Jeter ties Gehrig, Yanks sweep Rays

Derek Jeter’s 3-for-4 night put him in a tie with Lou Gehrig for first place on the Yankees’ all-time hits list with 2,721.  He had been hitless in his previous three games.  As for the team, the Yankees scored four in the eighth to defeat Tampa Bay 4-2 Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain only lasted three innings, throwing 56 pitches and allowing two earned runs and three hits.

The three hits and two runs allowed were recorded in the first inning, meaning the Tampa Bay Rays were no-hit over the final 8 2/3 innings.

Jorge Posada hit a go-ahead pinch-hit three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Yankees to victory.

The Yankees were able to avoid using Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera in the ninth.  Brian Bruney got the first two outs, while Phil Coke earned the save by striking out the only batter he faced.

New York is now 91-50 and will begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Swisher walks off

Nick Swisher joined the long line of Yankees who have had walk-off hits this season.  Swisher hit a one-out solo home run to right against Dan Wheeler in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Yankees to a 3-2 victory.  They have now reached 90 wins and are 40 games above .500.

The home run, his 26th, was Swisher’s second of the game.  This was strange because he had only hit three previous home runs at Yankee Stadium this season.  He also homered from both sides of the plate.

Chad Gaudin allowed one earned runs and six hits over 6+ innings, striking out six.  Phil Hughes actually faltered in his inning of work, allowing a game-tying home run to Jason Bartlett in the eighth.  It was his first blown save of the season and it was the first earned run he allowed in a game since Aug. 4.

The Yankees will go for the four-game sweep of the Rays tomorrow night with Joba Chamberlain on the mound.

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Posada drives in 4 as Yankees win another

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

Jorge Posada went 4-for-5 with a home run, double and four RBI in the Yankees' 10-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday night at Rogers Centre.  Alfredo Aceves picked up his 10th win of the season with 2 1/3 innings of relief.

The Yankees scored four quick runs in the first inning against starter Ricky Romero.  With the bases loaded, Hideki Matsui singled.  Three runs scored, aided by Travis Snider's fielding error. As a result, Matsui was only credited with one RBI.  Posada followed with an RBI single of his own to increase the lead to 4-0.

Chad Gaudin couldn't escape the fourth inning, allowing three earned runs while only retiring 11 batters.  With one out in the fourth, Gaudin allowed three singles, he hit a batter and allowed a sacrifice fly to cut the Yankees' lead to 5-3.

Aceves entered in relief and allowed two runs (one earned) in his 2 1/3 innings of work.  David Robertson, Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte each followed with a scoreless inning of work apiece.

In addition to Posada's four RBI, Alex Rodriguez drove in two runs on two hits, including a solo home run in the ninth.

The Yankees have now won seven games in a row and are 38 games over .500.  Joba Chamberlain takes the hill tomorrow night in Toronto.

On Joba

So, last night I was called out by Joe at River Ave. Blues for some tweets I made during yesterday’s game pertaining to the new Joba Chamberlain rules and regulations.

Much like Ross, who was actually at yesterday’s game, seeing Chamberlain throw 35 pitches only to be taken out is enough to be frustrated.  I think the babying of Chamberlain has gone a bit too far.

Chamberlain has looked fairly ordinary this year, and who can blame him?  The Yankees have changed his routine almost on a weekly basis by altering his days off, capping his innings and pitches, etc.

It’s frightening to know he’s the No. 4 starter in October if the Yankees advance past the Division Series.  The Yankees are simulating spring training in the middle of a race to attain home-field advantage, and I’m not too confident in Chamberlain being playoff-ready.  That’s the root of my concerns with this plan.

Chamberlain threw 35 pitches in three innings.  In starts where there weren’t innings limits, he nibbled more, elevating his pitch count early.  Did he change the way he pitched yesterday because he knew he’d only hang around for three innings?  Perhaps.  I want him to be at the top of his game when the playoffs roll around.

No, I don’t have a plan for Chamberlain, but I’m not convinced the Yankees know what they’re doing either.  I was tired of hearing that “we have a plan” and “we’re on schedule” all summer from the front office.  I think if they really had a plan, they would’ve been forthright from the beginning.

I just hope it all works out in the end, because if it doesn’t, the Yankees will be the butt of jokes for years.

I think I’m with everyone when I say I can’t wait until next year when “the training wheels are off,” because frankly, this whole situation has gotten to the point where it’s ridiculous, just as the previous quoted phrase has gotten old.

Teixeira, bullpen ensure sweep of White Sox

(Originally posted for Baseball Digest)

Mark Teixeira drove in four runs and the Yankees bullpen pitched six innings, allowing only one earned run, in the team’s 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly in the first and then hit a three-run home run in the five-run seventh inning to pass 100 RBI on the season.  He has now reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI in six straight seasons.

Starter Joba Chamberlain only went three innings, as the Yankees instituted their revised version of the “Joba Rules.”  They are essentially simulating spring training and will get him up and around 100 pitches near the end of the season.  He threw 35 pitches, allowing four hits and two earned runs.

Alfredo Aceves relieved Chamberlain, pitching three shutout innings, to earn his ninth win of the season.  Damaso Marte, David Robertson and Phil Hughes combined to pitch two shutout innings.  Phil Coke allowed a solo home run in the ninth.

On the offensive side, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada each had two hits, while Johnny Damon was the other Yankees aside from Teixeira to drive in more than one run (he hit a two-run home run in the third to give the Yankees the lead).  The home run, which was his 24th, ties a career-high.  Damon left the game in the seventh with cramping in both calves.

With the sweep of the White Sox, the Yankees are now 34 games over .500.  They now embark on a seven-game road trip with the first stop being in Baltimore for three games starting tomorrow night.

Pitiful performance by Chamberlain

Tonight’s start was emblematic of the way Joba Chamberlain has performed this season.  He nibbled too much tonight and could never put away the Rangers with two outs until they did their damage.

In four innings, Chamberlain allowed seven earned runs (all with two outs) on nine hits while walking three.  He also threw 96 pitches, 44 of which were thrown in the five-run fourth inning alone.  Oh, he also blew a 4-0 lead.

It’s getting to the point where the three dominant starts after the All-Star break were an aberration.

This is the kind of pitcher Chamberlain is this season.  And if the Yankees have to rely on him to pitch them out of a hole in October, I don’t have faith that he’ll deliver.

(Photo By Al Bello/Getty Images)

‘E:60’ reports on 11-year-old Yankee fan with cerebral palsy

“HOPE Week” was a major success for the Yankees earlier this season.  Rich Reilly wrote a fantastic piece about A.J. Burnett’s involvement with the kids from Camp Sundown and we all remember Polly Tompkins’ story.

ESPN’s newsmagazine show, E:60, will feature “HOPE Week” once again, this time telling the story of 11-year-old Tom Ellenson.  Here is the description, via a release ESPN sent me.:

The story of 11-year-old Tom Ellenson is an extraordinary one. Growing up with cerebral palsy, Ellenson could not walk or speak. But his father created a device that allowed him to communicate as a kid his age would, and his “voice” inspired a little league baseball team in New York City to excel.

Ellenson’s magic touch with the team got the attention of the New York Yankees, and Andy Pettite, Joba Chamberlain and Alex Rodriguez visited Ellenson and his teammates. Then, the Yankees gave Ellenson and his teammates a day at Yankee Stadium they will never forget. ESPN’s E:60 was given exclusive access to document Ellenson’s day spent with the Yankees, including a ceremonial first pitch different than any other first pitch in Major League Baseball history. Rachel Nichols reports.

The episode will air on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. on ESPN.  Below is a preview clip the network provided.

Joba, Aceves falter in Sunday defeat

(Originally written for Baseball Digest)

Joba Chamberlain allowed four earned runs over five innings, and was relieved by an equally shaky Alfredo Aceves, who was charged with four runs of his own in 1 2/3 innings.  Doug Fister, on the other hand, pitched well in seven innings, as the Mariners defeated the Yankees 10-3 to avoid a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field.

The game started out well for the Yankees, as Derek Jeter recorded two hits in his first two at-bats to pass Luis Aparicio with the most hits as a shortstop, including an RBI double in the third inning.

Chamberlain retired the first seven batters he faced, but ran into trouble after walking Ryan Langerhans with one out in the third.  After a single and another walk, Jose Lopez hit a two-run double to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.

Nick Swisher and the Yankees responded in the next half-inning, when he hit a two-run home run to center to put the Yankees ahead 3-2.

But Chamberlain was undone in the fifth, with successive two-out RBI singles.

The Mariners wouldn’t look back from there, but they added insurance in the seventh.  Aceves struggled in his second inning of work, but he wasn’t helped by Jerry Hairston Jr. to a step back before having to charge on Ken Griffey Jr.’s leadoff fly ball.  Instead of making the catch, he had to field it on a hop.  Eventually, the Mariners had the bases loaded with one out.  After Langerhans struck out, Aceves hit Josh Wilson with a pitch.  Chad Gaudin was then brought in, and he gave up three straight RBI base hits, extending the Mariners’ lead to 9-3.  Kenji Johjima’s solo home run in the eighth put the M’s ahead 10-3.

The Yankees don’t lose any ground in the American League East, as the Red Sox were defeated in Texas.  The Yankees take their 7.5-game division lead to Oakland for three games starting tomorrow night.  A.J. Burnett will start against Brett Tomko, whom the Yankees designated for assignment earlier this summer.

More back-to-back magic leads Yanks to victory

Joba Chamberlain was bad last night, but he and the rest of the team were bailed out by back-to-back home runs by Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada last night, as the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 7-5.

Chamberlain blew a 3-0 lead in the third inning when he allowed a three-run double to Lyle Overbay. He then served up a solo shot to Randy Ruiz, a 31-year-old who played in his 23rd career game.

After three great starts following the All-Star break, Chamberlain has been average, at best. You can't expect him to be perfect all the time, but he has reverted back to what the majority of his starts this season have been like.

But for the third time in as many games, the Yankees hit back-to-back home runs. They are now 70-43 and have a 5.5-game lead over the Red Sox in the East.

They're playing a day game today, with A.J. Burnett getting the start. First pitch is a little after 1.

It's about time

Calling John Smoltz a shell of his former self would be an insult to shells.

I figured it was a good signing because He Knows How To Win® and He Hasn't Forgotten How To Pitch®, but with each successive start, it's looking like he doesn't and he has.

The Yankees were able to power their way to victory last night, despite Joba Chamberlain's career-high seven walks, to extend their lead over the Red Sox in the division to 3.5 games. At only 1-8 against their archrivals, that's remarkable.

A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett get the nods at the Stadium tonight. Step on their throats, Yankees.

Joba appears in a Powerade commercial

Hello, folks. It's been a while. I'm not the biggest fan of the All-Star hubbub, so I chose not to make any posts about it. Anyway, baseball returns tonight (even though the Yankees don't start up again until tomorrow), and the kind folks at Powerade sent over a YouTube link of Joba Chamberlain appearing in a new ad promoting their fine drink.



The ad, which also features Carmelo Anthony, Ryan Howard and others, will appear in cinemas nationwide.

Aceves saves Joba and Ransom

Joba Chamberlain and Cody Ransom did their best to turn a 4-0 lead into an 8-4 deficit.  Ransom’s fielding error in the third inning opened the floodgates, as Chamberlain gave up five unearned runs and was out of the game after only retiring 11 batters.

However, Jonathan Albaladejo and Alfredo Aceves saved the Yankees on the pitching side, while Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui provided the offense.  Jeter hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning after Matsui drew the Yankees closer with a three-run shot in the fourth inning.  Posada added four hits and three RBI.

But the real story was Aceves, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball for his first career save.

The Yankees are now 15 games over .500 at 48-33, their highest amount of games above .500 this season.  They have also won 10 of their 11 games.  Andy Pettitte will look to lead the Yankees to a sweep over the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon at 1:05.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Offense, pitching don’t show up

This game was the exact opposite of yesterday’s game.

Despite recording 12 hits, the Yankees could only score three times.  They also left 12 runners on base.  Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain only lasted four innings, throwing 84 pitches in the process.  I can’t wait to hear what Mike Francesa has to say tomorrow.

I’m not sure why Alfredo Aceves was brought in in the fifth inning.  It could’ve been a nice opportunity to give Chien-Ming Wang some work.  Oh well.

A.J. Burnett and Derek Holland start tomorrow’s rubber game at 8:05 p.m.

Hughes, offense dominate Rangers

Don’t be confused by the red hats.

Phil Hughes threw eight shutout innings and the Yankees recorded 11 runs on 19 hits to win the series opener against the Texas Rangers 11-1.  Hughes struck out six and only walked one in his 101-pitch effort.

Alex Rodriguez went 5-for-5 with four RBI to raise his batting average to .259.  Of the Yankees 19 hits and six extra-base hits, none were home runs, which is great to see.

You know it was the Yankees’ day when Kevin Cash had three hits.  Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano also had two hits apiece.

The 11 runs match a season-high and the team’s 19 hits set a season-high.

There’s not much more to add here.  Joba Chamberlain gets the start tomorrow night at 8:05 p.m.

AP Photo

Papelbon whines, Mets win

The Mets have done what the Yankees have been unable to do this season thus far: beat the Red Sox.  And they’ve already done so twice.

But I really want to talk about what Jonathan Papelbon did in the bottom of the ninth inning tonight.  Papelbon, of course, gave up the game-winning home run in the top of the ninth.

With a runner at first and no outs, Jason Bay grounded to third.  David Wright made a great play just getting to the ball.  He then fired a one-hopped to Luis Castillo who somehow kept his foot on the bag to record the force out.

Papelbon came running out of the dugout and started doing the “safe” motion with his arms.

Now, I ask you to imagine the uproar if a Yankee, more specifically, Joba Chamberlain, did something similar.  Chamberlain is killed for pumping his fist, but guys like Papelbon take it to the next level.  If Chamberlain did the “safe” sign like that, he’d be all over ESPN, Mike Francesa would be calling for his head and columnists would talk about how he’s showing up the opponent.

I want to watch MLB Network or “Baseball Tonight” and see these “analysts” call out Papelbon.  If they don’t, something is seriously wrong.

It was nice to hear one of the Mets’ announcers tell Papelbon to “sit down,” but I want to hear more of a reaction tonight.

AP Photo