Yankees Are the Best Team in Baseball
Three teams remain in the top five list from early in June. The two newcomers look like they are seriously making a run for the post-season. If these teams remain in the top five, the playoffs will look a lot different this year then the previous few years. Only one team on this list was in the playoffs last year. Things can change by the end of the season, but I think at least four out of the five on here are locks for the playoffs.
1. New York Yankees: The Yankees are right where everyone expected them to be. Back in June the Yankees haven’t proved that they could beat the Rays which made them the second best team in baseball. Now the Yankees are number one because they have the best record in baseball and have proved that they can beat anyone. You would think that having the best record in baseball means that the Yankees have no weaknesses, but they do. It isn’t their hitting and it isn’t their starting rotation, which leaves us with the bullpen. The Yankees bullpen is in disarray. The Yankees can go out and look for another reliever, but I think they are going to trade for a starter and move Phil Hughes back into his dominating role as setup man. Hughes is having a phenomenal year in the rotation with a 4.04 ERA and a 12-3 record, but I think the Yankees want to save his arm from falling off and limit his innings so he is fresh for the post-season. Expect the Yankees to make a big move either way in the next few days for a starter or reliever. Otherwise the Yankees are solid in all other aspects of the game. Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher led the team in hitting while Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira were finding their swing. Now everyone is hitting on all cylinders and the Yankees have been blowing out teams of late. Luckily they started hitting at just the right time because Andy Pettite will be out for a while with a groin pull and A.J. Burnett still hasn’t found his former self. Saying all of that the yankees still have the best record in baseball, I can’t imagine how they will be when everything is going right. The Yankees will be in the playoffs once again and they may have a tough time beating the Rays, it will come down to whoever is hotter at the time. If the Yankees make it to the World Series they should have no problem beating any National League team.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Yankees Take First Two Games Against the Athletics
The Yankees set a new high water mark by winning the first two games against the Athletics in Oakland. The Yankees are now 21 games over .500 and have held the best record in baseball for the last three weeks. The Yankees are looking strong going into the all-star break. The Yankees have five games left, one more against the A’s and then a four game set in Seattle. If the Yankees stay on their hot streak they can easily win every game this week, which would give them more confidence in the second half.
In game one of the A’s series the Yankees had Javier Vazquez go against the A’s ace, Ben Sheets. Sheets has not performed the way the A’s hoped though and had only three wins to go along with seven loses going into the game. On the other hand Vazquez was looking to even his wins and loses. Going into the game Vazquez was 6-7.
This game turned out to be a pitchers duel. Sheets looked like his old self, the one that the A’s thought they were getting. Sheets ran into a little bit of trouble in the second inning when Curtis Granderson and Franciso Cervelli each had two out RBI’s. From there Sheets didn’t let up another run until the sixth inning when Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run. Sheets lasted seven and one-third innings only letting up three runs.
Unfortunately for Sheets, Vazquez was on. The Yankees have seen two sides of Vazquez this year, he either lasts five innings and lets up a ton of runs or he lasts seven or more innings only allowing three or less runs. Vazquez pitched seven innings this time, anytime Vazquez lasts that long people know that he hasn’t let up many runs. In this case Vazquez only let up one run on a Coco Crisp single that drove in Mark Ellis in the third inning.
Vazquez and the Yankees bullpen, only allowed the A’s to get three hits the whole game. It seems like anytime the Yankees have a starter pitch seven or more innings they win. The rest of the Yankees bullpen is weak, the only guys they can trust is Joba Chamberlin and Mariano Rivera and they did it again to secure the 3-1 victory for the Yankees.
In game two, the Yankees had C.C. Sabathia going for them. Sabathia has been on fire lately. After having a rough May, Sabathia has bounced back to win six straight games going into last night. Sabathia earned his was onto the all-star team with his phenomenal June, but he won’t be in it because he’s pitching Sunday. Andy Pettite took Sabathia’s spot on the roster.
The A’s has their surprising youngster Trevor Cahill take the mound for them who was 8-2 going into last night. Cahill is only 22-years-old and is in his second full season in the majors. Cahill was selected to pitch in the all-star game, that’s how good he has been for the A’s this year.
The game started off slow for Sabathia. I have noticed when Sabathia lets up any runs it is usually in the beginning of the game. As the game goes on Sabathia get stronger and stronger, this is why he is such a great pitcher. Sabathia let up a single to leadoff hitter Crisp. Then the next two batters grounded out to move Crisp over to third. Kevin Kouzmanoff then drove in Crisp, picking up a two out RBI single.
The game remained 1-0 A’s until the third inning. In the top of the third Cahill ran into trouble. Derek Jeter came to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Jeter only has one career grand slam, all he needs is a base hit to drive in at least one run to tie the game. Instead Jeter grounds into a fielder’s choice after just making it to first before the throw that would have been an inning ending double play.
Teixeira came up next and was hit in the back by a pitch. Teixeira got hit right under the shoulder blade and it took him a while to walk over to first base because of the pain. Now the bases were loaded once again, this time for Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is the man the Yankees want up in these situations. Rodriguez had 20 grand slams going into the game which is third all time. Rodriguez worked the count to 3-1 and then Cahill left one right down the middle and Rodriguez smashed it for another grand slam. Rodriguez moved up to a tie with Manny Ramirez for second place on the all-time grand slam list. That grand slam also marked Rodriguez’s third of the season.
Cahill came back down to earth this game. Rodriguez gave Cahill the final shove out of the game in the sixth inning when he hit another home run, this time a solo shot. The Yankees held a 6-1 lead behind stellar pitching once again from Sabathia. Sabathia went seven and two-thirds innings only allowing that one run in the first on seven hits and ten strikeouts.
David Robertson came in to pitch the rest of the game and the score remained the same 6-1 Yankees.
Tonight the Yankees have A.J. Burnett going for them who had one of his best games of the year last time out, but the Yankees couldn’t pick up the win for him. Burnett will hope to build on his last strong start after having a miserable June where he didn’t record one win.
The A’s will have Gio Gonzalez going for them who is 7-5 on the season with a 3.50 ERA. (yankees.com)
By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
The Yankees/Dodgers Rivalry Continues On
The Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series more than any other team in baseball. All of those World Series together, which was mostly when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn, created a rivalry between the teams. Before the Mets became the Yankees inter-league rivalry, the Dodgers rivalry was even bigger.
Game One:
This past weekend the Yankees and Dodgers faced off again and this time the heat was back in the rivalry because of former manager and hitting coach of the Yankees are now doing the same with the Dodgers in Joe Torre and Don Mattingly. To go along with those two, the Dodgers also have the old Yankee killer Manny Ramirez and Vincente Padilla who has had a history of hitting Yankee batters.
The first game on Friday had C.C. Sabathia going for the Yankees against Vincente Padilla. After struggling a little bit in May C.C. has been lights out in June not losing any games in the month. Padilla has been injured most of the season, it was only his sixth start of the season.
Both pitchers were lights out, Sabathia started off letting up one run in the first inning from Ramirez’s two out RBI double. The Yankees answered back quickly in the top of the second from Jorge Posada’s RBI single. For the next three innings both pitchers put up zeros.
In the sixth inning Alex Rodriguez hit a solo home run to put the Yankees up 2-1 and the score stayed that way the rest of the game. Both Padilla and Sabathia had seven strikeouts each. Sabathia went eight innings allowing four hits and Padilla went seven innings allowing six hits.
Mariano Rivera came in the ninth for the save and struck out all three batters, which leads to the backstory of the fireworks during the game. As I mentioned Padilla had a record with some of the Yankee hitters and it continued in this game when Padilla hit Robinson Cano. Sabathia was not happy about this and when Padilla came up to bat Sabathia hit him in the calf. Padilla looked at Sabathia and started walking towards him, Sabathia did not back down doing the same. Nothing came of it from there. Then in the ninth when Rivera struck out the last batter of the game, Andre Ethier, there was jarring made about the strike calls from Torre and Mattingly who were both thrown out of the game. The game was over anyway so it didnt really make a difference, but they will probably be fined.
Game Two:
The Dodgers really needed a win in this game after struggling mightily lately. The Dodgers season has been up and down all year long and there are rumors that this will be Torre’s last year as manager no matter what happens. Saturdays game had the 0-4 in the month of June, A.J. Burnett for the Yankees against the Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda.
This game was the complete opposite of Friday night’s game. The Yankees started things early when in the first inning they scored three runs on Mark Teixeira’s three-run home run. When the Dodgers got up to bat in the bottom of the inning they scored two runs of their own of the still struggling Burnett. All week the Yankees worked on Burnett’s mechanics to try and straighten him out, but apparently it didn’t work.
After a scoreless inning in the second by both team, the third inning brought on more offense, first by the Yankees adding another run on Rodriguez’s RBI single making the game 4-2 Yankees. That didn’t last for long, in the bottom of the third Burnett imploded once again, letting up three more runs. The Yankees pulled Burnett from the game after that inning knowing that he still wasn’t right. In the fourth inning the Yankees brought in Boone Logan to pitch and he let up another two runs to make the game 7-4 Dodgers. Logan lasted two innings when Chan Ho Park relieved him in the sixth inning. Park had a strong sixth inning, but in the seventh he also let up two more runs to make the game 9-4 Dodgers.
The game wound up staying at 9-4 and the Dodgers receieved their much needed win. Burnett recorded his fifth straight loss and put himself in the history books by becoming the only Yankee pitcher to be 0-5 in the month of June with an ERA over 10. Another concern for the Yankees must be their bullpen. The only guy that can be trusted is Rivera and Joba Chamberlin who when is on is unhittable.
Game Three:
The rubber game of the series featured Andy Pettite for the Yankees against Clayton Kershaw for the Dodgers. Pettite has been strong for the Yankees all year long and was looking for his tenth win of the season. Kershaw is also having a good year for the Dodgers looking for his eighth win of the season.
The first offense of the game came in the bottom of the third when the Dodgers scored three runs. In the next inning the Dodgers continued their offense when Ronnie Belliard hit a two run home run to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.
Kershaw was dominating through the first five innings holding the Yankees scoreless. Pettite was the opposite having one of his worst games of the season and the Yankees lifted him from the game after five innings.
The Yankees showed a little glimmer of hope in the sixth inning when Rodriguez hit his second home runs of the series, this time a two-run shot to pull the Yankees within three runs, 5-2.
In the eight inning the Dodgers added another run making the game 6-2 Dodgers. That should have sealed the deal and helped the Dodgers start their winning ways once again by beating a good team like the Yankees. Shockingly, the Yankees, after having little offense all game, lit up the Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton. Broxton is known to be one of the best closers in the league, it wasn’t a save situation with the four run lead, but Torre badly wanted this win so they brought in Broxton anyway.
Broxton easily struck out Teixeira with only four pitches to start the inning, but from there Rodriguez hit a single, then Cano toughed out a long battle to get a double that drove Rodriguez in. The next batter, Posada, also had a tough at bat and made Broxton throw a lot of pitches. Posada got a single and then moved to second on a defensive indifference. The Yankees had a runner on second and third with one out and Curtis Granderson up at the plate. Again the Yankees gave Broxton another tough at-bat and Granderson worked a walk to load the bases for the rookie Chad Huffman who was in the game for Brett Gardner who left after getting hit by a pitch from Kershaw. The rookie Huffman also had a tough at-bat and hit a single to drive in two more runs. The score is now 6-5 Dodgers and the Yankees had a runner on first and third with still only one out. The Yankees fate now stands in another rookies hand with Colin Curtis. Broxton is clearly tired and was over 40 pitches thrown for the inning. Curtis just like everyone else in the inning, had a tough at bat fouling off pitch after pitch when he finally grounded to first. James Loney picked up the ball and instead of throwing the ball straight home where Granderson was attempting to score the tying run, he instead got the out at first and then threw off balance to home which made him throw the ball inaccurately and Granderson was safe!
The Yankees came all the way back to tie the game. Derek Jeter was up next to try and score Huffman from second, but he got out. On to the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees bring in Rivera who pitched an easy scoreless ninth. More fireworks erupted when Garret Anderson mad the second out of the inning, on his way back to the dugout he said something to the umpire arguing about a strike called against him earlier in the at-bat. Anderson was thrown out of the game which prompted Torre to come out and argue, but he stayed in the game.
In the top of the tenth, Cano hit a two-run home run to give the Yankees a 8-6 lead. Cano just came that much closer to being named MVP. The home run came off of George Sherill who hasn’t let up a home run to a lefty in 150 batters.
In the bottom of the tenth Rivera went back out and shut down the Dodgers to pick up the win. Again there was more fireworks when the second out of the inning, Russell Martin was thrown out when he thought he receieved a walk only to be struck out looking. Martin slammed his bat on the ground and broke it. The Dodgers had every right to be frustrated, the Dodgers should have never lost that game and the series. Torre looked bad in the last game leaving Broxton out there for so long.
The Yankees hope to continue where they left off in L.A. when they face the Mariners tomorrow night back at home. The Yankees have Phil Hughes going against the Mariners ace Cliff Lee. (yankees.com)
By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Alex Rodriguez Makes #5 of the Best Third Baseman of 2010
Three out of the five third baseman on this list are having comeback years. One of the players career looked like it was over, one of them hasn’t had a good year since he was in the National League, and the last comeback player had a power outage last year.
5. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees: Rodriguez has had another slow start to the season for the second year in a row. A slow start for Rodriguez is still better than most of the third baseman in the league. Rodriguez hasn’t found his home run swing this year only belting eight home runs so far. Rodriguez usually has eight home runs by the beginning of May when he’s on. Even though Rodriguez is lacking in home runs, his average and RBI total has been on par. Rodriguez is hitting .290 with 43 RBI’s. By the end of the season Rodriguez should put up his 14th straight season of over 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Rodriguez ‘at ease’ with Galea
Alex Rodriguez says he is “at ease, no matter what” with his relationship with a Canadian sports doctor embroiled in a cross-border drug smuggling investigation involving human growth hormone and another drug.
Rodriguez told reporters Tuesday at the Yankees spring training complex that he still does not know when he will be interviewed by federal authorities. The slugger said last week he was “aware” of the investigation and plans to cooperate with the government.
When asked if he is choosing not to talk or has been told not to speak, Rodriguez laughed and says he “thinks the latter.”
Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com
Rodriguez’s double in ninth gives Yanks 3-1 World Series lead
Alex Rodriguez waited all game long for this hit. Heck, he waited his whole life. The New York Yankees have been waiting, too.
Rodriguez delivered a go-ahead, two-out double in the ninth inning off Brad Lidge and the Yankees took advantage of Johnny Damon’s daring dash to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 on Sunday night for a 3-1 lead in the World Series.
“There’s no question — I’ve never had a bigger hit,” Rodriguez said.
Derek Jeter came through again and Mariano Rivera finished it off as the Yankees moved within one win of that elusive 27th championship and first since 2000.
Rodriguez applauded his own hit, for good reason. Seething since the first inning after again being nailed by a pitch, the highest-paid player in the majors struck back with his potent black bat.
Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com
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Yankees Close Out Series
There were the home runs by Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. The heads-up defensive play by Derek Jeter. A lucky break here and there.
But in the backdrop was pitching, on top of pitching, followed by pitching, all wrapped with pitching.
And that’s why the Yankees have done in 2009 what they had not done in five long years, survived the first round of playoffs and advanced to the ALCS. They beat the Twins 4-1 Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep in the Division Series in the last baseball at the Metrodome.
Andy Pettitte pitched the first 6 1/3 innings to get his 15th postseason win, tying John Smoltz’s record, and Mariano Rivera applied the finishing touches as the Yankees held the Twins to six runs in the three games.
“You can talk about home runs all you want,” said Rodriguez, who hit a game-tying home run, his second of the series, off Carl Pavano in the seventh. “If you don’t pitch, and you don’t defend, you’re not going to win. The story of this series was CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte; they were all terrific. You get some big hits at the end, but it wouldn’t have been possible without their performances.”
The Yankees, after pouring still more champagne and beer all over each other, have four days to rest for the ALCS, where they will play the Angels. Game 1 is Friday at Yankee Stadium.
“It feels great, but I have to give the credit to everybody else,” said manager Joe Girardi, who won his first playoff series. “Our starting pitching was tremendous. That sets the tone.”
Click here to read the full article – By Dom Amore of Courant.com
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Jacobs: Posada Needs To Settle Down
Derek Jeter, Yankee captain and best man at Jorge Posada’s wedding, called the situation awkward. Damn straight it’s awkward. You pull a catcher with four World Series rings and nearly 100 games of postseason experience off the big stage, of course, it’s uncomfortable.
Just don’t confuse awkward with controversial. Don’t confuse uncomfortable with a hullabaloo. At this point only Posada can make this situation ugly and if he makes it ugly, well, it would diminish him much more as a man, a Yankee, than as a catcher.
“I’m not jumping for joy here,” Posada said Thursday after the Yankees’ off-day workout. “But I accept it.”
He better.
Jose Molina will be behind the plate tonight when A.J. Burnett faces the Minnesota Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS. And while it would be entirely fair to say that as an offensive player Molina can’t carry Posada’s bat, it also would be no exaggeration to say right now everything is rolling in the Yankees’ favor. The two O’s in October — Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia — produced in a significant way in Game 1, the Twins look kind of spent … and if the sometimes electric, other times enigmatic Burnett pitches to his level of talent, there will be an undeniable scent of sweep in the air. Posada would be an idiot to disrupt the momentum.
Molina comes from a family of catchers, brothers in arms and shin pads. And as he held court, a rarity for him in this A-list clubhouse, everything about the career backup suggested he understands the complex psychology of handling pitchers.
“I prefer that a pitcher be 100 percent in his pitch than 50-50 in my pitch,” Molina said at one point. “We don’t know everything.”
Posada has caught 78 of the past 79 Yankee postseason games and sometimes he catches like he knows everything. Posada is prideful. He’s a leader. As evidenced by the two passed balls in Game 1, he also is not Johnny Bench back there. Never was. He hasn’t always meshed with pitchers. Of course, he’s not happy he isn’t playing just as he wasn’t happy when Joe Torre decided to use John Flaherty to catch Randy Johnson in 2005 (the Big Unit was terrible that night). He shouldn’t be happy. No athlete wants to sit.
“I know how bad Jorge wants to be out there and how intense he is,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Obviously, as time goes on, things can either build or diminish in the story. But we talked about it Sunday. I’m not saying he liked it, but emotionally he was good with me.
“It was a hard conversation.”
Click here to read the full article – By Jeff Jacobs of Courant.com
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A-Rod says goodbye to October hex
Derek Jeter was on second base with two outs in the first inning when Alex Rodriguez left him there by flying out to right. But Rodriguez wasn’t unhappy with his turn at the plate.
Rodriguez hit it “good” a few times in last night’s 7-2 Game 1 win over the Twins in the first playoff game at the new Stadium, as he finally started delivering in a Yankees playoff game. He had a pair of run-scoring singles, including a critical one in the Bombers’ game-clinching fifth-inning rally.
On that one, Rodriguez laced an RBI single to left, then scored on Hideki Matsui’s two-run homer, part of the Yankees’ three-run inning. Later in the seventh, he smacked an RBI single off the right-field wall.
Click here to read the full article – By MARK HALE of New York Post
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A-Rod blasts into playoffs with record day
Yesterday’s record-setting day was nice. Now it’s time for Alex Rodriguez to produce in the postseason: the only time that counts in the Yankees’ universe.
Yesterday’s seven RBIs came in the sixth inning, which is an American League record. In 1999, Fernando Tatis, then with the Cardinals, drove in eight with two grand slams.
The home runs pushed his career total to 583 and ties former Athletics and Cardinals superstar Mark McGwire for eighth on the all-time list.
Still, when it comes to Rodriguez, it’s always, “What Have You Done For Me Lately.”
He knows Yankees fans have been waiting since 2004 for him to deliver in the postseason like he did yesterday when the Rays foolishly walked Mark Teixeira to load the bases after Rodriguez already crushed a three-run homer in the sixth.
Rodriguez also understands the blame will fall on his shoulders if the Yankees don’t win the World Series and he doesn’t hit.
Nevertheless, Rodriguez said he is comfortable and likes the Yankees’ chances.
“We have a very deep lineup, one of the best if not the best,” Rodriguez said. “I know I hit cleanup for a reason. There is going to be a point where we need a big hit and my number is called. I am looking forward to that.”
Click here to read the full article – By GEORGE A. KING III of Nypost.com
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