Tag Archives: Philadelphia Phillies

Yankees’ rally leaves Rangers reeling

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MlbHlSqThey did it again.

Isn’t that what all the great sides do?  Like Man Utd getting an injury time winner, some teams just seem destined to come out on top and that was the case last night with the New York Yankees.  A five-run eighth inning rally turned a 5-1 deficit into a 6-5 lead and left the Rangers reeling.

The game couldn’t have started any better for Texas. 3-0 up in the first inning, they increased their lead to 5-0 in the fourth and chased CC Sabathia from the game with a pitching line of four innings pitched, five runs conceded.  While Phil Hughes pitched brilliantly in his ALDS start, Sabathia has been the only Yankee starter who has performed well consistently in recent weeks.  Beating CC but not beating the Yankees was a mistake that the Rangers couldn’t afford to make.

It wasn’t their only mistake either.  Ian Kinsler’s carelessness on the base-pads helped Kerry Wood settle down and shut off a Rangers rally in the eighth, while Ron Washington’s bullpen usage was questionable, and not for the first time.  Game One doesn’t decide a series, but the Yankees are hard enough to beat without giving them a head start.  Neftali Feliz is the Rangers’ best reliever and he should have been called on to stop the damage in the eighth.

He wasn’t and now the Yankees are 1-0 up in the series, and even further ahead in the minds of the Rangers’ players. 

I had a feeling that the Rangers, good team though they are, could get steamrollered in this series if the Yankees got on top early.  Last night’s game did nothing to allay those fears, but it’s probably a good thing for the Rangers that Game Two takes place today.  There’s no time to dwell on what has happened.  Get back out there and level the series before heading out to New York.

Today’s game should begin at a little past 9 p.m. UK time, with Phil Hughes and Colby Lewis taking the mound in Arlington.

Meanwhile the Giants-Phillies series gets underway at half past midnight. If ever there was a pitching match-up worth missing sleep for, Tim Lincecum versus Roy Halladay is it.

Phillies follow the Yankees’ lead

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MlbHlSqI raised the prospect of a Phillies-Yankees World Series repeat in my last post and, rightly or not, anything else would be something of a shock now.

Everything seems to be coming together for the Phillies at just the right time.  Their ‘big three’ is fearsome enough, but adding it to their potent batting lineup makes them tough to beat on any given night.

Cole Hamels completed the sweep over the Reds with a complete game shut-out on Sunday after Roy Halladay had started the series with a no-hitter.  Roy Oswalt wasn’t quite as sharp as his rotation-mates in Game Two, lasting just five innings; however, the bullpen and batting lineup will quite happily pick up the slack if the three-headed-ace monster dominates two games out of three.

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Rays rally against the Rangers, Yankees sweep the Twins

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MlbHlSqWe hoped for two comebacks, but had to settle for one.  The Tampa Bay Rays managed to rally against the Texas Rangers to send their ALDS to a Game Four that will be broadcast live on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra from 18.00 this evening.  The Minnesota Twins were swept by the Yankees.

Again.

It’s hard to imagine how demoralising this series defeat will be to the Twins.  In previous years, they have always come into the postseason with an ‘underdog’ tag due to their relatively low payroll.  That wasn’t the case this year.  The finance is there, as shown by the way they were able to tie Joe Mauer to the team for years to come, and the glorious new ballpark is in place.  Many felt it was time to deliver.  Continue reading →

Roy Halladay makes postseason pitching look easy on his debut

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That’s one way to mark your postseason debut. 

Listening to the Reds-Phillies game via the WPHT Phillies radio commentary, I had ‘no-hitter’ on the mind as soon as Jay Bruce grounded out to end the top of the second inning.  ‘Six up, six down’ would normally leave you thinking that the pitcher had got off to a good start.  With someone of Halladay’s calibre on the mound, history was waiting to be written even before he had passed through the whole batting order once.

Halladay’s strong start appeared ominous after watching both David Price and Cliff Lee struggle to find their rhythm early on in the Rays-Rangers game.

Buck Martinez on the TBS coverage was throwing out the old line of teams needing to get to good pitchers early before they settle in.  The Rangers’ batters did that against Price, the Rays’ batters couldn’t quite do it to Lee (despite putting some good swings on the ball) and the Reds’ batters were not given the chance to do it to Halladay.

The Reds held Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth hit-less and that may be something they can hold onto to give them confidence heading into Game Two tomorrow.  On the flip side, the Phillies have to feel good about getting a win despite their batting core being held in check.

Swinging on 3-0

The most notable moment in the Rangers-Rays game came in the third inning when Nelson Cruz launched a bomb on a 3-0 pitch from David Price.  It was a textbook case of a pitcher expecting the hitter to be taking all the way and just grooving a fastball down the pipe. 

It’s incredible how often that approach works.  There are valid reasons to be patient on a 3-0 pitch and to see if the pitcher can finally find the strikezone, but whenever you see the offering pass harmlessly over the plate, you get the sense that the hitter has missed out (or was pushed that way by his manager instructing him not to swing). 

The same topic came up on Saturday when the Oakland A’s Jack Cust took a 3-0 pitch from the Mariners’ David Pauley into the seats.  After the game, Cust told the waiting reporters that he wished he was given the green light more often in that situation.  “I wish I could swing every time 3-0. That’s a good count to hit in. I was trying to hit a home run”, said Cust. 

With all due respect, Jack Cust would not normally be held up as an example for all hitters to follow.  However, he’s on to something with his 3-0 approach.  Why give the opposing pitcher a free strike?  If it’s there to be hit, give it a whack.  At the very least it would keep pitchers honest and force them to aim for a corner, increasing the chances that they will deliver ball four.

It will be very interesting to see how the Rays pitching staff responds if Cruz gets into a 3-0 count again during this series.

Quick note: I’ll probably be concentrating on shorter-type posts like this over the next month or so due to other commitments limiting my ability to research and write longer pieces.  I’m sure the postseason will provide me with plenty of great moments to write about.

Saturday’s early MLB games: Phillies-Braves and Padres-Giants lead the way

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The last Saturday of the 2010 MLB regular season brings us seven ‘early’ games starting before midnight UK time.  There are four to choose from at 18.10, then three at 21.10.

All times are in BST

18.10. Toronto at Minnesota (Shaun Marcum – Brian Duensing)

The Twins were the first team to clinch a postseason berth, wrapping up the AL Central back on 21 September.  They’ve been able to rest some of their regulars in preparation for a tilt at the World Series; however during that time they’ve also gone on a bad losing sequence, including a 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays last night. 

Clearly the Twins haven’t turned into a lesser team and the ALDS will immediately reignite their competitive spirit, but Ron Gardenhire will surely be hoping that his team can finish the season with two wins to take away the possible distraction of people talking about their poor form heading into the playoffs. 

18.10. Milwaukee at Cincinnati (Chris Capuano – Homer Bailey)

Casey McGehee’s infield single in the eleventh inning sent Milwaukee to a 4-3 victory yesterday and has put Cincinnati on course for an NLDS against either the Philadelphia Phillies or the NL West winner.  The Reds had a 9-1 season record over the Brewers heading into this series, but are now 5-5 over their last ten games.

18.10. Washington at NY Mets (Yunesky Maya – Raul Valdes)

Not a match-up to whet the appetite of non-Nationals or Mets fans, if we’re being honest.  In fact the game may also seem incidental against the backdrop of the continuing rumblings about the futures of the Mets’ General Manager Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel.

The Mets’ scheduled starter will provide a reminder of one of Minaya’s biggest mistakes. Reliever Raul Valdes is set to make a rare start because their only other option is Oliver Perez, he of the 3 year/$36m panic contract from the 08/09 offseason.  The Nationals will send the Cuban Yunesky Maya out for his fifth Major League start.  He’s 0-3 so far with a 6.43 ERA and he conceded four runs in five innings against the Mets on his debut on 7 September.

18.10. Colorado at St. Louis (Ubaldo Jimenez – Kyle Lohse)

It’s been a disappointing end to the season for these two teams, both of whom hoped to be in the playoff mix and are now playing out the string with nothing but pride and personal achievements on the line.  The main personal achievement in the offing today involves the Rockies’ starter.  Jimenez was landed with a loss against Dodgers last time out, so he’s now trying to get to twenty wins in his final start of what’s been an outstanding season.  

21.10. Philadelphia at Atlanta (Vance Worley – Tommy Hanson)

The Braves still have work to do if they are to send off manager Bobby Cox in style.  The Phillies beat the Braves 11-5 yesterday, ensuring that it will be another nervy day at Turner Field with the team on the verge of clinching the NL Wild Card.  Tommy Hanson is exactly the pitcher they would want on the mound today.  His 10-11 record doesn’t look like much, but every baseball fan knows that win-loss records only give you a very broad idea of how a season has gone.  He is 1-0 over his last four starts, but in the three no-decisions he conceded just three runs in 20.2 innings. 

As for the Phillies, the last piece in their playoff preparation jigsaw was for Jimmy Rollins to return from injury and to start swinging the bat well.  His grand slam yesterday suggests he’s firmly on his way back.  With Ryan Howard and Chase Utley over their mid-season injuries and their triple-headed starting monster of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels in ominous form, few would be surprised if the Phillies make it all the way back to the World Series for a third straight year.

21.10. San Diego at San Francisco (Tim Stauffer – Barry Zito)

It’s all come down to this final series in the NL West.  The Giants need just one more win to clinch the division, but there’s no such thing as ‘just’ one more win in that situation.  The Padres came out with a do-or-die attitude yesterday and kept their hopes alive with a 6-4 victory, albeit with the Giants rallying from 6-0 down. 

The playoff picture in the National League is a bit complicated (all the permutations are explained on MLB.com here), but for the Padres and Giants today the goal is simple: win the game.  The home fans at AT&T Park will be in full voice, if not perhaps full of confidence with Barry Zito taking the mound.  Indeed the Giants themselves didn’t show great confidence in Zito yesterday as they pushed Matt Cain into Zito’s scheduled starting slot to try and wrap up the division.  Since July 21, Zito has a 5.01 ERA over fourteen appearances (thirteen starts and one extra-inning relief appearance).

21.10. NY Yankees at Boston (Andy Pettitte – Tim Wakefield)

The rain was the winner yesterday at Fenway Park, setting up a double-header today.  Currently the plan is for Andy Pettitte to start the opener and Yankee fans will be watching intently as the team admitted a couple of days ago that Pettitte had pitched through a back problem last time out. 

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Out of Left Field: The Red Man!

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MlbHlSqReports of this column’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Crawling slowly out of the abyss, it sees the end of the regular season coming ever closer. It looks up. Dedraggled, but very much alive. It raises one hand and asks, “Baseball. I am sorry I have neglected you. Truly sorry. But please help me. What fun stuff have you for me this week?” Baseball looks this column straight in the eye and carefully presents it with the following gifts. This column looks back, happy, contented, relieved and extremely grateful.

Philadelphia saw the debut of ‘Red Man’. Red Man, a fan in a red suit, took to the field, but was quickly thwarted by Atlanta Braves’ outfielder Matt Diaz. Diaz said of the incident, “I saw this idiot coming right at me, I figured he’d be better off getting tripped than Tased.” Which is probably fair enough, considering this is Philly we’re talking about. Poor Red Man. I think it is back to drawing-board for you, you little oddity.

Tampa Bay Rays’ Manager seems to be one of the most level-headed in the game. But even he makes mistakes. However, he has gone up in my estimation even more, as he actually admits to them, even when they are as embarrassing as sending in the wrong reliever. “Everything was going pretty quickly and I did not express myself properly,’’ Maddon said. “I screwed up.” Oh for such honesty amongst other sporting managers…

Flip Flop Fly Ball is always good value, and this week is no exception, as creator Craig Robinson looks at the age of the Yankees roster compared to his age, year on year. As we get older, surely one real signifier of time passing is seeing more and more sportsmen younger than yourself. And as time goes on, you realise that Major League call-up is getting less and less likely. This graphic is a great illustration of that.

Here at Out of Left Field, we do enjoy a good strange injury. While not perhaps one for the ages, Russell Branyon’s pizza parlour injury ain’t half bad: “On the off day last week, I took my family to a pizza parlor. They had plastic chairs, and after we’d eaten, my little guy had kicked one of his flip flops off. I was sitting on the edge of the chair, leaning down to pick it up, and the chair slid out from under me on the cement floor. I landed right on my tail bone.” Ouch. Not enough pizza involved though, for my liking. Russell, you must try harder, in the wacky injury stakes.

The Baseball Project are a great band who write great songs about baseball. As you’d expect. And they’ve enlisted Craig Finn of the Hold Steady to record an anthem for the Minnesota Twins. I seem to remember the Pernice Brothers doing something similar for the Red Sox a few years back. Baseball does get the coolest music. Bring on the indie rock!

Talking of the Boston Red Sox, I’m pleased they are marking Mike Lowell’s retirement in style with a Thanks, Mike Night. Something about titling it so simply and humanly really appealed to me. Well, I am a soppy old sentimental guy at heart. And Lowell was in my first ever fantasy team, so I’ll always have a soft spot. Thanks, Mike!

The Cleveland Indians will be fighting the cold climate this winter with a winter theme park money-making scheme. Who knows, perhaps they’ll prove more adept at ice-skating and snow-tubing than baseball? ZING!

And on that note, I bid you adieu, as this column slinks back into the abyss…until next time.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Senior Circuit Superiority

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WhgbHlSq2010 may well be a banner year for the National League.

There’s no doubt that the American League, the so-called Junior Circuit, has been the stronger of the two in recent years.  It’s been fairly even in terms of World Series winners over the last ten years, with the AL shading it 6-4, but if we stretch that out to 1991 then the National League falls back to 6-12 (no World Series was played in 1994). 

Additionally, the AL has been seen as the stronger competition overall, not least in the shape of a team like the Toronto Blue Jays of 2006-07 who were probably good enough to win a National League division in both years, but didn’t even make the postseason due to the AL competition they were up against.

And then there was the All-Star Game.  Prior to this year’s Mid-Summer Classic, the National League hadn’t won the annual get-together since 1996.  A single exhibition game each year doesn’t really tell you anything about the respective strengths of the two leagues, but that didn’t make the run any less annoying to National League fans.

So when the Atlanta Braves’ Brian McCann doubled home three runs for the National League All-Star team on 13 July and led his team to a 3-1 victory, one part of the AL’s dominance was pushed to one side.  Continue reading →

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Oswalt a left field choice

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WhgbHlSqEveryone was smiling on Tuesday night when the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitcher Roy Oswalt ran out to play left field against the Houston Astros. 

Well, perhaps not Ryan Howard.  The Phillies’ first baseman was still seething after being ejected from the game in the bottom of the fourteenth inning: the very act that left manager Charlie Manuel in the unenviable position of choosing between Oswalt and Joe Blanton as the only two available options to replace the slugger.

And Manuel himself probably wasn’t grinning much either.  Having dealt with injuries to several key players in recent months, the last thing he wanted to do was send his number two starter into the outfield and risk him getting injured.  However, Blanton has a classic pitcher’s build (‘built for comfort, not for speed’) and really wasn’t an option to start chasing down flyballs, even if he does have a World Series home run to boost his hitting credentials.

So it was Oswalt who had to pick up a glove and man left field, smiling broadly with the Citizens Bank Park crowd cheering his name.  It was a surreal scene, made all the more so by the strange coincidence of it happening against Oswalt’s former team.

It’s the way in most sports that many players relish the chance of taking on the role of one of their colleagues.  Maybe it’s a way to relieve stress from the daily grind?  Maybe it’s because they believe the opposite role to their own is easier than their teammates make it look?  Maybe it’s a case of the same feeling of wonder that us fans all go through: ‘what does it feel like to hit a game-winning home run, or a last minute winner?’

Whatever the cause, go to a football training ground and more often than not you’ll find goalkeepers playing as strikers in the five-a-side games, while Wayne Rooney is far from the only attacker known for being a demon goalkeeper (in his own mind at least).  And it’s the same in baseball.  Position players will try out their knuckleballs in the outfield, pitchers convince themselves that they could easily hit long balls if only given a proper chance.

Every now and then, the player gets a chance to live up to their own billing and those moments are always treasured by fans.  We burst into cheers as a goalkeeper heads for the opposition’s penalty box for a late corner, or offer a standing ovation for every routine save made by a position player suddenly left wearing the goalkeeper’s gloves after the normal Number One gets sent off with no substitutes remaining.  We laugh along as batters hit harmless flyballs off a position player’s tame offerings near the end of a blow-out loss (Bill Hall and Nick Swisher being two of the most recent to take the mound temporarily).

What is it that makes these moments so special?

It’s because we’re no longer watching a professional who has dedicated years to honing his skills, we’re watching a talented athlete trying his best in an unfamiliar position.  This typically comes in a state of emergency, and a gung-ho spirit consumes everybody as we enjoy the moment and try to encourage the player into a miraculous performance. 

It’s a little different when it comes to a National League pitcher being a substitute position player.  They have to field their position and also take their hacks at the plate in their normal line of duty, so the skills are far from alien to them.  Oswalt himself was quick to point this out after the game. 

Phildelphia Phillies starter Roy Oswalt (C) leaves the dugout after completing his night against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning of their MLB National League baseball game in Washington, July 30, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

The Astros’ first batter in the fifteenth inning, Jason Castro, hit a flyball to left field (you would expect no less from the baseball gods) and while a commentator on the Phillies’ TV broadcast could be heard to gasp “oh no!” as soon as he saw it heading in Oswalt’s direction, the pitcher turned left fielder made the catch with ease.  The crowd went wild and Oswalt was seen smiling at it all, but he played the moment down later on.  “Everybody made a big deal about a fly ball. We catch 50, 60 of them a day during BP [batting practice], maybe every day for 162 games. For 10 years that’s a lot of fly balls”, said Oswalt.

His comments were accurate, but perhaps he was deliberately trying to play down his excitement.  In fact, he let slip his true feelings when explaining to reporters what he said when centre fielder Shane Victorino asked if he wanted him to take any plays involving a throw to the plate.  “I said, ‘No.’ That’s what I’ve been wanting to do forever is throw somebody out at the plate’”.

He might have 146 Major League wins and 1,628 strikeouts to his name, yet gunning down a runner still remains an unfulfilled dream.

As does hitting a game-winning home run.  He had the chance, with the Phillies down 4-2 in the sixteenth inning, two runners on and two out.  ‘Let’s go Oswalt’ chants filled the air, but he could only ground out to the third baseman to end the game.

Still, we all had something to smile about along the way.

Saturday’s early MLB games: A-Rod has 600 in his sights

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Dugout scuffles in Seattle, Kelly Johnson hitting for the cycle, trade talks heating up over Dan Haren: yesterday was a typically action-packed day in the Majors and you can expect more of the same today. 

There are five early games to enjoy live in the British evening.  All times are in BST. 

18.05. Kansas City at NY Yankees (Kyle Davies – Sergio Mitre)

This series is being dominated by Alex Rodriguez’s quest for career home run number 600 and the presence of Kyle Davies has many expecting the milestone to be reached today.  Davies was on the mound when Rodriguez hit his 500th home run in August 2007 and a little under three years later, the symmetry-loving baseball gods have conspired to place him in a potentially historic situation yet again, one that he would prefer not to be a part of.  Sergio Mitre begins his stint as Andy Pettitte’s substitute in the Yankee rotation today.  The trade rumours surrounding the Yankees suggest that they don’t expect him to be in that position for too long, but it’s up to Mitre to put together a string of good starts to change their mind.

18.05. St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (Blake Hawksworth – Tom Gorzelanny)

The Cubs shut-out the Cardinals in the only day game yesterday.  WGN broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly noted that due to the luck of the schedule, the Cubs will only have to face one of the Cardinals’ three top pitchers (Chris Carpenter tomorrow night) in this series and they need to take advantage of the situation.  They did that yesterday by beating Jeff Suppan, although they didn’t beat him quite as badly as the first two innings suggested they would, with Suppan struggling to find the strike zone early and the wind howling out at Wrigley.  Hawksworth is another unheralded pitcher that the Cubs need to attack. Gorzelanny has recorded three straight wins for the Cubs, but he walked twelve batters in those three games and if he keeps giving out free passes, his luck will soon run out.

21.10. Chicago White Sox at Oakland (Freddy Garcia – Vin Mazzaro)

Mark Buerhle pitched a gem for the White Sox yesterday, giving up just four hits and one run over nine innings as Chicago won the series opener 5-1.  That landed Trevor Cahill with a hard-luck loss and if another of the A’s young starters, Vin Mazzaro, can put on a  repeat performance of Cahill’s strong showing today, the A’s will fancy their chances of levelling the series.  Mazzaro’s recent form suggests there’s a good chance he’ll do just that: he’s 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA from his three starts in July and, just as importantly, he’s given the A’s at least 7 innings each time.

21.10. NY Mets at LA Dodgers (Mike Pelfrey – Carlos Monasterios) * ESPN America

If yesterday’s contest between these two was any indication, this game is going to be eventful.  The Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel was thrown out of the game in the second inning and his team responded by making a series of spectacular fielding plays, coupled with Ike Davis taking Vicente Padilla’s ridiculously slow ‘eephus’ pitch into the seats for a home run.  The Dodgers’ bullpen imploded yet again as the Mets ran out 6-1 winners, snapping a four-game losing streak and adding to L.A.’s woes in what has been a testing period for the team since the All-Star break.  ‘Encore’, bellows the crowd!

21.10. Colorado at Philadelphia (Ubaldo Jimenez – Kyle Kendrick)

The Phillies chucked their ace at Colorado in the series opener yesterday and Roy Halladay was his normal outstanding self, pitching eight scoreless innings as Philadelphia won 6-0.  The Rockies will look at today’s starting pitcher match-up and think that the shoe will now be on the other foot.  However, over his last few starts, Jimenez has not been the unhittable monster that we saw back in April and May.  Now’s the time for him to re-find that form. As for the Phillies, Kyle Kendrick was sent down to the minors earlier this week, but an injury to the ‘Old Man of the Majors’ Jamie Moyer has given him a stay of execution.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  ESPN America is showing Mets-Dodgers from 21.00. A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Saturday’s early MLB games: Four big match-ups

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CovHlSqThe All-Star break doesn’t last long in real terms, but it can seem like a significant gap as we are used to enjoying a bundle of games every single day. 

Now the break has come and gone, we can get right back to the daily dose of action. 

Today’s batch of ‘early’ games give UK-based fans a chance to watch some of the top teams battle it out during the British evening.

All times are in BST.

18.05. Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs (Cole Hamels – Randy Wells) * ESPN America

The Phillies and Cubs played out an entertaining back-and-forth game in the only early contest yesterday.  With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the sixth, Ryan Howard smacked a 444 feet homer off the top of the batter’s eye in centre field to give the Phils a 3-1 lead.  Marlon Byrd levelled things up in the bottom of the frame with a two-run shot of his own, circling the bases in typically rapid fashion, before Aramis Ramirez broke the deadlock in the eighth inning with a solo blast.  A one-run lead was all that Cubs closer Carlos Marmol needed and his nasty fastball/slider combination was too good for Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco, who were retired in order to send the locals home happy.  The starting pitcher match-up of Hamels versus Wells should make for another good contest today.

18.05. Detroit at Cleveland (Justin Verlander – Fausto Carmona)

The Indians might be in the AL Central cellar and firmly in rebuilding mode, but they’ll take plenty of pleasure from playing the spoiler role over the rest of this season.  They did just that yesterday as Austin Kearns and former top prospect Andy Marte both went deep in an 8-2 win for the Tribe.  Verlander hasn’t displayed his best form yet this season but he still leads the Tigers’ pitching staff and is more than capable of having a dominant second half.  Fausto Carmona has been the Indians best starter this season and his name has been mentioned as a possible trade target for contending teams. 

21.10. Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (Jeff Niemann – A.J.Burnett) * ESPN America

It was an emotional night in the Bronx on Friday as Yankee Stadium paid its respects to former owner George Steinbrenner and announcer Bob Sheppard, both of whom passed away recently.  A walk-off win seemed a fitting way to end the game and that duly arrived courtesy of a game-winning single by Nick Swisher to give the Yankees a 5-4 victory over their AL East rivals.  The inconsistent A.J. Burnett is trying to get his season back on track after a dreadful June (5 games, 5 losses with a 11.35 ERA), while Jeff Niemann is scheduled to make the start for the Rays after dealing with some soreness in his back.  David Price made the All-Star start thanks to his 12-4 record and a 2.42 ERA, but Niemann has been just as good for the Rays so far this season. 

21.10. LA Dodgers at St. Louis (Hiroki Kuroda – Adam Wainwright)

The Cardinals closed to within half a game of the Cincinnati Reds at the top of the NL Central after beating the Dodgers 8-4 yesterday.  Yadier Molina made the 2010 NL All-Star starting lineup on reputation as he struggled at the plate during the first half, but a 2-for-4 game with a home run and 4 RBIs last night gives the Cards’ hope that his will be a season of two different halves for the popular backstop.  Neither starter lasted long yesterday, with St. Louis’s Jaime Garcia being pulled out of the game after 3.1 innings and the Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley leaving after 4.  Adam Wainwright has been outstanding yet again for the Cardinals this season so they will expect a strong outing from him today.  Hiroki Kuroda has been a dependable option for the Dodgers’  manager Joe Torre, despite a bad start two games ago against the D-Backs (1.2 innings, 6 earned runs conceded), so maybe the pitchers will be on top today?

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  ESPN America is showing two live games back-to-back this evening, as noted above. A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com