• Philadelphia 6 Yankees 1: The Yankees looked like a team totally overwhelmed by circumstances while Cliff Lee looked like Orel Hershiser in 1988. CC Sabathia was good, allowing only two runs, both solo shots to Chase Utley, but Lee was much better. He dominated the Yankees, going the distance and he probably would have had a shutout if Jimmy Rollins hadn’t airmailed a throw in the ninth. The Yankees bullpen imploded in the 8th and 9th with Phil Hughes and Brian Bruney the chief culprits. New York will have to hope for a better result against Pedro Martinez in Game 2.

The feud between Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Bruney escalated today when K-Rod went after Bruney before the game at Yankee Stadium. Bruney got things started yesterday by making some disparaging comments about K-Rod’s save celebrations, "He's got a tired act. He gets what he deserves, man. I just don't like watching the guy pitch. I think it's embarrassing." Rodriguez responded by calling Bruney a nobody, "I don't even know who that guy is. Someone in Double A. I believe he's never pitched one full season. He's always been on the DL, that's all I know, so he better keep his mouth shut and do his job and not worry about anyone else," and daring Bruney to “say it to my face” the next time. Apparently, Rodriguez felt the need to say it to Bruney’s face before today's game and went over and confronted him. Jose Veras and Mike Pelfrey separated the two pitchers and no physical contact was made. more ›

After days of waiting for their bats to step up, the Yankees’ offense came around on Monday and that combined with great pitching propelled them to an easy 6-1 win. Bobby Abreu got things started in the first with a screaming liner over the wall in right for a home run that put New York up 2-0. It was part of a 3-for-3 night for Abreu that ended with him only a double short of the cycle. Hideki Matsui continued his good hitting with two hits and two RBI’s. more ›

• 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.
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Friday night, Perez pitched seven shutout innings and out-pitched one of the best in the NL, Brad Penny. David Wright had a home run and Mike DiFelice went 3-for-3 as the Mets won the series opener. more ›

Eddy Curry had a very nice offensive game, going 9-17 from the field and adding 11 boards. He still doesn’t play any defense and you have to suspect that a healthy Shaq would have done more damage than 20 points, but a win is a win and this one was a big one. more ›

-Yankees 5 Orioles 4: It’s a weeklong audition for those Yankees who haven’t cemented a place on the playoff roster, so Cory Lidle’s six strong innings were certainly timely. So was another scoreless inning from Brian Bruney and a 1-4 night from Gary Sheffield. Yes, Gary Sheffield has not guaranteed himself a spot on the playoff roster and it is doubtful he will unless he starts to hit again. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano both went 2-4 to close the gap in their batting race with Joe Mauer. more ›

-Yankees 16 Tampa 1: How strange are these days for the Yankees? Well consider tonight when they used 17 position players, including Gary Sheffield at first and Mariano came in to pitch the seventh inning of the game. That’s what happens in the last week of September when you have the division wrapped up. Jaret Wright didn’t exactly dominate the Devil Rays, but he probably pitched well enough to win the job of fourth starter in the playoffs. Brian Bruney continued to impress with a 1-2-3 eighth. Robinson Cano went 2-4 to raise his average to .342 and move to within 2 plate appearances of qualifying for the batting title. more ›

-Mets 7 Florida 4 (11 innings): Hernandez/Mota/Heilman/Wagner, New York has plenty of bullpen firepower late in the game. While that can keep them in the game, their offense can win it. Carlos Delgado singled in the tying run and the Mets took the lead on a passed ball to cut their magic number to 2. If New Yrok wins tomorrow and Philadelphia loses, the Mets clinch their first playoff bearth since 2000. more ›

-Yankees 9 Orioles 6: It took awhile, but the Yankees’ offense finally came alive in the seventh. After watching Randy Johnson struggle through six innings, New York erupted for six runs in the seventh; the key hit a three-run double by Robinson Cano to erase a four-run deficit. more ›

-Yankees 9 Orioles 4: Sal Fasano became a Yankee because of his defense and not his hitting, but on Sunday he showed that he has some offensive skills too. Fasano went 2-4 with a three-run homer as New York cruised to an easy victory. more ›