Tagged: Craig Breslow
McCann Keys 9-Run Seventh As Yanks Rip Bosox
YANKEES 13, RED FLOPS 3
Despite the fact it is August and the Yankees were facing the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday there seemed to be a subdued dynamic borne out of two teams headed in decidedly different directions, The Yankees have been shooting upward while the Red Flops are just playing out the string of what has been a disastrous season.
That scenario played out as the Yankees turned a 4-3 lead into a 13-3 rout in just one inning.
Brian McCann hit a three-run home run as part of a nine-run inning and drove in four runs and Masahiro Tanaka won his eighth game as New York showed its immense superiority over Boston in front of 48,522 happy fans and a national television audience.
For the Yankees it marked the seventh time this season they have scored 13 or more runs and there are three teams tied for the next most at three. They also have outscored their opposition 59-17 in their past four victories.
Until the seventh inning, the Yankees' right-hander Tanaka and rookie left-hander Henry Owens were locked into a close battle in Owens' Major-League debut.
The Yankees took an early lead against Owens (0-1) in the first inning on a one-out single by Chris Young, a walk to Alex Rodriguez and an RBI single by Mark Teixeira.
Tanaka threw four strong innings, yielding only a double by Mike Napoli with two out in the second inning when Young allowed the ball to drop thinking center-fielder Jacoby Ellsbury would catch it.
But in the fifth, Tanaka allowed a one-double to Napoli and a bunt single by Alejandro De Aza. Rookie Blake Swihart followed with an RBI single and Jackie Bradley Jr. plated De Aza on a sacrifice fly.
Owens, meanwhile, sailed into the sixth inning having retired 14 of the next 15 hitters and the past 12 in a row after Teixeira's first-inning RBI single.
But Young opened the sixth with a single to left and Rodriguez doubled to the left-center. Red Flops manager John Farrell, who ended up not exactly celebrating much of his 53rd birthday, removed Owens in favor of left-hander Robbie Ross Jr.
But Teixeira greeted Ross with an RBI single up the middle to score Young and McCann followed with a RBI double off the wall in right-center. Carlos Beltan gave the Yankees an additional run on an RBI groundout.
Owens was charged with three runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts in five-plus innings.
The Red Flops did draw to within one run when Pablo Sandoval opened the seventh with a home run off Tanaka, which ended his evening.
Tanaka (8-4) was charged with three runs on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts in six-plus innings to notch his fourth victory in his past five starts.
Justin Wilson came on to retire one batter before rookie Rusney Castillo singled and stole second on a 1-1 pitch to Bradley that was called a strike.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi opted to replaced the lefty Wilson with the right-handed Dellin Betances against the lefty-swinging Bradley in the middle of the at-bat. But Betances uncorked a wild pitch to allow Castillo to reach third and he ended up walking Bradley.
However, Betances struck out Brock Holt to preserve the 4-3 lead and keep Girardi from being raked over the coals in the media.
The Yankees then went to work by sending 13 batters to the plate off right-hander Jean Machi, left-hander Craig Breslow and right-hander Alexi Ogando.
It all started with a careless throwing error on shortstop Xander Bogaerts that allowed Ellsbury to reach first. Young drew a walk and Rodriguez chased Machi with an RBI single that extended the Yankees' lead to 5-3.
McCann then blew the game wide open with a long three-run blast into the right-field bleachers off Breslow for his 18th home run of the season. But the Yankees were not satisfied with beating their rivals; they wanted to humiliate them.
Beltran doubled into the gap in right-center and Chase Headley scored him with a double of his own. One out later, Brendan Ryan walked and Ellsbury singled to drive in Headley.
Farrell replaced Breslow with Ogando to face the righty-swininging Young but Young delivered a three-run homer, his 13th of the season, that landed well into the left-field bleachers to make it 13-3.
By drilling the Red Flops the Yankees improved their season mark to 60-45 and they lead the second-place Toronto Blue Jays by 5 1/2 games in the American League East. The Red Flops fell to a dismal 47-60 mark and they are 14 games back in last place.
McCann was 2-for-5 with a single, a home run, one run scored and four RBIs. McCann is simply a different player at home. He is batting .298 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs at Yankee Stadium and he is hitting a lousy .218 with six homers and 27 RBIs on the road. His low road average is one reason he is hitting just .252 on the season.
Teixeira entered the day having homered four times in his past five games but against the Red Flops he settled for a pair RBI singles. His 2-for-5 night raised his season average to a season-high .268 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs.
Young has been the unsung hero of this team as the fourth outfielder. He is hammering left-handers to the tune of .371 but his 13th home run and his three RBIs came off a right-handed pitcher in Ogando. In limited play, Young is batting .268 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs. For that reason we might want to overlook the fielding mistake he made in the second inning.
Watching the Yankees scored nine runs (eight earned) off the Red Flops bullpen was just pleasing to see. Many pundits predicted disaster for the Yankees this season and chose the Red Sox to win the division. It would be nice to gather up all that excrement they spewed and have them eat it all.
The Yankees made only one trade-deadline deal and that was to acquire outfielder Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners. Five days later, Ackley is on the 15-day disabled list. The Yankees placed the 27-year-old veteran on the DL on Tuesday with a right lumbar back strain that will sideline him until at least early September. Ackley said the injury did not occur when he was with the Mariners and that he first felt the pain in his back on Friday in Chicago. An MRI showed a herniated disk and he was given an epidural to relieve the discomfort. To replace Ackley on the roster the Yankees recalled right-hander Caleb Cotham from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. . . . The Yankees announced on Tuesday that outfielder Mason Williams will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. William, 23, hurt his right shoulder diving back into first base in a game against the Tigers in Detroit on June 19. The surgery is scheduled for Friday. Williams batted .286 with a home run and three RBIs in eight games with the Yankees.
With one thrashing out of the way, the Yankees would like to demolish the Red Flops again on Wednesday.
They have their No. 1 pitching prospect, right-hander Luis Severino, scheduled to make his Major-League debut in starting this game. Severino, 21, was quickly promoted from Double-A Trenton to Triple-A Scranton and he has been dominating there in his 11 starts. He was 7-0 with a microscopic 1.91 ERA.
The Red Flops will counter with right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright (4-4, 453 ERA). The 30-year-old right-hander is coming off a two-run, six-hit effort in seven innings on Friday in which he defeated Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox.
Written by mlblogsruthianclout Leave a comment Posted in Baseball, Dailies, Entertainment, Major League Baseball, MLB Blogs, New York Yankees, Sports, Uncategorized, Yankee Blogs, Yankees	Tagged with Alejandro De Aza, Alex Rodriguez, Alexi Ogando, American League East, Blake Swihart, Blue Jays, Brendan Ryan, Brian McCann, Brock Holt, Caleb Cotham, Carlos Beltran, Chris Sale, Chris Young, Craig Breslow, Dellin Betances, Double-A Trenton, Dustin Ackley, Henry Owens, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jacoby Ellsbury, Jean Machi, Joe Girardi, John Farrell, Luis Severino, Major League, Mariners, Mark Teixeira, Masahiro Tanaka, Mason Wiliiams, Mike Napoli, Pablo Sandoval, Red Flops, Red Sox, Robbie Ross, Rusney Castillo, Steven Wright, Tigers, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, White Sox, Xander Bogaerts, Yankee Stadium, Yankees
Pineda's Pinpoint Pitching Pushes Yanks Past Sox
YANKEES 5, RED SOX 1
The Boston Red Sox came into Friday's opener against the New York Yankees riding a four-game winning streak and hoping to elbow their way out of the cellar to get closer that the 5 1/2 games back they were in the American League East.
Instead they ran into right-hander Michael Pineda and they may have lost their ace pitcher to a serious elbow injury.
Pineda used his laser-like control to hold the Red Sox to one run over 6 2/3 innings and the Yankees took advantage of Clay Buchholz leaving the game in the fourth inning as New York downed Boston in front of a national TV audience at Fenway Park.
The Yankees won their third straight game and not only maintained their three-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the division but also dropped the last-place Red Sox to 6 1/2 games back.
Pineda (9-5) only gave up a solo home run to Mookie Betts with one out in the fifth inning to bring the Bosox to within three runs at 4-1. Pineda yielded one run on seven hits and no walks while he fanned six batters to record his first victory since he defeated the Miami Marlins 2-1 at Yankee Stadium on June 17.
Meanwhile, the Yankees took an early lead on Buchholz and the Red Sox with two out in the first inning when Alex Rodriguez blasted his 17th home run of the season over the Green Monster in left and onto Landsdowne Street.
Coming into the contest Rodriguez was 11-for-27 (.407) with two home runs in his career against Buchholz.
The Yankees added to their slim lead in the fourth in an inning that the Red Sox committed two errors while the Yankees batted around and scored three runs by getting only two balls into the outfield.
Brian McCann started the rally with a bloop single to shallow left-center. One out later, Didi Gregorius laced a double off the Green Monster in left to advance McCann to third.
After Buchholz delivered a ball to Stephen Drew to even the count at 1-1, the right-hander called his catcher Sandy Leon and later the team trainer to the mound. Without testing his right elbow, Buchholz left the game in favor of left-hander Robbie Ross Jr.
That is when the Red Sox fielding issues and the speed of both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner came into play to allow the Yankees to extend their lead.
Drew hit a ball to first baseman Mike Napoli but the ball caromed away from him and Ross was unable to get his foot on the base to retire Drew for an error, which loaded the bases.
One out later, the Red Sox had an opportunity to end the inning but All-Star infielder Brock Holt bobbled a grounder off the bat of Ellsbury and he was unable to beat him with his throw to first.
Gardner then hit another routine ground ball to Napoli. But Gardner was able to slide head first into the bag before Ross could get his foot down for an RBI single. Ross then compounded the Red Sox problems by walking Rodriguez on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run.
Buchholz (7-7) ended up being charged with three runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
He left the game in what was reported later by the team as tightness in his right elbow. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI late Friday to determine the severity of the injury but there was no report on what the results indicated.
The Yankees added a final run in the eighth inning off right-hander Matt Barnes and left-hander Craig Breslow. Barnes walked Chris Young and then hit Gregorius with a pitch. Breslow entered the game and managed to retire Young at third on a botched sacrifice bunt by Drew and Cole Figueroa on a weak popup. However, Ellsbury slapped a single to center to score Gregorius to extend the lead to 5-1.
The Yankees turned to their vaunted bullpen to close out the Red Sox and preserve the victory for Pineda.
Left-hander Justin Wilson, right-hander Dellin Betances and left-hander Andrew Miller held the Red Sox hitless over the final 2 1/3 innings to seal it.
With the victory the Yankees are now 47-39. The Red Sox fell to 41-46.
Pineda managed to follow up an excellent pitching performance by Masahiro Tanaka against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. The Yankees' right-handed duo combined to give up just three runs (two earned) on nine hits and one walk with 12 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. That is a 1.26 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. If Pineda and Tanaka pitch like this on a consistent basis there is no team in the division that stay with the Yankees in the second half.
Rodriguez added to his totals against Buchholz with the home run and a single he hit in the third inning. He is now 13-for-29 (.448) with three home runs in his career against the right-hander. Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs on the night. He is now batting .279 with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs on the season.
Ellsbury came back to haunt his former team by going 1-for-5 with an RBI. But it was his and Gardner's speed that set the stage for the three-run inning that sunk the Red Sox. Running out the error allowed the Yankees to load the bases and Gardner's infield RBI single started the scoring. This is the toughest 1-2 hitting tandem in baseball, period.
Pineda was great. A-Rod got two big RBIs and the Yankees' speed helped force some shoddy defense. If the Red Sox lose Buchholz for any length of time, which looks very likely at this point, they will have a very difficult time climbing out of the division cellar. How could things be any better for the Yankees?
Although third baseman Chase Headley ran in the outfield before the game Friday, the Yankees did not use him in the game. Manager Joe Girardi said it is possible that the Yankees could elect to rest Headley until after the All-Star break. Headley, 31, has missed the past three games with inflammation in his right calf. Figueroa started in his place on Friday and was 0-for-4. . . . Outfielder Carlos Beltran, 38, is scheduled to play a few minor league rehab games in Tampa, FL, during the All-Star break and he hopes to be able to return to the team on July 17 when the Yankees play host to the Seattle Mariners. Beltran was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 1 with a left oblique strain. Beltran is hitting .260 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 66 games. . . . With the Red Sox scheduled to throw two left-handers this weekend, the Yankees are planning to recall rookie second baseman Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Refsnyder, 24, is batting .290 with seven homers and 37 RBIs in 81 games with the RailRiders. Refsnyder bats right-handed and Drew, who bats left-handed, is hitting .182 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 78 games.
The Yankees will have a chance to win the three-game series against the Red Sox on Saturday.
Right-hander Ivan Nova (1-2, 2.65 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season for the Yankees. Nova, 28, surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout in five innings in a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
The Red Sox will send left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2, 3.69 ERA) to the mound. Rodriguez gave up one run on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in five innings in a no-decision against the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Game-time will be 7:15 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by FOX Sports.
Written by mlblogsruthianclout Leave a comment Posted in Baseball, Dailies, Entertainment, Major League Baseball, MLB Blogs, New York Yankees, Sports, Uncategorized, Yankee Blogs, Yankees	Tagged with Alex Rodriguez, All-Star break, American League East, Andrew Miller, Astros, Athletics, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Brock Holt, Carlos Beltran, Chase Headley, Chris Young, Clay Buchholz, Cole Figueroa, Craig Breslow, Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius, Eduardo Rodriguez, Fenway Park, FOX Sports, Green Monster, Ivan Nova, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe Girardi, Justin Wilson, Landsdowne Street, Mariners, Marlins, Masahiro Tanaka, Matt Barnes, Michael Pineda, Mike Napoli, Mookie Betts, Orioles, RailRiders, Rays, Red Sox, Rob Refsnyder, Robbie Ross, Sandy Leon, Stephen Drew, Tampa, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Yankee Stadium, Yankees
Power Surge Allows Yankees To Sweep Red Sox
If ever there was a time to showcase your superiority over a hated rival and expose their weaknesses for the rest of the baseball world to see it would be on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN in front of a national television audience. That is exactly what the Yankees did to the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday.
Brett Gardner hit a three-run homer, Mark Teixeira blasted a two-run shot and Brian McCann drove in two runs with a double to lead an offensive onslaught that allowed New York to complete their first series sweep in Beantown since a five-game sweep on Aug. 18-21, 2006.
The red-hot Yankees have now won 10 of their past 12 games and they left the slumping Red Sox under .500 for the first time this season.
Behind Gardner, Teixeira and McCann the Yankees were able to build an 8-0 lead on the bewildered Bosox by the sixth inning, doing most of their damage against right-hander Joe Kelly.
With two out in the first inning and Gardner on first, Teixeira opened the scoring by launching his ninth home run of the season over the Green Monster in left-center off a Kelly slider.
Two innings later, the Yankees again struck with two out and Jacoby Ellsbury on second and Teixeira on first. McCann drove a 3-2 fastball to the wall in right-center to score both runners. Carlos Beltran followed an RBI double of his own.
Kelly (1-1), who had beaten right-hander Adam Warren and the Yankees on April 11 at Yankee Stadium by limiting them to just one hit in seven innings, finally was chased from the game with two out in the fifth.
He was charged with five runs on nine hits and no walks with three strikeouts. It was the eighth time in 25 games that the Red Sox have had a starting pitcher yield five or more runs, which is the worst mark in the majors.
Meanwhile, the Yankees were able to add three more runs in the sixth off left-hander Craig Breslow when Didi Gregorius and Ellsbury, who was 4-for-4 on the night, singled and Gardner followed with a his second home run of the season into right-center.
Gardner's blow appeared to put the game completely out of reach. However, right-hander Warren tired in the sixth and Gardner's home run ended up being the decisive blow in the contest.
Warren (2-1) had allowed the Red Sox only one hit and two walks through the first five innings and he appeared to be cruising after he retired the first two batters in the sixth.
But Dustin Pedroia singled and David Ortiz scored him from first on a double off the Green Monster. Warren then hit Hanley Ramirez on a 1-1 pitch and Ramirez threw down his bat in disgust believing Warren had thrown at him on purpose.
After Pablo Sandoval singled to score Ortiz, manager Joe Girardi replaced Warren with right-hander Esmil Rogers. Mike Napoli greeted Rogers by lifting a high-arcing fly ball that just reached the Green Monster seats to draw the Red Sox to within three runs at 8-5.
Despite pitching his best game of the season, Warren ended up being charged with four runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. In his eight major-league starts Warren has yet to pitch six full innings in any them.
After Napoli's homer Rogers walked Daniel Nava and Xander Bogaerts reached on an infield dribbler to bring up Blake Swihart as the potential tying run. But the rookie playing on only his second major-league game struck out to end the inning in which 10 men went to the plate for the Red Sox.
The game got a little chippy with one out in the top of the eighth inning when right-hander Edward Mujica drilled Ellsbury with a 3-0 pitch in the right thigh. Home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson quickly warned both benches.
The Yankees were able to keep the Red Sox from scoring the rest of the night on the strength of Rogers, Justin Wilson and David Carpenter over the next two innings. But the Red Sox decided to make left-hander Andrew Miller work some overtime to earn his 10th save.
Pinch-hitter Allen Craig drew a leadoff walk from Miller in the ninth before Bogaerts and Swihart struck out. But Mookie Betts also walked and Pedroia reached to load the bases on a throwing error by Chase Headley.
Miller then retired the potential winning run in Ortiz by getting him on a routine flyout. Miller has now extended his scoreless streak this season to 12 1/3 innings and he is perfect 10 for 10 in save chances.
The Yankees have run their season record to 16-9 and they have a three-game lead on the both the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The Red Sox are 12-13 and they are a full four games back in fourth place in the division.
Ellsbury entered the game on fire and he got even hotter on Sunday. He was 4-for-4 (all singles), a walk and was hit with a pitch. Oddly, he scored only one run and he did not drive in a run. But Ellsbury now has 19 hits in his past 40 at-bats (.475) to raise his season average to .351. He also has a six-game hitting streak.
Gardner really put a dagger in the Bosox the past two games. He drove in three of the team's four runs in Saturday's 4-2 victory and on Sunday he was 2-for-6 with a single, a homer, two stolen bases, two runs scored and three RBIs. He was 5-for-14 (.357) in the series with six RBIs.
Teixeira's finally proved his surgically repaired right wrist is no longer an issue anymore with his ninth homer of the season that he drove to the opposite field in left-center. Teixeira is in third place in both the majors and the American League in home runs behind Nelson Cruz (13) of the Seattle Mariners and Ramirez (10). Despite the power and his team-leading 20 RBIs, Teixeira is still batting just .202 on the season.
I should be angry with the way Warren could not get through six, the fact Rogers gave up a three-run home run and that the usually flawless Headley committed his sixth error of the season. But because the Yankees did win on national TV and it ended with a sweep against the Red Sox at Fenway, I am willing to overlook all that just to see most of that home crowd of 33,198 going home angry with their team. There is nothing but sunshine in the Yankee Universe.
BRONX JEER
The Red Sox showed their true colors when Ramirez bellowed like a stuck pig when Warren hit him with a pitch with two outs in the sixth and the Yankees winning 8-1. Manager John Farrell obviously gave the go-ahead for Mujica to retaliate in the eighth on a 3-0 pitch after Mujica had thrown an earlier pitch that Ellsbury had to avoid. In this series, the Yankees had not hit a single Bosox batter while Teixeira and McCann both were hit by pitches on Friday. The idea that Warren intentionally hit Ramirez was even lost on Ortiz, who told reporters after the game he didn't think Warren's pitch had that purpose. But Ramirez always has been a prima donna with a sour attitude much like another outfielder named Ramirez who played for Boston. So the intellectually deficient Red Sox decided to target Ellsbury after he forced them for seven hits in 11 at-bats in the series. I think the move shows more a team that is frustrated their starting pitchers are getting lit up like a Chinese New Year celebration and they can't handle the fact their team is not as good as they believe it is.
Backup infielder Brendan Ryan suffered a setback in his rehab of a right calf strain on Saturday. Ryan, 33, sustained a strained hamstring while he was running sprints at the team's Tampa, FL, complex and he will have to sit out another week. Ryan first injured his back while lifting weights before spring training games started and then ended up with the strained calf in the final week of camp. For now Gregorio Petit, 29, will remain the backup middle infielder. Obtained from the Houston Astros, Petit is batting ,200 with no homers and five RBIs. However, Jose Pirela, 24, is 11-for-19 (.579) with a homer and five RBIs at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees will make their first trip to Toronto on Monday to open a three-game series with the Blue Jays.
Right-hander Chase Whitley (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will make his second start of the season for the Yankees as the replacement for Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation. Whitley limited the Rays to one run on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in a victory on Tuesday.
The Blue Jays will counter with knuckle-balling right-hander R.A. Dickey (0-3, 5.23 ERA), who lost again in yielding four runs on nine hits with no walks and four strikeouts in seven innings against the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Written by mlblogsruthianclout Leave a comment Posted in Baseball, Dailies, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, Sports, Uncategorized, Yankees	Tagged with Adam Warren, Allen Craig, American League, American League East, Andrew Miller, Astros, Beantown, Blake Swihart, Blue Jays, Bosox, Brendan Ryan, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Chase Headley, Chase Whitley, Chinese New Year, Craig Breslow, Daniel Nava, David Carpenter, David Ortiz, Didi Gregorius, Dustin Pedroia, Edward Mujica, Esmil Rogers, ESPN, Fenway Park, Green Monster, Gregorio Petit, Hanley Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jeff Nelson, Joe Kelly, John Farrell, Jose Pirela, Justin Wilson, Mariners, Mark Teixeira, Masahiro Tanaka, Mike Napoli, Mookie Betts, Nelson Cruz, Orioles, Pablo Sandoval, R.A. Dickey, Rays, Red Sox, Sunday Night Baseball, Tampa, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Xander Bogaerts, Yankee Stadium, Yankee Universe, Yankees, YES Network
Nuno Silences Critics As Yankees Bombard Bosox
The New York media hounded Yankees manager Joe Girardi for days about his decision to start Vidal Nuno on Friday instead of skipping him in favor of rookie sensation Masahiro Tanaka. The pundits pointed out Nuno's 0-3 record and his 7.09 ERA at home and the fact he had not won a game at all since May 7.
Well, Nuno, buoyed by Girardi's faith in him, managed to shut those windbags up real quick.
Nuno pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball and he got the backing of three home runs as New York continued its mastery over struggling rival Boston in front of a sellout crowd of 48,522 at Yankee Stadium.
Nuno (2-4) yielded just two hits and and two walks while he fanned five in what easily was his best start of the season. The 26-year-old left-hander used his fastball to set up his slider and curve to keep the Red Sox at bay, retiring 10 batters in a row at one stage.
The only hits he gave up were a lead off single to Jonny Gomes in the second inning and a one-out double to Brock Holt in the third.
Meanwhile, the Yankees used the long-ball to their advantage against right-hander Brandon Workman (1-1).
The Yankees broke on top in the first inning when Derek Jeter stroked a one-out single and former Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury delivered a ringing double down the right-field line. Mark Teixeira then scored Jeter with a sacrifice fly.
But the Yankees added to their lead in the fourth when Brian McCann slapped an opposite-field single to left and two outs later Kelly Johnson blasted a two-run shot into the back end of the lower-level bleachers in right-center for his fifth home run of the season.
Just after Johnson got his final high-five in the Yankees' dugout Brett Gardner hit a high-arcing shot that landed in the first row over the auxiliary scoreboard in right for his seventh home run of the season.
Workman managed to settle in long enough to pitch seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five.
The Yankees added a pair of runs off left-hander Craig Breslow in the eighth when Teixeira led off with a single and McCann followed one out later with a majestic blast into the second deck in right-field on a 3-1 fastball for his ninth homer of the season.
The bullpen trio of Dellin Betances, Adam Warren and Matt Thornton held the Red Sox scoreless over the final 3 1/3 innings, surrendering just one hit and one walk while they struck out four.
The Red Sox entered the contest 13th in the American League in runs scored.
With the victory the Yankees improved their season record to 41-37. They are just a half-game behind the second-place Baltimore Orioles and they trail the first-place Toronto Blue Jays by just two games in the American League East. The flagging Red Sox, however, fell to 36-44 and they are eight games behind the Blue Jays in fourth place in the division.
Nuno entered the game having yielded 15 home runs in 61 2/3 innings this season, many of those homers (9) were two- and three-run shots. But Nuno was spot on with his location on Friday and he was able to keep the Red Sox off balance throughout his outing. This game not only was helpful for the Yankees in their division fight but it also saved Nuno's job as the team's fifth starter.
After losing his role as the team's primary third baseman to Yangervis Solarte, Johnson languished on the bench. But he has been getting more starts lately and his 1-for-2 evening with a walk and strikeout extended his modest hitting streak to three games. Johnson did hit 16 home runs in only 366 at-bats with the Tampa Bay Rays last season so his power could be helpful to the Yankees, especially at home.
McCann has been a major disappointment in the first half but he is quietly beginning to get untracked. He was 2-for-4 on Friday and now is 8-for-27 (.296) with two homers and seven RBIs in his past seven starts. The Yankees desperately need a power source in the middle of the lineup besides Teixeira.
You could almost guess there are not going to be any negatives from this game. Nuno and the bullpen shut out the Red Sox and the Yankees were able to put some balls into the seats for a change. That makes for a perfect night in the Bronx, NY.
Girardi got a little heated on Friday when the media kept asking about why he was not skipping Nuno in favor of Tanaka. Girardi bristled at the notion that he was answering the question, he said, for the 10th time. Girardi explained that Tanaka is used to pitching on seven days rest, rookie Chase Whitley is new to starting, David Phelps just came out of the bullpen and Hiroki Kuroda got tired late last season. Girardi said the team is in a stretch of 17 games without an off day until the All-Star break and his pitchers could use the rest. So there! . . . Left-hander CC Sabathia is expected to throw between 40 to 45 pitches on Saturday in his first rehab start for High Class A Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Sabathia, 33, has been on the disabled list since May 10 with a degenerative weakness in his right knee. He is expected to make three starts during his minor-league rehab stint.
The Yankees will continue their weekend home series against the reeling Red Sox on Saturday.
Tanaka (11-2, 2.11 ERA) will finally get the start that will please the New York media. Tanaka had his five-game win streak snapped by the Orioles on Sunday. He gave up only three runs on six hits and a walk while he struck six in seven innings but he got no run support in what ended up an 8-0 loss.
The Red Sox will counter with left-hander Jon Lester (8-7, 3.14 ERA). Lester gave up two runs on four hits and two walks and fanned four batters in 7 2/3 innings against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday in a no decision.
Written by mlblogsruthianclout 2 Comments Posted in Baseball, Dailies, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, Sports, Uncategorized, Yankees	Tagged with Adam Warren, All-Star break, American League, American League East, Athletics, Blue Jays, Brandon Workman, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Brock Holt, Bronx, CC Sabathia, Chase Whitley, Craig Breslow, David Phelps, Dellin Betances, Derek Jeter, FOX Sports, George M. Steinbrenner Field, High Class A Tampa, Hiroki Kuroda, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe Girardi, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Kelly Johnson, Mark Teixeira, Masahiro Tanaka, Matt Thornton, New York media, Orioles, Rays, Red Sox, Vidal nuno, Yangervis Solarte, Yankee Stadium, Yankees
CC, Yankees Make Bosox Look Bad In Fenway Rout
YANKEES 14, RED SOX 5
If you could draw up the perfect scenario for the Yankees for Thursday's rubber game against the Red Sox it played out to perfection on the field. For the Red Sox they did about everything wrong a team can do in a game to embarrass themselves in front of national television audience on the MLB Network and a paid crowd of 37.356 at Fenway Park.
CC Sabathia gave up two runs over six innings, Mark Teixeira blasted his first home run of the season and rookie sensation Yangervis Solarte collected two hits and drove in four runs as New York pummeled Boston to win for the fifth time in seven games against their heated rival.
Of course, the Yankees had a lot of help in addition to the 14 hits they pounded out. The Red Sox defense committed an alarming season-high five errors and a passed ball and five pitchers combined to issue 12 walks and throw three wild pitches.
I thought it was Cowboy Up and not Down.
Sabathia (3-2) yielded only three hits, walked three and struck out eight batters to even his season record against the Red Sox at 1-1. He left after six innings with a comfortable 7-2 lead.
The Yankees, meanwhile, jumped all over left-hander Felix Doubront (1-3) for seven runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while he struck out one in 2 2/3 innings.
Alfonso Soriano got the Yankees on the board in the first inning with a two-out RBI double to score Carlos Beltran.
Solarte added a two-run double in the second inning and he later scored on a wild pitch by Doubront.
Teixeira opened the third inning with a home run that landed on the top railing of the Green Monster. Later in the inning, Brian Roberts and Jacoby Ellsbury added RBI singles that finally chased Doubront with the Yankees leading 7-0.
After the Red Sox scored a pair of runs in the third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of David Ortiz and a two-out RBI double by Jonny Gomes, the Yankees blew the game wide open by hammering left-hander Craig Breslow for five runs on four hits, an error and two walks as they sent 11 men to the plate in the seventh inning.
Solarte keyed the inning with a bases-loaded single that scored two runs. Ellsbury followed by lacing an RBI double and Derek Jeter added two-run single. By the time the dust had settled on another cold and blustery evening, the Yankees were leading 12-2.
With the victory, the Yankees improved their season ledger to 13-9 and they lead the American League East by 1 1/2 games over the second-place Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox dropped to 10-13 and they are in the basement of the division, 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees.
You can rail about Sabathia's lost velocity all you want but tonight's game showed exactly what he can accomplish when he gets the run support. Sabathia used his fastball on both corners of the plate and kept the Red Sox off balance with his slider and change-up. To prove how off-balance the Red Sox were five of Sabathia's strikeouts came looking.
Teixeira's return to the lineup was supposed to be bad news for Solarte because he was playing third base while starting third baseman Kelly Johnson played first in Teixera's absence. But manager Joe Girardi elected to start the switch-hitting Solarte against the lefty Doubront and he responded with a double, a single, a walk, scoring two runs and driving in four. This despite the fact he did not have a hit in his previous 12 at-bats. Solarte is hitting .310 with nine extra-base hits and he is tied with Beltran for the team lead with 13 RBIs.
Ellsbury weathered constant booing throughout the three-game series but he left his former team and their infantile fans with a parting gift on Thursday. He was 3-for-6 with a run scored and three RBIs. In the series, Ellsbury battered Boston pitching for 5-for-15 (.333) with three doubles, a triple, three runs scored and five RBIs. Guess he told those fans where to shove those boos.
OK. Jeter did commit a bad fielding error and rookie Shane Greene was shelled for three runs (all unearned) in his major-league debut. But those are mere quibbles. This team rallied after last night's John Farrell-induced loss to make the Red Sox like a team not even worthy to be on the same field. That is something very special and there is nothing negative in that.
An apologetic Michael Pineda admitted to using pine tar in Wednesday's game and he told reporters on Thursday that he was not appealing his 10-game suspension, which started immediately. With an off day scheduled for April 28, Pineda actually could miss only one start and be available to pitch on May 5 against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, CA. The Yankees will have to play the next 10 days with a 24-man roster during Pineda's suspension. . . . The Yankees made some roster moves on Thursday in the wake of Pineda's suspension. They signed right-hander Bruce Billings to a major-league contract and recalled Greene from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and they optioned infielder Dean Anna and right-hander Preston Claiborne to Scranton. . . . The Yankees announced that right-hander Ivan Nova will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, AL. Dr. James Andrews will repair a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of Nova's right elbow. It will require 12 to 18 months of rehab before Nova can come back. In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees transferred Nova from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.
The Yankees fresh off there rump-kicking of the Red Sox head home to open a three-game weekend series with the Angels.
Hiroki Kuroda (2-1, 4.07 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. Kuroda gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision in which the Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. He is 3-2 with a 2.26 ERA in six career starts against the Angels.
Left-hander C.J. Wilson (2-2, 4.21 ERA) will start for the Angels. Wilson was hammered for seven hits and he walked three while surrendering four runs (three earned) in five innings in a loss to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. He has a career ERA of 2.58 in 38 1/3 innings against the Yankees.
Written by mlblogsruthianclout Leave a comment Posted in Baseball, Dailies, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, Sports, Uncategorized, Yankees	Tagged with Alfonso Soriano, American League East, Anaheim, Angels, Birmingham, Brian Roberts, Bruce Billings, C.J. Wilson, Carlos Beltran, CC Sabathia, Craig Breslow, David Ortiz, Dean Anna, Derek Jeter, Dr. James Andrews, Felix Doubront, Fenway Park, Green Monster, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe Girardi, John Farrell, Jonny Gomes, Kelly Johnson, Mark Teixeira, Michael Pineda, MLB Network, Orioles, Preston Claiborne, Rays, Red Sox, Shane Greene, Tigers, Tommy John surgery, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Yangervis Solarte, Yankees, YES Network
Robby's 6 RBIs Rip Red Sox As Yankees Rule East
Most baseball experts pegged the Yankees to win the American League East and to have the best record in the American League in 2012. However, those same experts were not counting on them needing 162 games to accomplish it.
But in a season in which the team lost baseball's best closer ever, a 24-year-old hard-throwing starting pitcher, their best base-runner and defensive outfielder and their All-Star third and first basemen for long stretches of games while they blew a 10-game lead they owned on July 18. But they held on to win their division and maintain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Robinson Cano was 4-for-4 with two mammoth home runs and six RBIs and Curtis Granderson added a pair of home runs and four RBIs as the New York erupted with some heavy lumber to throughly thrash a hapless, listless and joyless Boston team on Wednesday in front of a jubilant paid Yankee Stadium crowd of 47,393.
Combined with the Oakland Athletics' 12-5 victory over the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays' 4-1 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles earlier, the Yankees' victory gave them the dual prize of champions of their division and the best record in the league. It was the Yankees' third division title in the past four seasons and they made the playoffs for the 17th time in the past 18 seasons.
The Yankees will open their postseason quest for their 28th world championship on Sunday when they play on the road against the winner of the Baltimore-Texas inaugural one-game Wild-Card playoff game, which will be played on Friday in Arlington, TX.
After Freddy Garcia struck out the side in the ninth inning, the stadium broke into delirious cheers as the team and coaches celebrated on the field and put on their charcoal-gray American League East champion shirts and caps.
Though the journey was a long one and it was fraught with many ups and downs, the Yankees came into the game confident they held their fate in their own hands. They only needed to win this one game.
The Red Sox put up a run in the first inning off Hiroki Kuroda on a Jacoby Ellsbury single and he scored – after advancing to third on two groundouts – on Cody Ross' sacrifice fly.
The rest of the night belonged to Cano, Granderson and some booming hits all over the turf off Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka and a tattered Red Sox bullpen.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, the real Matsuzaka (1-7) appeared in the second when Cano ignited the fireworks with a single to center and Nick Swisher drew a walk. One out later, Granderson launched his 42nd home run of the season into the bleachers in right-center to give the Yankees a lead they would not dare give up the rest of the evening.
An inning later, Alex Rodriguez rolled a one-out single into left and Cano crushed a Matsuzaka change-up into the second deck in right-field for his 32nd home run of the season. After a Swisher single, Bobby Valentine – rumored to be managing what will be his last game with the Red Sox – removed Matsuzaka after he gave up five runs on six hits and a walk in just 2 1/3 innings.
Meanwhile, Matsuzaka's fellow countryman Kuroda (16-11) settled in nicely after the first frame to pitch a solid seven innings in which he gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks while he struck out four batters. Kuroda's 16 victories are a career high since he came to the United States in 2008 and he also evened his career record to 57-57.
The Yankees were determined, however, to keep the pressure on the Red Sox and they did in the fifth when Rodriguez slapped a one-out double in the corner in left and Cano hit the first offering he saw off reliever Clayton Mortensen even deeper that his first homer into the second deck down the right-field line.
Though Cano entered the game with an eight-game hitting streak in which he had multiple hits in each game and he was hitting an unbelievable .571 over that stretch, he was not through punishing Boston's beleaguered pitching staff.
With reliever Pedro Beato on the mound in the sixth, the Yankees rallied again when Russell Martin reached base when he was struck in the left elbow on a 3-2 pitch. Derek Jeter singled and, after Suzuki forced Jeter on a groundout and stole second, Rodriguez drew a walk to load the bases.
Valentine removed Beato in favor of Scott Atchison and Cano said hello to him with a single into right to score Martin and Suzuki. The Yankees were up 9-1 and Cano had six RBIs.
After the Red Sox scratched out a two-out run in the seventh on a Pedro Ciriaco double and a Jose Iglesias RBI single, the Yankees put the game away by sending 10-men to the plate and scoring five runs on the Red Sox in the bottom of the frame.
Granderson keyed that inning with his 43rd home run of the season, a solo-run shot over the Yankee bullpen wall in right-center to start the uprising. The home run was also a historic one for the team. Granderson's blast was the 245th home run for the team this season, which broke the previous record of 244 by the 2009 Yankees, who won their 27th world championship that season.
By that time, the Orioles had already lost to to the Rays and the Yankees already knew they reached their goal. That just left playing out the string of the next few innings against a dispirited Red Sox team, which were outscored 28-7 over the three-game series sweep.
The loss of Mariano Rivera and Michael Pineda for the season and the injuries that shelved starting left-fielder Brett Gardner for most of the season and took Rodriguez and Teixiera out the lineup for key parts of the campaign are but a distant memory now.
The next step will be to rest the wounds of the season and await manager Joe Girardi's difficult choices for a 25-man playoff roster.
But the champagne still flowed freely in the clubhouse, the smiles were genuine and there is, no doubt, a lot of relief that their epic struggle to get to this point was finally over. As Jeter said it after the game, "Now the real season begins."
Is it possible for the Yankees to send Cano to play some games somewhere so his red-hot bat does cool off before Sunday? In his final nine games, Cano was 24-for-39 (.615) with seven doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs. Cano finished the season hitting .313 with a career-high 33 home runs and 94 RBIs. In his last at-bat, Valentine brought in left-hander Craig Breslow to face him with one out and two on. Breslow walked him on four pitches to load the bases. Smart move!
Granderson's two home runs and four RBIs give him a team-leading 43 home runs and 106 RBIs on the season despite the fact he struck out a career-high 193 times and hit just .232 this season. It goes without saying the Yankees' lineup is a deep one but Granderson was hitting seventh on Wednesday despite the fact his 43 homers tied him with Josh Hamilton of the Rangers for second in the majors to Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who hit 44.
Kuroda put in a good performance in advance of his next start behind CC Sabathia in the playoffs. Kuroda had struggled somewhat in September (3-1 but with a 5.22 ERA). His outing was very sharp and he pitched very well once the Yankees had staked him to a big lead. Kuroda was, by far, the Yankees' best and most consistent pitcher this season. The Yankees need him to pitch well in the playoffs.
A typical New Yorker might have found some faults here or there in this game. Yankee fans are a hard bunch to please. But I am not going to go there. They needed to win this game and they did it. Why be negative?
After some questioning from the media about his lineup on Tuesday, Girardi moved Suzuki back to the second spot, shifted Cano up to fourth and batted Teixiera sixth. Good thing, too, because Teixiera still does not have his timing at the plate down and he was 0-3 with a walk and a run-scoring fly ball. Cano, meanwhile, cleaned up in the cleanup spot. . . . It will be interesting to see how Girardi selects his bench and bullpen for the playoffs. Backup catcher Chris Stewart, outfielder Raul Ibanez, corner infielder Eric Chavez and middle infielder Eduardo Nunez are assured of spots but Andruw Jones may lose his spot in favor of Gardner. There also is a good possibility that Derek Lowe will make the roster and Garcia won't because Lowe has proven to be valuable as a reliever.
The Yankees will open their playoff series in either Baltimore or Texas on Sunday. Sabathia (15-6, 3.38 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees.
The best-of-five American League Division Series will be telecast nationally by TBS.
Written by mlblogsruthianclout Leave a comment Posted in Baseball, Dailies, Uncategorized, Yankees	Tagged with Alex Rodriguez, American League, American League Division Series, American League East, Andruw Jones, Athletics, Bobby Valentine, Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia, Chris Stewart, Clayton Mortensen, Cody Ross, Craig Breslow, Curtis Granderson, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Derek Jeter, Derek Lowe, Eduardo Nunez, Eric Chavez, Freddy Garcia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ichiro Suzuki, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe Girardi, Jose Iglesias, Josh Hamilton, Mariano Rivera, Michael Pineda, Miguel Cabrera, MLB, MLBlogs, Nick Swisher, Orioles, Pedro Beato, Pedro Ciriaco, Rangers, Raul Ibanez, Rays, Red Sox, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Scott Atchison, TBS, Tigers, Wild-Card playoff, Yankee Stadium, Yankees