A five RBI night probably means a guy deserves to have his picture featured in a blog such as this one, wouldn't you say?
Final Score: Yankees 6, Devil Rays 4
WP: Chien-Ming Wang (10-4, 3.43 ERA)
LP: Andy Sonnanstine (1-4, 5.57 ERA)
It would be fair to say that a three-run outing for Chien-Ming Wang is below par, but that he lasted through six innings after giving up all three of those runs in the first inning is a testament to his ability to make in-game adjustments. I joked to a friend after the first inning that Wang needed to shake out the bad stuff early and he'd be good to go for the rest of the game. Until running into trouble with two outs in the 6th, that was the case. Without question, Wang is once again the most consistent pitcher on the Yankee staff this season. He faltered early this time, but the offense was there to pick him up late.
Sonnanstine's stuff was better than his 6 1/3 innings, five earned runs, and two homeruns would indicate. He ran into a hot bat in Bobby Abreu and made some young pitcher mistakes, but he threw strikes for the most part and changed arm angles and speeds to keep hitters off-balance. His breaking pitchers, when on, were nasty. Sonnanstine's problem was in hanging a few. Some trouble in this game, but he knows how to pitch.
The Positives: Bobby Abreu was slotted back in the three-hole for this game, as Melky Cabrera was under the weather. And if anyone could handle the three-hole better than a five RBI night, I'd like to see how. It's already been documented on many sites that Abreu is one of the driving forces of this team. Emphasis has been placed on Johnny Damon as the catalyst, but Abreu producing is an even greater necessity for this team in the second half. And not just because he gives a great postgame interview, though he does. The answer to every question is "That's good!" And really - as long as the Yankees win - that's the correct answer, isn't it?
Ron Villone must have pulled a Scott Proctor over the All-Star Break because he was on fire Saturday night. (Cue laugh track here) After the usual adventure with Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th, Mariano Rivera closed the door in the 9th to record his 425th career save. That makes him the sole holder of third place on the all-time list.
The Negatives: Robinson Cano had another rough night at the plate, the only Yankee with no hits. He went 0-for-4 with one strikeout and three left-on-base.
Talking Points: In Farnsworth's 8th inning, he gave up a solo homerun to Carlos Pena on a 3-2 count to pull the Devil Rays to within one. Upton walked later in the inning but was caught stealing by Posada to end the inning. I'm not as vehement about trading Farnsworth as others. More often than not, his 8th inning adventures lead to outs. But I would be in favor of Torre trying him out in the 7th inning with a bit more frequency. That 8th inning has been a point of contention all season, with no one appearing as a front runner to become that permanent set-up man to Mariano. With the way Vizcaino has been pitching, I wouldn't mind seeing him get more of a chance in the 8th inning now that he's working with greater consistency.
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Here's what else you missed on a jam-packed Saturday night of baseball:
Final Score: Orioles 7, White Sox 6
WP: Ray (5-6, 4.65 ERA)
LP: Haeger (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
You can't help but feel for those relievers. One or two bad innings and their ERA looks like the cost of a movie ticket in Manhattan.
This was a wild one, as Daniel Cabrera outings tend to be. He was in line for the loss after going six innings with five earned runs against Vazquez's four. An eventful bottom of the 9th inning, which the O's entered down 6-4, saw Nick Markakis cross homeplate as the tying run. The game entered extras, ending in the bottom of the 10th inning as Markakis again stung the Sox - this time by driving in the winning RBI off Haeger.
At Dolphin Stadium, Chico made the mistake of paying too much attention to Jason Bergmann and his three homeruns on Friday. Oops.
Final Score: Marlins 5, Nationals 2
WP: Mitre (4-4, 2.81 ERA)
LP: Chico (4-6, 4.57 ERA)
How does a pitcher only have a 4-4 record with a 2.81 ERA? (I know the answer is "he plays for the Marlins." But it doesn't hurt to ask.) Mitre was solid as usual, pitching 7 2/3 innings with two earned runs on six hits. Chico, like Bergmann on Friday, struggled - giving up three homeruns, two of them in the first two innings. The two 2-run homers and one solo job were all the Marlins needed. Kearns and Belliard each chipped away with an RBI apiece, but the Nationals bats were largely silent. Understandably so. This team isn't used to scoring 14 runs.
You see what happens? I make fun of Glavine, and he shows me up by getting win #298.
Final Score: Mets 2, Reds 1
WP: Glavine (8-6, 4.15 ERA)
LP: Stanton (1-3, 4.31 ERA)
Other than a solo homerun allowed to Phillips in the 2nd inning, Glavine was stellar. 8 IP, 2 hits, 5 Ks. He lasted long enough to take the win, with Milledge's RBI. Wagner pitched a perfect 1-2-3 9th, giving him his 19th save of the year.
Now, how in the world did Chris Young go from pitching a no-hitter to taking a no decision?
Final Score: Diamondbacks 5, Padres 4
WP: Lyon (6-3, 2.25 ERA)
LP: Linebrink (2-2, 2.68 ERA)
Young carried a perfect game into the 5th inning, where he lost both the no-no and the shutout on a Tony Clark solo homerun. But that was all Young allowed. He went six innings with two hits, one earned run, no walks, and eight strikeouts before turning the game over to the bullpen. It seemed well in hand, with the Padres leading 4-1 heading into the 7th. But the bullpen faltered. Heath Bell was charged with three earned runs, but Cla Meredith picked up the blown save. He inherited a one out, bases loaded jam in the and allowed the tying run to score on a sac fly. Scott Linebrink gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 8th, and the Padres were unable to recover.
With his one-run outing, Young lowered his 2007 ERA to 1.97 - the lowest ERA in either league. But even that wasn't able to help San Diego make up ground in the tight NL West race.
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