Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – CC earns keep

Sabathia proving to be worth the money


BOSTON – The are many Yankee fans that look at CC Sabathia through what his contract reads.

It reads many zeroes in case you have forgotten.

Thus, added pressure is put on him whenever he takes the mound. Anything not bordering on great classifies as disappointing.

Then there is another segment of Yankee fans (let’s just call them “realists”) that know that every time the big lefthander take the mound that know he will not pitch like Don Drysdale in his prime every time out, but if he gives a quality performance the Yankees will win more than they lose.

Mix them both together and you get the consensus that in games against the Red Sox, everyone agrees that pitching well, if not great against them is part of “The House Rules”. If you don’t believe that, look at all the discussion surrounding AJ Burnett after his third Fenway Flameout on Saturday.

Matched up in a heavyweight battle of aces with Boston hurler Josh Beckett in nationally television battle with entire country watching, it was the Yankees ace that stood up to the Fenway Park crowd, the Red Sox lineup and some shoddy defense and came out of it unshaken, not intimidated and most of all, victorious.

Unlike his counterpart Beckett, who was hammered for five homeruns and made it appear as if this were the video game “The Bigs” with the arcade nature Yankee hitters were hitting them out, and with all precincts reporting, it is apparent the team has officially got its “ace”.

We all thought going in that this had the making of a tight, death grip struggle, with runs coming at a premium. Everyone gears themselves for it, but rarely does it come out that way. It becomes more of a battle of survival than anything else. In those games, it becomes the pitcher who stays afloat, rather than sink.

For this, Sabathia gains his biggest credit.

He was given a 2-0 lead in the second and gave it all back with two outs when Mike Lowell doubled off the Monster and scored on a single by Rocco Baldelli who would then score all the way from first base on an RBI double by Jason Varitek.

The lead was gone and his pitch count was rising early. As he has so many times this season, Sabathia can be counted on for getting through seven an into the eighth inning. When you looked at the overworking of the bullpen in the previous two games, it was incumbent on him to keep his team in the game and give them much needed length even if he had to throw upwards of 120 pitches to do so.

His pitch count was hovering around 60 in the third inning when Boston had runners on first and second. However, he was able to jam Kevin Youkilis with a cutter and was able to get an inning ending double play after the Yankees had given back to him a two-run lead in the previous half inning.

If it weren’t for Robinson Cano dropping a pop fly off the bat of Varitek, the inning would have been over. Instead, it allowed the Red Sox to score a run and mount a mini-rally to make it 5-3, but shut the door immediately before any thought of a comeback could be conceived.

While Sabathia was holding it down, Beckett was giving it up. The Yankees were tuning Fenway into a launching pad. After Alex Rodriguez guessed right on a 3-2 curveball and hit it over the Monster to make it 7-3.

It was all he was going to need. Boston would never get any closer. There was a sacrifice fly by Baldelli, but nothing else. It is what the great pitchers do. He could have given most of the lead back considering that his pitch count was high early and he did not have his “A” stuff. Yet, he saw the opportunity and seized it.

You looked up and here we were in the bottom of the seventh inning and he was still out there on the hill and getting Red Sox hitters out. Alex Gonzalez grounded out and Jacoby Ellsbury would strike out on Sabathia’s 118th pitch of the night.

It would be his last.

His night was over and though the final stat line did not look terrific, but it was still an admirable performance. The last time on that mound in June, he left a great performance that night to a shaky bullpen and ended up a loser. This time, he was able to leave with his head up high knowing that he gave the team exactly what they were looking for and that Boston did not have much chance to coming back on this night.

Gaining win 15 of the year, he now leads the major leagues in wins. He has been his best when the calendar reaches August (5-0) and has proven to be worth the money the Yankees have spent on him.

So far, the money has worked out for the regular season. The real money will be on the table starting in Game 1 of the Division Series against whoever shows up at Yankee Stadium. That is when the stakes will be even higher.

Sabathia’s postseason history suggests that he will meltdown. Only time will tell on that. For right now, he has proven to be the guy that will get the Yankees to Mission 27.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Bombers bomb Beckett

Five homers pace Yanks to series win over Sawx


BOSTON – There has been a raging debate as to whether the Yankees incredible homerun total is only because of the dimensions and wind currents at new Yankee Stadium.

After last night, this debate should cease.

It was bombs away for Yankee hitters last night in Fenway Park. In a battle of aces, it was the New York offense that took control, turning Fenway Park into their own personal pinball machine as the teed off on Josh Beckett for five homeruns en route to an 8-4 win over the Red Sox to win two of three in front of 38,008 at Fenway Park.

For the Yankees, it was their sixth win in their last seven games against their rivals and they leave Boston gaining a game to expand their lead to 7 1/2 games and again reinforce that the only way Boston will be able to get to the playoffs will be via the wild card.

From the first pitch of the game, the Bronx bombing began. Seeing a 96 MPH fastball from Beckett to start the proceedings, Derek Jeter smacked the pitch into the Red Sox bullpen for a homerun to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

For Jeter (2 for 5), it was his 15th blast of the season and set the tone for the evening. The scouting reports on Beckett as of late showed that the Boston ace had been predominately throwing his fastball early in counts. Seizing the opportunity, the Yankees jumped on him. Hideki Matsui would lead off the second inning, with a first pitch blast into the right center field bleachers to make it 2-0.

Sabathia, aided with the lead would give it back in the bottom half of the inning after striking out the first two hitters in the inning. Mike Lowell doubled off the Green Monster for a double and scored on an RBI single by Rocco Baldelli. Jason Varitek would tie the game when he would double inside the first base line past a diving Mark Teixeira to score Baldelli who was running on the pitch.

Beckett was granted new life, but he would quickly give away his good fortune. Teixeira would single home Jeter to make it 3-2, and Alex Rodriguez drove in a run on a groundout to increase the lead to two.

Sabathia was now given new life just as Beckett, and this time he would not relinquish it. It did not help that he was hurt by several defensive miscues that allowed his pitch count to rise.

With the score 5-2 after Robinson Cano drove a curveball deep to right center for the Yankees third homerun of the night, Cano would give the Red Sox a run back by dropping what would have been the third out of the inning.

On the play, Varitek hit a pop up just over first base. Teixeira appeared to have the ball sized up, but was called off by Cano who ranged into foul ground, but the ball traveled into fair territory and the second baseman dropped the ball, allowing Jason Bay to score from first base to make it 5-3.

It was a minor hiccup considering the Yankees were hitting Beckett as if it were batting practice. They scored runs in the first five innings, the last coming when on a 3-2 count to Rodriguez with Johnny Damon (back in the lineup after missing Saturday’s game fouling a pitch off his knee), he guessed right on a curveball a drove it over the Green Monster for a two run bomb to give them a 7-3 lead.

Sabathia (15-7, 3.58 ERA) would hold that lead through the seventh inning. Boston’s only other run came on a sacrifice fly by Baldelli in the sixth. The Yankee ace delivered 6 2/3 innings of ball before Manager Joe Girardi took the ball from him after 118 pitches, giving up four runs (three earned) and eight hits, walking none and striking out eight.

Phil Hughes would enter and was able to get Dustin Pedroia to fly out to Nick Swisher in right to end the inning.

Beckett was able to give the bullpen a breather by staying in the game through the eighth inning. Once again, the Yankees would play long ball with him, as Matsui would connect with his second home run of the night (fourth in the series) that hooked inside Pesky’s Pole for the team’s fifth homerun of the game and an 8-4 margin.

In his 120 pitch outing, Beckett (14-5, 3.65 ERA) gave up eight runs (all earned) on nine hits, walking none and striking out five.

Hughes would pitch a scoreless eighth and handed the ball to Mariano Rivera in the ninth, who got the final three outs despite it not being a save situation. The final out came as Rivera struck out Jacoby Ellsbury on a deadly cutter in on his hands.

The win boosted the Yankees (78-46) to their 27th win in their last 36 games. It also finished a 7-3 road trip that spanned a West Coast swing in Oakland and Seattle and finished in Boston.

After a day off Monday, the team returns to Yankee Stadium to begin a six game homestand. Texas comes in beginning Tuesday for a three game series followed by the Chicago White Sox.

On The Road: Trying to get to Pittsburgh in one piece

Going to the airport is always a unique experience. For me, it may be unique, but for someone else, it can be different. Usually it’s an adventure. This time, it was a bit more subdue. However, it still had its moments. This story is being told in real time with my Sprint Treo at the moment these events take place. Fast typing allows for this.

CHICAGO - 6:15 AM - On the Red Line heading up to my connection point at Fullerton. Very few people on the subway right now, so it makes for a quiet commute. They obviously don't know what it's like between 7 and 9 AM when the CTA trains resemble a scene out of the movie Animal House.

The conductor seems to be going at a good pace. An hour from now, he would be lucky if the train could go 30 MPH. If his day consists of making 4 or 5 laps back and forth through the city and that's it, perhaps he is trying to get out of work early.

Hey, you have to give the man credit for trying.

I'm able to relax my travel bag on the seat next to me and if I really wanted to be so bold, put my feet up on the seat and stretch out. I don't think I will go that far, but this ride is actually getting better considering the fact that I don't see a homeless beggar or loud ghetto woman screaming on her cell phone to her girl about something her man did or did not do:

"Girl, I'm going to get his ass! He doesn't know now, but I'm going to get him on that shit next week!"

It's been about 6 stops in and the ride continues to be going smooth. So this is what I have been missing out on? I may want to rearrange my work schedule so I can start earlier in the morning instead!

It can't hurt to ask, can it?

But then I think about it and waking up at 5:30 AM would likely rank among my all-time dumbest decisions ever, right alongside asking that one waitress out a few months back (I'll get into that another time). Reality check is needed here. I've only gotten less than four hours of sleep, so perhaps all rational thought has been eliminated.

At least until I eat a McDonald's sausage biscuit. That ought to cure everything.

6:37 AM - It's time to make the connection to the Brown Line so I can take that and then make a connection to the Orange Line. At the rate were going here with all these colors, it won’t be long before I may want to propose that the CTA use those crazy nonsensical colors that you see in those Crayola boxes of 96 or more (BTW, who really needs 96 crayons anyway?).

It doesn't have to be for a long time, just for a weekend or two to confuse people for the hell of it. Imagine saying that you are taking the "Magenta Line"? Or how about the "Seaweed Line"? Now that would be something.

The Brown Line at this early morning hour has considerably more people than the Red (take that Red!). Douchebaggery not in full effect here either. Still, give it an hour.

Now I'm thinking to myself, what the hell am I thinking going to Pittsburgh THIS weekend? I am giving up my first Yankees-Red Sox weekend in seven years and missing the Giants game at Soldier Field Saturday night for THIS?

Seems like an odd trade off doesn't it? I loved my Pittsburgh visit last year and vowed to come back later that year (damn Heinz Field and Stubhub charging the moon for Giants-Steelers tickets), but this was my only chance.

Besides, after next weekend I will be on essentially a four-month social life sabbatical because of the new internship.

This wouldn't have been that way until I got an email from my coordinator who asked me if I could switch my Saturday schedule from 12-7 to 2-10, eliminating me any debauchery I would like to partake in that night.

My party life is now going to consist of one night, Friday. Even then, I still have to wake up in one piece and be coherent enough to function. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make. It's not as if I could have said, "No, I'm going to church."

That would have been future career suicide before it ever started. If there were ever a situation where a living person would be signing their own death certificate, that would have been me.

I'm already giving up the Yankees playoff run as it is and freezing all potential road trips, so what was one more sacrifice? Just feed me and I'll be content.

7:20 AM - I have arrived at Midway. You know, the travel was not as brutal as I thought. This only took an hour. Originally, I had budgeted out an hour and a half because the subway service here sucks. Today though, they have exceeded my expectations, which is the equivalent of Vin Diesel making a good movie.

I hate morning flights, mainly because I am forced to get up early (Like today? Yes. Today) but after endless drama with midday flights delaying at airports, I have caved in and sacrificed the extra four hours of sleep in exchange for not having to spend it on a Tarmac. Or at the gate with the intercom saying, "Attention passengers, we are being delayed for no good reason. Even if we knew, we probably would not tell you anyway."

Now for the fun part...sort of. I bought my ticket from Southwest Airlines again. The last time we danced, I was not aware that you can check in on your own and so I ended up being in the final group that boarded when I nearly missed my flight because of bad weather and stupid CTA drama.

This time. I came prepared. I checked in last night and printed my boarding pass with the last remaining ink my "printer-that-I-never-use" could churn out. It says "Group B", so perhaps I won’t be stuck with a stupid middle seat squeezing my frail ass in between a combination of Rosie O'Donnell and Vito (Joe Gannascoli) on each side. Let's just say, it’s not the most comfortable situation ever.

7:57 AM - This is amazing. I was able to get to the airport, get through the maze that is entering Midway Airport, and the finally getting to the part where you are actually inside. It reminds me of the event "The Maze" on American Gladiators. At any moment, I was expecting either Laser or Gemini to pop out with a foam cushion and hitting me in the head.

Unlike last time when I was utterly unprepared for the "Southwest Experience", I was set. The line moved fast and I got through the line in two minutes. Check -in lasted 60 seconds and I was given B-19 as a position. Is this good?

I passed the security checkpoint, but I did find it odd that the security guy was taking an awfully long time looking at my ID and ticket. Was this dope falling asleep? If so, I feel his pain if he was tired, but if he thought I was someone else, how the hell was he going to prove it anyway? This was starting to piss me off.

Thank goodness for these shoes I bought a few months back that don't have any laces. This has saved me at least two minutes in my travel. Certainly a positive.

You know you are at the airport when the $0.99 sausage biscuit is now $1.80. To this I said, "Damn, it was fun while it lasted." Got my juice and sandwich (talk about breakfast of champions).

I get to the gate and it was not packed at all. Another good sign for me. I wonder if I should play some lottery numbers tonight with all the good luck I'm having. Southwest even has a section where you can sit down, plug in the laptop, and relax.

Sold!

I took a few minutes and read the morning papers online. Not sure if you have to pay for their Wi-Fi, but I have vowed never to pay for that service now that I can use my phone as a modem and use it that way. All about saving a few pennies.

8:45 AM - Time to board. However, I can't go too far yet. Southwest boards by letter and number. It follows an alphabetic and numeric sequence:
Looking at my ticket, I have B-19, so I'm in pretty good shape. My line is small and no congestion so I can breathe a little bit. When I get on, I'm making a beeline for the window seat if it’s available.

9:30 (now 10:30 EST) AM - The flight is about 40 minutes in and things couldn't be better. I lucked out and have a whole row to myself!

Break out the happy dance!

No real food on the flight outside of peanuts. For some reason, it looks like they have even shrunk the size the peanut bag. Has it gotten this bad? You are better off giving me some Skittles and calling it a day.

The flight attendant asked if I want something to drink 20 minutes ago. Time has passed and the orange juice didn't arrive. I thought she heard me. Not that I was looking for some to drink anyway. Like the time in Swingers when Jon Favreau ordered that drink in the casino, lost most of his money and later told the waitress, "I didn't even want it. I just wanted to order it."

PITTSBURGH 11:12 AM - I have arrived in Pittsburgh. It's sunny, but it is scheduled to storm later tonight, which is like putting syrup on a turd and attempting to call it pancakes.

Why was their weird turbulence? I was trying to take a 15-minute nap and the plane kept shaking. It's not raining, but maybe the pilot was having a bad day too.

The only thing that will suck is waiting the 10 minutes to get off (like right now as I wait for these other dopes to hurry up and leave) because I chose to sit in the back of the plane.

Oh well, just a small setback on what otherwise should be a great weekend.

Where's my IC Light and Primanti's sandwich?

No worries. I am happy to be back here again. Two days of fun in of one of my new favorite cities. I'm curious to see what's in store.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Burnett burns out

Sawx pound AJ and rout Yanks 14-1


BOSTON – While the Yankees are enjoying a sizable cushion in the AL East over the Red Sox, a very disturbing trend has occurred that has potential to be deadly if these two teams meet in October.

Can AJ Burnett beat the Red Sox in Fenway Park?

His past history with Toronto would suggest that he can and that was one of the primary reasons for the Yankees signing him to an $82. 5 million contract in the winter.

However, this season his success has not translated as a Yankee, with three performances, three times being beaten down, each of them worse than the other. This time it was a nine run shelling as the Red Sox finally snapped their five game losing streak to their rivals in a 14-1 whipping in front of 37,277 at Fenway Park.

Back in April, he was stoked to a 6-0 lead before melting down in the middle innings in an eventual 16-11 loss. In June, the excuse was given that he had too much rest, as he was unable to get through three innings.

Here, he was in trouble right from the start was never able to get a grip on the game in which they had the decisive pitching advantage.

Burnett gave up successive singles to Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez with one out in the first inning. He was able to get Kevin Youkilis to pop out for the second out, but would then hang a 2-1 curveball to David Ortiz and he would line it into the left field corner for a double to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. It became 3-0 when Jason Bay singled to left.

It appeared he had righted himself in the second inning getting the first two outs. Then, trouble would strike when shortstop Alex Gonzalez hit a 1-2 fastball over the Green Monster for a homerun to make it 4-0.

Burnett was now facing a crisis moment, and was never able to settle himself. Clearly still rattled after giving up the home run despite getting Jacoby Ellsbury to line out, he walked Pedroia and Martinez on eight straight pitches. Youkilis would deliver the big blow by crushing a 2-2 pitch over the Monster to make it 7-0 and sent the crowd into a frenzy and turning hostile toward the Yankees right-hander by serenading him with chants of “AJ”.

With a worn out bullpen after last night’s 20-11 slugfest, Manager Joe Girardi needed some way to get innings out of his starter no matter the cost. Normal circumstances would have seen Burnett out of there after two innings, but he was going to have to stay in there and take one for the team.

In the fifth inning, up in the count 1-2 to Ortiz, he would leave a fastball out over the plate and allow the slugger to extend his arms and hit it over the Monster for a homerun to make it 8-0.

On the field, you could clearly see Burnett screaming aloud as Ortiz rounded the bases, “Why? Why would you throw that?”

Another hit, this time by Bay was followed up by a ground-rule double by JD Drew to make it 9-0 and end his night.

In five innings, the enigmatic right-hander gave up nine runs, nine hits, walking two and striking out six while allowing three homeruns. This raised his season ERA to 4.06.

All of this made it difficult for the Yankees to come back against Red Sox starter Junichi Tazawa. Tazawa, making his third career start, was able to duck and dodge the Yankee assault that pounded Boston for 20 runs and 23 hits the night before. They had their moments to strike and put runs on the board, but unlike Friday, were never able to get the big hit with men in scoring position.

In both the first and second innings, the Yankees got two men to reach base, but a great relay play by Bay was able to nab Robinson Cano trying to stretch a single into a double.

In the fourth, they would threaten again, but Tazawa was able to avoid trouble again. With runners on first and third, Erik Hinske struck out and Melky Cabrera grounded back to the Boston pitcher.

12 men reached base in the first six innings, yet none of them scored. The sixth inning typified the day for the Yanks as with runners on first and third with one out, Cabrera would end the inning by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play.

Tazawa “rope-a-dope” performance lasted six shut out innings, giving up eight hits and two walks, striking out two.

Finally, the Yankees got on the board in the seventh when Nick Swisher homered over the Monster against Daniel Bard.

Boston had added two more runs in the previous inning off Alfredo Aceves when Martinez brought Pedroia with an RBI single and Youkilis homered for the second time in the game. They would get two more runs in the eighth inning off David Robertson when both Youkilis and Casey Kotchman doubled home runs.

The 14-1 victory allowed the Red Sox to move back to within 6 1/2 games of New York, with the rubber match place in another nationally televised game Sunday night. CC Sabathia will take on Josh Beckett in a battle of aces.

For today though, one of the Yankees aces was flushed.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Yanks drop a 20

Bombers bash Sawx for 20 runs, 23 hits in beat down


BOSTON – According to the baseball schedule an results for the 2009 season, it is true that in fact the Red Sox beat the Yankees eight straight times.

No, it is not a misprint. It actually happened.

That was during the time when Boston appeared to have the upper hand over their long time enemies and the gap between the two was a wide as the Atlantic Ocean.

Oh, how things have changed.

And changed dramatically. Last night, the Yankees won their fifth straight from Boston, administering an emphatic beating, this time 20-11 in front of 37,869 at Fenway Park.

Winning for the first time this season in Boston after losing their first six in Boston, the Yankees set out to quickly establish that those days were long in the past, much as they did in their four game sweep two weeks ago.

Derek Jeter lead off the game by hitting a ground rule double along Pesky’s Pole and Mark Teixeira walked to put runners on first and second with one out against Red Sox starter Brad Penny. Alex Rodriguez would load the bases, reaching on an infield single and with two outs after Hideki Matsui struck out, Jorge Posada singled home two runs with a base hit up the middle.

Boston got one run back from Yankee starter Andy Pettitte on a sacrifice fly by Victor Martinez. But the offense struck back in the second inning. With runners on first and third, Erik Hinske (who subbed for Johnny Damon after being removed from the game after fouling a pitch off his knee) hit a ground-rule double down the right field line to score Melky Cabrera from third. Teixeira would then double home Jeter and Hinske. Finally, Rodriguez would lace an RBI single that scored Teixeira to make it 6-1.

The Yankees were not done with Penny just yet. After giving him a stay of execution for the next two innings, they would deliver a knockout in the fifth. Teixeira and Rodriguez each singled to start the inning and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona came out to the mound to remove Penny, who would was showered with boos on the way to the dugout.

Enter Michael Bowden, just called up from AAA-Pawtucket before the game and endure a difficult baseball lesson of “taking one for the team”. On an 0-1 pitch, Matsui crushed a three-run homer into the Boston bullpen to make it 9-1.

After a walk to Posada followed by a wild pitch, Robinson Cano drove him home with an RBI single. Melky Cabrera and Teixeira would each follow with an RBI singles to extend the lead to 12-1.

The merciful inning finally ended when Matsui popped out to shortstop Alex Gonzalez. In all, the sent 12 men to the plate, plating six runs, six hits and forced Bowden to throw 45 pitches.

Pettitte, now given an 11-run lead and having to wait 40 minutes between innings, was understandably rusty coming back for the bottom half of the fifth. Boston scored three runs courtesy of a two-run single by Jacoby Ellsbury and an RBI single by Dustin Pedroia.

Choosing not to use any of his main bullpen arms, Francona elected to have the young Bowden come back out for the sixth. The Yankees proceeded to score three more runs off him. An RBI double by Cabrera was followed by a two-run single to center by Jeter to make it a 15-4 game.

Pettitte would allow the first three Red Sox hitters to reach base in the six, culminating in an RBI single by David Ortiz to make it 15-5, ending his night. It was not his best performance. Considering the big lead and long in between times, it was understandable why his last two innings were not as good as his first four.

Brian Bruney came on in relief and after giving up a single to Mike Lowell, he walked Rocco Baldelli with the bases loaded an no one out. He induced Alex Gonzalez into a double play that scored another, but nothing else after that.

With the score now 16-7 in the seventh, Boston mounted another rally. After Bruney got Pedroia to fly out to right, he walked Jason Varitek and Nick Green in between hitting Casey Kotchman with a pitch. Girardi came out to remove him and brought in Damaso Marte, who was making his first appearance since injuring himself in April.

The return for Marte was successful as was induced Ortiz to fly out to shallow left and striking out Mike Lowell to end the threat.

Matsui would make it a career night in the ninth when his hit another three-run homer down the right field line to extend the lead to 19-7. For Matsui, it was his career high seventh run batted in on the night, going along with his 21st homerun of the season. Nick Swisher made the tally an official 20 with an RBI single to center off Ramon Ramirez.
It was an explosion not seen this season from this offense. The 23 hits and 20 runs were both season highs. Eight players had at least two hits. Jeter and Teixeira each had three hits and Rodriguez and Cabrera had a four-hit evening. In total, the team was a ridiculous 15 for 25 with men in scoring position, a .600 average.

The win puts the Yanks back up by 7 1/2 games going into Saturday’s decisive pitching edge as AJ Burnett, who has struggled twice at Fenway Park this season is matched up with Junichi Tazawa.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Back to normal

Rivalry shifts back to Yanks side after sweep


NEW YORK – Before the weekend series against the Red Sox started, I declared the following as a way to kick this all off:

“Win, lose or draw, we will always be on your ass.”

“We’re going to keep knocking your ass down, until you don’t get up.”

With each win, the confidence grew. More and more, there became this belief that in fact, the Yankees were a better team than Boston and they were now showing why. I was reserving judgment until I saw the results this weekend, because even for me the 0-8 record was something that I could not get over.

I said that the record meant nothing, and as the four games this weekend proved, it was the right thought. There was no “fear” of the Red Sox or any of that other nonsense that permeates television shows, bumbling idiots on message boards and talk radio, and the newly found dopes who use something called Twitter.

Systematically, the Yankees went about dissecting the Red Sox in each fashion of the game.

When they needed to make a pitch to get a key out, they made it.

When they needed to make a defensive play, they made it.

When they needed to get a big hit, they got it.

When they needed to come from behind, they did exactly that.

Where we once wondered what would go wrong at the first sign of trouble against Boston, as each good moment went in the Yankees favor, the confidence grew. There was nothing to worry. By the time it got to Saturday, there was an overwhelming feeling that there was nothing to worry about, that they would find a way to win.

It was how things used to be. Everything used to be this way until four fateful days in October 2004. Suddenly, things turned and nothing has been the same since. There was momentary blast from the past in 2006 when the Yankees swept Boston five straight right out Fenway Park and effectively ended their season.

The Red Sox are the team that has my ultimate respect. Just because they were swept out of The Bronx this weekend, does not mean their season is over. The chances are still very high that we will see them in the American League Championship Series in October as I have been predicting since June. Make no mistake that these are still the two best teams in baseball even though it does not appear that way after this weekend.

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester could not have pitched any better than they did in their two starts. Unfortunately for them, they saw AJ Burnett match Beckett’s performance on Friday night by dealing his best game as a Yankee. He gave up a hit to begin the start, and did not allow another for the next 7 2/3 innings. Sunday night, Lester made just one mistake when he served up the homerun to Alex Rodriguez. Andy Pettitte on the other hand, did not make any mistakes.

That is what these games come down to. What used to be knockdown, drag out, bloody cage fighting, was replacing by old baseball fundamentals: great pitching, defense and the occasional timely hit. In this game, the Yankees excelled in these facets.

Boston was doing this early in the season while the Yankees were looking like lightweights in this battle. It seemed as if they were never going to beat their rivals again. Each and every way, the Red Sox would find different methods to win. It left one with the feeling that no matter the situation, no lead was ever safe.

Even last night, when the Yankees led 1-0 going into the eighth, you still kept that feeling that Boston was not out of the game just yet. They have built up so much good credit that you knew they were not going to go quietly into the night.

Sure enough, Victor Martinez went deep for a two-run homer to give the Red Sox the lead, you got the feeling that this was going to be one of those moments where they were going to somehow keep themselves afloat. A win that they have been able to cultivate since the beginning of their championship run. All they needed to do now was at the very least, get three more defensive outs to get the ball into the hands of closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Daniel Bard, who has unreal stuff comes in and gets two quick easy outs. Even our fans, the most optimistic and pessimistic fans in all of sports, thought at this exact moment it may not be our night. Then, out of nowhere comes a homerun by Johnny Damon on a 98 MPH fastball into the Yankee bullpen to tie the game. An absolute stunner, but then two pitches later Mark Teixeira hits a high fly down the right field line that finds it way into the second deck (known as Teixeira Terrace) to give the Yankees the lead. The crowd is going crazy and so are the players. If you’re watching at home, you are probably screaming stuff too and pumping your fists.

We all believed, but didn’t really believe. When it happened, we believed again. As Mariano Rivera got those final three outs, the sweep was complete. It felt as if happy days were here again.

History tells us that no Yankee team has ever blown a division lead of 6 1/2 games with this much time remaining in the season. This means that the Red Sox should start looking at the Wild Card standings instead. But by no means is this over. Just because Boston is gone for now, does not mean they will not reappear again.

In order to fully escape whatever Red Sox Hex exists, it has to come in October. It has to happen in the ALCS. It has to be against Boston. The Angels would be a nice consolation, but that can be worried about later. If the team the Yankees just swept can get up off their limp carcass and find their way to postseason along with us and each team can win their Division Series, it will set up what we want.

A chance for redemption.

There is a long way to go before that. For now, one can enjoy the good times and a view from the top.

Again.

With that, let us throw out some random thoughts from this weekend series…

I won’t kill Joba Chamberlain too much for pitching like Lassie on Thursday and walking seven hitters. That umpire behind the plate was beyond terrible.

Somehow, umpire Jim Joyce’s interpretation of the strike zone is something that amounts to an Aspirin. Perhaps I should blame the umpires for the unbelievably long games.

You can tell when Senor Leche gets it all when he starts his trot the moment he hits the ball. Considering that a majority of his blasts have been bare-scrapers, I would not think he would know the sound of his blasts.

John Smoltz, retirement is calling. Answer the phone.

I actually said that after the Thursday game. The next day, the Red Sox released him.

I was pissed off for about two innings when Posada did not slide at home plate after Nicky Swish looked to have an RBI single. Was he not looking for a sign?

But then he made up for it with a three-run homer in the fourth inning to make it 9-3 and all was forgiven.

See, we are simple creatures. Screw up and we’ll get on you. But makeup for it with a big hit, and I’ll give you a hug and say “no hard feelings”.

The Yankees scored so many runs on Thursday (13 to be exact), that I somehow missed the Tex Message that was sent into right center bullpen in the seventh inning.

Hey, when you’re kicking the other team’s ass, it is very difficult to keep score.

Did Mark Melancon really try to hit Midget with a pitch?

Ok, so one did go over his head and another grazed his shoulder. Would he rather have been drilled in the back?

Besides, at 5’7, he’s not going to win a fight against many guys. So keep on yapping all the way to first, you are not going to do anything.

Anthony Clagett coming into the game is the equivalent of the last man on the college basketball bench that comes into the game when the team is either winning or losing by 30 points and the crowd is rooting for him to make a shot.

I didn’t even realize until the eighth inning that AJ Burnett had not given up a hit since Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game.

Burnett pitched the game of his life despite walking six batters. I know have been hard on him this year, going so far as to refer to him as “Underachiever” after his putrid start in Fenway Park.

Now, all is forgiven. Sorry for the tough love, but it had to be this way. Some players are harder for me to embrace than others. It was nothing against you personally, but I had my expectations high. When I saw the performance early on (along with the performance on my birthday), I was jaded.

You’ve brought me back.

After about the 13th inning on Friday, I was just hoping the game would be over. I couldn’t take anymore of it. The game was closing in on five hours old and after JD Drew made a great leaping catch of Eric Hinske’s line drive to right, I felt the game might go about 20 innings.

Then I thought it would end sooner when I saw Brian Bruney take the mound. I literally started screaming “No!” when he came in there.

Two scoreless innings later, every Yankee fan watching had to have been stunned by the development that the Red Sox somehow didn’t score.

CC Sabathia pitched his best game of the season for 7 2/3 Saturday. He should have had the perfect game in tact before that 3-2 pitch to Ortiz was ruled a ball. I know The Big Man thought it was a ball too, but what was Ortiz going to complain about?

It wasn’t as if he was going to hit anything anyway.

Clay Buchholz looks like a very good pitcher. Why he hasn’t been more consistent is odd.

I would put out this disclaimer though that this was the first time the Yankees have seen him. If Francona dares throws him out there again next weekend at Fenway Park, the results will be completely different.

Mike Lowell appears to be running with Molasses under his shoes. How the hell did he not beat out that double play ball in the seventh?

Youkilis slid hard into second base trying to upset the timing of Jeter’s throw, yet he was able to leap over Youk, come down, set his feet, and still was able to fire to first to complete the double play to get Sabathia out of the inning.

Unreal.

Razor Ramon Ramirez hitting A-Rod was bush. Anyone who thinks otherwise should have noticed how he came up and in on Teixeira in the previous at bat. It was too easy not to notice.

Enrique Gonzalez should be code for “Rich Garces Jr.”

Something that should scare me about the Red Sox in the playoffs –

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester – 14 innings, 0.00 ERA

Something that should scare the Red Sox about the playoffs –

AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia – 15 1/3 innings, 0.00 ERA

Seems like a wash to me.

Ortiz did not get as loud a booing reception as I would have thought going into the weekend. That is likely due to us not having their vocal intensity to boo a man hitting .220, popping up everything and hitting into double plays.

As the saying goes, “We don’t boo no-bodies”.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Sweep dreams!

Yanks sink Sawx in eighth, break out brooms


NEW YORK – In many ways, it seemed fitting that it would end this way.

After three days of delivering misery to the rivals that had tormented them all season, the Yankees delivered what may been the decisive blow in the AL East race.

Their fourth win, even more dramatic than the previous three, was an old school variety. It reminded Yankee fans of how The Rivalry used to be before the 2004 ALCS.

After surrendering a 1-0 lead in the eighth, the Yankees would rally from 2-1 deficit in the bottom half of the inning to score four runs en route to a 5-2 comeback victory to sweep the Red Sox in front of 48,190 at Yankee Stadium.

The win completed another edition of the Boston Massacre and their first sweep of Boston at home since 1985. The last sweep took place in 2006 when the Yankees swept the Red Sox five straight games to send their season into free fall.

It seems as if the 0-8 record was a long time ago now that the Yankees have a 6 1/2 in the division. The game was setting up as another classic reminiscent of Friday night’s 15-inning marathon when it appeared as if neither team would put up a run on the scoreboard.

Starters Andy Pettitte and Jon Lester matched each other zero for zero for the first six innings. Pettitte, who has pitched tremendously since the All Star break, continued to keep Boston off the scoreboard. The Red Sox came into the game having not scored in their last 24 innings and that would be extended with the Yankees veteran left-hander on the mound.

Pettitte was shutting down Boston for the first three innings. In the fourth, it looked as if they would finally end their scoreless streak (which was now at 27). After retiring the first two men to begin the inning, Jason Bay and JD Drew both singled and Mike Lowell drew a walk to load the bases. Jason Varitek came up, on a 1-0 pitch, got a great swing on a pitch, and lined it left field, but right at Johnny Damon, who had to leap up just slightly to make the catch to end the inning.

With his pitch count over 100, Manager Joe Girardi allowed Pettitte go back out to begin the seventh inning. Pitching with relatively low stress, he would answer the bell with an eight-pitch inning to conclude his night.
In seven innings, Pettitte delivered shut out ball, matching both AJ Burnett on Friday and CC Sabathia on Saturday, on five hits, walking two and striking out four.

Lester was just as brilliant. Yankee hitters did not have much chance against the Boston left-hander. Only one man (Mark Teixeira) reached third base through the first six innings. It was becoming one of those games where one mistake was going to win the game for either side.

Lester would be the one that would blink first. In the seventh inning, he would leave a cutter over the middle of the plate that Alex Rodriguez would crush to center field for a home run to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. For the night, the Boston lefty pitched seven innings, giving up only that one run on five hits, walking none and striking out seven.

With Phil Hughes not available due to pitching in the two previous games despite low pitch counts, Girardi chose not to return with Pettitte, and went with Phil Coke instead to pitch the eighth. He would strike out Jacoby Ellsbury to begin the frame and then gave up a single to Dustin Pedroia. After fouling off several sliders, Victor Martinez would connect on a fastball and drove it into the left field seats to give the Red Sox a 2-1.

The home run ended Boston’s 31 scoreless innings drought. After struggling to score runs over the past few days, they were now six outs away from being able to save face and steal the final game. Daniel Bard would come into the game trying to get three outs to get the ball to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.

Things were going to plan as Bard got Hideki Matsui to ground out for the first out and Derek Jeter’s “excuse me” swing caused a soft roller to the Boston reliever for the second.

With Damon up, Bard’s 98 MPH fastball met Damon’s bat and he was able to drive it into the Yankees bullpen in right center to tie the score. The crowd was already in a frenzy, but two pitches later Mark Teixeira brought the house down with a home run on a hanging slider that found the second deck down the line in right to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

It was clear the young Red Sox reliever was rattled as he walked Rodriguez and Terry Francona came to mound to remove him and bring in Hideki Okajima. Jorge Posada greeted him with a double to right field put runners on second and third. He would fall behind Nick Swisher 2-0, before coming over the plate with a pitch that would be lined to center for a two-run single to extend the Yankee lead to 5-2.

Mariano Rivera would come into the game in the ninth and after giving up a leadoff single to Drew, was able to get Lowell and Varitek on both a fly out and a strikeout. Rivera would walk David Ortiz, but was able to end the game on a broken bat groundout by Ellsbury to make the sweep official.

For the Yankees, it was their seventh win in a row as they have the best record in baseball at 69-42 (the Dodgers are second at 67-45). The next time they will see the Red Sox is next Friday (August 21) at Fenway Park for a three game series.

By that point, they may have a chance to eliminate Boston’s playoff chances.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Got ‘em on the ropes

Yanks on verge of delivering KO to Sawx

NEW YORK – The referee is watching off to the side, just a curious onlooker.

One fighter, in this case the Yankees, are delivering the shots. Dropping lefts, rights, hooks, uppercuts and a few haymakers.

The other fighter, in this case the Red Sox, are covering up and backing away, trying to avoid the damage, but cannot. They are taking blows not only to the body (as they did on Friday night), but blows to the head. Boston is stumbling, staggering and right now is unable to punch back.

Damage keeps on coming and they are up against the ropes and appear to be closing in on ending this regular season fight. This is a stunning development considering that going into Thursday night, the Yankees were 0-8 against Boston and the question that was up in the air was whether they would even beat their long time rivals. “The Rivalry” was so one sided back on June 11 when the Yankees were the ones on the ropes leaving Fenway Park after being swept, as the Red Sox were hitting them with all of the punches as if it were a heavyweight fighting a lightweight.

Now, things have changed. Over performance and structural functionality during those first three months by Boston has been replaced by injury, regression to the mean and under performance. Meanwhile, the Yankees have finally translated their play against the Red Sox to the way they have played against the rest of the American League.

To give an illustration, before the series started, had the Yankees gone just 4-4 in the 2009 installment of “The Rivalry” instead of a disgusting 0-8, the 2 1/2 game lead they had going into the series would have been 10 1/2. For whatever reason, these teams, so evenly matched on the surface have not been played the same when facing their other league peers. This would give credence to the fact that the 0-8 record was somewhat of a fluke.

All you heard was about Boston’s superior depth of pitching, allowing them to go as much as seven deep. Early in the season that made for a good storyline, but now with John Smoltz, (whom the Yankees forced the Red Sox to release on Friday after pounding him into submission) Brad Penny (ineffective), Daisuke Matsuzaka (injury and ineffective), Tim Wakefield (injury) and Clay Buchholz (ineffective) playing the role of unreliable number five starters, this is creating a serious problem. This is before you count the age and declining production coming from David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and JD Drew. Injuries to Jason Bay and Mike Lowell have slowed down their hot starts to 2009. Add in the shortstop position which can be referred to as “The Black Hole” and all of it adds up to a volcano set to erupt and destroy their season as they play the role of “Dead Team Walking”.

The Yankees however, have no such problems. With the best record in baseball, their lineup healthy and producing along with their pitching staff giving a quality performance nearly every time out (while still holding their breath whenever Sergio Mitre is pitching), they are poised to run away with AL East and settle in to an easy ride to October.

Obviously, injuries are the only thing that can derail this train. However, assuming that does not play a role, nothing looks to be stopping them. When you have CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett give the type of performances they have given over the first two games of the series )15 1/3 innings, three hits, zero runs, 15 strikeouts) sprinkled in with the work of the bullpen (12 2/3 innings, two runs, 15 strikeouts), that is a difficult combination to beat. All of this is before climbing Mount Everest, also known as the New York offense.

After debating all year where the Yankees and Red Sox stood, it is becoming obvious that there is a difference between the two teams. The pendulum has shifted back to the New York side while Boston attempts to regroup and try to regain footing.

In the mean time, the days are passing and with Boston losing and the Yankees winning, the gap continues to grow. Over the last six days, the Yankees have gained five games in the standings. Sunday night, they look to make it six.

Where the Red Sox appeared to be winning this fight on points in the early rounds, the Yankees never went down. Like Muhammad Ali used when he fought George Foreman in Zaire, they were able to utilize the “rope-a-dope” strategy. Now, they have landed a few surprise haymakers of their own and are ready to send them to the canvas.

Another win tomorrow night, might just put them down. The Red Sox may not be able to answer the ten count.

Yankee Talk: Rivairly Edition – CC silences Sawx

Sabathia dominant as Yanks eye sweep over Boston

NEW YORK – When asked on Friday about his performance to this point in his first season with the Yankees, CC Sabathia described it as “So-So”. He would go on to say his best performances were yet to come.

How prophetic.

Pitching his best game of the season as a Yankee, Sabathia would save his best game of the year for Saturday, stifling the Red Sox for 7 2/3 innings as the Yankees won their sixth in row and third straight against Boston 5-0 at Yankee Stadium. The win increased their lead in the AL East to 5 1/2 in front of a sellout crowd of 48,796.

After a marathon, five hour and 33 minute game the previous night where they used five relief pitchers, the team needed their $161 million prized acquisition to go deep into the game to save the rest of the team. This he would do emphatically, triumphantly, and almost completely.

For the first 4 2/3 innings, he did not allow a man to reach base. This ended when Sabathia walked David Ortiz on a close pitch appearing to have the inside part of the plate, but was ruled a ball by home plate umpire Jim Joyce. He carried a no-hitter until two outs in the top of the sixth, when Jacoby Ellsbury singled to center for the Red Sox first hit.

At the time, the score was only 1-0, as the Yankees scrapped out a run in the third inning against Boston starter Clay Buchholz

Melky Cabrera singled to lead off and Jose Molina drew a walk. Derek Jeter hit into a double play, but Johnny Damon was able to walk to put runners on first and third. Mark Teixeira came to the plate, and after being fooled in his first at bat by Buchholz’s changeup, the Yankee first baseman swung at the first pitch and lined a single to right field to score Cabrera and open the scoring.

The score would remain 1-0 until the sixth. Robinson Cano doubled to start the inning for his third hit of the game. Nick Swisher sacrificed him over to third and the Red Sox elected to intentionally walk Melky Cabrera to pitch to Molina. Needing to get the ball in the air, Molina would drive a 1-0 pitch into left center for a sacrifice fly, scoring Cano and giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Considering Buchholz’s struggles throughout the season, he pitched admirably, nearly matching Sabathia zero for zero with the exception of the two hiccups. He would finish the game going six innings, giving up those two runs on six hits, walking five and striking out three.

However, he was not as good as Sabathia, who continued to mow down the Boston offense as the Yankees pitching staff has been able to do over the last 24 innings. Starting with last night’s game, they have not allowed a run to the Red Sox and have limited them to only eight total hits.

The seventh inning represented Boston’s best chance to get on the board against the left hander. Victor Martinez walked and Kevin Youkilis singled to center to put the first two runners on. Sabathia though would settle down and work out of trouble. He struck out David Ortiz swinging for the first out and then was able to induce Mike Lowell into a 4-6-3 double play, as Derek Jeter was able to avoid Youkilis’ slide by leaping over him, keeping his balance on the way down and still being able to fire to first to get the slow-footed Lowell.

In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees would expand their lead, but not before a little drama. With one out, Teixeira walked and with Ramon Ramirez pitching, drilled Alex Rodriguez with a pitch in the back. Umpire Jim Joyce immediately ejected Ramirez from the game. In the previous at bat, the Red Sox reliever had come up and in on Teixeira and now had hit Rodriguez.

There could have be a revenge motive from Thursday night when Yankee reliever Mark Melancon hit Dustin Pedroia when the score was 13-4 in the eighth inning. The umpire issued warnings to both sides in an attempt to not escalate the situation.

Enrique Gonzalez, who was called up before the game entered in and gave up an infield single to Hideki Matsui. Cano would then reach on a fielder’s choice when first baseman Casey Kotchman came home on the chopper. But with two out, Nick Swisher was able to draw a bases loaded walk to make it 3-0.

That was all Sabathia would need on this day. He had all of his pitches working and very few Boston hitters were able to generate a good swing off him. He would remain in the game into the eighth as was able to get JD Drew to line out to second and struck out Casey Kotchman for the second out.

Out from the dugout came Joe Girardi to take the ball from his ace as he would leave to a thunderous ovation from the Stadium crowd.

Like AJ Burnett the previous night, Sabathia (12-7, 3.76) would work 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits, while walking two and striking out nine in 123 pitches. Phil Hughes came into the game and blew away Nick Green to close the inning.

Jeter would give the Yankees much needed insurance in the bottom of the eighth when he connected to old time Yankee Stadium short porch home run that barely hit the yellow rail at the foul pole for a two run shot to make it 5-0. With David Roberson pitching, he was able to throw a scoreless ninth to make a three for three this weekend against Boston.

The Yankees will attempt to go for the sweep in another nationally televised Sunday night game on ESPN. Andy Pettitte takes the ball for the Yanks and Jon Lester will look to avoid a sweep for the Red Sox.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Smoltz career clock expires

All-time great had his day, time to retire


NEW YORK – The old sports adage is “You can’t beat father time”.

For John Smoltz last night, a man who is trying to gain one last shot of professional glory in a game where he has been one of the all time greats, it is becoming obvious that his athletic clock is reaching midnight.

He was able to hold it off for three innings, only allowing one run on a homerun by Johnny Damon. Smoltz’s fastball was no longer hitting 96 MPH and the slider and split finger not having the same bite as it did before.

As his prior outings have shown, it was only going to be a matter of time before the Yankees lined him up and started hitting around. Other pitchers at his age have been able to get by on guile and intelligence as compensation for not being able to miss bats and blow hitters away. Smoltz has never had to deal with such a problem until now. With no answers, the Yankee offense was set to erupt and nothing he could do to stop it.

This was the aging right-hander’s fourth inning tally: Double, single, walk, homerun, fly out, single, double, intentional walk.

Good night.

It was like an avalanche, and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona had to get him out there to prevent further embarrassment. Think of watching Willie Mays in his final days with the Mets in center field, Brett Favre last year with the Jets having no arm or legs, and Muhammad Ali being pounded by Larry Holmes, unable to muster any fight and showing deteriorating skills to where it became difficult to watch.

He had his day, but now the sun was setting. No longer did he resemble the same pitcher he used to be. 3 1/3 innings of nine hits and eight runs later over 92 pitches was all he could muster. This wasn’t just one bad performance; it continued a string of bad outings since returning in June for the Old Towne Team. Only two pitchers in the American League have qualified to pitch worse than he has since coming back. One is Adam Eaton, who was released from the Orioles. The other is Chien Ming Wang, who has been shut down for the season with a shoulder injury.

One decade ago, he was one of baseball’s best pitchers and one of the generation’s greatest postseason performers.


There was a time back when I was a youngster when John Smoltz was one of the most intimidating pitchers in all of baseball. When you saw that he was pitching on any specific day, you knew that your chances of winning were slim.

If he brought his great stuff, you may as well plan for the next day.

In 1996 pitching for the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz had the best year of his career. He was 24-8 and won the Cy Young Award. In Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees, he dominated them. It was one of those “no chance nights”.

In Game 5, he pitched one the greatest games I had ever seen from a pitcher against the Yankees. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong end of a 1-0 score in that game because Andy Pettitte the greatest game of his career to give them a 3-2 lead in a series they would eventually win.

Smoltz has never has uber-dominant since that year, but he has been this generations greatest pitchers. A serious shoulder injury back in 2001 took out of the rotation, but allowed him to function as a closer. In that role, he became one of the best closers in the league. In 2005, he was able to regain his strength and made a return to the rotation where he won 44 games an averaged 222 innings per year.

Much as Dennis Eckersley was able to do in the 1980’s, he was able to make the transition from great starter to great reliever. Only Smoltz, taking it a step further, made the miraculous return to becoming a successful starter again at 37 years old.

Now at the age of 42 and coming off shoulder surgery, the Braves did not believe he had it anymore and chose to part ways with him at the end of the 2008 season. Obviously, Smoltz did not feel the same way. He left the place where he carved out a career that one day, whenever he leaves will take him to Cooperstown and headed for Boston and one last shot at glory.

Unfortunately, it has not happened. It is anyone’s guess whether he will make his next scheduled start on Tuesday against Detroit at Fenway Park. The Red Sox may recognize that he was a great pitcher back then in Atlanta, but all they know is he has done nothing since donning a Boston uniform.

With the team’s injuries mounting and ineffectiveness from three of its five starters, the Red Sox can ill-afford to punt games that he starts while they are being chased by the Texas Rangers and AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays. They are attempting to run the Yankees down, but with a few more losses this weekend, it may get to where there is only one open spot to gain entry into the postseason.

Boston is running out of time.

Smoltz’s time has run out.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – 9th time is the charm

Offense bails out Joba, pounds Smoltz to give Yanks first win over Boston


NEW YORK – The burden of having not beaten the Red Sox once this season was hovering. It was like a noose around the team’s neck.

Despite having the best record in the American League and having rallied to take a 2 1/2 game in the AL East over their rivals, the fact the Yankees were 0-8 against their rivals was rendering the rest of their season meaningless.

Here they were, given another opportunity to make a stand in front of a sellout crowd of 49,005 at the new Yankee Stadium, facing a pitcher whose next visit may be to retirement, and they were able to capitalize.

Trailing 3-1 early, the offense exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning against Red Sox starter John Smoltz, survived five shaky innings from Joba Chamberlain, and then continued to pound hits and runs en route to a 13-6 Yankees victory over Boston.

After losing the first eight games in the 2009 installment of “The Rivalry” on a variety of mental lapses and other assorted breakdowns, it appeared to be more of the same in the second inning. With one out and Jorge Posada leading off second, Nick Swisher lined a single to center field. Posada was appearing to score easily when the ball was cutoff by second baseman Dustin Pedroia. However, Pedroia opted to relay the ball home and Posada, apparently unaware of the impending throw, opted not to slide at home plate and was tagged out by catcher Victor Martinez which standing up. Melky Cabrera would proceed to line out to end the threat.

Boston would immediately take advantage the next inning when on an 0-2 pitch, Pedroia was about to turn on a 93 MPH fastball from Chamberlain and hit it two rows deep in the right center field seats for a home run to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

Back-to-back walks to Martinez and Kevin Youkilis put Chamberlain in even more trouble, but he was helped out by a double play off the bat of David Ortiz and a fly out to center by JD Drew.

Johnny Damon quickly answered in the bottom half with his 20th homerun of the season to tie the game, but the Red Sox came right back when first baseman Casey Kotchman was able to lift a home run into the first row of seats down the right field line to make it 3-1.

Early on, Smoltz was able to effectively navigate the tough Yankee lineup. In the third inning, the hitters were able to generate healthy swings outside of Damon’s homerun. Now, in the fourth, the Yankees would tee off on him.

A leadoff double by Posada started the inning and he would score on an RBI single by Robinson Cano. Swisher would walk to put runners on first and second to bring up Cabrera, who blasted a three-run homer to right to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.

Smoltz was shaken, but there would be more to come. Jeter would fly out for the first out, but then Damon singled and Teixeira would double to right. An intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez loaded the bases and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona came to the mound to end his starter’s night and send him to the shower. Whether the future Hall of Fame pitcher starts another game for Boston is anyone’s guess.

Billy Traber was summoned from the pen to face Hideki Matsui and nearly induced an inning ending double play, but Matsui was able to beat out the relay throw to first, which allowed Damon to score. Posada would then deliver the KO when he hammered a three-run homer to dead center field to give the Yankees a 9-3 lead.

Smoltz’s (2-5, 8.33 ERA) final line was ugly. In 3 1/3, he gave up nine hits, and eight runs (all earned), and walked four over his 92 pitch outing. The lefty hitters in the lineup were an astounding 9 for 13 with five extra base hits.

Being armed to a six-run lead, one would have thought Chamberlain would have been able to settle down and keep the game from getting dramatic.

Unfortunately, that did not happen.

He proceeded to throw his first eight pitches out of the strike zone, putting Martinez and Youkilis on base. After Ortiz flied out, he walked JD Drew to load the bases. Mike Lowell would single to cut the lead to five, but Chamberlain was able to get out of further trouble by striking out Casey Kotchman and Nick Green to end the threat.

After three tremendous outings, this was a step back for Chamberlain (8-2, 3.68). He only threw first pitch strikes to 13 of the 27 Red Sox hitters in his five innings of work, giving up four runs and six hits, while walking a season high seven over 108 tedious pitches.

With Traber still in the game, the Yankees were able to tack on runs in both the fifth and sixth as Matsui drove in two with a double down into the left field corner and Derek Jeter’s single to left.

The trio of David Robertson, Phil Coke and Mark Melancon pitched three scoreless innings. Things got a little heated in the eighth when Dustin Pedroia was hit by a Melancon pitch, and jawed with the pitcher on his way to first base. Two pitches prior, Pedroia saw a pitch sail over his head to the backstop and after being hit, felt it was intentional.

Boston got two runs in the ninth off recent call-up Anthony Clagett, but it was mere window dressing. The Yankees had their win after eight straight losses to the Red Sox. The win gave them a 3 1/2 game lead in the division.

AJ Burnett takes the ball for the Yanks on Friday night in the second of the four game weekend series. Josh Beckett starts for Boston.

Yankee Talk: Road Trip Edition: CC cutting it…barely

Sabathia leaving to mixed bag of results


CHICAGO – His last pitch of the game came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Gordon Beckham, whom nobody pitching for the Yankees could get out this weekend, hit a ground rule double to right center to give the White Sox a chance to tie the game with a home run,

Emerging was Joe Girardi from the dugout. He was going to take the ball from an “ace” and trust his two bullpen weapons Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera to finish the job.

When he left the mound, you wondered exactly how to categorize his performance. Was it good? Well, considering he gave up 10 hits, five runs (all earned - the last one scoring after Rivera gave up a single to Carlos Quentin) and gave back the 3-0 lead the Yankees had given him early in the game.

Yet, as his teammates rallied to bail him by putting more runs on the board en route to an 8-5 win, Sabathia settled down to pitch seven innings, much needed length after the stink bomb detonated by AJ Burnett the day before.

In many ways, he gave the team what they needed, a long outing. At the same time, for the fourth start in a row, he battled command issues despite throwing 71 of his 100 pitches for strikes. Some of those strikes, known as “hittable strikes” found plenty of holes. Six of the ten hits yielded were for extra bases. Three of them for doubles, one for a triple, two for homeruns (it would have seven had Quentin’s had not been thrown out at second in the third inning). These were not bleeders finding ways through the infield to blame on just plain old luck.

You look at his ERA currently and it sits at 3.95 and an 11-7 record. Certainly not the results the Yankees are paying $161 million for. One can talk about adjustment periods and that would be a cover up to excuse some sub par performances. Before Burnett turned in one of his worst games of the year, he was not even statistically the best pitcher on his own team, more less the league.

What could possibly be the problem? Is it just the American League? He did win the Cy Young Award two years pitching in league, granted the lineups he was facing in the AL Central made it very easy to pitch and rack up comparable statistics much like Cliff Lee did last year. Pitching in the AL East is a far more dangerous beast and his 4.40 ERA is indicative of that.

The one question that lingers above the Yankees heads is at what point do the 513 logged innings over the last two years catch up with the big left-hander?

In 2007, the Indians worked him into the ground throwing the most innings in his career by 50. This caught up to him in three postseason starts against the Yankees and eventual world champion Red Sox.

Last year, the Brewers, desperate to make the postseason, elect to use Sabathia on three days rest for him final four starts of the season. He pitched a complete game against the Cubs on the final day of the regular season and then tired out in Game 2 of the Division Series against the Phillies.

The Yankees held off on using Phil Hughes as a main trading chip for Johan Santana (looking like a smart move now) and instead waited a year so they can spend money only on Sabathia. In their eyes, he was a better, long-term investment despite his massive size (the team scale lists him at 290 pounds).

Going forward the rest of the reason, the team needs him to be the anchor of the rotation. They are not going to go anywhere he is unable to do the job. His numbers this season are similar to the numbers that Randy Johnson posted in 2005 when he joined the Yankees. The Big Unit was switching leagues after dominating the NL in 2004 and found that the expectations from fans along with the American League made him a lesser pitcher.

That is the only similarity between the two. Sabathia may be 28 in his prime, but there could be a chance that the accumulation of innings may shorten his prime to where he may show decline sooner.

On Saturday, the fans patience with him will reach a crescendo when the Red Sox come to town as his next opponent.

He his being forgiven right now. How much longer is the next question.