The Yankees went into Sunday’s match hoping to avoid their first sweep of the second half. With CC facing Buerhle, many expected a pitcher’s duel, however, this was not the case. The Bombers played much better ball than they have since leaving Tampa, and picked up an 8-5 victory over the White Sox. This win preserves their .5 game lead over the Red Sox for first in the AL East.

Melky Cabrera, who would become the story of the game, started off the scoring when he tagged Buerhle for a 3-run homer in the second inning. CC, who clearly struggled the whole game, broke down in the third. After giving up a double to Podsednik, Beckham hit an RBI single. Dye tied things up with a two-run shot and the Sox took the lead when Thome sent a solo homerun over the fence. The White Sox would not hold the lead for very long. Melky started off the top of the fourth with a double and moved to third on Hairston’s sacrifice bunt. Singles by Molina, Jeter and Damon would put the Yankees back in front 5-4. The Yankees would add two more runs in the top of the fifth, including an RBI single by Melky, stretching the lead to 7-4. Defensively, the Yankees looked sharp, showing no signs of the error-prone team that they were when they first got to Chicago. CC settled down and pitched scoreless ball through the seventh. Chicago would add another run in the bottom of the eighth, when Mo gave up an RBI single to Quentin. In the ninth, Melky came up to bat needing only a triple to complete the cycle. When he smacked the ball over Dye’s head he put on his wheels and took off for third. Melky’s first triple of the season would give him the Yankees first cycle in 14 years. Jeter would single him in later and the Yankees would hold on to win 8-5.

Select View Full Post to continue reading.

The Yankees went into Sunday’s match hoping to avoid their first sweep of the second half. With CC facing Buerhle, many expected a pitcher’s duel, however, this was not the case. The Bombers played much better ball than they have since leaving Tampa, and picked up an 8-5 victory over the White Sox. This win preserves their 0.5 game lead over the Red Sox for first in the AL East.

Melky Cabrera, who would become the story of the game, started off the scoring when he tagged Buerhle for a 3-run homer in the second inning. CC, who clearly struggled the whole game, broke down in the third. After giving up a double to Podsednik, Beckham hit an RBI single. Dye tied things up with a two-run shot and the Sox took the lead when Thome sent a solo homerun over the fence. The White Sox would not hold the lead for very long. Melky started off the top of the fourth with a double and moved to third on Hairston’s sacrifice bunt. Singles by Molina, Jeter and Damon would put the Yankees back in front 5-4. The Yankees would add two more runs in the top of the fifth, including an RBI single by Melky, stretching the lead to 7-4. Defensively, the Yankees looked sharp, showing no signs of the error-prone team that they were when they first got to Chicago. CC settled down and pitched scoreless ball through the seventh. Chicago would add another run in the bottom of the eighth, when Mo gave up an RBI single to Quentin. In the ninth, Melky came up to bat needing only a triple to complete the cycle. When he smacked the ball over Dye’s head he put on his wheels and took off for third. Melky’s first triple of the season would give him the Yankees first cycle in 14 years. Jeter would single him in later and the Yankees would hold on to win 8-5.

Select View Full Post to continue reading.

My youngest son is 6 years old. Longtime FOTB Pete Toms also has a 6 year old son. I suspect the two boys would be good buddies given their baseball knowledge. Except Pete’s son already has a blog. Really. Pete’s email is priceless:

Strange, you can swap a few words in their level of questioning and the MLB investigators sound awfully like those wonderfully adept baggage checkers at your local airport:

Select View Full Post to continue reading.

The trading of Jake Peavy to the White Sox was not only a surprise, but also, according to local SD writer Nick Canepa, the latest symptom that all is not well within the game of baseball.

It wasn’t just the Padres’ Friday trade of Jake Peavy, their homegrown ace, their personality, their draw, their fire, to the White Sox, who can “afford” him. Peavy was merely a part of it. It was the sickening desperation of it all, the feeders feasting on the helpless. Baseball totally has lost its vision. It no longer can draw a line in its infield separating the good and the bad.

There’s no stopping it, because the game is without leadership, and the few bosses who make like they care about their product when most of it is ego, surely can’t give a damn about baseball, its health, its future, its fans, who try their best to support an aesthetically perfect game.

[...]

It’s probably not good for the game,” Padres GM Kevin Towers was saying Sunday. “But it’s reality. It happened when the economy was good, but small and mid-market clubs are feeling it now. Certain fans won’t understand it. Maybe in a year or two it will all make sense

We’ll see. The Pirates and Indians have gutted themselves. Cleveland dealt last year’s AL Cy Young winner, Cliff Lee, to Philadelphia, reigning World Series champs, and All-Star Victor Martinez to Boston. Pittsburgh has rid itself of Freddy Sanchez (2006 NL batting champion) and just about everything else but the three rivers.

Select View Full Post to continue reading.

Looks like Montero’s fine (AA and A) season is over due to a busted finger.

Yankee stud prospect Jesus Montero is done for the season due to a fractured middle finger on his left (glove) hand. Montero suffered the injury yesterday night catching for Trenton. Montero is expected to be out four to six weeks.

In 44 games for Trenton (Double-A) the 19-year-old hit .317 with nine homers and 33 RBIs. He batted .356 with eight homers and 37 RBIs for Tampa (Single-A).

Whether he’ll remain a) a catcher and b) a Yankee remains to be seen, but according to all those with legit scouting skills, Montero can sure hit.

Perhaps the Yankees should have looked a little harder for a starting pitcher prior to the trade deadline. The White Sox took their second straight game from the Yankees, who started off hot and then did their best to give the game away in the seventh.

The Yankees got going early, when Teixeira followed singles by Jeter and Damon with a double. Matsui would single him in to make the score 3-0 before Posada grounded into an inning ending double play. The White Sox would pick up a run in the bottom of the inning on an AJ Pierzynski double. Mitre really started to struggle in the second when he gave up 3 runs on a walk and 3 singles, as the White Sox took the 4-3 lead. A Carlos Quentin homerun in the third would stretch the lead to 5-3, until Eric Hinske’s two-run shot would tie it all up in the fourth. Robertson, who relieved Mitre after 3 innings, would give up a run and the lead again in the fifth, but the real trouble came in the seventh. After a quick sixth inning Alfredo Aceves walked the first batter of the seventh. A single by AJ Pierzynski put two runners on for the White Sox. A great catch by Damon kept the runners in place for the first out, but a second fly ball to right would make the score 7-5 for the White Sox. Acevas walked the next batter, gave up an RBI single and then a double steal play went horribly wrong as throws to both second and home were off target and late. By the end of the inning the score was 10-5 and that was how it would end.

Select View Full Post to continue reading.

In a bizarre turn of events, tonight’s starter for the White Sox, Clayton Richard, was part of the deadline deal today, packing his bags and moving to baseball’s version of the Elysian Fields (San Diego). It may be a lovely place to live, but his chances of getting to the playoffs this year are essentially dead.

Of course, he was hardly the main piece in the deal, which saw the White Sox bag Jake Peavy. This trade has to be one of the oddest we’ve seen in a long time, on a few different levels. First off, Peavy is currently on the disabled list with a serious ankle injury, and is questionable for the rest of the season. Secondly, we’ve seen this scene before–Peavy was traded to the White Sox back in May for Richards and Poreda, along with two other prospects, but killed the deal by invoking his no trade clause. Padres GM Kevin Towers probably has some choice words for Peavy, who would have been worth a boatload more than he is now, if he had been moved earlier in the season (and pre-injury).

White Sox faithful are, unsurprisingly, very excited about their new addition. Besides being the proud owner of a Cy Young award, Peavy is also one of the few pitchers in MLB history to bring home the pitching triple crown, leading the N.L. with 19 wins, a 2.54 ERA and 240 punchouts in 2007. That said, I can’t help but wonder if this will end poorly.

Select View Full Post to continue reading.