The New York Yankees are taken down in Chicago

The New  York Yankees were defeated by the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.  The game took place at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois and the final score was 8-2 White Sox.  Bryan Mitchell started and he wasn't very good and Diego Moreno out of the pen was bad.  The Yankees offense didn't do much, Brian McCann hit a homerun. 

Mitchell pitched four innings giving up seven hits and four runs with two walks and five strikeouts.  Mitchell lost his first game of the season.   Moreno pitched three innings giving up four hits and four runs with a walk and Nick Rumbelow pitched a perfect inning.  

John Danks won his sixth game of the season pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up three hits and a run with four walks and eight strikeouts.  Jake Petricka pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit, Zach Duke pitched to two batters and retired them both and Zach Putnam pitched two innings giving up a hit and a run with a walk and two strikeouts. 

Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk, Alex Rodriguez drew a walk and Mark Teixeira drew a walk.  Chris Young drew a walk, Chase Headley had a hit and drew a walk and John Ryan Murphy had a hit.  McCann had a hit and an RBI and Brendan Ryan had a hit.  Didi Gregorius had a hit and an RBI, Murphy hit a double and McCann hit a homerun.  The Yankees were 1-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

Adam Eaton had two hits and drew a walk, Tyler Saladino had a hit and an RBI and Jose Abreu had a hit and an RBI.  Melky Cabrera had two hits, three RBI and drew a walk, Avisail Garcia had a hit and Adam Laroche drew a walk.  Alexei Ramirez had two hits and two RBI, Tyler Flowers had two hits and Abreu, Flowers and Ramirez each hit a double.  Ramirez and Cabrera each hit a homerun and the White Sox were 3-6 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Saladino had a stolen base. 

In the first Abreu hit an RBI double to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead.  In the second Ramirez hit a solo homerun to make it 2-0 White Sox.  In the third Gregorius was robbed of a three run homerun but it was a sac fly to cut the lead to 2-1.  In the fifth Saldino hit an RBI single making it 3-1 and Cabrera hit a three run homerun to extend the lead to 6-1.  In the seventh Ramirez hit an RBI double to make it 7-1 White Sox.  A wild pitch made it 8-1 and McCann hit a solo homerun in the ninth to make it 8-2 which was the final score.  The two teams will play game three which will be the rubber game of the series.  The Yankees will also be looking to finish their ten game road trip with a winning record.  They are 5-4 currently on the road trip. 

The New York Mets defeat the San Francisco Giants in extra innings

The New York Mets defeated the San Francisco Giants by the score of 8-7 in ten innings. The game took place at AT+T Park in San Francisco, California. Jeremy Hefner started for the Mets and hung in there. The Mets bullpen did an ok job and the offense was led by Scott Hairston. Madison Bumgarner started for the Giants and pitched well there bullpen was good and bad. The Giants offense was led by Nate Schierholtz who was traded on Tuesday afternoon. 
Hefner pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up 10 hits and four runs. He walked three and struck out five. Ramon Ramirez pitched 1/3 of an inning walking a batter, Tim Byrdak pitched one inning giving up a hit and striking out two and Jon Rauch pitched a perfect inning. Bobby Parnell pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs, Josh Edgin got charged with a blown save but also won his first game of the season. He pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts and Manny Acosta saved his first game of the season. He pitched one inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks. Bumgarner pitched six innings giving up six hits and two runs with two walks and nine strikeouts. Brad Penny pitched a perfect inning, Sergio Romo pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up four hits and four runs with a strikeout and Javier Lopez pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings. Santiago Casilla lost his fifth game of the season pitching 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs with a walk and a strikeout. Clay Hensley pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out one.

Ruben Tejada had a hit, Andres Torres had two hits and Jordany Valdespin had a hit. David Wright had a hit, Hairston had two hits and three RBI and Jason Bay had a hit and drew two walks. Ronny Cedeno had a hit and two RBI, Justin Turner had a hit and an RBI and Mike Baxter had a hit. Rob Johnson had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk. Cedeno and Turner each hit a double and Hairston hit two homeruns. The Mets were 3-8 with runners in scoring position and they left eight men on base. Hairston, Bay and Valdespin each had a stolen base. Johnson had a passed ball.

Marco Scutaro had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, Ryan Theriot had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Melky Cabrera had two hits and an RBI. Buster Posey had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, Eli Whiteside had a walk and Schierholtz had three hits, two RBI and drew a walk. Brandon Belt had two hits, Brandon Crawford had a hit and drew a walk and Justin Christian drew a walk. Bumgarner had a hit, Aubrey Huff had an RBI and Joaquin Arias had a hit. Posey hit two doubles, Scutaro and Schierholtz each hit a double. The Giants were 5-18 with runners in scoring position and they left 15 men on base. Theriot committed an error.

Scutaro had a sacrifice fly in the third to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. In the fourth Cedeno hit a two run double to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. In the fifth Cabrera hit an RBI double to tie the game at two. Aubrey Huff grounded out to score a run and Theriot hit an RBI single in the sixth and it was 4-2 Giants. In the eighth Hairston hit a two run homerun to tie the game at four. Turner hit an RBI double and Turner hit an RBI single and it was 6-4 Mets. In the ninth Posey and Schierholtz each hit an RBI double to tie the game at six. Hairston hit a solo homerun and Johnson had a safety squeeze which produced a run to make it an 8-6 game in favor of the Mets. The Giants would score their final run in the bottom of the tenth. Schierholtz hit an RBI single.

The Mets won their second game in a row and their record improved to 50-53. The Giants record dropped to 55-47. The two teams will continue their four game series on Tuesday night.

The NL wins the 84th MLB All Star Game in a blowout

The National League defeated the American League by the score of 8-0 on Tuesday night in the All Star Game. The game took place at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Justin Verlander started for the American League and pitched poorly in his one inning of work. Matt Cain started for the National League and pitched well in his two innings of work. Melky Cabrera won the MVP award for the game. Pablo Sandoval his teammate with the San Francisco Giants also had a good game for the NL. Derek Jeter had a hit in two plate appearances. Jeter has the most hits of any Yankee ever in the All Star game and is also batting 440 career in the All Star Game. The National league has now won three straight All Star games and they will have home field advantage in the World Series. 
Verlander pitched an inning giving up five runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He took the loss in the game. Joe Nathan and David Price each pitched a perfect inning. Matt Harrison of the Texas Rangers didn’t pitch so well either. He gave up four hits and three runs in an inning of work. Jered Weaver walked a batter in his scoreless inning, Chris Sale gave up two hits but no runs in an inning of work including a strikeout and Ryan Cook pitched a perfect inning including two strikeouts. Jim Johnson and Fernando Rodney each pitched a perfect inning.

Cain won the game for the National league. He gave up a hit and struck out one in two scoreless innings. Gio Gonzalez pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Stephen Strasburg gave up a hit and a walk in one scoreless inning and Clayton Kershaw pitched one inning giving up two hits and a walk. Dickey pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one, Cole Hamels pitched a perfect inning and Craig Kimbrel struck out the only two batters that he faced. Aroldis Chapman had a walk and a strikeout in 1/3 of an inning, Wade Miley gave up a hit in 1/3 of an inning and Jack Hanrahan struck out the only batter that he faced. Jonathan Papelbon got the final out of the game, it was the only batter that he faced.

Jeter had a hit in two at bats. Robinson Cano had a hit in two at bats, Mike Trout had a hit and drew a walk and Joe Mauer had a hit in his only at bat. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli each had a hit in two at bats. The hits were all singles for the AL. They were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Trout did have a stolen base.

Matt Holliday did have a hit and an RBI in his only plate appearance. Chipper Jones in his final All Star Game had a it in his only appearance, Cabrera had two hits and two RBI and McCutchen had a hit in two at bats. Ryan Braun had two hits and an RBI, Sandoval had a hit and three RBI and Dan Uggla had a hit and an RBI. Rafael Furcal had a hit, Braun had a double and Sandoval, Furcal and Braun each had a triple. Cabrera hit a homerun and the National League was 3-8 with runners in scoring position. They left five men on base.

Yankee News

There really isn't much going on in the hotstove league as teams still have the right to negotiate with their own free agents. Thursday will start the real hotstove as free agents then have the right to negotiate and sign with any team they wish. I am going to start looking at the Yankees and Mets and then baseball in general at that time. Here are a couple of items with the Yankees though regarding arbitration. The Yankees officially declined the option on Sergio Mitre for 2010, he is still under the Yankees control and is arbitration eligible. The Yankees want to have as many arms as possible stocked up and because he will be cheap I am sure they will keep him. I am guessing they do the same with Chad Guadin to go along with Ian Kennedy and Alfredo Aceves if he isn't in the bullpen as the extra guys in case of injury or need in the starting rotation. The Yankees do have 4 other arbitration decisions to make and they are Melky Cabrera- he will get offered something. Brian Bruney I am sure will be offered because he does have a good arm and if Hughes and Chamberlain are going to be in the rotation well then they need more bullpen guys. Chad Guadin I spoke about above and the trickiest one is going to be Chien-Ming Wang. I am guessing they will not offer him arbitration as he will then at least get 5 million but I do think they will work something out to see if he can get healthy and back to form. If he is able to come back and be close to what he was then that is the biggest pickup the Yankees can make. They can then put Hughes or Joba in the pen and have the other one as the 5th starter and have plenty of reserve options for injury or ineffectiveness.

Yankees at Phillies-World Series Game 5

The Yankees will play tonight at 7:57 on Fox, they are one win away from their 27th title. The Yankees have held a 3-1 lead in the World Series eight previous times and they’ve won the title each time (six times in Game 5, two times in Game 6). I think tonight is going to be a tough task with Cliff Lee on the mound against them but A.J. Burnett pitched brilliant in game 2 and has done very well in the past on 3 days rest. Here are the pregame notes and lineups via Sam Borden of the Journal News. The Yankees have used only three starters throughout the postseason and they are the first team to reach the World Series with a three-man rotation since the 1992 Braves (Maddux, Glavine, Avery). The last team to win the World Series with three starters came a year before that, when the 1991 Twins (Morris, Tapani, Erickson) beat Atlanta. The 15 runs scored by the Yankees in Games 3 and 4 marks their biggest World Series outburst since they scored 18 runs over Games 1 and 2 of the 1998 World Series against San Diego. The Yankees haven't been hitting but I think it is a combination of who is pitching for the Phillies and th small ballpark in Philly. Mariano Rivera made his 11th appearance of the postseason in Game 4, matching his career high (also 2001). The only games in which he hasn’t pitched are Game 4 of the ALCS and Game 1 of the World Series. Rivera has thrown more than one inning five out of 11 times and more than two innings three times, recording a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings while striking out 13. I wonder with a lead if the Yankees will go to MO in the 8th tonight with a chance to wrap things up, i am guessing yes but we will see. The middle of the Yankees order hasn’t been a consistent producer during the World Series with Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez combining to go 3-for-28 with 13 strikeouts. Rodriguez’s two hits, at least, have been meaningful – he homered in Game 3 and drove in the decisive run in Game 4. It looks like A-rod has awoken maybe by getting hit all these times they woke a sleeping giant. When Johnny Damon stole second and third base in the ninth inning of Game 4, he became the 13th player to record two stolen bases in an inning in the World Series. The last was Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton in Game 3 last year. That was such a heads up play by Damon but I think he gave a lot of people heart failure. The Yankees have been hit by five pitches in the World Series, one shy of the World Series record. Pittsburgh was hit by six in 1909 and Arizona was hit by six (from Yankees pitchers) in 2001, both of which were seven-game series. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Gardner(CF) Molina(C) Burnett(P) Phillies Lineup: Rollins(SS) Victorino(CF) Utley(2B) Howard(1B) Werth(RF) Ibanez(LF) Feliz(3B) Ruiz(C) Lee(P) Ramiro Pena is replacing Melky Cabrera on the roster as he is out with a hamstring injury. The Yankees are able to replace him on the roster with approval by MLB if they feel he won't play anymore games this season. He injured himself late in last nights game running to first base.

Andy is Dandy as Yanks top Rangers

The New York Yankees defeated the Texas Rangers tonight by the score of 9-2. Andy Pettitte went 7 strong innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. Andy Pettitte with the win which was his 189th as a Yankee tied Lefty Gomez for 3rd on the alltime Yankees wins list. Brian Bruney pitched a scoreless 8th giving up a couple of hits and Phil Coke pitched a perfect ninth. A.J. Burnett will be on the hill tomorrow trying to get back in a grooved after a awful outing his last time out in Boston. Jorge Posada will not catch him tomorrow but that is because he is banged up not because of the percieved problems between the two. The offense got started early with a 3 run homer for Jorge Posada. Jerry Hairston had a solo homerun and then the Yankees really broke it open in the 7th with 5 runs, Derek Jeter had a 2 run single. Nick Swisher had a rbi double and Mark Teixeira had a 2 run single. Hideki Matsui had a couple of hits to continue his hot hitting and A-rod had a single and walk. Melky Cabrera was the only Yankee to not have a hit. The offense has really been rolling lately and it is good to see. The Yankees will try and win the series tomorrow afternoon.

Blue Jays at Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2nd of 3 from Yankees stadium. The game is at 7:05 on MY9 in NY. The Yankees are 4-1 on their current seven game homestand. Joba is the starter tonight and was shaky his last time out against the Red Sox but he pitched 3 great games in a row before that and is 8-0 with a 1.79 era in his career after the all star break. Melky Cabrera turns 25 today, Happy Birthday to him. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Hinske(RF) Cabrera(CF)

Yanks avoid the sweep

The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox today by the score of 8-5. We expected to see a pitchers duel with Mark Buehrle and CC Sabathia but didn't get it. CC Sabathia gave up 4 runs in the third inning but then settled down and gave them 4 shutout innings. Joe Girardi I think pushed the envelope too far and brought him out for the 8th, he gave up a leadoff double and then was pulled. Phil Hughes came on to get 2 outs and then Mariano came on to get the last out but not before giving up a cheap rbi single. CC Sabathia has not pitched like an ace especially lately and that is a cause for concern. I know a lot of people are into this thing with him pitching too many innings over the last couple of years which is true but I don't buy it now because his velocity is still high and his stuff is good but his location has been off. I am expecting him to go on a Burnett run and maybe him pulling out the win today can get him going. He really needs to pitch like an ace the rest of the season and carry the Yankees to the AL east title. The Yankees offense was led by Melky Cabrera who hit for the first Yankees cycle since Tony Fernandez in 1995. He also had 4 rbi's. I am really liking Jerry Hairston Jr. as he can play anywhere and can do whatever you want, sacrifice, get a rbi, get some hits. He reminds me of the late 90s teams that had those role players that were so important. Derek Jeter had 2 hits and a rbi and Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and A-rod all had a hit. Damon also had a rbi. Nick Swisher had a couple of hits and a couple of walks, Jerry Hairston had a couple of hits and a rbi and also a sac bunt. The Yankees now head to Toronto with a off day tomorrow and then face off against Roy Halladay which won't be easy at all, they can't look ahead at the Red Sox though and have to at least get one win in Toronto.

Yanks/Rays game

Way to go tex now lets get it to MO pen Nice job AJ, I thought you had the no-no, good try Way to go Gardner Melky starting to show signs of life Gardner strikes again Jeter is back and thats the dagger Wow Bruney, do that all the time. Ok, that was my first attempt at mobile blogging, I will attempt to do it like this when I go to the games, I don't know how it will work but I will try it out. I will be back soon with a recap.

Actual Yankees News

I thank Peter Abraham of the Journal News and http://yankees.lhblogs.com for this. He spoke with Brian Cashman and Cash said that Joba will be the fifth starter and once he hits his innings limits that will be it. They have no thought of using him out of the pen at all and by him being the fifth starter they can skip starts and all to help him. He also said he absolutely likes the idea of keeping both Nady and Swisher. A trade could happen but there is some value in roster flexibility. Cash said Nady can cover them in right and left and that Swish can play right,left,first base and center in an emergency. It gives the manager a lot of choices. There are high hopes for Melky to reclaim center. Cash said that Melky played well in winter ball and has to have the competiveness to put last year behind him. The good ones always find a way he said, he also said it is a competition and Gardner will get a long look and that Austin Jackson will be in the minors all year. He said he is wide open to having veterans come to camp and try to earn a job but no word on whose those guys might be.