Rivera saves 500th, drives in run as Yanks sweep Mets

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

Mariano Rivera entered Sunday night's game at Citi Field in search of one milestone.  When the game was over, he came away with two milestones: his 500th career save and his first career RBI.  Yes, I said RBI.

Rivera, who entered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, drew a based loaded walk against Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez in the top of the ninth inning.  The run gave the Yankees valuable insurance headed into the bottom of the frame.  Rivera wouldn't need it, however, as he was able to nail down the Yankees' 4-2 victory to sweep their first series at Citi Field.

Another story seemingly lost in all this (as Rebecca pointed out on Twitter) is that Chien-Ming Wang picked up his first win of 2009.  But how did we get here?

The Yankees got on the board early and often in the first inning against starter Livan Hernandez.  Derek Jeter, playing in his first game of the series, led off with a double off the left field wall.  Nick Swisher then grounded to first, but Daniel Murphy threw to third in an attempt to get Jeter.  It turned out to be a mistake, as both runners were safe.  Mark Teixeira followed with a two-run double and Alex Rodriguez walked.  Robinson Cano was up next, and was bailed out by another Murphy miscue.  He grounded into a sure double play, but Murphy dropped the ball at first.  Jorge Posada hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in the Yankees' third run.

Wang wasn't great, but he pitched a season-high 5 1/3 innings.  He allowed four hits, two earned runs and three walks while striking out three.  He gave up his runs in the fourth inning on a Fernando Martinez RBI double and a Luis Castillo RBI single.

Wang was relieved by Phil Coke and Phil Hughes in the sixth inning.  Hughes would also go on to pitch a scoreless seventh before being replaced by Brian Bruney in the eighth.  Bruney's control failed him, as only six of his 15 pitches went for strikes.  This caused Rivera to be brought in for a four-out save.  But that's where the fun began.

Posada reached on another botched pop up by the Mets with Rodriguez on the mound.  Eventually, the Yankees loaded the bases on walks, bringing up Rivera with the bases loaded and two outs.  He only swung at one pitch and had a full count before taking a pitch inside for the walk.

Rivera only gave up a two-out single in the ninth before inducing a grounder to second for the third and final out.  His 500th career save was his 18th of 2009 in 19 chances.

After a day off Monday, the Yankees will begin a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at home.  Joba Chamberlain takes the ball in Game 1.

Game 75: Yankees at Mets

New York Yankees (42-32)	New York Mets (37-36)
Derek Jeter SS	Daniel Murphy 1B
Nick Swisher RF	Alex Cora SS
Mark Teixeira 1B	David Wright 3B
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Gary Sheffield LF
Robinson Cano 2B	Fernando Tatis RF
Jorge Posada C	Fernando Martinez CF
Melky Cabrera LF	Brian Schneider C
Brett Gardner CF	Luis Castillo 2B
Chien-Ming Wang P	Livan Hernandez P

Chien-Ming Wang RHP (0-6, 11.20 ERA) vs. Livan Hernandez RHP (5-2, 4.05 ERA)

Time: 8:05 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, WFAN-AM 660

Yankees vs. Hernandez

• Jeter: 8-19, 3 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Swisher: 5-14, 2B
• Teixeira: 3-6, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Rodriguez: 11-19, 5 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI
• Cano: 4-9, HR, RBI
• Posada: 4-12, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Cabrera: 2-5, RBI
• Gardner: 1-2

Mets vs. Wang

• Cora: 5-18, HR, 4 RBI
• Wright: 2-8, 2B
• Sheffield: 0-2
• Schneider: 0-4
• Castillo: 1-5

Saturday YanksBlog.com game recap

A.J. Burnett carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, as the Yankees eventually went on to one-hit the Mets in their 5-0 victory.  Here is the recap I wrote for YanksBlog.com.

Game 74: Yankees at Mets

New York Yankees (41-32)	New York Mets (37-35)
Brett Gardner CF	Alex Cora SS
Nick Swisher RF	Argenis Reyes 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B	David Wright 3B
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Ryan Church RF
Robinson Cano 2B	Gary Sheffield LF
Jorge Posada C	Daniel Murphy 1B
Melky Cabrera LF	Jeremy Reed CF
Ramiro Pena SS	Brian Schneider C
A.J. Burnett P	Tim Redding P

A.J. Burnett RHP (5-4, 4.24 ERA) vs. Tim Redding RHP (1-2, 6.08 ERA)

Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: YES, CW11, MLBN
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, WFAN-AM 660, XM 183

Yankees vs. Redding

• Teixeira: 4-9, 4 2B, RBI
• Rodriguez: 0-2

Mets vs. Burnett

• Cora: 0-19
• Wright: 3-15, 2B, 4 RBI
• Church: 1-8
• Sheffield: 9-30, 3 HR, 6 RBI
• Murphy: 0-1
• Reed: 0-1
• Schneider: 9-23, 3 2B, 2 RBI

Game 73: Yankees at Mets

Update – 6:25 p.m.: Jeter was scratched because he is “under the weather,” according to Mark Feinsand’s latest tweet. New lineup:

Gardner CF
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Cabrera RF
Cervelli C
Pena SS
Sabathia P

New York Yankees (40-32)	New York Mets (37-34)
Derek Jeter SS	Luis Castillo 2B
Johnny Damon LF	Alex Cora SS
Mark Teixeira 1B	David Wright 3B
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Gary Sheffield RF
Robinson Cano 2B	Fernando Tatis LF
Melky Cabrera RF	Ryan Church CF
Brett Gardner CF	Nick Evans 1B
Francisco Cervelli C	Omir Santos C
CC Sabathia P	Mike Pelfrey P

CC Sabathia LHP (6-4, 3.71 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey RHP (5-2, 4.74 ERA)

Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: MY9, SNY
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 183

Yankees vs. Pelfrey

• Jeter: 1-3, 2B
• Teixeira: 4-10, 2B, RBI
• Rodriguez: 2-3, RBI
• Cano: 1-3, 2B, RBI
• Cabrera: 1-3

Mets vs. Sabathia

• Castillo: 4-16, 2B, RBI 
• Sheffield: 5-18, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• Tatis: 0-1

The series ahead

The New York Yankees (40-32) begin a three-game series against the New York Mets (37-34) at Citi Field tonight.  The pitching matchups are:

Tonight – 7:10 p.m., MY9, SNY
CC Sabathia – LHP (6-4, 3.71 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey – RHP (5-2, 4.74 ERA)

Tomorrow – 7:10 p.m., YES, CW11, MLBN
A.J. Burnett – RHP (5-4, 4.24 ERA) vs. Tim Redding – RHP (1-2, 6.08 ERA)

Sunday – 8:05 p.m., ESPN
Chien-Ming Wang – RHP (0-6, 11.20 ERA) vs. Livan Hernandez – RHP (5-2, 4.05 ERA)

How about that Mariano Rivera?

Mariano Rivera is special, but I don’t need to tell you that.

The dude hasn’t pitched in eight days, and he comes in and strikes out all four batters he faces tonight.  And he even batted in the ninth inning, hitting a hard fly ball to center.

The Yankees needed a win in the worst way, and after being shut out for 14 innings, the Yankees exploded for eight runs in the final four innings of tonight’s game.  Joba Chamberlain looked solid throwing to Francisco Cervelli and the offense put together some timely hits toward the end.

They’ll look to take the rubber game tomorrow evening.

Good riddance, Veras

Jose Veras has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations.

That’s a plus.  I would’ve accepted a couple of bats in return for him.

Update – 7:08 p.m.: Angel Berroa was designated for assignment, as Cody Ransom has been activated.

Game 69: Yankees at Marlins

New York Yankees (38-30)	Florida Marlins (34-36)
Derek Jeter SS	Chris Coghlan LF
Nick Swisher RF	Wes Helms 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B	Hanley Ramirez SS
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Jorge Cantu 1B
Robinson Cano 2B	Dan Uggla 2B
Jorge Posada C	Ronny Paulino C
Melky Cabrera LF	Cody Ross CF
Brett Gardner CF	Brett Carroll RF
CC Sabathia P	Chris Volstad P

CC Sabathia LHP (6-4, 3.57 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad RHP (4-7, 4.75 ERA)

Time: 5:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 184

Yankees vs. Volstad

• Teixeira: 2-3, 2B, RBI

Marlins vs. Sabathia

• Helms: 1-2
• Cantu: 1-11, 2B
• Paulino: 0-3

Proctor on the road to recovery

Tyler Kepner wrote a great piece on Scott Proctor in today’s New York Times.  In it, Proctor reveals he is a recovering alcoholic.

Proctor visited Dr. James Andrews, who described to him the state of his elbow ligament in one word: mush. Just before reconstructive surgery May 12, Proctor said, he made a bigger life decision. He quit drinking.

“I was miserable for so long, because I was living two different lifestyles,” Proctor said Saturday. “I just got to the point where enough was enough.”

Proctor said he could not recall a specific game or moment that he ruined because of alcohol. But too many late nights and too many beers caught up with him, he said, and by the time of his trade, it was obvious he had lost his chance to stay.

“When your body’s that dry from all the booze, it’s got to have an effect,” Proctor said. “You can’t be consistent when you’re doing that kind of stuff.”

It is good to hear that he is getting his life together.

At the end of the piece, Proctor says he would love to play for the Yankees again, as his contract expires at the end of this season.  He was hoping to speak with Brian Cashman, but he didn’t make the trip down to Florida.

”I pretty much have a new arm,” he said.

Update – 11:48 a.m.: Mark Feinsand also wrote about Proctor in today’s Daily News.

Saturday YanksBlog.com game recap

Josh Johnson shut the Yankees down for seven innings, allowing only three hits and one run.  Boo.

Here is my YanksBlog.com recap.

(expletive) Jonathan (expletive) Papelbon doesn’t want to play for the (expletive) Yankees

Remember the other day when I said Jonathan Papelbon wasn’t an idiot after making his comments about not ruling out the Yankees on SIRIUS XM Radio? Well, never mind that. I gave him too much credit.

In an expletive-laden tirade relayed to us by WEEI.com, Papelbon made his stance crystal clear. Read the entire thing for full effect. Here’s a sampling:

“I just think that when people hear what I said or people read what I said sometimes they can only see certain things. I want to make that clear, I don’t want to go (expletive) play for the Yankees,” Papelbon said.

“Believe me, I’ve got a ring here and I’m playing for a manager and general manager who are going to protect me. I’ve been on a team in baseball who has been in first-place more than any other (expletive) team in baseball. It’s just a simple fact for me that what I was stating that guys nowadays don’t necessarily get the opportunity to be with a team for a long period of time.

”Do I want to be with the Red Sox for as long as I can? Of course. There is no question about because I know I’m playing a manager and general manager who are going to protect me and to me that’s all that matters.”

Keep in mind, he isn’t a free agent until after the 2011 season. This is the kind of talk you hear when a player is about to reach free agency. What a clown.

Pettitte quiets Marlins in series opener

Here’s the recap I wrote for Baseball Digest.  Nice game for Andy Pettitte, both on the mound and at the plate, eh?

Yankees drop two of three to Natinals

Yes, the Yankees have lost a series to the team who can’t spell its own name right.

Yes, someone named Craig Stammen, who had never won a major league game before, shut out the Yankees over 6 1/3 innings.

Yes, Mike MacDougal recorded two saves in this series – his first two saves since 2006!

How this team of also-rans and no-names shut down the Yankees is beyond me.  In fact, the Yankees were lucky to win the first game.  That’s how close they were to being swept.

After a rain delay of more than five hours, it was clear the Yankees had no interest in playing this game.  And that’s a problem.

What a (long, National) nightmare.

P.S. To show you how pathetic this game was, it was the first one at the new Stadium without a home run.

Papelbon wouldn’t rule out signing with Yanks after 2011

Boston Red Sox closer and object of Yankees fans’ fury everywhere, Jonathan Papelbon, told Jody McDonald on MLB Home Plate on SIRIUS XM Radio that he wouldn’t rule out signing with the Yankees (or anyone else) when he becomes eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.

From the transcript of the interview:

Host, Jody McDonald: “If you couldn’t work out a contract with the Red Sox before free agency comes up and you eventually become a free agent, is the Bronx ever a possibility?”

Jonathan Papelbon: “Oh, of course.  I mean, I think if we can’t come to an agreement on terms here in a Red Sox uniform, I mean, I think that’s pretty much the writing on the wall.  If they can’t come to terms with you they’re letting you know that, ‘Hey you know what? We can go somewhere else.’  And I think it’s the same way on the other side, ‘Hey if ya’ll can’t come to an agreement with me then I can go somewhere else.’  Not only in the Bronx, but anywhere.  I think anywhere is a possibility.

”You always have to keep that in the back of your mind because you can’t just be one-sided and think that, ‘Oh I’m going to be in a Red Sox uniform my entire career.’  Because nowadays that is very, very rare and hopefully we can because there’s no question I would love to stay in a Boston Red Sox uniform but I have to do what’s best for me and play in an atmosphere where I’m wanted and play on a team where I’m wanted and that’s all I can really say about that, you know?”

Give Papelbon some credit: he’s not an idiot.  Ruling out the Yankees would be a silly move, even if he has no intention of signing with them.  That said, I still despise him and seeing him in pinstripes would be vomit-inducing.

John Lannan! The Nationals! Really?

Really.

Thanks, Robinson Cano.

Principal Cano goes 4-4, Yankees win

Robinson Cano, who served as principal of PS 55 for the day, went 4-for-4 with two RBI – including the game-winning RBI – in the Yankees’ 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Things were kind of hairy for a while when CC Sabathia gave up a three-run home run to Anderson Hernandez, the 16-46 Nationals’ No. 9 hitter.  Hernandez only had one career home run going into that bat, and that home run came in 2006!

But alas, the Yankees were able to come back due to big hits by Mark Teixeira and Cano as well as bad center field play by Elijah Dukes.

Sabathia went 7 2/3 innings and dominated the game otherwise.  He threw 109 pitches while striking out two and walking one.  Brian Bruney made his return, retiring the only batter he faced.  Mariano Rivera then came in and pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save of the season.

Chien-Ming Wang gets the start tomorrow night.

Game 64: Nationals at Yankees

Washington Nationals (16-45)	New York Yankees (36-27)
Cristian Guzman DH	Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson 1B	Johnny Damon LF
Ryan Zimmerman 3B	Mark Teixeira 1B
Elijah Dukes CF	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Adam Dunn LF	Robinson Cano 2B
Austin Kearns RF	Jorge Posada C
Alberto Gonzalez SS	Hideki Matsui DH
Wil Nieves C	Nick Swisher RF
Anderson Hernandez 2B	Melky Cabrera CF

Shairon Martis RHP (5-1, 5.04 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia LHP (5-4, 3.68 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: MY9
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Nationals vs. Sabathia

• Guzman: 9-34, 2 2B, 2 RBI
• Zimmerman: 0-4
• Dunn: 4-22, 2 2B, 2 RBI
• Kearns: 2-12, 2B
• Gonzalez: 1-3

Yankees vs. Martis

• No Yankees have any experience against Martis

News items: Bruney, Veras, Wang, Sosa

Brian Bruney was activated earlier today, meaning that Jose Veras was designated for assignment. (Ed. note: Hooray!)

Chien-Ming Wang and his wife Chia-Ling gave birth to a son today.  No, the child’s name does not contain a “Ch-” or a “-ng.”  They named him “Justin Jesse.”  Yes, really.

And finally, Sammy Sosa reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.  I say: “good.”

Meet Jane Heller at Stan’s tomorrow

Friend of Scott Proctor’s Arm Jane Heller wanted me to pass along that she will be signing copies of “Confessions of a She-Fan” at Stan’s near Yankee Stadium tomorrow from 3:30-5:30 before the Yankees/Nationals game.

Dear Brian Bruney

Dear Brian Bruney,

Shut up.  Just shut up.

To refresh everyone’s memory, this is what Bruney said about Francisco Rodriguez after pitching in Trenton:

“Couldn’t have happened to a better guy on the mound, either. He’s got a tired act,” Bruney said. “He gets what he deserves, man. I just don’t like watching the guy pitch. I think it’s embarrassing.”

How about you actually help your team before you start putting your foot in your mouth?  The man they call K-Rod, obviously, is none too pleased.  I don’t really care how he feels, but the Yankees are in no position to be talking at all.

Oh, and manager Joe Girardi, the one who is supposed to be setting an example, called out Brad Penny for hitting Alex Rodriguez.

Now we know where the players get it from.  Word of advice: open your mouths after you beat Boston for once and legitimately beat the Mets.

I’m all for a team having a certain swagger and an attitude, but there is a time and a place.  Right now, this team is playing horrible baseball.  They have no right to say anything.

Saturday YanksBlog.com game recap

Someone named Fernando Nieve shut down the Yankees offense today.  Is anyone surprised?  Here is the game recap on YanksBlog.com.

Wow

There are no words to describe the ending of tonight’s game. As the Jerk said, they should have lost. But someone, Luis Castillo, dropped the ball.

I have never seen anything like this before, and I doubt we’ll see something like this again for quite sometime.

Wow.

Losers

That is all.

I apologize about the lack of posts.  Hopefully things will return to normal relatively soon.

Yankees draft someone named Slade Heathcott

I’m not even going to pretend to know anything about Slade Heathcott.  The Yankees drafted him with the 29th overall pick.

Here is the MLB.com scouting report on the outfielder:

Hitting ability:
Heathcott has plus hitting ability from the left side of the plate.

Power:
He has plus power to all fields.

Running speed:
Even with a knee brace, he showed above-average speed.

Base running:
Has great instincts on the bases and will be a base-stealer in the future.

Arm strength:
Also clocking in at 95 mph in the past off the mound, his arm from the outfield is a big plus.

Fielding:
He's a plus defender who can play all three outfield positions well.

Range:
His speed and his instincts allow him to cover a lot of ground.

Physical Description:
Heathcott is muscular with broad shoulders and a v-cut torso.

Medical Update:
He had ACL reconstruction surgery in November and has been playing with a knee brace, but shows no ill effects. He recently sprained a shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield, but sustained no structural damage.

Strengths:
Plus tools across the board. Intense competitor with instincts beyond his years.

Weaknesses:
There are some off-the-field issues that concern some. His makeup on the field is fine, but his character is the question.

Summary:
Heathcott is a very interesting high school outfielder with plus tools across the board. Even after November ACL surgery, he runs extremely well, has a plus arm from the outfield and can really hit for average and power from the left side of the plate. He's an intense competitor, but there is some concern over character issues off the field. The team that gets those questions answered could be the one to take him on Draft Day.

Game 58: Yankees at Red Sox

New York Yankees (34-23)	Boston Red Sox (33-24)
Derek Jeter SS	Dustin Pedroia 2B
Johnny Damon DH	J.D. Drew RF
Mark Teixeira 1B	Kevin Youkilis 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Jason Bay LF
Robinson Cano 2B	Mike Lowell 3B
Jorge Posada C	David Ortiz DH
Nick Swisher LF	Jason Varitek C
Melky Cabrera RF	Mark Kotsay CF
Brett Gardner CF	Nick Green SS

A.J. Burnett RHP (4-2, 4.69 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett RHP (6-2, 4.09 ERA)

Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: MY9
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 175

Yankees vs. Beckett

• Jeter: 14-41, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Damon: 12-38, 5 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI
• Teixeira: 2-12
• Rodriguez: 11-34, 3 2B, HR, 7 RBI
• Cano: 12-36, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI
• Posada: 9-26, 2B, 3 RBI
• Swisher: 5-14, HR, 2 RBI
• Cabrera: 12-33, 3 2B, 4 RBI
• Gardner: 0-8

Red Sox vs. Burnett

• Pedroia: 6-20, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Drew: 5-18, 2B, RBI
• Youkilis: 5-22, 2 RBI
• Bay: 6-16, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• Lowell: 4-20, 2B
• Ortiz: 6-25, 3 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Varitek: 5-17, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI
• Kotsay: 3-10, 2 2B, RBI
• Green: 2-8, 3B

The Phils provide sturdy bridge as Yankees power way to victory

How about watching Phil Hughes dominate in relief like Joba Chamberlain did?  Hmmm…

Phil Coke also pitched capably in the eighth inning, providing a sturdy bridge for Mariano Rivera who recorded his 14th save of the season in the Yankees’ 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.  They are now 34-23 and have the best record in the AL, pending the outcome of the Rangers/Blue Jays game.

The Yankees hit four home runs (Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter), Andy Pettitte struck out seven in six innings for his sixth victory of the season and the Yankees have won their fourth series in a row.

The Yankees travel to Boston for a three-game series that begins tomorrow.  As you may recall, the Yankees are 0-5 against the Red Sox this season.  A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett start the opener.

Game 57: Rays at Yankees

New York Yankees (33-23)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Andy Sonnanstine RHP (4-5, 7.07 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte LHP (5-2, 4.33 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES, ESPN
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Yankees vs. Sonnanstine

• Jeter: 6-18, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI
• Damon: 5-18, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Teixeira: 1-6
• Rodriguez: 4-11, HR, 2 RBI
• Cano: 2-14, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Posada: 1-10
• Matsui: 5-13, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI
• Swisher: 3-17
• Cabrera: 1-8

Yankees rally in 8th to defeat Rays

How about that for a late-inning rally?  The Yankees scored three runs and the ball never left the infield.  Nevertheless, it was good enough to overcome a 3-1 deficit and put the Yankees back in first place.

The Yankees only recorded six hits and didn’t have a hit with runners in scoring position.  Joba Chamberlain was pitching well until the sixth inning (100 pitches, three earned runs).  Alfredo Aceves picked up his fourth win of the season pitching two innings, striking out four.

Mariano Rivera recovered from his awful day yesterday with a perfect ninth inning to earn his 13th save of the season.

Andy Sonnantine and Andy Pettitte start tomorrow night as we try to find out which Andy is better.

Game 56: Rays at Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays (29-28)	New York Yankees (32-23)
B.J. Upton CF	Derek Jeter SS
Carl Crawford LF	Johnny Damon LF
Willy Aybar 3B	Mark Teixeira 1B
Carlos Pena 1B	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Ben Zobrist 2B	Robinson Cano 2B
Matt Joyce RF	Jorge Posada C
Gabe Gross DH	Hideki Matsui DH
Dioner Navarro C	Nick Swisher RF
Reid Brignac SS	Melky Cabrera CF

Matt Garza RHP (4-4, 3.67 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain RHP (3-1, 3.71 ERA)

Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Rays vs. Chamberlain

• Upton: 0-3
• Crawford: 0-2
• Aybar: 0-3
• Pena: 0-2
• Zobrist: 0-1
• Joyce: 0-1
• Gross: 0-1
• Navarro: 0-1

Yankees vs. Garza

• Jeter: 5-14, RBI
• Damon: 1-10, 3B, RBI
• Teixeira: 0-5, RBI
• Rodriguez: 2-6, HR, 2 RBI
• Cano: 5-14, 2B, 2 RBI
• Posada: 2-5, 2 RBI
• Matsui: 0-4
• Swisher: 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI
• Cabrera: 1-6

Yankees, Cablevision to offer live streaming of games

John Ourand and Eric Frisher from the SportsBusiness Journal are reporting that the Yankees and Cablevision will offer live streaming of games later this season.

The streamed games will begin later this season and will be available via subscription to Cablevision’s TV and broadband customers who subscribe to a tier that carries the YES Network, according to several baseball and cable industry sources.

The move is part of an overall renewal of Cablevision’s YES Network affiliation deal that was signed earlier this spring but never officially announced.

The pact also marks the first major effort within baseball for in-market streaming — an issue that has troubled the industry for years. Several clubs that hold equity interest in regional sports networks, such as the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, have pressed for in-market streaming to complement MLB.TV’s out-of-market online video package.

For those who subscribe to MLB.tv, you know that you are blacked out from Yankees games if you are in its home market, so this is very intriguing if you are a Cablevision subscriber.  Hopefully this is expanded to serve more cable companies.

Saturday YanksBlog.com recap

Mariano Rivera struggled in another tie game in the ninth.  Here is my YanksBlog.com recap, as the Yankees lost 9-7.

Game 55: Rays at Yankees

New York Yankees (32-22)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera RF
Francisco Cervelli C

David Price LHP (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia LHP (5-3, 3.46 ERA)

Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 175

Yankees vs. Price

• Jeter: 1-2, HR, RBI
• Damon: 1-2
• Rodriguez: 1-2, 2B
• Cano: 0-1

Tonight’s game has been postponed

So there you have it.  CC Sabathia and David Price tomorrow.  The makeup game will not be played in this series, reports Peter Abraham.

As you can see, I have not been posting as much as I’d like to.  On Monday, I began my summer internship in the city and am gone all morning and afternoon with no time to post at all.  I hope you understand.

Someone at ESPN had fun with Wang

This headline greeted me when I opened up Google Reader a few minutes ago.  The link didn’t lead to anywhere for some reason, but it’s not immortalized here.

Yes, my mind is in the gutter.

Teixeira’s slide inspires Yankees to victory

Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch twice tonight in the Yankees’ 12-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.  On the second one, he snapped, eventually breaking up a double play with a hard slide in the fourth inning.

After that slide, the Yankees scored five runs, giving enough breathing room for A.J. Burnett.  He gutted through seven innings, striking out eight on 110 pitches.  He allowed three earned runs, all on a long home run by Nelson Cruz.

Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter each had three hits.  Posada drove in four runs, including three on a long home run to right.  Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui had two hits apiece.  Like Posada, Matsui hit a three-run home run as well.

All in all, it was a nice win for New York, even though the errorless streak ended when Posada air-mailed a throw to second base attempting to catch a runner stealing.  They are now 10 games over .500 and maintained their one-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East.  The 12 runs scored were a season-high.

Andy Pettitte will face Scott Feldman tomorrow night at the Stadium.

Game 52: Rangers at Yankees

New York Yankees (30-21)

Derek Jeter SS

Johnny Damon LF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Alex Rodriguez 3B

Robinson Cano 2B

Jorge Posada C

Hideki Matsui DH

Melky Cabrera RF

Brett Gardner CF

Vicente Padilla RHP (3-2, 4.71 ERA) vs. A.J. Burnett RHP (3-2, 4.78 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.

TV: YES

Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Yankees vs. Padilla:

• Jeter: 2-8, RBI
• Damon: 3-11, RBI
• Teixeira: 2-7, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Rodriguez: 2-9, HR, 7 RBI
• Cano: 3-8, HR, RBI
• Poasda: 0-1, RBI
• Matsui: 1-1, 2B
• Cabrera: 1-2

Joba pitches 8, Yankees set errorless record in victory

Well, well, well, look who pitched eight innings and only needed 106 pitches to do so.  Yup, that’s what Joba Chamberlain did tonight, striking out five, walking only two and allowing two earned runs in the Yankees’ 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians.  The Yankees took three of four from Cleveland.

In the process, the Yankees played their 18th straight errorless game, setting a major league record.

Nick Swisher, on the first day of the new month, went 2-for-4 with two doubles, including the game-winning two-run double in the top of the seventh.

Interesting observation from looking at today’s boxscore: the Yankees recorded six hits tonight, and all them came from the top four sports in the order: Derek Jeter, Swisher, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.  However, the 10 walks issued by the Indians’ pitchers were significant.

Mariano Rivera earned his 11th save of the season after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The Yankees are now 30-21 and will begin a three-game series against Texas in the Bronx tomorrow night.

AP Photo

Game 51: Yankees at Indians – Molina and Nady health updates

New York Yankees (29-21)	Cleveland Indians (22-30)
Derek Jeter SS	Asdrubal Cabrera 2B
Nick Swisher RF	Ben Francisco CF
Mark Teixeira 1B	Victor Martinez CF
Alex Rodriguez DH	Shin-Soo Choo RF
Jorge Posada C	Jhonny Peralta 3B
Robinson Cano 2B	Mark DeRosa LF
Melky Cabrera LF	Ryan Garko 1B
Angel Berroa 3B	Jamey Carroll 2B
Brett Gardner CF	Kelly Shoppach C

Joba Chamberlain RHP (2-1, 3.97 ERA) vs. Jeremy Sowers LHP (1-2, 7.71 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES/ESPN
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Yankees vs. Sowers

• Jeter: 5-8, 2 2B
• Swisher: 2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Teixeira: 2-3, RBI
• Rodriguez: 3-7
• Posada: 1-2
• Cano: 1-2, RBI
• Cabrera: 0-8
• Berroa: 0-3

Indians vs. Chamberlain

• Cabrera: 0-1
• Francisco: 1-2, RBI
• Martinez: 1-2, RBI
• Choo: 2 BB
• Peralta: 0-1
• DeRosa: 2-3, HR, 2 RBI
• Garko: 1-5, 2B, RBI
• Carroll: 0-1

That’s an interesting lineup.  Meanwhile, Jose Molina and Xavier Nady have had setbacks:

Jose Molina re-inured his strained left quad today in an extended spring training game in Florida and is likely to return to New York to be examined. The Yankees had hoped he might return this week. Not now and probably not any time soon.

Meanwhile, Xavier Nady started a throwing program today, felt discomfort in his right elbow and stopped throwing. He’ll try again tomorrow. Nady was diagnosed with a torn ligament in April but both parties agreed to try a course of rehab and experimental platelet injections in hopes of avoiding surgery. Today’s setback does not necessarily mean surgery will ultimately be required. But it’s certainly not good news for Nady.

Wonderful.