Results tagged “americanleagueeast”

• Blue Jays 5, Yankees 4 (14 innings): If they knew their four-run rally in the ninth inning would only result in a 14-inning loss, maybe they wouldn't have been so excited when they produced that unexpected effort. Roy Halladay hardly had to exert himself over the first eight innings, but some shoddy defense and timely hitting in the ninth undid all that.They always say it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, but that doesn't help the Yankees' bullpen in advance of Saturday's game. Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain and Luis Vizcaino all threw scoreless innings in relief before Brian Bruney allowed the go-ahead run. Boston took care of Tampa Bay on Friday, increasing its lead to 2 1/2 games in the American League East. The Yankees' margin of error in that department just went from small to smaller.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Extra Innings Not Worth It"

Yankees 12, Orioles 0: The Yankees appear to be through with making their fans sweat. They won their second straight game against the Orioles, with Mike Mussina pitching well again in the rout. If the Yankees keep this up, they might catch Boston in the American League East. A Red Sox loss in Toronto on Tuesday leaves the Yankees 2 1/2 games back. Detroit's loss to Cleveland extended the Yankees' wild-card lead to 4 1/2 games. If Mussina has one more good start, he'll likely earn Joe Torre's trust for the postseason. Doug Mientkiewicz and his hot bat also appear to be on their way to doing that, but Torre should think twice about whether a few great games cancel out a large sample size of offensive impotence.

Mets 4, Braves 3: What's this? A Shawn Green sighting? The right-fielder/first-baseman continued his dominance of John Smoltz -- and Manny Acosta -- by going 3-for-4 as the Mets took care of the Braves. They appear to have gotten used to the whole beating-Atlanta-in-September thing. John Maine didn't look good -- he walked in a run on three straight free passes at one point -- but he wasn't awful either in six innings of work. In the pennant race runaway, the Mets hold a seven-game lead over Philadelphia, which was humbled by Colorado. The Phillies come to town following an off-day on Thursday.

Brooklyn 3, Hudson Valley 2: Ezequiel Carrera stole the show in this one. He went 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored in his team's win.

Brooklyn 8, Vermont 2: Dylan Owen and Brooklyn's bats make for a good combination. The pitcher improved to 8-1 (with a 1.82 ERA) as the Cyclones won on the road.

Tri-City 8, Brooklyn 6: Eric Nielsen didn't get out of the second -- when Tri-City scored four runs -- and that didn't help the Cyclones, who couldn't peck away enough.

• Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1: Roger Clemens gave up a run in the first and didn't dazzle anyone with his brilliance during six innings, but that first-inning strike was all the Blue Jays would get. They would go on to rue their missed opportunities after Shaun Marcum controlled the Yankees for six innings before Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run double to start a four-run eighth.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Gaining Ground"

Staten Island 5, Batavia 1: Donald Hollingsworth doubled and scored a run in a two-run second, the Baby Bombers tacked on three more in the fifth to cruise over the Muckdogs.

I will continue to do what I think is right and be candid about my past history regarding steroids. I have never blamed anyone nor intended to deflect blame for my conduct. I alone am responsible for my actions and I apologize to the commissioner, the owners and the players for any suggestion that they were responsible for my behavior.

Continue reading "The Juice is Loose: Giambi to Talk About 'Roids"

Liberty 70, Lynx 60: Break up the Liberty! It's 3-0 for the first time since 1997 -- that's the year the WNBA began. This time, it was led by Cahtrine Kraayeveld, who scored 21 points. The players shouldn't get two excited, though. Minnesota is 0-6 this season and hasn't looked good doing it.

Angels 3, Yankees 1: Who says a game's never decided in the first inning? Chien-Ming Wang allowed three runs in the top of the first, but his settling down after that couldn't help him or the Yankees, who dropped their second straight to Los Angeles of Anaheim. The Yankees couldn't touch Kelvim Escobar or the Angels bullpen, and they slipped 11 1/2 games behind the Red Sox, who beat Texas again on Saturday. With the Yankees drifting farther away in the American League East, they may have to start thinking wild card. But first they'll have to hit better.

• Yankees 6, Red Sox 2: Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his best stuff, but he still held himself together long enough for the Yankees to take the opener of this critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez homered for the third straight game, and the Yankees are back within single digits of the Red Sox in the American League East after winning their second straight game. Jason Giambi also hit a long blast. The offense is starting to come around. It wasn't going to stay at the levels of the recent road trip forever.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Yanks Start a Streak"

We certainly know how some Yankee fans feel about the baseball season so far, but what about The Boss? George Steinbrenner, the Yankees principal owner released a statement yesterday, supporting manager Joe Torre and general manager Brian Cashman. Steinbrenner's statement said:

"The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans. However, Brian Cashman, our general manager, Joe Torre, our manager, and our players all believe that they will turn this around quickly. I believe in them. I am here to support them in any way to help them accomplish this turnaround. It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of.

It is indeed early in the season, but the old Steinbrenner, the one who didn't speak through press conference, would be fuming at his team, no matter how early it is in the season. Of the six games the Yankees played against the Red Sox, the Bronx Bombers only won one. They're also last in the American League East and are one of the worst teams, record-wise, in all of baseball. Steinbrenner can find comfort that his team still garners most of the headlines on the sports pages. Nevermind that they are for the team's poor play.

-Yankees 6, Blue Jays 3: Bobby Abreu's home run and Johnny Damon's run-saving catch helped the Yankees down -- and elminate -- the Blue Jays in Tuesday's win. The Yankees reduced their magic number for clinching the American League East to one. That's one Yankees win or Red Sox loss. Home-field advantage is still at stake for the Yanks -- they lead Detroit by two games -- but Joe Torre will use an early clinch to set his rotation and rest his regulars. Torre also thinks Mariano Rivera could pitch again by the weekend. The strained ligament in Rivera's elbow got the closer some much-needed rest. He's vital -- of course -- to the Yankees' playoff chances.

The Yankees won their eighth consecutive American League East crown on Saturday by beating the Red Sox 8-4. Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez all homered for the Yankees while Randy Johnson pitched seven and a third innings and struck out eight.

Who would have thought that the Yankees would have reason to feel proud about a sweep over the Devil Rays? Well, the Yankees shouldn't feel proud, just satisfied, with their performance in St. Petersberg this week. Given their struggles against the Devil Rays this season, a sweep comes as a pleasant development, but that just shows how inconsistent this Yankee club has played all year. With Boston's loss to Oakland, the Yankees trail the Red Sox by just 1.5 games in the American League East and Oakland by a game in the wild card. Should be an exciting finish.

7 games vs. the Orioles, 70 runs and 7 wins. Yankee management has got to be thinking, "can we schedule some more games with these guys?" Last night the Yankees jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on an Alex Rodriguez home run in the 1st inning. Mike Mussina, making his first start since he injured his groin 10 days ago, got off to a rocky start, but managed to pick up the win. Mussina gave up a three run home run to Miguel Tejada in the first inning, but settled down after that. The Yankees never looked back. A-Rod added another home run in the 7th inning and Derek Jeter had a homer in the 2nd, as the Yanks posted yet another win over their American League East rivals. Tonight Jon Lieber tries to get his 6th win of the year, as the Orioles counter with Erik Bedard.