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
Mariano Rivera Makes #3 of the Best Closers of 2010
Four out of the top five closers come as no surprise. The shocker is number one, he has always been known as a good relief pitcher, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be the top closer of 2010 so far this year.
3. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: Rivera is still getting the job done at the age of 40. Will this guy ever quit? Every year Rivera struggles a little in the beginning of the season and everyone panic’s and says he is near the end, he doesn’t have it anymore! Then he straightens himself out and still has a great season. This season is no different. Rivera is on pace to have the lowest ERA of his career in his 16th season in pinstripes. Rivera’s ERA is 1.08, only one closer has a better ERA this season. Rivera’s saves are down a little with 19, which is still pretty good. Rivera was out for a little with soreness in his side, which is why he has 21 save opportunities. Rivera only has two blown saves. With the Yankees still cruising along in first place and the best record in baseball, Rivera should have plenty more saves opportunities to come in the second half.
Rivera was named to the all-star game once again, but he will not be participating. Rivera is a little banged up once again and needs the rest of the all-star break to freshen up. At the age of 40 these things happen. How much longer can Rivera’s body hold up? Maybe in the future the Yankees will just sign him later in the season just to pitch in the playoffs. For now I think Rivera will be alright, once the Yankees get to the playoffs, Rivera will turn back the clock like usual and look like he is still 25 years old.
Click here to read the full article – 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
Subway Series: Yankees Take Two Out of Three
Game One:
After losing two out of three to the Mets at Citi Field, the Yankees looked to win the season series by sweeping the Mets at Yankee Stadium. Well, that didn’t happen the first game had Javier Vazquez going for the Yankees against the Mets new, young, Japanese sensation, Hisanori Takahashi.
Takahashi has been a godsend for the Mets. He pitched six scoreless innings, only allowing four hits. The Yankees were lifeless in this game. The only chance the Yankees had of winning came in the ninth inning against the Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez. Down 4-0 the Yankees had their first threat of the game with one out and the bases loaded for Derek Jeter.
Jeter came into the game in a slump and he wasn’t his normal self in the ninth inning. Jeter is known to be one of the best clutch hitters in the game, but he easily went down against Rodriguez with a strikeout. The Yankees last chance came down to Nick Swisher who already had two hits in the game and has been hot all year. Out of character again, Swisher who usually likes to work the count, swung at the first pitch popping the ball up in foul territory past third for David Wright to easily catch and end the game.
Vazquez again has had terrible luck when he pitches. He has put together five straight good starts now, but he never gets much run support. Vazquez pitched seven innings of one-run ball and had to be taken out because of his high pitch count.
Takahashi is now 6-2 on the season with a 3.13 ERA. Takahashi has proven that he is capable of being a number two starter for the Mets, just what they need if they want to make it to the playoffs.
Game Two:
This was definitly the most exciting game of the series. The Yankees had Cy Young Award candidate Phil Hughes against the Mets Cy Young Award candidate Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey and Hughes had the same record of 9-1 going into Saturday’s game. These two pitchers are proving to their teams that they are the aces this year.
This game was the only game of the series that was close throughout. In the first inning the Mets started quick, scoring one run on the re-born Jose Reyes’s home run to lead off the game. The Yankees came right back in the bottom of the first with Brett Gardner leading off with a single followed by Nick Swisher who also hit a single which allowed Gardner to make it to third. With Mark Teixeira coming up the Yankees had a good chance to score a lot of runs quickly, but the struggling Teixeira grounded into a double play, which allowed Gardner to score and tie the game.
In the third inning for the Mets, Reyes hit another home run, this time a two run shot that gave the Mets a 3-1 lead. Once again the Yankees didn’t let the Mets keep that lead for long. In the bottom of the third the Yankees also hit a two-run homerun by Mark Teixeira to tie the game back up at three.
From the fourth inning on Hughes turned things up a notch pitching brilliantly not allowing any more runs. On the Mets side Pelfrey couldn’t keep things together. In the bottom of the fourth the Yankees broke out the long ball again with another two-run homerun from Curtis Granderson this time making the score 5-3 Yankees.
The Yankees bullpen held the score at 5-3 with Joba Chamberlin coming in to pitch the eight to set thing up for Mariano Rivera’s 16th save in the ninth.
Game Three:
This is the game everyone was waiting to see, C.C. Sabathia against Johan Santana. Both pitchers, who are supposed to be their teams aces, have struggles somewhat this year. Sabathia really showed up yesterday though, in a game the Yankees had to win if they wanted to tie the overall subway series.
Both pitchers pitched well actually, the only blemish came in the bottom of the third when with the bases loaded Teixeira hit a grand slam. Even though Teixeira’s average is much lower than usual, his home run numbers are still up. If it wasn’t for that grand slam, the game would have been tied 0-0 into extra innings. That was the only mistake Santana let up in the game.
The Yankees got their revenge this time blanking the Mets 4-0 behind Sabathia’s stellar eight scoreless innings. The Yankees tied up this year’s subway series when it looked like the Mets had it in the bag.
The Yankees continue their inter-league schedule in Arizona against the Diamondbacks tonight. The Yankees, who now stand alone in first place and have the best record in baseball, should expect nothing less than a sweep against the last place and fourth worst record in baseball Diamondbacks. (Yankees.com)
By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Yankees Dominance Over Twins Ends
The New York Yankees have completely dominated the Minnesota Twins at home since 2002 with a record of 25-3 before Sunday afternoon’s game. It looked like the Yankees were going to win again yesterday afternoon when the unimaginable happened.
The game was in the bag, Mariano Rivera was summoned in the bottom of the eight inning to record a four out save. Rivera has been perfect all season, he didn’t let up any runs in all his save oppurtunites… until yesterday. Viewers might have thought they were dreaming, but it is true, Rivera facing Jason Kubel with the bases loaded let up a grand slam! Rivera has only let up four grand slams in his career and the last time Rivera let up a grand slam at home was back in 1995! With Kubel’s grand slam, he stopped Rivera’s consecutive save streak at home with 51, tied with Eric Gagne.
In the bottom of the 9th inning the Yankees tried to rally back. Mark Teixiera got up as the tying run with two outs and a runner on first and second and struck out looking on a pitch that was clearly inside but ruled a strike. The Yankees haven’t brought out any pies yet this year, they had a chance yesterday to bring their walk-off magic of last year back, but they fell short.
Rivera is not a machine, he is human. It was bound to happen sometime. Sometimes he is so dominate it is completely shocking when he fails, especially in the fashion that he did yesterday. Every year this happens and fans think, “Oh no, he’s falling apart! Is he at the end of his line?” Then by the end of the year fans forget that his few early season mishaps even happened. Rivera may have a few more bad games to come but his good games will outweigh the bad ones so much that they will be forgotten like usual.
The Twins finally got the monkey off their back defeating the Yankess 6-3. (Yankees.com)
by Eric Heyer at the Sports Fan Blog Network
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Rivera Happy To Pitch Longer Than Usual
It’s October, and not only are the “Joba Chamberlain Rules” discarded, so is the “Mo M.O.”
During the season, Yankees manager Joe Girardi was steadfast in limiting Mariano Rivera to four outs. In a tied Game 2 of the ALCS, he used his closer for seven.
“I’m beat up right now,” Rivera said jokingly on Sunday. “You play for the organization that has given you everything. It doesn’t matter how long you go, as long as you do it right.”
Rivera got the last out of the eighth on one pitch, then dominated the ninth with two strikeouts. Even after retiring the Angels in the 10th, his longest outing in years, he was only at 24 pitches. That’s often what a reliever, even Rivera, might throw in one inning.
“Knowing we had an off day [Sunday] and how few pitches Mo threw in those four outs, we felt we could go back to him,” Girardi said.
The downside: Rivera, 39, who had minor shoulder surgery — if there is such a thing for a pitcher — last winter may need more care than he has needed in the past. Also, Rivera often struggles coming into tie games because he may be too aggressive with pitches in his first inning to keep his pitch count low for a second inning.
But Rivera’s effort stretched out both the game and the Yankees bullpen so they could win it in the 13th.
Click here to read the full article – By DOM AMORE of Courant.com
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Rivera sets sights on postseason run
In his 15 seasons with the New York Yankees, closer Mariano Rivera has savored many October victories, but he also endured the bitterness of postseason defeats. He was the MVP of the 1999 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, for example, but was also the losing pitcher in the Yankees’ heartbreaking loss to the Arizona D-backs in Game 7 of the 2001 Fall Classic.
However, now that the Yankees are once again in position to make the playoffs after being left out in the cold last year for the first time since 1993 (they would have likely made the playoffs in 1994 had the players’ strike not ended the season prematurely), all of those experiences — the good and the bad — are put off to the side. According to Rivera, the only way to look is forward.
“The team’s mentality is to work hard and not think about what’s happened in the past,” said Rivera, who recorded his 500th career save in late June. “You can’t do anything about that. You simply have to work hard to keep going.”
Click here to read the full article – By Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com
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Rivera fully recovered and riding high
CHICAGO — Consider this advance warning for Mariano Rivera: The phone calls might start coming a little earlier now. The Yankees closer is just fine with that.
Rivera was summoned to record a four-out save for the second time in three appearances on Sunday at Chicago, and afterward, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that it could be a common occurrence, now that the Bombers have moved into August.
The 39-year-old Rivera appears to be all the way back from offseason arthroscopic surgery to shave down an AC joint in his right shoulder, as he iced the White Sox to reach the 30-save plateau for the seventh straight season, tying Trevor Hoffman for the most, all-time.
Click here to read the full article – By Bryan Hoch of MLB.com
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