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Mike Trout Setting Records in 100 Games

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Eric Kay of the Angels media department was thoughtful enough to send this Elias Sport Bureau tabulation of where rookie outfielder Mike Trout stands in historical comparison to other great rookie seasons.

MOST HITS, FIRST 100 GAMES OF ROOKIE SEASON (since 1930)

YEAR..........................................Games .... H ....AB ....AVG

1936 DiMaggio, Joe, Yankees .........100 ....153 - 461 - .332

1954 Moon, Wally, Cardinals ...........100.....145...428 - .339

1964 Oliva, Tony, Twins ...................100 ....144 ..428 - .336

1934 Trosky, Hal, Indians .................100 ...140 ..409 - .342

2012 Trout, Mike, Angels .................99 ...137 ..400 - .343

MOST RUNS, FIRST 100 GAMES OF ROOKIE SEASON (since 1900 aka "modern era")

YEAR ..........................Games Runs

1936 DiMaggio, Joe ..........100 100

2012 Trout, Mike ................99 96

1911 Jackson, Joe ............100 96

1924 Cuyler, Kiki ...............100 84

1951 Minoso, Minnie .........100 84

MOST SB, FIRST 100 GAMES OF ROOKIE SEASON (since 1981)

YEAR ...................................SB

1985 Coleman, Vince............. 81

1981 Raines, Tim....................71

1984 Samuel, Juan.................47

1986 Cangelosi, John.............44

1995 Veras, Quilvio.................42

1982 Dernier, Bob...................40

1990 Cole, Alex.......................40

1992 Listach, Pat....................39

2012 Trout, Mike....................39

1984 Pettis, Gary....................39


Question Of The Week: Should Roger Clemens Be Elected To The Hall Of Fame?

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Former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens is in the news again, as he's making a comeback of sorts by pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. His reappearance on the mound brings up many questions: What is he doing? He is trying to make a full comeback, with a return to the major leagues his goal? Is he attempting to restore his reputation? Does he want to push back his Hall of Fame eligibility? Does he just love baseball that much that he has to keep playing? Is he insane? Whatever the reasons, he's one of the game's biggest lightning rods and is up there with Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa as Exhibits 1A, B, C and D in the PEDs/Hall of Fame debate. He has the numbers, but will the shadow that casts over him be too much to overcome? Where do you stand?

Poll
Should Roger Clemens be elected to the Hall of Fame?

  28 votes | Results

Bartolo Colon Fails MLB Drug Test, Suspended 50 Games

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Chicago, IL, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (21) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at US Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman is reporting that Oakland Athletics pitcher (and former Red Sox hurler) Bartolo Colon has tested positive for testosterone in a failed drug test. Colon will be suspended 50 games, cutting him out of the rest of the 2012 season, lest the Athletics get very deep into the playoffs.

Colon has thrown 152 innings this year after returning to the game in 2011 with the Yankees. He had been striking out four times as many batters has he walked, thanks to an absurd 70 percent strikes on the season. Whether testosterone has anything to do with this is beyond the likes of both author and reader, unless you happen to have a degree in that sort of thing. (And if you do, by all means, speak up.)

That won't stop the noise about drug testing and a PED problem in baseball, though. For some reason, catching those who break the rules suggests there's a problem, rather than a working solution, in the game. It's a bit more concerning to me, for instance, that the NFL has so few suspensions, despite the size and speed of the players involved. The fact that the NFL is somehow more trustworthy than MLB on this particular note is... curious, at best.

Back on topic, though, the Athletics will be fine with their starting pitching, even if Colon had been productive for them on a one-year deal. Brett Anderson returned from the disabled list on Tuesday night after recovering from Tommy John surgery, while A.J. Griffin is expected to begin his own rehab assignment soon. Dan Straily was just sent down in place of Anderson, and the rookie -- who is leading the minors in strikeouts in an eye-popping breakout campaign -- can be recalled when needed.

Let's hope Rick Sutcliffe doesn't think the answer to Colon's testosterone usage is deportation. We've had quite enough of that insanity this week, Rick, and likely forever, too.

Yankees 1, White Sox 2: Yankees Are Swept Out Of Chicago

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Time to make dinner! I mean history!

Pitching duels can be a lot of fun to watch. When you're on the wrong side of one, with the potential of getting swept, it can be frustrating. Phil Hughes dueled with Chris Sale tonight. Sale won, the White Sox beat the Yankees 2-1, and I doubt anyone is thinking about how much fun a pitcher's duel can be.

You could not ask for a better performance from Phil Hughes tonight. Well, you could if you wanted to. Hughes pitched a solid game, giving the Yankees what they usually need to win. He pitched seven innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs while striking out five and walking two. One of the runs was a homer by Alex Rios that bounced off the top of the fence and into the stands. It didn't though. Why would we get any favors tonight against Chris Sale, the White Sox best pitcher? I could get into how terrible the umping was tonight. Screw it.

Chris Sale was pretty untouchable tonight. He went 7.2 innings tonight, giving up three hits and one earned run while striking out thirteen and walking only one batter. You read that right. Sale struck out thirteen Yankees tonight. His earned run was courtesy of a Derek Jeter dinger. That is all the Yankees did against Sale tonight. With Chris Sale pitching for the White Sox, it's definitely easy to see why they are still in first place. Swept by the Royals and then they sweep us. Now that's baseball for you.

I feel like I "should" bring up the fact that the Rays are now only three games behind the Yankees in the standings. I did not want to bring it up for the same reason I just mentioned that the "swept then sweep" White Sox matter. It's baseball. The Rays will face the A's and the Yankees will head to Cleveland. CC Sabathia will go against Corey Kluber. I've never heard of this pitcher.

White Sox 2, Yankees 1: Full Sale to sweep

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New York fought the Caw and the Caw won.

Watching Robin Ventura use his bullpen against the Yankees, he had an idea that they were susceptible to left-handed pitchers. It's the lone critique for an offense that leads the league in many important categories, but southpaws could exploit the exhaust port in the Death Star.

Chris Sale? Boom.

In what might be his most stirring start of the year (hearts or loins, take your pick or take both), Sale struck out 13 Yankees over 7⅔ innings. He limited the damage to -- what else? -- a Derek Jeter homer, but nobody was on base. In fact, the Yankees finished the series hitless over their last 17 at-bats with a runner on base.

In the process, the White Sox swept the Yankees at home for the first time since 1991.

Aside from the fastball count that bit Sale on Jeter's solo shot, everything else was working. He was able to spot his fastball in, up and away, and his slider had a tremendous amount of bite. He used to great effect against righties, who gave up on the pitch out of his hand, only to watch it dig toward the strike zone after it was too late to get into a good hitting position.

Sale needed to be that good, because the offense only had two runs in it. The timing was super, though.

The Sox were able to score first for once. Gordon Beckham led off with an opposite-field double, moved to third on a Dewayne Wise bunt single, and came around to score on Kevin Youkilis' sac fly to right.

After Jeter tied the game in the top of the sixth, Alex Rios beat Phil Hughes with a solo shot of his own off the top of the padding in left to retake the lead. Sale, Brett Myers and Addison Reed wouldn't give it back.

Record: 68-55 | Box score | Play-by-play

Roto Roundup: Matt Harvey, Adrian Beltre, Chris Sale and Others

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CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 16:  Matt Harvey #33 of the New York Mets throws a pitch during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 16, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

This will be a short one today as the SB Nation Fantasy War Room chat kept me busy last night. Let's take a look at some of Wednesday MLB action:

I wrote about Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre a few days ago here in the Roto Roundup. Last night, Beltre had his best game of the season as he hit 3 HRs and drove in 5 runs in the Rangers shellacking of the Orioles. He was 3-5 at the plate, raising his triple slash line to .307-.344-.501 with 22 HRs and 73 RBI. Beltre may not get the press and hype by other fantasy writers, but he puts up solid numbers for fantasy owners consistently year in and year out.

On my drive home from the beach yesterday, the guys on the Inside Pitch show on MLB radio, Casey Stern and Jim Bowden, interviewed Rangers outfielder David Murphy, saying that he is having an outstanding year at the plate. I said to myself "outstanding?". Murphy went 3-3 with 2 runs and an RBI last night and is now hitting .315-.394-.497 with 11 HRs, 46 runs, 49 RBI and 8 stolen bases. Murphy has raised his walk rate from 7.5% to 11.2% this season, while his strikeout rate has increased slightly.

Diamondbacks pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs won his first major league start, but he did have problems with his command. Skaggs limited the Marlins to 2 runs on 3 hits, but he walked 5 and struck out 4. He induced just 5 groundball outs and 10 fly ball outs, so fantasy owners should watch if this trend continues. Allowing fly balls at Chase Field is not a good thing.

White Sox starter Chris Sale is sure to get some Cy Young votes this offseason, and he did not hurt his chances last night. Sale dominated the Yankees last night, allowing just one run on 3 hits, a walk and 13 strikeouts in 7.2 innings to earn his 15th win of the season. Sale is now 15-4 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 4.17 K/BB rate in 153 innings pitched.

Mets starter Matt Harvey could be the recipient of lots of hype from fantasy writers this offseason, as he continues to excel in his first taste of the big leagues. Harvey limited the Rockies to one run on 3 hits, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts in 6 innings of work last night. He was not involved in the decision, but is now 2-3 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 43-15 strikeout to walk ratio in 36 innings pitched in his 6 big league starts. He has given up 2 runs or less in 5 of his 6 starts thus far.

A couple injury updates:

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols injured his right calf while running the bases last night and was pulled from the game. You can read more about Pujols injury at Baseball Nation.

Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond is enjoying the best year of his short career this season, but he also injured his leg running out a ground ball late in the Nationals game vs the Braves last night. He appeared to have pulled a muscle in my opinion, as he hobbled to first base. He stayed in the game to finish out the 9th inning, so we should learn more about his injury today.

A Different Role And A Different Look

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MAY 31:  Relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth #43 of the Tampa Bay Rays gets the final three outs for the save against the Texas Rangers during the game at Tropicana Field on May 31, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida.  (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

For the second straight season, the Rays are enjoying a surprising season from a cast-off closer. This season, Fernando Rodney and last season, it was Kyle Farnsworth. In both cases, the original signing was mocked nationally and questioned everywhere, but the results have been nothing short of incredible. That said, Farnsworth's encore has not gone as well as planned. The team exercised its option on Farnsworth, but the reliever's elbow strain delayed him from making his debut until June 30th of this season.

A case can be made to overlook that July 4th outing as a poor decision by Joe Maddon in asking the reliever to enter a game in an extremely high leverage situation in just his second game back. Half of the earned runs that Farnsworth has allowed came from that game as he put four of the five batters on base via a walk in that game.

Outside of one rather high-profile regrettable outing against the Yankees on July 4th, Farnsworth's results have been very much in line with what he did last season even though the team has scaled back his usage. Part of that could be related to the success of the starting pitchers being able to work deep into games, but Farnsworth has yet to make a multiple-inning appearance this season after doing so six times in 2011.

His usage process has changed, but has anything else changed?

In watching Farnsworth pitch, it is clear he is not throwing as hard as he did last season. The numbers back up what most have observed as well (data courtesy of BrooksBaseball):

PITCH CAREER 2011 2012
FA 96.4 96.7 95.4
SI 94.1 94.0 92.6
FC 89.9 90.3 88.4
SL 86.4 87.0 86.4

This is not unusual considering Farnsworth late start to the season on top of the issues toward the end of the 2011 season. Despite the decrease in velocity, Farnsworth has struck out a higher percentage of the batters he has faced thus far in 2012 than he did last season. Additionally, opponents are hitting just .172 against him in 2012 which is a 36 point drop from their success in 2011. He is also creating slightly more swinging strikes in 2012 as he has raised his 10.2 percent rate in 2011 to 11.2 percent this season.

In looking at his PITCHf/x plate discipline metrics at Fangraphs, we see that batters are chasing less pitches out of the zone against him, swinging less often overall, but batters are also seeing a smaller percentage of strikes thrown. In 2011, 56.7 percent of the pitches Farnsworth threw were in the strike zone while just 49.4 percent have been in the strike zone this season.

The velocity is down from last season, his frequency within the strike zone is down from last season, hitters are chasing less pitches out of the zone, and yet his strikeout rate is up this season? How is Farnsworth accomplishing this magic?

Part of it has to do with a slight change in his pitch mixture. In 2011, the cutter was Farnsworth's secondary pitch du jour as he used the pitch 21 percent of the time. This season, he has put that pitch in his back pocket more frequently and has gone back to his slider

PITCH CAREER 2011 2012
FA 35% 22% 22%
SI 27% 37% 36%
FC 16% 21% 17%
SL 22% 20% 25%

As Bradley Woodrum pointed out, Farnsworth's slider was the ninth-best such pitch in baseball last season. In 2011, Farnsworth threw the pitch 32 percent of the time to lefties in two-strike counts and 22 percent of the time to righties in those counts. Yet, it was a pitch Farnsworth favored when he was ahead in the count as his usage of his dropped considerably when the batter was ahead in the count (via Brooks):

2011usage_medium

This season, Farnsworth has changed a few things, most notably how he attacks lefties and righties in two-strike counts. His slider usage to finish off lefties has spiked dramatically while his usage of his fourseam fastball to righties has gone up even more (via Brooks):

2012usage_medium

Not only is he changing his pitch mixture and usage of the pitches, he is also changing where he is locating those pitches. First, two plots to compare his slider location in 2011 to 2012:

1500352011033020110930aaasllocation_medium

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

1500352012062820120822aaasllocation_medium

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

Since he has de-emphasized the pitch to righties, the pitch is now mostly coming in on the hands or lower to lefties and less frequently within the strike zone. To make up for that, notice where Farnsworth is now using his fourseam fastball compared to last season:

1500352011033120110930aaafflocation_medium

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

1500352012062820120822aaafflocation_medium

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

Farnsworth has thrown 243 pitches this season, 39 percent for balls and 61 percent for strikes. That is only slightly below the league-wide average of 38/62. The high walk rate this season comes from one forgettable appearance in a regrettable implementation of using a pitcher fresh off the disabled list in a high leverage situation against a very disciplined team that does not chase pitches out of the zone.

Farnsworth may not be the guaranteed shutdown reliever that he was last season, but this new version of him is not too shabby either. Since that outing against the Yankees, Farnsworth has limited opponents to a .401 OPS and through 68 batters faced this season, he has yet to allow an extra base hit.

Baby Bomber Recap 8/22/12: Rutckyj Gets Back in the Win Column

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AAA Empire State Yankees: W 2-1 vs. Buffalo Bisons (12 innings)

Chris Dickerson 2-4, RBI, 2 BB, SB - .341 OBP his last 10 games

Corban Joseph 1-5, BB, 2 K

Eduardo Nunez 1-6, K, 2 SB

Brandon Laird 2-6, K - 12 for his last 43

Francisco Cervelli 2-5, RBI, 2 K

Melky Mesa 1-6, 2B, 3 K - 28 strikeouts in 22 AAA games

Adam Warren 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 4 K - 67 of 104 pitches (!!!) for strikes

Chase Whitley 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Ryota Igarashi 2 IP, 1 h, 0 ER, BB, 4 K

AA Trenton Thunder: L 2-14 vs. Altoona Curve

Adonis Garcia 1-5, 2B, K

David Adams 2-4, RBI, BB - 12 for his last 38

Zoilo Almonte 0-4, 2 K, E9 - 11th error

Luke Murton 0-4, K

Addison Maruszak 2-4, RBI, SB - five game hitting streak

Rob Segedin 0-4, K

Dellin Betances 4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HBP - 25 ER in his last 5 starts (22 IP)

Craig Heyer 2 IP, 2 H, 4 R/3 ER, 2 BB, K

Josh Romanski 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R/1 ER, 2 K

High A Tampa Yankees: L 2-12 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays

Ramon Flores 2-4, BB

Slade Heathcott 3-4, RBI, BB, K, E8 - 15 for his last 40

Tyler Austin 3-5, 2B, 2 K - 14 for his last 40

Kyle Roller 1-5, RBI, 2 K

Gary Sanchez 0-4, K

Zach Wilson 0-4

Kelvin De Leon 0-3, BB, 3 K - .093 average since joining Tampa

Shane Greene 2.2 IP, 7 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 2 K - 21 ER in his last 5 starts (17 IP)

Sean Black 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K

Kramer Sneed 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Low A Charleston RiverDogs: L 4-5 vs. West Virginia Power

Cito Culver 1-4, 2 K - .219 average this season

Robert Refsnyder 1-4, SB

Ben Gamel 1-4

Saxon Butler 0-4, 3 K

Dante Bichette Jr. 1-2, 2 BB - 4 for his last 32

Casey Stevenson 2-4, HR, 3 RBI - 5th HR of the season

Ali Castillo 0-4

Bryan Mitchell 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R/3 ER, BB, 4 K

Rigoberto Arrebato 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K - 1.17 ERA with Charleston

John Brebbia 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB

Short Season Staten Island Yankees: W 2-0 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

Taylor Dugas 1-2, 2 BB, K - 11 for his last 35

Claudio Custodio 1-4, 2 K

Peter O'Brien 1-4, RBI, K

Ravel Santana 0-4, K

Matt Duran 1-4, K, E5 - 20th error this season

Jose Rosario 3-4, K, SB

Danny Oh 0-3, K

Evan Rutckyj 6 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 4 K - 4th win of the year

Charles Haslup 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

Rookie Gulf Coast Yankees: Suspended, 3rd inning


Lunchtime leftovers: White Sox attendance and clauses

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A.J. Pierzynski isn't pointing fingers at fans.

Following up on a couple topics recently discussed here...

The White Sox drew 26,319 fans for what turned out to be a crowd-pleasing performance by Chris Sale on Wednesday night, as our correspondents can attest.

With an unimpressive turnout for the series in the books, Jon Greenberg and Daryl Van Schouwen each took a turn exploring the issue.

Greenberg, who has an interest in fan costs, didn't have much besides the numbers. What's more interesting is what wasn't said -- Brooks Boyer wouldn't comment on the sparse showing to ESPN Chicago, first through a spokesperson and then in person.

Van Schouwen, balances the reaction from disappointed players with the economic reality the premier pricing presents, and also picks up on the year-over-year attendance increase between August Yankees series. (If you're curious, Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski straddle the line effectively, while Jake Peavy tries to bulldog the fans into mobilizing.)

My hope is that the discussion continues to evolve and get smarter, and these are good signs. Perhaps the media can take it up a notch and talk about a stadium lease that seems to encourage the Sox to draw fewer fans with higher ticket prices, rather than shoot for a gaudier overall attendance figure, as evenyoudorn pointed out in our thread back in June:

That revised agreement also set terms on annual rent based on ticket revenue. Since 2008, the team must pay $3 to $7 for every ticket sold above annual attendance of 1.9 million.

With paid attendance under 1.9 million in 2011, the Sox won't pay ticket fees this year.

In 2010, however, paid attendance was 2,074,011, exceeding the trigger by 149,011. So Mr. Reinsdorf paid $455,974, or about $3 per ticket.

At the very least, this is better than continually calling the system sensible and Sox fans broken. That's not how relationships with consumers work.

(Also, make sure to check out Fornelli's thorough takedown of the usual set of arguments.)

Games finished

Scott Merkin got an answer to a question we've been openly pondering every time Brett Myers pitches in the ninth inning. He has a $10 million option for 2013 that vests if he finishes 45 games. Is the on-field staff aware of that?

That option, though, won't affect how the White Sox decide to use the hard-nosed veteran down the stretch. If pitching Myers at the end of games is what the White Sox need to do to reach the playoffs, that's the plan they will employ.

"We are bringing Brett in when we need him to come in," White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said. "I really haven't spoken about that to anybody. I'm glad we got him, and he'll pitch when we feel he needs to pitch, regardless of what else is going on with contracts."

It would be better for the Sox's balance sheet if Myers didn't reach that option, because $10 million should buy two-plus years of Myers-grade relief, not one. On the other hand, it would be unreasonable for the front office to make just one move to bolster a thin bullpen, and then handcuff the manager when it comes to maximizing that upgrade on the field.

Take "45 games finished" out of the equation, and nobody would have an issue with the way Ventura uses Myers. That clause does exist, but that doesn't mean it should be Ventura's problem.

Maybe Williams has taken that clause into account, and has an idea to move him into the rotation if needed. Myers has bounced between starting and relieving with no real friction, so he might represent insurance for the possible departures of Jake Peavy and/or Francisco Liriano. It would also give Williams some flexibility in trading Gavin Floyd that he didn't have last year. A starting Myers wouldn't be a safe bet to succeed, but the possibility does add another layer to a winter that already has a ton of moving parts.

We’re So Sorry, Uncle Derek Jeter: On the Interplay Between Offense and Defense

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As Derek Jeter aged into a seemingly permanent decline in performance in 2010 and 2011, the question about him seemed to become when his bat no longer supported his glove. As long as Jeter's bat was vastly superior to the parade of glove-first shortstops, the Yankees could tolerate his allowing the occasional extra groundball single. Jeter was aided in that overall offense at shortstop has been declining, so he's remained ahead of the pack even as he took on ballast:

YEAR

JETER OPS

MLB SS OPS

DIFF

2007

840

738

102

2008

771

718

53

2009

871

721

150

2010

710

693

17

2011

743

697

46


The offensive gap was still in Jeter's favor the last two years, but not enough so that it mitigated his defense. That's why when various sites calculated WAR, Jeter was rated as near the replacement level. Baseball-Ref had Jeter at 1.6 and 0.9 in 2010 and 2011 (respectively); Baseball Prospectus called it 0.8 and 1.0. Fangraphs, more generous in its appraisal, had 2.7 and 2.3, but their replacement level seems to be set a little lower than that of their competitors, so decent players tower a little bit higher over their lesser brethren.

Jeter has obviously had a great comeback season, one that is in certain senses unprecedented. When you search baseball history for strong offensive seasons by shortstops 38 and older, you get a literally hundred-year-old season by Honus Wagner and a few seasons by Luke Appling, as well as the odd just-good years by more recent players like Omar Vizquel and Ozzie Smith. The reason isn't just that most shortstops don't hit well to begin with, so as they age and their offense falls off, they are no longer playable, Mark Belanger types falling off from .230 batting averages to .200, although that does happen. However, the great two-way shortstops have much farther to fall before their bats won't play. So why don't we see many seasons like Jeter's?

The reason is, simply, that their teams judged that these shortstops, though they could still hit, were no longer strong enough defensively to play at their original position. Arky Vaughn moved to third base at 30, Vern Stephens at 32, Cal Ripken at 35. Ernie Banks was off to first base at 31. Alan Trammell started doing utility work at 35. If you're Ozzie Smith or Vizquel or Wagner you get to keep your shortstop's glove. Everyone else moves. Robin Yount, Tony Fernandez, Miguel Tejada: moved.

Jeter hasn't moved. The last two years, moving seemed like a moot point given that his bat wouldn't support any other position. Now the bat is back, though for how long we still can't say-as Matt Keegan pointed out a couple of weeks ago, his groundball rate is extremely odd and should really be serving to retard his production, but it hasn't. He's also still 38, and as Elvis taught us, comebacks only last so long before we inevitably slide into our fat, white-jumpsuited stage of bloated irrelevance. Jeter's .364/.389/.513 July-August, which followed on a .263/.317/.333 May-June has provoked discussion of Jeter taking on Pete Rose's career hits mark. Few baseball events would be more pleasant to see than Jeter toppling that particular mark, but let's face it, we really don't know how long the party is going to last-especially given that we never should have expected it to start again in the first place.

That is not to say that Jeter's return is not to be celebrated, but our excitement should be tempered by the fact that the same old problems apply-Jeter's defensive negatives must be deducted from his offensive positives. BB-Ref sees Jeter as having been worth 3.6 wins offensively, but also rates him as -1.4 wins defensively. Baseball Prospectus is kinder to Jeter's defense, saying he's only cost the Yankees four runs, or about half a win. Fangraphs leans towards the BB-Ref side, dinging him about a win and a half.

The Yankees are not deep in shortstop alternatives, and this winter's free agent market has little in the way of attractive supplements either, so perhaps this is, as it always has been, something of a moot point. However, the fact remains that winning in baseball can involve adding runs, taking them away, or both. Obviously the last is to be preferred, but is rarely possible. In Jeter's case, the comeback is a terrific coda to a great career, but we can't let that obscure the fact that we only get to go back to where we started, not someplace better than that.

Rotator Cuff Inflamation Forces Ivan Nova to the DL

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Everyone has been frustrated with Nova's 2012 season, including Ivan himself.

New developments on the ailments of Ivan Nova:

OFFICIAL: RHP Ivan Nova diagnosed with inflammation in his right rotator cuff, placed on 15-day DL.

The injury would help explain why Nova has pitched so poorly in his sophomore campaign. After a surprising 3.70 ERA, 116 ERA+ campaign in 2011, Nova's 2012 has been awful. He's given up more hits than anyone in the league (179, 10.2 H/9), and his ERA ballooned to 4.92 (85 ERA+). The 25 homers surrendered also jumped his FIP up from 4.01 in '11 to 4.54 in '12. Hopefully, Nova just needs some rest and he can return to at least league average form. He will not even play catch for five days.

Chad Jennings of LoHud thinks that this bit of news is the move that the Yankees made to bring activate ace CC Sabathia for his Friday start. David Phelps, who was filling in for CC, will now fill in for Nova. The rookie righthander has done a tremendous job for the team so far in 2012, pitching to a 2.69 ERA and 156 ERA+ in 63.2 innings (both marks are third on the pitching staff among players with 40 innings). None of his five starts have been bad at all, so it's good to see him get an extended look. He's been very valuable to the team, which has coped with numerous pitching injuries this year.

This news also pretty much affirms that Joba Chamberlain is staying for now despite previous rumors suggesting otherwise. Joba did not necessarily need to go, but if he's going to stay up here, the Yankees should try as hard as they can to pitch him in low-leverage roles until he improves. He just had major surgery and returned to the mound for the first time since last June, so it was highly unlikely that he was going to be vintage Joba right away. If he is given the chance to work through it, he could return to full strength soon.

Inside Information: Q&A with Pinstripe Alley's Tanya Bondurant

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The Orioles are 4-2 at Yankee Stadium this season.

As you are all aware, the Orioles and Yankees start a three-game series tonight with major implications. If the Orioles sweep (unlikely) they'll end up tied for first place in the AL East. if the Yankees sweep (unlikely), they'll give themselves a lot of breathing room at the top of the division.

In preparation for this series, I sent off a few Yankees-related questions to Pinstripe Alley blogger Tanya Bondurant. I also answered some questions from her which can be found here. Thanks to Tanya for answering, and hopefully her Yankees go down in flames this weekend.

1) The Yankees are obviously the team to beat in the American League, but their once ten-game lead in the AL East is down to just three. What's gone wrong? Are you worried it will continue, or do the Yankees have a handle on things?

I don't think anyone expected the Yankees to run away with the division, so while the ten game lead was nice, I never imagined it would last. Injuries have happened in seemingly rapid succession this season, and it's hard to replicate the big name production lost with guys who were brought in to be part-time players. I'm not a worrier, but the Yankees will need to take advantage of some favorable scheduling down the stretch if they are going to pull this one off and it definitely won't be easy.

2) Which pitchers will the Orioles be facing this weekend and what can we expect from them?

Friday night the Orioles will see Hiroki Kuroda, who has likely been the Yankees' best pitcher this season. He's managed to pitch at least eight innings his last three times out, and he recently flirted with a no-hit bit against the Rangers. The Yankees don't seem to score for him for whatever unlucky reason, so his season could be even more impressive than it already is.

Saturday it will be Freddy Garcia, of five wild pitches against the Orioles earlier this season fame. He relies on smoke and mirrors and when those don't cooperate, it tends to get ugly.

David Phelps gets the start on Sunday in place of the injured Ivan Nova. I irrationally love Phelps and am glad he's getting a shot in the rotation. He's never faced the Orioles as a starting pitcher, but was solid in relief when he was working out of the bullpen earlier this season. His pitches have amazing movement at times, and it's really fun to watch.

3) What will the Yankees lineup without Mark Teixeira look like?

Ugly. Really ugly. Steve Pearce batting cleanup ugly. I'm hoping that was only a one day thing, but there's no way to bat everyone from Russell Martin to Jayson Nix ninth, sadly. It's Jeter, Swisher, Cano, Granderson, and a lot of hoping from there.

4) Which player this season has you the most pleasantly surprised? Which has you the most disappointed?

Most surprising is probably Derek Jeter, just because of how improbable his season has been. I don't know what black magic he's used to make nearly every ground ball he hits make it through the infield, but it's better than the alternative. Ivan Nova is probably the player who has disappointed me the most this season. He has really struggled in every month that doesn't end in -une this year and now he's injured. Really not what was expected out of him after 2011, even though we knew some regression was coming.

5) How has Rafael Soriano done in place of Mariano Rivera? How has it affected the rest of the bullpen?

Soriano has really been a saving grace out of the bullpen this year, because most everyone figured doom was on the horizon without Rivera. He was hurt and ineffective most of last year, so stepping into the closer role and only blowing three saves has been really impressive. Unfortunately, because he and David Robertson are pretty entrenched in the 8th inning/9th inning roles, it leaves a lot of guys who are only effective against a certain handedness to fill the rest of the innings. That leads to a lot of pitching changes and a lot of frustration when it doesn't work out.

6) Anything the Orioles fans should keep in mind regarding the Yankees as the series starts?

I'm sure none of you guys need the reminder, but the Yankees and Orioles are playing meaningful baseball at the end of August/beginning of September, which is really, really cool from even a Yankee fan perspective. I think it will be interesting to see how that will impact the atmosphere of the games this series and next. And be thankful you have a real catcher. Mainly that, if nothing else.

EME talks to SNY.tv about the upcoming series

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It's what passes for a Camden Chat media blitz today, and you can watch the above video to hear my latest public embarrassment as I talked to Pete McCarthy of SNY.tv to give some perspective on what it's like being an Orioles fan in this surprising year, plus a bit about each of the starting pitchers the O's will be sending out in this series.

Thanks to Pete and the SNY.tv guys for having me on, and a special thanks to whoever put everything together and took out my one stumble. Should be an interesting series to watch. Go O's!

Friday Night Victory GIF Party: Orioles 6, Yankees 1

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It's deep and unplayable. Have yourself a day, Mark Reynolds - two monster dongs and spry as a soccer goalie at first base, too. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

It is Friday night. The Orioles have emerged victorious in tonight's baseball game against the hated New York Yankees. Mark Reynolds hit two monster home runs and Miguel Gonzalez struck out nine batters in seven scoreless innings. Ladies and gentlemen, you know what must be done.

Yankees 1, Orioles 6: The Angriest of Domes

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This game in a few words:

- If you have a good change up, you can probably shut down the Yankees.

- Nick Swisher struck out four times. A killer whale with a bat taped to its flipper may have looked better at the plate.

- The offense doesn't score for Hiroki Kuroda ever.

- Kuroda allowed home runs to Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy and a sac fly to Chris Davis.

- Curtis Granderson homered in the 9th to avoid complete embarrassment. It was the 200th this year.

- Go away, Derek Lowe. Far away.

- The Yankees got their first hit in the fourth inning. Derek Jeter got that hit.

-David Phelps pitches tomorrow with more people on the roster than there were tonight. Maybe they can do better.

This game in a .gif:

Here.

This game in a picture:

Here.


Orioles 6, Yankees 1: Two games back

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NEW YORK - AUGUST 31: Manny Machado #13 and Mark Reynolds #12 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates victory over the New York Yankees in a game at Yankee Stadium.

You hear the phrase "on paper" a lot in the sports world. For example, "On paper, the Red Sox were one of the best teams in the American League going into 2012." Well, on paper this was the game that the Orioles were supposed to lose this series. The other ones were a toss up, this one was a definite loss. On paper.

In reality, Miguel Gonzalez pitched 7 shutout innings with a career high 9 strikeouts. In reality, Mark Reynolds hit two home runs and made two web gems at first base. In reality, the Orioles kicked the crap out of the Yankees tonight and now sit just two games back of first place in the AL East.

The reason that so many gave the Yankees the edge tonight was Hiroki Kuroda, and there is no doubt that he's a very good pitcher. Even in a game when he gave up four runs it was evident.

After a three-batter first inning, the Orioles put up three runs against Kuroda in the second. Back-to-back singles by Adam Jones and Matt Wieters got the inning started, and sacrifice fly from Chris Davis put them on the board. Left fielder Raul Ibanez made a weak throw that trickled towards home plate and allowed Wieters to move up to second. Smart base running, but it didn't matter in the end. Mark Reynolds fulfilled his promise in the next at-bat, hitting a two-run homer into the second deck in left field. It was just the start of a fantastic night for Reynolds.

Other than that rally, the first five innings of this game flew by thanks to great pitching from both Gonzalez and Kuroda. The Yankees didn't get their first hit until the fourth inning when Derek Jeter singled with no outs, and the Yankees tried some shenanigans to mess up Gonzalez. Jeter was barking from first base, Joe Girardi was barking from the dugout. It's not clear what their problem was (other than they thought it was unfair that they were losing), maybe they were saying Gonzalez wasn't on the rubber or that he balked. But their tactics did not work and Gonzalez responded by striking out Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano. A fly out from Granderson and Jeter was stranded.

Kuroda bounced back from his messy second inning with 1-2-3 innings in the third, fourth, and fifth. But in the sixth inning the Orioles got to him again. First, Markakis hit a ground ball to second base. It got away from Cano but Nick was lollygagging down the line and was still thrown out. It'll be forgotten since the O's won so decisively, but it was a major brain fart on his part. It especially looked bad when J.J. Hardy followed it with his 18th home run of the year. The 4-0 lead was more than enough with the way Gonzalez was pitching.

The biggest trouble of the night for Gonzalez came in the sixth inning, and because of the way he escaped it might also have been his most impressive inning of the night. He came into the inning with just 55 pitches through five, having racked up 7 strikeouts with just one one hit allowed. But in the sixth a single and a wild pitch put Ichiro Suzuki on second base, and Gonzalez walked Jayson Nix (of all people). Jeter followed with a ground ball to third base, fielded by Manny Machado. Machado went to second for the first out, his throw just a little off line. Omar Quintanilla made a bad throw to first base that Reynolds had to dive off first to keep in front of him.

The double play was lost and now the Yankees had runners on the corners with two outs. We've all seen the Yankees score five runs in about ten seconds, so things were getting scary. Well, scary to me. Gonzalez didn't seem to mind, as he bounced back to strike out Swisher (again) for the second out, and get out of the jam completely thanks to a first-pitch pop up from Cano. Masterful!

Gonzalez gave up two more singles in the seventh inning, but held on to preserve his shutout. And with the shutdown Orioles bullpen, they were in a fantastic position to take game one. That didn't stop them from adding on a few more runs in the ninth, though.

To Kuroda's credit, he pitched into the ninth inning tonight. After retiring Matt Wieters for the first out, Kuroda was at 99 pitches and didn't look to be in trouble. But Girardi decided to get cute with his bullpen management. He brought in former Oriole Clay Rapada to face Chris Davis. Davis grounded out, and again Girardi went to the bullpen. This time he brought in Derek Lowe, the pitcher who was so bad that even the Cleveland Indians didn't want him.

The Orioles had faced Lowe twice when he was with the Indians, giving up a total of 16 runs in 8 1/3 innings. Their domination of him continued tonight, as the first batter he faced was Reynolds, who greeted him with his second homer of the night. Three consecutive singles resulted in one more run and a 6-0 Orioles lead. Thanks, Joe Girardi!

Brian Matusz came in to pitch the 9th inning and was victim of an FUHR from Curtis Granderson. It's nice to see other teams being the ones having to resort to FUHRs, isn't it? Other than that Matusz didn't allow a baserunner, and he struck out Ibanez to end the game.

In just about an hour and a half it will be September 1st, and the Orioles sit two games out of 2nd place. Wow.

I'll leave you tonight with the Mark Reynolds highlight reel:

Poll
Who was tonight's Most Birdland Player?
Miguel Gonzalez (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K)
237 votes
Mark Reynolds (Multiple HRs, multiple web gems)
343 votes

580 votes | Poll has closed

This Day in Yankees History: Skowron's Called Single Ends 1-0 Gem- September 1, 1961

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It was 51 years ago today that a potent Yankee team won a crucial game against a very close second-place AL rival to spark a winning streak that guided them to the title. Let's see the 2012 Yankees do that today against the Orioles.

A common misconception emerged over the years about the 1961 New York Yankees--the idea that because they were so dominant, they had no problems winning the American League pennant. They finished one win shy of the legendary 1927 Yankees' then-franchise record of 110 victories and through the efforts of the "M&M Boys," Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, they became one of the baseball's greatest teams. While other dominant teams like the '27, '39, and '98 Yankees romped to the top of the division though, the '61 group spent the majority of the season fending off the dangerous Detroit Tigers. The Yankees never had sole possession of first place until July 7th and through the end of August, the biggest lead they had on the Tigers was four games. In any other year, that Tigers team would have won the AL pennant with ease since they won 101 games, but they finished eight games behind the Yankees. Despite the deficit, they stayed close with the Yankees until early September, and this September 1st matchup was the first of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium between the two teams that would help decide the race.

The Tigers were just a game and a half behind the Yanks entering the series, so a sweep would put them in first place. Whitey Ford took the hill for the Yankees in the middle of a Cy Young Award-winning season, wherein he regularly pitched every four days for the first time. New manager Ralph Houk gave Ford this freedom that he never enjoyed under Casey Stengel, and he rewarded the team with 25 wins and a 3.21 ERA in a career-high 283 innings. At the time, the Cy Young Award was only given to one pitcher throughout baseball, making the prize even more prestigious. Lefthander Don "The Sphinx" Mossi started for the Tigers, and he was having a fine season himself with a team-leading 2.96 ERA in 240.1 innings at a more difficult park for a pitcher to succeed, Tiger Stadium. In fact, his 139 ERA+ was much better than Ford's 115--the wins and innings were undoubtedly the deciding factors in Ford's favor. The largest Yankee Stadium crowd of the season, 65,566, watched as both pitchers stayed on top of their game in this pivotal showdown.

Ford gave up a two-out triple to future Hall of Famer Al Kaline in the first inning, but stood his ground with 45-home run hitter Rocky Colavito at the plate, getting him to harmlessly ground out to shortstop Tony Kubek. Through four innings, Mossi allowed the Yankees just one hit, a single in the first by Kubek. Mossi was not intimidated by this Yankees lineup that set a record that lasted 35 years with 240 home runs. Ford matched him with shutout baseball of his own, but with two outs in the fifth inning, Ford abruptly left the game with a strained hip muscle. Now was the Tigers' chance--the Yankees' best pitcher was out of the game and though reliever Bud Daley was no slouch, he was hardly Ford. Daley got the last out anyway, and the Yankees finally got their first man into scoring position against Mossi with two outs in the fifth. Yogi Berra singled with one out and moved to second on a very deep fly ball to center field; however, Mossi intentionally walked third baseman Clete Boyer to pitch to Daley, and the pitcher grounded out.

Kaline hit a one-out single in the sixth and moved to second on a passed ball by normally reliable catcher Elston Howard. Daley faced his first test with Colavito at the plate, and he got the left fielder to ground out. He walked first baseman Norm Cash, a 41-homer hitter himself, then induced a force at second from third baseman Steve Boros. A leadoff single against Mossi was wasted in the sixth when Kubek flew out to right and Maris grounded into a double play. The scoreless game moved to eighth, and a one-out walk to Bruton brought Kaline to the plate against Daley. The right fielder slapped a hit down the right field line, then made the turn to second base. Berra was in left that day, and he made the play of the day by playing the carom off the fence perfectly and firing to second base to snuff out Kaline. His manager Houk later said, "Yogi's throw saved the game." With Bruton on third and two outs now, the southpaw Daley intentionally walked the righty Colavito to face the lefty Cash, and Cash fouled out to Howard behind the plate.

Another opportunity to score off Mossi went by the wayside in the bottom of the eighth when Boyer failed to advance at all after a leadoff double. Pinch-hitter Hector Lopez, Bobby Richardson, and Kubek went down in order. With much appreciation for Daley's 3.1 inning scoreless relief, the Yankees turned to closer Luis Arroyo in the ninth inning of a scoreless tie at home (modern-day managers should take notes). The Puerto Rican lefty was quite the weapon out of the bullpen for the Yankees, as he pitched to a 2.19 ERA and 169 ERA+ with 29 saves in 119 innings. He sent the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, giving the Yankee hitters a chance to win the game in their last at bat.

Yankees first baseman Bill "Moose" Skowron had a promise to keep. When Arroyo entered the game, Skowron told him, "If you hold them this inning, Looie, I'll drive in the winning run." It did not appear as though Skowron would be able to though since Maris and Mantle were both retired to begin the frame. Mossi had now pitched 8.2 shutout innings of five-hit ball, an incredibly impressive feat considering the power of the Yankees' lineup. Suddenly, his performance began to unravel. Howard and Berra lined back-to-back singles with two outs, and the winning run was at third base for Skowron. Arroyo turned to Skowron and told him, "Here's your chance." Sure enough, Mossi hung a curveball to Skowron a little higher than intended on the inside part of the plate, and Moose beat Mossi by grounding a single to left field to score Howard and win the game 1-0.

The Yankees now held a 2.5 game lead on the Tigers as Mossi groaned about his "stinking" curveball, saying, "I never pitched a better game. The only bad pitch I made was the one Skowron hit." Houk said with relief, "This was the toughest game of the year for us. It was a battle between two hard-nosed clubs, each refusing to give an inch." The Yankees went on to sweep the Tigers in that series and in fact won a season-high 13 games in a row. By the time the streak ended with a loss to the White Sox in Chicago, their lead over Detroit was 10.5 games with 14 to go. The pennant was theirs for the taking.

Box score. Game recap 1. Game recap 2.

Yankees 4, Orioles 3: Offense Overcomes Curtis Granderson Injury With Late Rally

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September 1, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (24) hits a home run during the fourth inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

For the first six innings, it was another slough of a game today for the offense as Baltimore Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen shut the New York Yankees' offense down, just as teammate Miguel Gonzalez did last night. It was not shutout baseball, as Robinson Cano lined an opposite-field homer to left in the fourth inning, but the offense was very quiet otherwise. Making matters worse was the fact that slugging center fielder Curtis Granderson left the game in the second inning with a tight right hamstring (later revealed to be tendinitis). He was visibly in pain after his second inning at bat, and he was replaced in center field in the top of the third. The injury made an already-weak batting order even worse, as Steve Pearce replaced him. The defense scrambled as Nick Swisher moved from first base to right field, Andruw Jones moved to left field, and Ichiro Suzuki moved to center field for just the third time this year.

In the meantime, the Orioles jumped on a wild David Phelps for three hits and an ugly six walks in 4.2 innings. A leadoff walk in the first led to right fielder Nick Markakis coming around to score, as did DH Chris Davis's leadoff hit by pitch in the second inning. Baltimore's third run came on a leadoff homer to left in the third inning by catcher Matt Wieters. Phelps clearly was not doing so well with the leadoff hitters. He was lucky that the Orioles failed to score more runs since they stranded runners in scoring position in the first, second, and fifth innings. Phelps departed in favor of Cody Eppley in that fifth inning situation, and the ROOGY came up with a huge out by getting All-Star Adam Jones to fly out to left field. Lefty Boone Logan pitched two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, but the Orioles made it interesting in both of those frames as well. A double play from Mark Reynolds ended the sixth, and after a Jayson Nix error on a bunt with one out allowed hot prospect Manny Machado to second, where he was stranded when Logan struck out Markakis and induced a fly ball from Nate McLouth. Still, the offense had just two hits through six innings against Chen. The outlook wasn't brilliant for the New York nine.

Pearce came through with his first hit as a Yankee, a single to left field with one out, but punchless catcher Russell Martin popped out to right field and Nix fell to an 0-2 count. One strike from Chen would have ended another scoreless inning. He battled back to work a walk though, and up came Eduardo Nunez, the DH in his game back with the Yankees since mid-May. Nunez lined a base hit to center to score Pearce, making it a one-run game. At 101 pitches and tiring, Chen's day was done; in came reliever Pedro Strop and his 1.86 ERA (226 ERA+) in 58 innings. Ichiro walked to load the bases. Jeter also fell behind 0-2 and worked the game-tying walk to bring home Nix. Swisher battled Strop to a 3-2 count, then hit a grounder to shortstop J.J. Hardy. The AL leader in fielding percentage (take that with a grain of salt) bobbled it twice and the Yankees took the lead.

David Robertson and Rafael Soriano pitched 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth to painlessly end the game in a much-needed 4-3 victory. The bullpen deserves a great deal of credit for the win, proving 4.1 scoreless innings in relief of Phelps. The Yankees expanded their division lead over the Orioles to three games. For now, they rest. Phil Hughes takes on Chris Tillman as the Yankees look for the series victory tomorrow afternoon.


Source: FanGraphs

Flying Falcor of the Day goes to Rafael Soriano, whose dominant ninth shut down any hope the Orioles had of coming back and gave them a one-run loss for a change. (1 IP, 2 K, .176 WPA, Sv).

Kangaroo Kick of the Day goes to Andruw Jones, who looked nothing like a cleanup hitter (0-4, -.097 WPA).

Box score. Graph score. Highlights.

Saturday Night Open Thread

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Bob's the best.

Baseball is being played, college football is being played, the Yankees won a very important game against the Baltimore Orioles. Discuss what you'd like. Enjoy your Saturday.

Watch this if you haven't already. Watch it again if you have.

Miscellaneous news:

Brandon Laird was claimed by the Astros after being DFA'd. Ramiro Pena was DFA'd today. The Yankees had a team meeting called by Joe Girardi after Friday's loss.

Tyler Austin promoted to Trenton!

It sounds like a *huge* overhaul is in the works: Tyler Austin, Ramon Flores, Nik Turley, Zach Nuding, Branden Pinder and Tom Kahnle to TRE.

Baby Bomber Recap 9/8/12: Season of Traveling Comes to an End

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AAA Empire State Yankees: L 1-7 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

Kevin Russo 0-4, 2 K

Corban Joseph 1-4, HR

Ronnier Mustelier 0-4, K

Luke Murton 0-4, K

Melky Mesa 0-3, K - batted .267 in the playoffs

Austin Romine 0-2, BB, 2 K - went hitless in the playoffs

Ramiro Pena 1-3

Vidal Nuno 1.2 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, BB, K - gave up all seven runs in the second inning

Kelvin Perez 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K

Francisco Rondon 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, K

Next: A question of who, if anyone, the Yankees will promote now that the season is over

AA Trenton Thunder: Game postponed for rain

Next: Elimination Game for Reading moved to Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

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