Hump Holiday Hot Stove

The Big Unit has found a new home to call his own. Randy Johnson agreed to a one year, $8 million deal on Friday to join the San Francisco Giants. Perhaps the Giants are hoping he can help Barry Zito suck less.

Willy Taveras has also found a new home. Taveras, who was non-tendered by the Rockies, has a new 2 year deal with the Reds.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says he'll still listen to offers for Jake Peavy, but is no longer shopping him. If so, that means the likelihood of Trevor Hoffman returning to San Diego is even less.

The Orioles have been in contact with Ivan Rodriguez and Greg Zaun as they look for a catcher to pave the way for Matt Wieters. Offers for Pudge and Jason Varitek are few and far between.

If you can believe anything Scott Boras says, the A's are interested in long time Angel Garrett Anderson. The A's have also had some preliminary discussions with former Yankee Bobby Abreu, but aren't close to a deal as of yet.

Roger Clemens' name took another blow, this time at Houston's Memorial Hermann Medical Center. The Roger Clemens Sports Institute for Medicine will no longer have the Rocket's name attached. We understand it, but at the same time Clemens donated $3 million to the hospital's pediatric wing.

UPDATE 9:07 EST

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox are close to signing free agent starter Brad Penny.

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Vegas Update - Day 3 - 11:40 EST

Things should start to fall into place now that CC Sabathia has set the bar for this year's free agent contracts. Trade talks are still in the works too. The Twins are reportedly now part of the Jake Peavy talks as they seek to acquire Mark DeRosa from the Cubs.

According to the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays have talked to the Astros about Ty Wiggington.

Scott Boras is still looking for a 5 year deal for Manny Ramirez according to the LA Times. The Times is also reporting that the Nationals are willing to offer Mark Teixeira an 8-year, $160 million deal. We find this hard to believe.

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Vegas Update - Day 2 8:20 AM EST

Jon Heyman of SI and Joel Sherman of the NY Post expect the Mets and free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez to work out a 3-year deal, worth app. $37 million, before the end of the winter meetings.

Rodriguez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said, "I am more optimistic than I have ever been" about finalizing a deal between the single-season save leader and the Mets.

It's hard to believe the Angels wouldn't match such an offer or bump it up a bit to keep K-Rod.

One team rep feels the Red Sox will sign Mark Teixeira. Why does that count any more than what we think?

These updates from Fox's Ken Rosenthal:

The Braves and Cards are trying to work out a deal that would send Rick Ankiel to Atlanta, but thus far the Cards are asking for Mike Gonzalez, and that's a no-go for Atlanta.

The Blue Jays are meeting with shortstop Rafael Furcal's agents, but the chance of signing the free agent are slim.

The Phillies are still looking at Delmon Young of the Twins, and have jumped into the Jake Peavy trade talks.

The Rangers are quietly shopping shortstop Michael Young according to an AL executive, so says Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown.

The Dodgers inked veteran Mark Loretta to a one year deal, meaning that Nomar's days in LA are numbered.

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Vegas Update - Day 1 10:40 PM EST

Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News is reporting that the Dodgers and Casey Blake are close to an agreement that would pay the free agent $17 million over 3 years. The Dodgers became Blake's main suitor after the Twins refused to give him a third year.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says it's up to the Cubs if a Jake Peavy deal is to go down. Reportedly a deal is in place, but the Cubs have to sign off on it. Towers also said there's a greater possibility of bringing back Trevor Hoffman if Peavy is dealt.

Blue Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi denied that he had any talks with the Mets concerning B.J. Ryan.

A Rangers official feels that the Rays and Royals are in the lead in the race for Milton Bradley. If the Rangers want him back, Bradley should stay and continue to play for Ron Washington.

Jason Giambi apparently thinks he's going back to Oakland, but Billy Beane isn't moving too quickly.

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Vegas Update - Day 1 - 4:45 EST

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti denied an earlier report that LA and the Yankees were discussing a Robinson Cano-Matt Kemp deal. Colletti is also unhappy about the progress, or lack thereof, in negotiating with Manny Ramirez and his agents. NY Post

The Dodgers may have some good news shortly though according to Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown who says that the team is close to a new pact with Casey Blake.

Greg Maddux made it official, announcing his retirement today after 19 seasons in the bigs.

The NY Post's Joel Sherman feels that a Jake Peavy to the Cubs deal could still get done this week. We wonder if the Cubs ownership filing for bankruptcy will affect that. According to LoHud's Pete Abraham, Padres GM Kevin Towers reiterated that Peavy wants no part of the Yankees or any other AL team. We have two words for you Jake. I think you can guess what they are.

The Baltimore Sun's local rumor of the day is a possible deal of catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Reds.

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Thursday Afternoon Hot Stove

We would love to sit around the hot stove right now. It's cold, it's grey, snow flurries are headed this way. Ah if only Spring Training were already starting.

The World Champion Phillies, of course, would rather not rush things. Especially their All-Star second baseman Chase Utley, who may miss the beginning of the 2009 season after undergoing hip surgery.

Here's some Hot Stove News from Jayson Stark:

The Mets aren't looking to sign a replacement closer for Billy Wagner to a contract that is longer than 3 years. That could quickly eliminate K-Rod. The Mets may look to Brian Fuentes.

Shooting down rumors to the contrary, Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said his club will not be pursuing Manny Ramirez.

The Angels, despite their low key approach on the matter, are the favorites to land Jake Peavy. They also have an excellent shot at re-signing Mark Teixeira, but will not be pressured by agent Scott Boras' time table. John Lackey is confident that he will sign a 1-year extension prior to the start of the season.

As far as the Yankees are concerned:

Once the Yankees get their free-agent menu sorted out, they'll look to make a deal to upgrade in center field. But one player they probably won't be reeling in is Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron. The Brewers are contemplating trading Cameron for pitching if they can't re-sign Sabathia. But as GM Doug Melvin's quotes this past weekend about how the Yankees "overbid" on CC would indicate, the Brewers aren't big fans of the Yankees these days. So clubs that have spoken with the Brewers are suggesting the Bronx is about the last place they'd like to deal Cameron, if they deal him at all.

And this news from a scout about Phil Hughes' performance in the AZ Fall League:
Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes (1-0, 3.60 ERA, 28 K's, 25 IP): "Saw him two games, and he cruised. He dominated, and he should. His curveball was very sharp. All those people who think he's lost his luster -- no way. Hell, he'd be our No. 2 starter right now."

Aaron Heilman wants to move into the starting rotation or be traded. That according to the Daily News. Heilman makes this complaint every year. After how poorly he's pitched out of the pen the last 2 seasons, the Mets should probably take him up on it.

The Giants are expected to make a big push for CC Sabathia, despite the huge money they have already wasted on Barry Zito.

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The Pennant Race - 9/1

Labor Day is here, which means there's a month of baseball season left and Jerry Lewis is on the tube. With the exception of the AL West, and maybe the NL Central, all the divisional and wildcard races are up for grabs.

AL East

The Rays pounded the Orioles 10-4 on Sunday, to finish off a three game sweep in which they scored 34 runs. The victory moved them 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, who lost the finale of their three game series with the White Sox, 4-2.

AL Central

The White Sox win kept them a half-game ahead of the Twins in the central standings. Gavin Floyd picked up his 15th win and Jim Thome hit career home run number 536 to tie him with Mickey Mantle for 14th place on the all-time list.

In addition to being within striking distance of Chicago, the Twins moved to 2.5 back of the Red Sox in the wildcard race, with a 12-4 thumping of the A's. Justin Morneau homered and knocked in four runs, giving him 108 RBI entering September.

NL East

The Mets maintained their one game lead on the Phillies, by beating the Marlins 6-2 on Sunday. Carlos Beltran, who hit the game winning grand slam on Friday, David Wright, and Nick Evans each homered to help Pedro Martinez to pick up career win number 214.

The Phillies beat the Cubs 5-3 to gain a split of the four game series, after losing the first two. Jayson Werth homered for the third time in two games and Jamie Moyer won his 12th game. It was the 242nd win of Moyer's 22-year career. Remarkably, he only won 72 games in his first nine seasons.

NL Central

The Cubs lead in the division was reduced to 4.5 games due to the continuing heroics of the Brewers' CC Sabathia. The big man tossed a controversial 1-hit complete game shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The play in question was the lone hit of the game. The Pirates' Andy LaRoche hit a tapper to the side of the mound that Sabathia bare handed and dropped. Had he picked the ball cleanly, he would have gotten LaRoche easily at first. But the official scorer ruled it an error. It would turn out to be the lone Pittsburgh hit. After the game, manager Ned Yost and Sabathia's teammates were clearly upset, and there was a plan (naive at best) to appeal to the league to have the call overruled.

The Brewers maintained a 4.5 game lead over the Phillies in the wildcard, while the Cardinals dropped to 6.5 back with a 3-0 loss to the Astros.


NL West

The Dodgers took two of three from the Diamondbacks to get back within 2.5 of Arizona in the west. LA dominated both wins, 6-2 on Saturday, and 8-1 on Sunday, with plenty of hitting and pitching. Derek Lowe threw six scoreless innings on Sunday night baseball, to beat Brandon Webb, who was walloped for the second straight time out in his attempt to win his 20th game.


Other News

The Indians, feel good about themselves, 10-game winning streak came to an abrupt end as they were swept by the Mariners in three straight.

The Padres Jake Peavy tossed a gem on Sunday (8 IP 5 H 0 R 13 K) only to see Trevor Hoffman blow the lead in the ninth. Hoffman then got the win when Luis Rodriguez drove in the game winner in the bottom of the ninth.

The Dodgers' Jeff Kent could be done for the season after it was announced he will undergo knee surgery to repair torn cartilage.

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The Pennant Race - 8/25

Walk-off home runs affected a couple of pennant races yesterday. With the Dodgers having already lost to the Phillies, 5-0, the Diamondbacks had a chance to increase their lead in the NL West. But Padres' outfielder Jody Gerut had something else in mind: a 2-out, 2-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to give San Diego a 4-2 win. The game featured a good duel between starters Jake Peavy and Dan Haren.

Meanwhile, over in the AL, the Twins led the Mariners 2-1 in the ninth inning, but faced with a first and third and no-out situation, they elected to play for the double play. They got it when Jeff Clement bounced into a 6-4-3 twin killing. That sent the game into extra innings where Adrian Beltre decided it in the eleventh inning with a 2-run home run off of Jesse Crain.

While the Diamondbacks remained three games ahead of LA, the Twins fell into second place in the AL Central, one game behind Chicago. That's because the White Sox split a pair of 4-3 games. The first was the completion of a game suspended nearly four months ago in Chicago. The Orioles and White Sox were tied 3-3 when the game was stopped on April 28 in the 11th inning. It would take three more innings yesterday before the Orioles' Luis Montanez knocked in the go-ahead run.

In the regularly scheduled game, Jim Thome's sixth inning home run snapped a 3-3 tie and the White Sox held on to the 4-3 lead. Thome's home run was number 535, putting him one behind Mickey Mantle on the all-time HR list.

The Mets maintained their half-game advantage over the Phillies behind another dominant performance from Mike Pelfrey. The right-hander became the first Mets pitcher to throw consecutive complete games since 1995. Pelfrey is 10-2, 2.90 since the managerial change at Shea. He got plenty of offensive support in the 9-1 Mets win last night as Carlos Delgado hit a pair of 3-run home runs. Since July 1st, Delgado has 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 49 games.

Brett Myers tossed seven shutout innings in the Phillies' 5-0 win over the Dodgers. Myers is 4-1, 1.24 over his last six starts. Last year's NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins, is trying to get his game back in gear and last night helped his cause. A double, triple, walk, two RBI, and a run scored. Manny Ramirez has hit his first LA mud slide- he's in a 5-24 skid.

The Cubs blasted the Pirates 12-3 behind a 3-run blast from Aramis Ramirez and four RBI by Kosuke Fukudome. Ramirez has three home runs and 10 RBI in his last three games. Ted Lilly won his 13th game, beating Jeff Karstens, who looked more like his real self (3 IP, 5 ER). The Brewers were idle, so the Cubs' lead was increased to 5 games.


Other News

The Indians have been out of the race for a long time, but kudos to them for not giving up their season. Their 4-3, 10 inning win over Detroit last night was their eighth straight. Grady Sizmore homered twice in the game, making him only the second Indians player, along with Joe Carter, to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He has an excellent chance to join Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, and Alfonso Soriano as the only members of the 40-40 club.

The Twins got some bullpen help yesterday, acquiring lefty reliever Eddie Guardado from the Rangers for minor leaguer Mike Hamburger. There was no side of fries.

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The Pennant Race - 8/21

You just get the feeling that for the second straight year, the Mets and Phillies will come down to the final weekend to determine the NL East winner. The Mets are playing good baseball, but they haven't been able to put much cushion between themselves and the Phillies since moving into first place.

Mike Pelfrey has really stepped up this season and did again last night, limiting the Braves to three hits in a complete game, 6-3 Mets victory. David Wright continued his run at the NL MVP with his 24th home run and 97th RBI. Rookie Dan Murphy's two RBI gave him 11 in 18 games and he's batting .404 in 47 at-bats.

The Phillies got a complete game of their own from Brett Myers, who scattered nine hits in shutting down the Nationals 4-0. Washington has lost 12 straight. After a brief stint in the minors, Myers has returned to form and is 3-1, 1.47 in his last five starts.

The Marlins' hopes are fading away. They dropped a 6-5 game to the Giants last night that put them 5 games behind the Mets and 7.5 behind the wildcard-leading Brewers. Florida rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Bengie Molina's sac fly won it for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth.

Speaking of the Brewers, they got themselves back to within 5 games of the Cubs with a 5-2 win over the Astros. J.J. Hardy hit a 2-run home run to help Manny Parra win his 10th game. Ryan Braun sat out for the 9th time in 11 games due to lower back soreness.

The Reds edged the Cubs 2-1 despite starter Ted Lilly allowing just two hits over seven innings.

The Cardinals remained 2.5 behind the Brewers in the wildcard with an 11-2 thumping of the Pirates. Todd Wellemeyer won his career-high 11th game and reached the century mark in strikeouts for the first time.

The Diamondbacks moved two games ahead of the Dodgers with an 8-6 win over the Padres. Neither starter Dan Haren nor Jake Peavy was good, but after allowing four runs in the first inning, Haren settled down to get the win. Adam Dunn belted a 3-run home run, his 34th of the season.

The Rockies played spoilers, beating the Dodgers 4-3. The Dodgers lead 3-0 early, but Brad Hawpe almost single-handedly beat LA. He reached on an error that cut the lead to 3-2, singled in the game-tying run in the seventh, and singled again in the ninth to drive in the go-ahead run.


There was no movement in the AL Central standings as both the White Sox and Twins were daytime winners. Chicago got four home runs in a 15-3 rout of the Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. tied Sammy CheaterSosa with his 609th career home run, and his first in Chicago. Gavin Floyd earned his 13th win.

Francisco Lirano and four pitchers pitched the Twins to a 3-1 win over the A's. Little-used reserve Mike Redmond drove in two runs.

The AL East's top two teams remained 4.5 apart as they both lost last night. The Angels beat the Rays 5-4, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit, and then winning after blowing a 4-3 lead. Garret Anderson's ninth inning single was the game winner. K-Rod notched his 48th save.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but it was all Baltimore after that as the Orioles won it 11-6. Melvin Mora, who had four RBI, and Ramon Hernandez each hit 3-run home runs. Clay Buchholz was hammered for five runs in 2.1 IP and is reportedly headed back to Pawtucket.

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The Pennant Chase - 8/15

NL EAST

Look out, the Mets train is steam rolling along. They're now in sole possession of first place after beating the Nationals for the third straight night. Meanwhile the Phillies were swept by the Dodgers in a four game series.

Oliver Perez struck out eight in six-plus innings and Carlos Delgado continued his torrid second half with his 26th home run as the Mets rolled to a 9-3 win. After practically being left for dead through the end of June, Delgado hit .357 with 9 home runs and 24 RBI in July. He's added 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 12 games in August.

The Phillies meanwhile managed only 2 hits off of Hiroki Kuroda in seven innings. Manny finally went hitless, but Matt Kemp stepped up with his 14th home run of the season. On the bright side, the Phils got another solid outing from Brett Myers.

NL WEST

The Dodgers couldn't break their first place tie with Arizona though, as the Diamondbacks topped the Rockies 6-2. Dan Haren won his 13th game with help from home runs by two of the Chrises, Young and Burke.

The Diamondbacks sent catcher Wilkins Castillo to the Reds as part of the Adam Dunn deal.

The Dodgers reportedly put in a claim on Ronnie Belliard to keep him from going to the Diamondbacks, who are in need of a second baseman after the season-ending injury to Orlando Hudson.

NL CENTRAL

The Cubbies extended their lead over the Brewers to 4.5 games with an 11-7 win over the Braves. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano homered to back Ted Lilly's pitching. Lilly almost incited a brawl when he hit Yuniel Escobar on the arm. There were no ejections though the benches emptied. The pitch was thought to be retribution for Soriano being thrown out the night before. Ramirez also had to leave the game with a bruised hip.

Mark Kotsay went 5-5 for Atlanta and became the second Brave, (Albert Hall was the other), to hit for the cycle.

Jake Peavy outpitched Ben Sheets as the Padres edged the Brewers 3-2. The Cardinals kept pace with a 3-0 behind Todd Wellmeyer's seven and two-third innings of 3-hit ball.

AL EAST

Tampa lost Troy Percival to the DL again, but after blowing a ninth inning lead they beat the A's 7-6 in 12 innings. Percival's leg injuries will make the Rays look elsewhere for a closer next season.

Dice-K and the Red Sox pounded the Rangers again, 10-0, after putting 9 on the board in the second inning.

AL CENTRAL

The White Sox moved a full game ahead of the idle Twins with a 9-2 pasting of the Royals. Chicago outscored KC, 22-2, in the three game series. The Chisox tied a major league record in the sixth inning when Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexi Ramirez, and Juan Uribe connected for four consecutive home runs. Hawk Harrelson must have wet his pants.

The Twins meanwhile claimed Jarrod Washburn off waivers from the Mariners in an effort to block him from going to the White Sox. The Tigers claimed Raul Ibanez from the Tigers- for what reason we have no clue. Neither team was able to work out a deal though, and both players will stay put. A really poor job by the M's in their handling of Washburn. They could have dumped his contract on the Yankees quite easily.

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Yankees Streak to 6 in a Row

There was nothing pretty about the Yankees pitching tonight, whether it be Darrell Rasner or any reliever not named Rivera. But the Yankees hitters are heating up, even on a cool night. They made the difference tonight in an 8-5 win over the San Diego Padres that extended their winning streak to 6 games. It also bumped their "high water mark of the season" to 6 games over .500 (39-33).

The Yankees took a quick 1-0 lead in the 1st inning with the help of a Khalil Greene error and built on it in the 2nd. Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit stroked back to back doubles off of Jake Peavy for a 2-0 lead and Johnny Damon brought home Betemit two batters later with the first of his three singles on the night.

Rookie Edgar Gonzalez stroked a 2-run double in the 3rd off of Ranser, but he escaped further trouble after walking the bases loaded by retired another rookie, Chase Headley on a deep fly out to Melky Cabrera.

Each time the Padres got close the Yankees answered back. Alex Rodriguez continued his torrid June with a home run in his fourth straight game. His 14th home run of the season gave him 532 for his career, putting him two behind Jimmie Foxx for 14th place on the all-time list.

A-Rod helped manufacture a run in the 5th when Brian Corey replaced Peavy. The reigning MVP singled, stole 2nd base, one of four Yankees steals, and scored on a Jorge Posada single for a 5-2 lead.

Rasner threw 96 pitches in his struggling night, so Joe Girardi went to Edwar Ramirez to start the 6th. He breezed through the inning, but Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez took him deep in the 7th and suddenly it was a ball game again at 5-4. But again the Yankees answered right back.

Derek Jeter lead off the Yankees half of the 7th with a double and scored on Bobby Abreu's single. Abreu promptly stole 2nd and A-Rod greeted reliever Cla Meredith with an RBI single to restore the 3 run lead.

The teams traded single runs in the 8th with Kyle Farnsworth giving up Chase Headley's (Chase, Cla, Khalil..who named these people?) first major league home run and RBI . But Damon produced another RBI single for an 8-5 lead. Then it was up to Mariano Rivera to add to his save total. He even gave up a lead off double, but struck out Giles, and got Adrian Gonzalez to bloop into a double play, his brother Edgar being the victim at 2nd base.


News and Notes

Darrell Rasner picked up his 4th win and ended his 4 game losing streak. He deserved a break considering 2 of his losses were due to a lack of run support.

Mariano Rivera is now 19-19 in save situations. He picked up his 19th save last season in August.

Derek Jeter's double extended his hitting streak to 7 games, though it's a rather poor streak (7-29, .241).

Alex Rodriguez's 3-4 night raised his average to .337, tops in the AL. Johnny Damon had 3 hits put in the two spot at .332.

Hideki Matsui sat out tonight's game due to fluid build up in his left knee. Team doctor Stuart Hershon drained the knee and Godzilla will probably also go for an MRI.

June 18, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
San Diego	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	1	0		5	8	2
NY Yankees	1	2	1	0	1	0	2	1	X		8	14	1

San Diego	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gerut, CF	4	1	0	0	1	1	3	.271
Gonzalez, Ed, 2B	5	0	2	2	0	2	2	.317
Giles, RF	5	1	1	1	0	1	2	.301
Gonzalez, A, 1B	4	1	1	1	1	0	2	.289
Clark, DH	2	0	0	0	2	2	0	.239
Headley, 3B	4	1	1	1	0	0	4	.375
McAnulty, LF	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	.227
Greene, SS	3	1	2	0	1	0	0	.231
Carlin, C	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.172
a-Hairston, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.230
Barrett, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.183
Totals	35	5	8	5	5	11	15
a-Struck out for Carlin in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Gonzalez, Ed 2 (7, Rasner, Rivera), Greene (9, Farnsworth). HR: Giles (5, 7th inning off Ramirez, 0 on, 2 out), Gonzalez, A (20, 7th inning off Ramirez, 0 on, 2 out), Headley (1, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Gonzalez, Ed 4; Giles 4; Gonzalez, A 4; Headley 4; Greene 3; Carlin. RBI: Gonzalez, Ed 2 (7), Giles (27), Gonzalez, A (63), Headley (1). 2-out RBI: Giles; Gonzalez, A. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Headley 2; Gonzalez, Ed; Gerut. Team LOB: 8. FIELDING E: Greene (4, throw), Carlin (1, throw). DP: 2 (Carlin-Greene, Gonzalez, Ed-Greene-Gonzalez, A).

San Diego	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Peavy (L, 5-4)	4.0	6	4	3	2	4	1	2.88
Corey	1.1	3	1	1	0	1	0	5.11
Hampson	0.2	2	2	2	0	1	0	10.13
Meredith	2.0	3	1	1	0	0	0	4.84

Hampson pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF	5	1	3	2	0	1	2	.332
Jeter, SS	4	1	1	0	1	1	3	.272
Abreu, RF	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	.282
Rodriguez, 3B	4	2	3	2	0	1	1	.337
Giambi, DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	3	.263
Posada, C	3	0	1	1	1	0	0	.326
Cano, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	1	2	.230
Betemit, 1B	4	2	3	1	0	1	0	.254
Cabrera, CF	4	0	1	0	0	0	3	.254
Totals	36	8	14	7	2	6	15
BATTING 2B: Cano (15, Peavy), Betemit 2 (5, Peavy, Meredith), Cabrera (9, Peavy), Jeter (10, Hampson). HR: Rodriguez (14, 3rd inning off Peavy, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Damon 3; Jeter 2; Abreu; Rodriguez 6; Posada; Cano 2; Betemit 5; Cabrera 2. RBI: Betemit (10), Damon 2 (33), Rodriguez 2 (40), Posada (18), Abreu (44). 2-out RBI: Damon 2; Posada. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Giambi; Jeter 2. GIDP: Giambi. Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING SB: Damon (13, 2nd base off Peavy/Carlin), Rodriguez (7, 2nd base off Corey/Carlin), Abreu 2 (8, 2nd base off Peavy/Carlin, 2nd base off Meredith/Carlin). CS: Betemit (1, 2nd base by Hampson/Carlin). FIELDING E: Betemit (2, fielding). DP: (Jeter).

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Rasner (W, 4-4)	5.0	3	2	2	5	4	0	3.64
Ramirez (H, 2)	2.0	2	2	2	0	4	2	2.86
Farnsworth (H, 7)	1.0	2	1	1	0	2	1	4.18
Rivera (S, 19)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.82

Hampson pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

Pitches-strikes: Peavy 93-55, Corey 35-22, Hampson 12-6,
Meredith 25-12, Rasner 96-55, Ramirez 29-19, Farnsworth 19-13, Rivera 11-7.
Ground outs-fly outs: Peavy 3-5, Corey 0-3, Hampson 0-0,
Meredith 6-0, Rasner 4-7, Ramirez 1-1, Farnsworth 0-1, Rivera 0-1.
Batters faced: Peavy 20, Corey 7, Hampson 3, Meredith 8,
Rasner 24, Ramirez 8, Farnsworth 5, Rivera 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Hampson 1-0, Meredith 1-1.
Umpires: HP: Tim Timmons. 1B: Gary Cederstrom.
2B: Fieldin Culbreth. 3B: Jim Reynolds.
Weather: 60 degrees, overcast.
Wind: 3 mph, Varies.
T: 3:11 (1:18 delay).
Att: 52,628.

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Yankees vs. Padres - June 18

Hopefully the rains won't interrupt/cancel tonight's game. Looks like it should just be passing through as it did earlier. We want Joba on the hill tomorrow when we go.

Darrell Rasner looks to bounce back from that horrible outing in Oakland and snap his personal 4 game winning streak. He could conceivably be 5-2 considering the lack of run support he's gotten in his 7 starts. The Padres ace Jake Peavy goes against him in his second start since returning from a stint on the disabled list.

Here's tonight's Yankees lineup from Peter Abraham. Hideki Matsui gets a night off.

Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Betemit 1B
Cabrera CF

Rasner has never faced any of the Padres, while Peavy pitched against the Yankees back in 2004. Of course he has faced some of them, such as Bobby Abreu, when they were on other teams.

Yankees vs. Peavy

Abreu 3-10 1 RBI
Betemit 1-12 (strange choice for the lineup)
Jeter 0-3
Moeller 3-8 2 RBI
Molina 0-3

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Yankees vs. Padres - June 17

The Yankees begin a 3-game series this evening with the San Diego Padres at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are 3-2 in interleague play thus far, with all the wins coming against the Astros and the two losses against the Mets. The Padres, under second year manager Bud Black are playing better of late after a bad start.

The Padres have been perennial NL West division contenders since the new millennium, but they started this season with an 11-17 April. The dropped 7 of their first 8 games in May and were 23-34 at the end of the month. But after a 3-game losing streak start this month they've won 8-11 to get back to 9 games (31-40) under .500 and 6.5 games back of the Diamondbacks in the NL West.

The Padres starting rotation was supposed to be among the best in the NL and all of baseball lead by Jake Peavy, Chris Young, and Greg Maddux. But both Peavy and Young, who was hit in the face by an Albert Pujols line drive, have missed significant chunks of time due to injury. Peavy recently returned and picked up a victory. Guys like Randy Wolf and Josh Banks have recently stepped up to help the Padres start to turn things around.

On offense, Adrian Gonzalez is quietly having one of the best seasons in baseball. He's hitting .293-19-62 with 25 walks. His OBP/SLG is .358/.555/.913. Shortstop Khalil Greene hit 27 HRs and drove in 94 runs last year, but has struggled this season, with just 6 home runs and 27 RBI in 69 games. Second year 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff is putting up numbers similar to his rookie year (.275-18-74). His play has allowed the Padres to move stud prospect Chase Headley to left field. Headley is expected to get his major league call up tonight.

Brian Giles is the biggest name at the plate, but his numbers aren't reflective of his ability. His power continues to decline (4 home runs in 67 games) and there are rumors he could be moved.

The Padres bullpen has not performed as well it has in the past, though in a typical Trevor Hoffman season, there are plenty of big saves and plenty of blown ones.

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The Yankees last faced San Diego in 2004 when the Yankees took 2 of 3 at the Stadium. The Yankees lost the opener 10-2 after Mike Mussina had to leave after 3 innings with a groin pull. The All-World trio of Felix Heredia, Paul Quantrill, and Gabe White (whose mustache would fit in today) got lit up.

The Yankees took the second game 3-2 behind good ol' Johnny Lieber's 6 innings. The angry old man, Gary Sheffield, drove in 2 runs against one of his many former teams. The Yankees came back not once, but twice to win the finale 6-5 in 12 innings. Hideki Matsui and Kenny Lofton hit back to back 2-out home runs in the 9th off of Trevor Hoffman (remember what we said) to tie it. Then down 3 runs in the 12th the Yankees came back again. A walk by Bernie Williams, a double by Derek Jeter. Alex Rodriguez's ground out drove in one run and it was 5-3. Sheffield's single put men on the corners for Jason Giambi who delivered an RBI single to center to cut it to 5-4.

Then manager Bruce Bochy sent for a guy we all hated in NY, Jay Witasick or Witasuck as he was known. He delivered as usual. Jorge Posada tied things up with a double, and after an intentional walk to Matsui, Ruben Sierra brought home the winning run with a sac fly.

Of course the most famous meeting of the two teams was the 1998 World Series when the Yankees finished off their magnificent season with a series sweep.


Pitching Probables

Tuesday: Randy Wolf (5-3, 3.83) vs. Andy Pettitte (6-5, 4.64)

Wednesday: Jake Peavy (5-3, 2.64) vs. Darrell Rasner (3-4, 3.64)

Thursday: Josh Banks (2-0, 1.29) vs. Joba Chamberlain (1-2, 2.48)


Yankees vs. Wolf

Damon 1-6
Jeter 0-3
Moeller 3-6 1 HR 2 RBI
Joe Girardi may want to grab a bat. He was 3-9 against Wolf.

Padres vs. Pettitte

T.Clark 5-28 1 HR 3 RBI
Gerut 1-3
Giles 3-13 1 RBI
Gonzalez 1-5
Greene 2-10
S. Hairston 3-9 1 HR 2 RBI
Iguchi 0-2

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NL Around the Horn - 4/28

Just as we talked about the Rays and Orioles being atop the AL East, who would have thought the Marlins would be leading the NL East, ahead of the Mets, Phillies, and Braves.

The Cardinals 16-10 start has to be a surprise considering what disarray their pitching staff has been in. And while many, us included, picked the Diamondbacks to win the NL West, we didn't see them being an offensive juggernaut and jumping out to an 18-7 record.

The Diamondbacks and Padres had all eyes on them yesterday as their aces, Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy went toe to toe. Both were very good, but it was Webb improving to 6-0 as his team won it 2-1.

And how about Edinson Volquez of the Reds, who is making about a buck and quarter while Barry Zito has his own Ft. Knox. Volquez dominated the Giants yesterday to improve to 4-0, 1.23. Meanwhile Zito, whose fastball couldn't break a pane of glass these days, dropped to 0-6, 7.53.

With no real offense outside of Pence, Tejada, and Berkman, how are the Astros 12-14.

After losing 6 of 10 the Dodgers bounced back with a 3-game sweep of division rival Colorado. Arizona is still the only team over .500 in the division.

The Nationals are only 9-17, but they just won 3 out of 4 from the Mets and Cubs combined.

The annual division contending Padres have dropped 8 out of 10 and are six games under .500. This despite having Peavy and Chris Young in the rotation.

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Around the Horn - 4/23

The Mets have to be glad to be their series with the Cubs was only 2 games. The North siders thumped the Flushing crew for the second straight game, this time 8-1. Ronny Cedeno belted a grand slam and drove in 5 to help Ted Lilly earn his first win of the year.

Eric Gagne blew his 4th save already, but the Brewers pulled the game out, 9-8, in 12 innings on Gabe Kapler's RBI single.

Xavier Nady drove in 2 runs to give the Pirates a 3-2 win over the Marlins and Paul Maholm his first win of the season.

The Diamondbacks overcame a 3-0 deficit to make Brandon Webb the first 5-game winner in the majors. Webb helped his own cause, delivering a 2-run double in the Dbacks 5-4 win over the Giants. Barry Zito dropped to 0-5 for the Giants.

John Smoltz (3-1, 0.78) picked up his 3,000 career strikeout, but despite allowing just 1 run in 7 innings, also picked up his first loss in the Nationals 6-0 win over the Braves. John Lannan went 7 innings for his first win of the year.
Jerry Hairston Jr. celebrated his recall from the minors with a 4-hit, 3 RBI day as the Reds thumped the Dodgers, 8-1. Edinson Volquez improved to 3-0, 1.21 with the win.

Pat Burrell drove in 3 runs, giving him 22 RBI for the month of April, and Jayson Werth homered in the Phillies 8-6 win over the Rockies.

Jose Valverde blew his 3rd save this month, but the Astros scored 4 times in the bottom of the 8th for an 11-7 win over the Padres. Miguel Tejada remained red hot, going 4-5 to raise his average to .370. Jake Peavy allowed 4 run in his 6 inning start for the Padres.

C.C. Sabathia finally got his first win with 6 innings of shutout ball. The big left-hander struck out 11 and the Indians pounded the Royals 15-1. Casey Blake was 4-4 with a grand slam and 6 RBI.

Justin Verlander picked up his first win too in the Tigers 10-2 drubbing of the slumping Rangers. Verlander allowed 1 run in 6 innings to send the Rangers to their 5th straight loss. Ramon Santiago hit his first home run in 4 years and Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez also went deep. Ordonez picked up his 1,000th career RBI in the process.

The Red Sox won their 6th straight, and has become custom lately, won it late. Dustin Pedroia doubled in the go-ahead run in the 8th to give the Sox a 7-6 win over the Angels. David Pauley was the emergency starter for Josh Beckett who was scratched with a stiff neck.

Craig Monroe hit a game tying home run in the 8th and Jason Kubel singled in the game winner in the 9th in the Twins 5-4 win over the A's. Monroe was hitting just .231 entering the game, but capped off his 3-hit day with his first home run of the year.

Arthur Rhodes won his first game in two years in the Mariners 4-2 win over the Orioles. Jose Vidro's 2-run single in the 8th snapped a 2-2 tie. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez was effective (7 IP 2 ER 7 K), but got no decision.

Dionner Navarro made a triumphant return from the DL with a 3-hit, 2 RBI night, and Eric Hinske matched him in the Rays 6-4 win over the Jays. Hinske also homered and James Shields picked up his 2nd win.

News and Notes

Wednesday's Pitching Match up of the Day - Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers. Dan Haren (3-0, 1.80) vs. Derek Lowe (1-1, 2.59)

The San Fran Chronicle reports that the A's are considering bringing back Frank Thomas, who had big year for them in 2006.

Blue Jays 3rd Baseman Scott Rolen has started his rehab assignment, going 0-6 in two games. He returned to the infield after DH'ing the first game.

The Tigers defense wasn't helping their cause any, so they decided a defensive switch was in order. Shaky 3rd Baseman Miguel Cabrera was moved across the diamond to 1st Base, and 1st Baseman, and former shortstop, Carlos Guillen was shifted to 3rd.

Gabe Gross scored the Brewers winning run in the 12th inning yesterday- and then was traded. With a glut of outfielders, the Brewers sent Gross to the Rays for minor league pitcher Josh Butler.

Braves oft-injured pitcher Mike Hampton says he's ready to start a rehab assignment. Good luck with that.

The Star-Ledger's Jeremy Cothran has a feature today on how Carlos Delgado's struggles are dragging down the Mets and his career.

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Around the Horn - 4/17

6-hours, 16 minutes. That's how long it took the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres to complete 22 innings of baseball. Troy Tulowitzki, in his 10th plate appearance, doubled in the game winner. The final out was recorded 1:21 a.m. PDT.

Jeff Francis (7 IP 0 R 7 K) and Jake Peavy (8 IP 0 R 11 K) started the pitchers duel off. No one scored until the 14th inning when both teams put a runner across home plate.

The Phillies belted 4 home runs in thrashing the Astros 10-2. Pat Burrell continued his hot start (.373-6-17) with a home run, single, and 2 RBI.

The Mets and Nationals went 14 innings before Joel Hanrahan wild pitched home the winning run.

The Brewers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Cardinals 5-3 in 10 innings. Prince Fielder ended his month long home drought with a game winning 2-run blast.

Joey Votto homered and drove in 5 runs in the Reds 9-2 win over the Cubs. Ken Griffey Jr. slugged a 3-run shot, the 596th of his career.

Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann hit consecutive home runs in the 5th inning to propel the Braves past the Marlins 8-0. Jones went 4-4 with a pair of home runs as John Smoltz picked up his 210th career win.

In an AL Central battle of heavyweights, Fausto Carmona and the Indians outpitched Justin Verlander and the Tigers. The Tribe won 11-1 with a 13 hit attack. The game also featured some hit batters (Verlander into Garko's back) and clear retaliation (Carmona and Sheffield), but no ejections.

Vincente Padilla outpitched Roy Halladay in the Rangers 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Halladay pitched his 2nd straight complete game.

The Mariners used a 5-run 3rd inning to beat the A's 8-1. Raul Ibanez (.343) and Jose Lopez had 3 hits each. After Kurt Suzuki (.327), the highest average in the A's lineup was Ryan Sweeney at .267.

The Orioles rallied from 2 down in the 9th against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, and Adam Jones stroked the game winning single in the 10th.

Eric Hinske homered and Jason Hammel picked up his first win in the Rays 7-3 victory over the Twins. Carlos Pena had to leave the game with a hamstring injury and has been listed as day-to-day.

Garrett Anderson drove in 3 runs and John Garland improved to 2-2 in the Angels 5-3 win against the Royals. David DeJesus already bothered by a bad ankle this year, had to leave the game with a jammed toe.

News and Notes

Evan Longoria has only played 6 major league games, but the Rays know what they've got. That's why they've signed him to a 9-year, $44 million deal.

Braves pitcher Peter Moylan may have to have season ending elbow surgery, but the Braves are still looking into all the options.

Miguel Tejada may or may not have lied about P.E.D. use, but he did lie about his age. Tejada admitted yesterday that he's 33 not 31.

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Around the Horn - 4/6

Jake Peavy was our pre-season pick to win a second consecutive Cy Young Award and so far he's making us look good. Peavy pitched a complete game 2-hitter in the Padres 4-1 win over the Dodgers. Peavy, who struck out 8, is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA.

No matter how good the Mets get they always seem to have trouble with the Braves. Yesterday was no exception. Kelly Johnson blasted a grand slam as the Braves blew away the Mets 11-5. John Maine had a rare bad start for the Mets, allowing 4 runs in 4 innings.

Mike Jacobs followed up his walk-off home run on Friday with a grand slam encore on Saturday. The Marlins beat the Pirates 7-3.

Brewers left-hander Manny Parra no-hit the Giants for 5 innings en route to his 1st major league win. Ryan Braun hit his 1st home run of the year in the Brewers 5-4 victory.

The Cardinals topped the Nationals 5-4 to improve to 4-1 on the season. Adam Wainwright threw 8 solid innings and Yadier Molina knocked in a pair of runs. Nats' Nick Johnson hit his first home run since September 19, 2006.

The Cubs rallied for 5 runs in the 7th to beat the Astros 9-7. Derek Lee went 4-4 and belted his 2nd home run. Astros ace Roy Oswalt gave up 5 earned runs in 6.2 innings.

Brandon Webb improved to 2-0 as the Diamondbacks rolled over the Rockies 7-1. Chris Young homered twice and Justin Upton hit his 3rd of the year.

Paul Bako's 3rd hit of the game in the bottom of the 9th drove in the game winner in the Reds come from behind 4-3 win over the Phillies. Corey Patterson's home run in the 8th tied the game.

The Orioles took their straight game from the Mariners, 6-4. New O, Luke Scott went 3-3 with 2 ribbies and former M, George Sherrill saved his 2nd straight game.

The Blue Jays continue to be a menace to the Red Sox. After winning Friday night's game 6-3, the Jays thumped the Sox 10-2 on Saturday. Sox starter Clay Bucholz was average, but the Sox bullpen was awful, allowing 6 runs. Frank Thomas hit his 514th career home run.

Justin Morneau homered and drove in 4 runs in the Twins 6-4 win over the Royals. Livan Hernandez (2-0) topped Gil Meche as the Royals lost their 2nd straight.

The White Sox ran the Tigers winless streak to 5 with a 5-3 victory. Gavin Floyd threw a solid 6 innings, in outdueling Dontrelle Willis. The D-Train allowed just 1 hit in 5 innings, but walked 7 batters.

Mark Ellis homered and drove in 3 as the A's belted C.C. Sabathia and the Indians, 6-1. Sabathia has allowed 9 earned runs in 10.2 innings so far this season.

Jered Weaver threw 3-hit ball over 7 shutout innings in the Angels 2-1 win over the Rangers. Kevin Millwood fell to 0-2 despite a 1.29 ERA.

* * *

White Sox outfielder Jerry Owens, on the DL with a groin strain, it expected to be out much longer than his eligible April 8th date.

Angels starter John Lackey played catch on Saturday and may be able to begin throwing off a mound next week.

Mets outfielder Moises Alou, recovering from hernia surgery, has begun swinging a bat.

Erik Bedard was scratched from Sunday's start against his former team due to hip inflammation.

B.J. Ryan made his 1st rehab appearance on Saturday for the Blue Jay's Single-A team in Dunedin. Armando Benetiz, looking to work his way back to the majors, struck out all 3 batters he faced in the same game.

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