Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

• Yankees 14, Angels 7: Soriano and the offense crush LA
• Yankees lineup vs. Angels, New York Penn League All-Star Game roster
• Ivan Nova: Ace or lucky hot streak?
• Boo the Yankees: A spoiled fan's confession
• An open letter to the Steinbrenners, re: Jose Abreu
• Alex Rodriguez and his bizarre infatuation with walk-off homer helmets: A GIF-filled history
• Yankees 2014: Don't go, Hiroki Kuroda!
• Yankees Prospect Interview: Eric Wooten
• Baby Bomber Recap 8/12/13: Rob Refsnyder tallies four hits in Tampa loss

Around the Internet

• ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: Someone claiming to be ex-Yankee Shane Spencer accused several Yankees of taking steroids, but it wasn't him.
• LoHud | Chad Jennings: Derek Jeter took batting practice with the team today and is hopeful to avoid another rehab assignment.
• It's About the Money | Michael Eder: With a large amount of money coming off the books at the end of the season, the Yankees could look to the international free agent market and make a run at Jose Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka.
• CBS Sports | Danny Knobler:Ichiro Suzuki reaching 4,000 hits is significant even if it doesn't put him over Pete Rose.
• New York Post | Joel Sherman: If the Yankees aren't going to make the playoffs then they'd probably be best served by tanking the rest of the season in order to gain a better draft spot.
• It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: Looking at Derek Jeter's role with the 2014 Yankees and how to prepare for for life without him.
• The Wall Street Journal | Dan Barbarisi: A log of all the negative things CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte have said about their pitching this season.
• NoMaas | Martin Riggs:Hiroki Kuroda could challenge for the Cy Young Award, but it will likely end up going to the more deserving Felix Hernandez.

Quick Hits

• Ex-Yankee Tim Redding has signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Atlantic League.
• Cito Culver and Ben Paullus have been promoted to High-A Tampa.
• Pat Venditte has moved up to Double-A Trenton and Slade Heathcott has been placed on the DL.

Questions of the Day

• When will Dellin Betances pitch again?
• Who should be the catchers on the Yankees right now?
• What would you be doing on your perfect vacation?
• Who is your internet provider?

Coming Up Today

• Baby Bomber Recap 8/13/13 @ 9 am
• Mark Montgomery and the terrible, no good, very bad season @ 2 pm
• New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels at 7:05 pm (6:30 pm game thread)

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 7-1 vs. Charlotte Knights

RF Corey Patterson 3-5, HR, RBI, K, SB - fourth homer with SWB
C JR Murphy 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, HBP - fourth homer with SWB
CF Melky Mesa 0-5, RBI, 2 K
1B Dan Johnson 0-4, 3 K
DH Randy Ruiz 3-4, 2 2B, RBI - batting .308 with SWB
2B David Adams 1-3, 2B, RBI, HBP - 11th double of the season
LF Ronnier Mustelier 1-4, RBI, OF assist
3B Brent Lillibridge 0-1, K, HBP
SS Brendan Harris 1-4

Caleb Cotham 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, K - five groundouts, four flyouts
Cesar Cabral 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K, WP
David Herndon 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K, HB
Sam Demel 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

RailRiders pitchers held the Knights off the board after they briefly held a one-run lead in the top of the first inning. Two home runs and eleven hits powered SWB to their 59th win of the season.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 8-2 vs. Harrisburg Senators

LF Ramon Flores 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB - 19th double of the season
3B Reegie Corona 1-4, 2B, BB
2B Jose Pirela 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K, HBP, E4 - throwing error, 15th of the season
C Gary Sanchez 1-5, K, E2(3) - batting .280 since his promotion
1B Kyle Roller 1-4, RBI, K, HBP
SS Carmen Angelini 1-3, BB
RF Yeral Sanchez 0-4, 2 K
DH Saxon Butler 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI
CF Cody Grice 1-3, K, HBP

Jeremy Bleich 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R/0 ER, BB, 6 K - six groundouts, one flyout
Diego Moreno 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP
Francisco Rondon 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP
Aaron Dott 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

Two separate three-run innings by the Thunder offense helped Trenton pick up their 64th win of the season. The Senators scored the first run of the game and the last run of the game, but everything in between was all Thunder.

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 7-3 vs. Brevard County Manatees

CF Mason Williams 2-5, RBI
2B Rob Refsnyder 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, HBP - 25th double of the season
LF Ben Gamel 0-4, BB, K
3B Peter O'Brien 0-4, BB, 3 K, E5 - fielding error, 13th of the season
1B Matt Snyder 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K - second homer of the season
SS Cito Culver 2-4, 2B, E6(fielding) - High-A debut
RF Taylor Dugas 2-4, RBI
C Jeff Farnham 2-4, K - batting .391 with Tampa
DH Jose Toussen 0-2, 2 BB, K

Scottie Allen 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R/2 ER, BB, 4 K, WP, 2 HB - five groundouts, six flyouts
Ben Paullus 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Charley Short 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, K, HB

Tampa jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and used eleven hits to stop their losing streak and pick up their 50th win of the season in Culver's High-A debut.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 2-1 vs. Lexington Legends

CF Jake Cave 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB, SB - 30th double of the season
2B Angelo Gumbs 0-4
1B Greg Bird 0-3, BB, K
RF Ericson Leonora 2-4, 2B, RBI, K - batting .347 with Charleston
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-3, BB, 2 K - activated from the DL
DH Reymond Nunez 1-3, K
C Jackson Valera 0-3, K
LF Daniel Aldrich 1-3, 2 K
SS Ty Afenir 1-3, K

Brett Gerritse 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, E1 - five groundouts, four flyouts
Derek Varnadore 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, K

Runs were hard to come by in the game, but Charleston scored first and last with six hits to edge the Legends for their 64th win of the season to move nine games over .500 on the year.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: All-Star Game

Gulf Coast Yankees 1 Highlights:

CF Dustin Fowler 1-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K, OF assist - fifth double of the season
2B Gosuke Katoh 2-5, HR, RBI - fifth homer of the season
DH Eduardo de Oleo 3-4, HR, RBI, HBP - third homer of the season
3B Christopher Tamarez 2-4, RBI, BB
RF Austin Aune 1-5, 2 K, E9 - throwing error
LF Jimmy Falla 2-4, RBI, BB, K

Chaz Hebert 1.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K - one groundout, two flyouts
Samuel Garcia 1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K, WP
Jose Diaz 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Gulf Coast Yankees 2 Highlights:

SS Abiatal Avelino 1-3, 2 BB, SB - batting .331 this season
DH Luis Torrens 1-2, 2 BB
3B Miguel Andujar 1-3, 2B, RBI, SB, HBP
CF Jose Figueroa 1-3, BB, K

Felipe Gonzalez 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 WP, HB - five groundouts, two flyouts
Angel Rincon 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, HB
Jose Pena 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Who would have thought that a few years after the Javier Vazquez/Melky Cabrera trade, the player with the biggest impact on his new team would be a lefty reliever? (No, not Mike Dunn.) Boone Logan was somewhat overlooked in that December 2009 deal, but he is the only player still with his team from that trade. Logan's Yankee career has been completely baffling. There are some games where he looks like total crap, and even in the games where he succeeds, his positive outings don't seem to leave much of an impression on Yankee fans. However, there have always been enough strong games to make his season stat lines appear quite good, leading fans to wonder how exactly that happened.

The real kicker is how Logan's Yankee career stacks up against another Texan lefty reliever who is fondly remembered from the dynasty years.

From these stats, Logan and Stanton are far closer than one would likely guess, though Stanton really kills Logan in overall WPA (+7.7 for Stanton, +0.4 for Logan). Regardless, Logan's total numbers don't look so bad. That trend has continued this year in what appears to be his best statistical season as a Yankee, but by some measures, it might actually be his worst.

Logan's ERA on the season is a sterling 2.20 (53 ERA-) in 48 games and 32 2/3 innings. Thanks to Mariano Rivera's ugly week last week, it's actually the second-best mark in the bullpen now behind David Robertson's 1.81 (44 ERA-).  He has done a great job cutting down his control problems from a 4.6 BB/9 last year to 2.2 BB/9 in 2013, and his 12.1 K/9 and 1.133 WHIP are career-highs as well. There's no denying that Logan has certainly made strides in his game this year.

Yet amid the success, Logan has had several games this year where his most aggravating traits are shown off. Despite being a lefthanded pitcher, Logan has been inconsistent throughout his Yankee career against lefties. He had a phenomenal .501 OPS against them in 2010, which ballooned to .789 in 2011, then reverted to a more even .665 in 2012. This year, that figure has unfortunately gone in the wrong direction again, up to .725 (a .254/.292/.433 triple slash in 73 plate appearances). It is the nature of relievers to experience extremes at times due to the smaller sample sizes compared to starting pitchers with more innings, but it is still frustrating. Among all 61 lefty relievers in the majors with at least 20 games, Logan's .725 OPS against lefties ranks 45th, the lowest third of the group.

Inherited runners have been a cause for concern as well; 13 of the 40 baserunners have come around to score, a 33% mark that currently stands as the worst of his four seasons in New York. Although six other relievers have matched Logan's 13 inherited runs scored, only six have allowed more. (Contrast that to Shawn Kelley, who has been absolutely ridiculous in stranding inherited runners--just two of 31 inherited have scored, a 6% mark that is the best in the majors among the 73 relievers who have inherited at least 15 runners.) Logan has not been stranding runners enough, and while that does not impact his ERA, it show up on his WPA.

Thus, Logan is also experiencing problems with WPA again at a -0.23 WPA for the season, which would be the lowest of his four Yankee years. His WPA/LI is also a low at -0.48, meaning that he has not been very good in higher leverage situations this year. He's given up more homers than normal at a 1.4 HR/9, above his career norm of 1.1 HR/9. That's five homers in his 32 2/3 innings, and three of them were hit by lefties.

The Yankees face a tough choice about whether or not to re-sign Logan after the season. He certainly has his positives, but it's far from a slam-dunk decision. It would be hard to blame them for passing on him if his demands are too much, especially given the risk of reliever contracts. For now, Logan is still a vital reliever in their bullpen since he's the only lefty. If the Yankees are going to make a last-ditch run at the Wild Card, they will need him to strand more baserunners and pitch more effectively against the David Ortizes and Prince Fielders of the world.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Baby Bomber Recap 8/13/13: Cito Culver doubles in High-A debut
• Yankees 14, Angels 7: Soriano and the offense crush LA
• Ivan Nova: Ace or lucky hot streak?
• Boo the Yankees: A spoiled fan's confession
• Alex Rodriguez and his bizarre infatuation with walk-off homer helmets: A GIF-filled history

The Yankees' first round pick in 2010 was a bit of a puzzling one. That first round pick, of course, was a local kid out of Rochester, Cito Culver. According to Baseball America, Culver was ranked as the 168th best draft prospect, but the Yankees took him with their 32nd overall pick anyway. It has been a pretty long road, but on Monday, the shortstop was finally promoted to High-A Tampa.

In that same Baseball America post from the 2010 draft, Culver was said to have the "athleticism, plus tools to play shortstop and (has) good infield actions" on defense. The offense, however, was and is a different story, "(he has) a loose, whippy swing from both sides of the plate" who may end up just as a utility player if he ever reaches the big leagues. Those reports from three years ago sound pretty similar to what Culver is now: a good defensive shortstop with a pretty below-average bat. In terms of the below-average bat, Culver has posted a batting line of .232/.319/.320 in 351 career minor league games with an OPS never being higher than .680 in any of his four seasons in the organization. The defense, though, is there; he can make crazy plays at short just like this one.

Again, despite the defense at shortstop, Culver simply has not put it together with the bat. The 2013 season was his second in Low-A Charleston, yet he hit .232/.312/.344 in 104 games. Considering his career-long struggles at the plate, the now former switch hitter dropped switch hitting and has focused clearly batting from the right side of the plate. There really hasn't been too much of a drastic platoon split as a result; he's hitting .227/.312/.340 against righties and .248/.309/.356 against lefties, batting solely from the right side of the dish.

It's also not like Culver got hot for a couple weeks to earn the promotion to High-A. He hit .239/.293/.272 with just one extra-base hit in his final 23 games with the RiverDogs. No matter how you look at it, Culver's struggles with the bat are pretty alarming. Even last year around this time, scout Mike Newman suggested the Yankees would benefit by making him transition back to the mound "sooner rather than later." Remember, Culver hit 92-94 mph off the mound before he got drafted. I'm not sure if they'll make the move just yet, but you have to wonder if they ever will considering we're dealing with someone who has a career MiLB OPS of just .638 in over 1,500 career plate attempts. Either way, it's nice to finally see Cito reach Tampa, even if it may be just a courtesy promotion.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Alex Rodriguez and his bizarre infatuation with walk-off homer helmets: A GIF-filled history
• Ivan Nova: Ace or lucky hot streak?
• An open letter to the Steinbrenners, re: Jose Abreu
• Yankees 2014: Don't go, Hiroki Kuroda!
• Yankees 14, Angels 7: Soriano and the offense crush LA

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez plans to sue Major League Baseball if his 211-game suspension is not completely lifted at the conclusion of his appeal, reports TMZ.

Sources "directly connected to A-Rod" tell TMZ that the veteran slugger feels "persecuted" by the league and that he is prepared to take Bud Selig and company to Federal court if he does not get the desired outcome -- i.e. complete vindication -- from his appeal.

Shane Spencer Victim of Radio Hoax

Someone impersonating the former Yankees outfielder called in to ESPN Radio on Monday and admitted "dabbling" in steroids.

On what ground A-Rod would sue is unclear at this point, given that the appeals process already in play seems a rather fair way to make his case against the league.

The reported reason that A-Rod plans to go so hard after MLB if his name isn't cleared is that he has been tested for PEDs as many as 11 times since 2011, but has never once tested positive. The sources believe that it is "absurd" for the league to hand out such a lengthy penalty to A-Rod when Ryan Braun -- who does have a positive test in his past -- was suspended only 65 games, calling the league's investigation "abusive and borderline illegal."

The sources added that the league has "no proof" that Rodriguez impeded with it's investigation, and claim that MLB is harassing and intimidating witness. Rodriguez's attorney, David Cornwell, stated in an interview Tuesday that the legal team had yet to see the league's evidence against Rodriguez, so how TMZ's sources would know that the league has "no proof" of A-Rod's wrongdoing without that evidence is not readily apparent.

Cornwell also stated that he and his team plan to fight the allegation that A-Rod is guilty of multiple violations of MLB's drug policy, but didn't give any indication of being able to clear him completely.

More from SB Nation:

• Neyer: What's wrong with Prince Fielder?

• Goldman: Who should win the NL MVP award?

• Brian Wilson close to Dodgers debut

• The ridiculousness of MLB waivers

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Alex Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games, basically amounting the 2014 season and whatever was left of the 2013 at the time of ruling, based on multiple charges. One such charge was the allegation that A-Rod had taking steroids every year since 2009. As part of Alex Rodriguez's appeal, his lawyer David Cornwell, plans to challengeMajor League Baseball's claim of A-Rod's alleged use over multiple years.

It will take more than 20 days for Rodriguez's legal team to go through every shred of evidence MLB has compiled against their client and the lawyers have yet to see the evidence at this time. Some believe A-Rod's side is trying to stall the appeal process, but it takes time to build a case and look through all the necessary evidence the opposition has built up. It is believed that MLB's arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, won't make a ruling on the appeal until November, so there is still plenty of time for both sides to prepare for a long legal battle.

Cornwell also shot down the rumor that Alex rodriguez was trying to make a deal with MLB to take a 100-game suspension, retire, and collect that remaining money he was owed.

According to TMZ, so grain of salt, Alex Rodriguez plans to sue MLB if his suspension isn't completely lifted at the conclusion of his appeal. Their source says he is being persecuted because he has been tested 11 times since 2011 and his results have all come back negative, meanwhile Ryan Braun tested positive in 2011, lied about it, and was given a considerably less severe punishment. The source also believes that MLB has no real proof against A-Rod and that MLB's investigation has been borderline illegal after intimidating witnesses and instead makes them look more guilty than he does.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees prospects: Cito Culver finally makes it to Tampa
• Boone Logan and his maddeningly Janus-like season
• Ivan Nova: Ace or lucky hot streak?
• Boo the Yankees: A spoiled fan's confession
• An open letter to the Steinbrenners, re: Jose Abreu

Before you leave the page, this article is not to thrash Rivera for his recent Carlos Marmolesque run. That being said, the question "Should we be worried?" will be raised and I'd like to prepare you to answer it.

Mariano Rivera is no doubt the greatest closer of all time and we as Yankees' fans are lucky to have him. However, these three blown saves will not suffice. We are a spoiled fan base. We boo when a guy who has hit 300 career home runs for us grounds into two double plays in a win. I love Mo just as much as the next guy, but we have got to ask if something is wrong.

Now, we know coming back from any injury is tough, especially a torn ACL at the age of 42. So we knew something would be different about the guy wearing 42 on his jersey. Then he had to come out and be 19 for his first 19 save opportunities and 35 for his first 37. We thought he was better than ever and didn't want him to retire when he was at his best. Then came these games. Three games that we want to forget but can't. Three games that were unlike any other in his career.

Let's take a look at a total line from these three blown saves: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 3 HR all on 81 pitches. His ERA has risen from 1.56 to 2.44 in just a week. This shows us something we all needed to see: We were once again spoiled by some luck through most of the season that made us think Rivera was better than ever. Maybe the baseball gods thought we were getting too arrogant. Maybe they get mad when the opponents' fans cheer for our closer. We were given a reality check in the harshest way imaginable because when it comes down to it, we all should have seen a streak like this coming.

Rivera's 2013 season has been an odd one. The ups and downs, all the opponents' fans, lots of strange gifts and an ovation at a Boston steakhouse. He had everyone from Red Sox fans to Mets fans cheering for him. And he deserves every bit of it for the things he has accomplished over the last 19 years. So why should the Yankees organization be worried?

One word: statistics. Whether you are a believer in statistics or not, these do a great job of explaining Rivera's 2013 campaign. Let's start with strikeouts and home runs, the two things that a pitcher has the most control over. His strikeout percentage is at 22.3% for the year, the third lowest since 2000 for Rivera. Rivera has given up five homers on the year which comes out to exactly 1 HR/9, which is his highest since 1995 when he was used primarily as a starter. This brings his K/HR ratio to 8.2 for the season, also the lowest since '95. His K/HR in 2011 was 20.0 and 22.3 in 2010. Rivera's WHIP (1.19) and batting average against (.260) are both the highest of his career as a closer. Now as we go through all of this, I should also point out that Rivera's LOB% is the third highest of his career at an outstanding 87%. However, his blown saves have come against good hitters such as David Wright, Adam Jones, Adam Dunn and Miguel Cabrera. With the old Rivera, we never had to worry about who was coming up, but this year has now shown us that he isn't the Rivera of old. If and when runners get on against Rivera, we would really like to see the bottom of the order rather than the guys listed above.

So should we worry about Rivera's three blown saves? You tell me. I'm a full believer in this team and number 42. We just have to hope that his teammates, and a little bit of luck, will help send him off with a ring like he deserves.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Alex Rodriguez and his bizarre infatuation with walk-off homer helmets: A GIF-filled history
• Ivan Nova: Ace or lucky hot streak?
• An open letter to the Steinbrenners, re: Jose Abreu
• Yankees 2014: Don't go, Hiroki Kuroda!
• Yankees 14, Angels 7: Soriano and the offense crush LA

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced on Friday.

Farnsworth appeared in 39 games for the Tampa Bay Rays this season, posting a 5.76 ERA and a career-low strikeout rate of 5.8 per nine innings. The Rays designated Farnsworth for assignment on Aug. 9 and released him a day later.

The 37-year-old right-hander is in his 15th big-league season and pitched for six organizations -- the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals and Rays -- prior to joining the Pirates.

Pittsburgh's bullpen ranks second in the National League with a 2.75 ERA, but the team's closer, Jason Grilli, has been on the disabled list since July 23 and likely won't return until early September.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will soon admit to using performance-enhancing drugs during the 2011 season, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Friends of the 29-year-old slugger who wish to remain anonymous told USA Today that he plans to apologize to Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, sample collector Dino Laurenzi Jr. and others. In addition to his reported upcoming admission of guilt, Braun will also provide reasons for taking PEDs, per Nightengale.

Things haven't been going so well for Braun lately. After he was slapped with a 65-game suspension by MLB, the seven-year veteran had a lawsuit filed against him by a former college friend, accusing Braun of PED usage, academic fraud and the acceptance of money from University of Miami boosters.

Braun does not want to be linked to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, people close to him told Nightengale. That wasn't the case on Friday, when word got out that Rodriguez implicated Braun and others by leaking unredacted versions of forms that included the names of multiple players.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Let's not think about the rest of the season, just enjoy this win. The Red Sox are leading the AL East and the Yankees are in fourth place, clinging onto the hope of the wild card chase, but today, that didn't matter. The Yankees beat the Red Sox 10–3 and it was a good win.

The offense was great in the first half of the game when they scored in every inning until the fifth. In the first, Brett Gardner singled, moved over on an Eduardo Nunez sacrifice bunt, stole third, and then scored on an Alfonso Soriano single. Newly minted Yankee Mark Reynolds hit a two-run home run over the Green Monster in the second to make it 3–0 and Soriano hit a three-run home run in the third to make it 6–0.

In the fourth, Michael Kay was convinced that Jacoby Ellsbury caught a Nunez fly ball at the wall, but he actually completely missed it before colliding with the wall and Nunez was safe with a triple. Robinson Cano then singled to make it 7–0.

The Yankees didn't score again until the ninth inning, when they blew the game wide open. Soriano and Alex Rodriguez each singled then stole second and third. Ichiro Suzuki scored a run on an infield single, Reynolds scored a run on a regular single, and even Chris Stewart managed to single in a run to make it a 10–3 game.

All in all the Yankees combined for 15 hits and four walks as every Yankee hitter reached base at some point or another. Soriano had three hits and accumulated four RBI to give him the most runs batted in over a four-day period in the history of Major League Baseball, ever. A-Rod, Nunez, Gardner, Reynolds, and Stewart all had multi-hit games, and even Curtis Granderson, who pinch hit for Vernon Wells, collected a walk. It was a good night for everyone.

For the first time in a long time Andy Pettitte was actually good. He didn't allow a run in the first inning for the first time since June, so it was an improvement right from the start. He never even allowed an earned run because Eduardo Nunez is so bad in the field and is such a great teammate! In the fourth inning, Dustin Pedroia hit a ball off A-Rod's glove and advanced to second after Nunez couldn't pick up the errant ball cleanly and then Jonny Gomes singled him in. I'm not really sure where the error was, but whatever. Thankfully, Pettitte picked off Gomes to end the inning. At least I think it was Gomes. It was someone with a beard.

In the seventh inning, Pedroia again reached on another Nunez error. David Ortiz hit a ball off the outfield wall, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. Girardi should have had someone ready to replace Pettitte after he gave up a double to Stephen Drew, but no, or after he walked Mike Napoli, nothing again. Then Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to make it 7–3 and now it was time to take him out. Andy finished with five strikeouts, one walk, gave up three unearned runs on six hits in 6.2 innings.

Shawn Kelley came into the game to face one batter, Mike Carp. During the course of the at-bat he may or may not have hit Mike Carp with a pitch and may or may not have walked Mike Carp, but he definitely did strike out Mike Carp. Needless to say, after almost getting on base twice, Mike Carp was pissed off, he threw his bat and helmet, the umpire threw Mike Carp out, and then Mike Carp got in the umpire's face. I couldn't tell for sure though. It might have just been another guy with a beard.

David Robertson had an interesting eighth inning after he gave up singles to Ellsbury and Pedroia, but Ortiz hit into  force out double play to get out of the innings. With the Yankees winning 10–3, Joe Girardi trusted the game to Joba Chamberlain, and as you would expect, he messed that up. He gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases and David Huff had to come in to clean up after him. Preston Claiborne's demotion wasn't exactly uncalled for, but the logic allowing Joba to stay with the team is completely broken.

Who knows what will happen from this point on, but this was a good win, so enjoy it. They could get kicked in the teeth tomorrow, but that doesn't matter right now. Tonight we're awesome.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• MLB errors and their frequency trend
• GIFs of the Week: D-Rob's save, A-Rod's foul tag, and the clumsy Angels
• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #94 Chien-Ming Wang
• Mission Impossible: What will it take for the Yankees to make the postseason?
• The Yankees' aging outfield

Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

• Yankees 10, Red Sox 3: Kings for a day
• Yankees lineup vs. Red Sox; Mark Reynolds in as Preston Claiborne demoted, Luis Cruz designated for assignment
• MLB errors and their frequency trend
• GIFs of the Week: D-Rob's save, A-Rod's foul tag, and the clumsy Angels
• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #94 Chien-Ming Wang
• Mission Impossible: What will it take for the Yankees to make the postseason?
• The Yankees' aging outfield
• Biogenesis: Alex Rodriguez leaked evidence to implicate Ryan Braun, Francisco Cervelli, and Melky Cabrera
• Pinstripe Alley Podcast Episode 19: Steinbrenner face
• Baby Bomber Recap 8/15/13: Ramon Flores snaps hit streak in Thunder loss

Around the Internet

• Star-Ledger | Andy McCullough:Alex Rodriguez denies the allegations that he leaked documents that implicated Ryan Braun and Francisco Cervelli of steroid use.
• Sports Illustrated | Cliff Corcoran: The recent allegations facing Alex Rodriguez puts the union in a tough spot: they have to defend against a length suspension, but they also can't defend him if he violated the CBA.
• Baseball Nation | Grant Brisbee: Brian Cashman has had to scramble this year and judging by the list of players he's had to acquire, it looks like he's a bad scrambler.
• New York Post | Joel Sherman: With Derek Jeter's injury-riddled season and A-Rod's impending suspension, the Yankees are forced to look into alternative for 2014.
• Sports Illustrated | Jay Jaffe: Baseball needs replay, but a challenge system is the wrong way to go.
• It's About the Money | Michael Eder: A look at what Mark Reynolds could bring to the Yankees now that he's out of Progressive Field
• Baseball America | Ben Badler: Yankees shortstop prospect Thairo Estrada has helium status on this week's prospect hot sheets.
• MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wilmoth: Would moving the trade deadline to August 15 really make that big of a difference?
• MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: People have a lot to say about Ichiro Suzuki as he inches closer to the 4,000 professional hits mark.
• mlive | John Tunison: Ex-Yankee Chad Curtis has been found guilty of sexually assaulting three teenage girls while working at Lakewood Schools.

Quick Hits

• Curtis Grandersonsays that if Alex Rodriguez says he didn't leak anything then he believes him.
• Graham Stoneburner has been promoted to Triple-A Scranton.
• Alfonso Soriano's18 RBI are tied for the most over a four-game span.
• Alfonso Soriano is the first player in MLB history with 12 H, 18 RBI in a 4-game span.

Questions of the Day

• Will Joba Chamberlain be cut loose before the end of the season?
• Who was the worst signing of the 2013 Yankees?
• What is your opinion on facial hair?
• What's your sign?

Coming Up Today

• Baby Bomber Recap 8/16/13 @ 9 am
• Mike Trout vs Miguel Cabrera: the Yankee-rific AL MVP scorecard @ 11 am
• New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox at 4:05 pm (3:30 pm game thread)

Yankees 10, Red Sox 3:Alfonso Soriano was at it again on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in the Yankees' rout of Boston. Soriano knocked in four runs, bringing his total over his last four games to 18. He also had a dozen hits during that stretch, becoming the first player with at least 12 hits and 18 RBI in a four-game span in major league history.

Soriano is also the first Yankee with four consecutive three-hit games since Johnny Damon did it in 2006.

Alex Rodriguez had a pair of hits and Mark Reynolds hit his first home run since joining the Yankees. Andy Pettitte earned the win by allowing three runs -- none earned -- on six hits in 6 ⅔ innings.

Dodgers 4, Phillies 0: Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run to give the Dodgers their ninth consecutive win and spoil Ryne Sandberg's big-league managerial debut. The Phillies' offense mustered up just three hits against Zack Greinke, who worked around four walks to toss seven shutout innings.

Cliff Lee struck out six batters in eight innings, but allowed three runs on five hits en route to the Phillies' 20th loss in their last 24 games.

At least the cameramen at Citizen's Bank Park were on their game:

Braves 3, Nationals 2:Justin Upton hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to send Atlanta to its 18th win in 20 games. The win also gave the Braves a 15 ½-game lead over the Nats in the National League East.

Alex Wood was brilliant in 6 ⅓ innings, racking up nine strikeouts while allowing a run on five hits. Upton, Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons had two hits apiece. Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper went 1-for-2 and reached base via hit-by-pitch twice.

Royals 2, Tigers 1: Kansas City hurler Danny Duffy outdueled Justin Verlander, holding the Tigers scoreless for six innings while allowing just one hit. Verlander gave up only two runs in eight innings, but surrendered a home run to Eric Hosmer and allowed a run-scoring ground-rule double to Emilio Bonifacio in what proved to be the deciding run.

Ramon Santiago's eighth-inning solo home run was one of just two hits the Tigers had in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Billy Butler and Justin Maxwell had two hits apiece for the Royals.

Royals 3, Tigers 0 (Game 2):James Shields tip-toed around four walks to make it through seven innings without allowing a run. The Tigers finished with just four hits in Game 2, meaning they had six hits in 18 innings on Friday.

Hosmer homered again in the nightcap, taking Tigers starter Jose Alvarez deep in the third inning to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. Kansas City cut its deficit in the AL Central to 6 ½ games with the sweep of first-place Detroit.

Rays 5, Blue Jays 4:Jose Lobaton had three hits, including a walk-off triple in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull Tampa Bay to within one game of the AL East-leading Red Sox. The Rays won despite being outhit by Toronto, 13-8. Maicer Izturis led the Jays with three hits, while Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie finished with two apiece.

Pirates 6, Diamondbacks 2:Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen each had two hits and Jose Tabata hit a two-run home run off J.J. Putz to seal the win for Gerrit Cole, who struck out five in six innings of two-run ball.

Arizona finished with just five hits, two of which came off the bat of Martin Prado. Brandon McCarthy took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 ⅔ innings.

Brewers 7, Reds 6: Jonathan Lucroy, who was 0-for-5 with five strikeouts against Aroldis Chapman entering Friday, hit a two-run, walk-off homer against the Reds' closer to cap off a three-hit performance.

Jean Segura also had three hits and Juan Francisco hit his 18th home run of the season for the Brewers. Chris Heisey and Todd Frazier homered for Cincinnati, which lost to Milwaukee for just the fourth time in 11 games in 2013.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 0: The Cubs jumped on St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook for three runs in the first and wound up scoring all seven of their runs off the veteran sinkerballer. Donnie Murphy, Welington Castillo and Darwin Barney had three hits apiece for the Cubs and Nate Schierholtz knocked in three runs.

Jake Arrieta surrendered just two hits in seven shutout innings, striking out seven batters and walking two. Carlos Beltran had both of the Cardinals' hits.

Mariners 3, Rangers 1:Hisashi Iwakuma baffled the Rangers for seven innings, registering eight strikeouts while giving up a run on four singles. Justin Smoak provided a large chunk of Seattle's offense, which accounted for all three of its runs in the final two innings. Smoak went 2-for-3 with a ninth-inning solo home run and Corey Seager shouldered the rest of the Mariners' offensive load with his two-run homer in the eighth.

Texas' bullpen spoiled a solid performance from starter Derek Holland, who tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed only two hits.

Rockies 6, Orioles 3: The Rockies used the help of four home runs to earn just their second win in their last 11 tries on the road. Charlie Culberson hit his first career dinger and Todd Helton launched his 362nd. Charlie Blackmon and Wilin Rosario homered in between.

The Orioles got home runs from Nate McLouth and Matt Wieters, but went without a hit from Adam Jones' one-out single in the third inning until Wieters' long ball with one out in the ninth.

Giants 14, Marlins 10: San Francisco scored 11 runs off Miami starter Nathan Eovaldi but needed a solid bullpen performance to get out of Marlins Park with a win.

Hector Sanchez hit his second home run in as many days, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that gave the Giants an 11-4 advantage. Justin Ruggiano homered twice for the Marlins to keep it respectable, but 19 hits by the Giants -- including four apiece from Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval and three from Hunter Pence -- proved to be too much to overcome.

Ruggiano, Christian Yelich and Donovan Solano each had three hits for Miami in the loss.

White Sox 5, Twins 2: Joe Mauer homered to cap off a three-hit day, giving him nine knocks over his past three games, but it wasn't enough for the Twins, who scuffled against White Sox starter Jose Quintana. Quintana struck out seven and allowed two runs on six hits in 6 ⅔ innings to earn his seventh win of the season.

Adam Dunn hit his 28th home run of the year and Jeff Keppinger added a solo homer. Both players, as well as Dayan Viciedo, finished with two hits.

Athletics 3, Indians 2: Asdrubal Cabrera lined into a game-ending double play with one out and runners on first and second to end Cleveland's rally attempt in Oakland. Yoenis Cespedes got the A's started on the right foot, blasting a two-run home run in the first inning.

A.J. Griffin issued five walks but gave up just four hits in five innings of one-run ball. Sean Doolittle ended Griffin's shot at a win when he allowed a game-tying single to Nick Swisher in the seventh inning, but Eric Sogard saved the day for the A's with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning.

Mets 5, Padres2: Jon Niese scattered six hits and a walk while allowing just a run to pick up the win for New York. Meanwhile, his club teed off on San Diego starter to the tune of three home runs: Marlon Byrd and Ike Davis each had solo shots in the third, and Daniel Murphy drove in two with a blast in the fifth.

Will Venable hit a solo home run of his own for the Padres.

Astros 8, Angels 2: Houston broke open a close game with back-to-back ninth-inning home runs by Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez. Dominguez and L.J. Hoes each had three hits. Brad Peacock allowed two runs, neither earned, on four hits to get the win.

Hank Conger had two hits and drove in a run. L.A. Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen left in the seventh after being hit on the hand by a ball.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Report: A-Rod leaked Biogenesis names

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Scooter Gennett - Milwaukee Brewers (8% Owned) - 3 HR's in the past 7 days is definitely a mirage, but Gennett can be a useful plug-in option for the rest of the season with Rickie Weeks on the DL. There is definitely some pop in the bat, and he can run a bit but it's his patient plate approach and ability to bat to ball that leaves me excited about his prospects.

Corey Dickerson - Colorado Rockies (1% Owned) - Dickerson has been making the most of every opportunity and has hit at every stop of his career. There is double digit power in the bat (he hit 32 HR's two years ago in the Sally league) and it obviously plays up in Colorado. Charlie Blackmon appears to be getting the majority of the AB's in Car-Go's absence, but I expect Dickerson to steal most of those away in the coming weeks.

J.B. Shuck - Los Angeles Angels (4% Owned) - Shuck has been a lot of fun to watch atop of the Angels lineup. He can swipe a bag and is in a great position to accumulate a ton of runs. Shuck doesn't strike out often and tends to get hits in bunches.

Eduardo Nunez - New York Yankees (2% Owned) - Nunez has arguably the power power of all available SS options and has guaranteed playing time for the next few weeks. He's hitting towards the bottom of a weak New York offense, but if you need to make up ground in HR, Nunez could provide a late-season boost.

Khris Davis - Milwaukee Brewers (1% Owned) - Another pure power play, Davis has been mashing in his short 32-game sample (164 wRC+). If he can cut down on the strikeouts (and his minor league numbers suggest he might be able to) Davis can carve out a nice role in Milwaukee next year.

Jake Arrieta - Chicago Cubs (1% Owned) - Arrieta was dominant in his first start for the Cubs as he shut down the St. Louis Cardinals for 7 innings. He's a former top prospect, so this performance didn't come out of nowhere and I think he's capable of a few more of these starts. Arrieta will get plenty of opportunities in Chicago, and ultimately I think he sticks in 2014 and becomes a useful fantasy SP.

Brad Peacock - Houston Astros (1% Owned) - It's a foolish move to invest in Houston starting pitching, but I think Peacock bucks the trend. Since joining the rotation, Peacock has put up excellent numbers: 19.1 IP, 20 Ks, 8 BBs, 4 ER, and a W. He might be more than a spot-starter for the remainder of 2013.

J.J. Hoover - Cincinnati Reds (3% Owned) - Hoover has been unscored upon in his last 21 appearances, spanning 24.1 IP. This is largely due to his improved control as he only has allowed one walk in his past 10 appearances. Even if you aren't in a hold league, take advantage of Hoover's dominance and let him contribute quality innings.

Danny Duffy - Kansas City Royals (1% Owned) - I don't know what to make of Danny Duffy. He's seen very little success since his perch on top of many prospect lists, but he also pitched 6 innings of 1-hit ball against the Detroit Tigers. He isn't guaranteed a rotation spot, so I'd hold off for now, but another positive start could signal a real change for Duffy.

Paco Rodriguez - Los Angeles Dodgers (5% Owned) - Another RP with no chance of closing, Paco Rodriguez is going to contribute the quality innings that help bolster fantasy pitching stats in the playoffs. He gets a lot of high-leverage opportunities, which can help him poach a few W's, and he strikes out more than a batter per innings. Run Paco out there and let him eat some critical innings.

The Yankees beat the Red Sox last night and are looking for a series win this afternoon as Hiroki Kuroda takes on John Lackey. Mark Reynolds made his Yankee debut last night and Alfonso Soriano continued to collect all the RBI, but today is a new day. The Yankees send out their lineup:

#Yankees lineup vs BOS: Gardner CF, Ichiro RF, Cano 2B, Soriano LF, Rodriguez 3B, Granderson DH, Nunez SS, Overbay 1B, Stewart C, Kuroda P

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 17, 2013

The duo of Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki are back on top of the lineup, while Robinson Cano, Alfonso Soriano, and Alex Rodriguez make up the heart of the order. Facing a right-hander, Vernon Wells and Mark Reynolds are out of the lineup, so instead Curtis Granderson is the DH and Lyle Overbay is back at first base. Eduardo Nunez is sandwiched between the two and Chris Stewart brings up the rear as usual.

It looks like Reynolds and Overbay will split time at first base and Granderson and Wells will split time in the outfield or at DH, depending on lefty/righty match ups. Chris Stewart will just play all the time, no matter what.

Jose Abreu has defected from Cuba and now it's only a matter of time before he's declared a free agent and allowed to sign with a team. He's 26 and put up even better numbers in Cuba than Yasiel Puig or Yoenis Cespedes, so many teams are going to be interested. The problem is that he only plays first base or DH. That won't be a problem for teams like the Mets, Rangers, Pirates, and other teams who don't have a solid player already locked in at the position, but it will make things difficult for the Yankees because of Mark Teixeira.

Brian Cashman has been gun shy about pursuing international free agents like Puig, Cespeds, and Yu Darvish, and each has proved to be a wise investment for their team, even if they are expensive. In a bubble, it would be a good thing for the Yankees to grab a young offensive powerhouse at a time where the core has gotten old and no prospects have arrived to replace them.

Unfortunately, it has been said that the bidding for him will likely reach $60 million and over, which is not only a lot to pay for a first baseman with no experience in Major League Baseball, but also a lot to pay for a designated hitter, since Tex isn't going anywhere. It would be nice to see the Yankees take an active approach in big name international free agents, but this might not be the time for such a deal. Until the contracts of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira get off the books, the Yankees might not go big on anyone at all unless it's Robinson Cano.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Mike Trout vs Miguel Cabrera: the Yankee-rific AL MVP scorecard
• MLB errors and their frequency trend
• GIFs of the Week: D-Rob's save, A-Rod's foul tag, and the clumsy Angels
• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #94 Chien-Ming Wang
• Mission Impossible: What will it take for the Yankees to make the postseason?

The Streamer Report provides you with daily startng pitcher streaming selections for owners who prefer to stream starting pitchers on a daily basis. This report identifies starting pitchers who are owned in less than 50% of ESPN Yahoo leagues, and who either has a decent track record vs their opponent, has pitched well of late, or has a decent matchup.

Before I get into the streamers for Sunday's games, let's take a look at how my picks fared on Friday. Can I get a do over? Ouch.

The Alex Rodriguez circus took another turn on Saturday. The lawyer for the suspended Yankees third baseman accused the team of hiding an injury, essentially forcing Rodriguez to play while hurt during the 2012 playoffs, per a report from Steve Eder of the New York Times.

Joseph Tacopina, the attorney representing Rodriguez in his appeal of a 211-game suspension for his involvement with Miami-based Biogenesis and performance enhancing drugs, said the Yankees hid MRI results from Rodriguez that showed a torn labrum in his hip in October 2012, an injury that would eventually require offseason surgery and sideline the third baseman for the first four months of the 2103 campaign.

Rodriguez hit just .120 (3-for-25) during the 2012 playoffs for the Yankees, who lost the ALCS to the Tigers.

"They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer," Tacopina told the New York Times.

Controversy this season has surrounded Rodriguez, who was one of 14 players disciplined in the Biogenesis scandal. Rodriguez got by far the longest suspension at 211 games, though he is currently playing while appealing. On Friday Rodriguez was accused in a report by 60 Minutes of leaking information in the Biogenesis case that implicated Ryan Braun and teammate Francisco Cervelli.

Rodriguez vehemently denied the charges before the Yankees played the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, telling reporters, "Let's make one thing clear: For the next seven weeks it's going to be a very, very bumpy road. Every day, expect a story like this, if not bigger."

Tacopina also accused the Yankees of wishing Rodriguez, signed for four more years and $86 million after 2013, would never play again, and Rodriguez's attorneys said Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has a vendetta against the third baseman.

Yankees president Randy Levine told the Times the allegations were "completely false," and MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred called the claims from the Rodriguez camp a distraction.

"The bottom line on this," Manfred said, "I have yet to see Alex Rodriguez or any of his representatives say that Alex Rodriguez didn’t use P.E.D.’s. They’ve adopted a strategy to make a circus atmosphere of irrelevant allegations."

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Miguel Tejada suspended 105 games for failed drug tests

• Goldman: MLB instant replay still emphasizes getting it wrong

• Neyer: Your favorite instant replay system ain't perfect, either

• Prince Fielder's personal issues are none of our business

• Longform: The death of a ballplayer

Almost all the good feeling from yesterday's win has been erased.  A combination of bad fielding, crappy umpiring, not much hitting, and Hiroki Kuroda's worst start in a while came together as the Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-1 on Saturday.

After the two teams traded scoreless innings, in some of which, they stranded runners, the Red Sox got on the board in the fourth inning.  David Ortiz led off the inning with a ground-rule double and moved to third when Mike Carp singled.  Kuroda then struck out Daniel Nava for the first out of the inning.  Stephen Drew came up next.  He grounded to Lyle Overbay at first.  Instead of taking the easy out of Ortiz at home, Overbay tried to start a double play to get out of the inning.  His throw to Nunez was high and the shortstop couldn't get the force at second.  Nunez's return throw to first was late.  Everyone was safe, Ortiz scored, and the Red Sox took the lead.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up next.  He struck out, but during his at bat, Carp stole third.  Replays show Alex Rodriguez made the tag at third in time and Carp should've been out, but the umpire called him safe.  (It should also be noted that the umpires missed a call in the top of the fourth as well.  Alfonso Soriano was caught stealing when he appeared to be safe.  Curtis Granderson singled a couple batters later and that would've scored Soriano.)  That call immediately came back to haunt the Yankees when Will Middlebrooks hit an infield single.  That scored Carp and made it 2-0.  Jacoby Ellsbury added another run with a single of his own.  The inning ended when Shane Victorino grounded out, but it was now 3-0.  (Even though it should've been 1-0 or even 1-1.)

The Yankees would cut into the lead in the top of the fifth.  Overbay made up for his earlier mistake somewhat with a single.  Chris Stewart then hit a ball down the left field line which bounced into the seats for a ground-rule double.  After Brett Gardner grounded out, Ichiro Suzuki came up.  Ichiro grounded out as well, but his was deep enough to score Overbay, making it 3-1.

However, a few innings later, the Red Sox tacked on a few more runs.  Nava led off the sixth inning with a double.  After Drew grounded out, Saltalamacchia dropped a single into left.  That scored Nava and made it 4-1.  After Middlebrooks struck out, Ellsbury was due back up.  Ellsbury doubled to the wall in right.  Ichiro got the ball into Cano, who threw home as was Saltalamacchia trying to score.  Cano's throw was wide and got past Stewart, allowing Saltalongname to score and Ellsbury to move to third.

That was the end of Kuroda's day.  It was a crappy start for Hirok, especially compared to the rest of his season.  But he's not totally at fault for the outing.  Some crappy umpiring and some crappy defense cost him some runs and kept him in innings that he should've been out of.  That being said, it was still a disappointing start for him.  Kuroda went 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs (five total) on 11 hits.

Adam Warren came in and got Victorino to fly out to end the inning, but the Boston lead was now 5-1.  And another Boston run was added in the seventh when Ortiz hit a solo home run.

The Red Sox continued to threaten in later innings, but didn't push across another run.  The Yankees continued to do pretty much anything but threaten after their one run.  Red Sox's starter John Lackey shut down the Yankees for 6.2 innings, while the bullpen got through the other 2.1.  Koji Uehara finished off the game with a scoreless ninth to give the Red Sox a 6-1 win.

The rubber game between the Yankees and Red Sox is tomorrow at 8:05 eastern.  CC Sabathia will start for the Yankees, while Ryan Dempster goes for the Red Sox.

Box score.Graph thingy.

Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

• Yankees 1, Red Sox 6: Just generally crappy
• Yankees lineup vs. Red Sox; What will Jose Abreu cost?
• Mike Trout vs Miguel Cabrera: the Yankee-rific AL MVP scorecard
• Baby Bomber Recap 8/16/13: Greg Bird's 18th homer powers RiverDogs

Around the Internet

• New York Daily News | Mark Feinsand:Mark Reynolds becomes the first Yankee to hit a home run in their first at-bat since Andruw Jones did it in 2011.
• LoHud | Chad Jennings: Vernon Wells doesn't think Alex Rodriguez's problems are the Yankees' problems and he's probably right.
• New York Post | Ken Davidoff: If Alex Rodriguez really did rat out his fellow players it's a new low even for him.
• Fangraphs Community Research | Ryan: No there's a formula to calculate how gritty a player or team is and it's called GRIT.
• ESPN New York | Matthew Wallace: Alex Rodriguez has learned to embrace the hate that fans show him in Boston.
• Fox Sports | Ken Rosenthal: Ryan Braun is now apologizing for his crimes and ready to tell the truth, but whose truth is it?
• USA Today | Bob Nightengale:Miguel Tejada has been suspended for 105 games after testing positive for amphetamines for the third time in his career.
• ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: Randy Levine challenged Alex Rodriguez to release his medical records if he believes that the Yankees lied to him.
• LoHud | Chad Jennings: Here is the transcript of a very bizarre post game interview from Alex Rodriguez where he apparently has no knowledge as to what his lawyers say to the public.

Quick Hits

• It would break Joe Girardi's heart if he ever ruined someone's career.

Questions of the Day

• On a scale of one to ten how much do you care about the Alex Rodriguez story?
• Who will be the American League wild card winners?
• Where do you keep your change?
• What color socks are you wearing?

Coming Up Today

• Baby Bomber Recap 8/17/13 @ 9 am
• Greg Bird: Time to buy into the hype? @ 12 pm
• Yankees throwdown: Jason Giambi vs. Mark Teixeira @ 3 pm
• New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox at 8:05 pm (7:30 pm game thread)

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre:L 3-4 (11 innings) vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

RF Adonis Garcia 1-5, BB, SB
C JR Murphy 1-6, 3 K - batting .205/.311/.333 over his last 10 games
CF Melky Mesa 1-3, 2 RBI, SB, HBP
1B Dan Johnson 1-4, BB
DH Randy Ruiz 1-5, RBI, K - batting .301 with SWB
2B David Adams 1-3, BB, K
LF Ronnier Mustelier 2-4, 2B, BB, K - 16th double of the season
SS Alberto Gonzalez 0-4, 2 K
3B Brendan Harris 1-3, 2 BB, K

Graham Stoneburner 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - four groundouts, five flyouts
David Herndon 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Sam Demel 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, BB, 3 K, HB
Cesar Cabral 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K
Jim Miller 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Corey Patterson 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB - outfielder

For the second night in a row a Yankees affiliate had a position player called into pitching duty. Patterson allowed a home run to Cameron Rupp in the top of the 11th inning and the RailRiders offense failed to do any damage in the bottom of the frame.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 4-14 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats

CF Mason Williams 0-5, 3 K
DH Ramon Flores 0-5, RBI
C Gary Sanchez 1-3, K, HBP - batting .293 since his promotion
1B Kyle Roller 0-2, K
2B Jose Pirela 3-4, 2B - batting .341/.396/.568 over his last 10 games
LF Ben Gamel 1-4, 2 K
SS Carmen Angelini 0-4
RF Yeral Sanchez 2-4, E9 - throwing error, first of the season
3B Reegie Corona 3-4, 2B, RBI, K - 15th double of the season

Nik Turley 3 IP, 4 H, 9 R/6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, E1, WP, HB - two groundouts, four flyouts
Pat Venditte 1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Zach Nuding 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K - been used out of the pen exclusively lately
Tom Kahnle 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
Jose Gil 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB - catcher

Gil pitched for the second night in a row, this time turning in a scoreless inning. The game was not on the line this time, as Turley had allowed six runs in the first inning to the Fisher Cats.

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 8-10 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers, Game Two postponed for "darkness".

Game One - Resumed game 7/4/13

LF Mikeson Oliberto 1-4, BB, 2 K, SB, CS
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-2, 3 BB - batting .285 this season
3B Peter O'Brien 2-5, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, K
C Jeff Farnham 1-4, RBI, K
RF Cody Grice 1-5, 2B, K
1B Jose Toussen 0-4, BB, K
DH Tyson Blaser 1-3, 2 BB
CF Taylor Dugas 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K - batting .417 with Tampa
SS Ali Castillo 1-4, RBI, SB, E6 - fielding error, second of the season

Scottie Allen 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Branden Pinder 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 WP - three groundouts, six flyouts
Alex Smith 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K
Joel De La Cruz 1 IP, 3 H, 6 R/5 ER, 2 BB, K

A six-run inning for the Flying Tigers in the eighth inning was enough for the Yankees to lose a game that was originally set to be played on July 4th.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 2-6 vs. Rome Braves

CF Jake Cave 1-3, BB, K - batting .283 this season
2B Angelo Gumbs 0-4, K
DH Greg Bird 0-4, 3 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-4, 3 K - batting .206 this season
LF Ericson Leonora 2-4, 2 2B, K, E7 - ninth and tenth doubles of the season
1B Reymond Nunez 2-4, 2B, RBI, K
C Jackson Valera 1-3, RBI, BB
RF Danny Oh 0-4
SS Jose Rosario 0-3, K, SB, E6 - throwing error

Eric Wooten 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, BB, 4 K, pickoff, 2 HB - eight groundouts, three flyouts
Adam Smith 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, BB, pickoff, WP
Tyler Webb 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, K

The battery of Wooten and Valera allowed seven stolen bases in five innings and the Braves out-hit the RiverDogs 12-6. Charleston allowed runs to Rome in all but three innings of the game.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:L 3-6 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats

DH Derek Toadvine 0-4, 2 K - batting .250/.385/.281 over his last 10 games
SS Abiatal Avelino 1-4, K
3B Eric Jagielo 1-4, HR, RBI, 3 K - second homer of the season
RF Yeicok Calderon 2-3, 2B, BB, CS - tenth double of the season
CF Brandon Thomas 1-3, 3B, RBI, BB, 2 K, E8 - fielding error
1B Bubba Jones 1-4, K
2B Hector Crespo 1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K, 2 E4 - throwing error, fielding error
LF Daniel Lopez 0-4, 2 K, E7 - fielding error
C Isaias Tejeda 0-3, BB, K

Rookie Davis 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R/0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - three groundouts, two flyouts
Andy Beresford 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K, WP
Andury Acevedo 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R/3 ER, 3 BB
Stefan Lopez 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 WP
Charles Haslup 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Davis was the unfortunate recipient of a loss despite giving up no earned runs. The Yankees may have had a chance without a four-run inning by Tri-City in the seventh inning extended their 2-1 lead even more.

Gulf Coast Yankees 1 Highlights:

SS Tyler Wade 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 K - eighth double of the season
2B Gosuke Katoh 1-5, 3 K
LF Dustin Fowler 2-4, K
3B Christopher Tamarez 2-4, 2B
RF Austin Aune 0-4, 2 K, CS
C Jose Lopez 1-4, RBI

Dallas Martinez 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, WP
Tim Flight 1 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, K, WP
Daury Aquino 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K

Gulf Coast Yankees 2 Highlights:

SS Thairo Estrada 1-6 - batting .294 this season
DH Luis Torrens 2-5, BB, K
3B Miguel Andujar 1-5, 2B, 2 K, 2 E5(9,10) - ninth double of the season
LF Nathan Mikolas 2-4, 2 2B, BB, K
2B Jose Javier 1-5, 3B, RBI, 3 K
C Alvaro Noriega 3-4, 2B, 4 RBI, PB

Angel Rincon 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Samuel Garcia 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Tim Giel 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Joel Sherman of the New York Post released a pretty interesting article the other day. Or, at least it was interesting to me. In it, he wondered how Derek Jeter and the Yankees would play out 2014, the last year on the Captain's contract. It has been a long, successful road for Jeter in his career, but this past year has been very rocky for him. At age 39, 40 during next year, and coming off a significant number of leg injuries, one would have to figure that Jeter will have a diminished role next season.

Jeter has a $9.5 million player option that will certainly get exercised. Sherman suggests he could decline the option and try to negotiate for a higher salary or a multi-year deal, but he would be foolish to do so. At this point, $9.5MM for a 39, soon to be 40, year-old is the best deal he'll get, especially coming off four leg injuries in less than a 12 month span. Because of those injuries, Sherman suggests the Yankees could have Jeter be a part-time shortstop, DH, and even first baseman next season. Now, this isn't necessarily the Yankees' thought process as it is Sherman speculating, but it's something that should be considered.

All season long, when Jeter has tried to make it back onto the field at shortstop, he gets hurt again. Instead of continuing to run him out there at shortstop, and thus putting him in a spot to get hurt again, why not give him more DH at-bats and even play him at first to spell Mark Teixeira from time to time? There are a couple problems with this. One: He is Derek Jeter. Jeter has been the face of this franchise for ages, and that is mainly because everyone knows him as a shortstop and only a shortstop. (Hell, when Alex Rodriguez came on board, they moved him to third and not Jeter even though the former was a better defender.) Because of this, you can't move Jeter off of shortstop/significantly decrease his time at shortstop. It would just be too awkward. Two: the team does not have a competent shortstop in the organization to take the reins. Eduardo Nunez, Jayson Nix, and every other cheap shortstop that was brought in during the season have all predictably been terrible. They need the offensive production from Jeter at shortstop even if he's old and brittle.

There is a solution to the second problem, however. In that same article by Sherman, he suggests the Yankees could go after Jhonny Peralta. This would sound nice, theoretically, but the whole Biogenesis mess he was involved in could scare the team off. Who really knows, though. He admitted to using PEDs and accepted his suspension without there being any other extra baggage similar to what a certain third baseman in New York has is going through one he was suspended, thus it could be just all in the past and both parties could move on. If not, the Yankees could sign Stephen Drew away from the Red Sox. Boston will most likely have Xander Boegarts in the fold at shortstop by next season and they'd no longer need Drew's services. Drew would be a huge upgrade over Nunez/Nix/etc. even though he may be just an OK player and not a star.

Of course it may be a little premature to wonder what Derek Jeter's 2014 will look like, considering this season is not over yet, and, depending on who you ask, the Yankees still may or may not have a shot at the playoffs. However, eventually this will become a large topic as we head into next season and will be something that the team will have to address sooner or later.