Looking within pays off with Yankees’ relief corps

For Mariano Rivera to record his 500th save Sunday night, the guys ahead of him had to do their jobs.

Nats make room after trade for Nyjer Morgan, option Dukes
The Washington Nationals sent outfielder Elijah Dukes to Class AAA Syracuse on Wednesday, making room to add newly acquired outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-hander Sean Burnett to the 25-man roster.

Pena makes room for Hinske on Yanks
Pena makes room for Hinske on Yanks The threat of thunderstorms did not deter Eric Hinske’s flight to La Guardia Airport, the newest Yankee arriving at Yankee Stadium late Wednesday morning. The Yankees welcomed him, then bid adieu to Ramiro Pena, the player tabbed for a demotion after Hinske’s arrival.

Rays use long ball to beat Jays, win seventh straight
B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford and Willy Aybar hit solo homers and the Tampa Bay Rays won their seventh straight game, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.

D-backs ace Webb to forgo shoulder surgery
Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb will not undergo surgery on his right shoulder, General Manager Josh Byrnes confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.

Haren hits first career homer, pitches Diamondbacks past Reds
Dan Haren held the Cincinnati Reds scoreless into the seventh inning, showing why he’s been the NL’s stingiest pitcher in June, and connected on his first career homer Tuesday night during a 6-2 victory that snapped the Arizona Diamondbacks’ longest losing streak of the season.

Prado’s four RBI propels Braves past Phillies in 10
Martin Prado singled in the winning run in the 10th inning to finish with a career-best four hits and four RBIs, helping the Atlanta Braves beat Philadelphia 5-4 on Tuesday night for their first home win over the Phillies since 2007.

Yanks make it six straight, pick up Bruney
Yanks make it six straight, pick up Bruney Melky Cabrera hit an RBI double in the eighth inning off Mariners reliever Sean White to break a tie and propel the Bombers to a 8-5 win on Tuesday night.

Fanalytics: Undrafted gems a shock to the system
Back in March, there were hundreds of players deemed unworthy of being drafted in fantasy leagues. Either they were not projected to have valuable skills or they were not in line for enough playing time.

Mark Teixeira

Yankee First Baseman Mark Teixeira joined us on Good Day Wakeup to talk baseball and the dangers of skin cancer.

Acquired Perez joins beleaguered Indians ‘pen

Chris Perez jumped leagues and went backward in the standings. In three days, the reliever went from first place to last.

Rivera adds to legacy as elite closer (AP)
Mariano Rivera has seen all the histrionics by some closers. It's fine, he said, because it's part of their personalities. Rivera has his own way of celebrating a big save for the Yankees. “I go home,” he said. “Simple as that. As quick as I finish, I go home.” Rivera went home Sunday night with his 500th save, getting four outs in a 4-2 victory over the Mets to become the…

Milestone Man: Rivera earns 500th save for Yankees (AP)
Mariano Rivera's 500th save included a surprising bonus: his first RBI. On a New York night that belonged to baseball's most unflappable closer, Rivera became the second reliever to reach the milestone when the Yankees held off the punchless Mets 4-2 Sunday for a Subway Series sweep. He joined Milwaukee's Trevor Hoffman, who has 571 saves, as the only major leaguers with 500.

After June tightening, July may burst NL Central logjam
Interleague play has tightened the race in baseball’s closest division as five games separate the six teams in the NL Central heading into a stretch of head-to-head meetings before the All-Star break. No team in the division is more than five games above .500 or five games below break-even.

Yankees Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

So now they’re back on track. The Yankees are hitting again. Their high-profile pitchers are dominating again. And Mariano Rivera is closing out games as consistently as ever.

All of this normally would make every Yankees fan breathe a big sigh of relief and mutter a statement of gratitude that the worst is over.

There’s one problem. They already did that once this season.

The Yankees have been a confusing blend of extremes, looking so bad they can make you wonder how you thought they were good and so good you wonder how you could think they were bad.

Through it all, though, unlike last year, they’ve remained in playoff contention and actually led the wild-card spot even after their 4-9 stretch that preceded their five-game winning streak.

It would be…

Jeter celebrates graduating leaders
Jeter celebrates graduating leaders Derek Jeter remembers sitting in a hotel room in Detroit with his father in 1996, trying to develop the framework for the Turn 2 Foundation. Back then, Jeter was just a rookie, still trying to make a name for himself in the big leagues.

Rays reach 100 homers and 100 steals milestone
The Tampa Bay Rays became the first team in six years to have 100 homers and 100 steals by the All-Star break when B.J. Upton homered in the third of inning of Sunday’s game against Florida.

Manny drops to seventh among OFs in NL All-Star voting
Manny Ramirez dropped one spot to seventh place in All-Star voting among NL outfielders with four days remaining in balloting for starters.

Inbox: Should Hughes stay in the ‘pen?
Inbox: Should Hughes stay in the ‘pen? Phil Hughes has been dominant in relief, so should he stay in the bullpen rather than go back to being a starter? What will happen to Francisco Cervelli when Jose Molina returns. Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers these questions and more.

Continue reading “It took 379 days, but New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang has a win”

He went 379 days in between victories, and for a pitcher who once won a total of 38 games over two seasons, it felt like forever.

Yankees have been hit by flu bug (Yahoo! Sports)
The New York Yankees have been hit with a flu bug that's circulating through the team and landed Derek Jeter…

Lannan, Dunn help carry Nats over Orioles
John Lannan took a four-hitter into the eighth inning, Adam Dunn hit a colossal home run, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/hiTUwliL5AE” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Mariners‘ Beltre to have shoulder surgery, could miss up to six weeks
Seattle Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre will undergo surgery to have bone spurs removed from his troublesome left shoulder and could miss four to six weeks.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/vnYeXJD-uCo” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yankees‘ flu bug extends to Damon
Yankees‘ flu bug extends to Damon The list of those checking into the Yankees‘ clubhouse with a flu bug grew by one on Saturday, as Johnny Damon joined Derek Jeter in being absent from the starting lineup against the Mets.

Burnett dominates as Yankees one-hit Mets in Subway Series
A.J. Burnett combined with two relievers on a one-hitter, Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada made Citi Field seem small with opposite-field homers, and the Yankees rolled past the Mets again, 5-0 Saturday night.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/j35xzHceWtk” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yankees Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Maybe Brian Cashman should be the hitting coach, too.

While it may be little more than coincidence, the Yankees have finally broken out of their offensive slumber since the general manager dropped in on them a few days ago in Atlanta, and spoke during a hitters meeting.

The Yankees opened the second round of the Subway Series the way they had finished their last series against the Braves, pounding out the hits and piling on runs in a 9-1 victory.

After struggling to score runs during a 4-9 streak, the Yankees have posted 28 in their past three games.

Granted, the Mets again went out of their way to be good neighbors, committing three errors in a four-run second just a couple of weeks after Luis Castillo blew a game by dropping an easy pop-up.

Yankees‘ Jeter out for second straight day (PA SportsTicker)
Yankees captain Derek Jeter is out of the starting lineup for the second straight night because of a bad cough and fever.

Yankees roll past Mets 5-0 (AP)

This is what the Yankees envisioned when they spent $243.5 million on CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. One day after Sabathia and the bullpen combined on a three-hitter, Burnett and two relievers authored a suffocating one-hitter against the punchless Mets, a 5-0 victory Saturday night in a runaway Subway Series.

Burnett’s gem all Yanks need in Queens
Burnett’s gem all Yanks need in Queens Jorge Posada added some insurance, but the Yankees‘ 5-0 win over the Mets Saturday was entirely due to A.J. Burnett, who lost a no-hitter in the sixth inning to seal a series win.

Hamels ejected as Blue Jays shut down Phillies again
Ricky Romero held Philadelphia hitless for six innings and Aaron Hill hit a two-run double in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 6-1 victory over the slumping Phillies on Friday night.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/oLvxiMl5otk” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yankees have been hit by flu bug (Yahoo! Sports)
The New York Yankees have been hit with a flu bug that's circulating through the team and landed Derek Jeter…

Phillies confirm player involved in confrontation with fan in Tampa
The World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies confirmed one of their players was involved in a confrontation with a fan following Thursday’s game at the Tampa Bay Rays.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/0FRN-UzfjV8″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Fan falls from Busch Stadium upper deck prior to Cards-Twins game
A 34-year-old man fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the St. Louis Cardinals played the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/VT8zFDCaVRI” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Man partially paralyzed after being shot in Angel Stadium parking lot
One of two brothers accused of assaulting an off-duty Anaheim police officer outside Angel Stadium has been partially paralyzed after the officer shot both suspects.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/yfwm3ae8cf8″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yankees‘ Nady appears headed for season-ending elbow surgery
Xavier Nady has reinjured his elbow and appears headed for season-ending surgery. Nady felt pain when making a throw during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton on Thursday night.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/AN4OSFEBcRs” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Tigers grabbing AL Central by the tail
After finishing last in the American League Central last season, the Detroit Tigers were a team of question marks in spring training

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/Q0I26cIoeko” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Rain keeps Manny out of lineup; Class A expected next
Manny Ramirez went silent.Then, Manny left the building.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/DUJJhsF58NI” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Major league anxiety: Players more open to seek help
Khalil Greene endured such agony playing the game he loved, he had to get away from it.Dontrelle Willis lost control to such an extent, his team put him on the disabled list twice.Joey Votto found solace from his pain in baseball but was miserable elsewhere.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/eQ1BPFyZPms” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Hamels ejected as Blue Jays shut down Phillies again
Ricky Romero held Philadelphia hitless for six innings and Aaron Hill hit a two-run double in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 6-1 victory over the slumping Phillies on Friday night.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/oLvxiMl5otk” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

MLB: Umpire crew mistakenly used replay
Major League Baseball told an umpiring crew Friday that it mistakenly went to a video review the previous night on a ball hit by Tampa Bay’s Pat Burrell that bounced into the stands at Tropicana Field.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/l2CkqGqmkDg” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Ortiz homers as Beckett, Red Sox fluster Braves
Josh Beckett threw seven more scoreless innings against the Braves and David Ortiz homered, leading the first-place Boston Red Sox past slumping Atlanta 4-1 on Friday night.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/RBf0sV4OU2w” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Montero, Banuelos to represent World
Montero, Banuelos to represent World Jesus Montero and Manuel Banuelos have established themselves as standouts in the Yankees organization, and now they will be asked to help represent the World Team at the 2009 XM All-Star Futures Game.

Smoltz gets second chance at first impression
Now pitching, No. 29 … wait a minute. If that’s John Smoltz on the mound, where’s Bobby Cox? Where’s Chipper Jones? Where’s …

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/rKHpi4kTqaU” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Red Sox Beat

He could pitch like the Hall of Famer he will one day become or he could pitch like you’d expect a 42-year-old coming off shoulder surgery to pitch.

MLB denies Yanks’ protest after Marlins’ substitution mix-up

Major League Baseball president Bob DuPuy has denied the formal protest filed by the New York Yankees after a disputed loss to the Florida Marlins.

Great Joba debate rages on
Great Joba debate rages on The Yankees insist that Joba Chamberlain will spend his future as a starter. Yet the debate rages on talk radio and the blogosphere that the team is better off with the righty in the bullpen.

Alex Rodriguez shows signs of life at the plate (Yahoo! Sports)
The New York Times reported Wednesday night was something struggling Alex Rodriguez can build on.

Sabathia says he ‘feels good’ plans on making Friday start (Yahoo! Sports)
The New York Yankees hope when CC Sabathia takes the bullpen mound in Atlanta Wednesday he feels no pain in his…

Indians acquire RHP Veras from Yankees for cash
Reliever Jose Veras was traded by the New York Yankees to a Cleveland Indians team seeking to bolster an overworked and ineffective bullpen.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/EZj-cl7IinU” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yankees Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

The day began with a surprise appearance by the general manager—and the requisite speculation the visit caused. It continued with the Yankees getting no-hit for five innings. And it finally ended with closer Mariano Rivera striking out the four batters he faced in his first appearance in eight days to lock down a Yankees win.

In between, manager Joe Girardi got ejected from the game and the Yankees finally ignited their dormant offense, rallying for eight runs in the last four innings to earn an 8-4 win over Atlanta.

You couldn’t blame Girardi for venting a little in the sixth inning. Not only had replays indicated the first-base umpire blew a call in saying Brett Gardner was out on a pickoff, but Girardi was watching his team get no-hit on the night Brian Cashman…

El Duque activated by Rangers’ minor league team
The Oklahoma City RedHawks have activated former major league pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/c3hh2fHQwQc” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

MLB.com to broadcast Yanks in-market
MLB.com to broadcast Yanks in-market Major League Baseball continues its see-us-anywhere technology revolution with Wednesday’s announcement of a pair of landmark in-market subscription products that will stream live games online regardless of home broadcast territory, beginning in July.

Nats good, bad and ugly: but young rotation provides hope
Fairly or not, the need to assign blame for the Washington Nationals’ 16-46 start still hovered over manager Manny Acta, even after his team showed promise and resilience, getting outstanding pitching against the Yankees and winning twice in extra innings against the Blue Jays.

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/j48OTW2hifs” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Raburn’s pinch-hit, walkoff homer lifts Tigers over Cubs
Pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a seesaw, 5-4 win over the Chicago …

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/W0SlVElBk0I” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Angels rally in the eighth to cool off red-hot Rockies
Bobby Abreu drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning after Colorado third baseman …

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/gOnwaH9jDik” height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Sabathia says he feels fine, but Yankees being cautious

But Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that the team’s level of caution with its $161 million ace and the biceps tendinitis that crept up in Miami has not changed just because Sabathia has an admirable bulldog streak.

MLB.com to broadcast Yanks in-market
MLB.com to broadcast Yanks in-market Major League Baseball continues its see-us-anywhere technology revolution with Wednesday’s announcement of a pair of landmark in-market subscription products that will stream live games online regardless of home broadcast territory, beginning in July.

Pineiro, Cardinals dominate Mets with two-hitter
Joel Pineiro pitched a career-best two-hitter to end a five-start losing streak, dominating the New York Mets again and leading …

MlbAl-TopStories/~4/of_40gs9Mww” height=”1″ width=”1″/>