New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies Game 5 Preview
The Yankees have a stranglehold on the World Series as we head into game five tonight in Philadelphia. While the Yankees can taste their 27th World Championship they will have to wait one more game to savor the sweet taste of victory.
Cliff Lee takes the hill for the Phillies tonight against the Yankees A.J. Burnett. Lee befuddled the Yankees in game one for a complete game in which he allowed only one unearned run. He struck out 10 while walking none for the second consecutive playoff game becoming the first pitcher to do so. The Yankees had no answers for him in game one and I don't see that changing in game 5.
The Phillies are due for an offensive breakout and A.J. Burnett is the one Yankee pitcher able to make that happen. While Burnett has had his moments throughout the season and playoffs he has also been maddingly inconsistent. If he struggles with his curveball it could be a long night for him and the Yankees.
Alex Rodriguez has quieted the critics the last two games by coming up with two huge hits. Ryan Howard on the other hand continues to struggle and is closing in on the record for most strikeouts in a series. If Howard can't get right soon it won't matter if Lee wins tonight or not.
The only hope the Phillies have in winning this series is if the Yankees decision to go with a three man rotation blows up in their faces. If the Phillies can get to Burnett tonight and Andy Pettite in game 6 they got a chance. However, I'm still picking the Yankees in 6.
(c) Metrowny.
La Russa returning; McGwire joining him
ST. LOUIS -- Continuing a winning formula, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will return for a 15th season at the helm of the reigning National League Central champions.
La Russa was reintroduced at a news conference at Busch Stadium on Monday, where it was announced that he has agreed to a one-year contract for 2010.
However, La Russa may not have been the biggest story at his own news conference. As the the manager spoke about his decision, he confirmed that Mark McGwire will replace Hal McRae as Cardinals hitting coach.
That will be the only change to La Russa's staff, as all of the other coaches -- including pitching coach Dave Duncan -- will return.
"I don't know how many years I have left to manage, and I wanted to take this opportunity to invite a guy who I think has a very special talent," La Russa said of McGwire, who did not attend the news conference.
McRae served five seasons as the St. Louis batting instructor, but came under fire late in 2009 as a lineup bolstered by trades remained quiet down the stretch and in the playoffs. The Cardinals were held to six runs in a three-game Division Series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.
La Russa, who turned 65 on Oct. 4, has presided over one of the most successful eras in the history of the franchise. In his 14 seasons managing the Cardinals, the team has gone to the postseason eight times, including seven via outright division championships. La Russa's Cardinals have won two National League pennants and were the World Series champions in 2006.
Likely Hall of Fame-bound when his career ends, La Russa has a 2,552-2,217 record in 31 seasons as a big league manager, ranking third among the all-time leaders in wins. He recently passed John McGraw for second place on the all-time games-managed list. La Russa is one of two managers to win World Series titles in both leagues -- the other is Sparky Anderson -- and has a 1,232-1,034 record in St. Louis.
McGwire, 46, retired with 583 home runs, including a then-record 70 as a member of the Cardinals in 1998. He played for La Russa for nearly his entire Major League career, including his final 4 1/2 seasons with St. Louis. He has worked with current and former Cardinals including Skip Schumaker, Matt Holliday and Chris Duncan during recent offseasons.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Rain might disrupt ALCS
NEW YORK --- Rain kept both the Yankees and Angels from working out on the field at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. And with the National Weather Service calling for at least a 70 percent chance of rain through Sunday, weather could wreak havoc with the American League Championship Series, which is scheduled to begin tonight.
The forecast for the first pitch lists an 80 percent chance of rain with temperatures in the low 40s and a wind chill below freezing. The forecast looks just as bleak for Game 2.
And that has Major League Baseball officials keeping their fingers crossed and their mouths shut.
"We don't have anything to say right now," said Phyllis Merhige, baseball's senior vice president for club relations. "We're going to play two games before we go to Anaheim."
When they play them, however, is anyone's guess.
If either of the first two games is postponed, the commissioner's office has few good choices in terms of rescheduling. Sunday, currently listed as a travel day, is one option. But the ALCS is being televised on Fox, which is already committed to broadcast a full slate of NFL games.
And if a game is played Sunday, travel considerations would likely force Monday's Game 3 in Anaheim to be moved from its scheduled afternoon start, either to Monday night, where it would compete with TBS's broadcast of the National League Championship Series, or to Tuesday.
The Yankees and Angels would then lose their scheduled off day Wednesday and play three games in as many days before flying back to New York City next Friday should Games 6 and 7 be necessary.
Rain is also forecast for next weekend in New York.
"I don't know if there is an ideal schedule," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a lot of time in between some games that, I think historically, has not been there. So the best schedule is to keep it rolling and once you start playing, to keep playing. We'll see what we're confronted with."
The players, meanwhile, are mixed about what impact the weather might have.
"It changes nothing," the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero said through a translator. "We've played in this weather before. I'm going to swing like I always do and not let the climate dictate what we do."
But teammate Torii Hunter said the cold would hamper hitters.
"The pitchers have the advantage," he said. "You don't want to hit a ball off the handle. Your muscles can stiffen. You've got to stay loose."
Notes
* Slugger Albert Pujols said the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in extending his contract during the winter. Pujols said he is in no rush to make a decision. He still has a year left on his contract for 2010 and a club option for 2011. Pujols signed a seven-year contract in 2003 worth $100 million.
* New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is expected to be ready for spring training after surgery on his injured right leg. Reyes, who didn't play after May 20, had surgery in Dallas at North Central Surgical Center. The procedure cleaned scar tissue from the torn hamstring tendon behind the knee.
(c) 2009 The Seattle Times Company.
Never-give-up Twins win AL Central title
MINNEAPOLIS -- Over the past two weeks of the season, the Twins and Tigers battled each other so many times, every contest felt like a playoff game.
So it only seemed fitting that the final matchup, the one-game tiebreaker to decide the American League Central title on Tuesday, was as nerve-wracking and tension-filled as any game could possibly be.
On Tuesday night, it took 12 innings to crown a champion. Game No. 163 was filled with back-and-forth scoring, pitching showdowns and critical at-bats.
The dramatic 4 1/2-hour affair came to an end when Alexi Casilla singled to right field, allowing Carlos Gomez to score from second base and capping off a 6-5 victory for the Twins over the Tigers, giving Minnesota its fifth division title in the past eight seasons.
Gomez raced around third base and slid headfirst into home plate for the winning run, although no slide was needed, as Casilla become the most unlikely of heroes for the Twins. It was his first walk-off hit since April 7, with this one earning his club a trip to New York to face the Yankees in the American League Division Series on Wednesday on TBS at 5:07 p.m. CT.
"That is as good a baseball game as I've ever been involved as far as courage from both teams," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "We came through at the end. But after 10 innings I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I've never seen anything like this.' It was just back and forth, neither team giving up."
The win capped a remarkable run for the Twins, who sat seven games back in the AL Central as recently as Sept. 6, but they caught the Tigers by going 17-4 down the stretch. They became the first team in Major League history to win the division after trailing by three games with four to play.
The Homer Hankies were waving and the home crowd was raucous, as 54,088 fans -- the largest regular-season crowd in Metrodome history -- turned out for what could have been the Twins' final contest under the Dome's Teflon roof.
But after 28 years, the Metrodome doesn't seem willing to let go of baseball just yet and instead is poised to make perhaps one last postseason memory.
"The Metrodome deserved it," said Denard Span, while in a champagne-soaked clubhouse. "It's just a great feeling. The city deserves it. We just want to keep playing. They're not going to shut the Metrodome down quite yet."
This final regular-season game, however, might be tough to top.
"This game is going to live forever," Gardenhire said. "People are going to talk about it forever. I know it was just Game 163, but people are going to talk about this game. There was a lot of stuff that happened in it."
That's putting it mildly.
The Twins overcame an early 3-0 deficit, thanks to Orlando Cabrera's two-run homer in the seventh that gave them a 4-3 lead, only to have the contest tied at 4 in the eighth inning on a Magglio Ordonez leadoff homer off Matt Guerrier.
Still knotted at 4 heading into the ninth, the Tigers appeared like they would take a lead after they put runners on first and third with no outs against closer Joe Nathan. But Nathan pulled a remarkable escape act. He froze Placido Polanco on a called third strike and then got Ordonez to line into an inning-ending double play to short, as Cabrera made the throw to first base to catch Curtis Granderson off the bag.
Next up was another chance for the Twins. Nick Punto drew a 10-pitch walk to lead off the ninth and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Cabrera grounded out, thanks to a diving stop by third baseman Brandon Inge. Fernando Rodney then intentionally walked Joe Mauer to get to Gomez, who entered the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement for Jason Kubel, but he grounded out.
Having already used Nathan for 1 2/3 innings, the Twins turned to Jesse Crain for the 10th. With one out, Crain hit Aubrey Huff with a pitch and then gave up an RBI double to Inge to put Detroit up, 5-4. And it seemed as if the Twins' magical run would end.
But Michael Cuddyer tripled to lead off the bottom of the frame and then scored on Matt Tolbert's one-out single up the middle to knot the contest again. The Twins had the winning run on third with one out, but Nick Punto flied out to left field and pinch-runner Alexi Casilla was thrown out at home as he tried to slide around catcher Gerald Laird's tag.
"It's emotionally draining," said Punto of all the game's crazy moments. "It's one of those things that when you're a little kid, this is what you dream of. We got to do it in a game like that. Not a lot of guys, not a lot of teams get to be in a position like that. It was awesome."
After 1-2-3 innings by both clubs in the 11th, the drama returned in the final frame.
Bobby Keppel got a quick out to start the 12th, but he then loaded the bases with one out in the inning. After intentionally walking Ryan Raburn to set up a double play, Inge hit a bouncer to Punto. Knowing there was no DP, Punto made a quick throw home for the forceout. Keppel then struck out Laird to end the inning, receiving a raucous ovation from the crowd which had undoubtedly witnessed its share of key moments in the contest.
By the time it was over, it seemed understandable that few Twins players could describe what they had just witnessed.
"Honestly, I think I've forgotten half the things that went on during this game," Nathan said. "All I know is the last half-inning, [Carl] Pavano and I were sitting next to each other and saying this is definitely the most incredible game we've been a part of. I think I've been a part of some pretty special games. This one blows it away."
After mobbing Gomez and Casilla on the basepaths following the game-winner, the Twins ran a lap around the Metrodome field, led by Mauer, who secured his third AL batting title in the contest. As they celebrated, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blared in the background to signal what is next for Minnesota.
The Twins know that there is a tough task ahead of them to continue this improbable run they've been on, but for one night, they were just happy to celebrate being division champions.
"I didn't think we were ever going to top 2006, but this one does," said Cuddyer. "This one tops it."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
To Inge, phantom HBP a critical non-call
MINNEAPOLIS -- Brandon Inge ended his season one hit-by-pitch shy of the American League lead. It wasn't finishing second in that category that bothered him on Tuesday night. It was the end of the season, and whether a 12th-inning pitch thrown by Bobby Keppel which grazed his jersey might have extended it.
After all of the run-scoring opportunities the Tigers had over the course of Tuesday's dramatic American League Central tiebreaker -- a 6-5 loss to the Twins in 12 innings -- it's the last of them that will sit with Detroit for a while. For the most part, it had nothing to do with the chance of a hit, but the chance of getting hit.
"I want a hit as much as the next guy, but when it's that important, it hit my shirt," Inge said of the first pitch he took from Keppel, thrown with the bases loaded and one out in the 12th inning. "I'm not going to lie."
Inge isn't going to say that was the difference in the game, nor was manager Jim Leyland. But they were going to point out their difference with home-plate umpire Randy Marsh, and the chance that they missed.
Inge stepped to the plate in the 12th after Keppel had intentionally walked Ryan Raburn with one out to load the bases and set up a potential double play. Left with no margin for error, Keppel threw a first-pitch fastball that came inside on Inge, just under chest level.
Inge looked back at Marsh and moved as if he was readying to take first. Marsh called him back, having called it a ball.
Inge, usually patient enough to avoid an argument, took issue.
"It hit my shirt, period," Inge said. "I don't lie about things like that. I'm not going to try to weasel my way on base."
Leyland soon followed to pick up his case, but he wasn't trying to change Marsh's mind. He went out essentially to try to get a second opinion from second-base umpire Jerry Layne. It was a long shot, but it was worth a shot.
"There really wasn't anything I could do," Leyland said. "I asked Randy right away if he could ask the second-base umpire, and he said no, definitely not. That's his call. I understand that. That's hard to put that on a second-base umpire to make that call.
"I don't know if the second-base umpire saw it or not. But there was no doubt in [Marsh's] mind, and the replay kind of confirms that it did hit him."
Indeed, while Leyland was pleading his case with Layne, a national television audience was watching a super-slow-motion replay that suggested that the ball grazed Inge's jersey. By rule, that would count as a hit-by-pitch, and the Tigers would have taken a 6-5 lead.
It has actually happened to Inge at least twice this season.
"Actually, every time I've been hit in the shirt, it's been caught," Inge said. "Because it makes two distinct, pretty good noises. Now, I will give him the benefit that this is one of the loudest places I've ever been in my life."
Marsh did watch a replay after the game, but he wasn't nearly as certain as Leyland or Inge.
"I did not have the ball hitting him," Marsh told a pool reporter. "We looked at replays, too. And the replays that we've looked at, to be honest with you, were inconclusive. I did not see a replay that showed that it hit him."
Once the appeal didn't work, Inge -- hoping to gather himself -- asked for time, which was granted. He worked his way to a 2-2 count before hitting a shot back through the middle that second baseman Nick Punto fielded and fired home for a fielder's choice at the plate.
The rest is history.
"I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that, because it sounds like sour grapes," Leyland said when asked after the game. "Still, the fact of the matter is it did hit him, so it's a huge play."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Yankees to face AL Central champ
NEW YORK --- The Yankees may not know who they're playing in the postseason just yet, but at least they know who they won't be.
The Red Sox, by virtue of a Rangers loss on Tuesday evening, clinched the American League Wild Card and will play the Angels in the first round of the playoffs. That means that the Yankees, as they have assumed for much of this month, are locked into playing either the Tigers or the Twins.
That situation became no clearer Tuesday, after the two AL Central foes split a day-night doubleheader in Detroit. The Tigers and Twins will play twice more this week before parting ways for the final weekend of the regular season, at which point the Yankees should know their opponent.
The uncertainty has affected them in several ways. By virtue of clinching the best record in the American League, the Yankees can choose whether they want to play in the AL Division Series that includes an additional off day, or the one that starts a day later. And though New York has all but announced that they will choose the longer series -- thereby negating the need to use Joba Chamberlain as a starter in the first round of the playoffs -- it will not officially do so until an AL Central champion is crowned.
Once either the Tigers or Twins win their division, the Yankees have one hour to inform the league of their decision.
Meanwhile, the Yankees can do nothing but sit back, watch the Tigers and Twins play and hope the uncertainty lasts until the final day of the season.
"That wouldn't be the worst thing to happen," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's very interesting to watch, and there's the interesting Wild Card race in the National League to watch, which you pay attention to. There's some good things going on in baseball right now."
Girardi admitted that he has been watching the Tigers-Twins series "pretty closely," certainly with an eye toward scouting. Though he is certain to make decisions more with his team than his opponent in mind, Girardi did admit Tuesday that matchups may dictate some of his personnel decisions.
Because the Tigers are a predominantly right-handed-hitting team, for example, Girardi could choose not to carry a second left-hander -- Damaso Marte -- in the bullpen. Or he could choose to pitch the right-handed A.J. Burnett, rather than the left-handed Andy Pettitte, in Game 2 -- and thereby in a potential Game 5 -- of the ALDS.
For now, that is merely speculation. All the Yankees know is that they will face either the Tigers, whom they beat five times in six tries this season, or the Twins, whom they beat seven straight times.
Then, of course, there is Boston. Its postseason presence means that if the Yankees advance to the AL Championship Series, they will face either the Red Sox or the Angels -- both of whom have given them fits at various points this season, but both of whom have succumbed to New York in September.
They are matchups that may yet come to be. Only a to-be-determined AL Central opponent now stands in the Yankees' way.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Four homers help Twins keep pace
CHICAGO -- The Twins went through a stretch earlier this month where runs were hard to come by, and that was with their everyday leadoff man and cleanup hitter in the lineup.
So having already lost Justin Morneau for the season due to a stress fracture in his back and playing without tablesetter Denard Span after he was hit in the head by a pitch the previous night, Minnesota might have appeared to be in trouble when it came to Tuesday night's offensive shootout with Chicago.
Instead, the Twins continued to show the type of tenacity it takes to stay in pennant chases, as they overcame a rough outing by rookie starter Jeff Manship by finding some other hot bats to help carry the load in an 8-6 victory over White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
After the win, the Twins toasted manager Ron Gardenhire on career victory No. 700 and also that they managed to remain 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Tigers in the American League Central following Detroit's win over Cleveland.
"It goes to show you how relentless this team is," Michael Cuddyer said of his team finding other sources of offense. "We've said it all along the past couple weeks, 'Just figure out a way to win.' Tonight, we needed to score runs -- and we did."
If there has been one key component in the Minnesota lineup since Morneau went down a little over a week ago, it's been Cuddyer. He continued his recent hot spell Tuesday, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI that came courtesy of his 29th home run of the season. Cuddyer finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
"Cuddy has really been huge," Gardenhire said, referring the slugger's 15 RBIs since he took over for Morneau. "He just seems to keep coming up and getting big base hits for us, and homers and the whole package. It's much needed."
For Cuddyer, the strong night continued his career success against Danks. Cuddyer has now gone 16-for-30 (.533) with five home runs and 11 RBIs against the White Sox lefty.
"Cuddyer owns me," said Danks, who gave up seven runs over his six innings. "I think we should just walk him every time he comes up. I'm at a loss for words. He's a [good] ballplayer. For whatever reason, those guys got something on me or I just serve up cookies. ... Before long, all nine of them will hit .500 against me, so we'll go from there."
But it wasn't just Cuddyer who delivered Tuesday, as his home run was one of four for the Twins -- marking their first four-homer game since July 20.
Orlando Cabrera, Matt Tolbert and Jason Kubel also went deep. Cabrera hit a two-run shot -- his eighth home run of the season -- as part of a three-run first inning off Danks. Cuddyer and Tolbert each added solo homers in the sixth to retake the lead after Chicago had once again tied the score, and Kubel tacked on an additional run when he led off the eighth inning with his 24th long ball of the year.
All of the runs were needed for the Twins to overcome a rocky outing by Manship. The right-hander struggled in his fourth career Major League start, lasting just 2 1/3 innings while allowing four runs on five hits.
It was made even more difficult to swallow as Manship, who now has a 6.89 ERA over his four starts, squandered the three-run lead Minnesota had built in the top of the first.
Manship walked the first batter he faced, Scott Podsednik, and the speedy leadoff man stole second before eventually scoring Chicago's first run.
While Manship managed to limit the early damage done against him, things went south in the third inning. After retiring the first batter, Manship proceeded to give up five straight hits -- including two home runs that put the Twins in a 4-3 hole.
"He couldn't get the ball where he wanted to," Gardenhire said. "It was an emotional thing for him. It's a tough place in a pennant race like this, and he just didn't have a good night tonight."
Minnesota had to turn to Francisco Liriano to take over for Manship in the third inning, and it might need to do the same in the next turn of the rotation.
While Liriano's night was not perfect -- he gave up one run over 2 1/3 innings that allowed the game to be tied at 5 -- he showed better movement on his pitches. At a time when the Twins feel wins are needed in every contest, they might turn to someone like Liriano to fill in Manship's spot Sunday against the Royals.
"[Catcher Joe] Mauer told me the ball was coming out of Frankie Liriano's hand better than it has in a long, long time," Gardenhire said. "When the ball is coming out of his hand like that, it makes it exciting for us. He feels really good, really strong."
Liriano was one of five relievers used to help capture the victory. Joe Nathan finished off the night by capturing his 43rd save, one shy of his career high.
So two games into a difficult 10-game road trip that will determine whether or not the Twins will remain in the AL Central race, they have found a way to pick up two victories and cut another half-game off Detroit's lead. And right now, the confidence only seems to be growing as Minnesota inches closer to its final four games with Detroit next week at Comerica Park.
"I think it shows that a lot of our young guys are starting to deal with the pressures of the pennant race," Nathan said. "You are starting to see guys go out and play baseball. We're not worried about what happens on the other field [where Detroit is playing]. We have to take care of business here.
"But we're playing pretty good baseball. So we're going to try to ride this wave as long as we can. When we get to Detroit next week, we'll see what we need to do there. For now, we just have to concentrate on tomorrow."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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