The Juice: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays stay hot in Minnesota

Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.

1. Beast-tista: There's unconscious. There's in the zone. There's white hot. And then there's Jose Bautista(notes) against the Minnesota Twins. The Toronto Blue Jays slugger blasted three more home runs — numbers 14, 15 and 16 — and knocked in four in the Jays' 11-3 win. He even had a chance for a fourth in the eighth inning, but grounded out.

Watch Bautista's home runs
Bautista has seven home runs in six games against Minnesota this season. Michael Cuddyer(notes) and Jason Kubel(notes) lead the Twins all season with four apiece.
"It's ridiculous, it feels like a dream right now," Bautista said. "Sometimes I can't really believe it myself, but I keep seeing the good pitches."
"I guess this is one of the hottest streaks I've ever had in my life. I'm seeing the ball well and connecting good. Hopefully I can keep this going for a while."
Winners of five straight, Toronto heads to Detroit on Monday night. We wish Max Scherzer(notes) the very best.
2. Red Sox regain perfect vision: After a rough 2-10 start, the Boston Red Sox evened their record at 20-20 and completed a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees with a 7-5 win on Sunday night. They did it with the long ball. Kevin Youkilis(notes) tied it with a three-run shot in the third. David Ortiz(notes) put them ahead with a solo blast in the fifth. And then Jarrod Saltalamacchia(notes) irritated the open wound with his first of the season in the eighth.
3. You know his name: Despite a warm welcome from his new teammates, Dan Uggla(notes) admitted he hasn't felt like a big part of the Atlanta Braves thanks to his early struggles. That changed on Sunday. Uggla collected two hits, scored all three Atlanta runs, and hit a tiebreaking home run off Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay(notes) to lead Atlanta to a 3-2 victory.

4. Ruffled Redbird feathers: After Aroldis Chapman(notes) (four walks, four runs) attempted to blow a seven-run ninth inning lead, Cincinnati turned to closer Francisco Cordero(notes) to stop the bleeding. He did, securing a 9-7 win and a series sweep, but not before plunking Albert Pujols(notes). That led to an interesting postgame exchange that is sure to be revisited when these teams meet again in July.

5. Better late than never: Mat Latos(notes) won for the first time in 2011 (1-5) and snapped a personal 10-game losing streak in San Diego's 8-2 win over the Rockies. As for Colorado, they dropped their fifth consecutive series — four to teams under .500 — and fell to 3-10 in May. That all but wipes away their remarkable 17-8 mark in April.

6. Surprise! Not really.: Ryan Braun(notes) cracked his 12th home run, tripled and drove in four as the Brewers dropped Pittsburgh again, 9-6. The Pirates have lost an astounding 33 of 36 in Milwaukee since 2007, and have fallen four games under .500 after climbing above the elusive mark last week. If only they could find a way to beat Milwaukee, it may be a realistic goal.

7. Surging Santos: Ninth inning stability on the South Side of Chicago? Are you serious? Apparently new closer Sergio Santos(notes) is, because the former Arizona Diamondbacks first round pick — as a shortstop — converted his fifth save in as many chances, and extended his scoreless streak in 19 innings in the White Sox 4-3 win over Oakland.

8. Burn, Turner, Burn: Hot-hitting Carlos Beltran(notes) was back in the lineup on Sunday, but the New York Mets didn't need him thanks to Justin Turner's(notes) career day. The 27-year-old rookie infielder hit his first career home run, doubled and drove in five as the Mets upended Houston, 7-4.

9. Are you free again in June?: Mother Nature wreaked havoc in the midwest, forcing postponements in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit. Fortunately all three visiting teams will make return trips later this season, which is unusual for non-divisional matchups such as Giants-Cubs and Mariners-Indians.

Anyway, the Giants will return to Wrigley Field for a day-night doubleheader on June 28. The Royals and Tigers will make up their game on September 1st at Comerica Park. Meanwhile, the Mariners and Indians are scrambling to reschedule two games after back-to-back rainouts. One will happen during their August 22-24 series, and it's looking like Seattle will have to make a one day trip back east on September 19.

Tigers beat Royals 3-0 for 7th straight win

DETROIT (AP)—First, Brandon Inge(notes) caught a foul popup while falling into the crowd. Then, Casper Wells(notes) went sliding across the grass to grab a line drive in right field.

Finally, Austin Jackson(notes) topped them both, running down a deep fly ball in center before reaching out and backhanding it with his back still turned to the infield.

Brad Penny(notes) pitched eight scoreless innings for Detroit on Saturday, but he had plenty of help from his fielders as the Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0. Penny allowed five hits and no walks. He struck out only two, but the Tigers were ready when Kansas City’s hitters put the ball in play.

“We had some awesome plays today,” Penny said. “That’s probably the best defense I’ve had, personally, in one start in my career.”
Detroit has won seven straight and 10 of 11.
The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning, then made a few marvelous plays in the field to prevent a Kansas City comeback. Inge, the third baseman, caught that foul popup to end the second. Wells and Jackson made their big catches in the fourth—with a man on base.
Jackson’s catch came on a drive by Eric Hosmer(notes).
“I threw a changeup right down the middle,” Penny said. “The guy crushed it, but Austin’s great out there.”
Detroit second baseman Scott Sizemore(notes) made a diving stop to his left on a groundball in the seventh.
Penny (4-3) threw 110 pitches before giving way to Jose Valverde(notes), who struck out two in a hitless ninth, earning his 10th save. Penny has pitched at least six innings without allowing an earned run in three of his last five starts.
“He commanded the ball and threw strikes, he threw curves for strikes, he moved the ball in and out,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He didn’t make three mistakes we could crush, and their defense played great.”
Despite shutting down the Tigers after the first, Kansas City’s Jeff Francis(notes) (0-5) remains without a win since July 30. He’s allowed three or fewer earned runs six times this season.
“It wasn’t like we knocked the ball around,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “Sometimes you win with the longball and the gapper, and sometimes you win other ways. The old saying, pitching and defense, it keeps you in almost every game, and it wins you a few games, obviously, as well.”
Francis pitched all eight innings for Kansas City, allowing seven hits and a walk. He struck out four.
“Just didn’t come out of the chute with the best stuff,” Francis said. “I guess I got a wake up call.”
The Tigers scored three runs in the first on five singles. The last three hits came from Miguel Cabrera(notes), Victor Martinez(notes) and Jhonny Peralta(notes), each driving in a run.
Martinez extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Peralta added a sixth-inning double to reach 1,000 hits for his career.
The home crowd gave Peralta a standing ovation after his milestone hit, which also gave the Tigers at least one extra-base hit in all 40 games this season. Peralta now has a 10-game hitting streak.
The Tigers lost seven straight before this stretch of 10 wins in 11 games.
“I knew we were a lot better team than we were playing (like), and me personally, I pitched terribly the first few games,” Penny said. “It’s nice to get a winning streak going.”

The Juice: Verlander makes strong bid to rewrite history

Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.

1. Johnny Vander Meer still stands alone: Of all the feats accomplished in Major League Baseball, someone matching Johnny Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters ranks highly on the list of the unlikely. But that didn't stop Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander(notes) from facing the challenge head on.

"I did want to tie him tonight, maybe break it the next time," Verlander joked.

Verlander may have joked about it afterwards, but for five plus innings it seemed like a very real possibility. His stuff was every bit as good as it was last Saturday in Toronto, which allowed him to move within ten outs of joining elite company. That was when Kansas City Royals outfielder Melky Cabrera(notes) reaffirmed Vander Meer's place in history with a ringing RBI double to right field.
"He threw me a changeup," Cabrera said through a translator. "He left it up, and I was able to hit it good."
Oh, Melky, knock it off. You got lucky.
Regardless of falling short of rewriting history, Verlander still pitched a gem by anybody's standards allowing only two hits over eight innings in the Tigers 3-1 victory.


2. Baseball's real lost art: The straight steal of home. Legends like Jackie Robinson and Ty Cobb made it look routine in their day, but it's something you rarely see attempted in the modern era of baseball. When it does happen, it's worth talking about.
And that's why we're talking about Oakland's Coco Crisp(notes). Crisp made a mad dash for home in the 8th inning with his A's down one. But the White Sox battery of Matt Thornton(notes) and A.J. Pierzynski(notes) shut it down, with A.J. applying the tag just as Crisp's hand arrived at the plate. That allowed Chicago to escape with a 4-3 triumph.


3. Electric slide: Speaking of heart-stopping plays at the plate, Omar Infante(notes) pulled off one of the prettiest slides you'll see to score the deciding run in the Marlins 6-5 win over the Nationals.
Watch Infante's incredible slide
But that slide would have never happened if not for an incredible diving catch by Washington's Roger Bernadina(notes) that robbed Mike Stanton(notes) of hero status and kept the game even at four.


4. Vottomatic: If you give Joey Votto(notes) an opportunity to ruin your day, chances are he's going to ruin your day. That's exactly what the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen did — blowing a 5-2 seventh inning lead — and the reigning National League MVP sentenced them to a sleepless night with a walk-off RBI single in the 10th. Reds win it 6-5.


5. Hey John Krasinski, don't answer the door: In front of the first Yankee Stadium sellout since opening day, Red Sox sluggers Adrian Gonzalez(notes) and Kevin Youkilis(notes) each went yard — Gonzalez for the fourth time in three games — and Clay Buchholz(notes) won this third consecutive start as Boston claimed a 5-4 win over the Yankees.


6. Starlin's lucky number: Wearing the number thirteen proudly on his back, Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro(notes) clearly doesn't suffer from triskaidekaphobia. He's also not intimidated by Giants pitching, which he proved by collecting three hits, knocking in two and scoring twice in the Cubs 11-4 romp over San Francisco.


7. Pronk to the rescue: Homerless since April 17th, Cleveland's Travis Hafner(notes) finally connected for a two-out, two-run walk-off homer off Seattle Mariners closer Brandon League(notes) to give his Indians an exhilarating 5-4 victory. Of course he did.


8. Not so Beachy: Altanta's Brandon Beachy(notes) was victimized by a Ryan Howard(notes) three-run homer in the first, and then left the game in the third with a strained oblique. Though his teammates got him off the hook by the middle innings, late run scoring singles by Shane Victorino(notes) and Raul Ibanez(notes) helped the Phillies upend the Braves 5-4.


9. Blister be Ogando: A blister on his right index finger is the only thing that could stop Texas Rangers starter Alexi Ogando(notes). Now that he's past that, Ogando returned to the mound and returned to his winning ways (4-0), out dueling the Angels Jeff Weaver(notes) in a Rangers 4-1 victory.

Bronx Zoo: Posada and Yankees in messy spat

NEW YORK (AP)—Jorge Posada(notes) says his back got stiff and he needed a night off to clear his head.
What is most certainly unclear, however, is where he stands with the New York Yankees right now.
Posada asked to be taken out of the lineup Saturday against rival Boston after the slumping designated hitter was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order.
Hitting .165 this season, Posada was in the original lineup posted by manager Joe Girardi and said he understood why he was bumped to the bottom of the order for the first time in 12 years.

But at 6 p.m., Posada went into Girardi’s office and requested that he be removed. Without the five-time All-Star, the Yankees were beaten 6-0 by Josh Beckett(notes) and the Red Sox for their fourth straight loss.

And afterward, the 39-year-old Posada said he feels “a little bit” disrespected by the team.
“I told him I couldn’t play today, and that I needed time to clear my head, and that was it. My back stiffened up a bit. I was taking a lot of groundballs at first base and working out, and it stiffened up,” Posada said. “I wasn’t 100 percent to play the game. I mean, nothing serious.”
That’s where it gets messy, though.
Posada never mentioned to Girardi or general manager Brian Cashman that his back was bothering him. And the Yankees weren’t pleased that he wasn’t playing.
A person familiar with the discussion between Posada and the team told The Associated Press that he “refused” to play. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was still not settled.
The person said the Yankees have been in contact with the commissioner’s office about possible recourse. The Yankees could fine Posada one day’s pay— that would be $71,978 on his $13.1 million salary. If a player declines to play two days in a row, he could be put on the restricted list.
“If he feels good tomorrow, and Joe Girardi has him in the lineup and he’s batting ninth, he’s playing,” said one of Posada’s agents, Sam Levinson. “Where he hits in the lineup is irrelevant. This is about his back, not about where he’s hitting.”
Girardi wouldn’t comment on whether Posada might play in the series finale Sunday night.
“His struggles have been tough on him,” said Girardi, ejected by plate umpire Mike Winters for arguing balls and strikes following Adrian Gonzalez’s(notes) three-run homer off CC Sabathia(notes) in the seventh inning. “I hope for his sake we get through this and we can move forward.”
About 40 minutes before gametime, the Yankees announced that Posada had been scratched from the lineup and replaced by Andruw Jones(notes) at DH, but the team initially provided no explanation.
With speculation swirling, Cashman met with reporters in a workroom behind the press box during the third inning to give an update. In an unusual scene, the GM said Posada is not injured, but wouldn’t comment on whether he had been insubordinate.
That irritated Posada.
“I don’t know why he made a statement during the game. I don’t understand that. That’s the way he works now, I guess,” Posada said. “I think we should have waited for the game to be over to talk to whoever. … You don’t do that. You’re not supposed to do that.”
On a bizarre night in the Bronx, Posada’s wife even chimed in during the game, tweeting that her husband had back stiffness and “loves being a Yankee” more than anything.
“He’s trying his best to help his team win. Today, due to back stiffness he wasn’t able to do that,” she wrote.
Before batting practice, Posada insisted he was OK with hitting ninth. He said he put himself in this position and he understood Girardi’s decision.
Posada was on the Yankees bench during the game, wearing a cap and sweat shirt.
Slumping all season in his new role as DH, Posada has six homers and 15 RBIs. His batting average is the lowest for any player currently in the majors with at least 100 at-bats, and he hasn’t homered since April 23.
With the Yankees struggling to get big hits lately, Girardi said it was time to make a lineup switch. He moved scuffling Nick Swisher(notes) down to eighth in the order and put Posada in the No. 9 hole.
“It’s all right. Just move some people around, get a W or two and get rolling again,” Posada said, adding that Girardi informed him of the lineup decision earlier in the day.
It was Posada who gradually supplanted Girardi as New York’s primary catcher in the late 1990s. The last time Posada hit ninth was exactly 12 years ago, on May 14, 1999, against the Chicago White Sox.
“The only way I’m coming out of hitting ninth is just producing, and that’s the bottom line,” Posada said before BP. “I put myself in this spot. It’s not like I want to hit ninth and it’s not like I want to hit a hundred and whatever I’m hitting. Just a matter of really coming out of it.
“We’re going through a little funk right now and it’s a matter of really producing.”
A proud and respected veteran who has helped New York win five World Series titles, Posada does have four hits in his last 12 at-bats.
Posada has caught at least one game for New York in each of the past 16 seasons and is one of only six major league catchers to hit 20 homers eight times, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
He lost his job behind the plate, however, relegated to DH duty this season. The switch-hitter is 0 for 24 against left-handed pitchers, and Girardi wouldn’t commit to staying with Posada against southpaws.

Gonzalez, Beckett lead Red Sox over reeling Yanks

NEW YORK (AP)—When the bright lights come on, Josh Beckett(notes) knows how to respond.
Beckett shut down the skidding New York Yankees for the second time this season and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) homered for the fourth consecutive game, sending the Boston Red Sox to a 6-0 victory Saturday on a bizarre night in the Bronx.

“That’s probably the best cutter I’ve seen him have in a while. Changeup— he used all his pitches,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. We always have. He worked hard and said last year he was going to come back with a vengeance, and I think he has.”

The night took a strange turn when longtime star Jorge Posada(notes) asked to be taken out of the New York lineup after the slumping designated hitter was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order.

Posada, hitting .165 this season, was in the original lineup posted by manager Joe Girardi, who was ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire Mike Winters following Gonzalez’s three-run shot. But Posada went into Girardi’s office at 6 p.m. and requested that he be removed.
During the game, Posada’s wife tweeted that he had a stiff back, and the five-time All-Star said afterward that indeed, his back got stiff, and he needed a night off to clear his head.
“It’s hard when you get older in this game,” Girardi said. “I just sense that he was frustrated.”
But a person familiar with the discussion between Posada and the team told The Associated Press that he “refused” to play. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was still not settled.
The person said the Yankees have been in contact with the commissioner’s office about possible recourse. The Yankees could fine Posada one day’s pay— that would be $71,978 of his $13.1 million salary. If a player declines to play two days in a row, he could be put on the restricted list.
“Want me to tell you what I think? (The Yankees are) doing that guy wrong,” Boston slugger David Ortiz(notes) said. “You know why? Because that guy is legendary.”
Andruw Jones(notes) took over at DH, and Posada was on the Yankees bench during the game, wearing a cap and sweat shirt.
His teammates weren’t much more productive, managing only four singles and two walks against Beckett (3-1) while dropping their fourth straight. It is New York’s longest skid since losing four in a row Sept. 22-25.
The Yankees, who have dropped eight of 11 overall, fell to 1-4 against their longtime rivals this year.
“We’re just in a rut. There’s really no reason to overanalyze it or hang our heads too much,” Mark Teixeira(notes) said.
Beckett struck out nine in six innings to win another marquee matchup with CC Sabathia(notes) (3-3). Last month at Fenway Park, also on national television, the right-hander struck out 10 while yielding just two singles and a walk in eight dominant innings for a 4-0 win over Sabathia and the Yankees.
Beckett faced the Yankees five times last year, going 1-2 with a 10.04 ERA.
“He was pretty on today. It was going to be pretty tough to scratch any runs across the board against him,” Teixeira said.
Beckett gave up singles to his first two batters, then set down Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez(notes) and Robinson Cano(notes) in order—two on strikeouts.
Beckett escaped more trouble in the third and fifth, then handed a 6-0 lead to the bullpen. Matt Albers(notes) and Rich Hill(notes) completed the seven-hitter.
“I just had to make pitches when I did,” Beckett said.
Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) hit a two-run double in the fifth and Jason Varitek(notes) added an RBI single in the seventh. Gonzalez chased Sabathia with a drive to right-center, his fifth homer in four games.
“He amazes me,” Francona said. “He’s really good, he’s intelligent and he knows what he’s doing.”
It also was Gonzalez’s first extra-base hit in 51 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season, his first with Boston.
NOTES: Teixeira was hitless in 30 straight at-bats against Boston dating to last year before an eighth-inning single, according to STATS LLC. … The sellout crowd of 48,790 was New York’s largest of the season. … New York has lost consecutive series at home for the second time at the new Yankee Stadium. The other time was May 2009, against Boston and Tampa Bay. … Yankees RHP Carlos Silva(notes) allowed one run, three hits and struck out six in his first start at Double-A Trenton. He was released by the Chicago Cubs during spring training and agreed to a minor league contract with New York on April 9. … With strong career numbers against Sabathia, Mike Cameron(notes) started in RF for Boston, giving J.D. Drew(notes) a rest.

Scores & Schedule: May 13

  
 National League     American League 


   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 San Francisco  1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 4 9 0
  
 Chi Cubs  0 3 0 0 0 0 5 3 X 11 14 0



WP: R. Dempster (2-4)
LP: M. Bumgarner (0-6) 


HR: SF - C. Ross (2) 


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   Final 11   2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  R  H  E 

 Florida  0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 12 0
  
 Washington  0 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 12 0



WP: E. Mujica (4-1) S: L. Nunez (13)
LP: B. Broderick (0-1) 


HR: FLA - G. Sanchez (7), J. Buck (5), L. Morrison (5), M. Stanton (6), WAS - L. Nix (5) 


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   Final 10   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  R  H  E 

 St. Louis  0 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 9 0
  
 Cincinnati  0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 6 13 1



WP: F. Cordero (3-1)
LP: J. Motte (1-1) 


  


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Philadelphia  3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 5 10 2
  
 Atlanta  1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4 10 0



WP: A. Bastardo (2-0) S: R. Madson (6)
LP: E. O'Flaherty (1-2) 


HR: PHI - R. Howard (9) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 NY Mets  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 6 8 1
  
 Houston  0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 9 0



WP: P. Misch (1-0) S: F. Rodriguez (11)
LP: J. Fulchino (0-1) 


HR: NYM - D. Wright (6), J. Bay (2), F. Martinez (1) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Pittsburgh  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 1
  
 Milwaukee  0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 X 5 9 0



WP: Y. Gallardo (4-2) S: J. Axford (8)
LP: J. McDonald (2-3) 


HR: PIT - R. Cedeno (1), MIL - J. Lucroy (2) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 San Diego  0 1 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 7 11 2
  
 Colorado  3 2 0 1 2 1 0 3 X 12 16 0



WP: J. De La Rosa (5-1)
LP: D. Moseley (1-5) 


HR: SD - C. Maybin 2 (5), COL - T. Tulowitzki (10) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Arizona  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 7 1
  
 LA Dodgers  0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 X 4 8 0



WP: C. Kershaw (5-3) S: K. Jansen (1)
LP: J. Saunders (0-5) 


HR: LAD - R. Barajas (7) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Seattle  0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 4 6 0
  
 Cleveland  1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 7 0



WP: T. Sipp (2-0)
LP: B. League (0-4) 


HR: SEA - J. Smoak (6), C. Peguero (1), CLE - M. Brantley (3), S. Choo (5), T. Hafner (5) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Boston  0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 5 9 1
  
 NY Yankees  0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 4 8 0



WP: C. Buchholz (4-3) S: J. Papelbon (6)
LP: B. Colon (2-2) 


HR: BOS - A. Gonzalez (8), K. Youkilis (6), NYY - R. Martin (7) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Kansas City  0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0
  
 Detroit  1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 X 3 7 0



WP: J. Verlander (4-3) S: J. Valverde (9)
LP: L. Hochevar (3-4) 


HR: DET - A. Jackson (3), J. Peralta (5) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Baltimore  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
  
 Tampa Bay  0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 3 7 0



WP: J. Hellickson (4-2)
LP: J. Guthrie (1-6) 


HR: TB - J. Damon (6), M. Joyce (5) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 LA Angels  0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
  
 Texas  1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 X 4 7 0



WP: A. Ogando (4-0) S: N. Feliz (7)
LP: J. Weaver (6-3) 


HR: LAA - E. Aybar (1), TEX - E. Andrus (2), A. Beltre (9) 


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   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Toronto  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 13 0
  
 Minnesota  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0



WP: R. Romero (3-4) S: F. Francisco (3)
LP: A. Burnett (0-2) 


HR: TOR - J. Bautista (12) 


Box Score - Recap    





   Final   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E 

 Chi White Sox  0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 0
  
 Oakland  0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 6 1



WP: P. Humber (3-3) S: S. Santos (4)
LP: B. McCarthy (1-4) 


  


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Buchholz leads Red Sox over Yankees 5-4

NEW YORK (AP)—Whether New York and Boston are fighting for first place or scuffling, as they are this year, Clay Buchholz(notes) knows he’s in for a battle at Yankee Stadium.
“It’s the toughest place mentally to pitch,” he said. “They all hate us.”

In the first game between the rivals in New York this season, Buchholz won his third straight start and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) and Kevin Youkilis(notes) homered to lead the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory Friday night.

Just 1-3 with a 6.25 ERA in six starts against the Yankees coming in, Buchholz (4-3) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked one.

“He threw hard and down with movement, and then he started using his changeup and breaking ball,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “His fastball had so much depth to it.”

Boston (18-20) stopped a two-game skid and remained five games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay. The Yankees, who dropped to 1-3 against the Red Sox on Friday the 13th, lost their third straight home game for the first time since Sept. 22-25 and dropped two games behind the Rays.

“They always seem to come out of their struggles whenever we come here or they come to Fenway,” Buchholz said.

A crowd of 48,254 filled the ballpark for the first sellout since opening day. It was the first Friday the 13th game between the rivals in a decade—and the first between them in New York in 20 years.

Gonzalez homered into the right-field second deck leading off a two-run fourth against Bartolo Colon(notes) (2-2), his fourth homer in three games, and he put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly off Chamberlain. Youkilis reached out for a 98 mph fastball and powered it over the right-field scoreboard for a two-run homer.

“I was very fortunate we’re not playing at Fenway Park and are in Yankee Stadium,” Youkilis said. “That’s the good thing being here. The ball goes out to right field where it’s an out probably at Fenway Park, how deep it is.”

Chamberlain had not allowed a run in his previous six appearances.

“I knew it wasn’t a good pitch as soon as I let it go,” he said.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia(notes) had singled leading off the seventh, chasing Colon after 103 pitches. Speedy Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) bounced to shortstop against Chamberlain, but the Yankees could only get the force at second. Dustin Pedroia(notes) then executed a perfect hit-and-run single past the space Cano vacated to cover the second-base bag, putting runners at the corners for Gonzalez, who hit a sacrifice fly to the left-field warning track.

In Colon’s first start since an orthopedic surgeon said he injected stem cells into the pitcher’s right shoulder and elbow last year, he gave up three runs—two earned—five hits and three walks in six-plus innings.

Youkilis also scored in the fourth on Carl Crawford’s(notes) groundout after reaching when Russell Martin(notes) allowed a third strike to get by him for a passed ball.

Martin tied the score with a two-run homer in the fifth. Martin and Youkilis and Martin each ended 45 at-bat homerless streaks.

Daniel Bard(notes) allowed Curtis Granderson’s(notes) leadoff triple to the base of the left-field wall in the eighth, then threw a run-scoring wild pitch that made it 5-3. Alex Rodriguez(notes) walked, Bard hit Robinson Cano(notes) on the left foot with a pitch, and the runners advanced on a double steal. In the key sequence of the night, Bard struck out Nick Swisher(notes) with a 99 mph fastball and induced an inning-ending grounder to second by Jorge Posada(notes) on a 101 mph pitch.

Jonathan Papelbon(notes) finished for his sixth save in seven chances, ending career-high stretches of six games and 20 days without one. He allowed Granderson’s two-out RBI single before getting Mark Teixeira(notes) to pop out with the tying run on base.

“We had our shot,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We didn’t get it done.”
NOTES: Buchholz made a diving stab on Brett Gardner’s(notes) one-hopper between the mound and first in the third inning, then had a nifty backhand toss to first to beat the batter. … A disputed call by Mike Everitt allowed Gardner to advance to second in the fifth—the second-base ump ruled Pedroia’s foot came off the bag as he stretched to reach Derek Jeter’s(notes) hit-and-run grounder to the shortstop side of the bag. But Buchholz retired Granderson and Teixeira.

Closing Time: Eric Hosmer lights up Broadway

When does a good start become a good season? When do we finally accept that the 2011 Kansas City Royals might be a pretty good ballclub?

The Royals made a statement in New York this week, taking two of three over the Yankees, including an 11-5 victory in Thursday's rubber game. The Royals lead the AL in runs scored and they top the majors in stolen bases. There are numbers for the taking here.
Super rookie Eric Hosmer(notes) had the starring role Thursday, collecting three hits including his second homer in two days. Here am I now, entertain me. Hosmer is off to a .333/.444/.714 start in the show (four runs, five RBIs, one steal), but not all fantasy players have bought in — he's owned in just 46 percent of Yahoo! leagues. I realize Hosmer is long gone in more-competitive groups, but even the shallow-league mixers need to get on board. This is a player who can hit for average and power, run and defend, work the count. This could be this year's Buster Posey(notes).
No one has delusions of grandeur with journeyman outfielders Jeff Francoeur(notes) and Melky Cabrera(notes), but you can't argue with the numbers — Frenchy is currently the No. 9 outfielder in the Yahoo! game, while Cabrera checks in at No. 12. It's probably too late to get in on Francoeur (84 percent owned), but Cabrera is available in half of Y! pools and he's offering a wide collection of stats (.280-26-5-24-4).
Both of these guys are getting away with a "see the ball, hit the ball" approach at the dish — they have nine walks each — and you don't want to get season-committed on either player. But this deep into the season, production like this shouldn't be ignored. See if you can find a roster spot for The Melk Man.
Wilson Betemit(notes) (21 percent) is another potential add if you're looking for a KC interest. He's off to a .317 start with three sneaky steals, though he hasn't maintained last year's power numbers. It's a little frustrating to see Betemit locked at third this year — we were hoping he'd slide over to second or short now and then and pick up Swiss Army Knife status. Perhaps that's coming down the road. Eventually the hot corner is going to belong to hot prospect Mike Moustakas(notes), but that's not going to start tomorrow. Moose is off to an ordinary .260/.338/.455 start with Triple-A Omaha.
We'll get a good litmus test on the Royals over the next 10 days. They'll face Justin Verlander(notes) on Friday and Max Scherzer(notes) on Sunday, two of the best starters in the AL. And next week they're up against three interesting opponents: the surprising Indians, the formidable Rangers, and the resilient Cardinals. Pinocchio, time to show you're a real boy.

• If you're a fan of the rehabbing Phillies, Clearwater, Florida was the place to be on Thursday night with three big names getting some work in. Roy Oswalt(notes) (back) pitched five innings in a rehab start, allowing three runs and striking out five. His fastball was mostly in the 88-90 range, a little troublesome given that he's normally around 93. Oswalt is penciled in to return Tuesday at St. Louis, but I'd give him a get-back start before you plug him into your lineup.

Carlos Ruiz's(notes) back apparently isn't a problem — he went 1-for-3 and will be activated on schedule Friday. Chase Utley(notes) also passed the eye test (good to see he can still hit Single-A pitching), going 1-for-2 with a homer and playing five innings at second. Utley will get another game in Friday, though he notes that "I have to be able to play nine innings before I get up to the big leagues." There's no specific timetable on his return yet.

• Pass in your key card and your parking pass, Brandon League(notes). You're no longer in the circle of trust. League's picked up three messy losses in five days, with the latest coming at Baltimore on Thursday (2 H, 2 R, 2 HBP, one out recorded). League apologists can point to a few positives: he didn't have a blown save until this week; there's a tidy K/BB rate in place; David Aardsma(notes) won't be returning anytime soon; the Mariners don't have great bullpen depth to challenge League (the well-traveled Jamey Wright(notes) is the primary holds guy right now; David Pauley(notes) has a pretty ERA but a mediocre strikeout rate). But most big-league managers have a short leash when it comes to the ninth inning, so League needs to get back in form quickly, else he's just begging Eric Wedge to look at other options.

Baltimore's Zach Britton(notes) had to settle for a no-decision despite nine masterful bagels (3 H, 0 BB, 5 K; Jason Vargas(notes) matched him on the other side). I know the strikeouts are light with the Baltimore rookie and there's a suspiciously-low BABIP, but I'm a believer anyway. Britton is getting ground balls 54 percent of the time, he's always around the plate, and no one's making consistent contact against him (13.4 LD rate). You might steer Britton away from Tuesday's start in Fenway Park, but definitely use him on the weekend against Washington.

• Slowly but surely, Jordan Zimmermann(notes) is starting to put it together. He had his third straight quality start Thursday but had to settle for a no-decision against Atlanta (6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 11 K); he's got 21 whiffs over his last 18.1 innings. Zimmermann's swinging-strike percentage is still under the league average, but he got 11 of them last night and certainly has the arsenal that should translate to future dominance (93 mph heater, 86 mph slider). To fully realize his potential, he might need to make something work with his ordinary curveball and rarely-used change. Zimmermann is owned in less than half of Yahoo! pools; kick the tires on him against Pittsburgh next week.

• Jaime Garcia(notes) scattered nine hits en route to a solid victory at Chicago (7 IP, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K). So many things are in the right place with Garcia: he's getting ground balls 55 percent of the time, he's pushed his strikeout rate up to 8.25, his control has improved, and he's got four decent pitches to throw at opposing batters (and everything moves, everything darts). Mitchell Boggs(notes) and Fernando Salas(notes) mopped up Thursday, working a perfect inning of relief each.

Speed Round: The Mets had a good laugh in the series finale at Coors. Carlos Beltran clobbered three home runs (he's up to .295 with eight jacks), while Jason Bay stole a couple of bases. Ubaldo Jimenez never found his release point and was a mess, walking six batters in 3.2 spotty innings. … J.J. Hardy(notes) was moved up to seventh on Thursday and he had two hits, including the walk-off single against League. … Nick Markakis(notes) can't seem to get going; it was an 0-for-5 day for Nick the Stick, with two GIDPs. … Mother Nature wiped out the Dodgers and Pirates; it's been the Year of the Rainout, hasn't it? … Matt Cain(notes) had a typical under-the-radar start, going 7.2 strong innings en route to a win over Arizona (7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K). The Giants got enough offense despite Miguel Tejada(notes) (0-for-4) and Mark DeRosa(notes) (0-for-3); look for Mike Fontenot(notes) to probably get back into Friday's lineup. … The Rays had a balanced offense in Thursday's 7-4 victory over Justin Masterson(notes) and the Tribe. Matt Joyce's(notes) music keeps playing; he had a hit and two walks, scoring two runs. … Jason Heyward(notes) got good news on Thursday; an MRI on his shoulder revealed no structural damage, only inflammation. He had a cortisone shot in the shoulder and might be back in a few days. … Angel Pagan(notes) (oblique) has yet to resume baseball-related activities, which means he's just about spent for the rest of the month. Ike Davis(notes) (ankle) also went on the DL Thursday, and it's feared he'll be out longer than the 15 days. … Grady Sizemore(notes) (knee) didn't play Thursday and is uncertain for Friday. … Andrew McCutchen(notes) was held out of Thursday's lineup after failing to hustle during Wednesday's game. It's hard to imagine this punishment lasting longer than one day. … Brian Matusz(notes) is expected to make.

Indians edge Mariners 5-4 on Hafner’s 2-run homer

CLEVELAND (AP)—Disgusted with himself, Travis Hafner(notes) complained to anyone who would listen that he was tired of hitting infield singles, bloops and dribblers.

After a powerless month, Hafner needed a home run—badly.

The Indians needed one, too.

Hafner’s two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning off Seattle closer Brandon League(notes) sent Cleveland to its latest dramatic win, a 5-4 victory on Friday night over the Mariners, the newest victim of the Indians’ late-winning, walk-off ways.

“We’re having a blast,” Hafner said. “This is fun.”

Hafner, who hadn’t homered since April 17, belted an 0-1 pitch from League (0-4) over the center-field fence, sending a crowd of 33,774 fans—the Indians’ second-largest at home this season—into a feverish frenzy. After being mobbed near home plate by his teammates, Hafner leaped into second baseman Orlando Cabrera’s(notes) arms and the crowd screamed lyrics to “Cleveland Rocks” as fireworks exploded.


It was Cleveland’s ninth last at-bat win in a season growing more special by the day.


The Indians are an AL-best 24-13, have the majors’ best home mark at 15-4, and their last five wins at Progressive Field have all come in their final swing.
Long after the crowd had dispersed, and the ballpark darkened, the giant scoreboard remained lit with this season’s slogan: “What If?”
Tony Sipp(notes) (2-0) pitched a perfect 1 1-3 innings for the win, which came after the Indians dropped two straight to Tampa Bay.
“This felt like a big win,” Hafner said. “After losing the last two games, it was important to get it going again.”
Hafner’s homer spoiled Seattle manager Eric Wedge’s homecoming in Cleveland and was yet another punch-in-the-gut loss for the Mariners, who have lost three of their last four on walk-off hits.
League has been the loser in each of them, and following the game, the right-hander sat and stared into his locker.
“It’s been a tough stretch,” Wedge said. “League was one pitch from finishing it off. You have to handle it and be strong, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
After being held in check by Seattle starter Doug Fister(notes) for eight innings, the Indians entered the ninth with just four hits and trailing 4-2. They were three outs from disappointing a raucous crowd.
But Michael Brantley(notes) opened the ninth with a double to left-center, and Asdrubal Cabrera(notes) followed with an RBI double over the head of rookie left fielder Carlos Peguero(notes), who seemed to freeze on the hard hit that was right at him.
Shin-Soo Choo’s(notes) groundout moved Cabrera to third, and he stayed there when Carlos Santana(notes) grounded out to second.
Up came Hafner, who had struck out looking in his previous at-bat in the seventh. Hafner looked at a fastball for strike one before driving League’s second pitch, a sinker, over the wall for his second career walk-off homer and first since 2006.
Choo and Brantley also homered for the Indians, who believe they can stay in contention all season.
“You look around and there’s a lot to like about our team,” Hafner said. “We feel it’s a team that can play well all season and win a lot of ball games. It’s about getting to the playoffs, and that’s this team’s goal.”
Indians manager Manny Acta loves the fight in his team, but he joked that he could live without all the late-inning drama.
“I knew they would not roll over,” he said. “I knew they would put up quality at-bats. But I’ve had enough of that.”
Justin Smoak(notes) hit a two-run homer for Seattle and Peguero hit his first major league homer, a 422-foot solo shot.
Although he’s not likely to admit it, the stoic-and-steady Wedge had to be stung by the loss. He managed the Indians for seven seasons, guiding them through a tough rebuilding period and leading them to just one playoff appearance in 2007, when they missed the World Series by one win.
Wedge, who was never truly embraced by Indians fans, was fired after losing 97 games in 2009. In Seattle, he’s dealing with many of the same issues he dealt with in Cleveland.
“This has been a tough streak,” he said. “These are some of the things (young players) have to go through to be better in similar situations.”
Fister was supposedly a break for the Indians, who have been facing some of the AL’s top pitchers recently. In 12 games leading into the series opener, Cleveland had gone against seven pitchers ranked in the top 20 in ERA in the league.
Fister looked as if he belonged there.
Other than giving up the homers, he was in command. Fister retired the side in order in four innings, and he faced only three batters in the second, when the Mariners turned a double play. But when Wedge turned things over to League, the Mariners sunk again.
Notes: For the third straight game, the Indians played without center fielder Grady Sizemore(notes), who is resting a bruised right knee. Sizemore did some light drills—he played catch and hit off a tee—and the Indians are being extra cautious with the 28-year-old, who underwent season-ending surgery on his left knee last June. … Cleveland didn’t get win No. 24 until June 11 last year. … LHP Jason Vargas(notes) on Thursday became the first Mariner to pitch nine shutout innings in a no-decision since Indians pitching coach Tim Belcher did it for Seattle on June 4, 1994.

Power Rankings: Phillies second to none

Major League Baseball will conduct a camp for prospective umpires Friday at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina.

Really, who needs instant replay when the alternative is push-ups for Tony La Russa?

Oorah.

The rankings:

(Records through Wednesday’s games.)

1. Philadelphia Phillies (24-12; Previous: 2) – Utley coming back from chondromalacia. Had to lay over in Frankfort, then was delayed in Newfoundland, so running a little late.

 2. Cleveland Indians (23-12; Previous: 3) – Given that he blew a .20, should Choo be castigated for driving or praised for finding his car? Still castigated, you’re right.

 3. Florida Marlins (21-15; Previous: 4) – Anibal Sanchez(notes) reportedly “flirts” with second no-no. Suspicious first no-no discovers texts between the two, considers leaving him, plots to gain custody of little two-hitters.

 4. New York Yankees (20-14; Previous: 6) – Jeter nearing 3,000 hits. Would get there sooner, but – ever try to leg out an infield single towing an oxygen tank?

 5. Los Angeles Angels (21-17; Previous: 7) – Scioscia reaches 1,000 career wins, credits scouts, farm system, ownership, players. Especially for that 75-87 season.

 6. Tampa Bay Rays (21-15; Previous: 8) – Due to his mastery of activities such as ping pong, darts and pool, Andy Sonnanstine(notes) tells mlb.com he considers himself a “professional gentleman of leisure.” The work is nice, but it’s hell trying to find a decent martini in this town.

 7. St. Louis Cardinals (21-16; Previous: 9) – Theriot returns to Chicago, clarifies that when he said he was now on “right side” of rivalry, meant, you know, geographically, like if you were standing in Iowa.

 8. Colorado Rockies (19-15; Previous: 1) – Rockies don’t hit at Coors Field. Like watching Namath leave Toots Shor’s alone.

 9. Cincinnati Reds (20-17; Previous: 10) – Reds make Leake a reliever, see if he can’t steal a win or two.

 10. Atlanta Braves (20-18; Previous: 11) – Concerned for fan safety on hard-hit balls, Braves erect protective screens at Turner Field for batting practice. And, of course, for when Astros come to town.

 11. San Francisco Giants (20-16; Previous: 12) – Sabean calls out “clown” who reported Giants’ interest in Jose Reyes(notes). Bozo says he has “industry sources,” stands (on stilts) by story.

 12. Texas Rangers (19-18; Previous: 5) – Rangers lend Mavs claw and antlers fad, souvenir stands left with old A-Rod T-shirts and Jose Canseco action figures.

 13. Oakland A’s (19-18; Previous: 13) – Rickey requests more dirt on Rickey bobblehead, also a little more “Rickey” in Rickey bobblehead, if you know what Rickey means.

 14. Detroit Tigers (20-18; Previous: 17) – At Minnesota, Tigers delight in storm that brings hail the size of, well, Phil Coke’s(notes) fastball.

 15. Kansas City Royals (19-17; Previous: 18) – Future of Royals arrives on Hosmer wings, which, in Kansas City, generally comes with celery sticks and choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing.

 16. Boston Red Sox (17-20; Previous: 21) – On the bright side, Crawford is one of the really dangerous eight-hole hitters in the game.

 17. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-20; Previous: 14) – At owners meetings dinner, McCourt and Wilpon request table for two, something near the door.

 18. Toronto Blue Jays (17-20; Previous: 15) – Bautista sidelined with sore neck. Previously, had only been a carrier.

 19. Washington Nationals (18-18; Previous: 24) – Werth starts to hit after text from agent Boras, reading, “Your swing, LMAO.”

 20. Milwaukee Brewers (16-21; Previous: 16) – Roenicke reminds squad there’s no “I” in “team,” ruefully notes there’s no “O” in “Brewers.”

 21. Pittsburgh Pirates (18-19; Previous: 25) – Pirates rise above .500, sadly must cut short parade in order to play game No. 36.

 22. Seattle Mariners (16-21; Previous: 28) – Bradley DFA’d when Zduriencik rules him out of Mariners’ present and future. Still deciding on Mariners’ past.

 23. Baltimore Orioles (16-19; Previous: 20) – Showalter club just a couple elements from becoming a very good ballclub: pitching, hitting.

 24. Arizona Diamondbacks (15-20; Previous: 29) – Injured Matt Williams returns as third-base coach after passing “agility drills.” Related, D’backs welcome back PA announcer only after he completes CPR class, interior design training.

 25. Chicago Cubs (16-19; Previous: 23) – Just to try to spice things up a little, MLB TV’s Hazel Mae now does all Cubs highlights in Lou Piniella body suit and Harry Caray voice.

 26. Chicago White Sox (15-23; Previous: 19) – Ozzie, told Mike Scioscia does not have a Twitter account, points out, “He weighs 300 pounds more than me. He’s bald, I’m not. He reads scouting reports, I don’t. So?” Um, just sayin’ …

 27. New York Mets (16-20; Previous: 22) – RIP Bill Gallo, along with Basement Bertha, who leaves the Mets just where she found them.

 28. Houston Astros (14-23; Previous: 27) – Sale of club held up when Jim Crane balks at two words in fine print: “As is.”

 29. San Diego Padres (15-22; Previous: 30) – In time-saving device, Associated Press now issues no-hitter alerts immediately following Padres’ batting practice.

 30. Minnesota Twins (12-23; Previous: 26) – Jose Bautista(notes) has five fewer home runs than the Twins, which would be totally embarrassing except for the fact he’s missed eight games.

Hellickson throws 4-hitter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Jeremy Hellickson(notes) didn’t look like a pitcher making just his 11th career start.
The right-hander threw a four-hitter, Matt Joyce(notes) and Johnny Damon(notes) homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Friday night.

“Hellickson, obviously, was in command,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “It never really felt like you had him lined up. Didn’t have many good at-bats off of him.”

Hellickson (4-2) struck out three and walked one in his first career complete game.

“Once you’ve done it, you know you can do it in the future,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He was always under control emotionally.”

Hellickson retired his final 13 hitters.
“I felt just as good in the ninth as I did in the first,” Hellickson said. “I had a few (complete games) in high school, but this is the one that counts. This is much better.”
Joyce put the Rays up with a two-run homer off Jeremy Guthrie(notes) (1-6) in the second inning. He had two hits and is 23 for 48 with five homers and 13 RBIs over his last 14 games.
Damon made it 3-0 with a solo homer in the eighth inning. He broke a tie for 73rd place on the all-time hit list with Tim Raines and Rabbit Maranville with his 2,606th hit.
Guthrie gave up three runs and seven hits in his first complete game of the season, but fell to 0-6 in his last seven starts since beating the Rays on opening day. The Orioles have scored six runs over the seven-start stretch— including no runs five times—while he was in the game.
“We know it is difficult,” Showalter said. “We’ve talked about it. Timing is everything with something like that. He certainly doesn’t want to hear it right now, I can tell you that.”
The Rays improved to 10-10 at home this season and Tampa Bay is 13-5 on the road.
Baltimore was bidding for its second four-game winning streak this season.
Hellickson worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in both the fourth and fifth innings. Adam Jones(notes) ended the fourth with a grounder, while Brian Roberts(notes) flied out for the final out in the fifth.
“I thought everything was right for it tonight,” Maddon said. “I’m watching him. He was not laboring to throw. He was really at a nice pace. Even though it ended up at 120 pitches, I thought he wasn’t really challenged physically.”
Guthrie has lost two of three starts this season against Tampa Bay, including an 8-2 defeat to Hellickson and the Rays last Saturday.
Notes: Tampa Bay CF B.J. Upton(notes) served the second game of a two-game suspension handed down by Major League Baseball following a tirade after he was ejected on May 4. … Orioles LHP Brian Matusz(notes), who has been on the DL all season because of a strained ribcage muscle, had a 45-pitch bullpen session. He is scheduled to start for Class-A Frederick on Monday. … Rays LHP J.P. Howell(notes) (left shoulder surgery) could rejoin the team next Thursday. The reliever is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham. … Baltimore RHP Justin Duchscherer(notes) (left hip) threw two innings at extended spring training.

Brett Jackson of the Chicago Cubs organization

Multiple freaking sick baseball fight

Dumb luck brought Britton his out pitch

When Zach Britton(notes) uses his middle finger, it’s not an obscenity. It just causes them. Opposing batters punctuate ugly swings and flaccid ground balls and strikeouts with every last morsel of a sailor’s vocabulary, and if Britton really wanted to add insult to injury, he would extend his bird as a reminder of what caused that particular at-bat’s demise.

The Baltimore Orioles’ 23-year-old rookie starting pitcher has spent the first five weeks of his major league career confounding hitters with one of baseball’s rare beasts: the left-handed power sinker. Forget the high heat, the diving splitter, the tilt-a-whirl slider, the whittling cutter, the ACL-tearing curve – it’s the sinker, the workaday pitch almost anyone can learn, that, when mastered, can transform a man into an out-making automaton.

No one throws a sinker like Britton. Actually, the ball isn’t even supposed to sink. When he was in Class A, futzing around with different grips like all inquisitive pitchers do, one of his coaches, Calvin Maduro, tried to teach him a cutter. He told Britton to dig his middle finger into the seams, rest his index finger alongside it and throw. The ball was supposed to move in against right-handed hitters. It dove a foot away.

“I don’t know what you’re doing,” Maduro said. “Just keep doing it.”
Britton didn’t know, either, and he did keep doing it anyway. And eight starts into his career, with his latest Thursday a nine-inning gem against Seattle, he might own the best lefty sinker in the American League.

There is no shortage of right-handers whose reliance on the sinker defines their very baseball existence: Fausto Carmona(notes) and Justin Masterson(notes) in Cleveland; Derek Lowe(notes) and Tim Hudson(notes) in Atlanta; Brandon Webb(notes) and Chien-Ming Wang(notes) in Disablelistadelphia. The list of lefty sinker specialists won’t swallow too many kilobytes: Britton; St. Louis’ Jaime Garcia(notes) (the best in the business for now); and Atlanta reliever Jonny Venters(notes), among a few others not nearly as notable. A simple answer explains the pitch’s rareness: Opposite-handed hitters tend to handle sinkerballers – especially those without a worthwhile changeup – and there are plenty of right-handed batters to stack teams’ lineups.

Britton has handled them, and everything else, really: the callus on his middle finger which needed to be excised with a scalpel; the emotion of knowing he was going down to Triple-A Norfolk to start the season only to return after a Brian Matusz(notes) injury; and the reality that, for the foreseeable future, he’ll be pitching in the toughest division in baseball.
“I’m not scared of the Yankees,” Britton said. “I’m not scared of the Red Sox. I’m not scared of the Rays. It’s a great opportunity. These guys are the best teams in baseball. I’m glad I’m in the AL East. If you can succeed against the best, you can pitch against anyone in baseball.”
In 17 1/3 innings against Tampa Bay and Boston, Britton has allowed five runs. He beat the Rays in his first start and lost to them in his last, and his 5-2 record and 2.42 ERA have fetched him particular attention in what was turning into a very nice two-man American League Rookie of the Year race between Britton and Seattle Mariners right-hander Michael Pineda(notes) (with latecomer Eric Hosmer(notes) of the Kansas City Royals happy to join the fray).
While Hosmer’s swing excites and Pineda’s fastball lights up radar guns, the uniqueness of Britton’s sinker makes it the standout tool among the three. Last week, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones(notes), on his day off, crouched behind the plate to catch Britton’s warm-up pitches between innings.
“He’s throwing 75 percent and the ball is moving all over the place,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t want to catch it at 100 percent, and I definitely wouldn’t want to try to hit it at 100 percent.”
Britton understands full well the weapon he found. He was an outfielder in high school, set to go to Texas A&M, before the Orioles chose him in the third round and decided to put him on the mound. Which was good, Britton said in his first trip to Baltimore, because “they need pitching.”
He was 18 at the time, and his critique was damning in its truth and hubristic in its delivery, particularly considering Britton’s struggles while going winless in his first professional season. Baltimore developed him slowly, content with one-level jumps for four years until he dominated Double-A and Triple-A last season and proved himself plenty ready for the major leagues.
“I’ve been down this road hundreds of times with young players that started out well,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “I understand how this works. We’ll let him do his thing. We all live in a world where we want to know exactly what’s going to happen before it happens. He’ll be as good as he’s capable of being, and we’re curious to see what it’s going to be.”
It’s not just in the stuff his left arm produces. Britton welcomes challenges. He relishes winning in Baltimore. He likes the idea of being a good and involved citizen. He’s getting married soon to Courtney Leggett, who’s in her final year at Southern Methodist law school. He enjoys drawing in the offseason, when he takes to a sketchpad or easel and lets his innate artistic talent do the rest.

Showalter concerns himself most with the pitching, though, and with Britton and Matusz atop a rotation that includes Jake Arrieta(notes), Jeremy Guthrie(notes) and perhaps Chris Tillman(notes), the prospect of the Orioles contending isn’t nearly as far-fetched as it used to be.

“He goes out there and expects to win, to pitch well,” said Arrieta, who played junior-college ball with Britton’s oldest brother, Clay, and has known Zach for nearly a decade. “He’s got a lot of confidence in his ability, which he should. Even when he goes out there without his good stuff, he gets outs. He pitches deep into ballgames. And as a rookie, that’s tough to do. When you don’t have your good stuff, you get discouraged. Not him.”

The good stuff is usually there, of course, and when others see it they want the secret. Britton tries. Last year, reliever Pedro Beato(notes) inquired. He couldn’t master the grip. Britton showed it to Matusz, who said it better resembled how he throws a curveball.
“I’ve tried to teach people the grip before,” Britton said. “It doesn’t work for anyone else.”
So, naturally, Britton tried a variation on his variation this spring. He had thrown a circle changeup, like the pitcher he most admired, Tom Glavine(notes). Orioles pitching coach Mark Connor suggested Britton try to use his sinker grip and develop a split-finger changeup, the most devastating pitch Tim Lincecum(notes) and Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) throw.
“I didn’t have anything to lose,” Britton said. “The best thing that happens is you find a really good pitch, and the worst thing that happens is you don’t use it.”
He found it. And even if he does throw his sinker 73.8 percent of the time, more than all but three other pitchers, it’s helpful to know Zach Britton need not fully subsist on one pitch. He can only give ‘em the finger so many times.

Source link: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ahf47RjK39wI5q3jGyYGg0oRvLYF?slug=jp-passan_zach_britton_sinker_rookie_ace_orioles_051211