Let's take a took at the Wild Card race...

With one week left to go in the regular season, both American League Wild Card spots are both still wide open. Here's a look at the five teams still vying for those spots...

AL Wild Card standings through Sunday, 9/21 (top two make playoffs):

Oakland Athletics

The A's had the best record in baseball for most of the season (and they still have the best run differential), but over the last six weeks they've gone 13-26, worst in the American League. Their pitching has been roughly league average during that time, but their offense has fallen apart, as they've scored just 3.33 runs per game, also worst in the AL.

Cleveland has been 11 games better since the end of August 9th and each of the other teams in the standings above have gained at least 6 games on them, but they've still got a two-game playoff cushion. That may not sound like much, but is a big deal this late in the season. The PECOTA playoff odds at Baseball Prospectus have their chances of making the postseason at 94.9%, so they're still in very good shape.

The Schedule: 3 games at home vs. the Angels (who have the best record in the league), followed by 4 games at Texas (who has the worst record in the league).

What they need: If Oakland goes 5-2 it's assured of playing beyond Sunday, but even 2-5 probably puts them into at least a tiebreaker game. If they miss the playoffs, it will be among the worse collapses in recent history, but they'll likely get another shot at making Billy Beane's $% work in the playoffs.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals haven't been to the playoffs since winning the 1985 World Series, and they've finished with a winning record only twice since 1994. They were sort of stumbling along through their first 100 games or so, but a great stretch beginning in late July put them in 1st place in early August, which is where they spent the next month. They've gone just 5-8 in the last two weeks though, falling back behind Detroit.

The Royals have a fantastic defense and great bullpen, allowing them to contend despite one of the weaker offenses in the league. PECOTA puts their playoff chances at 69.2%.

The schedule: 3 games in Cleveland, plus the conclusion of a suspended game from last month, which the Royals trail 4-2 heading into the bottom of the 10th inning. That game will be finished up before tonight's regularly scheduled game. The Royals then go to Chicago to face the White Sox 4 times.

What they need: Missing out on the playoffs would be a huge disappointment for a fan base that's waited nearly 30 years, but the Royals are in good shape. A 6-2 finish assures KC of more baseball, but even 3-5 probably puts them in a tiebreaker.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners made a big splash during the offseason by signing Robinson Cano to one of the largest contracts in baseball history, and they've already assured themselves of their first winning season since 2009. The goal is the first playoff appearances since 2001 though, and a 4-8 record in their last dozen games has put that in serious jeopardy.

Seattle has a mediocre offense (as usual), but has allowed fewer runs than any other team in baseball, which is quite an accomplishment for an American League team. PECOTA puts their playoff chances at 20.7%.

The schedule: 4 games at Toronto (who is not yet mathematically eliminated, but probably will be today, one way or another) followed by 3 games at home against the Angels (who may or may not still be fighting for home-field advantage by the time this series begins, which could determine what type of lineups they trot out).

What they need: At least a 4-3 finish is probably needed to extend the season. They'll be rooting hard for the Angels early in the week, not only to knock Oakland back in the race, but to increase the chances that they (the Angels) clinch home-field and rest some of their best players a bit during the weekend.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians were a surprised success in 2013, winning 92 games. They were below .500 through the end of July, with terrible defense and mediocre work from most of the starting rotation dragging them down. The rotation has been baseball's best since the start of August though, helping the team post the AL's third-best record during that time, despite weak hitting.

The terrible defense has been a problem all year, and while the rotation has been great during the last eight weeks, the offense has really struggled and the record-setting bullpen has fallen off a bit. PECOTA has their playoff chances at 15.5%.

The schedule: The conclusion of a suspended game against the Royals, which the Tribe lead 4-2 heading into the bottom of the 10th, followed by 3 more games at home against KC. Then, after the team's first off day in a month, 3 games at home against Tampa Bay.

What they need: They've got to go 6-1 to have a realistic chance, and it would help if that one loss didn't come against Kansas City, since that's one of the teams they need to catch.

New York Yankees

Since 1994 the Yankees have missed the playoffs only twice, and never won fewer than 85 games, but an aging core has finally caught up with them, as ineffectiveness and injuries have taken a deep toll on them this season. Through early August they seemed to be overcoming that, and were only half a game out of the Wild Card race, but they've played losing baseball since then.

Going back to August 8th the Yankees are 20-21 and have scored just 3.41 runs per game, worst in the AL (just ahead of Oakland and Cleveland). PECOTA has their playoff chances at just 0.2%.

The schedule: 4 at home against Baltimore (who has clinched the division but is still looking to gain home-field for a possible ALCS appearance) and 3 in Boston (against one of the more disappointing defending champions in baseball history).

What they need: A 7-0 finish and some help from teams like Oakland, Texas, and Chicago. We're almost certainly looking at a second consecutive Yankee-free postseason for the first time in more than twenty years.

-

My preference is of course for the Indians to win the top spot somehow, followed by a second choice of them winning the second spot outright. If neither of those things happen though, what I'd like is for Oakland to go 2-5, Kansas City to go 3-5, Seattle to go 4-3, and Cleveland to go 6-1, putting all four teams at 87-75, leading to some sort of crazy tournament to determine which team advances to the ALDS. (Please note that even in my "root for chaos" scenario, the Yankees are not involved.)

Masahiro Tanaka came back to us yesterday and pitched very much like the Tanaka we love to see. If he is back and healthy, the 2015 starting rotation just looks that much better. Pineda gets the start today.

Comment of the Game

At first I was just going to give myself the HMM award for this. However, something else deserved it just as much, so I simply did the right and proper thing by awarding myself the COTG award. I'm so proud of me!

Best GIF of the Recap

Yesterday's BGOTR goes to Kevin L because it features Masahiro Tanaka. We've missed Tanaka-San so much, and his return is a cause to celebrate.

Honorable Mod Mention

Who has to wait? @ltl27 Can't wait for Aaron Judge to get called up so posters for "The Judge" can be photoshopped. pic.twitter.com/PPO4iuhHuJ

— Andrew Mearns (@MearnsPSA) September 21, 2014

Here is the Tweet that lead to Andrew getting the HMM award. Here is why he won it.

Getting love from Aaron Judge, one of PSA's favorite Yankee prospects, is definitely an honorable feat.

Best Comments of the Day

Nope. Nothing to see here. It was a Sunday.

• How much would you pay to see Derek Jeter's last home game live??
• Best muffin?

As always link us you song of the day!

go yankees go pineda go jeter

In the penultimate series of their regular season, the O's head to Yankee Stadium for a four-game set.

Since the Orioles still haven't announced their starters for three of the four games in this series, we're changing up the format a bit today. Here, in brief, are the dates and pitching match-ups, such as they are:

• Monday, September 22, 7:05 ET: Wei-Yin Chen @ Michael Pineda
• Tuesday, September 23, 7:05 ET: TBA @ Brandon McCarthy
• Wednesday, September 24, 1:05 ET: TBA @ Shane Greene
• Thursday, September 25, 7:05 ET: TBA @ Hiroki Kuroda

Yes, for some reason, the third game of the series is in the afternoon. Your guess is as good as mine.

Yankees' starters:

Those are some pretty good numbers in general, and they tend to get even better against the Orioles. Pineda has made one start against the O's this year, a five-inning, one-run effort on August 13. The last time he faced Baltimore prior to that was in 2011, while with the Mariners. Similarly, McCarthy pitched in Camden Yards on September 12, throwing seven shutout innings in his first start against the Birds since 2012. Shane Greene has allowed just two runs in as many games, combining for 12.2 IP with 18(!) strikeouts. Kuroda is the most familiar face for O's fans, making four starts this year for 26.1 IP and 7 R.

None of this means that the Orioles won't turn around and hit these guys well; after all, we're dealing with some pretty small sample sizes. And the teams have split the eight games discussed above, both going 4-4 with late-inning heroics often determining the outcome.

Orioles' (potential) starters:

If Buck just keeps the rotation intact from last week, then we'll see Wei-Yin Chen, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bud Norris, and Kevin Gausman, in that order. Miguel Gonzalez just pitched yesterday, so he definitely won't start in this series. Chris Tillman could pitch on normal rest on Thursday, but that goes against the plan to get all the starters a little extra rest before the ALDS begins. Because of the off-day last Thursday, though, Buck has some flexibility in when to use Jimenez and Norris, since like Chen, they'd have two extra days' rest if they start in sequence.

Chen made his second start of the year in Yankee Stadium and gave up four runs over five innings, but the offense bailed him out, scoring fourteen off of Ivan Nova and Vidal Nuno. Jimenez has faced New York twice for a total of five runs over 10.1 IP (which actually isn't that bad, considering he also walked eleven). Norris has acquitted himself well in three games thus far, giving up four runs over seventeen innings, including his ten-strikeout start on September 12. Gausman's also done well in two outings, surrendering one run over twelve innings, and Tillman's allowed six runs over 27.1 IP and four starts. In short, the season FIPs for the O's starters don't look as good as the Yankees', but Jimenez aside, the pitching matchups look pretty even.

Randomly selected match-ups (or, fun with tiny sample sizes):

• Nelson Cruz has just a .318 OPS against Brandon McCarthy (22 PA) and a .305 OPS against Hiroki Kuroda (27 PA). Buck could decide to give him a rare night off (or two, but that seems pretty unlikely).
• Kelly Johnson (.857 OPS, 28 PA) and Alejandro De Aza (1.032 OPS, 19 PA) have hit Kuroda well in the past. J.J. Hardy (.494 OPS, 33 PA), Ryan Flaherty (.333 OPS, 15 PA), and Steve Pearce (.481 OPS, 13 PA) have not.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now. Here's the FanDuel link.

Recapping the 2014 season for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

We conclude our look back at the 2014 minor league season with those who are knocking on the door of the majors in Triple-A. Many teams use their Triple-A affiliates to stockpile lottery ticket veterans and Quad-A players that just aren't quite good enough to make it in the big leagues, which makes some of these teams less exciting than some of the lower levels of the minors. That being said, there were still plenty of highlights to be found in SWB this season.

One of the biggest stories from the farm this season was the fantastic play of second baseman Rob Refsnyder. The 23-year-old started his season at Double-A Trenton before earning a promotion to Triple-A for the remaining 77 games of the year. After batting .342/.385/.548 in Trenton, Refsnyder managed to pick up right where he left off by hitting .300/.389/.456 in Scranton. With Brian Roberts struggling at the big league level, many fans called for Refsnyder to get a shot in the major leagues before the trade deadline this year. Brian Cashman made the decision to keep Refsnyder in the minors for the entire year, likely to improve his second base defense after being converted from an outfielder after signing with the Yankees. It's very possible that Refsnyder will compete for the starting second base job in spring training next season.

Taylor Dugas also earned a promotion to Triple-A Scranton in the middle of the season, and he (like Refsnyder) had no trouble continuing to hit very well at the next level. Drafted in the 8th round of the 2012 draft, Dugas put up an .827 OPS with the Trenton Thunder before finishing the season with a .294/.403/.424 batting line with the RailRiders. Although it seems unlikely that Dugas could find a spot as a starting outfielder in the Yankees' outfield next season, it's easy to see him sliding into a Zoilo Almonte-like role where he is the first man up if an outfielder needs to miss time, or possibly making the team as a fourth outfielder with a strong spring training. First baseman Kyle Roller is another whose strong 2014 season could be important for 2015, as the uncertainty with Mark Teixeira's wrist could linger into next year. Roller's calling card is mainly his power, and he hit 17 with the RailRiders after earning a mid-season promotion from Double-A Trenton. If the Yankees don't find a backup first baseman on the market they like, Roller could be an intriguing option if he can find a way to cut down on his massive amount of strikeouts.

A prospect who only found his way to the big leagues at the very end of the season out of desperation was Jose Pirela, who performed as a sort of jack of all trades in Triple-A this year. Pirela moved off second base to accomodate the promotion of Refsnyder, and he spent the majority of his time after that moving around the diamond to improve his versatility. Pirela batted .305/.351/.441 in 130 games with the RailRiders, possibly putting him in line to make the big league team out of spring training next year. It's possible that the Yankees not bringing him up until the very end could signify that they aren't as high on Pirela as some, his versatility could be helpful as a bat off the bench next year.

On the pitching front, switch pitcher Pat Venditte had a nice season with the RailRiders with a 3.35 ERA in relief, but not getting called up to the big league team ahead of his impending minor league free agency could be a bad sign. Venditte's novelty has won over fans, but the Yankees are obviously unconvinced that he can translate any minor league success into a successful big league career. If 2014 was Venditte's last year with the team, it was a good note to go out on to garner interest from other teams. A couple of potential 2015 bullpen arms in Nick Rumbelow, Tyler Webb, and Branden Pinder ended their season with the RailRiders. The Yankees have been successful in getting value out of homegrown pitchers performing well in the bullpen, so these guys coupled with Jacob Lindgren seem like they could fill out the middle of the Yankees bullpen at some point next year, if not immediately out of spring training.

Although Triple-A does have its share of retreads trying to hang on with a team and prospects that just aren't quite good enough to make the big leagues, there were at least a few bright spots for the Yankees at the Triple-A level this season. A couple of these guys could make a big impact on the team next season, particularly if Refsnyder is given a chance to make the team out of spring training as the starting second baseman.

The Mick's last tour of duty was not nearly as bad as it has been typically perceived.

From the very beginning of his final season, it was going to be difficult for Derek Jeter to have a Farewell Tour quite like the one conducted by Mariano Rivera last year. Mo was an ageless wonder, and he still performed at a highly productive level that made the duration of the season intriguing to watch even as the Yankees faded from playoff contention. Old relief pitchers have been able to stay useful in the past. Jeter on the other hand was a 40-year-old shortstop, territory dwelled by very few players in baseball history.

Even if he received more rest than he has gotten this year, it would have been a challenge for him to be good. Despite a recent hot streak, the results are not pretty: .255/.303/.311 with just 22 extra-base hits and 34 walks. No one covering baseball outside of the Yankees radio booth figured his defense would be even moderate at this point, but I don't think anyone expected his offense to be quite this bad, even on a surgically repaired ankle. Asking for his league-leading hit total of 216 from 2012 would have been a bit much, but a mere league average season at the plate for a shortstop would not have been too unreasonable. Unfortunately, here we are.

Jeter's sluggish swan song has called to memory some disappointing farewells of years past, like good friend Jorge Posada's forgettable DH stint in 2011, Craig Biggio's painfully slow march to 3,000 hits, and Cal Ripken Jr's appalling final season masked by his famous All-Star Game homer. However, one Yankees legend in particular has also been cited in comparison to Jeter's adieu: Mickey Mantle. This was happening around the All-Star Break when Mike Vaccaro of the New York Postargued that Jeter was "sticking the landing" compared to Mantle and others, and that he was the team's most consistent player outside of Brett Gardner:

Maybe Jeter’s numbers mock the superstar he once was — his slash line is .272/.324/.322; in what was probably his best year (2006) it was .343/.417/.483 and for his career it’s .311/.379/.443 — but even when his numbers were pristine, Jeter’s prime value was in the day-to-day and in the overall, in his reliability. And other than Brett Gardner, who has been a more reliable Yankee in 2014, day to day, than Jeter?

Sixty-eight games to stick the landing.

You don’t have to wander very far to know how challenging that can be. Mickey Mantle long regretted how it ended for him, a 1968 season in which he could barely walk, in which he hit .237 and knocked four points off his career average, leaving him at .298.

Craig Calcaterra posted over at Hardball Talk about how unfair this claim was, and yet here we are in September with people still bashing the Mick's final season. It's even stranger now as a second half slide has made Jeter's numbers even worse. Nonetheless, here's Wallace Matthews at ESPN New York again throwing shade at Mantle:

Compared to some past Yankee greats, whose final seasons were better off forgotten, Jeter's has been pretty good.

Mickey Mantle, at age 36, hit just .237 in his final season and dropped his career batting average below .300 to .298.

For good measure, here's one more swipe at Mantle's 1968 from Larry Fleisher of Metro Sports:

Even if Jeter finishes this season well below his .310 career batting average, his last year is going better than some other Yankee greats.

Babe Ruth finished his career in Boston, Mickey Mantle languished for seasons as a shell of his former self and Yogi Berra was released after 1963.

In these articles, the writers also made sketchy comparisons to the final seasons of Don Mattingly, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Babe Ruth, all of which are also not quite warranted, but Mantle's is the most egregious case. As much as raw batting average would like to have you believe that Mantle was dreadful in his departure from the game, it's simply not true, and considering how historical the 1968 season was, it's pretty damn disappointing that these writers aren't thinking about league context.

Most fans with even a slight knowledge of baseball history probably know that 1968 was famously the "Year of the Pitcher." It was the most pitching-dominant season since the Deadball Era and eventually sparked rule changes to the height of the mound in order to get more offense into the game. The pitcher win stat is overrated, but Tigers starter Denny McClain's 31 wins still stick out like a sore thumb as the only pitcher within the past 79 years of baseball to accomplish that feat. Hall of Famer Bob Gibson was even more overwhelming with a downright ludicrous 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts in 34 starts. Hell, even raw batting average should be enough for these writers to remember how pitcher-oriented that season was: Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski won the AL batting title. Even playing half his games at cozy Fenway Park, he hit a mere .301, the only AL player to bat over .300 that season. The league average was .237/.299/.340, compared to .252/.314/.387 today, which is already pitcher-friendly. Yikes.

These numbers were not normal by any means, and yet for some reason, people still hold them up as reasons why Mickey Mantle was an embarrassment in 1968. To make appropriate comparisons, one simply has to look at statistics that adjust for context compared to the league at that time. There are a plethora available, though my favorite is wRC+, or Weighted Runs Created (which accounts for all methods of getting on base) compared to league average and controlling for park effects. It doesn't account for differences in position (Mantle played first base in '68 while Jeter played shortstop this year), but that can be made up by comparing their numbers to the league average at that position.

In the end, Mantle's '68 just completely wipes out Jeter's 2014 across the board:

Mantle's 145 wRC+ was in fact exceeded by only 12 players in all of baseball in '68, regardless of position. Even with a typically productive year for first baseman, he was about 32% better than average. Meanwhile, Jeter's 72 wRC+ is obviously nowhere near the top of regular players, and it's about 21% worse than the average shortstop. Woof. There simply is no comparison here--the only thing 2014 Jeter has '68 Mantle beat in is batting average, and that's simply not a good enough statistic with which to compare them. Walks are as good as hits, and Mantle still received 99 unintentional walks, a fantastic number, especially compared to Jeter's 34. Jeter was unlikely to beat Mantle in power anyway, but he's not even close to the 2014 shortstop league average for slugging percentage anyway. It's a rout.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the lazy comparison is that there are interesting articles one could write about that don't delve into the statistics at all. Yankees historian Marty Appel, who was also the Public Relations Director during Mantle's final years, penned a very nice piece noting that Jeter and Mantle both signify the end of eras with the Yankees at a crossroads both in '68 (another year barely over .500) and now again in 2014. One could also discuss how injuries took their toll on the two players' bodies, enough to make Mantle move from his iconic center field position to first base and Jeter's already-small range at shortstop even more limited. There are several different angles to investigate.

It's just inaccurate to simply say that Jeter's departure from the game is similar because the two had disappointing seasons by statistical measures. Mickey Mantle was not a problem on the '68 Yankees. Mantle was hard on himself about that year, but his teammates like future Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox and '90s Yankees architect Gene "Stick" Michael, both savvy evaluators of talent, agreed that he was their best player. Don't disrespect Mantle's '68 by saying that Jeter's 2014 was equal or perhaps better. They were different eras, and Mantle's '68 was far superior.

The Washington Nationals DFA'd outfielder Eury Perez last week on the same day they claimed infielder Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. This afternoon, they announced that Perez was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees.

The Washington Nationals DFA'd 24-year-old outfielder Eury Perez last week and later that day announced that they claimed infielder Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.

Perez, in his eighth season with the Nationals' organization after signing as an international free agent out of San Luis, Distrito Nacional in the Dominican Republic in 2007, missed time with a broken foot this summer, but managed to put up a .311/.372/.406 line with 13 doubles, two triples, a home run and 20 stolen bases in 57 games and 238 plate appearances with the Nats' top minor league affiliate.

In the three seasons Perez played with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, he put up a combined .310/.354/.411 line with 38 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs and 63 stolen bases in 193 games and 844 PAs.

Over his eight seasons in the Nationals' system, Perez put up a combined .305/.360/.384 line with a .154/.154/.154 line, two hits and four stolen bases in limited major league action with the Nats.

This afternoon, the Nationals announced that they assigned Perez to the New York Yankees after the Yankees made a waiver claim on the outfielder:

The #Nats have assigned OF Eury Perez to the New York #Yankees on a waiver claim.

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 22, 2014

The Yankees announced the claim as well on their own Twitter account:

#Yankees claim OF Eury Perez off waivers from the @Nationals. A corresponding move will be announced later today.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 22, 2014

Perez was ranked 7th on Baseball America's List of the Washington Nationals' Top 10 prospects as recently as December of 2012 when BA released its list for the 2013 season, but when their 2014 list was announced this past winter, Brian Goodwin, Michael Taylor and Steven Souza had all moved ahead of Perez on the organizational rankings and though Goodwin dealt with injuries in a down year, both Taylor and Souza were called up to the majors this season, while Perez was on the DL from early May through mid-July before returning to finish out the season.

The 24-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment last week.

The Yankeesclaimed outfielder Eury Perez off waivers Monday. The speedy outfielder was designated for assignment last week when the Nationals claimed shortstop Pedro Florimon off the waivers.

Perez, who spent eight seasons in the Nationals system, combined to hit .310 with 14 doubles and two home runs in 67 games in Triple-A, High-A and Rookie leagues in 2014. He played in 22 major league games total, hitting .154/.154/.154 total in 13 plate appearances. He spent most of the time in majors as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.

New York designated LHP Josh Outman for assignment to make room for Perez. The Yankees had acquired the reliever in late August from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named or cash. This season, Outman collected a 2.86 ERA and 4.82 FIP in 28.1 innings, striking out 26 hitters and walking 16. The 30-year-old has held left-handed hitters to a .186 batting average and .537 OPS over his career.

The Dominican outfielder was ranked as the Nationals' No. 7 prospect by Baseball America after the 2012 season. Even though Perez has not shown much hitting ability in the majors, it is still too early to give up based on his .305/.360/.384 line over eight minor league seasons.

Also, some scouting reports praise his speed to be "top-of-the-scale." Perez has speed and athleticism - his bat, however, needs to show up in any big league opportunity he gets.

The team has lost outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury (hamstring), Carlos Beltran (elbow) and Martin Prado (appendectomy) to injuries, and they look to Perez's healthy body to fill in a spot.

The Orioles lost and Derek Jeter had three RBI, but in six games they're still going to the playoffs and he's still going home.

The Baltimore Orioles were shut out tonight against the nearly-eliminated New York Yankees in a game where the only enthusiasm shown was by Joe Girardi as he managed to use three pitchers to record all three outs of a ninth inning in which his team was winning by five runs.

Michael Pineda started for the Yankees tonight and since returning from the disabled list he's been quite good. He was especially good tonight as the O's managed just two baserunners against him in 7 1/3 innings pitched. In the fifth inning, J.J. Hardy singled to left field. In the eighth inning, Christian Walker...walked. How appropriate! But that was it. The only other baserunner for the O's was thanks to a ninth-inning walk by Nick Markakis.

Wei-Yin Chen started for the O's and while he gave up four runs in six innings pitched, only two were earned. Ryan Flaherty started the third inning by making a throwing error that allowed Ichiro Suzuki to get on base. I know that of the current three-headed monster that is manning third base, Flaherty is considered to be a defensive upgrade over Kelly Johnson and Jimmy Parades, but really, they're all garbage. Jose Pirela, who made his major league debut tonight, drove a ball to left-center field that looked like it had a chance to a home run. Instead it bounced on the warning track and Pirela had to settle for a triple as his first major-league hit. That gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead that increased to 2-0 thanks to a ground out by Derek Jeter that has been lauded by critics as Derek Jeter's most clutch ground out on September 14, 2014 ever.

The other two runs that Chen gave up were on a double by Jeter in the fifth inning that knocked in Brett Gardner (who had walked) and Pirela (who singled, because of course the rookie that played in 800 minor league games before his first trip to the majors got on base multiple times). That gave Jeter a three-RBI night, his most clutch 3-RBI night since September 9, 2012 (aka the last time he had three RBI in a game).

Ryan Webb gave up a home run to Chase Headley for the Yankees' fifth run, because Ryan Webb forgot how to be a good pitcher. Buck Showalter called on Joe Saunders with two outs and the bases empty to replace Webb, because why not? Saunders struck out Stephen Drew.

That move of course was like a dare to Joe Girardi, who let Shawn Kelley start the ninth inning but after he struck out Jonathan Schoop, pulled him in favor of possibly the only lefty reliever in the ballpark who is as crappy as Saunders: Rich Hill. Then, with two outs and one runner on, in the ninth inning of a 5-0 game, Girardi AGAIN went to his bullpen.

Have you ever known someone that you kind of couldn't stand, but then you realized that person hated the same person you hate, and because of that you bonded to that person for just a brief moment in time? That's how I felt when I heard Yankee fans booing their own manager for making them sit through another pitching change with one out in the game left.

Since clinching the AL East last Tuesday, the Orioles are 2-3 and that might be causing some of you panic. I wish you wouldn't, but I gotta say the team looked pretty awful tonight. Perhaps tomorrow will be better.

Pineda (and the bullpen) held the Orioles to just one hit tonight.

Tonight's game kicked off Derek Jeter's final series in New York, and the Captain continued what is now a six-game hitting streak. The offense had a pretty good night altogether, with Jose Pirela making a fantastic MLB debut. Even more impressive was Michael Pineda, who pitched a nearly perfect game as the Yankees went on to shut out the Orioles.

It wasn't until the fifth inning that the Orioles were finally able to get a hit off of Pineda, in the form of a single by J.J. Hardy. That would stand as the only hit of the game. Pineda ended his night in the eighth inning after allowing his one and only walk to Christian Walker. Tonight's effort, in which he struck out eight batters, lowered his ERA to 1.93 with 0.86 WHIP (!). This win might have been too little, too late for the team to make the playoffs, but Pineda was phenomenal and it's great to see him healthy. Shawn Kelley (2 Ks), Rich Hill (1 K, 1 BB) and David Phelps also made it into the game and did not allow a hit between them.

In the bottom of the third inning, Ichiro Suzuki did Ichiro things and reached on a throwing error by Ryan Flaherty. Next up was Jose Pirela, who made his debut tonight by hitting an RBI triple to deep center field. According to the booth, he joined the ranks of Steve Balboni by becoming only the second Yankee to hit a triple in their first at-bat. Jeter ended up driving him in for his first RBI of the night. In Pirela's second at-bat, he singled to center. Brett Gardner worked a walk to put two on base, then Jeter drove in the pair with a double down the left field line. Yeah, Jeets! Chase Headley tacked on the fifth and final run of the night in the eighth inning with a solo shot to Monument Park.

Also of note: Tonight Pirela became the 57th different player to appear in a game this season, which set a franchise record. The previous record of 56 was set last year (of course).

Brandon McCarthy will get the start tomorrow night against Ubaldo Jimenez, who was demoted to the bullpen for a portion of the season. The game starts at 7:05 pm EST.

Box score.

CBS New York | Sweeny Murti: Players, coaches, and scouts recall their very first impression on Derek Jeter.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Find out what Larry Rothschild thought of Masahiro Tanaka's first start back from the DL.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: The 2015 Yankees will still have trouble with the middle of their order in Carlos Beltran,Brian McCann, and Mark Teixeira.

SB Nation | Rodger Sherman: Derek Jeter memorabilia is being sold on the internet at ridiculous prices.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Masahiro Tanaka will make another start this year as he will face the Red Sox on Saturday.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: Derek Jeter is making his farewell tour something special now that he's hitting.

Baseball Prospectus | Jeff Moore: Eric Jagielo might be one of the most disappointing prospects of the 2014 season.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: Masahiro Tanaka has lost his mythical charm and is now only a mere mortal.

Could Houdini vanish to another club in the offseason?

As the season draws to a close, eyes start looking towards 2015. One question heading into the offseason is David Robertson’s free agency. The team’s stubborn stance of not negotiating contracts until after the season may bite them again. Robertson has been an elite setup man and now closer. As we’ve seen with other free agents, one team is always willing to come in and overpay to get a player. I believe someone will do that in this situation as well. What makes the Yankees less inclined to do this is that they have Dellin Betances waiting in the wings. During the Hal Steinbrenner Era, the team is more calculating in looking at the luxury tax ramifications and with the team having other holes, re-signing Robertson is starting to look like less and less likely to me. With that said, let’s look at some bullpen options going into next year.

Tyler Webb – Triple-A

Webb was specifically mentioned by GM Brian Cashman as a lefty bullpen option once Matt Thornton was let go. Webb is a big 6’6" lefty featuring a low-90’s fastball and a quality curveball. Across three levels he pitched to a 2.35 FIP and 12.3 K/9.

Nick Rumbelow – Triple-A

Nick Rumbelow is a power arm drafted in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. He climbed four levels this season and now is knocking on the big league door. Rumbelow sports a mid-90’s fastball and a strikeout curve that he used to record 81 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings.

Jose Ramirez– Triple-A

The often injured righty will once again look to make the big club in spring training. Ramirez showed strikeout stuff with a 9.3 K/9, but was wild as evidenced by his 6.3 BB/9 on the big league club. Stuff has never been the question; health and command continue to be.

Dan Burawa - Triple-A

Burawa will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this December, if he's not placed on the 40-man roster. I believe that he will be protected, as the team made a mistake last year not protecting Tommy Kahnle who flourished with the Rockies. His slider and fastball are dominant, but his command is below-average. Back in August, Brian Cashman told reporters  "We’ve seen that before with a guy like Dellin Betances. It’s trying to harness that physicality and channel it, and we are hoping that down the line all those pieces fall into place eventually." Look for Burawa to get a look in spring training.

Jacob Lindgren – Double-A

The 2014 second rounder flew through the system, ending the year at Double-A Trenton. Lindgren, armed with a MLB-ready slider and mid-90’s fastball, embarrassed minor league hitters. He finished the year with an absurd 17.3 K/9.

The Yankees continue playing to their strength of drafting and developing bullpen arms. There’s a good chance we could see a mostly home grown bullpen in 2015. Out of this group of relievers, which one will emerge as the next Robertson or Betances?

Stats courtesy of Fangraphs.com and baseball-reference.com

Derek Jeter is doing fun, magical things in his final homestand at Yankee Stadium. Enjoy it while you can, Pinstripe Alley.

Comment of the Game

Michael Brown wins the COTG award for callin' it. I was there and I saw it live, so I know it actually happened. It was pretty damn glorious.

Best GIF of the Recap

Just like the Tanaka GIF won the BGOTR award for Sunday's Recap thread, this Pineda GIF posted by Andrew wins yesterday's BGOTR award. If you can't stop staring at it, that's perfectly normal.

Honorable Mod Mention

I'm not sure exactly how we got to this point, but we did and Matt F delivered the goods for the HMM.

Best Comments of the Day

Still nothing special going on in the comments section. Pick it up, PSAers.

• Be honest, which NY Baseball team has the more exciting looking starting rotation for 2015? The Yankees or the Mets?
• Thus far, what is your favorite thing about the 2014 Yankees season?

As always link us you song of the day!

go yankees go mccarthy go jeter

In this unfortunate time of Yankee fandom, it can be refreshing to look back on what made you like this team in the first place.

The 2014 Yankees' tragic number continues to dwindle to zero while a second straight year without a playoff appearance looms ahead. The team's looking old and it appears to be at a crossroads of sorts. The dedicated fans will stick with the team through the tough times, just as longtime Orioles and Pirates fans survived lengthy droughts without so much as a winning record until the 2012 and 2013 seasons, respectively. To keep the faith, I find it's best to reflect on what made me fall in love with the Yankees in the first place.

There have been posts on Pinstripe Alley in the past asking fans about how they became Yankees fans, but that hasn't happened in a while. Additionally, I'm sure there are more members who might have stories we haven't heard before. Even if you've shared your Yankees fan story on PSA before, I highly recommend doing it again to get the conversation going and to enlighten the new members. We'd love to hear what everyone has to say!

I've shared my story before, but here's the SparkNotes version. Growing up, I was terrible at Little League, so like with many children who aren't good at something, I grew uninterested in baseball. It was a damn unfortunate time for me to be that way because that was right when the Yankees were winning all those championships in the '90s. The Yankees won four World Series titles in five years and made the playoffs every year from 1995-2000, and the most I actually caught of it live was a random snippets here and there when family happened to have the game on. I was just more interested in the Simpsons, the Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Yep, I was one of those kids.

It all changed early during the 2001 season. My family was full of Yankees fans, and on Memorial Day Weekend, the Yankees-Red Sox game was on. It was pretty competitive with Andy Pettitte facing off the recently-departed David Cone, who was driven from the game early on when the Yankees scored three runs against him; he was gone by the end of the third. Boston rallied by chipping away against Pettitte though, and the game was tied entering the eighth inning. Paul O'Neill, who had homered earlier, doubled against Pete Schourek to lead off the eighth, and Boston brought in burly Rich Garces to face Jorge Posada. The hard-hitting catcher came through with an RBI double, and Mike Stanton and Mariano Rivera combined to close it out in a 4-3 victory. It was a fairly typical game for that Yankees era, but it was enough for a relative newcomer to get hooked.

The next thing I knew, I was watching almost every game in the 2001 season, as I took a step back from most of my other activities to track the Yankees instead. It was, of course, a thrilling season to watch, as countless baseball storylines stayed constant throughout, from Japanese rookie Ichiro Suzuki's stunning dominance of MLB pitching to Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn's departures from the game, and Barry Bonds's mind-blowing 73-homer season. The Yankees won the pennant in dramatic fashion by coming from behind againt the A's in the ALDS and surprisingly running roughshod over the record-breaking 116-win Mariner, then played a captivating World Series with the tragic backdrop of 9/11 looming on everyone's minds. If there was a season one could handpick to cultivate baseball fans, 2001 was it.

How about you? What made you like the Yankees? Tell us in the comments! The stories can be as short or as long as you'd like. I will make a second post at a later point detailing some of my favorites.

The Dodgers might not want him back, and if that's the case, Ramirez could be headed to the American League.

Hanley Ramirez truly defines the word "enigma." His average fluctuates wildly from year to year, he's an injury risk but can be one of the best hitters in the majors when healthy, and he's once again near the bottom of the league in most fielding metrics after a respectable defensive performance in 2013.

If we've learned anything from Ramirez's 10 seasons in the majors, however, it's that he has potential—perhaps more than any other hitter on the market this offseason. There's no guarantee Ramirez finds himself on another team next season, of course, and it's hard to imagine that the Dodgers lack the necessary funds to keep him on board. But if he hits the open market, Ramirez will make a lot of money, as there will be plenty of teams in need of a new shortstop.

In the upcoming paragraphs, we'll take a look at whether the Dodgers really want to keep Ramirez, where he's likely to go if they don't make an effort to re-sign him, and what his value projects to be on the open market. Grab some popcorn!

Where he's been

The Red Sox signed Ramirez from the Dominican Republic in July 2000 and traded him to the Marlins in 2005 with Anibal Sanchez (and a few other minor leaguers) in the deal that sent Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett to the Sox. The trade worked in Boston's favor, as the latter two players were integral pieces of the Red Sox' World Series puzzle in 2007. (Lowell drove in a career-high 120 runs and finished fifth in MVP voting that year, and Beckett won 20 games—the only time he has accomplished the feat.)

The following year, Ramirez immediately showed what he was capable of, hitting .292 with an .833 OPS, 11 triples and 51 steals on his way to capturing the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year award. He improved his OPS by more than 100 points the following season, the first of four consecutive years with a batting average of .300 or better. During that run, in 2009, Ramirez hit .342/.410/.543 and missed out on the MVP award only because of Albert Pujols' super-human performance that year.

Then came the falloff. Ramirez hasn't made it to the All-Star game since 2010, and in the two years following his impressive run (2011 and 2012), he posted OPS+ totals of 95 and 105, respectively—essentially making him the definition of a league average player.

That all changed in 2013, when Ramirez only played in 86 games but was so productive that he finished eighth in MVP voting for the Dodgers. That led to talk of another potential MVP run this season and a huge contract during the offseason, whether it was with the Dodgers or elsewhere.

Where he is now

Ramirez's revitalization in 2013 created high expectations, and he hasn't been able to repeat his success.

But even with the regression, Ramirez is still an above average hitter and elite shortstop, at least on the offensive side. He leads all qualifying players at his position in on-base and slugging percentage, and he's tied for third in RBIs despite playing in almost 30 fewer games than many of his fellow shortstops.

That latter statistic is more a testament to the strength of the Dodgers' lineup, but the point is that Ramirez is clearly a run producer—something in short supply at the shortstop position.

The ugly flip side of that is Ramirez's poor defensive play. Though always a below average fielder, the Dodgers shortstop has truly outdone himself this year. His -16.7 UZR/150 is the lowest it has been since 2007, according to FanGraphs, and only six players in the majors have been worse by that metric.

American League teams would have the option of sticking Ramirez in the DH slot from time to time, lessening the blow of his fielding troubles. That could make him more likely to switch leagues this offseason, especially considering Ramirez might sign a contract that will take him into his late 30s. By then, he could exclusively become a DH or corner infielder.

Where he's going

First things first: None of the speculation about possible destinations for Ramirez is relevant unless the Dodgers don't want him back, so let's look at the likelihood of an extension.

In February, Ramirez stated his desire to be "a Dodger for life," but it's unclear if the feeling is mutual.

In fact, it probably isn't. Players who aren't durable and have a history of defensive struggles aren't prime candidates for expensive long-term extensions, especially when said players are 30 years old. The Dodgers have had a close-up view of Ramirez's poor play in the field, and they might be tired of his errors and laziness costing the team runs and wins.

That said, Ramirez is also the best offensive shortstop not named Troy Tulowitzki, and the Dodgers would miss his bat if they let him walk. But uber-prospect Corey Seager might be ready to take over at short sometime next season, lessening the blow of Ramirez's potential departure.

Another point to consider: Third baseman Juan Uribe is only signed through the end of 2015, so if the Dodgers could consider eventually sliding Ramirez over to third and putting Seager at shortstop.

★★★

Ramirez actually turns 31 in December, which means he's much better suited to play for an AL team that can hide him at the DH spot—or one that already has defensive standouts in the infield to help mitigate Ramirez's negative effect.

Historically, teams have overlooked poor fielding if a player can compensate at the plate. But recently, the trend has shifted in favor of defense as more and more teams have learned just how important it is. (For example, Andrelton Simmons would never have dreamed of a $58 million contract in the 1990s or maybe even the early 2000s.) Because of this recent change, many teams will likely pass on Ramirez because they won't believe he's worth the price.

But teams that are desperate for a reversal of fortune and have the checkbook to make that happen will be all over Ramirez if he ends up testing the market. Of course, Derek Jeter's retirement leaves a Hall of Fame-sized hole at shortstop for the Yankees, and Ramirez wouldn't be much of a downgrade from Jeter's defense.

The only issue: While the Yankees always seem to have money to burn, this upcoming season might be different. With payroll commitments numbering upwards of $170 million in 2015 and several key expiring contracts (closer David Robertson, for one), the Yanks might be strapped for cash.

That last statement sounded absurd to type out, because the Yankees never quite seem to run out of money. So while players like J.J. Hardy or Jed Lowrie might be better and more logical fits to replace Jeter (assuming they become free agents), Ramirez is another option if the Yankees are willing to spend the money and deal with more years of defensive turmoil at the six spot.

More likely, the Red Sox will give Ramirez a serious thought and should be considered legitimate candidates to re-acquire the player they originally signed 14 years ago.

But wait! The Red Sox already have Xander Bogaerts, Will Middlebrooks and Mookie Betts in the infield, not to mention Dustin Pedroia and prospect Garin Cecchini. But maybe those players aren't a sure thing.

It's unfair to judge Bogaerts by about a season of experience, but through 625 plate appearances, the Sox infielder has a .238/.299/.362 career line. He likely has a very bright future ahead and could be a stalwart of the Boston infield for years to come, but his success is far from guaranteed.

The came can be said of Middlebrooks, who is hitting .191 this season and hasn't come close to replicating his success from 2012. His three-year OPS+ decline is as follows: 121, 88 and 48, from 2012 to 2014. In other words, there's some uncertainty on the left side of the Boston infield.

The Red Sox are set to go on a huge spending spree, they need to improve quickly, and the potential market lacks elite hitters. Maybe, just maybe, those factors could point the Sox toward Ramirez this winter.

Another possible destination is that other team in New York—the Mets. Though they should have one of the NL's best rotations in 2016 with Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler, the Mets will need offense to complement that pitching. Current shortstop Wilmer Flores (career .292/.334/.440 hitter in seven minor league seasons) has gotten off to a very slow start since he was called up to the majors last season, and their next best option, prospect Amed Rosario, was demoted to Low-A earlier this season.

The Mets don't necessarily project to contend next year, so they could wait it out with Flores and hope he settles in somewhere close to his level of production in the minors. But signing Ramirez would guarantee the Mets a reliable bat at short and give the team an excellent infield of David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda and Ramirez. Additionally, the four previously mentioned pitchers all have high strikeout rates, which makes Ramirez's defensive issues that much less of an issue.

Of course, it's still a stretch. The Mets aren't a financial powerhouse, and they had just the 22nd-highest payroll in baseball this season. But they've ranked near the top as recently as 2011, when the team had the majors' seventh-highest payroll, and we've seen them spend big on infielders like Wright and Jose Reyes. Ramirez to the Mets is an unlikely but very possible scenario.

For the first time since July 9th, Masahiro Tanaka took the mound. We will break down what he did in his return.

It was a day that many did not think would come without a detour on the surgeon's operating table but Masahiro Tanaka managed to make a long-awaited return to the mound for the first time since partially tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. The Yankees' ace was brilliant in his return, going five and a third innings while giving up five hits and one run with four strikeouts on 70 pitches. The final stat line is immaterial to how his pitches looked and, most importantly, how he felt during and after the game.

Depending on the source, Tanaka's average velocity readings fluctuated but each system agreed that his velocity was down roughly one mile per hour from what he averaged pre-injury. From Brooks Baseball, Tanaka averaged 91.8 mph on his four-seam fastball which is down from his season average of 92.8 mph. A similar trend can be seen with his sinker, cutter, slider, curve, and trademark split-finger, which all saw a decrease of roughly one mile per hour when compared to the season line. Considering the right-hander missed nearly three-months due to his injury, it is not too unusual that his velocity would suffer a small amount.

Tanaka's velocity appeared to be the only thing that really suffered in his long layover. Against Toronto he showed outstanding control of his entire repertoire to go along with impeccable command and efficiency. Out of the 70 pitches thrown, 48 of which went for strikes. Not all strikes are quality and, once again, Tanaka showed little of the rust one would expect. The charts below, courtesy of Texas Leaguers, show the total pitches thrown by the Yankees ace. One can see the heavy concentration down and away with the majority of offspeed pitches either out of the the zone or on the edges of the strike zone.

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

This is in stark contrast to his July 8th start, which was Tanaka's last before being placed on the disabled list. Looking at the chart below from that game, one notices how many pitches were left hanging in the middle of the zone. It was especially concerning how many sliders had been thrown dead center.

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

The ulnar collateral ligament stabilizes the elbow when it moves, so injuries to it such as tears tend to drastically affect command. Tanaka being able to properly locate his pitches with his characteristic command can be taken as a positive that his elbow was not bothering him on Sunday. Another positive to take from the start is that Tanaka did not alter his pitch selection. Against the Blue Jays, he threw 19 sinkers, 18 four-seamers, 15 splitters, 11 curveballs, and 7 sliders. Tanaka has shown throughout the year that he prefers to throw all of his pitches in almost equal amount. The fact that he continued to follow this trend upon his return, rather than alter his approach by emphasizing his fastball more or throwing fewer split-fingers, shows he has confidence in his arm.

The only negative that one can take from the twenty-five year old's start was that he only generated a swinging strike on only 8.6% of his total pitches; far lower than his season line of 13.5%. Even with that said, one should consider that will likely get better as he readjusts to pitching against Major League competition. This start was a big step for Masahiro Tanaka, and with him reportedly playing catch before Monday's game against the Orioles, it looks likely that he will be able to take his next step Sunday when he faces off against Boston.

Keith Olbermann turned his EVISCERATIN' blade on Derek Jeter on Tuesday and made some incisive points: This prolonged farewell tour, which has been as much about selling crap as it has about honoring Jeter, is extremely gross. And the collective insistence on keeping Jeter in the lineup has surely hurt the Yankees this season.

This overarching narrative that Jeter ISN'T THE BEST EVER YEAH I SAID IT is a bit silly, though. Who's Olbermann arguing with? Jorge Posada? Modern-day Yankees fans who, like any generation of diehards, overvalue the great they grew up with? Olbermann goes to great lengths to shoot down a Greatest Ever argument that, as far as I can tell, very few people are making. A noisy minority exaggerate Jeter's legacy, and of course they do. It's his last hurrah and he plays in New York, where everything gets magnified to the point of insufferableness. This is like arguing with people who compliment a guy at his funeral (although, as Olbermann fairly points out, Jeter is not dead, despite what his treatment might suggest.)

That said, Olbermann ends the whole thing with "YEAH JEETS," so we're good.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Nelson Cruz hit his 40th home run of the season on Tuesday night in New York, the first major leaguer to reach 40 home runs this season.

For a second straight season the Baltimore Orioles have the major league leader in home runs. This year, Nelson Cruz is atop the heap and hit his 40th home run of the season on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, against New York Yankees right-hander Brandon McCarthy in the fifth inning.

Cruz, 33, declined a qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers last winter of one year, $14.1 million as a pending free agent. He then saw his demand plummet, with the cost of a first-round draft pick attached with his signing. Cruz ultimately settled on a one-year, $8 million contract with Baltimore, signing after spring training began.

He has career highs with 40 home runs and 107 RBI in 155 games for the Orioles this season. Cruz is hitting .269/.334/.529 and has the second-highest OPS+ (140) of his career, helping the Orioles to their second playoff appearance in three seasons and their first division title in 17 years.

Chris Davis of the Orioles led the majors in 2013 with 53 home runs.

In spite of the Orioles amassing seventeen hits, Derek Jeter had a chance to win it in the ninth. Things didn't work out the way they should have.

The Yankees continued their final homestand of 2014 against the division champion Baltimore Orioles. Disappointing O's  pickup Ubaldo Jimenez faced off against excellent Yankees' pickup Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy just didn't have it tonight though, and the Yankees couldn't make up for it.

The Orioles struck first in the top of the second. It was Yankees' castoff Kelly Johnson enacting his revenge by crushing a pitch by McCarthy into the right-center field seats for a solo home run and a 1-0 Orioles lead. The troubles continued for McCarthy as he allowed three more hits in the inning and the Orioles upped their advantage to two runs. In the fourth McCarthy would get burned by the homer again when with Nick Hundley aboard Nick Markakis smacked one a couple rows up in the seats in right to make it 4-0 for the Orioles.

The Yankees got on the board themselves in the fourth. After Chase Headley walked, Mark Teixeira doubled down the right field line. That set up Headley to score on a Chris Young groundout, and thus the shutout was avoided. The lead was bumped back up to four when McCarthy gave up another dinger, this time it was Nelson Cruz and his fortieth of the season. McCarthy would only make it into the sixth, allowing eleven hits and five runs over 5.1 innings.

Jimenez similarly could not make it out of the sixth as the Yankees rallied against him. Brian McCann singled and again Headley walked. Buck Showalter then tabbed Brad Brach to come in and put out the fire. He retired Teixieira on a groundout and walked Young. Stephen Drew surprised by not totally failing and hitting a sacrifice fly, but Ichiro Suzuki followed with a strikeout so the Yankees got no closer than 5-2. In the seventh Derek Jeter started a two-out rally with an infield hit and scored when Brian McCann hit yet another Yankee Stadium home run. The O's lead was down to one.

Zach Britton came on for the ninth and quickly dispatched of Suzuki and Pirela. The crowd got to see what they were hoping for as Gardner beat out an infield hit to bring up The Captain. It didn't end in storybook fashion though, as Britton easily took care of Jeter on three pitches. Hoping for a two-run dinger off of a guy throwing 97+ MPH heat was probably a longshot anyways.

The teams meet for game three of the series tomorrow at 1:05 PM. Bud Norris and Shane Greene are your probables.

Box Score

The Orioles are 2-0 in Ubaldo's last two starts. Nice!

On many nights this would have been an easy win for the Orioles. After all, they racked up seventeen hits including three home runs. But the O's couldn't come through in a number of clutch situations, and some late inning troubles by the bullpen made this game a little close for comfort. But all's well that ends well, and the Orioles came away with their 94th win of the season. The Yankees, on the other hand, now sit one game from elimination of any postseason chance. Ain't the beer cold!

Ubaldo Jimenez got his second start in as many weeks tonight as Buck Showalter is trying to give his starters an extra day of rest through the last time through the rotation in the regular season. When last we saw Ubaldo, he was pitching the Orioles into a win that clinched the division last Tuesday. He was wild but ultimately effective that night, and the same could be said for him in this game.

Though he didn't allow any runs in the first inning, Jimenez didn't exactly inspire confidence as he walked the leadoff batter, gave up a stolen base, and hit a batter with a pitch. But after the O's gave him a two-run lead in the second inning, he came back and retired seven in a row before he got into hot water again.

The two runs in the second for the Orioles came courtesy of a solo home run from Kelly Johnson and an RBI single by Nick Markakis. The home run was the first for Kelly Johnson as an Oriole and his seventh this season. His previous six came in a darker time in his career when he played for the Yankees earlier this season. Markakis's single knocked in Jimmy Parades, who had singled himself with one out and moved to third on a hit by Nick Hundley.

In the fourth inning the Orioles put up two more runs on starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy, courtesy again of #TeamNick. Hundley got on base for Markakis, who took advantage of right field in Yankee Stadium for his 13th home run of the year.

The Yankees finally got on the board in the fourth inning when Ubaldo again walked a guy. At this point I'm not even frustrated by it, it's just par for the course for Ubaldo. Chase Headley was the recipient of the walk, and he went to third base on a double from Mark "Booooooooo" Teixeira. A ground out from Brian McCann brought in the first run to cut the lead to three runs.

About five minutes after McCann's RBI groundout, Nelson Cruz gave the Orioles back their four-run lead thanks to his major-league leading 40th home run of the season. Do you love dingers? Well then Nelson Cruz is your guy! It felt like a very comfortable lead at that point, but it turned out the O's needed every one of those runs.

Jimenez started the sixth inning and gave up a single and a walk, which was all that Buck Showalter could stand. He pulled him in favor of Brad Brach, and while Brach did walk a batter of his own and allow one of Jimenez's runs to come in on a sacrifice fly, he got out of the inning with a decent lead still intact. It didn't last long.

While the Orioles hitters were busy stranding runners all over the place (two each in the sixth, eighth, and ninth innings. They didn't strand any in the seventh thanks to an inning ending double play), the normally solid relief duo of Darren O'Day and Andrew Miller ran into some problems. Well, O'Day didn't actually pitch poorly. He got the first two outs but then gave up an extremely clutch and historical infield single to Derek Jeter, and was then pulled for Andrew Miller. Miller only needed to retire Brian McCann. He did not. McCann hit Miller's fastball right into the right field seats to bring the Yankees to within one.

Tommy Hunter replaced Miller and pitched an 1-2-3 eighth inning with three ground outs, and then it was up to Zach Britton. If anyone reached base, Jeter would have an opportunity to hit, which of course is what ESPN and even Gary Thorne couldn't stop talking about. Britton quickly got the first two batters, but an infield single by Brett Gardner kept things alive for Captain Clutch. Britton dialed up his fastball to 96 and 97 mph and mowed Jeter down on three pitches to end the game. Hooray!

Oakland Sure Coulda Used Cespedes Tonight...

Final Score in Oakland:Angels 2 Athletics 0

The sniveling Oakland A's were shut out for the SEVENTH time since trading Yoenis Cespedes at the July 31 trade deadline.

Journeyman Wade LeBlanc, DFAd twice by the Angels this season and once by the Yankees, shut them out through 5.1 innings and the JeDi Bullpen did the rest - Jason Grilli in the sixth, Kevin Jepsen in the seventh - his 65th scoreless appearance of the season, Joe Smith in a shaky but zeroed-in eighth and a quick fu Save from King Kashmir Huston Street.

Erick Aybar ran home while Efren Navarro was pickled in an aborted steal of 2B in the second inning and that was the run that would matter. Gordon Beckham mashed a monster home run to stifle the LF drum section in the few seats that were not tarped over at Oakland Raider Stadium.

Oakland starter Sonny Gray struck out TWELVE Angels - including Mike Trout three times. But Billy Beane traded his offense for more pitching and he became the first pitcher since Brett Saberhagen in 1990 to K a dozen Halos and get a big fat L for his efforts.

That was all the Angels would need and A's get kicked to a tie for the Wild Card spot with the Kansas City Royals. It was delightful kicking their asses in a playoff tuneup. Light up the Halo.