Game 159: Yankees vs. Royals

Regular Season Game 159

Yankees vs. Royals
Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (102-56)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robsinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (9-6, 4.72 ERA)

ROYALS (64-94)
Mitch Maier LF
Tug Hulett 2B
Billy Butler 1B
Brayan Pena DH
Alberto Callaspo 3B
Mark Teahen RF
John Buck C
Yuniesky Betancourt SS
Josh Anderson CF

Pitching: RHP Robinson Tejeda (4-2, 3.41 ERA)

Yankees vs. Tejeda

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
N. Swisher	11	2	1	0	0	0	1	2	.182	.250	.273	.523
R. Cano	10	1	0	0	0	1	0	3	.100	.100	.100	.200
D. Jeter	8	3	0	0	0	3	2	1	.375	.500	.375	.875
H. Matsui	8	4	2	0	1	4	0	2	.500	.500	1.125	1.625
J. Damon	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.143	.250	.143	.393
X. Nady	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.000	.000	.000	.000
A. Rodriguez	6	4	0	0	0	0	1	1	.667	.750	.667	1.417
J. Molina	6	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	.167	.167	.167	.333
M. Cabrera	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.200	.000	.200
J. Hairston Jr.	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Posada	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Teixeira	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
E. Hinske	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
B. Gardner	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000	1.000	.000	1.000
Totals	74	16	3	0	1	10	8	20	.216	.298	.297	.595

Royals vs. Chamberlain

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
C. Crisp	7	1	0	1	0	0	1	2	.143	.250	.429	.679
M. Teahen	6	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.429	.500	.929
J. Anderson	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.167	.167	.167	.333
M. Aviles	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Buck	4	2	0	0	1	2	0	1	.500	.500	1.250	1.750
D. DeJesus	4	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	.250	.571	.500	1.071
A. Callaspo	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250	.250	.250	.500
J. Guillen	3	1	0	0	1	2	0	2	.333	.333	1.333	1.667
Y. Betancourt	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
B. Pena	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Jacobs	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
A. Gordon	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.667	.667	.667	1.333
L. Hernandez	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.333	.667
W. Bloomquist	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Olivo	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
B. Butler	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	59	13	2	1	2	4	3	12	.220	.281	.390	.671

News & Notes

- The Yanks are 51-19 since the All-Star break. They've also won 64 of their last 88, and at 102-56 they have the best record in all of baseball they've locked up the division and the best record in baseball.

- At 57-23 the Yankees have the best home record in the baseball.

- In four games (two starts) against the Royals, Joba Chamberlain is 0-0, with a 1.98 ERA. In one start this year he lasted 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5.

- Robinson Tejeda has faced the Yanks five times, three as a starter, and is 0-3, with a 7.36 ERA. He faced them once this year as a reliever, and threw 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, walking 3, and striking out 6.

- The Yankees are 4-1 against the Royals this sesaon.

- I won't be around for the game because I'll be over at Giants Stadium for the Springsteen concert. Enjoy the game people. Go Yankees!

Stick around and discuss the game

as it happens in the comments section.

MLB Power Ranking: Week 26

Here is my weekly look at MLB Power Rankings from across the interwebs. This is just the top ten, you can view the full rankings by clicking on the links on the top of the chart below.

The Yankees, obviously, remain the unanimous no. 1. The teams behind them have flip-flopped a bit. This will be that last check on these rankings during the regular season. I assume there will be post season preview rankings post sometime before the DS begins next week.

	ESPN	Fox Sports	CBS Sportsline	Sporting News
1.	Yankees (1)	Yankees (1)	Yankees (1)	Yankees (1)
2.	Dodgers (3)	Dodgers (3)	Angels (3)	Red Sox (2)
3.	Angels (4)	Angels (4)	Red Sox (2)	Cards (6)
4.	Red Sox (2)	Red Sox (2)	Dodgers (4)	Angels (4)
5.	Cards (5)	Phillies (5)	Cards (5)	Phillies (5)
6.	Phillies (6)	Rockies (7)	Phillies (6)	Dodgers (3)
7.	Rockies (7)	Cards (6)	Braves (9)	Rockies (7)
8.	Braves (12)	Braves (11)	Rockies (7)	Braves (8)
9.	Rangers (9)	Giants (12)	Rangers (10)	Rangers (11)
10.	Tigers (10)	Marlins (10)	Giants (8)	Marlins (9)

(Last week’s rankings are in parentheses.)

Yanks Announce Bowl Game Plans

Starting in 2010 teams from the Big East and Big 12 conferences will match up in a Bowl game at the New Yankee Stadium. According to this article from Dick Weiss, the bowl "will be tentatively known as 'The Yankee Bowl,'" and their will be a seating capacity of 47,000.

There is a press conference at 10:30 a.m. today in the Bronx to announce the details. You can watch the press conference live on YES. Hal Steinbrennner, mayor Michael Bloomberg, Randy Levine, Lonn Trost and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. are expected to be on hand.

According to Mark Feinsand, the third or fourth ranked team in the Big East, and the seventh ranked team in the Big 12 will take part in the game, which will take place sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day. And if a Big 12 team doesn't qualify for a bowl, "Norte Dame has agreed to take part in the Yankee Stadium bowl game against a Big East opponent unless the Irish are eligible for a BCS bowl."

Greinke to Yanks: Root for the Twins

From Peter Botte:

Zack Greinke has not pitched against the Yankees this season, but the Kansas City ace has an opinion about which AL Central contender the Bombers should prefer not to face when the playoffs open next week.

Just as you'd expect a Cy Young front-runner to say, Greinke gives the edge to the Tigers over the Twins because of their pitching.

"I didn't think Detroit's pitching would do as (well) as it did for as long as it did," Greinke said before the Yankees beat the Royals, 4-3, Tuesday night at the Stadium. "They've got three guys who could pitch well in the playoffs for them, and the Twins don't really have a (Justin) Verlander or (Edwin) Jackson or (Rick) Porcello. (Minnesota's) bullpen might be better, but with those three guys, facing the Tigers would be harder."

For the most part I agree with Greinke, but then there's that part of me -- I've mentioned this several times before -- that remembers me hoping the Yanks would face the Tigers in '06 and the Indians in '07 and makes me weary of hoping to face one team or another. So I'll just sit back and see what happens. Of course on paper the Twins are the "easier" matchup for the Yanks, but the bottom line is that when the postseason starts, all that regular season stuff goes out the window. Whichever team gets hot, and most importantly pitches better, will win their series.

Miranda Gets Pie As Yanks Make It 15 Walk-Offs

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
KC	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0		3	5	2
NYY	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2		4	9	1

WP - Brian Bruney (5-0)
LP - Kyle Farnsworth (1-5)
Am I the only one who kinda feels bad for Kyle Farnsworth? I guess I am. Either way, the Yankees made it 50 comeback wins and 15 walk-off wins with their 4-3 victory over the Royals tonight in the Bronx. It really is amazing how this team is able to come back and win ballgames with relative ease. Tonight's win was the Yanks 102nd of the season and seventh in a row.

A.J. Burnett started the game for the Bombers and pitched very well. In 6.1 innings pitched the right-hander allowed just one earned on three hits, walked three, and struck out eight. He had good command of all of his pitches and threw 69 of his 108 pitches for strikes. It was his third solid start in a row and with one more before the postseason starts he's probably feeling very good about himself.

Burnett left the game with one out and one out in the seventh, giving way to Phil Coke. Coke didn't pitch bad, but he fielded his position terribly. With runners on 1st and 2nd and one out, threw what could have been an easy 1-6-3 double play ball into center allowing the Royals second run to score. Then with a runner on third, Mitch Maier grounded one back to Coke, but for some reason he threw to first instead of home allowed Alex Gordon to score the Royals second run. The only hit he allowed in the inning was a bunt single by Gordon.

Like Burnett, Royals starter Anthony Lerew also pitched very well, holding the Yankees to two runs on five hits in six+ innings pitched. Both runs came on solo homers, Mark Teixeira's 39th in the sixth, and Nick Swisher's 28th to lead off the seventh and cut the Royals lead to 3-2.

David Robertson made his first appearance since going on the DL, and looked as good as you'd expect. He got two outs, one on a strikeout, and walked a batter before leaving the game. He was a little rusty, throwing just 11 of his 19 pitches for strike, but after missing a few weeks you're going to be a little rusty.

It was another nice outing for Brian Bruney who threw 1.2 scoreless innings. He walked one and allowed a hit, but did not allow the Royals on the board and eventually picked up his 5th win of the season. Bruney was helped out a bit by a very smart play by Jerry Hairston. With a runner on first and nobody out in the 9th, Josh Anderson tried to put down a bunt, but popped it up and decided he didn't need to run. Hairston let the ball drop, then started a 5-6-4 double play. Bruney then struck out Maier for the final out of the inning.

That would set things up for the bottom of the ninth and another walk-off for the Yanks. Farnsworth came in to close the game out for the Royals. Where was Joakim Soria? After striking out Brett Gardner to start the frame, Francisco Cervelli and Eric Hinske hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with one out. After getting ahead 3-0, Robinson Cano was given the green light and hammered a ball deep to center for a game-tying sac fly. With Johnny Damon batting, Hinske stole second and moved to third on John Buck's terrible throw. The Royals then walked Damon to face Juan Miranda. The rookie then lined an 0-1 fastball off Farnsworth leg, the ball trickled into foul territory, everyone was safe, and the Hinske scored the winning run and it was pie time!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Over in Boston the Sox lost again to the Blue Jays 8-7. Clay Buchholz allowed five homers on the night, but remember folks, this is all part of their master plan.

Meanwhile in Detroit the Tigers and Twins split their doubleheader so the Tigers lead remains at two.

The Yanks go for a sweep tomorrow night at the stadium, with Joba Chamberlain making the start. He will be facing Royals right-hander Robinson Tejeda. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be on YES.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, SS	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	.333
Cano, 2B	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.322
Damon, LF	4	0	0	0	1	1	4	.281
Teixeira, 1B	4	1	2	1	0	0	1	.295
Miranda, 1B	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	.333
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	1	0	1	1	2	.286
2-Hairston, J, PR-3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.251
Matsui, H, DH	3	0	0	0	1	1	2	.278
3-Cabrera, Me, PR-DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.273
Swisher, RF	4	1	1	1	0	1	4	.250
Gardner, CF	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	.271
Molina, J, C	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	.215
1-Guzman, F, PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Cervelli, C	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.297
Pena, R, 2B-SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	.282
a-Hinske, PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.246
Totals	33	4	9	4	5	7	15
a-Singled for Pena, R in the 9th. 1-Ran for Molina, J in the 7th. 2-Ran for Rodriguez, A in the 8th. 3-Ran for Matsui, H in the 8th.
BATTING HR: Teixeira (39, 6th inning off Lerew, 0 on, 2 out), Swisher (28, 7th inning off Lerew, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Jeter; Teixeira 5; Miranda; Rodriguez, A; Swisher 4; Molina, J; Cervelli; Hinske. RBI: Teixeira (121), Swisher (80), Cano (85), Miranda (1). 2-out RBI: Teixeira; Miranda. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Swisher 2; Damon. SF: Cano. GIDP: Teixeira. Team RISP: 1-for-4. Team LOB: 9. BASERUNNING SB: Hinske (1, 2nd base off Farnsworth/Buck, J). FIELDING E: Coke (2, throw). DP: (Hairston, J-Pena, R-Cano).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Burnett, A	6.1	3	2	1	3	8	0	4.10
Coke	0.2	1	1	0	0	0	0	4.63
Robertson, D	0.2	0	0	0	1	1	0	3.24
Bruney (W, 5-0)	1.1	1	0	0	1	2	0	4.03

Pitches-strikes: Burnett, A 108-69, Coke 17-13, Robertson, D 19-11, Bruney 15-11.

ROYALS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Juan Miranda (walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th)

HONORABLE METION: A.J. Burnett (6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)

Tomorrow's Game

Yankees vs. Royals
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP Joba Chamberlain (9-6, 4.72) vs. RHP Robinson Tejeda (4-2, 3.41)

Game 158: Yankees vs. Royals

Regular Season Game 158

Yankees vs. Royals
Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (101-56)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner CF
Jose Molina C
Ramiro Pena 2B

Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (12-9, 4.19 ERA)

ROYALS (64-93)
Mitch Maier LF
Yuniesky Betancourt SS
Billy Butler 1B
Mike Jacobs DH
Alberto Callaspo 2B
Mark Teahen RF
John Buck C
Alex Gordon 3B
Josh Anderson CF

Pitching: RHP Anthony Lerew (0-1, 3.86 ERA)

Yankees vs. Lerew

No Yankee has ever faced Lerew

Royals vs. Burnett

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
C. Crisp	13	1	0	0	1	1	1	3	.077	.143	.308	.451
D. DeJesus	11	2	0	0	0	1	2	1	.182	.308	.182	.490
M. Teahen	11	2	0	0	0	1	2	2	.182	.308	.182	.490
Y. Betancourt	11	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.182	.182	.182	.364
J. Guillen	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	.300	.300	.300	.600
J. Buck	9	3	1	0	2	4	0	1	.333	.333	1.111	1.444
A. Gordon	8	2	0	0	1	1	1	2	.250	.400	.625	1.025
B. Butler	7	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	.286	.286	.286	.571
W. Bloomquist	5	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.200	.333	.200	.533
A. Callaspo	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.250	.000	.250
M. Jacobs	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.333	.000	.333
T. Metcalf	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Olivo	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.500	.000	.500
J. Anderson	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000	.667	.000	.667
L. Hernandez	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	94	18	1	0	4	9	12	17	.191	.290	.330	.620

News & Notes

- The Yanks are 50-19 since the All-Star break. They've also won 63 of their last 87, and at 101-56 they have the best record in all of baseball they've locked up the division and the best record in baseball.

- A.J. Burnett has made five career starts against the Royals, and is 2-2, with a 3.67 ERA. This will be his first start against them as a Yankee. In his last two starts, Burnett is 1-0, with a 2.13 ERA. In his last 12.2 innings he's allowed 3 ER on 14 hits, walked 6, and struck out 17.

- At 56-23 the Yankees have the best home record in the baseball.

- The Yankees are 3-1 against the Royals this sesaon.

- After winning 3-2 in 10 innings earlier today the Twins trail the Tigers by just one game in the AL Central. They play game two of their doubleheader tonight, with Justin Verlander starting for Detroit, and Brian Duensing going for Minnesota.

- Former Yankee Chuck Knoblauch has been arrested for choking his wife. What a schmuck. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. For more on the story check out this article from the Daily News.

- Congrats goes out to Chad Jennings. He will be replacing Peter Abraham on the Yankees beat as well as the Yankees LoHud blog. Chad did great work covering the SWB Yankees so I'm sure he'll continue that covering the Yanks. He starts on October 7th.

- Mariano Rivera is on this month's cover of SI, and no I don't believe in the SI jinx. Here's the cover:

Stick around and discuss the game

as it happens in the comments section.

Will the New Stadium Be a House of Horrors For Playoff Opponents?

From Anothony McCarron:

When does a Stadium make a home? With less than a week left in the regular season, the Yankees are quite comfortable at their new ballpark and boast the best home record of any team in baseball.

The new Yankee Stadium could be part showplace/part weapon in October because the Yankees hold home-field advantage through the playoffs after clinching the American League's best record on Sunday.

"We play so well here, it's going to be huge," Andy Pettitte said. "The fans are great and the last couple months, I don't know what it is, but we've felt like we're not going to lose here. That's been fun. We're just playing with a whole lot of confidence at home. I know the starters, if we get down a couple runs, it doesn't faze you because you believe we're going to score."

The Yankees were 56-23 at home after Monday night's 8-2 win over the Royals, a .709 winning percentage. They have won 30 of their last 37 home games since the All-Star break and are 50-16 since Alex Rodriguez's first game at the new park on May 15 after starting out 6-7 under a cloud of talk that the park was a homer haven.

"One of the biggest things in having home-field advantage is in the way you can use your bullpen," Yanks manager Joe Girardi said. "In the ninth, tie game, you're going to use your closer and anytime we can use Mo, we want him out there."

Talk of dinky homers has subsided as the season has progressed. But the possibility that the Stadium was a launching pad bedeviled the pitching staff early in the season, pitching coach Dave Eiland said. The pitchers got over it.

"There's no doubt it took us a while to settle in and feel like it was home," Pettitte said. "But we've been able to win in our last at-bat and come back in the middle of games, too. The ballpark's played well for us and we've got a lot of confidence."

This is a team built for this stadium; strikeout pitchers and home run hitters. Also, the new place has certainly been a tough place to play for the opposition throughout the year, and there's no reason why that should change next week. How many times has a pitcher thrown his hands up in frustration as a ball he thought was a flyout landed in the first few rows of seats? The Yankees probably have the media to thank too, all those band box stories may have struck just enough fear in pitcher's minds. There's a good chance that because of all that talk every time a pitcher comes into to the place that's probably in the back of his mind.

How much of a homefield advantage do you think the Yankees will have when the games start to matter again?

Judgment Day Coming for the Save Gate 2 Project

I've been reporting for months on the progress of the Save Gate 2 project and one way or another the situation will be resolved shortly.

From Benjamin Peim (hat-tip to River Ave. Blues):

The city Parks Department plans to seek preliminary approval next week for plans to commemorate the stadium at Heritage Field - the future park after the House That Ruth Built meets the wrecking ball. Gate 2 is not in the plans.

"If it gets approved, I think we're through," said John Trush, one of the fans fighting to save the gate.

The Parks Department presented its plans last May to the Design Commission, which approves all permanent works of art, architecture and landscape architecture proposed on or over city property. It granted preliminary approval, with the caveat they make revisions to better incorporate the stadium's history.

At next week's meeting, with Gate 2 crusaders making their pitch, the commission will decide the department's revised plans for the old Yankee Stadium.

...

"Our chances were a million to one when we started this," said Trush, "and now it's 50-50."

I really hope the city will decide to go forward with the plans to save gate 2. The current plans do little to keep anything of the original stadium, and that's not something I or I'm sure many Yankees fans want to see. A park with a piece of frieze is not enough. Some part of the original structure should be left standing.

The Stadium is a part of the city's history, and at least part of it should be kept around for generations to come. I commend the people behind this project who have really come a long way in making this a possibility.

2009 Regular Season Awards, Part Two

This should be the final in this brief series of posts. I'm pondering the necesity of a third but I'm leaning heavily towards no.

Rookie of the Year- Brett Gardner

I'm not quite sure if he's technically a rookie or not but I'm going to go assume he is and roll with it. In any case, he's surpassed the expectations of idiots like me and risen to the top of a strong rookie class. Early on he had to fight for the centerfield job. Melky Cabrera's hot April and Gardner's slow start won Melky back the job. However, When things reversed themselves Gardner won it back and since he's been an exciting sparkplug for the Yankees. We all knew about his speed and he has not dissapointed, stealing 24 bases in 29 attempts, which could become more important in the heated pitching duels of October. However, to take advantage of that he needed to get on base at a decent clip and since his early adjustment period he's shown that he can do that with a line of .279/.354/.397. He has absolutely no power but that's just not part of his game. His biggest value comes in his defense, which brings me to my next award.

Gold Glove Award- Brett Gardner



This was a very difficult decision for me and I know I'm going to take some heat for not going with Teixeira here. However, the biggest reason for the Yankees much improved defense this year has been Brett Gardner. His speed allows him to cover more ground out there than anybody we've seen man centerfield in the Bronx in a LONG time. Gardner also has a cannon for an arm, which he has shown to the dismay of opposing baserunners on many occasions. He's not very flashy out there but Gardner quietly emerged as one of the best defensive outfielders in the game this year. Obviously Mark Teixiera deserves honorable mention and the difference between him and Giambi has been immeasurable. He's gunned guys down at the plate, turned double plays, and made some diving plays that just make you shake your head. However, I don't think first base is as important defensively as centerfield and the stats don't really back up Teixeira. His UZR/150 is just a tick below average at .9 and his rate 2 is just a couple ticks above average at 104. I think he's been much better than that, just not as good as Gardner though.

Silver Slugger- Mark Teixeira



Now this was an easy one. Although he went through an adjustment period in April, as soon as he got some protection from A-Rod, Mark Teixeira became one of the most feared hitters in the American League. His 37 home runs trail only Carlos Pena in the American league and he could eclipse him by year's end. His line of .293/.383/.563 pegs him as a guy that fits perfectly into the middle of the Yankees' fearsome lineup. Since A-Rod's return he's been a force that no pitcher has seemed capable of stopping. Its ironic that the winner of this award didn't get any of the many walk off hits this season delivered. However, Teixeira did his work early on and won plenty of games for the Yanks with his bat. Nobody on the Yankees really came close, although I briefly considered A-Rod for the award before I came to my senses.

Yanks D Lineup Destroys KC

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
KC	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0		2	4	0
NYY	0	0	0	1	1	1	5	0	X		8	12	0

WP - Chad Gaudin (6-10)
LP - Luke Hochevar (7-12)
It was a meaningless game so I'll make this short, but even with a bunch of backup players the Yankees were still able to easily defeat the Royals by the score of 8-2.

Chad Gaudin started, pitched very well, and picked up his sixth win of the season. In 6.2 innings pitched he allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. He threw 92 pitches on the night, 57 for strikes. The two runs came on a Mark Teahen solo homer in the fifth, and a Mike Jacobs sac-fly in the sixth.

Ramiro Pena hit his first career homer, which was greeted by the silent treatment in the dugout, which was pretty funny to see. He also drove in a second run later in the game with an RBI single in the seventh.

The big blow of the game came off the bat of Robinson Cano, a grand slam in the seventh to blow the game wide open and give the Yanks an 8-2 lead. For a guy who has struggled so much with runners in scoring position this year it was great to see. It was Cano's 25th homer of the season. He also doubled in the game, his 48th of the year.

Erick Hinske and Shelley Duncan also had RBI singels on the night.

The bullpen did a good job tonight. Damaso Marte retired the only batter he faced, and then Alfredo Aceves threw two perfect innings.

It was the Yankees 101st win of the season, three more wins would give them the most they've had since 1998. Besides that 1998 season they've only won more than 103 games in the last 46 years, and that was in 1964.

Boston lost again tonight, 11-5 to the Blue Jays. But remember they're apparently not trying to win, at least according to Dan Shaughnessy they're not.

In Detroit the opener of that big four-game set between the Tigers and Twins was rained out. They will play a day-night doubleheader tomorrow.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gardner, CF	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.275
Cabrera, Me, LF	3	1	1	0	1	0	1	.273
Cano, 2B	4	2	2	4	0	0	1	.322
Posada, DH	2	1	2	0	2	0	0	.290
Hinske, 3B	4	0	1	1	0	0	4	.242
Duncan, S, RF	3	0	1	1	0	1	2	.231
1-Guzman, F, PR-RF	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000
Miranda, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	2	3	.200
Cervelli, C	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.289
Pena, R, SS	4	2	2	2	0	0	0	.290
Totals	33	8	12	8	3	4	12
1-Ran for Duncan, S in the 6th.
BATTING 2B: Cano (48, Hochevar), Posada (25, Hochevar), Cervelli (4, Hochevar). HR: Pena, R (1, 5th inning off Hochevar, 0 on, 1 out), Cano (25, 7th inning off Hochevar, 3 on, 0 out). TB: Gardner; Cabrera, Me; Cano 6; Posada 3; Hinske; Duncan, S; Cervelli 3; Pena, R 5. RBI: Hinske (25), Pena, R 2 (9), Duncan, S (1), Cano 4 (84). 2-out RBI: Duncan, S. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Hinske; Miranda 2. GIDP: Cabrera, Me; Duncan, S. Team RISP: 6-for-11. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Guzman, F (2, 2nd base off Hochevar/Olivo), Pena, R (4, 2nd base off Hochevar/Olivo). CS: Cervelli (3, 2nd base by Hochevar/Olivo). FIELDING DP: (Pena, R-Cano-Miranda).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Gaudin (W, 6-10)	6.2	4	2	2	2	5	1	4.68
Marte, D (H, 5)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	9.49
Aceves, A	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3.73

Pitches-strikes: Gaudin 92-57, Marte, D 6-4, Aceves, A 18-12.

ROYALS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Robinson Cano (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R)

HONORABLE MENTION: Ramiro Pena (2-for-4, first career HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB)

Tomorrow's Game

Yankees vs. Royals
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (12-9, 4.19) vs. RHP Anthony Lerew (0-1, 3.86)

Game 157: Yankees vs. Royals - First Pitch Set for 8:55 p.m.

Regular Season Game 157

Yankees vs. Royals
Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (100-56)
Brett Gardner CF
Melky Cabrera LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Eric Hinske 3B
Shelley Duncan RF
Juan Miranda 1B
Francisco Cervelli C
Ramiro Pena SS

Pitching: RHP Chad Gaudin (1-0, 3.71 ERA)

ROYALS (64-92)
Mitch Maier LF
Yuniesky Betancourt SS
Billy Butler 1B
Mike Jacobs DH
Alberto Callaspo 2B
Mark Teahen RF
Miguel Olivo C
Alex Gordon 3B
Josh Anderson CF

Pitching: RHP Luke Hochevar (7-11, 5.98 ERA)

Yankees vs. Hochevar

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
N. Swisher	9	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	.222	.222	.222	.444
J. Damon	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200	.200	.200	.400
R. Cano	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000
A. Rodriguez	3	1	0	0	1	2	0	1	.333	.500	1.333	1.833
D. Jeter	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
J. Molina	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000
H. Matsui	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Cabrera	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	.333	.500	.667	1.167
E. Hinske	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	35	7	1	0	1	4	1	4	.200	.243	.314	.558

Royals vs. Gaudin

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Y. Betancourt	15	5	1	0	1	2	0	3	.333	.333	.600	.933
J. Guillen	13	4	1	0	0	1	0	5	.308	.357	.385	.742
M. Teahen	11	4	0	1	0	1	0	2	.364	.364	.545	.909
D. DeJesus	10	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.400	.400	.400	.800
A. Gordon	9	3	1	0	0	1	0	2	.333	.333	.444	.778
B. Butler	8	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	.125	.222	.125	.347
C. Crisp	7	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.286	.286	.286	.571
J. Buck	6	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	.167	.286	.167	.452
W. Bloomquist	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Olivo	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
M. Jacobs	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
T. Metcalf	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Totals	89	24	3	1	1	6	2	24	.270	.293	.360	.653

News & Notes

- The Yanks are 49-19 since the All-Star break. They've also won 62 of their last 86, and at 100-56 they have the best record in all of baseball they've locked up the division and the best record in baseball.

- Chad Gaudin has faced the Royals 11 times in his career, three as a starter, and is 3-2, with a 2.89 ERA. As a Yankee Gaudin is 1-0, with a 3.71 ERA.

- In two games (one start) agaisnt the Yankees, Luke Hochevar is 0-0, with a 2.00 ERA. In his only start he allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked none, and struck out 4 in 6 innings.

- At 55-23 the Yankees have the best home record in the baseball.

- The Yankees are 2-1 against the Royals this sesaon.

- Dave Robertson has been cleared to pitch and will likely get into the game tomorrow.

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