesday. He not only ejected Twins center-fielder Denard Span for arguing a strike call in the third inning, Gibson also gave the heave-ho to manager Ron Gardnehire right after Span. From the replays, it appeared that Span had a legitimate complaint. Sabathia’s first pitch looked well of the plate inside. But the Twins should not be too upset because they benefitted from the very odd strike zone of Gerry Davis on Monday.

ON DECK

The Yankees will play the third game of the four-game home series with the Twins on Wednesday.

The Yankees will send 37-year-old right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.63 ERA) to the mound. Kuroda is coming off eight scoreless innings in his Yankee Stadium debut against the Angels last Friday. Kuroda only gave up five hits, walking two and striking out six. He has never faced the Twins.

The Angels will counter with right-hander Jason Marquis, who will be making his 2012 debut after making two rehab starts at Double-A New Britain. Marquis missed two weeks of spring training after his 7-year-old daughter was seriously injured in a bicycle accident. Marquis is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his career against the Yankees.

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

 

CC Wins No. 17 As Yankees Power Past Twins

GAME 122

YANKEES 8, TWINS 4

CC Sabathia came to Target Field on Thursday to get his pitches back on target.

After the first two innings it looked as if he hadn’t. But the ace left-hander settled down and he left the game after seven innings with a lead to pick up his 17th victory as New York defeated Minnesota.

Sabathia, who entered the game having given up 12 runs over 14 innings in his last two starts, was handed an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Brett Gardner sacrifice fly. However, Sabathia handed it right back to the Twins by giving up two runs in the second.

Up to that point Sabathia had been tagged for four hits and a walk. It could have been even worse if a first-inning home run call in favor of Justin Morneau had not been reversed by the umpiring crew on replay as a foul ball. Joe Mauer was on first and it would have been a two-run home run if the call had stood.

But home-plate umpire Brian O’Nora reviewed the call, determined the ball was foul and sent Mauer back to first. Twins manager Ron Gardnehire immediately argued the reversal and O’Nora ejected him from the game. It is the second straight night the Yankees have been involved in controversial home run reviewed by the umpires.

Sabathia (17-7) settled down to retire the last two batters in the second and then 12 of the next 15 batters he faced before he was touched for two runs in the seventh inning. Sabathia ended up surrendering four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk and he fanned nine batters.

The Yankees, meanwhile, were much more effective in roughing up Twins left-hander Brian Duensing (8-12).

They reclaimed the 1-0 lead Sabthia gave up in the second when Curtis Granderson led off the third inning with a triple to left-center. He scored when Mark Teixeira blasted his 33rd home run of the season into the left-field bleachers.

The Yankees then again used the long ball to extend their lead in the fifth. Teixera opened the inning with a double down the left-field line. One out later, Nick Swisher blasted his 15th home run of the season into the left-field seats. Andruw Jones followed that with a titanic solo shot, his eighth of the season, into the second deck in the left-field bleachers to give the Yankees a 6-2 edge.

Duensing gave up six runs on 10 hits and a walk and fanned one over five innings.

Sabathia opened the seventh by giving up a single Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Drew Butera moved Nishioka to third with a single to left. Ben Revere plated Nishioka with a single to right and then Eduardo Nunez botched an infield grounder by Trevor Plouffe to load the bases with no outs.

Sabathia gave up a sac fly to Mauer that scored Butera and drew the Twins to within two runs. However, Morneau flew out to right and Robinson Cano saved Sabathia a run — and possibly the game — by making a diving stop of Jim Thome’s hard-hit grounder. Cano was playing deep but had to dive headlong to stop the ball. He got up and threw out Thome to end the Twins’ threat.

The Yankees tacked on two runs in the ninth off reliever Matt Capps. Capps entered the game with two outs in the inning and walked Jones. Nunez doubled to left-center to advance Jones to third. Francisco Cervelli then hit a 2-2 pitch down the line and off third baseman Danny Valencia’s glove to score Jones and Nunez to pad the Yankees’ lead to four.

With the victory, the Yankees improved their season record to 75-47 and they maintained their half-game lead in the American League East over the Boston Red Sox. The Twins fell to 54-69.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Teixeira reached base four times with a home run, a double and two walks. His home run drew him to within one of teammate Curtis Granderson for second place in the major leagues at 34. Teixeira’s two RBIs on the night give him 91 for the season. Teixeira has not failed to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs in a season since his rookie season in 2003. With nine more RBIs he will have eight straight seasons of hitting those benchmarks.
  • Swisher’s home run was his first since he hit a home run in each part of a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles on July 30. Though Swisher hit a robust .323 in July, He has cooled off considerably in August, hitting .263 with one home run and five RBIs.
  • Granderson was 3-for-5 in the game with a triple and two singles. He also scored his major-league-leading 112th run. He also leads the American League in triples with 10. But Granderson also displayed some fielding prowess with two outfield assists in the first two innings. In the first he cut off a drive in left-center by Plouffe and threw Plouffe out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double. The next inning Granderson had a line drive off the bat of Butera hit off the bottom of his glove, which scored the Twins’ second run of the inning. But, Granderson picked up the ball and fired to Derek Jeter to retire Nishioka, who ran back to first thinking Granderson had caught the ball. Butera was robbed of a hit because the play was scored a fielder’s choice.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Despite Sabathia’s victory, he did not pitch well for the third straight game. In his last three starts, Sabathia has given up 16 runs (15 earned) on 29 hits and two walks in 22 innings. That is an ERA of 6.14 and a walks-to-innings-pitched ratio (WHIP) of 1.41. Command of the fastball seems to be biggest issue. Sabathia is leaving pitches up in the strike zone or missing altogether. It is a concern because the Yankees have just 40 games left in the regular season.
  • Gardner was the only starter without a hit in the game but he did contribute the sac fly in the second that started the scoring for the Yankees. Though he is hitting .295 for the month, Gardner is suddenly hitless in his last nine at-bats.
  • Nunez made yet another error. This one was pretty inexplicable. He caught the bouncer off the bat of Plouffe but dropped the ball as he moved to third to force out Butera. It is his 16th error of the season and he leads the Yankees by far in that category.

BOMBER BANTER

Former Yankee manager and current executive vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre said Thursday that an umpire misinterpreted the ground rules at Kauffman Stadium in awarding a home run to Billy Butler of the Royals the previous nigh in a game against the Yankees. Butler lined a ball that hit off the left-field wall and was ruled a home run. Girardi disputed the home run and the umpires reviewed the call by use of instant replay. But crew chief Dana DeMuth misunderstood the ground rules in awarding the home run to Kansas City, who ended up winning the game 5-4. Girardi did not protest the game before a pitch was made to the next batter and therefore the call will stand, Torre said. Of course, had Girardi protested the game it still would be a moot point and the Yankees would have just received an apology letter from Major League Baseball.  . . .   Freddy Garcia had his bullpen session pushed back a day to Friday. Garcia, who has a cut on a finger of his right hand, will throw on Friday and it is looking unlikely he will be able to start in the series against the Twins this weekend.  . . .  Alex Rodriguez rejoined the Yankees on Thursday but he was not activated and looks as if he will not play until at least Saturday. Rodriguez has been sidelined since having surgery on July 11 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

ON DECK

The Yankees continue their four-game series with the Twins on Friday.

Right-hander Phil Hughes (3-4, 6.55 ERA) will start for the Yankees. Hughes pitched his best game of the season against the Rays last week, allowing two runs in six innings. He is 3-3 with a 4.28 ERA since returning from the disabled list in July. He is 0-0 with a 3.68 ERA in his career against the Twins.

The Twins will counter with right-hander Kevin Slowey (0-0, 4.91 ERA). Slowey will be making his first start of season because his scheduled start Sunday against the Indians was rained out. He is 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA in his career against the Yankees.

Game-time will be at 8:10 p.m EDT and the game will be telecast by the YES Network.

Berkman, Pettitte Lead Yankees To Win Over Cursed Twins

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES – GAME 2
YANKEES 5, TWINS 2

When Andy Pettitte joined the Houston Astros as a free agent he became good friends with Lance Berkman. When Berkman agreed to waive his no-trade clause to join the New York Yankees on July 31, Berkman quickly renewed his friendship with Pettitte.
On Thursday night the two friends wreaked havoc on the Minnesota Twins and put the defending champions to within one game of their second straight American League Championship Series.
Pettitte (1-0) took care of the pitching. 
He gave up two runs on only five hits and one walk and struck out four batters in seven innings of masterful work. Pettitte also increased his major-league-leading postseason win total to 19 games.
Even better than that, he silenced doubters throughout the media who said he could not be counted upon to pitch effectively with only three tune-up starts after coming off the disabled list with a groin injury.
Berkman took care of the clutch hitting.
With the game tied at one and with one out in the fifth inning, Berkman connected off Twins’ starter Carl Pavano for a long majestic opposite field blast into the Twins’ bullpen in left-center. The home run was the seventh postseason home run for Berkman and his first since 2005.
Unfortunately for Berkman and Pettitte, Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson dialed it up a solo home run of his own with one out in the sixth inning. To say Pettitte was shocked is putting it mildly. Hudson has only 86 career home runs in nine seasons and he hit only six this season.
The blast to left was only Hudson’s second postseason home run. In other words, Albert Pujols has nothing to worry about.
Berkman merely shook off the setback and went to work in the seventh inning. Jorge Posada opened the inning by drawing Pavano’s only walk. It cost Pavano dearly, too.
Berkman quickly fell behind Pavano in the count 1-2. Pavano then threw the most controversial pitch of the evening. Pavano’s two-seam or sinking fastball went whistling toward the inside corner and home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called it a ball.
Pavano, manager Ron Gardenhire and the rest of the Twins thought they had strike three. But now the count was 2-2. Pavano then tried a change-up but Berkman merely waited for it and smashed it over the head of Denard Span in center-field for a double to score Posada from first with what proved to be the game-winning run.
Gardenhire then went to the mound, ostensibly to talk to Pavano. But his real reason was to induce Wendelstedt to break up the conference on the mound so Gardenhire could light into him for the missed strike call. Wendelstedt, as is his duty when a manager argues balls and strikes, ended Gardenhire’s evening by dismissing him from the game.
A note about the umpiring: To be fair to Wendelstedt, he did not call inside corner strikes for either team throughout the game. The TBS network pitch tracker showed that time after time during the game. Wendelstedt did, however, give Pavano and Pettitte leeway on the outside corner. 
I doubt this fact is of much consolation for the Twins fans who made up the vast majority of the Target Field record crowd of 42,305.
Play then resumed with a bunt single by Brett Gardner to move Berkman to third. Derek Jeter then scored Berkman with a bloop RBI single to right.
That ended the evening for the Yankees’ former malingering right-hander, Pavano (0-1). He pitched six-plus innings and gave up four runs on 10 hits and a walk and he struck out three.
The Yankees changed their usual approach on hitting Pavano by trying to swing at fastballs early in the count rather than let Pavano use his breaking pitches in deeper counts.
The strategy paid off and Pettitte and the Yankees have now defeated Pavano in two straight ALDS games. Pettitte outdueled Pavano in Game 3 of the 2009 ALDS as the Yankees swept the Twins.
Payback is a b—-, huh, Carl?
The Yankees added an insurance run in the ninth when Curtis Granderson blooped a single into center off Twins closer Matt Capps to plate Gardner from third. It was Granderson’s third hit of the night and he is hitting a robust .500 in the series.
The Yankees bullpen, which has been a pillar of strength for the Yankees in the second half of the season, came through again to shut down the Twins in the final two frames.
Kerry Wood struck out two batters while pitching a perfect eighth and Mariano Rivera  . . .  excuse me  . . .  yawn!  . . .  came in and put the Twins to sleep for the second straight evening with a scoreless ninth aided by a double play off the bat of Delmon Young that Rivera started himself.
Rivera notched his second save of the series and he now has major-league-best 41 career postseason saves.
The Yankees have now defeated the Twins in 11 of their last 13 postseason meetings dating back to 2003 and they also have won an astounding 10 postseason games in a row from this sad lot from Minneapolis. The Twins have also never beaten the Yankees in Minnesota, whether it be the Metrodome or the new Target Field.
Pettitte, making his major-league-best 41st career postseason start, extended his majors-topping postseason innings pitched total to 256. In giving up a sacrifice fly to Danny Valencia in the second inning that gave the Twins a 1-0 lead, Pettitte started a streak of 12 batters in a row he retired until Hudson touched him for his home run the sixth.
Their Twins are now in a serious 0-2 hole as the best-of-five series now shifts to the Bronx for Game 3 on Saturday. Of the 19 teams that have gained a 2-0 lead in the ALDS, 15 of them have won the series (79%).
In order to change the luck of the Twins on Thursday, Gardenhire reportedly burned everything he wore in Wednesday’s game  – even his underwear and shoes. I hope he doesn’t burn down Target Field to break this wicked playoff curse the Yankees hold on the Twins.
What can we call it? Hmmm! How about Curse of the Pav-bino?
The Yankees, who now sit in the driver’s seat in this ALDS, will look to put the pedal to metal on Saturday with the keys going to right-hander Phil Hughes (18-8, 4.19 ERA). Hughes did not face the Twins this season and he has a 1-1 mark with a 5.25 ERA in postseason play. But that work was all as a reliever.
The Twins will look to break the Curse of the Pav-bino behind left-hander Brian Duensing (10-3, 2.62 ERA). Duensing did not become a starter for the Twins until July 23. He was 7-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 13 starts. He is 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA in the postseason and he was the losing pitcher in Game 1 of the 2009 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
While they are in the Northeast, maybe the Twins can seek out Connecticut Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell to whip up a satanic ritual to rid them of this curse. It could not hurt.
Game-time will be 8:30 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by TBS.

Rivera’s Cutter Shattered Span’s Bat And Twins’ Hopes

GAME 1 KEY MOMENT
The Minnesota Twins entered the eighth inning of Wednesday’s Game 1 trailing the New York Yankees 6-4 and knowing that time was running out if they wanted to make a comeback. The Yankees turned to reliever Kerry Wood to pitch the inning and to be the bridge to Mariano Rivera.

Wood started the inning by striking out Michael Cuddyer swinging. But he ran into trouble by walking Jason Kubel and allowing an infield single to rookie Danny Valencia. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire inserted pinch-runners Jason Repko and Matt Tolbert to relace Kubel and Valencia and No. 9 hitter J.J. Hardy advanced them by grounding out to second baseman Robinson Cano for the second out.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi summoned Rivera from the bullpen to face lefty swinging leadoff hitter Denard Span and this proved to be the key moment of Game 1.
To say Rivera is the dominant reliever of the modern baseball era is putting it mildly. Rivera entered Wednesday’s game with 39 postseason saves. The next closest reliever to him is the Phillies’ closer Brad Lidge with – get this – 16!
But the Twins knew this two-out opportunity with runners at second and third was their best chance to, not only tie the game, but to make a statement they were in this series to end the domination of the Yankees.
Rivera started Span off with his patented cutter inside on the hands of Span, however, Span laid off and the pitch was way inside.
Down 1-0, Rivera tried another cutter inside but lower in the strike zone. Span chose to let it go and it too was called a ball by home-plate umpire Jerry Crawford.
Span geared up for something to hit, knowing he was up in the count 2-0. Catcher Jorge Posada, sticking to the scouting report on Span, signaled for another cutter inside. But the great Rivera, known for his impeccable control, missed inside once again.
Could this be the moment the Twins had finally seized control? Another ball would load the bases for Orlando Hudson. A base hit to the outfield would tie the game.
Posada and Rivera stuck to the game plan and tried yet another cutter inside. Though the pitch actually missed the strike zone, Crawford gave Rivera the strike call. 
Rivera kept the pressure on by aiming yet another cutter inside. Span was tied up and the ball darted down and in as he swung. He fouled it off harmlessly off to the right.
Full count.
Though Rivera has been known to try to back-door two-seam fastballs to the outside corner, Posada called for a sixth consecutive cutter inside and Rivera nodded in agreement. With 42,302 fans watching and most of them on their feet at Target Field, Rivera went into his stretch and bent at the waist to his set.
With the game and the lead on the line Rivera again threw his bread-and-butter cutter. Span, protecting the plate on the full count, swung his bat. But the darting cutter jammed him and the bat practically shattered on contact.
As Span sped from the batter’s box down the line, the ball rolled slowly to shortstop Derek Jeter. Jeter, knowing Span had great speed, charged the ball hard, picked it out of his glove and threw in one motion to first.
Though it looked at first that Span might beat it, Jeter’s laser-like throw to first baseman Mark Teixeira reached Teixeira’s glove a step before Span hit the first base bag. First-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt raised his right arm and called Span out.
Gardenhire, his team and the Twins fans collectively groaned as Rivera headed to the Yankees’ dugout. The future Hall of Fame closer would later pitch a “four-out” ninth inning to record his 40th postseason save and the Yankees would take Game 1 and wrest home-field advantage away from the Twins in the best-of-five series.

Yankees Appear Primed For Yet Another Sweep Of Twins


The New York Yankees come into their series with Minnesota Twins as wild cards, seemingly limping and just about out of gas. Go ahead. Think that. It will just make the Yankees’ dominance over the Twins in recent years look even more impressive. The Twins actually did better against the Yankees this season, They won two games. Of course, the Yankees started Sergio Mitre and Javier Vazquez in those games and neither are starting these contests. So who will win?

OFFENSE

The Yankees are loaded with three hitters who drove in 100 runs and five starters who blasted 24 or more home runs. They also led the American League in runs scored.
Navigating through a lineup with Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Marcus Thames, Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner is not going to be easy for Francisco Liriano.
There is power galore and Granderson, Jeter and Gardner can steal bases when necessary. 
The Twins finally told Justin Morneau to shut it down for good on Monday. The first baseman, who was hitting .347 in July was ruled out for the rest of the season with the after-effects of a lingering concussion.
That is a big blow to the Twins, who must rely on catcher Joe Mauer to provide the lion’s share of the offense. He may have hit .327 but he only hit nine home runs and drove in 75 runs this season, reverting back to his early years.
The Twins rely on a simple formula: Get them on, get them over and get them in. That means they are interdependent lineup. Delmon Young is the new Morneau on this team after he hit 21 home runs, drove in 112 runs and hit .298 in a bounce-back season.
The Twins also rely on right-hand hitter Michael Cuddyer (81 RBIs) and lefties Jaosn Kubel (21 home runs and 92 RBIs) and Jim Thome (25 home runs) to provide pop to “get them in.”
Denard Span and Orlando Hudson are the guys expected to get on base. Span hit a miserable .264 but stole 26 bases. Hudson hit .268 and stole 10.
The sad thing for the Twins is left-handers give them fits because Mauer, Thome and Kubel all struggle against lefties. That puts more pressure on Cuddyer and Young to produce. Both have produced against ordinary lefties but neither has hit CC Sabathia well.
DEFENSE

The Yankees and Twins were No. 1 and No. 2 few the fewest errors committed in 2010. The Twins do not have dominant starting pitchers so they emphasize reducing walks, putting the ball in play, letting the defense make plays and not beating themselves with errors.
However, in the American League Division Series in 2009, the Twins kept making a litany of mental errors that eventually cost them the series. It is no accident the Yankees exploited that weakness because they are good at it.
The Twins do not boast a lot of speed but they make the plays in the field. Mauer is exceptional behind the plate. Orlando Hudson is former Gold Glove winner at second and Span has exceptional range in center.
The rest is pretty mediocre and Kubel is just plain awful in right.
The Yankees boast an infield with the Gold Glove winners and second baseman Robinson Cano likely deserves his first for his play this season. Combined Cano, Jeter, Teixeira and Rodriguez committed 19 errors. That is the lowest total for an infield in baseball.
Posada and Francisco Cervelli have not thrown well at all this season and they have not caught many runners. But most of the problem lies with pitchers like A.J. Burnett, who do not hold runners on well.
The Yankees outfield has speed and range with Granderson and Gardner and good arms with Gardner and Swisher (22 assists).
Neither team has a decided edge here but do not be surprised if a Twins error or mental mistake costs them a game in this series.
PITCHING

The Yankees feature a threesome of Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes, who are a combined 50-19 this season. The Twins are countering with Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing, who were a combined 41-24.
Pettitte beat Liriano twice this season while Hughes and Sabathia did not make a start against the Twins. The pitcher who maybe should be starting for the Twins is Nick Blackburn. He beat the Yankees in the two games the Twins won. But Blackburn is scheduled to pitch Game 4 and that means he likely will face Sabathia. Lots of luck, Nick!
Duensing was in the bullpen when the Yankees played the Twins in May but he did start the first game of the ALDS against the Yankees last season and he failed to win.
Even with the questions surrounding Pettitte, shouldn’t there be questions surrounding Pavano? The former Yankee disabled list malingerer is 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA, however, since July 27 Pavano is 4-5 with a 4.85 ERA.
In September, Pavano was 2-1 with a 6.21 ERA. That hardly bodes well come playoff time.
The Yankees have a big edge here because left-handers will likely start four of the scheduled five games. The Twins just do not have a lineup that can do much damage against Sabathia and Pettitte when they are on their games.
BULLPEN

The Twins have gone through three closers in the wake of the injury to Joe Nathan that has forced him to miss the season.
They began with Jon Rauch and then tried former Angels closer Brian Fuentes. It seems they have now settled on former Pirates closer Matt Capps, who is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 16 saves in 18 attempts.
Rauch is dealing with a sore left knee but is expected to be available. The Yankees know Fuentes all too well from his stint as the Angels’ closer in the American League Championship Series in 2009. Remember Alex Rodriguez?
The Twins also have a solid lefty in Jose Mijares and righties Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier. The long man is expected to be Kevin Slowey.
The Yankees have the most successful closer in major-league playoff history in Mariano Rivera. Despite his three blown saves in September, it is hard to believe that Rivera will be anything but exceptional in his 15th postseason.
The Yankees also solidified their bullpen with the trade deadline acquisition of Kerry Wood. Wood has only given up one earned run since joining the Yankees on Aug. 1. Joba Chamberlain has also improved from his horrible mid-season to record a 2.36 ERA since Wood joined the team.
David Robertson and Boone Logan have provided consistent middle relief as well and the Yankees have two solid long relievers in Sergio Mitre and Dustin Moseley.
You have to give a decided edge here to the Yankees, given the presence of Rivera and Wood and the fact that Chamberlain, Robertson and Logan have been so good in the last two months of the season.
BENCH

The Yankees have a solid hitter in Lance Berkman and power in right-hand slugger Marcus Thames. They also have a veteran outfielder in Austin Kearns and speed and defense in the form of infielder Ramiro Pena and outfielder Greg Golson. Cervelli is a solid backup catcher though he likely will not play in the series.
The Twins use a lot of platoons which means their bench players do start at times. They have Jim Thome as a part-time
DH and Drew Butera is the backup catcher but he will not play with Mauer around.
The Twins rotate shortstops in Alexi Casilla and J.J. Hardy and Nick Punto and Danny Valencia at third. The also have outfielder Jason Repko.
The Twins bench is functional but hardly loaded. It is more of a solid bench. The Yankees bench is not a strength but they do not intend to use it much in the opening round. 
So I do not think either team has a true edge here.
PREDICTION: The Yankees will win it in three games.


Pettitte, Yanks Play Flawless Baseball At Twins Expense

GAME 36
YANKEES 7, TWINS 1

Pitching. Offense. Defense.
When all three of these things come together in one baseball game it pretty much assures the team that puts it all together will win.
For Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees it happened on Saturday afternoon and the Minnesota Twins were the victims again, 7-1.
Pettitte threw 6 1/3 shutout innings, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada each provided a two-run home run and the Yankees fielders contributed sensational glove work to rout the Twins, who are about ready to compare visits to Yankee Stadium to having root canal surgery.
Pettitte (5-0) may have just as well had a drill instead of a baseball in his hand on Saturday. He gave up just two singles all day. The only real threat he faced was a self-inflicted wild streak with two outs in the sixth inning when he walked Denard Span and Orlando Hudson and went to a 3-0 count to Joe Mauer.
Mauer drove a 3-1 pitch 399-feet into left-center where it nestled in the glove Brett Gardner to end the threat.
Twins starter Francisco Liriano (4-2) gave up nine hits and three runs in six innings to take the loss, despite the fact he struck out seven batters.
Pettitte, who was skipped in his last scheduled start due to a tender elbow, showed no indication anything was bothering him the entire afternoon. He is no
w tied for the American lweague lead in wins and his 1.89 ERA is the lowest ERA he has recorded in his career after seven starts.
The Yankees improved their season record to 24-12 and they remain just one game behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the A.L. East. The Twins’ record fell to 22-14 and they are now 3-25 at Yankee Stadium since 2002.
Would you like laughing gas or novocaine, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire?
YANKEE POSITIVES

  • Pettitte was something special in the Bronx on Saturday. He retired 19 of the 22 batters he faced and made it look effortless in the process. 
  • Pettitte also credited the defense behind him with the victory. The very first batter of the game, Denard Span, hit a sinking liner to center that Gardner dove for and scooped up just before it hit the turf. With one out in the third inning, Nick Swisher made a diving catch of a fly ball off the bat of Drew Butera. In the fourth inning, with one out Robinson Cano stabbed a hot liner off the bat of Justin Morneau and calmly threw to first base to double off Orlando Hudson. 
  • The Yankees were shutout twice by the Tigers earlier in the week and much was made of the lack of offense with injuries to Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson. But Derek Jeter, Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez had two hits apiece and Posada had three hits.
  • The Yankees were staked to a 3-0 lead when they batted in the
    seventh inning. They did it with RBI singles by Rodriguez in the first, Jeter in the second and Marcus Thames in the sixth.
  • Teixeira blew the game open in the seventh by following a walk to Nick Swisher (batting right-handed against right-hander Jesse Crain because of his left biceps injury) with a two-run home run into the luxury deck in right field. 
  • Three batters later, Posada connected on the third pitch off reliever Ron Mahay with a two-run shot of his own that landed on the edge of the wall in Monument Park and was caught by a fan in the section above the center field restaurant.
  • Damaso Marte rebounded from coughing up the lead to the Twins on Friday to recording a key out to end a potential threat in the seventh. He came in with two on and two outs and the Twins’ power-hitting pinch-hitter Jim Thome at bat as the potential tying run. Marte struck out Thome looking on a wicked slider to end the inning.
THE NEGATIVES

  • Mauer and Morneau combined to go 5-for-8 with three RBIs on Friday. They followed that up with a combined 3-for-8 with one RBI on Saturday. They are doing their damage against Yankee pitching. Fortunately for the Yankees, the rest of the Twins’ hitters are a combined 8-for-49 (.163) in the two games.
  • David Robertson was a little shaky again. He entered the game after Pettitte left with one out in the seventh inning. After one out, Robertson walked Delmon Young and he gave up a single to Brendan Harris and he was removed from the game.
  • Boone Logan had some command issues and it cost Pettitte and the Yankees the shutout in the eighth inning. With two outs and Span at second, Mauer touched Logan for an RBI single. Morneau followed with a single but Logan struck out Michael Cuddyer to end the threat.
  • It does not happen often, but the Yankees two Energizer bunnies, Gardner and Francisco Cervelli, were a combined 0-for-7 at the bottom of the order. They were the only two starters that did not record a hit. Gardner, however, did reach base on a fielder’s choice in the sixth and he stole his 17th base of the season. He entered the day second Juan Pierre in the American League in steals.
DIAMOND NOTES

Swisher surprisingly was back in the lineup despite leaving Saturday’s game with a left biceps injury. Swisher insisted that the injury did not affect him batting right-handed so manager Joe Girardi started him against the left-handed Liriano. It is not clear if Swisher will start and bat right-handed against Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn on Sunday.  . . . Girardi indicated that the Yankees will skip Javier Vazquez’s next start for the second time in two weeks. Vazquez will next pitch on Friday against the New York Mets. Because Vazquez had his start against the Tigers pushed back to Wednesday, Girardi decided it would be better to keep the rest of his starters on their regular rest this week. Vazquez will also avoid having to pitch in Yankee Stadium, where he has been booed this season. Vazquez also is an accomplished hitter for a pitcher and the Yankees will not have the use of a DH at Citi Field.  . . .  The Yankees plan to activate right-handed reliever Chan Ho Park on Sunday. Park has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 14 with a strained right hamstring. Park is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in three relief appearances. Right-hander Ivan Nova likely will be sent back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Park.  . . .  Nick Johnson had a cortisone shot in his right wrist and the Yankees will know in a week or so whether he requires surgery. If the cortisone shot works, Johnson could return in three weeks. If he requires surgery, Johnson could miss an additional four to six weeks.  . . . Curtis Granderson ran some straight sprints on Saturday — the first time the outfielder has been able to run since he was placed on the disabled list with a strained left groin. On Sunday, Granderson may take batting practice but he likely will not be activated until the end of the month.  . . .  With runners in scoring position, Cervelli is 10-for-13 with 14 RBIs. He leads the A.L. in that category.
THE NEXT GAME

The Yankees will look for a series sweep against a Twins team that is not in a New York state of mind right now after two losses by a combined 15-5 score. The Yanks will start Sergio Mitre (0-1, 3.86 ERA). Mitre allowed four runs (three earned) over 4 2/3 innings against the Tigers on Monday in his only start of the season. 
The Twins will counter with right-hander Nick Blackburn (3-1, 4.76 ERA), who threw seven shutout innings last Sunday against Baltimore for his best outing of the season. He gave up just four hits and two walks. 
Game-time will be at 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by TBS and locally by MY9.

A-Rod’s Slam Sends Twins To Another Yankee Defeat

GAME 35
YANKEES 8, TWINS 4

It is a good thing for the Yankees that Twins manager Ron Gardenhire disregarded what looked to be a bad pitching matchup and Alex Rodriguez said “Thank you very much.”
After Gardenhire ordered lefty reliever Brian Duensing to walk Mark Teixiera to load the bases with one out in the seventh inning, he summoned Mark Guerrier from the bullpen to pitch to Rodriguez, despite the fact Rodriguez was 4-for-6 with three home runs in his career against the right-hander.
On Guerrier’s second offering, Rodriguez drilled a grand-slam homer into left that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead as the Yankees came from behind to beat the Twins on Friday for the ninth straight regular season game.
Gardenhire’s record as manager at Yankee Stadium also dropped to 3-24.
Joba Chamberlain (1-1), who came into the eighth inning breathing smoke, struck out the side the eighth and earned the victory. Twins starter Scott Baker (4-3), who started the seventh by giving up an infield single and a double off his left knee to Derek Jeter, was saddled with the loss.
The Yankees improved to 23-12 this season and they also moved within one game of first place in the A.L. East. The Central Division-leading Twins dropped to 22-13.
YANKEE POSITIVES

  • A-Rod’s dramatic home run was the 19th grand slam of his career and the home run also moved him past Frank Robinson into seventh place on the all-time home run list with 587.
  • Francisco Cervelli continues to shine both behind and at the plate. In the sixth inning he cut down Alexi Casilla attempting to steal. In the bottom of the seventh it was his infield single that ignited the Yankees’ four-run rally. Cervelli then added an RBI triple in the eighth to give the Yankees an insurance run. Cervelli is batting .415 on the season.
  • Brett Gardner hammered hi
    s second home run of the season to lead off the fourth inning that tied the game at one. He also singled and later scored a run in the fifth inning on Teixeira’s double that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Gardner was 2-for-5 on the night and now is hitting .333.
  • Robinson Cano, who has been slumping all this month, collected a pair of doubles and he drove in a run. The 2-for-4 night raised his average back to .338.
  • Starter A.J. Burnett deserved a better fate. He did not have command of his fastball most of the night and still held the Twins to just two runs on seven hits and four walks over 6 2/3 innings.
THE NEGATIVES

  • Burnett actually was charged with giving up three runs because Damaso Marte continues to show that he has no earthly idea where his pitches are going. Marte was called into the game to replace Burnett with two outs and Denard Span at second and lefty-swinging Joe Mauer up. He gave up a single to Mauer that tied it up and then he allowed lefty-swinging Justin Morneau to double in Mauer to give the Twins a 4-3 lead.
  • Recent injuries to Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson and Nick Swisher have exposed a “black hole” in the bottom of the Yankees lineup. Randy Winn entered the game in the fourth inning batting sixth for Swisher, followed by Marcus Thames and rookie DH Juan Miranda. Twins starter Scott Baker took advantage of them in the fourth inning with the Yankees leading 2-1 with no outs and Rodriguez at third and Cano at second. All the No. 6 and No. 7 hitters needed to do was make good contact to get one or both runners in. Instead, Baker struck out Winn, Thames and Miranda in succession.
  • Winn, Thames and Miranda also failed in the sixth inning after Cano led off the inning with a double. Winn flew out to shallow left, Thames struck out on a pitch that bounced up to the plate and Miranda popped up to the infield.
DIAMOND NOTES

There is some concern about Nick Swisher, who was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning with a recurrence of pain in his left biceps.  Swisher left Wednesday night’s game at Detroit with the same problem and sat out Thursday’s game against the Tigers. However, in his first at-bat in the second inning he winced in pain as he struck out. He was allowed to remain in the game but manager Joe Girardi decided to take him out before the start of the fourth inning. Swisher had an MRI at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital that was negative. Swisher is listed as day-to-day with a slight strain of the left biceps.  . . .  Granderson took some light batting practice Friday but he will not be coming off the disabled list when he is eligible on Monday. Granderson might begin some light jogging on Saturday, Girardi told reporters. But the center fielder, who is nursing a strained left groin, hopes to be back by the end of the month.  . . .  Girardi named Sergio Mitre as the starter for the Yankees’ series finale with the Twins on Sunday. Mitre, who subbed for Andy Pettitte in a start on Monday, will have to be used again because Tuesday’s rainout in Detroit meant that both Phil Hughes and Javier Vazquez would not have enough time between starts because both pitched on Wednesday.
THE NEXT GAME

The Yankees will send veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte (4-0, 2.08 ERA) to the mound for the second of the series. Pettitte left his last start after five innings with soreness in his left elbow and the Yankees, as a precaution, skipped his last start. Pettitte won his only regular season start against the Twins last year, pitching 6 2/3 innings and giving up four runs. He is 9-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 19 career starts against the Twins.
Pettitte will be opposed by fellow left-hander Francisco Liriano (4-1, 2.36 ERA). Liriano lost in his last outing against Baltimore. He gave up 10 hits and five runs in six innings. It was his first loss since September of last season and the 10 hits were most hits he has given up since May of last season.
Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast locally by the YES Network.

Jeter’s Smart Play Won Series For Yankees

ALDS GAME 3: KEY MOMENT:


For years the detractors of Derek Jeter have scoffed at his play in the field. At 35, they said he is too old and his range is too poor to be considered a great shortstop. The Jeter Is Overrated Fan Club has grown louder over the years buttressed by Bill James and his sabermetric study of Range Factor.

Jeter loyalists say that is hogwash. They cite Jeter’s litany of fielding gems, including the famous flip to Posada to nab Jeremy Giambi at the plate and his headlong sprinting catch that took him into the seats against the Red Sox. Of course, the fact he has won three Gold Gloves adds to the evidence that James and fellow detractors might be wrong.

But Sunday night, Jeter turned in another one of those playoff gems. Shall we call it: Flip 2?

THE SCENE:

The New York Yankees, who have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series, are protecting a 2-1 lead on the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the eighth inning. Phil Hughes, who was nearly indestructible in the regular season but hittable in this playoff series, has just given up a leadoff double to the Twins’ No. 9 hitter, Nick Punto.
Hughes knows if Punto scores the game will be tied and he also knows if leadoff man Denard Span gets Punto to third with less than two outs, preventing the Twins from tying the game will be tough with Orlando Cabrera and AL batting champion Joe Mauer due to bat after Span.
Because Span is a left-handed hitter, Jeter is deep on The Metrodome carpet and shading Span slightly up the middle. On a 1-0 pitch, Span hits a Hughes fastball down hard on the synthetic surface and the ball sails directly over Hughes, takes another hop and looks to be headed into centerfield.
But that is when this scenario turns into the key moment of the game:
JETER FLAGS IT DOWN

Jeter moves quickly to his left to try to keep the ball in the infield because he knows if it gets by him that Punto will score the tying run easily. Jeter moves about 15 feet behind the second base bag and catches the ball off the second hop. 
He knows he has no play on the speedy Span chugging down the line at first base but he does spot Punto rounding the third-base bag aggressively and he wants to make sure that if Punto does try to score that he gets the ball to catcher Jorge Posada.
PUNTO MISSES THE SIGN

Punto was running as fast as he could to third, knowing that the ball was hit up the middle so there can be no play on him. He also was hearing a huge crescendo of fan noise and he believed that the ball bounced into centerfield. He put his head down and intended to round third and score on the play.
“It was one of those things where crowd noise got me a little bit,” Punto said. “The fans were just excited that they saw there wasn’t going to be a play at first base. There were [54,735] people screaming, and I felt like that ball might have gone through. It’s a huge play in that game, and I can’t let that happen. It’s a little tough to swallow right now.”

Meanwhile, third-base coach Scott Ullger had moved halfway down the third-base line to give Punto the sign. He clearly saw Jeter had the ball and knew if Punto had tried to score he would be out easily at the plate. Ullger and the Twins would gladly settle for having runners at first and third with nobody out.

He held up the stop sign to Punto. But Punto rounded third base with his head down and he did not pick up Ullger’s stop sign until he was just about 10 feet away from him.

“He just never looked up, and that’s what I’m there for. I’m there to help,” Ullger told The St. Paul Pioneer Press. “He did look up eventually, but obviously, it was too late. Jeter made the play. He’s so instinctual; he seemed to be making the play and looking to see what Nicky was doing at the same time.”

JETER EXECUTES “FLIP 2″

Jeter does not set his feet to throw hard to Posada. He merely gives the ball a casual flip similar to his patented jump and flip throws to first. But because he well beyond the turf line in back of the second base bag, the throw heads to Posada with a high trajectory but lands short of the veteran catcher with one perfect hop off the turf.

Posada has time to look to see where Punto is along the third-base line and prepare to catch the throw from Jeter.

“I saw him turn the base out of the corner of my eye,” Posada said. “It was a bang-bang play. Jeter made a perfect throw to me at the plate. It just happened real quick.”

POSADA NAILS PUNTO AT THIRD

When Punto realized Ullger was stopping him, he was halfway between third and home. No man’s land. He knew his only hope was to put on the brakes and head back to third. So he sat down in an attempt to stop his momentum with a slide. It worked and Punto now was scrambling to his feet to break back to third.

But Posada saw how far Punto had run and knew if he could get off a good throw to third baseman Alex Rodriguez, he had a chance to pick off Punto before he got back.

Rodriguez ran to the bag and saw Posada winding up for a throw to him. Punto aimed his head-first slide back to the left side of the bag. Although this was the quickest way back, it allowed Rodriguez to lay his left leg flat on the dirt and place his right foot about six inches in front of the bag, giving Posada a perfect throwing lane.

Posada, who spent most of last season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury that required off-season surgery, threw a seed that landed in Rodriguez’ glove about a foot off the ground and toward the left side of the bag.

Rodriguez took the throw and just waited for Punto, in a sense, tag himself out. He leaned far to his right and put his bare hand over the glove to prevent Punto from jarring it loose on the slide. Punto’s chest hit Rodriguez’ glove before Punto could get his hand back to the base.

Third-base umpire Phil Cuzzi, who drew the ire of Twins’ fans the night before when he called a ground-rule double off the bat of Mauer a foul ball, called Punto out. This time Cuzzi had the correct call and Punto looked back to Ullger is disbelief.

He gathered himself, dusted himself off and trotted back to the dugout knowing he had just committed a major base-running gaffe at the worst possible moment.

Hughes and Mariano Rivera retired Cabrera and Mauer, the Twins gave up two more runs to the Yankees in the ninth and the Yankees completed a 3-0 sweep of the Twins with a 4-1 victory in the last game played in The Metrodome.

Jeter’s heads-up play was simply the key moment of the game and one big reason why the Yankees are advancing to the American League Championship Series and the Twins were eliminated.

                                                                    **********

“It was huge at the time,” Jeter said. “That team plays very tough. This game and the previous one could have gone either way. If you’re going to win a series, you’ve got to get some breaks. We made some breaks.”

                                                                    **********


“Nick Punto, no one felt worse than him,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He thought it was a base hit. He didn’t pick up [third-base coach] Scott [Ullger] rounding third. He had his head down. [Derek] Jeter makes a play, and there you have it.”







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