tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71571810152266490732023-10-19T06:19:21.369-07:00Wang's NewsWang is from to Taiwan ! and the site all information from to MLB.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-40864172073115001212007-12-31T07:17:00.000-08:002007-08-22T04:29:07.640-07:00About Chien-Ming Wang<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_425426.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 95px;" alt="" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_425426.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Full Name: Chien-Ming Wang<br />Born: 03/31/1980<br />Birthplace: Tainan, Taiwan<br />Height: 6'3" Weight: 225<br />Bats: Right<br />Throws: Right<br />College: Taipei Physical Education College<br />MLB Debut: 04/30/2005</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-57761549853245364662007-09-24T06:38:00.001-07:002007-09-24T06:40:15.749-07:00Notes: Pettitte bumped to Monday<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/23/s3viqQJE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/23/s3viqQJE.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes: Pettitte bumped to Monday</span></span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Left-hander given regular rest as Clemens continues to rehab</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Flying back from an unexpected trip home to Houston this week, Andy Pettitte was placed on notice that he might have one more regular-season Yankee Stadium start after all. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">So when the Yankees tabbed the left-hander -- and not the ailing Roger Clemens -- to pitch Monday's regular-season home finale, Pettitte said he had prepared for the assignment, coming on his normal fifth day of rest. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I'll just do whatever I have to do to get ready to pitch when they want me to," Pettitte said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The last-minute switch was another move made out of caution for Clemens, who tweaked his left hamstring while performing distance running on Thursday's off-day. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Clemens was scratched from Saturday's start and reassigned to Monday before the Yankees decided to push him back one more game, tentatively shooting for Tuesday at Tampa Bay. Yankees manager Joe Torre waited until Pettitte threw a bullpen session on Saturday before announcing the switch prior to New York's 12-11 victory over Toronto in 10 innings. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It was all about giving [Clemens] as much time as we can without disrupting anything," Torre said. "The fact that Andy was on his fifth day made it easier to do." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Clemens said that he has been encouraged by seeing some "spots" rise in the back of his left leg, which could be due in part to the amount of "digging" that trainers have done. Clemens threw in the bullpen for about five minutes on Sunday and reported no issues. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I just need to get in game situations," Clemens said. "It's going to be completely different from what I'm doing out here. I've got to be honest -- we're at a real critical part of the season, and I don't want to go back. ... I just want this thing to feel the right way and get out there." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">With the timing of Clemens' injury, it is possible that he could have just one more regular-season start before the Yankees open a potential American League Division Series series. Pettitte pointed to Clemens' 12-day layoff before a classic Sept. 16 effort at Fenway Park as one reason for optimism that the Rocket would pick it up in a big spot. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He's shown he can take two weeks off and be very strong and throw a great game," Pettitte said. "That'd be a concern for me, personally, because I feel when I throw on my fifth or sixth day, I need to stay on my game. I feel like I struggle if I have too much rest. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Roger is totally different. We just need to make sure he's as healthy as he can be going into the playoffs. The good thing is that I don't feel like we're in desperate need where we need to rush him out there." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">As the playoffs near, the Yankees' home slate will conclude featuring Pettitte going for his 15th victory. Pettitte said that he has been surprised by how good his left elbow has felt, even deep into September, and credits the surgery that shortened his 2004 campaign with Houston for helping to restore his health. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I've had to deal with my elbow, after my rookie season, for the eight years that I was here," Pettitte said. "It's just nice to feel like I don't have to eat anti-inflammatories the whole year." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>100 grand:</b> With a fifth-inning triple on Saturday, Hideki Matsui reached the 100-RBI mark for the ninth time in his professional career, including four times in the Major Leagues. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Matsui, who missed four months last season with a broken left wrist, said the milestone was notable considering his lengthy absence. Matsui entered Sunday's game batting .289 with 25 home runs and 102 RBIs in 138 games. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I don't really get caught up in the numbers game, but the more the better, certainly," Matsui said through an interpreter. "At least I reached a number similar to what I had before I got hurt. In that sense, it was important." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Going to 'war:</b> After Saturday's game, Torre spoke about how it might be needed to put an arm around rookie right-hander Edwar Ramirez and remind him about all the tough outs he'd recorded. Ramirez has allowed four runs in his last three appearances, including one home run, and got just one out in Saturday's appearance. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Then, in the middle of the clubhouse on Sunday morning, Torre did just that, enveloping the string-bean reliever in an embrace. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Ramirez said that he worked on a mechanical flaw in the bullpen on Sunday with pitching coach Ron Guidry and Triple-A coach Dave Eiland, trying to close his front shoulder and prevent flying open. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Bombers bits:</b> The Yankees paid tribute to Phil Rizzuto in a pregame ceremony on Sunday, featuring speeches by Reggie Jackson and Bobby Murcer. ... Over New York's last 16 games entering play on Sunday, the club's starting pitchers were 8-1 with a 2.56 ERA and had not allowed a home run in 88 innings. ... Rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain turned 22 on Sunday. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Coming up:</b> The Yankees will play home game No. 81 on Monday, with Pettitte (14-8, 3.79 ERA) making the start for New York opposite Toronto right-hander A.J. Burnett (9-7, 3.40 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET on the YES Network.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-60204145028016926652007-09-23T06:36:00.000-07:002007-09-24T06:38:25.080-07:00Mussina tops Jays for third straight win<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Mussina tops Jays for third straight win</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Righty's seven strong innings help Yankees gain on Red Sox</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- The Yankees are almost certainly going to be in the playoffs, and Mike Mussina is almost certainly going to be a part of it. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Making his third start since returning to the rotation, Mussina moved closer to locking up a potential playoff start on Sunday, pitching seven strong innings against the Blue Jays to help the Yankees to a 7-5 victory, the 250th of Mussina's career. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The effort moved the Yankees to within 1 1/2 games of the Red Sox in the American League East as they close in on completing a historic comeback. New York's magic number for clinching a playoff spot dropped to two, as the Yankees remained 5 1/2 games up on the Tigers in the AL Wild Card race. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We're just playing baseball the way we wanted to play it from the beginning," said Mussina (11-10). "We had a lot of struggles in the beginning of the season, and now, with a week to go, we're in the position we want to be in. We're playing the game the way we want to play it. It's not anywhere close to the same team it was in April and May." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Yankees have won 14 of 17 to improve to a season-high 25 games over .500. New York will complete its home schedule on Monday, making up an April 25 rainout, before playing its final six games on the road. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"This is the time of year that you want to play well, because the pressure is on," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "You have certain things that you need to accomplish. We've played well under pressure all year. The most important thing is to make sure we don't lose our edge." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mussina, who had to be pulled from the rotation in late August after three consecutive horrid starts, has re-emerged in September to regain Torre's trust. With the exception of a three-run blip in the second inning, Mussina held Toronto scoreless in six of the seven innings he pitched on Sunday, including retiring nine straight to close out his start. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I'm just glad [Torre] gave me a chance to go back out there and pitch," Mussina said. "He didn't have to. He made a decision and could have stuck with it. They let me get back out there and do it again, and I've thrown the ball pretty well since they let me back out there. It's the way the game works sometimes." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mussina scattered seven hits and struck out five to move past Vic Willis for sole possession of 43rd place on baseball's all-time wins list, one shy of longtime Torre favorite Bob Gibson. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It's nice to have been given a chance to go out there for that long a period of time, a chance to win 250 games," Mussina said. "To play with some of the talent and some of the people that I've had a chance to do it, it's been a lot of fun. It's been great, and I hope to go out there and win a few more." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After playing two extra-inning contests to open their series with the Blue Jays -- 25 innings of baseball that spanned nine hours and 45 minutes -- the Yankees were able to record Sunday's win in more efficient fashion. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Toronto starter Dustin McGowan was chased in the fifth inning, as Robinson Cano gave New York the lead on the final pitch from McGowan (11-10), ripping a run-scoring single to right. Facing reliever Brian Tallet, Doug Mientkiewicz nubbed a slow roller up the third-base line that Russ Adams could not barehand, allowing a second run to score on the hit. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Jose Molina then came through with a bloop single to left that brought home New York's sixth run, one of a season-high three RBIs in the backup catcher's three-hit game. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Molina opened the season with the Angels, now a possible playoff opponent, and has provided an upgrade over original backup Wil Nieves. After Jorge Posada caught all 10 innings of Saturday's arduous five-hour affair, Molina was able to offer a full day off and yet not hurt the team offensively -- he has hit safely in nine of his last 10 starts and 10 of 14 since joining the Yankees. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I'm still adjusting," Molina said. "It's not easy. I've been on the West Coast for seven years, and coming to the East Coast, it's not easy, family-wise or personal-wise. You've just got to step up and do your job, no matter what the situation is. When you get home, you deal with those things." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The two clubs traded three-run innings in the second, as Mussina saw a string of 14 scoreless frames end. Adam Lind had a two-run double and Curtis Thigpen had a run-scoring single for the Blue Jays, but the Yankees answered with run-scoring singles by Molina, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter in the bottom half, providing Mussina with enough of a cushion to get back to work comfortably. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He was great," Molina said. "He was hitting his spots. In the second inning, he gave up some runs, but those pitches were good. There wasn't anything bad at all." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mussina also had strong defense and some fortunate play-calling. Molina picked off Alex Rios on a snap throw down to first base in the third inning, and Melky Cabrera, who preserved a tie game in the 10th inning on Saturday with an outfield assist, turned in another on Sunday to throw out Gregg Zaun at the plate on a questionable tag play ending the fourth inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Like on Saturday, the Yankees had to endure a bullpen crisis, but this time they had a magic answer. Before the game, Torre had indicated to reporters that rookie sensation Joba Chamberlain would be unavailable, but he reversed field after consulting with general manager Brian Cashman and pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras, the architect of the so-called "Joba Rules." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "We're on the move with this thing," Torre said. "A lot of it is going to be judged on pitch counts. The days off will vary. Certain situations have to be right for us to be in a position to use him, and unfortunately, it called for that." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Reliever Luis Vizcaino surrendered a two-run homer to Matt Stairs in the eighth, but Chamberlain -- pitching on his 22nd birthday -- was summoned to pitch out of a two-out, two-on jam, striking out Lind on a slider to end his inning. Since Chamberlain threw just five pitches to Lind in the eighth, the Yankees sent him back out for the ninth, when he set the Blue Jays down in order for his first career save. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It's all fun," Chamberlain said. "It's all new experiences every time I go out there, so it's good."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-2818179924896129722007-09-22T06:40:00.000-07:002007-09-24T06:42:53.982-07:00Historic day for Yankees staff<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/22/GgXZsioS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/22/GgXZsioS.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Historic day for Yankees staff</span></span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Team uses team-record 10 pitchers in win over Toronto</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- The next time you use the phrase "records are made to be broken," think back to Saturday's affair at Yankee Stadium. There are some that you might be better off not seeing shattered. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees set a franchise mark using 10 pitchers in Saturday's game, an afternoon matinee that was delayed for 92 minutes by rain before a marathon, 10-inning affair played out with the Blue Jays that lasted exactly five hours on the nose. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> It created a memorable day at the ballpark, for certain, but nobody seemed to be too enamored with their unique date with the history books. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It was no fun," Torre said. "That's the only thing I can tell you. It's no fun." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The nine relievers used behind New York starter Phil Hughes were just one shy of an American League record, set by the Mariners on Sept. 25, 1992, at Texas. For this weekend, though, it was the status quo: in the first two games of the series, the Yankees and Blue Jays have combined to use 33 pitchers, 18 by New York. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">They're the kind of games that could have only taken place in September, with expanded rosters and a smorgasbord of relief options to whittle through. At times on Saturday, it appeared as though Torre was emptying his bullpen for open auditions, bringing out ghosts of Yankees relief past. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The afternoon came on a quick turnaround from a Friday night nailbiter, though that contest at least featured an ace-quality pitching matchup between Roy Halladay and Chien-Ming Wang before stretching into a 14-inning affair. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But with Toronto starter Shaun Marcum done after three innings with a sore right knee and New York's Phil Hughes exiting having allowed three runs in five innings, it was clear both teams would be in need of some relief. Neither got much. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It's a tough day," catcher Jorge Posada said. "You wait for the game to start, then you start at [2:37 p.m. ET] and play five hours. It's tough but I'm just happy we got the win." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">While Blue Jays manager John Gibbons had to call on seven relievers, including losing pitcher Josh Towers -- tagged with the defeat when Melky Cabrera came through with a 10th-inning single -- the Yankees were even quicker on the trigger, contributing 221 of the 423 total pitches thrown in the game. Of those, Hughes threw less than half (99). </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Veteran Ron Villone and rookie Ross Ohlendorf combined to pitch a scoreless sixth inning before September callup Jose Veras, who had been making his case for the postseason roster, came undone in a five-run Toronto seventh that changed the course of the game, spoiling a 6-3 lead. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Veras had two outs with runners on second and third before uncorking a wild pitch, then throwing a passed ball charged to catcher Posada, before Aaron Hill came through with a run-scoring single. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He almost came out of the inning," Torre said. "Then it turned ugly." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Edwar Ramirez, rescued from an independent league club in Edinburg, Texas, earlier this season, turned in his second shaky performance in two nights by serving up run-scoring hits to Russ Adams and Adam Lind, leaving Toronto with an 8-6 lead. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Though the Yankees fought back for three runs in the bottom half, regaining the lead, Kyle Farnsworth handily helped give it right back. Farnsworth, who was not expected to be available due to tightness in his right shoulder, faced five hitters and retired just one of them -- a hot Matt Stairs drive that looked as though it were headed for right field before first baseman Wilson Betemit snared it with a terrific diving catch. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I left some balls up," Farnsworth said. "It's frustrating, but it's one of those things. I've just got to keep going. I felt fine, but I'm a little rusty, I guess. It [stinks]. I'm getting tired of that." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Farnsworth had entered to boos and the reception was even more vicious as he walked off, lifted for an out from Chris Britton and then the first Major League appearance by Japanese import Kei Igawa since July 26, beginning the "memory lane" portion of Torre's evening. Igawa surrendered a hit to Hector Luna, scoring one of the three runs charged to Farnsworth, before he too was just another name in the box score. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It was so surreal," Torre said, "for me to watch this whole thing." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> In the bullpen, seemingly spilling onto the field with regularity, players began to ponder what names might be summoned next. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We were thinking about who's down, who's up," Karstens said. "You know Joba [Chamberlain] is down. We kind of figured [Luis] Vizcaino was down, because the phone rang a bunch of times and he wasn't in the game. I think we were just happy the way it turned out. We wanted to end it quick." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">With the Yankees tying the game in the ninth, Mariano Rivera trotted in to "Enter Sandman" and helped get the game to extra innings, where Jeff Karstens -- who hadn't pitched in the big leagues since an ill-fated Aug. 14 start vs. the Orioles -- recorded three outs and became the winning pitcher when New York ended the arduous affair. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done," Karstens said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Cabrera's hit to center, plus his key outfield assist a half-inning earlier, clicked off the stopwatch on nine hours and 45 minutes of baseball played at Yankee Stadium over a 24-hour period. Informed that the 10 Yankees pitchers set a new club mark, Karstens laughed that he thought New York had just used "four or five," then smirked. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It's nice to be part of a record," Karstens said.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-85708127390232639772007-09-16T21:18:00.000-07:002007-09-16T21:20:22.791-07:00Notes: Peace of mind for Posada<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/16/SBkuorPW.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/16/SBkuorPW.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes: Peace of mind for Posada</span></span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yankees catcher rests easily after tests come back negative</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />BOSTON -- Jorge Posada's pounding headache had disappeared and the results of a CT scan concurred, relaying that no ill effects remained from a vicious home-plate collision during Saturday's loss to the Red Sox. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">For the Yankees catcher, who was broadsided by Boston's Eric Hinske on what was later deemed to be a "clean play" at the plate, such precautionary trips to hospitals have become commonplace. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Posada revealed that he has had the procedures, each requiring approximately 10 minutes, performed during each of the last three winters. The scans offer Posada peace of mind at a point when he can actually exhale and ponder the bruising he takes during the season -- a luxury neither he nor the October-contending Yankees can afford right now. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"You can't think about the negative, and you can't think about the stuff that could happen," Posada said. "You've just got to keep on hoping that everything is going to be fine and you can keep on playing the game. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It could happen anywhere. It could happen walking down the street and you get hit by a car. You can't really worry about things that you can't control." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Posada believes that, through the course of his career, he has suffered "three or four" concussions. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital after Saturday's 10-1 loss at Fenway Park, and doctors took scans of the 36-year-old catcher's head and neck. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Though they proved negative and Posada said he slept well, the pounding of his headache quieting, Posada was offered designated-hitter duties, with backup Jose Molina assuming the catching role for Sunday's series finale. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Manager Joe Torre said he was concerned that Posada might have to deal with an assortment of foul tips off his mask, an inevitability that the manager would prefer to delay for another 24 hours. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I need his bat in the lineup right now," Torre said. "We just decided to do the safe thing." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Torre said that he had been informed of Posada's medical status over dinner with the Yankees training staff on Saturday night. Somewhere along the line, Posada's regular trips for CT scans have also been topics of conversation, a personal decision that Torre said has proven wise. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"With what's gone on in football, talking about the cumulative effect of concussions, I think it's a great idea," Torre said. "It's a question no one can answer. I never thought about it until the football situation came up, the fact that there were so many. It's frightening." </span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Everyone's a comedian:</b> Derek Jeter's immediate reaction concerning Posada's collision with Hinske displayed little concern. Standing in a tunnel outside the visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park on Saturday, Jeter smirked and assured reporters, "He'll be all right. He's got a hard head." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Later, in a private conversation, Jeter apparently offered his good friend a little more heartfelt reaction. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He makes fun of it, but he said he couldn't do what I'm doing," Posada said. "That's pretty encouraging." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Never forgotten:</b> Doug Mientkiewicz found his way into the Yankees lineup on Sunday, taking over duties at first base after two days of questionable defensive play by Jason Giambi. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mientkiewicz's season nearly ended here in June after a violent collision, when he was clobbered by Mike Lowell on a play at first base. Leaving the field on a stretcher, Mientkiewicz -- a member of the 2004 Red Sox who drew the fans' ire by briefly retaining possession of the final World Series out -- was given a standing ovation by the Fenway Park faithful. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> They weren't quite as forgiving on Sunday, as Mientkiewicz took a verbal pounding from autograph seekers during batting practice. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Give back the ball," Mientkiewicz said. "Yeah, I know. I've heard it before." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Torre said he selected Mientkiewicz over Giambi because Giambi's recent at-bats against Boston starter Curt Schilling have not been very good, not because of the hit-by-pitch Giambi suffered in Saturday's contest, apparent retaliation by Josh Beckett. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Rolling Thunder:</b> Double-A Trenton secured the Eastern League championship on Saturday, posting a 10-5 victory at Akron to take the best-of-five series in four games. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees will recall two players from the Thunder, pitchers Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright, to join the club in New York. Both appeared and made starts for the Yankees earlier this season but are likely to be used only in emergency situations. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "They're champions," Torre said. "Maybe they'll rub off on our guys." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Bombers bits:</b> Ross Ohlendorf, who made his second Major League appearance on Saturday, has made a quick impression on Torre. The Yankees manager likes Ohlendorf's power sinker and competitive attitude, calling him "intriguing." ... The Yankees plan to invite several Minor League prospects to New York to work out with the club and get a taste for Yankee Stadium, but the players will not dress or be added to the roster. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Coming up:</b> Their nine-game road trip complete, the Yankees will return home on Monday to open a three-game series with the Orioles. Right-hander Phil Hughes (3-3, 4.91 ERA) will take on right-hander Daniel Cabrera (9-16, 5.37 ERA) on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on the YES Network.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-21631335973214513582007-09-16T21:00:00.000-07:002007-09-16T21:09:47.127-07:00Jeter's homer lifts Yankees at Fenway<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Jeter's homer lifts Yankees at Fenway</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Go-ahead shot off Schilling in eighth cuts deficit to 4 1/2 games</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />BOSTON -- Derek Jeter's go-ahead three-run homer on Sunday broke up a back-to-the-future pitchers' duel, lifting the Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox on a memorable night at Fenway Park. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Jeter's shot to the back row atop the left-field Green Monster came on a hanging eighth-inning splitter from Curt Schilling, who spent six frames entangled in a one-run fight with 45-year-old Yankees righty Roger Clemens in a rematch of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Making his first start at Fenway Park since the 2003 American League Championship Series and the 200th Yawkey Way start of his career, Clemens pitched nothing short of the gem he became so well-known for within the stadium's confines. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Clemens rolled back the clock in limiting the Red Sox to one unearned run and two hits over six innings, his first start back after receiving a pair of cortisone injections in his pitching elbow and missing one turn. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Boston got its only run off Clemens in the first inning, when Johnny Damon misplayed a Jacoby Ellsbury fly ball for an error. After a one-out walk to David Ortiz, Mike Lowell came through with a run-scoring single. That would be Boston's last hit until Lowell again singled with one out in the sixth, as Clemens was completing his successful 87-pitch return to Fenway Park. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Instead of Clemens, the victory would go to reliever Joba Chamberlain, who surrendered an earned run after 17 2/3 innings of scoreless work. Chamberlain pitched a scoreless seventh after a leadoff double to Eric Hinske but gave up a solo home run on a high 98-mph fastball to Lowell with two outs in the eighth, cutting New York's lead to 4-2. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Damon's fifth-inning home run over the Green Monster was all the Yankees mustered against Schilling before Jeter gave New York the lead. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth inning to help the Wild Card leaders take two out of three games in the weekend series, moving within 4 1/2 games in the AL East with 13 games to play.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-67338936067991248722007-09-15T21:10:00.000-07:002007-09-16T21:12:07.730-07:00Wang outdone by Beckett in Boston<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Wang outdone by Beckett in Boston</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yanks' ace chased in sixth inning; deficit back to 5 1/2 games</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />BOSTON -- On an afternoon when Josh Beckett freely gassed batters with swing-and-miss stuff, the more soft-spoken Chien-Ming Wang was unable to make much of a statement. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">While Beckett three-hit the Yankees over seven innings, Wang -- also a front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award -- had his troubles with the Red Sox, taking the loss in a 10-1 Yankees defeat on Saturday afternoon. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"You know, it wasn't one of his great days," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "What can I say? Beckett was great. He came at us and kept coming at us, and we couldn't mount any kind of offense." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang had heard some of the whispers about how his mid-September showdown in the creeping shadows at Fenway Park could help influence voting, but it is a postseason berth -- not awards -- that the Yankees must harbor the most concern about. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> With five Boston runs home in 5 2/3 innings, it was a bad day to have a bad day. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Sometimes, I lost my control," Wang said. "Other times, they got hits." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Yankees can call a relatively steady 2 1/2-game lead their own in the AL Wild Card race, but they have insisted upon dangling heartier aspirations toward the division, making up some emotional ground with a miraculous comeback on Friday night that made some wonder if nothing was impossible. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Yet if that carrot was to be reached, a three-game New England sweep -- shades of last season's five-game Boston Massacre -- would have made New York's most damaging dent in the AL East deficit, which returned to 5 1/2 games. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Certainly, it would have made it more reasonable," Torre said of a win on Saturday. "In this game, anybody is capable of losing three or four in a row, or winning three or four in a row. Things turn real quickly." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">That much is certain. The Yankees' six-run eighth-inning rally on Friday created little carryover -- in this case, momentum only being as good as the way the offense could handle the next day's starting pitcher. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Beckett made that a difficult proposition. Allowing a solo home run to Derek Jeter in the top of the first but otherwise quieting New York in a seven-inning, seven-strikeout performance, Beckett became baseball's first 19-game winner this season and helped Boston to its largest margin of victory against the Yankees since a 14-3 drubbing last May 9. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "You have to get to him early and get some mistakes, because once he establishes strikes and starts throwing everything, he can work both sides of the plate," said Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi. "That's the biggest thing." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Meanwhile, Wang -- who usually showcases a diving sinker to induce opponents into pounding ground balls to his infielders -- again altered his game plan slightly for the Red Sox, mixing in more sliders and changeups.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But the tweaks didn't take hold, as Wang had slightly more run on his pitches than he wanted. Recording just six of 17 outs on the ground, Wang seemed unable to command the zone, surrendering runs in the first and fifth innings before losing control in the sixth. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"His stuff wasn't as good, as consistent," Torre said. "They're pretty patient, this ballclub. When [Wang] has trouble throwing strikes, a lot of times it's just that his stuff has a lot of movement. He just can't keep it in the strike zone." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang was lifted with two outs in the troublesome sixth inning, in which he allowed run-scoring hits to rookie Jacoby Ellsbury and a two-run double to perennial thorn David Ortiz -- hard hits in an inning that also featured a jarring home-plate collision between Jorge Posada and Boston's Eric Hinske, who was called out and left the catcher with a lingering headache that had him sent to Massachusetts General Hospital for precautionary reasons. CT scans taken of Posada's head and neck came back negative. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Posada's friend Jeter expressed little concern, saying that his buddy had a "hard head." Torre deemed the play clean, explaining that Hinske had gone in hard. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"That was just one of those bang-bangers," he said. "We had the infield playing halfway, just hoping we could get a ground ball. We didn't want to play all the way in, because we didn't want to cut down our chances to get an out." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang's nine-hit, three-walk performance also featured another potential chapter in the ongoing saga between New York and Boston, one that could have legs as the two teams finalize their 2007 regular-season slate on Sunday. Kevin Youkilis started the sixth-inning rally when one of Wang's 97 pitches inadvertently created a contusion on the first baseman's right wrist. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">It was the sixth time in the last two seasons that Youkilis had been drilled by a Yankees pitcher, not including two near-misses by Joba Chamberlain in the teams' last New York meeting. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Both benches were warned by home-plate umpire Gary Cederstrom in the seventh inning, when Beckett came back in and hit Giambi on the right elbow with a pitch -- viewed as retaliation for Wang's drilling of Youkilis earlier in the game, but by the Yankees, not as sound baseball judgment. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "You know what? We didn't hit Youkilis on purpose," Giambi said. "It was a 1-2 pitch, and you've got Papi [on deck] -- like he hasn't done enough damage against us. But I respect it. That's the way I play the game. I don't worry about it." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Boston tacked on three additional runs against the New York bullpen in the seventh, sending 10 men to the plate against five Yankees relievers, who let the game get out of hand. Coco Crisp greeted Brian Bruney with an RBI ground-rule double, and Ellsbury touched Sean Henn for a two-run single before rookie Ross Ohlendorf, making his second Major League appearance, walked in a run. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> With just 14 games separating the Yankees from the final outs of the regular season, and just nine regulation innings left head-to-head with Boston, odds would appear to be overwhelming that New York's best chance of continuing its string of postseason appearances lies within the Wild Card. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Still, the Yankees don't appear ready to concede the division until the laws of mathematics insist they must. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We're trying to win every day," Jeter said. "That's the approach we have to have. A couple weeks from now, we'll see what happens."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-9760848681062595552007-09-13T21:12:00.000-07:002007-09-16T21:13:51.194-07:00Kennedy stars, but Yanks' streak ends<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Kennedy stars, but Yanks' streak ends</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Right-hander holds Blue Jays to one hit in third big league start</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />TORONTO -- At this stage of Ian Kennedy's young career, every start is an opportunity to try out new approaches, test his limits and see what outcomes he might have to deal with. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">No one was expecting Kennedy to throw seven innings of one-hit ball. Once he did, few would have predicted it would end up in a Yankees loss. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Frank Thomas' ninth-inning single off reliever Chris Britton scored Alex Rios with the winning run as the Blue Jays defeated the Yankees on Thursday, 2-1, snapping New York's seven-game winning streak and spoiling Kennedy's terrific third Major League start. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"The third game felt a lot more like I was pitching anywhere else, like anywhere in the Minor Leagues," Kennedy said. "With one run, you're not going to win too many ballgames, scoring one run." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">As sharp as Kennedy was, Toronto starter A.J. Burnett brought a performance to match, scattering four hits over eight innings, striking out eight. He made just one glaring mistake: Johnny Damon tied the game in the sixth inning with his 11th home run, a soaring shot that landed in the second deck of seats in right field, beneath the restaurant windows. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I was just fortunate to be able to tie up the game," Damon said. "The guy is one of the best pitchers around. We had some chances. ... It seems like every time he pitches, he's pretty good. Tonight, he was spotting his fastball inside, up and down. His curveball is one of the best, also." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> After Luis Vizcaino recorded three outs in relief of Kennedy's seven-plus-inning gem, and Melky Cabrera grounded out with two aboard to end the top of the ninth inning, the Yankees turned to the right-hander Britton for the bottom half. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Most of Britton's action has come with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, but the Yankees were unable to use Kyle Farnsworth due to a neck injury. Vizcaino had not pitched recently due to various injuries, and Joba Chamberlain was unavailable after throwing 35 pitches in Wednesday's victory. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Had the Yankees taken the lead in the ninth inning, manager Joe Torre said he would have gone to closer Mariano Rivera, but instead he chose Britton over September callup Jose Veras because of the former's strike-throwing ability. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Unfortunately for Britton, two of his strikes caught too much of the plate. Rios started the inning with a sharp single and stole second before Thomas ripped a bouncing ball up the middle, scoring Rios ahead of Cabrera's throw on a slide into the plate. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It's very disappointing," Britton said. "Nobody wants to lose." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The tough defeat stained Kennedy's impressive performance, though only in finality. For the first seven innings, Kennedy shone, showing Toronto the full arsenal of talent that prompted the Yankees to make him a first-round selection in 2006 from the University of Southern California. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "They're a good fastball-hitting team, so I tried to throw a lot of changeups and curveballs," Kennedy said. "Mix it up. That's what I've got to do. I don't throw 97 [mph], like Burnett." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Kennedy permitted a first-inning run when Thomas doubled home Russ Adams, who had walked, with a drive to center field that eluded Cabrera near the wall. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After the Thomas double, Kennedy retired 15 batters in a row before issuing a two-out walk to Adams in the sixth, then continued to blank the Jays before leaving with one runner on in the eighth. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He seemed pretty poised," Thomas said. "He wasn't afraid of the strike zone like most young guys. He didn't seem intimidated at all. He pitched his game, hit his spots in and out. He kept the guys off balance, and that's big league pitching." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Even the Thomas double, which Cabrera appeared to lose track of as he closed in on the padded blue fence, may have been catchable. Torre said that Cabrera has made similar plays before, and Kennedy thought the ball would be caught as well. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I looked at the replay, and you could see the wall was right there as the ball was getting there," Torre said. "I'm sure he probably could have caught it, but I'm not saying he should have." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Yet the Yankees could not get anything going. Derek Jeter followed the Damon sixth-inning home run with a single and Bobby Abreu walked, but Hideki Matsui lined out to first baseman Lyle Overbay, ending the threat. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In the end, though, the lack of run support couldn't be blamed on Kennedy, who continues to exceed all expectations after a quick rise this season all the way from Class A Tampa. Kennedy's performance will create a pleasant but difficult set of problems for Torre and pitching coach Ron Guidry, who plan to meet in Boston to discuss -- among other options -- the concept of utilizing a six-man pitching staff that includes Kennedy. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">With just 16 games remaining before the completion of the regular season, innings could grow tight, especially with Roger Clemens insisting that his right elbow is ready for duty and Mike Mussina all but begging for another chance to prove his revival. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Kennedy said he won't concern himself with such issues, preferring to leave any pondering over the difficult decisions to the Yankee brain trust. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "If I keep doing well, they hopefully will find a way to put me out there," he said. "I can't really think about that."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-88824900722477797392007-09-12T21:14:00.000-07:002007-09-16T21:16:11.379-07:00A-Rod the runaway favorite for AL MVP<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">A-Rod the runaway favorite for AL MVP</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Heavy-hitting third baseman leads field of worthy candidates</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Tom Singer / MLB.com</span><br /><br />In awards country, there are hotly contested campaigns. Then, there is the American League MVP race, where Alex Rodriguez is running virtually unopposed. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Made even more impressive by perspective, the New York third baseman has tendered one of the most devastating and dominating offensive seasons in recent memory. With the background of a 2006 season, in which he took both an emotional and physical beating, Rodriguez's focused rebirth is an admirable example of the power of a competitive spirit. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Never really letting up from his mythical start -- 14 homers in his first 18 games -- Rodriguez is lapping the league. At the moment, he has 33 percent more homers than the runner-up -- Carlos Pena -- and 79 percent more than the next on the list -- reigning MVP Justin Morneau. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Overall, it has been a top-heavy season for flag bearers in the AL. While no one has done it on quite as grand a scale, Rodriguez does have company on the pedestal from two other players who have been as conspicuous on their contending teams. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Magglio Ordonez, who is trying to compensate for not being the home run king by securing Detroit's first batting title in 46 years, is striving to carry the Tigers across the finish line on his back. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Once again, Vladimir Guerrero has had the big stick in the Angels' banjo-bat rack. He reminds you of the movies' "My Bodyguard," an intimidator who always shows up to quell peril and restore order. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">There are other worthy candidates, some of whose merits are perhaps distorted by the prism of provincialism. There is little doubt that there is value everywhere. But when it comes to Most Valuable in 2007, there is no doubt. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>THE FAVORITES</b></span> </p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Alex Rodriguez, Yankees:</b> A-Rod set an early tone with a walk-off grand slam in the season's fourth game, and has never looked back. Always a number-cruncher, he has buried a reputation for doing most of his damage when it counts the least by batting .325 with 16 homers and 83 RBIs with men in scoring position, and .344 in the seventh inning or later. Along the way, A-Rod has set a multitude of significant home run records, from being the youngest to reach 500 to a new high for third basemen. But this award isn't about personal highs but about team value, and no one has meant more than Rodriguez -- who is 29 homers and 46 RBIs ahead of his closest teammates. </span></p><p> </p> <p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Magglio Ordonez, Tigers:</b> Ordonez has emphatically reclaimed his status as one of the truly under-appreciated monsters of the game, after two seasons of battling a knee injury and a third making gradual strides back. With 132 RBIs, Ordonez is within range of becoming the first Detroit player to drive in 140 runs since Hank Greenberg in 1940. He has produced 15 percent of his team's runs (RBIs plus runs minus homers) -- the same, it's worth noting, as has Rodriguez. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Vladimir Guerrero, Angels:</b> Guerrero has an overwhelming presence in a lineup of otherwise little-ball people, but some will argue he has been less "valuable" to this edition compared to recent Angels teams -- Garret Anderson's revival and Chone Figgins' four-month fire have also helped fuel the West Division runaway. Still, Guerrero remains the most-feared man in that lineup, which affects how opponents approach everyone else. And his ability to carry a team for long stretches remains gospel. He is a few homers shy of his ninth 30-100 season. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>THE CONTENDERS</b></span> </p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Mike Lowell, Red Sox:</b> Lowell has been Boston's steadiest hand all season, though somewhat lost in the considerable third-base shadow of A-Rod and the Nation shadows of Manny Ramirez and "Big Papi" David Ortiz. However, by leading the team in hitting and in RBIs most of the season, this "throw-in" in the Josh Beckett deal has established himself as one of the biggest steals in recent history. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Victor Martinez, Indians:</b> With a chance for the hard-charging Indians to wind up with the league's best record, it seems reasonable for one of them to merit MVP consideration, and no one is more worthy than this versatile and dangerous player. The 28-year-old catcher is two homers shy of leading Cleveland in the Triple Crown categories, while seeing considerable action at first base in addition to behind the plate. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>THE FIELD</b></span> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Pena, Devil Rays; Curtis Granderson, Tigers; C.C. Sabathia, Indians.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-46291562336051499202007-09-11T21:17:00.000-07:002007-09-16T21:18:20.915-07:00Hughes keeps Yanks streaking<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Hughes keeps Yanks streaking</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Backed by Giambi's slam, rookie turns in six stellar frames</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />TORONTO -- Manager Joe Torre sat within a cramped, concrete office at Rogers Centre on Tuesday, allowing himself a smile of temporary content. Finally, his long-held personal goal of 20 games over .500 had been achieved. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">That significant marker of October premonitions, voiced for months by Torre in dugouts across America under far bleaker circumstances, finally came to light. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Jason Giambi hit a grand slam, Jorge Posada also homered and Phil Hughes turned in six strong innings as the Yankees won their sixth straight, downing the Blue Jays, 9-2. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "We're in a situation where we have our fate in our hands," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The fifth-inning grand slam, Giambi's first home run since Aug. 26, chased Toronto starter Shaun Marcum and opened up a six-run advantage for the American League Wild Card-leading Yankees, who remained four games ahead of the Tigers and moved six in front of the fading Mariners. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "You've got too many veteran players that have been through a lot of situations to start counting," Giambi said. "Guys just keep the ball rolling, and you want to carry it through, hopefully, to the postseason. Right now, we're playing great baseball, and you don't want to change anything." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">That was easy for Giambi to say. The slugger's 13th homer snapped a personal 2-for-28 slide and relieved a hearty amount of self-inflicted pressure from the midst of an extended struggle. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Giambi jokingly referred to the 1982 movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" as he described his angst, wondering aloud what his fate might have been had he not come through in the bases-loaded, one-out situation. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The outcome of the game was still very much in question as Giambi stepped to the plate; not so much as he watched the opposite-field drive clear the wall, making the 360-foot trot on the same diamond where he suffered a torn plantar fascia in late May, costing him two months of at-bats but leaving him fresher for the playoff push. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I've been taking good at-bats, but I haven't gotten a hit," Giambi said. "That was a big one to get off my back in a big situation. Hopefully, I go forward, because I've been swinging the bat decent and getting robbed here and there. After a while, it gets frustrating." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Jason knows what to do," said Johnny Damon. "He's been in these situations many times leading teams to the postseason. With Jason in the seventh hole, that just makes our lineup so much better." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Giambi's fortunes, and the Yankees', turned once more as Marcum left a high fastball up, his 90th pitch and the one that wound up ending the right-hander's night after yielding eight runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees' damage included a run-scoring wild pitch and Posada's home run -- his 20th, and his fifth this month, in what would be a candidate for the team MVP Award if Alex Rodriguez weren't far and away the runaway choice for league honors. </span></p><p> <!-- ######## BEGIN PULL QUOTE ######### --> </p><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="225"> <tbody><tr><td><hr style="height: 2px;" color="#000000"></td></tr> <tr><td class="textXl"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="greyDark"> <!-- ######## ENTER PULL QUOTE ######### --> <b>"It's all about adrenaline, this time of year. You're down inside 20 games to play and you've got something to play for."</b> </span></span> </td></tr> <tr><td class="textLg" align="right"> <!-- ######## ENTER NAME ######### --> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>-- Yankees manager Joe Torre</b></span> </td></tr> <tr><td><hr style="height: 2px;" color="#000000"></td></tr> </tbody></table> <p> <!-- ######## END PULL QUOTE ######### --><span style="font-size:85%;"> Later, in the eighth inning, Posada would need a two-minute breather as a foul ball wrenched the metal of his face mask. More typical respites would be preferable, but it's not as though there is ample time to rest. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Nobody's fresh," Posada said. "You've just got to go out there and play these games. They mean a lot. You have to keep going out and doing it." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Damon had a two-run single in the second inning and also contributed a diving grab in left-center to aid the 21-year-old Hughes, who logged his first victory since Aug. 10 after battling early control problems. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After leaving the bases loaded in the first inning by getting Aaron Hill to hit back to the mound, thus escaping unscathed from two walks and a hit, Hughes flirted with trouble again in the second inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Vernon Wells appeared to have a big hit when he ripped a drive up the gap in left-center field, but Damon -- also running on fresher legs late in the season -- caught up to it, snaring the ball with a full-extension drive. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Hughes' luck would last just one more batter, as Russ Adams came through with a two-run single, but Hughes seemed to calm from there. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Acknowledging that he did not possess his best swing-and-miss stuff, Hughes focused more on pitching to spots and not trying to be too fine, inducing an array of grounders, popups and fly balls while striking out just one batter: Wells, the first he faced. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I was still aggressive," Hughes said. "I wasn't going to try to nip every corner. I'm not going to change my approach just because my stuff isn't there. I'll still throw fastballs early in the count." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He just settled in," Torre said. "He just seemed to relax. The last few innings were great." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Pitching well for the second consecutive start after taking a no-decision last time out vs. Seattle, Hughes threw 106 pitches. He allowed two runs (one earned), scattering three hits. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> With the game well in hand, Edwar Ramirez recorded six outs -- five via strikeout -- and Ross Ohlendorf came on to make his Major League debut in the ninth inning, retiring Toronto in order while striking out the first man he faced, Lyle Overbay. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Ohlendorf, a starter who had recently been converted to a relief role, could be "very interesting" in the future, Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Indeed, it was a night for new beginnings. After taking nearly the entire season to get to the 20-games-over .500 mark, Torre said the new goal is now to fall beneath once more. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It's all about adrenaline, this time of year," Torre said. "You're down inside 20 games to play and you've got something to play for."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-81545016286815501262007-09-09T21:05:00.000-07:002007-09-09T21:19:36.585-07:00A-Rod's 52nd helps Wang win 18th<span style="font-size:180%;">A-Rod's 52nd helps Wang win 18th</span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Home run in fifth straight game contributes to sweep of Royals</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Conor Nicholl / MLB.com</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='280' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy-XeAz0znLaRGSvamqS3kc_7eVCJQs-AzcGfr1Y_8GAUViL5JZYFyEOipVvN06I-uIE9Xx29gdBdpujZ9EkA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;">KANSAS CITY -- Often overshadowed by his own teammates and several other high-profile starting pitchers, Chien-Ming Wang sometimes hasn't received due credit for his results. But Yankees manager Joe Torre said he considers Wang "one of the big guys," someone who is a true ace. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "But there is always somebody else that is going to get more attention than him," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">That may still be true after Sunday's performance, but Wang's results are necessitating as much publicity and discussion regarding the Cy Young Award as several of the American League's elite pitchers, including Johan Santana, Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia. Wang tossed seven innings of three-run ball on Sunday and earned the win in the Yankees' 6-3 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I think he is [one of the best]," catcher Jorge Posada said. "I think he has proven a lot. He gets better and better every time he goes out there. He is showing it and not saying anything about it. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He is very low-key and very quiet about it, and I think that is why people are not giving him the credit that he deserves. I think he deserves all the credit in the world." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The win lengthened New York's lead to four games ahead of the Detroit and five ahead of Seattle in the AL Wild Card race. The Yankees have won five straight games, their longest streak since Aug. 3-7. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> On Sunday, Wang's batterymate and his third baseman provided the help. Posada broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run double in the fifth inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Alex Rodriguez continued his assault on the record books with his 52nd homer of the season, his fourth of the series and his seventh in the Yankees' past five games. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Rodriguez has homered in five consecutive games, tying a career high. The long ball also gave him a Major League-leading 140 RBIs this season, marking just the fifth time a Yankees player has driven in 140 runs since 1939. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "What Alex has done in the short period of time is pretty amazing," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The offense supplied plenty of support for Wang, who earned his 18th win this season and kept a tie for the Major League lead with Boston's Beckett, who also won his 18th on Sunday. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Wang also ranks second in the AL in winning percentage (.750) and lowered his ERA to 3.69, just outside of the top 10. New York is 8-1 in Wang's last nine starts. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He is our horse," Posada said. "He is our No. 1. You try to get him some runs. ... He has been very, very key for us." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang, who missed time at the beginning of the season with a strained right hamstring, has the chance to become the first 20-game winner in the Major Leagues in the last two seasons. In 2006, Wang led the Majors with 19 wins and finished second in the voting for the AL Cy Young Award. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He certainly hasn't done anything wrong," Torre said of Wang's Cy Young chances. "And any time you pitch with the urgency to win -- Beckett is doing the same thing, obviously -- it is pretty impressive. This kid -- how quickly he has turned into someone you count on, on a regular basis -- I think is very impressive." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Before the game, Posada approached Wang and told him to shorten his stride slightly. Kauffman Stadium's mound is flatter than most, and Posada wanted to make certain that Wang still kept his sinker down. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Wang was efficient, tossing just 25 pitches through three innings. He had some trouble in the fourth, when he permitted a three-run double to Alex Gordon on a sinker that was supposed to be away but was left in the middle of the plate. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But Wang quickly settled down and tossed scoreless innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh. He tied a season high with four walks but coaxed 11 ground-ball outs. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I just forgot about it and slowed down," Wang said of Gordon's game-tying double. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Afterward, Torre said that Wang was a "little Jekyll and Hyde," but it's a testament to Wang that he didn't have his best stuff and was still able to produce a quality start. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He can get away with stuff," Posada said. "He can get away with not having a sinker. He can get away with not having a changeup or a split-finger. He has been that effective." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang went at least six innings for the 18th time in his last 19 starts and the 25th time in 27 starts this season. While the injury short-circuited any chance the right-hander would have of leading the AL in innings pitched, few starters have consistently worked deeper into games. Wang has averaged more than 6 2/3 innings per outing, one of the top marks in the AL. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He has been able to throw his slider for a strike and been able to expand the zone with his fastball," Posada said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Wang received the necessary run support when Rodriguez hit his 52nd homer of the season -- and fourth this series -- off Zack Greinke in the first inning, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead. A-Rod is the Majors' leader in runs scored (132), RBIs and homers. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It's a magical season," Rodriguez said. "I am enjoying it. The reason I am getting pitched to is those guys behind me." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Four innings later, one of those guys behind him -- Posada -- broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run double off John Bale down the right-field line. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We got some guys on base, and you want to try and stay in the middle of the field," Posada said. "You have a left-hander in there, and I got a great pitch to hit." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> And that was all Wang needed for another quiet win.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><object id="BLOG_video-UPLOADING" class="BLOG_video_class" contentid="UPLOADING" height="280" width="320"></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-59829365766869510082007-09-06T23:57:00.000-07:002007-09-07T00:01:39.030-07:00Yanks' rookies surprised by transition<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/06/iKGBVWfS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/06/iKGBVWfS.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yanks' rookies surprised by transition</span></span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:180%;">Preparation, coaching, veterans make pitchers feel at home</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Sometime on Thursday, Ian Kennedy will board a charter flight bound for Kansas City, where a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium and his second big league assignment await. He won't have to carry his bags. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The 22-year-old rookie, making his first road trip since being summoned from the Minors, has compared life in a Yankees uniform to being treated like royalty. Not that he would cast aspersions on his dizzying path to the Bronx, but the experience has been better than even he thought it would be. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I didn't expect it any other way, because the Yankees are always in a pennant race," Kennedy said. "It's nice to feel that every game counts. Even though I'm a rookie, I want to win every time I go out there." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Like relief stud Joba Chamberlain, Kennedy opened the year in front of sparse Florida State League crowds. His quick assimilation into the Yankees' fold is already well ahead of schedule, coming on the heels of a seven-inning, one-earned-run performance against the Devil Rays on Saturday. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I thought I'd be in [Double-A] Trenton," Kennedy admits. "But you get a little greedy, and you want to go to the next level and the next level [after that]. It's not a trend, so I didn't know if I was shooting for the stars or if I was thinking about something that could actually happen." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> It has happened more than expected in 2007. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Phil Hughes, just 21 years old, logged his best effort Wednesday after a three-start slide, the backstory to the Alex Rodriguez Show, and the identically aged Chamberlain unknowingly put himself in position to become the ninth Yankees pitcher to log his first victory in 2007 -- an unthinkable achievement, considering the track record of an organization that freely dispensed young talent in favor of veteran presence. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It's exciting for me to be here as long as I've been here, and then all of a sudden you've got this crop of young arms that have come along," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "We're accelerating this stuff more and more these days, and giving the kids the experience at this level. It's working out more times than not." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">One of Torre's favorite illustrations for the perpetual coming-of-age story that has become a welcome sidebar to the Yankees' highlight reel is his own experience. Torre's big league debut came in 1960 with the Milwaukee Braves, and he recalls looking at a fastball zip by. The baseball came from 60 feet and six inches, and it didn't behave differently just because the pitch had been delivered by a person in a Major League uniform. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I can hit that," Torre recalls thinking. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> In the cases of Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy, they can throw that. But maybe the most important figure for all three young pitchers, at least in recent days, has been the figure lurking in the shadows. Triple-A pitching coach Dave Eiland, who pitched parts of four seasons in New York from 1989-91, reassumed his old digs last week to help prepare Kennedy for Tampa Bay. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The 41-year-old Eiland has been kept busy, overseeing Kennedy's first Yankee Stadium mound session in an empty building -- thwack, the ball echoed off 55,000 seats as it met bullpen catcher Roman Rodriguez's glove -- before administering a few key tweaks during Hughes' most recent bullpen performance, resuming a relationship formed last season at Double-A Trenton. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"A lot of times, you don't really feel what you're doing wrong," Hughes said. "That's why it's nice having Dave here. He saw me a lot last year and this year in Trenton and Scranton. He really knows what I need to do." </span></p><p> <!-- ######## BEGIN PULL QUOTE ######### --> </p><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="200"> <tbody><tr><td><hr style="height: 2px;" color="#000000"></td></tr> <tr><td class="textXl"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="greyDark"> <!-- ######## ENTER PULL QUOTE ######### --> <b>"This game is set up for you to fail. I understand that's going to happen. ... When it does happen, you have to respond and understand that that's part of the game."</b> </span></span> </td></tr> <tr><td class="textLg" align="right"> <!-- ######## ENTER NAME ######### --> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>-- Joba Chamberlain</b></span> </td></tr> <tr><td><hr style="height: 2px;" color="#000000"></td></tr> </tbody></table> <p> <!-- ######## END PULL QUOTE ######### --> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The time investment has been wise, considering the stakes. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre may be involved in a postseason series, but Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain -- all Triple-A Yankees at various points this season -- have much more at stake, assigned to figure out Major League life on the fly. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"If any of these young guys can handle it, they can, because of their makeup," Eiland said. "They stay under control of themselves, and they don't seem to get rattled. If they do, they hide it well. They're pros. They're mature beyond 21 and 22 years of age." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Physical gifts aside, the trio's most impressive trait has been their levelheadedness and professionalism, said Eiland. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Chamberlain may well be the most boisterous of the bunch, quickly gaining chutzpah as his 12 1/3 scoreless inning streak extended. Torre joked that the carefully protected Chamberlain shouldn't be allowed to give up a run until 2008, but Chamberlain cautions that this streak won't -- can't -- last forever. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"This game is set up for you to fail," Chamberlain said. "I understand that's going to happen. You've just got to go out and keep attacking the zone. When it does happen, you have to respond and understand that that's part of the game. That's going to be the big test." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">So while Chamberlain still gets the oohs and ahhs as he wanders New York, unmistakable with his thick build and swagger, Hughes and Kennedy both own a quieter confidence. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Not that any of the three demand to be acknowledged or looked at. As Kennedy said, that makes him the lucky one: "Everybody knows Joba, but they don't know who I am. I don't mind that at all." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Just being around them for a period of time, you see how they handle themselves," Eiland said. "It's not only on the mound, but in the clubhouse. They're not guys that are loud talking. They're always willing to learn and always asking questions." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Of course, it helps that there are voices willing to answer those queries. Kennedy -- who feared that the clubhouse would be an "off-to-yourself type of feeling" before he actually experienced it -- said that he hoped to spend some time picking the brains of Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina, particularly on the topics of how to deal with a young, scrappy Royals club. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Chamberlain's first Major League locker was issued a thin wall away from Roger Clemens' belongings, no chance assignment. And Hughes has benefited all season long from veteran presence, dating back to Legends Field, when he was deposited into Derek Jeter's clubhouse neighborhood. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Having that kind of support system has eased the transition for all involved -- for the Yankees, suddenly placing their trusts in a foreign youth movement, and for the players, who understand that the way things work now aren't necessarily the way they were just a few years ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It's been positive," Hughes said. "When I got here [in August], Shelley [Duncan] was here, and then Joba and Ian. It's good to have that young blend in a locker room [with other] guys coming up. You don't feel like the one sole guy in the group. You can share the good and bad that come with being up here."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-48286207687016003032007-09-06T00:16:00.000-07:002007-09-06T00:17:57.408-07:00A-Rod smacks two homers in Yanks' win<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">A-Rod smacks two homers in Yanks' win</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Taters highlight Bombers' eight-run seventh inning</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez insisted that he could play, even as his sprained and bruised right ankle had him limping through the Yankee Stadium clubhouse corridors. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> And as manager Joe Torre searched into the All-Star's intense stare, looking for hints of uncertainty floating about the trainer's room, he listened. Good thing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Rodriguez jumped out of an MRI tube and onto a pair of pitches in the Yankees' eight-run seventh inning on Wednesday, as his Major League-leading 47th and 48th blasts of the season comfortably helped the Yankees to a 10-2 victory over the Mariners. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"There's not much time left," Rodriguez said. "I guarantee you that if it was April or May, I probably would have taken a day, no question. Every game is so important." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Habitually one of the earliest reportees to the stadium for games, Rodriguez arrived on Wednesday ready to go through rigorous regimen paces, despite having injured his right ankle in a headfirst slide on Tuesday. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Yankees, as cautious as would be expected with the probable American League MVP, had different plans. Instead of running sprints in the outfield and taking dozens of cuts in the underground batting cages, Rodriguez found himself grumbling his way to a Manhattan hospital, where tests revealed injuries that left him at an estimated 60 percent. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"You've got to be smart about it," Rodriguez said. "Going to the hospital at 5:15 [p.m.] is something that you're not very excited about. You want to play, you know your body, and you certainly don't want to get into an MRI machine." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">While Rodriguez was in transit, Torre ripped up his original lineup card, on which he had optimistically filled in Rodriguez as New York's third baseman and cleanup hitter. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Another version briefly filtered through Torre's mind, showcasing Jorge Posada as the designated hitter and Wilson Betemit at third base, but Rodriguez wouldn't have it -- going through an abbreviated pregame workout at the stadium, he charged past reporters and into the trainers' room, where Torre asked him to prove that a third revision was necessary. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I know you want to play, but are you going to be able to apply yourself and not be tentative?" Torre recalled asking Rodriguez. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He wanted to look me in the eyes and make sure I wasn't lying to him," Rodriguez said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The truth came through in the seventh, as Rodriguez -- the DH, batting fourth -- erased a one-run deficit by turning on a full-count Jarrod Washburn fastball, instantly spoiling six innings of work in which the Seattle left-hander had limited the Yankees to little but Jose Molina's solo homer. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After an error, the Mariners turned Washburn's game over to their September-swelled bullpen, and from there the Yankees took control, sending 12 men to the plate in the inning. After Rodriguez's homer, George Sherrill offered two walks before pinch-hitter Posada looked at a 3-1 Sean Green pitch to force home the go-ahead run. Johnny Damon bounced into a RBI fielder's choice, and Melky Cabrera singled through the right side with Damon in motion. Derek Jeter's two-run double off the wall in right-center preceded Rodriguez's second homer of the inning, a blast to left field that earned him a curtain call from the crowd of 52,538. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I can't relate to it. It's unbelievable," said Jeter, who stood at home plate applauding Rodriguez's memorable feat. "I haven't seen anything like it in all my years playing. It's not that easy." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The home runs gave Rodriguez 512 for his career, moving him past Mel Ott and tying Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 17th place on the all-time list. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Even though Rodriguez said this is no time to ponder his place in history, Torre didn't hesitate to marvel once more. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "His whole career is something special -- the numbers he's put up at his age, and how he takes care of himself," Torre said. "Sometimes how important this game is to him gets in the way, because he needs to do so much. This year he's been a gamer." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The big inning left 21-year-old Joba Chamberlain in line to earn his first Major League victory, having pitched a scoreless seventh in relief of starter Phil Hughes. Chamberlain said that he didn't realize how the official scoring worked until Mariano Rivera congratulated him after the game; crediting Rodriguez with helping him get win No. 1 would be no problem. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"The man's incredible," Chamberlain said. "He's one of the best in the game, and he still works every day to become better. That's a tribute to him and his workout. He understands that it takes hard work. You can't get at the top and stay there. You have to work even harder." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Raul Ibanez reached Hughes for a two-run homer in the fourth, but otherwise the right-hander appeared in command, tying a career high with six strikeouts, and scattering five hits and walking two in a 97-pitch effort. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Especially coming off three not very good starts, it's definitely one that I can work off of," Hughes said. "And it also feels good to know that I didn't just go out there and [not] know what I did differently. I know where I need to be right now, and that's a good feeling." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The outburst helped the Yankees bookend their nine-game homestand with high notes. A sweep of the Red Sox was followed by the doldrums of dropping two of three to the Devil Rays, a luxury the Yankees can ill afford. But picking up two wins against the AL Wild Card-contending Mariners provides a springboard to an important trip to Kansas City, Toronto and Boston. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We have a lot of work to do here," Rodriguez said. "We've talked about how, from July on, every game for us is a postseason game. We just need to take small bites." </span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-32870252827165729522007-09-05T00:13:00.000-07:002007-09-06T00:15:35.277-07:00Minor injury scares for A-Rod, Wang<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Minor injury scares for A-Rod, Wang</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Slugger may sit out Wednesday; righty's stiffness 'not an issue'</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- The Yankees would prefer not to imagine what their roster would look like if they simultaneously lost the services of both their winningest pitcher and most prolific slugger. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> And yet, in the span of one inning, they nearly found out. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Alex Rodriguez twisted his right ankle sliding headfirst into third base in the Yankees' seven-run seventh inning on Tuesday, en route to a 12-3 victory over the Mariners. A half-inning later, Chien-Ming Wang took the mound for the eighth inning but was pulled with lower-back stiffness. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Now for the exhale. Though he complained that his ankle -- rolled over by Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre -- was "a little sore," Rodriguez underwent X-rays that came back negative, taken on the premises of Yankee Stadium following the game. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Rodriguez left open the possibility that he may need to rest on Wednesday, as the Yankees wrap up their Wild Card-tinged series with the Mariners. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"A little scary," said Rodriguez, who hit his Major League-leading 46th homer in the victory. "But we'll see how it feels in the morning." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I knew it was going to take me a long time to get to third base, and I didn't want bad news when I got there," manager Joe Torre said. "Then, when I saw him get up on his knees, it made me feel better. But that was scary, the way he went down. There's so many things that can happen." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Yankees explained Wang's stiffness by pointing to the lengthy seventh inning, in which New York sent 12 men to the plate against three Seattle pitchers. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">With a low pitch count and the Yankees having staked Wang to a large lead, the right-hander opened the eighth inning, throwing two pitches to pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed. Both offerings set off red flags in the mind of catcher Jorge Posada, who trotted to the mound and checked on Wang after Reed chopped to second base. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He asked me if I was OK," Wang said. "I said, 'I'm OK.' I could not get loose." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> That, Posada said, was enough to wave to the Yankees' bench for a coaching visit. Enough was enough. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I was not going to let him pitch," Posada said. "It just didn't look good -- the two pitches he threw, something about it didn't look right. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. He told me he felt tight, and I told the dugout to come out. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "You don't want him to get hurt. He's too valuable. I just wanted to make sure he was OK." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang said he received only normal ice treatment on the back and that he was feeling better after the game. Since he will not pitch on seven days' rest with a long layoff upcoming due to two off-days in the schedule, the Yankees had little concern the issue would follow him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Pitching coach Ron Guidry and Torre both blamed the stiffness on the lengthy preceding inning, since Wang opened the eighth at just 84 pitches. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Sitting down for 45 minutes, that's it," Guidry said. "Most of the time, it's five minutes, 10 minutes. When you sit down for 40 or 45 minutes, your back gets tight, especially late in the game." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"You could see when he threw the first couple of pitches, he didn't bend his back," Torre said. "It was just stiffness. It's not an issue. I think it was just a long inning." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Asked if Wang perhaps should have admitted that his back was stiff before opening the eighth inning, the catcher shuffled the question off to the 27-year-old right-hander. With 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball in the books on the way to win No. 17, Wang could do little wrong. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "You don't want him to get hurt," Posada said. "He's too valuable. I just wanted to make sure he was OK."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-20171902942389111142007-09-04T20:21:00.000-07:002007-09-04T20:24:32.672-07:00Wang's 17th extends Wild Card lead<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Wang's 17th extends Wild Card lead</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yankees righty pushes Mariners two back with 7 1/3 innings</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- There's no denying how much the Yankees need strong pitching performances every night, and there's no cheapening how valuable an ace like Chien-Ming Wang can be.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But when the Yankees' offense is clicking, it's hard to imagine any of that mattering.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Wang allowed one run in 7 1/3 innings against the Mariners, guiding the Yankees to a 12-3 win and pushing their American League Wild Card edge back to two games. And while the Yankees needed that dominance early, they weren't quite as dependent on it later, after the offense awoke for three runs in the sixth inning and seven more in the seventh to blast open the game.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees drilled four home runs in all -- one each from Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu, and two from Jorge Posada -- and tallied up 19 hits. Eight of those came in the seventh, when the Yankees sent 12 batters to the plate and scored more than half of them. By the time that rally was complete, every Yankees starter other than Hideki Matsui had collected at least one hit and one RBI, and Matsui reached base twice himself.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Abreu and Robinson Cano had four hits apiece, while A-Rod, Posada and Wilson Betemit also chipped in with multi-hit games. By the time Wang left the game in the eighth, the Yankees had already taken a 10-run lead and replaced a third of their regulars with reserves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> And in the end, all of that overshadowed Wang's brilliance. The right-hander needed only 86 pitches to cruise into the eighth, allowing just five hits and an isolated Adrian Beltre home run. He struck out only on7 but induced 17 ground-ball outs, leaving to a standing ovation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees survived a scare in the seventh inning, when Rodriguez, attempting to go from first to third base on a Posada single, slid headfirst into the third-base bag. A-Rod rolled over and clutched his right knee in pain, but after a short delay and a visit from the training staff, he remained in the game. Alberto Gonzalez replaced him for his second at-bat of the inning, with the Yankees having already built a 10-run lead.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-86978972221085567952007-09-04T05:08:00.000-07:002007-09-04T05:10:17.209-07:00Yanks expect Clemens to miss start<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/03/vVqnIRHs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/09/03/vVqnIRHs.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Yanks expect Clemens to miss start</span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Veteran out after four innings with elbow pain; MRI pending</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Roger Clemens was lifted from his start against the Mariners on Monday with right elbow discomfort that will likely force him to miss at least one start. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Clemens told Yankees manager Joe Torre that his elbow was troubling him during the fourth inning of a 7-1 loss to Seattle in which he allowed three runs, including a two-run double to Yuniesky Betancourt. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It didn't start bothering him until the fourth," Torre said. "In Roger's case, there are a lot of things that he deals with on a regular basis. I know we checked with him twice today before he went out." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The 45-year-old right-hander was sent for a MRI exam at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. In 16 starts plus one relief appearance for the Yankees, Clemens is 6-6 with a 4.45 ERA. He did not speak to reporters before leaving Yankee Stadium. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The elbow ailment, a grabbing sensation, is something that has bothered Clemens on and off this season, Torre said. Clemens dealt with the issue last season while pitching for the Astros, and Torre speculated that the pain could date as far back as Clemens' first go-round in pinstripes, which ended in 2003. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It's happened earlier this year, too, the same type of thing," Torre said. "He's dealt with it and come back and pitched some gems. ... It's something that comes and goes. It doesn't mean it's debilitating. It just means it's muscular stuff." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Catcher Jorge Posada said that he did not have any conversations on Monday about Clemens' discomfort, though he acknowledged that the Yankees have known about the current condition for at least one start. Clemens limited the Red Sox to one run and two hits over six innings in his last effort. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He had no limitations at all," Posada said. "I called every pitch like nothing was wrong. I didn't see anything wrong." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Because Clemens had been dealing with a variety of physical issues in the week following his start against Boston, including blisters on his right foot and general arm weariness, the Yankees were not even sure if he would make his scheduled start on Monday. Mike Mussina was dispatched to the bullpen for Clemens' warmup session just in case the Rocket had to be scratched, but Clemens insisted that he was ready for the ball. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Roger certainly knows his body better than anybody else," Torre said. "Just from my experience, I don't think there's a pitcher around that doesn't take some kind of baggage to the mound. The guy has been around for a long time. I have to really trust him to the point of what he has to deal with. It's not uncharted waters for him." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Torre said that the Yankees are likely to pass over Clemens' next turn in the rotation, which could line up for Friday or Saturday at Kansas City, depending on how the Yankees deal with Thursday's off-day. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I think for safety's sake, we're probably going to want to skip [Clemens] one time," Torre said. "Hopefully, that's all it is." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> That start could go to Mussina, who pitched 3 2/3 innings of two-run ball in relief on Monday in his first appearance since being lifted from the Yankees rotation following three ineffective starting performances. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I'll prepare for whenever it's going to be," Mussina said. "When you send somebody for a MRI, they tend to miss a turn. I might be pitching in Roger's turn the next time around. We'll wait and see."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-3324428546771368472007-09-03T06:25:00.000-07:002007-09-03T06:27:47.796-07:00Yanks drop finale against Rays<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Yanks drop finale against Rays</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pettitte allows decisive three-run homer in seventh inning</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Working out of a bases-loaded jam with only one run scoring in the sixth inning deposited a flash of fire in Andy Pettitte's eyes, his firm glare telling the Yankees' bench to stand clear. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Unfortunately for Pettitte, Carlos Pena didn't obey. The first baseman slugged a game-changing three-run homer and the Devil Rays blasted out an 8-2 victory over the Yankees, snapping Pettitte's six-start winning streak. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">For Pettitte, the Pena home run came on his 119th and final pitch of the afternoon. Though Yankees manager Joe Torre later admitted that the team had tried to grind toward a better outcome by having Pettitte start the new inning with 103 pitches, the left-hander had no regrets for taking on the seventh inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "They sent me back out there with a lot of pitches, and I wanted to be back out there on the mound," Pettitte said. "If you don't make a pitch late in the game after a guy has seen you four times already, if you accidentally hang something, they hurt you." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The damaging blow came on a lazy curveball to the biggest hitter in Tampa Bay's lineup, Pena, a Yankees Triple-A farmhand last season who tied a Devil Rays club record when his 34th homer landed in the right-field seats. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Andy didn't do anything wrong," Torre said. "I may have pushed the envelope with him in that last inning, but as far as the way he battled it over six innings, it was another effective start for him. He was hell-bent on going out there for the seventh, and we weren't going to try to talk him out of it, that's for sure." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Pettitte (12-8) had won his last six starts and 12 consecutive decisions against Tampa Bay. He lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs and 11 hits while walking two and striking out seven. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Dioner Navarro's third-inning home run off Pettitte boosted Tampa Bay to a 1-0 lead, the Rays catcher's seventh of the season. Pettitte experienced more control troubles in the sixth, leading to the second Tampa Bay run. He issued a walk to Carl Crawford, who moved to second on an errant pickoff throw, then stole third as Pena worked the count toward a base on balls. B.J. Upton brought home the run with a sacrifice fly to right. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Rays loaded the bases on hits to Delmon Young and Brendan Harris, but Pettitte came back to strike out Jonny Gomes and induced Josh Wilson to hit into a fielder's choice. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Devil Rays put the game out of reach by blasting Edwar Ramirez for two homers in the eighth: deep drives by Wilson, his second home run, and Akinori Iwamura, his sixth, a two-run shot. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But long before that, the Yankees were victims of sleepy offense on what Pettitte termed a "lethargic" afternoon at the Stadium -- a sunny Sunday afternoon with crisp autumn air, but little noise coming from a sellout crowd of 53,957. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "You want to get the game going," Pettitte said. "It felt like we couldn't get the crowd into it or anything. It felt like it was a little lethargic day out there. That's the frustrating part, more than anything. You're out there battling your tail off." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Then again, with Jason Hammel throwing an effectively wild performance, maybe the fans just didn't have all that much to clap their hands about. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "[Pettitte] pitched well. He gave us an opportunity to win," said Derek Jeter, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and may be in the market for another day of rest. "He threw the ball pretty well, and we had a couple of opportunities. We didn't get the job done." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The loudest point of the afternoon may have been the yelp let out by Andy Phillips in the fifth inning, drilled by a Hammel fastball on the right wrist. Examined at first base after shaking his arm vigorously down the basepath, Phillips took out some aggression on the catcher Navarro, crashing into the backstop as he slid home on Melky Cabrera's run-scoring double to right. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After scoring, Phillips walked straight down the clubhouse runway and off to an area hospital, on his way for a precautionary MRI and CT scan. He may as well have taken the Yankees' offense with him; except for Bobby Abreu's run-scoring triple off Grant Balfour in the seventh, New York managed little, stranding two in the sixth, two in the eighth and going down quietly in the ninth against Gary Glover. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We threatened," said left fielder Johnny Damon, who contributed an outfield assist to save a run in the fifth. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get that extra run in -- something that we've been pretty good at all year. We spoiled a good pitching outing by Pettitte again. We should have at least been able to push a few more runs across to make his job easier." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Hammel (2-4) scattered five hits in five-plus innings, walking none and striking out seven for the victory for the Devil Rays, who took two of three in the weekend series. The series was a bit of a dip in the slate for a Yankees club that cannot afford more of the same, particularly with the Wild Card-contending Mariners rolling to town Monday looking to snap their own malaise. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I don't think it matters who we play. Every team is going to play us tough," Jeter said. "We have to execute to give us an opportunity to win. We've been playing pretty good -- [Tampa Bay] beat us two out of three here, but we come right back."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-80056422306956069462007-09-01T00:28:00.000-07:002007-09-02T00:30:18.063-07:00Kennedy, A-Rod lift Yanks by Rays<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Kennedy, A-Rod lift Yanks by Rays</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Slugger homers, drives in four to help righty win in debut</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Somewhere between the curious, the unusual and the downright bizarre, Ian Kennedy found his niche.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The newest Yankee -- though at 22 years and counting, not quite the youngest -- was the only Yankee who seemed immune to the three-ring circus masquerading as a baseball field on Saturday afternoon. He ignored the errors. He brushed off the delays. And while the Yankees and Devil Rays were both unraveling around him, Kennedy remained calm.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> He was unfazed, yet amazed, and that was a combination deserving of one Major League win -- a 9-6 decision over the Rays -- and perhaps a chance at many more.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It felt like it was an out-of-body experience," Kennedy said. "My adrenaline was pumping so much."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> And for good reason. Kennedy retired the first four Major League hitters he faced in rapid succession, before two singles -- one of which was made possible only after Alex Rodriguez dropped a lazy foul pop fly -- and a double scored two runs. He stood at 63 pitches through three innings, seemingly destined to greet the Major Leagues as an anonymous rookie with an unremarkable debut.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Yet seven more pitches in the fourth produced three outs, and another 11 got him through the fifth. By the time B.J. Upton homered with one out in the sixth, Kennedy had tugged the game back under his control, and he steamrolled the final five Devil Rays he faced on a total of eight pitches.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Seven innings had come and gone by that point, and Kennedy had allowed just one earned run. He struck out six, walked two and earned not only the win, but countless high-fives and a giant bear hug from pitching coach Ron Guidry.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I think we're all surrogate parents," said manager Joe Torre. "You want him to do well and you're just hoping that everything goes well."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> It did for Kennedy, but not quite as well for everyone else. Aside from the errors -- the Yankees made two, the Devil Rays three -- Kennedy's debut was marred by a confusing episode early in the game, first Akinori Iwamura's bat, and then A-Rod's, was confiscated by umpires.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> For several minutes of a game that easily surpassed three hours, chaos reigned. Most of the players had little idea what was happening, while Kennedy stood bewildered on the mound in the midst of a rally that was threatening to become his undoing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Then, as oddly as it began, the commotion ceased. And one pitch later, Kennedy struck out Iwamura to end the threat.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Turns out Torre's decision to talk with umpires on the field may have had a healthy effect.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I had no idea what was going on," Kennedy said of Torre's argument on the field. "I'm glad he did. I was throwing way too many pitches that inning."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees' offense teed off early on a carousel of Rays pitchers, with A-Rod's four RBIs making a quick memory of his early error. With 10 hits in all, the Yankees scored enough so that when Jose Vizcaino later allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning -- forcing Torre to use Mariano Rivera for the final four outs -- that damage couldn't spoil the rookie's afternoon.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> And for Kennedy, Saturday marked more than a win. Saturday was an audition, and Torre was quick to note that his young rookie passed. After snatching up Mike Mussina's slot in the rotation, Kennedy will almost certainly pitch a second time, and from there, the possibilities only increase.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But with Kennedy in that spot, seemingly nothing had changed. The rookie's audition was a success because he played the part of Mussina perfectly -- right down to his trademark hunched back while pitching out of the stretch.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Mussina may yet regain his form, but for now, this new version of the old pitcher will work just fine.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It comes back to his poise," Torre said. "He just seemed very prepared to pitch this game."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Now, Kennedy has earned the opportunity to be even better. He can take tips from Roger Clemens, he can schmooze with Andy Pettitte. He can even take some pointers from Joba Chamberlain, a Minor League buddy who's been there, done that.<p. of="" first="" he="" ll="" need="" to="" gather="" the=""></p.></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I try not to be in awe of those guys," Kennedy said. "I knew that as soon as I started looking up to those guys, I didn't want to be shell-shocked at all. I just wanted to act like I belong."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> If it was indeed an act, then he fooled just about everyone. On Saturday, he did belong here, and he may just belong here for a long time. One glance at his freckled face and crooked smile summons visions of a boy who isn't meant to succeed in a game won by men. And then another look at his almost eerie composure proves that first glances don't amount to much.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> So in one sense, it was all an act. An awfully tough act to follow.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I got the chills [once the win was secured]," Kennedy said with the win finally secure. "Everybody came up and shook my hands, all the coaches. It came out great, and that's all I was hoping for."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-25471360728680651912007-08-31T07:57:00.000-07:002007-08-31T07:59:18.300-07:00Gator-aid: Wang's gem sinks Sox<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Gator-aid: Wang's gem sinks Sox</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Ace takes game to new level thanks to Guidry's guidance</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- They walked side-by-side out a blue concrete corridor, through the bowels of Yankee Stadium and up to street level: the 6-foot-3 ace hurler holding a good size advantage over the club's top pitcher some three decades prior. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Clutching a Coca-Cola cup and clad in a baggy Nike T-shirt, Chien-Ming Wang looked down at his pitching coach, Ron Guidry, listening attentively. Wang understood that, even within his afternoon's importance, he still had some growing to do. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Robinson Cano homered twice, completing a series sweep of the Red Sox with a 5-0 victory on Thursday. Wang allowed just one hit, but it was the free passes -- four of them -- that chafed both teacher and pupil, vowing to improve upon for next time. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Back to the drawing board," Guidry said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">One day after Roger Clemens took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Wang did one better, bringing the game into the seventh with the suddenly-dormant Boston offense still holding a zero in the hit column. Mike Lowell finally broke up the no-no bid with a single to right, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The right-hander, in command of his sinker, slider and changeup, walked four batters but was able to escape the big hit on his way to victory No. 16, tying for the Major League lead. He even garnered defensive help from an unlikely source -- first baseman Jason Giambi, who dove to his right to stab a Dustin Pedroia shot to end the third inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Part of Wang's success may stem back to changes made prior to his Aug. 19 start against Detroit, when Guidry began incorporating several small, hard-to-notice mechanical adjustments. Wang said he has also modified his pitch selection. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"The last two times, I have a lot of change of speeds," Wang said. "More sliders, more changeups. [Catcher Jorge] Posada calls good pitches." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "He's such a joy to work with," Guidry said. "He works hard, even as successful as he is. He still takes your criticism you give him so he can get better." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The victory, completing a sweep on the heels of strong pitching from Andy Pettitte and Clemens, moved New York into sole possession of the American League Wild Card lead. New York closed within five games of the AL East-leading Red Sox. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "We know we're better than what we did in Detroit," manager Joe Torre said, referring to a lost weekend in which the Yankees dropped three of four. "There wasn't anything we had to answer to. You're going to do as well as your pitching, and our starting pitching in this series was terrific." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Those were welcome turns of events for the Yankees, considering their dismal 2-5 road trip to Anaheim and Detroit. Now, with 28 games remaining, optimism abounded. </span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Nothing's over until your last out," Cano said. "We've got a month left. We've got to keep playing hard and win games." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Cano had both of the first two big hits for the Yankees, reaching Curt Schilling twice to club his second multi-homer game of the season. Cano drilled a line-drive homer to left-center off Schilling to lead off the third inning and then went right back to Monument Park to start the fifth, drawing a curtain call from the paid matinee crowd of 55,067. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It was a big game," Torre said, "to have a big game." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Bobby Abreu added an important RBI double off Hideki Okajima in the eighth, the 400th two-base hit of his career. A Jason Varitek throwing error down the left-field line on Abreu's steal attempt allowed two more runs to score. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Schilling lasted seven innings, allowing just the two home runs and six hits, walking one and striking out four. Three of the hits were by Jeter, who singled in the eighth off Okajima to complete a four-hit afternoon. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We need every game," Jeter said. "I'd tell you the same thing if we beat a high school team three games in a row. We need victories, no matter who we play." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Red Sox manager Terry Francona was ejected on a controversial double play in the seventh, as J.D. Drew grounded to third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who lunged for Kevin Youkilis but missed the tag before throwing to first base. Youkilis was ruled out when Torre complained that Youkilis had run out of the baseline to avoid Rodriguez's tag, planting his feet on the infield grass. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Alex wasn't trying just to make a token tag, he reached out," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Joba Chamberlain threw his 11th scoreless inning around a Pedroia double in the eighth, then unexpectedly returned for duty in the ninth, a decision revolving around pitch count and the lack of a save situation for the warmed-up Mariano Rivera. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Every once in a while," Torre said, "we're going to take certain liberties." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The maneuver did not constitute a change to the so-called "Joba Rules" which have restricted his use, according to general manager Brian Cashman, just a planned evolution. Cashman insisted that he had no issue with Torre's use of Chamberlain, but did say that he would prefer if the parameters of the "Joba Rules" would remain in-house. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"From my perspective, we have not deviated from anything," Cashman said. "There's a game plan in place and we're sticking to it." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After getting one out in the ninth, Chamberlain was ejected by home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez after twice sailing pitches over Youkilis' head. Chamberlain's final pitch was clocked at 98 mph and drew an immediate reaction from Hernandez. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"There is more than a little bit of history between these clubs," said crew chief Derryl Cousins, the second base umpire. "Those were two pretty nasty pitches the young man threw. Up here, you need to be a little better throwing strikes, and we just had to put a lid on it before there was a problem." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The move left Chamberlain stunned, meandering around the infield between home plate and first base while Torre pleaded his case with the umpiring crew. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I'm new to this whole game," Chamberlain said. "I want to be aggressive and competitive, but not with a negative connotation."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-54039345596494187082007-08-30T05:28:00.001-07:002007-08-30T05:33:50.392-07:00Once-lost race finds renewed hope<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/30/AKdwMOGA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/30/AKdwMOGA.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Once-lost race finds renewed hope</span></span> <div class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:100%;" >Clemens mimics Pettitte, pulling Yankees closer to Red Sox</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />NEW YORK -- It's a major mood swing in the Bronx. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The same team that appeared over the weekend to be losing even a feeble grasp on what remained of the 2007 season has, over the past two nights, looked a great deal like the New York Yankees. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> This is what happens to anybody, even the Yankees, when the starting pitchers have performances that vary from woefully ineffective to totally competent. A situation that appeared to be somewhere between out of hand and hopeless against the Detroit Tigers a few nights ago now, against the Boston Red Sox, seems to hold renewed hope. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The encore from Andy Pettitte's sturdy start in the opener of this series came from Roger Clemens on Wednesday night. Clemens, at 45, is no longer the Rocket, but he did just win his 354th game. Only seven men have won more, although all of them made considerably less money. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Clemens, truth be told, was one of the culprits in the Yankees' 1-3 Detroit series, giving up six runs in five innings in his last start. But he regrouped in a large way, in a perfect setting, against the Red Sox. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Clemens held Boston hitless for 5 1/3 innings. It is true that during this time, he walked a season-high five batters and a hit a batter, but this was still work of obvious quality. David Ortiz ended the no-hitter with a solo home run, but Clemens worked through a difficult sixth as though he was, you know, Roger Clemens. He emerged giving up only one run on two hits for the evening, and he left with a 3-1 lead. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The difficulties for the evening were not at an end, because Kyle Farnsworth, to the surprise of no one who had been paying attention, surrendered a two-run home run to Kevin Youkilis in the eighth. This eventually required a four-out save from Mariano Rivera, but Rivera was, as usual, up to the task at hand, keeping the situation well under control with four harmless ground-ball outs. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees' 4-3 victory brought them to within six games of the Red Sox in the American League East. That isn't exactly the thick of the hunt at this juncture, but the bonus was that the outcome put the Yanks in a virtual tie with the Seattle Mariners for the AL Wild Card lead. And given the circumstances, Wild Card should not be regarded as two four-letter words, but one gold-plated opportunity. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The variable for the Yankees is the pitching. Their high-powered offense is a virtual given, at least during the regular season. When the starting pitching falters, the next thing you know, you're on the short end of a 16-0 embarrassment. But when the starting pitching performs as expected, you can beat the team with baseball's best record two nights in a row and this will appear to be a matter of routine. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "If we get good pitching, we have a chance to win ... all the games," said outfielder Johnny Damon, who paused a bit during that thought but finished up on a relentlessly positive note. </span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> When Yankees manager Joe Torre was asked on Wednesday night about the difference between the road trip and the last two nights, he returned directly to the pitching theme. Torre suggested that he had said this often enough recently that people might be getting tired of him saying this sort of thing. But for people who understand the game, talking about the importance of pitching is something like a mantra. It can be chanted -- repeatedly, comfortably. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "The thing that we know has to happen is that we have to pitch to win," Torre said. "We need to pitch, and if you don't pitch, there are a lot of teams in this league that will beat your brains out." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Boston would be one of those brains-beaters, but neither Pettitte nor Clemens was about to allow any cranial damage. The difficult issue with Clemens on Wednesday night might have been how he could have possibly been taken out if he was pitching a no-hitter. You can't have a 45-year-old man throwing a limitless number of pitches, but you can't pull Roger Clemens out of a no-hit start, can you? </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Torre said this might have been resolved by speaking with Clemens about it. Ortiz's home run made the question moot, but Clemens said that a no-hitter was definitely not on his radar at this late date, anyway. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "That was not my concern," Clemens said. "I had plenty of other things going on." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Clemens said he had been "battling through some things," one of which came down to this basic human dilemma: "I'm asking my body to be 25 again." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But Clemens was in charge of another basic premise -- the need for the Yankees' starters to string together a long series of effective outings. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "When I'm in a slot behind Andy and he's on a roll, I need to go out there and perform," Clemens said. "And I didn't do that in Detroit." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But he did it at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night. And two consecutive high-quality starts, timed perfectly against the Red Sox, were enough to turn what looked like an impossible situation into a situation that was merely really difficult.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-70015858670199970942007-08-29T07:28:00.000-07:002007-08-29T07:31:47.624-07:00Mussina out of rotation; Kennedy up<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/29/HWv6fzrX.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/29/HWv6fzrX.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Mussina out of rotation; Kennedy up</span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Veteran may return to starting staff after being skipped once</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />NEW YORK -- Mike Mussina could not find the answers to correct his recent lackluster performances, and the Yankees have run out of opportunities to fix them on the field. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Yankees manager Joe Torre confirmed on Tuesday that the club will skip the 38-year-old right-hander for at least his next turn through the rotation. Instead, Ian Kennedy, a highly touted Minor League prospect, will make his big league debut on Saturday against the Devil Rays. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Torre said he broke the news to Mussina in a one-on-one meeting after the Yankees completed batting practice on Tuesday, prior to a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He was disappointed," Torre said. "That's one of the tough conversations to have to have. He was down about it. But he's a teammate -- he was out there at the end of the game, shaking hands like everybody else." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mussina's performance fell off rapidly following a four-start winning streak that carried him into mid-August. The veteran allowed nine hits and six runs over three innings in a 16-0 Yankees loss at Detroit on Monday; his last three starts have produced 25 hits and 20 runs (19 earned) over 9 2/3 innings, a 17.69 ERA. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Overall, Mussina is 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA in 23 starts for New York this season, the first year of a two-year, $23 million contract signed over the winter. He did not speak to reporters before leaving Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Torre said that he encouraged Mussina to continue his normal throwing program and left open the possibility that Mussina could rejoin the rotation after the Devil Rays series. Torre seemed to rule out the idea of using Mussina in relief. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I'm really not thinking about him as a guy coming out of the bullpen," Torre said. "We'll skip the one start and see what we see. We'll look at it and we'll make an evaluation." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Kennedy, 22, was the Yankees' first-round selection in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Southern California. A finesse pitcher who has been compared to Mussina in terms of his command and approach, Kennedy features a low-90s fastball, a changeup, a knuckle-curve and a slider as part of his repertoire. </span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We're at a point in the season, with 30 games left, [where] we're going to take what we can and run out whatever we can for as long as we can," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Like the Yankees' Joba Chamberlain, Kennedy will be completing a meteoric jump from Class A ball to the Major Leagues in his first full professional season. Kennedy was 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) for Class A Tampa and went 5-1 with a 2.59 ERA in nine starts for Double-A Trenton before joining the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">At Triple-A, Kennedy had gone 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts, walking 11 and striking out 34 in 34 2/3 innings. Opposing batters hit just .182 against Kennedy in 146 1/3 cumulative Minor League innings, though he suffered his first International League loss in his last start, an Aug. 25 defeat at Buffalo in which he allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He's my best friend and didn't even text [message] me," Chamberlain said. "I'm going to have to get on him about that. It's great. He deserves all of it. I can't wait for him to get up here and experience what's been going on. To see the young guys come in and help, that's great. He deserves every single thing that he's got. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He's got great mound presence. He understands how to pitch and how to get outs. He's going to do a great job, and it's going to be exciting to see a guy that I've learned to love. To be able to watch him from A-ball to the big leagues in one year is going to be amazing." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Kennedy is primed to become the eighth rookie pitcher to start a game for the Yankees this season, joining Tyler Clippard, Matt DeSalvo, Phil Hughes, Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner and Chase Wright. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Hughes, who last pitched on Sunday at Detroit, said that the promise of promoting top-level talent to the Major Leagues has renewed hope in a system that was once well-known for shipping out young players as bait for more experienced personnel. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"That's the way it was for a while," Hughes said. "Now, a lot of guys are getting opportunities. It's definitely different. Instead of saying, 'I'll never get out of this spot that I'm in,' [players are saying], 'When am I going to get out of this spot?' I haven't been around that long, but it's definitely changed from when I was first here."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-33623686046223376672007-08-25T01:16:00.000-07:002007-08-26T01:19:04.127-07:00Timely hitting gives Wang win No. 15<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Timely hitting gives Wang win No. 15</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Damon's power contributes to Yanks' four-run sixth vs. Tigers</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />DETROIT -- As a rainy marathon inched past midnight and into the early-morning hours, the Yankees literally had to shoo Chien-Ming Wang from the dugout bench at Comerica Park, urging him to flag down a hotel-bound cab and rest. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Begrudgingly, Wang left his teammates and had to later be filled in on the sour details of an extra-inning loss to the Tigers. But the Yankees were glad that he had, especially as Wang pitched eight strong innings and put a win on the board on Saturday night. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wang allowed two runs (one earned) in a performance that showcased the best of his arsenal, Johnny Damon flashed new life with a home run and Melky Cabrera legged out a three-run triple as the Yankees defeated the Tigers, 7-2. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Everybody out there understood how important this game was, especially after last night's loss," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "We need to minimize bad stuff." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Wondering if his team was somewhat lethargic after an 11-inning loss to Detroit on Friday, Torre called a brief team meeting before Saturday's game. He said that the gist of his speech was to urge players to put any lingering questions of the umpires' decision to play the game behind them; under orders from Major League Baseball, the crew waited out a four-hour, one-minute rain delay and allowed play to begin shortly after 11 p.m. ET. Torre's advice: Forget it. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It's over with, let's move on," Torre said. "That's basically all it was." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Given that urging, the Yankees showed signs of renewal. Wang had won four of his last five decisions but, over that span, struggled at times with aggressiveness and trust in his sinker. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> After a slow start in the first two innings, he was much improved on Saturday, calling his performance more "smooth." Wang limited Detroit to five hits in a two-walk, six-strikeout effort and credited an adjustment to take advantage of his natural pitch movement. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Before, I tried to make pitches to the corner," said Wang, who threw more sinkers and showed better control. "Today, I threw it over the plate." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The bullpen-saving outing offered all New York relievers a day of rest except Brian Bruney, who pitched the ninth inning on Saturday but had not appeared in the extra-inning defeat. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We went through a lot last night," said catcher Jorge Posada. "Wang really stepped up tonight. He was really good today -- really poised, really comfortable and attacking the strike zone. He was doing a lot of things well." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Tigers scored a first-inning run off Wang when Placido Polanco singled, stole second and scored on a Magglio Ordonez single. Detroit drew to within one run when a sloppy battery display took hold in the fifth, as a passed ball and wild pitch brought Brandon Inge home. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But otherwise, Detroit was kept scoreless. Much of the credit may lie within Wang's work with pitching coach Ron Guidry, who has urged the right-hander to quicken his delivery slightly so as to generate more power as he drives toward the plate. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I told him, 'Just be more aggressive,'" Guidry said. "He has the ability, when you watch him, to throw it nice and easy and the ball still explodes out of his hand. We've talked about it in the bullpen, being more aggressive at certain times in the game." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Those tweaks translating to an efficient performance, Torre said the Yankees were even tempted to send Wang out for the ninth inning, but they capped his night at 107 pitches after the Yankees had a lengthy top of the inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Backing Wang (15-6), the Yankees opened up the game in the sixth with a rarity of back-to-back triples off Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman, who lost his sixth consecutive decision. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Cabrera sliced a bases-loaded drive down the right-field line for a three-base hit; Bonderman's next pitch was ripped to center field, where Curtis Granderson attempted a diving catch, but the ball ticked off his glove and fell to the ground as Damon raced for third. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Bonderman (10-7) allowed seven runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out none. He surrendered a two-run double up the left-center-field gap to Hideki Matsui in the first inning, one of three hits for Matsui, who has hit safely in 44 of 48 games and appears to be taking to the designated hitter spot -- sporadic as it may be -- with aplomb. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> In a limited sample size of 75 at-bats as the Yankees' DH, Matsui has 26 hits, an average of .347. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"To DH on a periodic basis is, in a way to me, kind of refreshing," Matsui said through an interpreter. "You get into the game with that kind of feeling and it kind of reflects the numbers." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Damon hit a solo home run, his eighth, leading off the third. Torre said that with Damon's performances, he sees new spirit: the injury-nagged Damon who ached through most of the first half is gone now, replaced by a player whom Torre says will see regular duty down the stretch. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "To me, he's got a lot of life in his body," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">That was one reason the outfielder was in the lineup against the Tigers. Another was Damon's apparent mastery of Bonderman; with two hits in four trips on Saturday against the right-hander, Damon improved to 14-for-32 (.437) lifetime when facing him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Damon still sees left field as an adjustment that is continuing -- he joked that the first ball hit to him on Saturday appeared as though it was "300 feet in the air," and that he was just hoping not to have it hit him in the head -- but with the Yankees needing contributions, Damon has little choice but to accept whatever he's offered. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I've been there before," Damon said. "I feel like I'm going to try to finish up strong and stay healthy. This is going to be a tough team to beat down the stretch."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-21675422854531617422007-08-23T08:41:00.000-07:002007-08-23T08:42:44.766-07:00Clemens passing the torch to rookies<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/23/Hg4vsXTf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/23/Hg4vsXTf.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Clemens passing the torch to rookies</span></span> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hughes, Chamberlain soaking in advice from veteran Rocket</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />Most of the Yankees were filtering out of a visiting clubhouse in Anaheim this week, scattering to the streets. Only a partially cracked weight room door provided a glimpse to Roger Clemens' inner workings. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">As Mike Mussina finished dissecting a troubled start, many exited, their night complete as the clock inched toward 3 a.m. on the East Coast. But duties weren't yet over for Clemens, who grunted dozens of biceps curls into a mirror before finally permitting himself to leave the premises. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Once again, the reminder was served: It is no accident that Clemens has pitched as well as he has, for as long as he has. For the youngest Yankees, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, Clemens is a constant inspiration through perspiration. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It was great to know you've got somebody like that coming in, and somebody who's so willing to talk, willing to learn, willing to teach," Chamberlain said. "He's 45 years young and he still wants to teach. He had great teachers when he was growing up, and you can tell that he wants to continue the legacy that was brought upon him to the younger generation." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Yankees' early season financial pitch for Clemens was based upon a need for a quality starting pitcher at the Major League level, a service that the future Hall of Famer has consistently provided. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> But just as he did with the Houston Astros, where sweaty afternoons were spent in workouts with starry eyed Minor Leaguers, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner has offered instruction and advice to Yankees prospects whenever possible. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Obviously, they're paying him money to go out and perform, but he feels like the other part of this job is to help us out and mentor," Hughes said. "There's only so much you can do in this game that he hasn't already done. I think he likes the fact that he's passing the torch, in a sense." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Chamberlain and Hughes both had the opportunity to borrow from the Rocket's wisdom when all three spent time at the Yankees' player development complex in Tampa, Fla., earlier this summer. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> During one of Clemens' rehab sessions, firing tuneup offerings toward his eventual Yankee Stadium relaunch against the Pirates, the hurler invited a group of prospects to observe and ask questions -- partially to help inform and pass on knowledge gleaned from 24 seasons of big league service, and also because Clemens may have been curious as to the thought process of the younger generation. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We had some good times in Tampa," Clemens said. "I think that was the most important thing, and they paid attention. Every step of the way that I was working on coming back -- which was real important to me -- they hung out a little bit longer and watched. Now that I get to see them actually learning on the go, it's kind of fun to watch." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Hughes' last start, a Monday effort at Angel Stadium -- the California native's nearest big league facility as a youngster -- yielded the most promising results since he returned to the big league squad from injuries. Meanwhile, every Chamberlain appearance continues to be an event; wielding an electric fastball and a biting slider, Chamberlain struck out the side in an inning Wednesday against the Angels, including fanning Vladimir Guerrero for the final out. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"They're going to obviously play a big part in what's going to happen here," Clemens said. "The quicker they can understand to get a good workout routine and get a solid base that they can count on, the Yankees are planning on them being a big part of that new stadium across the way." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Projecting Chamberlain and Hughes as pillars of the Yankees' new facility rising between Jerome and River Avenues in the Bronx may be tricky business, but for manager Joe Torre, it's easy to look past age in favor of mature attitudes. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> That, Torre said, is one of the most impressive aspects of sending a pair of 21-year-olds out on a regular basis: neither seems to be intimidated, only to belong. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"They're all going to be judged on how they handle the pot holes, and that's where pretty much the jury is still out, because we haven't seen that yet," Torre said. "But again, knowing their makeup, I think they've sort of been forewarned." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">For Chamberlain, who completed a meteoric rise from Class A Tampa to the big leagues in his first full pro season, Clemens' most striking lesson has revolved around proper workout programs and conditioning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "The biggest thing was to treat your body like a temple. What you put into it is what you're going to get out of it," Chamberlain said. "You can have your fun, but you also have to realize when it's time to flip the switch and time to get to work. You can do everything you set your mind to -- you just have to be patient and work hard." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">For both Chamberlain and Hughes, early success has convincingly proven that they have been blessed with standout talent. But that is just the beginning of the lesson, for as Clemens warns, such gifts have an indefinite shelf life against similarly superb athletes. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "They wouldn't be here if they didn't have the makeup," Clemens said. "I've encouraged them to get something that they can believe in and count on, and take with them for a long time. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "They'll have to adjust, because people will adjust to them once they see them enough. That's all part of it. If you can survive on talent for four or five years, you're going to have to make adjustments from there on."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-27109342163953405452007-08-23T08:39:00.000-07:002007-08-23T08:40:55.342-07:00Pettitte thumbs aside Angels<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="hl"><span style="font-size:180%;">Pettitte thumbs aside Angels</span></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="subHeadLite"><span style="font-size:100%;">Fifth straight win for pitcher prevents sweep in Anaheim</span></div> <div class="byLine"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com<br /></span><br />ANAHEIM -- Andy Pettitte was the stopper once more for the Yankees' Southern California troubles, logging his fifth consecutive victory by posting an 8-2 victory over the Angels on Wednesday. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Behind Pettitte's seven innings of one-run ball, the Yankees salvaged the finale of a three-game series at Angel Stadium, moving back within five games of the Red Sox in the AL East and 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the AL Wild Card race. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Andy knows when it's important for us to win, but every time he goes to the mound it's important for him to win," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "This game was enormously important." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Always a strong second-half performer, Pettitte has been especially on point as the Yankees pursue their postseason hopes, limiting opponents to eight earned runs over his last 35 innings. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> As he did following his last victory, Pettitte credited small mechanical adjustments made prior to an Aug. 12 start at Cleveland for his resurgence of late. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I'm really just feeling good," Pettitte said. "My command's been there and that's the key. I'm throwing my stuff for strikes and my two-seamer has been there. It's been a big pitch for me. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Whenever you don't have command of the outside corner, and I lost it [earlier in the season], it's frustrating and it's difficult to pitch. Obviously I was running deep into counts with everybody. Not being able to throw deep into games is frustrating for me." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> He didn't have that problem on Wednesday, pitching in front of a sellout crowd of 44,326 at the Big A. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Striking out six and walking two, Pettitte's only real blemish in a five-hit performance came in the sixth inning, as Orlando Cabrera hit a home run past the 387-foot mark in left-center to tie the game. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The Yankees regained the lead in the seventh, scoring twice on run-scoring hits by Melky Cabrera and Derek Jeter. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"You always have confidence when he's pitching," Jeter said. "Today, he was as good as he's been all year. They have a tough team and they don't strike out much. They put the ball in play, and they're pests on the basepaths. He made one mistake and I don't even know if you can call it a mistake." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">On both sides, Pettitte and Angels starter John Lackey locked heads, with each pitcher surrendering just one run through the first six innings before New York pulled away. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He was in a good rhythm and so was I," Pettitte said. "We were getting some quick outs. That's always nice to be able to do. It was just a good game." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In the seventh, Cabrera brought home Jorge Posada with a hard one-out single through the right side, breaking a 4-for-34 slide for the outfielder. Jeter added an RBI hit to right field that scored Robinson Cano, before Jeter was thrown out at second base to end the inning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Bobby Abreu padded the Yankees' lead with a home run leading off the eighth, chasing Lackey, who came up short in his attempt to become the Major Leagues' first 16-game winner this season. The right-hander allowed 10 hits and four runs in seven-plus innings, walking three and striking out four. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Cano and Hideki Matsui each had three of New York's 16 hits, helping to fluff a late cushion for rookie Joba Chamberlain, who struck out the side around a single in the eighth. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The final out the 21-year-old Chamberlain recorded was a swinging strikeout of Vladimir Guerrero, who waved at a biting slider in the dirt for Chamberlain's 14th strikeout in just eight innings of Major League service. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"That's big no matter who you're facing, and especially a guy of Vlad's status," Chamberlain said. "He goes up there to take care of business and that's what he does best." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mariano Rivera surrendered a run in the ninth inning but recorded the final three outs for the Yankees, who won just three of nine games against the Angels this season and would not see the scrappy club again until a potential postseason series. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> The game also marked Torre's 1,150th win as Yankees manager, passing Casey Stengel for sole possession of second place on the franchise list behind Joe McCarthy (1,460). </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "That's the biggest one for me," Torre said. "This was my lifetime, when I was growing up in the '40s and '50s in New York, during the five straight championships. Casey was obviously the architect of this whole thing. I'm very proud of this."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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<!-- End: AdBrite --></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157181015226649073.post-64500841070610333712007-08-22T08:36:00.000-07:002007-08-23T08:39:00.921-07:00Notes: Out of left field, Betemit is busy<span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/22/FCipYLD4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/08/22/FCipYLD4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes: Out of left field, Betemit is busy</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mussina 'awful,' but his arm is fine; Henn saves the bullpen</span></span></span><br />By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com</span><br /><br />ANAHEIM -- The Yankees had a pretty good idea of what Wilson Betemit might offer, part of the reason that he merited pursuit leading up to two consecutive trade deadlines. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">After getting their man on the second try, the Yankees have been happy to see their scouting pay off. The 25-year-old has driven in 15 runs through his first 34 at-bats and, as a bonus, has taken well to first base. He earned another start on Wednesday. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"We know what he has," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "We know he has the ability to get your attention as a hitter. He's gotten some big hits for us in the few times that he's played. I think he's a real plus for this organization." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Betemit's 13th home run of the year -- and third as a Yankee -- came in the ninth inning Tuesday, with an 18-9 blowout loss at Angel Stadium reaching conclusion. The swings meant little in the course of the outcome, but the Yankees have had to find ways to keep Betemit sharp -- an effort he has been pleasantly surprised by. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Coming over from the Dodgers on July 31, Betemit said he was unsure of how much playing time the Yankees would be able to offer him, especially since his primary position -- third base -- was manned by All-Star Alex Rodriguez, in the midst of a banner season. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "I didn't [know] how much time I would play here," Betemit said. "But I've been playing almost three times a week. To get that much playing time in here, I didn't know that. I knew I wouldn't play every day because they've got guys like A-Rod and Derek Jeter. Those guys have to play every day." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But Betemit has found opportunities at first base, joining a heavily populated mix that continues to include Andy Phillips as well as occasional appearances by Jason Giambi and Shelley Duncan. Torre pointed out that Betemit has been among the more frequent workers in early batting practice, practicing and moving about the bag. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Right now, I know it's much better," Betemit said. "It feels good. I'm doing it right now, and that's what I have to do -- go out there and swing my bat, play my defense and play hard." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">That ethic is serving to help his versatility in what could progress to be a true utility role or even a starting slot down the road. Already, Betemit has played five positions as a Yankee, including two of them for the first time in the big leagues -- first base and left field. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He can do a lot of things and he's not afraid to work," Torre said. "We've had him out here. He feels he needs to learn and he has to do it. It's nice to have that attitude to go along with the fact that he's going to be part of this organization's future." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Give it an A-Rest:</b> Torre had toyed with the idea of benching Rodriguez for the series finale against the Angels on Wednesday, citing that his energy appeared to be dragging, but three home runs in two games here reversed that in a hurry. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "It was just something we played with and never really made a decision on," Torre said. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Torre said that the Yankees' off-day Thursday could suffice for Rodriguez, who led the Major Leagues with 42 home runs entering Wednesday. Having already lost the first two games against the Angels, the Yankees need their heavy hitters for the potential playoff run. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Checking in:</b> Mike Mussina called his start Tuesday "awful," allowing seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, and Torre checked in with the right-hander the day after to make sure there were no further developments that needed attention. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Torre said he ascertained that the right-hander had two good bullpen sessions leading into his two poor starts, leading the Yankees to believe that injury is not the issue. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> "His arm feels so good," Torre said. "That's what's so frustrating for him. He doesn't remember the last time he's ever walked two guys in a row in the first inning." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mussina will have another start on Monday and, leading up to it, the club will watch his side sessions closely to place the root of the problem. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"He knows the game he pitched yesterday; we need better than that," Torre said. "He's not ignoring that fact. Hopefully the extra day [of rest] does something for him and he can be more of the guy that we think he could be." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Bullet boy:</b> Left-hander Sean Henn helped save the Yankees' bullpen for Wednesday night, soaking up three innings on an evening when he originally wasn't even supposed to pitch after getting up three times on Monday. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Though Torre credited Henn with "taking a bullet," Henn shrugged off the credit. The five runs the Angels scored off Henn on Tuesday likely took some of the shine away. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Somebody's going to have to do it," Henn said. "I'm here to pitch. Anytime they ask me if I want to go another one (inning), I'm going to say yes, unless I just can't." </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> With Mussina out of answers in the second inning, Henn said the Yankees' relievers knew they were in for a heavy workload. The fact that they made it through 20 outs without spoiling Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaino, Joba Chamberlain or Mariano Rivera for Wednesday's finale was crucial. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"You're really looking for double plays and things like that to help the starter out," Henn said. "You're really just hoping he gets through an inning, and hopefully it clicks for him. We knew that we were already short [for the middle innings]. There's days like that." </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Bombers bits:</b> Mussina's 1 2/3-inning start on Tuesday was his shortest since Sept. 27, 2005, at Baltimore, also 1 2/3 innings. ... Rodriguez (506 homers) has passed Eddie Murray for sole possession of 21st place on the all-time list. ... Robinson Cano is in a 5-for-30 (.167) skid, while Melky Cabrera is 4-for-32 (.154). </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Coming up:</b> Following an off-day Thursday, the Yankees open a four-game series with the Tigers on Friday in Detroit. Roger Clemens (5-5, 3.92 ERA) makes his 14th start for New York and will go for his third straight victory, opposed by left-hander Andrew Miller. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET on My9.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><!-- Begin: AdBrite -->
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