Fish Wrap - Marlins 4 Pirates 7

post from FishStripes on 04 July 2009 10:51:00 AM. © FishStripes

The game didn't start out all that well with Volstad giving up four runs in just three innings. He couldn't get any bite on his pitches. Then the rains came. After a 45-minute rain delay Volstad proved to be as ineffective at bunting as he was at pitching for the game, bunting into a double-play. Needless to say, it wasn't Chris's night.

But he was not alone in ineptitude, the offense wasn't do much of anything either. The Marlins tried to rally late but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

The Pirates are now 14-8 against the NL East and one would assume they are busily petitioning the Commissioner's office to move to the NL East. Of course the Marlins have provided 4 of those wins for the Bucs. But still.

All notable streaks are over, Hanley didn't drive in a run and Bonifacio didn't get a hit.

The absolute best comment about the game came from Freida Frisaro via twitter, who I assume is Joe's wife.

The Marlins never win in those damn July 4th hats. Last year I sat through the awful loss in Denver with those hats. Get rid of them.

I couldn't agree more.

Try it again today.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.fishstripes.com/2009/7/4/937769/fish-wrap-marlins-4-pirates-7

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Offense Comes Alive Vs. Astros

post from The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website on 04 July 2009 10:22:00 AM. © The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website

The Giants put up one of their most impressive offensive showings of the year Friday night at AT&T Park against the Houston Astros, banging out 15 hits and scoring 13 runs en route to a 13-0 victory!

Leading the offensive charge for the Giants were Nate Schierholtz, Pablo Sandoval and Edgar Renteria. Schierholtz rebounded after a couple of o-4 nights by going 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI hitting out of the fifth spot in the lineup. Sandoval had his typical multi-hit night, going 2-5 with his 12 home run of the year while knocking in 3 runs to give him 43 on the year. Finally, Renteria, who's temporarily been moved to the sixth spot in the order because of his solid RBI output, provided a three hit night as well and both scored and drove in a run. A couple of other Giants who haven't been quite as productive as the three guys mentioned above, but have been starting to turn things on lately are Randy Winn and Travis Ishikawa. Both of them had multi-hit nights on Friday as well Travis Ishikawa has been really flexing his power lately, as he's know hit 5 home runs over his last 12 games after not hitting his first of the year until May 25th. Winn's average had dipped down to the low .260's towards the end of June, as he was really struggling there for a while, but now he's back up to .279 and rising. The Giants showed Friday night just what this offense could do when they're clicking on all cylinders.

Of course, the Giants offense wasn't the only headlining act in Friday nigh's ballgame. Ryan Sadowski, making just his second career major league start, recorded his second straight major league victory, and was even more impressive than he was last week in Milwaukee. Sadowski held a potent Astros' lineup scoreless over 7 innings, and only allowed 3 hits on the night while striking out 4. With Rich Aurilia due to come back from the bereavement list at any time now, the Giants are going to have a tough decision regarding Sadowski. I don't know how they can send him down after the way he's thrown the last two games. My guess is that Matt Downs will be sent down, but then that would leave the Giants with just Juan Uribe as an option at second base for them. Another option could be sending down Eli Whiteside for the time being, which would leave the Giants with just Bengie and Pablo, but with the all-star break right around the corner, now might be a good time to do that. No matter what they decide, Sadowski needs to be given the ball every fifth day until he proves otherwise.

Saturday In-Game Notes: As I'm writing this post, the Giants are in the middle of their game with the Astros and Pablo Sandoval both drove in and scored a run to give the Giants and Tim Lincecum a 2-0 lead over the 'Stros in the 6th inning. That should probably be enough for Timmy with the way he's thrown lately! Sandoval already has another 2-hit ballgame as well and Timmy's allowed only 2 hits while striking out 8 through 6 scoreless!

Read The Full Article:
http://giantsbaseballblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/offense-comes-alive-vs-astros.html

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Punishments and the Crimes

post from Love My Team on 04 July 2009 10:11:33 AM. © Love My Team

So, I have spent this morning looking for something inspiring about Manny’s return to[...]

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http://blog.lovemyteam.com/2009/07/04/punishments-and-the-crimes/

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Saturday Rockpile: All-Stars, Torrealba ready to
go, Corpas nearing return, more...

post from Purple Row on 04 July 2009 10:00:00 AM. © Purple Row

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Does DOOM deserve a spot on the National League All-Star squad?

Browse more photos »

All-Star Selection Show set for Sunday | MLB.com: News
The MLB All-Star selection show will be televised tomorrow afternoon from 11-12 PM Mountain time. Which Rockies players do you guys think will make the team? My predictions (taking into account potential injury situations) are Jason Marquis, Huston Street, and Brad Hawpe. Chris Iannetta, Troy Tulowitzki, and Todd Helton are possiblities as well. Ubaldo doesn't have "enough wins," but maybe Aaron Cook will get some consideration.

MLB All-Star Game: Adrian Gonzalez, Adam Jones, Edwin Jackson should be All-Stars - ESPN
Staying with the All-Star theme, Jay Jaffe with Baseball Prospectus looks at possible All-Star snubs and includes Chris Iannetta on his list. Brian McCann is pretty much a lock, and Yadier Molina leads the fan voting. Iannetta, however, is better offensively than any other catcher in the NL not named McCann. He's no slouch defensively, either. But, maybe I'm just a homer...

Ordeal over, Torrealba could start on Sunday - The Denver Post
The article mentions that Yorvit Torrealba could (and likely will) start on Sunday. Also, there is a nugget regarding Manuel Corpas' attempted return from injury. He has been throwing from 120 feet and feels no pain, so he could end up with Tulsa on a rehab assignment next week.

Inside the Colorado Rockies " Rodrigo Lopez Returns | News and commentary about the Colorado Rockies major league baseball team
Former Rockie Rodrigo Lopez made his return to Major League Baseball last night, as he earned a win (for Philadelphia) in his first start since 2007, when he pitched well for the Rockies in an injury-plagued season.

Indians (apparently) designate Herges for assignment - cleveland.com
In another bit about a former Rockie, Matt Herges was designated for assignment by Cleveland last night. He was fairly effective for the Indians, posting a 3.55 ERA in 21 games. He actually allowed less hits than innings pitched, as well.

Yankees May Be Among Cuban Defector’s Suitors - NYTimes.com

Russ mentioned Aroldis Chapman in the Rockpile yesterday. He's probably right in saying that the Rox probably won't be in any negotiations with the guy - and that's especially acceptable now, given that Jack Curry with the New York Times reported that Chapman may actually be 26, not 21 (as originally advertised).

Read The Full Article:
http://www.purplerow.com/2009/7/4/937673/saturday-rockpile-all-stars

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Saturday Pebble Report: Lower levels display
great pitching on eve of Independence

post from Purple Row on 04 July 2009 09:45:00 AM. © Purple Row

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

about 10 hours ago: Fireworks display lights up Coors Field in Denver to mark the Fourth of July holiday after the Colorado Rockies' 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a baseball game in Denver on Friday, July 3, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

Colorado Springs, W 8-2
Greg Smith made a start for the Sky Sox but did not factor into the decision. In 4 1/3 innings, Smith allowed two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out three. Scott Munter, Ben Julianel, Ryan Speier, and Matt Belisle allowed no runs over the final 4 2/3 innings.

Everyone on offense had at least a hit, though Eric Young Jr. at the top of the order and Sal Fasano, Chris Frey, and Jonathan Herrera at the bottom of the order were the one ones to have two hits each. Young and Matt Murton drove in two runs.

Tulsa, L 1-7
Keith Weiser didn't have a great night, allowing five runs on ten hits in seven innings. Three scored in the first, one in the fourth, and one in the seventh (on a homer). He also tied for a team-best two hits last night with Jeff Kindel (who had the only extra-base hit of the night for Tulsa).

Modesto, L 3-7
Bakersfield's three home runs doomed the game for Brandon Durden. Five of the six runs he allowed scored on those three long balls, and three of them came on two homers in the first inning. Carlos Luna allowed the seventh run on a homer.

Hector Gomez stepped to the plate in the eighth with the bases loaded but hit into an out. Charlie Blackmon and Matt Repec each had an RBI.

The Mod Bee reports that this game had the largest crowd in Modesto history.

Asheville, W 5-1
Juan Nicasio dominated Savannah last night to the tune of 12 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings and no runs allowed on two hits. David Christensen hit his 11th homer, a two run shot, in the seventh. Jordan Pacheco went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and his ninth stolen base.

Tri-City, W 12-0
Continuing the good pitching, Dan Perkins struck out seven in five innings and surrendered only two hits. Kyle Walker came in for the final four innings, struck out two, and gave up only one hit. He picked up his second save.

Alex Feinberg went 2-for-2 with two walks and four RBI. Scott Beerer and Leonardo Reyes combined to go 4-6 with five RBI out of the DH's spot. Mike Zuanich did not have a hit, but he did walk three times and score twice.

The Tri-City Herald has more on the game.

Casper had both games rained out.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.purplerow.com/2009/7/4/937749/saturday-pebble-report-lower

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Trinidad's Triple A Debut Sunday

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 04 July 2009 09:35:00 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

Trinidad's Triple A Debut Sunday

According to the Express website, Polin Trinidad will take his spot in the Round Rock rotation along with Bud Norris and Yorman Bazardo Sunday afternoon in Memphis. Video of the 1:35 game is available here

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2009/7/4/937744/trinidads-triple-a-debut-sunday

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Morning Update: Choooooooooooooooooooo

post from The Tribe Daily on 04 July 2009 08:54:00 AM. © The Tribe Daily

I'm pissed.

I was in a bad mood at the game last night too.

I sort of enjoyed the game, but it was hard to because of the foul mood I was in because my laptop is pretty much dead.

You see, I got a virus and I can't get rid of it and I can't even boot up in safe mode to try and remove it.

And I'm pissed.

I have stuff on my flash drive, but there is absolutely stuff on there that I cannot lose right now and I'm ready to jab someone with a pitchfork because of it all.

If you are out there and you make viruses or help spread them.. A big finger that is in the middle of your hand up to you and your nasty ways. I dislike you people and your no-life having ways.

Someone is going to pay for this, dearly.

Now that I've blown off some steam, but not enough, I guess we should talk about the magnificent Shin-Soo Choo.

I tweeted it and I told my dad the same thing. Choo's night was a direct product of Travis Hafner's presence.

Like he doesn't owe Hafner anything, but after Pronk blasted the first home run, Trevor Cahill and Santiago Casilla just avoided Hafner like the plague. They knew he was on base after Choo, so they gave up him good things to hit and Choo is someone who will take advantage of that.

And THAT is the product of Hafner being in the lineup and somewhat productive. People will look at his 1-3 and be like, oh-ho-hum he hit a home run and that was it. Hafner had just as good of a night as anyone did.

Grady Sizemore as well with his three walks. That too was pretty big.

I thought the other good night was turned in by Ben Francisco. He was on base four times and he scored all four times, and I do believe twice he scored from first base.

What can you say about David Huff though?

It wasn't pretty or spectacular. But he got the job done.

He had the early hiccups that made you think it was going to be a repeat performance of the game in Cincinnati.

Then he settled in, got some run-support and things were good.

There was a great part though that was really telling and Wedge put it best.

"I thought a great indicator for Huff tonight was the inning where we made a couple errors [top of the fifth]. He didn't give in, and that's a great sign for a young pitcher."

I thought that was going to be a disaster when Peralta gaffed that up and put Huffy in a bad spot. Then Cabrera drops the double play ball. Credit Huff to get the double play the next hitter though and strand the runner at third. That was huge and still when the game was in doubt.

The bullpen had a freakin' outrageous lead, but give them credit for not even looking horrible. Chris Perez pitched a scoreless frame and looked a lot more comfortable than last time. His stuff is very good. Rafael Perez disposed of the side in rather quick fashion, like the Rafael Perez we know.

Overall... Great game to be at and I might as well go more often since they are 2-0 when I go. I've seen all the fireworks I've needed to seen, but my Dad insisted we stay for last nights because of the Michael Jackson tribute and it was very well done.

Now onto the news.

More sense still needs to be made of the Winston Abreu trade, but I figured when Michael Gosling pitched the ninth, that it was Matt Herges getting dumped.

I didn't know because like I said, my computer had a virus and I didn't really hear of any news before the game. I figured it was him, Gosling, or Sipp getting called down. I would have dumped Gosling, but I guess it was Herges time.

The move will be made official today, but Herges was a stand-up professional about it. I love guys like Herges that come through this organization. They get it, they leave with nothing but positives and you can't stay a bad thing about them, even if they pitch bad.

"I got designated [for assignment]," Herges said. "I'm not here anymore. I don't really know what my options are at this point. I'm not sure if the Indians would even want me down there [the minors]."
"I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this place," he said. "I will never not say quality things about this organization. This is baseball. This is the business of baseball. I get it."

And it isn't like Herges pitched bad. He was breath of fresh air for this club at a time they needed it because he actually put some zeros on the board at times. He was running out of gas though and if this pen was a little better, there might be room for a Matt Herges on this team.

The final link is on the running game and the poor job both Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach have done this year in that aspect. Wedge's reasons.

"Vic still is maybe catching up a little bit from [the injury]," Wedge said.
Shoppach, as a Class AAA player in the Boston system in 2005, threw out an International League-best 34-of-78 (44 percent).

"Shoppy got a chance to play a great deal last year," Wedge said. "He was trying to maintain focus mentally along with running a game, and the throwing got away from him a bit."

Wedge didn't absolve anyone though. He said both those two and the pitching staff can do a better job and they can. Shoppach's footwork is getting sloppy and he's uncorked some rather wild throws. He has an arm, but lately, it doesn't seem like he can contain it.

That was never Vic's strong point, but he made large strides to improve in that aspect the past few years. This year he's been rather down though and I don't know why.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheTribeDaily/~3/Yh4Q3f6Qfhs/morning-update-choooo
oooooooooooooooo.html

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Yankees C Posada returns to lineup (AP)

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is back in the starting lineup after missing time with a sore left thumb. Posada was hit by a foul ball in Wednesday night's 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. He struck out as a pinch hitter Thursday and sat out Friday's 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Posada is [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2009/07/04/yankees-c-posada-returns-to-lineup-ap/

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Game 80: Yanks v.s Jays

Regular Season Game 80
Yankees v.s Blue Jays
Game Time: 1:05 p.m. @ New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880STARTING LINEUPS:

YANKEES (46-33)

Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera RF
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching For Yanks: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA)

BLUE JAYS (42-39)
TBA

Pitching For Jays: RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56 ERA)

PLAYER STATS

Yanks vs. Halladay
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS J. Damon 84 29 5 1 1 2 9 13 .345 .409 .464 .873 D. Jeter 79 19 4 0 0 4 7 21 .241 .302 .291 .593 A. Rodriguez 63 18 5 0 1 12 4 12 .286 .338 .413 .751 H. Matsui 47 11 1 0 2 7 3 3 .234 .280 .383 .663 J. Posada 42 12 2 0 1 2 9 10 .286 .423 .405 .828 R. Cano 34 7 2 0 2 5 1 3 .206 .229 .441 .670 M. Cabrera 29 7 0 0 1 1 0 5 .241 .241 .345 .586 E. Hinske 24 6 0 0 1 6 0 8 .250 .240 .375 .615 M. Teixeira 22 4 0 0 1 3 1 4 .182 .217 .318 .536 J. Molina 14 1 1 0 0 0 1 4 .071 .133 .143 .276 N. Swisher 14 2 2 0 0 0 1 7 .143 .200 .286 .486 X. Nady 13 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 .308 .308 .385 .692 B. Gardner 11 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .273 .333 .364 .697 K. Cash 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 F. Cervelli 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 R. Pena 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .667 1.000 C. Ransom 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .333 .000 .333 Totals48712425110423793.255.311.372.682
Jays vs. Wang
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS A. Rios 20 4 1 0 0 1 2 4 .200 .273 .250 .523 K. Millar 19 9 2 1 0 4 1 5 .474 .500 .684 1.184 V. Wells 19 6 2 0 0 3 1 2 .316 .350 .421 .771 A. Hill 17 10 4 1 0 3 1 2 .588 .611 .941 1.552 L. Overbay 14 6 2 0 0 5 0 1 .429 .429 .571 1.000 J. McDonald 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 M. Scutaro 6 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .167 .286 .167 .452 D. Dellucci 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .400 .500 .400 .900 R. Chavez 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 A. Lind 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 M. Barrett 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .333 .000 .333 S. Rolen 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .667 .000 .667 R. Barajas 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .500 .000 .500 J. Inglett 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 Totals121411120181118.339.398.463.861
NEWS AND NOTES

Back on July 4th, 1939, Lou Gherig had this to say:

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn?t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I?m lucky. Who wouldn?t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball?s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift ? that?s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies ? that?s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter ? that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body ? it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed ? that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

? Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium

Happy 79th birthday to Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III.
Happy 233rd birthday to the United States of America.
Chien-Ming Wang has made 9 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-2, with a 4.63 ERA. His last start against Toronto came on June 5th of last year, a game that saw the Jays beat up Wang for 7 runs (6 earned) on five hits and four walks in just 4.1 innings pitched.
In 33 games (31 starts) Roy Halladay is 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA against the Yanks. In the Bronx he's 7-4 with a 2.97 ERA. And in the only time he's faced them this year, struck out five and held them to just one run in a complete game five-hitter.
Robinson Cano is 0 for his last 15 with runners in scoring position, and on the year he's batting .208 with RISP.
Derek Jeter has a nine-game hitting streak.
Jorge Posada's left thumb is still sore but he's back in the lineup and catching.
Melky Cabrera has the day off. Nick Swisher is playing in his spot.
The Yankees are just 2 games back from the 1st place Red Sox.
Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has a 20-game hitting streak, the longest current streak in the AL. Wang, you know what to do! ;)
Forgot to mention this yesterday. While recently playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Cuba's top pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team. Apparently, the Yanks are interested.

This from SI.com:

Aroldis Chapman, whose age was reported to be 21 years old, walked out of his hotel room in Rotterdam and did not return, a spokesman for the Dutch baseball team said Friday. Chapman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.

Chapman, whose fastball reportedly exceeds 100 mph, is widely considered the No. 1 pitching prospect in Cuba. The New York Times reported the Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the left-handed Chapman.

Chapman pitched for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Reports during that tournament listed Chapman's age as 26.

In an interview with the Times, Yale University professor Roberto González Echevarría, the author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, called Chapman "the most promising young pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young pitchers at his age," González Echevarría told the Times. "He is a really hot property, and it will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."
ESPN's Buster Olney has more:

ESPN reported that could receive a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. And that "Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman."

THOUGHTS: I say we make a run for it. He throws pretty hard and is major league ready. "A left-handed Steven Strausburg" who has three pitches is someone to definitely go for. Not to mention, we wouldn't want him going to the Red Sox.

Read The Full Article:
http://adiehardyankeesfan.blogspot.com/2009/07/game-80-yanks-vs-jays.html

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Game 80: Yanks v.s Jays (Happy 4th Of July)!

Regular Season Game 80
Yankees v.s Blue Jays
Game Time: 1:05 p.m. @ New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880STARTING LINEUPS:

YANKEES (46-33)

Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera RF
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching For Yanks: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA)

BLUE JAYS (42-39)
TBA

Pitching For Jays: RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56 ERA)

PLAYER STATS

Yanks vs. Halladay
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS J. Damon 84 29 5 1 1 2 9 13 .345 .409 .464 .873 D. Jeter 79 19 4 0 0 4 7 21 .241 .302 .291 .593 A. Rodriguez 63 18 5 0 1 12 4 12 .286 .338 .413 .751 H. Matsui 47 11 1 0 2 7 3 3 .234 .280 .383 .663 J. Posada 42 12 2 0 1 2 9 10 .286 .423 .405 .828 R. Cano 34 7 2 0 2 5 1 3 .206 .229 .441 .670 M. Cabrera 29 7 0 0 1 1 0 5 .241 .241 .345 .586 E. Hinske 24 6 0 0 1 6 0 8 .250 .240 .375 .615 M. Teixeira 22 4 0 0 1 3 1 4 .182 .217 .318 .536 J. Molina 14 1 1 0 0 0 1 4 .071 .133 .143 .276 N. Swisher 14 2 2 0 0 0 1 7 .143 .200 .286 .486 X. Nady 13 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 .308 .308 .385 .692 B. Gardner 11 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .273 .333 .364 .697 K. Cash 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 F. Cervelli 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 R. Pena 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .667 1.000 C. Ransom 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .333 .000 .333 Totals48712425110423793.255.311.372.682
Jays vs. Wang
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS A. Rios 20 4 1 0 0 1 2 4 .200 .273 .250 .523 K. Millar 19 9 2 1 0 4 1 5 .474 .500 .684 1.184 V. Wells 19 6 2 0 0 3 1 2 .316 .350 .421 .771 A. Hill 17 10 4 1 0 3 1 2 .588 .611 .941 1.552 L. Overbay 14 6 2 0 0 5 0 1 .429 .429 .571 1.000 J. McDonald 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 M. Scutaro 6 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .167 .286 .167 .452 D. Dellucci 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .400 .500 .400 .900 R. Chavez 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 A. Lind 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 M. Barrett 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .333 .000 .333 S. Rolen 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .667 .000 .667 R. Barajas 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .500 .000 .500 J. Inglett 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 Totals121411120181118.339.398.463.861
NEWS AND NOTES

Back on July 4th, 1939, Lou Gherig had this to say:

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn?t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I?m lucky. Who wouldn?t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball?s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift ? that?s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies ? that?s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter ? that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body ? it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed ? that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

? Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium

Happy 79th birthday to Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III.
Happy 233rd birthday to the United States of America.
Chien-Ming Wang has made 9 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-2, with a 4.63 ERA. His last start against Toronto came on June 5th of last year, a game that saw the Jays beat up Wang for 7 runs (6 earned) on five hits and four walks in just 4.1 innings pitched.
In 33 games (31 starts) Roy Halladay is 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA against the Yanks. In the Bronx he's 7-4 with a 2.97 ERA. And in the only time he's faced them this year, struck out five and held them to just one run in a complete game five-hitter.
Robinson Cano is 0 for his last 15 with runners in scoring position, and on the year he's batting .208 with RISP.
Derek Jeter has a nine-game hitting streak.
Jorge Posada's left thumb is still sore but he's back in the lineup and catching.
Melky Cabrera has the day off. Nick Swisher is playing in his spot.
The Yankees are just 2 games back from the 1st place Red Sox.
Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has a 20-game hitting streak, the longest current streak in the AL. Wang, you know what to do! ;)
Forgot to mention this yesterday. While recently playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Cuba's top pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team. Apparently, the Yanks are interested.

This from SI.com:

Aroldis Chapman, whose age was reported to be 21 years old, walked out of his hotel room in Rotterdam and did not return, a spokesman for the Dutch baseball team said Friday. Chapman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.

Chapman, whose fastball reportedly exceeds 100 mph, is widely considered the No. 1 pitching prospect in Cuba. The New York Times reported the Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the left-handed Chapman.

Chapman pitched for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Reports during that tournament listed Chapman's age as 26.

In an interview with the Times, Yale University professor Roberto González Echevarría, the author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, called Chapman "the most promising young pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young pitchers at his age," González Echevarría told the Times. "He is a really hot property, and it will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."
ESPN's Buster Olney has more:

ESPN reported that could receive a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. And that "Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman."

THOUGHTS: I say we make a run for it. He throws pretty hard and is major league ready. "A left-handed Steven Strausburg" who has three pitches is someone to definitely go for. Not to mention, we wouldn't want him going to the Red Sox.