Trader Lee takes over the Yankees

[nyy26wc]

9/5--The Yankees start a 4 game series against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees come into the series with a 8 1/2 game lead in the division over the Rays, with the 3rd place Red Sox 11 back.

It was a historical night at Yankee Stadium, as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 8-2. In the bottom of the 1st, Alex Rodriguez hit HR #700. Rodriguez's HR was the 3rd in a back to back to back combo, following HRs by Albert Pujols and Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton hit 2 HR, to reach the 50 HR level. Miguel Montero also homered (#13). Tony Cingrani's good pitching (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) was overshadowed by the Yankees's offense. Jon Niese took a pounding for the Red Sox--3 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R/ER, 3 BB, 2 SO.

ATM--The Rays beat the Angels, 3-1, to keep the Yankee's lead at 8 1/2.

[nyy26wc]

9/6--Jon Lester (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 SO) and a 8 run rally in the top of 5th led the Red Sox to a 12-1 win over the Yankees. Dustin Pedroia had 3 hits and Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 5 for the Red Sox. Hanley Ramirez (#33), Manny Ramirez (#17) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (#12) homered for the Red Sox. C.C. Sabathia took a pounding for the Yankees--4 1/3 IP, 9 H, 8 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 SO. Mariano Rivera was called up in to get some work in the 9th and gave up Bradley's HR. Rivera's ERA has risen to 5.73 and has gone up from 4.47 over the course of his last 5 outings.

ATM--Prince Fielder's HR helped lead the Rays to a 4-3 win over the Mariners, to drop the Yankees lead in the AL East to 7 1/2. Nationals P Stephen Strasburg struck out 16 (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 16 SO) against the Marlins. Braves P Julio Teheran pitched a SHO (9 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 10 SO) against the Phillies.

[nyy26wc]

9/7--Adrian Gonzalez had 5 hits (HR #32), to help lead the Red Sox to a 11-6 win over the Yankees. Dustin Pedroia had 4 hits (1 2B 1 BB) and David Ortiz had 3 hits (1 2B), as the Red Sox had a 20 hit attack. Michael Pineda took a pounding for the Yankees--2 IP, 10 H, 7 R/ER, 1 BB, 2 SO. Giancarlo Stanton hit HR #51 for the Yankees. Felix Doubront had to leave the game after a 1-2-3 bottom of the 1st and was diagnosed with a labrum injury. If this wasn't September, it would have been a half-year injury (3 months), but after he's shut down for the rest of the season, he should be ready for spring training. Yankees CF Mike Trout had to leave the game, in the 1st inning, due to an oblique injury, but will probably be available for tomorrow. For the 2nd consecutive game, the high point of the game for the Yankees was a long rain delay, this time it being 67 minutes after the 2nd inning. The other highlight of the game for the Yankees was, by not pitching today, Mariano Rivera's 5.73 ERA didn't get any higher.

ATM--Indians LF Lorenzo Cain hit 4 HR.

AL
A's 6, Astros 5 (10)
Twins 6, Blue Jays 2
White Sox 9, Orioles 6
Tigers 5, Royals 4
Rangers 8, Angels 4
Rays 2, Mariners 0

NL
Brewers 8, Cubs 3
Reds 7, Dodgers 4
Phillies 4, Braves 3
Marlins 7, Nationals 2
Pirates 3, Cardinals 1
Rockies 8, Padres 5
Diamondbacks 10, Giants 8

INTERLEAGUE
Mets 13, Indians 9 (10)

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 6 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6
AL West: Mariners lead rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: White Sox lead Rays by 1/2, Red Sox by 4

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 9
NL Central: Cardinals lead Pirates & Reds by 5 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4
NL wild card: Braves lead Pirates & Reds by 1, Padres by 2, Giants by 4 1/2, Diamondbacks by 5

[nyy26wc]

9/8--Ryan Ludwick hit 2 HR (#11 & #12 (#6 & #7 with the Yankees), 3 hits) and Roy Halladay's pitching (7 IP, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 0 BB, 6 SO) led the Yankees to a 5-2 win over the Red Sox, to split the 4 game series. Alex Rodriguez homered (#32). Josh Beckett took a pounding for the Red Sox--6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R/ER, 1 BB, 4 SO.

ATM--Rays P Jake Westbrook (9 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) pitched a SHO against the Mariners. The only thing standing between this former Yankee and a no hitter was September callup rookie CF Leon Landry's double leading off the bottom of the 1st. The Rays passed the White Sox for the wild card lead. Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera had 4 hits (HR #42, 1 2B).

AL
Twins 4, Blue Jays 0
Orioles 6, White Sox 3
Royals 7, Tigers 6
Angels 9, Rangers 2
Astros 6, A's 5
Rays 2, Mariners 0

NL
Nationals 8, Marlins 3
Dodgers 4, Reds 2 (11)
Phillies 8, Braves 5
Cardinals 8, Pirates 5 (11)
Brewers 6, Cubs 5 (13)
Diamondbacks 6, Giants 2
Rockies 9, Padres 6 (11)

INTERLEAGUE
Indians 9, Mets 4

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 6 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6
AL West: Mariners lead rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 1/2, Red Sox by 4 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 10
NL Central: Cardinals lead Pirates & Reds by 6 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 5
NL wild card: Braves lead Pirates & Reds by 1, Padres by 2, Diamondbacks by 4, Giants by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

9/9--The Yankees opened a 3 game series in Baltimore.

Ricky Lowe hit 2 HR (#25 & #26, 4 hits), to help lead the Orioles to a 11-8 win over the Yankees. Lucas Duda (#16) and Avisail Garcia (#3) also homered for the Orioles. Orioles DH Dan Uggla was 0 for 5. Orioles starter Chris Tillman took a pounding--6 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 R/ER, 0 BB, 4 SO. After scoring 2 in the top of the 7th, to take a 5-4 lead, the Yankees made the mistake of bringing in Mariano Rivera with such a small lead. Rivera allowed the Orioles to load the bases and then hit Adam Jones and walked Adam LaRoche to give the Orioles the lead. It's the 5th time in his last 6 appearances that Rivera has given up a run (4th time multiple runs) and his ERA is now up to 5.98. The Yankees scored 2 in the top of the 8th, to briefly take a 7-6 lead, but a 5 run rally in the bottom of the inning, featuring a run HR by Duda, gave the Orioles a 11-7 lead, before the Yankees scored 1 in the 9th. Ryan Ludwick hit 2 HR (#13 & #14, #8 & #9 for the Yankees) and Derek Jeter had 4 hits (1 2B, 1 BB) for the Yankees, while Giancarlo Stanton hit HR #52. Ludwick has 9 HR in his first 9 games after being claimed off waivers on August 29.

Suzyn reports that Mariano Rivera has asked Trader Lee to start contract talks. (Off the record, Trader Lee says he can't come up with a single rational reason, unrelated to emotions, why Rivera isn't on irrevocable waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.)

ATM--Ludwick and Diamondbacks LF Collin Cowgill won Player of the Week.

AL
Indians 6, Royals 2
White Sox 7, Tigers 5
Mariners 2, Astros 0

NL
Reds 4, Cubs 3
Nationals 3, Mets 1
Marlins 3, Braves 2 (10)
Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 2
Rockies 15, Giants 0

INTERLEAGUE
Rangers 5, Pirates 4 (10)

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 6
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 5
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by .577-.576 PCT, Red Sox by 4 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 11
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 6
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4 1/2
NL wild card: Braves lead Reds by .5314-.5310 PCT, Pirates by 1, Padres by 1 1/2, Diamondbacks by 3, Giants by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

9/9--Manny Machado's solo HR (#19) in the bottom of the 8th broke up a 8-8 tie and helped lead the Orioles to a 9-8 win. Orioles rookie L.J. Hoes hit his 1st major league HR and Adam LaRoche had 3 hits. Zach Duke took a pounding for the Orioles--4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R/ER, 3 BB, 1 SO. Derek Jeter had 3 hits for the Yankees, Albert Pujols reached base safely 4 times (2 H, HR #34, 2 BB) and Jesus Montero (#18) homered. Yankees starter Tony Cingrani couldn't make it out of the 1st--2/3 IP 5 H, 5 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.

ATM--Indians P Brett Cecil pitched a no hitter (9 IP, 0 H 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) against the Royals. Diamondbacks 2B Eduardo Nunez had 5 hits. Pirates LF Jose Tabata had 5 hits.

AL
Indians 5, Royals 0
Blue Jays 12, Angels 3
Twins 5, A's 3
Red Sox 5, Rays 1
Tigers 10, White Sox 8 (10)
Astros 5, Mariners 0

NL
Padres 5, Phillies 3
Reds 7, Cubs 2
Mets 8, Nationals 4
Braves 8, Marlins 4
Cardinals 6, Brewers 5 (14)
Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 3
Giants 8, Rockies 3

INTERLEAGUE
Pirates 15, Rangers 4

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 6
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by .573-.572 PCT, Red Sox by 3 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 10
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 6
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 3 1/2
NL wild card: Braves lead Reds by .535-.534 PCT, Pirates by 1, Padres by 1 1/2, Diamondbacks by 3, Giants by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

9/11--Daniel Hudson (8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO) led the Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Yankees. Matt Wieters had 3 hits (HR #20). C.C. Sabathia had a good start for the Yankees--6 IP, 8 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB 6 SO.

AL
Royals 7, Indians 6 (10)
Blue Jays 3, Angels 1
Twins 4, A's 1
Rays 7, Red Sox 5
Tigers 6, White Sox 5 (10)
Mariners 13, Astros 5

NL
Reds 9, Cubs 1
Giants 2, Rockies 1 (11)
Phillies 8, Padres 7
Mets 5, Nationals 2
Marlins 8, Braves 2
Cardinals 6, Brewers 2
Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 8

INTERLEAGUE
Rangers 6, Pirates 1

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 7
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 1, Red Sox by 4 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 10
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 6
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Braves by 1, Pirates by 2, Padres by 2 1/2, Diamondbacks by 4, Giants by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

Originally Posted by nyy26wc

9/9--Manny Machado's solo HR (#19) in the bottom of the 8th broke up a 8-8 tie and helped lead the Orioles to a 9-8 win. ...

I lost track of the calendar. That was actually 9/10.

[nyy26wc]

9/12--Tim Hudson (7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 4 SO) led the Orioles to a 5-1 win over the Yankees, to sweep the 4 game series. Hudson took a shutout into the 8th. The 1 highlight of the game for the Yankees came when rookie Ramon Flores tripled in the top of the 8th, for his 1st major league hit.

ATM--The Padres's division title or wild card hopes may have suffered a deadly blow today, as 1B Victor Martinez suffered a separated shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. Martinez has had an excellent season and has been the #1 reason why the Padres have been in contention (.401 OBA, .534 SLG, .935 OPS, .322 AVG, 26 HR, 104 RBI). Even at his age (35), he could be in for a big payday when he hits the free market at the end of the season.

AL
Twins 2, A's 0
Blue Jays 4, Angels 1
Rays 5, Red Sox 1
White Sox 2, Indians 1 (10)

NL
Braves 8, Marlins 6
Mets 15, Nationals 2
Phillies 6, Padres 5
Pirates 7, Cubs 1
Brewers 7, Cardinals 5
Giants 13, Dodgers 3

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 4
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 1, Red Sox by 5 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 9
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 5 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Braves by 1/2, Pirates by 1 1/2, Padres by 3, Diamondbacks & Giants by 4

[nyy26wc]

9/13--The Yankees open a 3 game series in Fenway. The Yankees lead the Rays by 4 and the Red Sox by 9 1/2.

A 4 run rally in the top of the 8th erased a 4-3 deficit and helped lead the Yankees to a 8-4 win over the Red Sox. Mike Trout hit HR #36 (3 hits) and Derek Jeter had 3 hits. Asdrubal Cabrera homered (#11) for the Red Sox.

ATM--Twins P Liam Hendriks (9 IP, 6 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 4 SO) pitched a SHO over the Rays.

AL
Indians 5, White Sox 0
Rangers 10, A's 3
Tigers 9, Royals 3
Orioles 20, Blue Jays 8
Twins 7, Rays 0
Angels 4, Astros 2

NL
Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 4 (11)
Phillies 8, Nationals 7
Pirates 3, Cubs 2 (11)
Mets 8, Marlins 3
Padres 12, Braves 7
Brewers 7, Reds 6 (11)
Dodgers 8, Giants 1

INTERLEAGUE
Mariners 5, Cardinals 2 (12)

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 7 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 1, Red Sox by 5 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 9
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 5 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Braves & Pirates by 1/2, Padres by 2, Diamondbacks & Giants by 4

[nyy26wc]

9/14--Will Cannon hit 2 HR (#24 & #25), to help lead the Red Sox to a 13-3 win over the Yankees. The Red Sox had a balanced offensive attack that featured 15 hits and 10 walks, with everyone in the lineup getting either 1 or 2 hits and 7 of the 9 getting a walk. Bronson Arroyo had a good start for the Red Sox--8 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 SO. Mike Trout hit 2 HR (#37 & #38). Gio Gonzalez took a pounding for the Yankees--4 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 3 SO. The Yankees have lost 5 out of 6, 7 out of the last 9 and are 5-9 in September.

AL
Rangers 5, A's 2
Orioles 9, Blue Jays 4
Twins 3, Rays 1
Royals 4, Tigers 3
White Sox 10, Indians 1
Angels 8, Astros 5 (11)

NL
Brewers 17, Reds 5
Marlins 4, Mets 2
Rockies 8, Diamondbacks 7
Nationals 6, Phillies 4
Pirates 13, Cubs 6
Padres 8, Braves 3
Dodgers 6, Giants 5

INTERLEAGUE
Cardinals 11, Mariners 5

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 10 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by .571-.570, Red Sox by 4 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 10
NL Central: Cardinals lead Pirates by 6
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4 1/2
NL wild card: Pirates lead Reds by 1/2, Braves by 1, Padres by 1 1/2, Diamondbacks & Giants by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

9/15--The Red Sox put together a 2 run rally in the bottom of the 8th, to beat the Yankees 8-6, in the rubber game of the series. Hanley Ramirez (HR #34) and Will Cannon (1 2B) had 3 hits for the Red Sox. Albert Pujols hit HR #35 for the Yankees.

ATM--Royals RF Nick Markakis and Tigers P Travis Wood were both suspended for 6 games, for a bench clearing brawl.

AL
Tigers 6, Royals 5
Orioles 8, Blue Jays 7 (10)
Twins 3, Rays 0
Rangers 9, A's 3
White Sox 5, Indians 3
Astros 2, Angels 0

NL
Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 2
Mets 5, Marlins 3
Braves 5, Padres 4
Nationals 3, Phillies 1
Cubs 6, Pirates 3
Reds 6, Brewers 1
Giants 8, Dodgers 3

INTERLEAGUE
Mariners 3, Cardinals 1

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 10 1/2
AL wild card: White Sox lead Rays by 1, Red Sox by 4 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 10
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 5 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 4 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates & Braves by 1/2, Padres by 2, Diamondbacks & Giants by 4

[nyy26wc]

9/16--The Yankees had a day off.

ATM--Tigers 1B Yonder Alonso and Mets RF-LF Carlos Quentin won Player of the Week. The Twins extended their winning streak to 10. Earlier in the season, they had a 19 game winning streak, but overall, are just 7 games over .500 for the season. The Indians reached 100 losses.

AL
Tigers 3, Mariners 2
Rays 10, Rangers 8
Royals 5, Indians 2
Twins 6, White Sox 2
A's 6, Angels 2
Astros 2, Angels 0

NL
Dodgers 11, Diamondbacks 8
Rockies 6, Cardinals 4
Pirates 8, Padres 6
Marlins 12, Phillies 7
Nationals 8, Braves 7 (13)
Brewers 12, Cubs 0

INTERLEAGUE
Reds 3, Astros 1

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 4 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 7 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 10 1/2
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by a fraction of a PCT, Red Sox by 4

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 11
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 4 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 5 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates by 1/2, Braves by 1 1/2, Padres by 3, Giants by 4 1/2, Diamondbacks by 5

[nyy26wc]

9/17--The Yankees opened a 3 game series in Toronto.

C.C. Sabathia (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 5 SO) helped lead the Yankees to a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays. Albert Pujols homered (#36), to break up a 1-1 tie in the top of the 6th and Mike Trout hit a grand slam (HR #39) in the 7th to blow the game open. Miguel Montero also homered (#14) for the Yankees. Brad Mills took a pounding for the Blue Jays--6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 R/ER, 4 BB, 10 SO.

ATM--The Nationals CLINCHED the NL East title. The Orioles were mathematically eliminated from winning the AL East title. Dodgers highly touted rookie LF Joc Pederson had 5 hits.

AL
Mariners 7, Tigers 1
Rangers 7, Rays 5
Red Sox 8, Orioles 7 (11)
Indians 5, Royals 2
White Sox 6, Twins 5
A's 8, Angels 7 (13)

NL
Cardinals 12, Rockies 5
Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 6
Padres 6, Pirates 2
Phillies 7, Marlins 4
Nationals 12, Braves 3
Mets 4, Giants 0
Brewers 5, Cubs 4

INTERLEAGUE
Reds 7, Astros 3

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 6 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 10 1/2
AL wild card: White Sox lead the Rays by 1, Red Sox by 4

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 12 (NATIONALS CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 4 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 5 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates by 1 1/2, Braves by 2 1/2, Padres by 3

[nyy26wc]

9/18--A 7 run rally by the Yankees in the top of the 5th turned a 6-1 deficit into a 8-6 win over the Blue Jays. Jesus Montero had 3 hits (HR #15). Brett Lawrie had 3 hits for the Blue Jays and Domonic Brown homered (#6). Both starters took a pounding: Michael Pineda (3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) and A.J. Burnett (4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 8 R/ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, continuing a terrible season that has featured a 7.13 ERA).

AL
Twins 10, White Sox 2
Angels 12, A's 8 (12)
Tigers 5, Mariners 2
Rangers 6, Rays 5 (10)
Red Sox 6, Orioles 5 (10)
Indians 5, Royals 2

NL
Rockies 9, Cardinals 3
Diamondbacks 9, Dodgers 2
Pirates 9, Padres 4
Phillies 8, Marlins 1
Braves 6, Nationals 5
Mets 4, Giants 2
Cubs 8, Brewers 5

INTERLEAGUE
Reds 7, Astros 5

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 6 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 7 1/2
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 9 1/2
AL wild card: White Sox lead the Rays by 1, Red Sox by 3

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 11 (NATIONALS CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 3 1/2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 5 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates by 1 1/2, Braves by 2 1/2, Padres by 4

[nyy26wc]

9/19--A 4 run rally in the bottom of the 8th, featuring a 2 run HR by former Yankee Carlos Beltran (#22, 3 hits, 1 2B) led the Blue Jays to a 7-4 win over the Yankees. Ryan Howard (#41, #13 with the Blue Jays) and Brett Lawrie (#23) also homered for the Blue Jays and Carlos Santana was 0 for 5. Giancarlo Stanton (#53) and Jesus Montero (#19) homered for the Yankees.

ATM--The Mariners CLINCHED the AL West title. Mariners P Felix Hernandez reached 300 SO for the season, with 304 (he also had a near miss in 2011, with 299). The Nationals suffered a big blow to their postseason chances when RF Bryce Harper suffered a fractured leg. Harper finishes the year with .542 SLG, .377 OBA, .919 OPS, .294 AVG, 29 HR, 95 RBI in 141 games. The Nationals have already clinched the NL East title and lead the 2 time defending World Champion Cardinals by 5 in the race for the best record in the NL. Brewers RF Norichika Aoki had 5 hits. The Cubs reached 100 losses.

AL
Mariners 10, Tigers 1
Indians 4, Astros 3
Rays 3, Rangers 2
Red Sox 6, Orioles 4
Twins 6, A's 2

NL
Pirates 4, Padres 3
Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 5
Cardinals 12, Rockies 4
Giants 4, Mets 3
Brewers 17, Cubs 2
Nationals 4, Marlins 0

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 7
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 10 1/2 (CLINCHED)
AL wild card: White Sox lead the Rays by 1/2, Red Sox by 2 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 11 1/2 (CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 4
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 6 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates by 1, Braves by 2 1/2, Padres by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

9/20--The Yankees opened a 3 game series at home against the Giants.

Gio Gonzalez (7 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB, 5 SO) led the Yankees to a 7-2 win over the Giants. Old friend Andy Pettitte (6 IP, 6 H, 3 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) started for the Giants. Brandon Belt homered (#11) for the Giants.

ATM--Braves 3B Chipper Jones joined the 3000 hit club. The 4 time NL MVP (1999, 2005, 2007, 2008) joined Derek Jeter (3350), Alex Rodriguez (3204) and Manny Ramirez (3015) as the active members in the 3000 hit club. Next on the active leader list is Albert Pujols (2596). The Tigers clinched a tie for the AL Central title.

AL
Astros 6, Indians 5
Tigers 5, White Sox 4
Red Sox 11, Blue Jays 1
Rays 10, Orioles 2
Royals 7, Rangers 5
Mariners 10, Angels 2
A's 9, Twins 2

NL
Braves 7, Cubs 6
Rockies 7, Diamondbacks 5
Phillies 9, Mets 8
Nationals 5, Marlins 3
Reds 8, Pirates 6
Brewers 2, Cardinals 1
Padres 2, Dodgers 0

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 5 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 8
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2 (CLINCHED)
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 1/2, Red Sox by 2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 11 1/2 (CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 3
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 5 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates by 2, Braves by 2 1/2, Padres by 4 1/2

[nyy26wc]

9/21--Roger Kieschnick hit 2 HR (#3 & #4), to lead the Giants to a 10-6 win over the Yankees. The Giants jumped out to a 9-0 lead with multiple runs in each of the 1st 4 innings (2 in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3 in the 4th). Dave Sappelt had 3 hits (3 2B), Buster Posey (#27) and Paul Konerko (#26, #6 with Giants, 1st 20 with Tigers) homered for the Giants and Brayan Pena and Shelley Duncan were both 0 for 5. Tony Cingrani took a pounding for the Yankees--2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO. Cingrani also had to leave the game, due to a rotator cuff injury. He will undergo surgery next week, would normally have to miss around 4 months if there was more time left in the season, but is expected to be ready for spring training.

ATM--The Tigers CLINCHED the AL Central title. Rangers CF Ben Revere had 5 hits.

AL
A's 6, Twins 5 (12)
Astros 5, Indians 4
Tigers 11, White Sox 4
Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3
Rangers 9, Royals 4
Rays 6, Orioles 4
Mariners 5, Angels 4 (10)

NL
Braves 11, Cubs 2
Diamondbacks 12, Rockies 5
Mets 7, Phillies 3
Nationals 4, Marlins 1
Reds 5, Pirates 3
Brewers 4, Cardinals 1
Dodgers 3, Padres 1

Brewers 2, Cardinals 1
Padres 2, Dodgers 0

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 4 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 9 (CLINCHED)
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 11 1/2 (CLINCHED)
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 1 1/2, Red Sox by 3

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 11 1/2 (CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 6 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Braves by 2 1/2, Pirates by 3

[nyy26wc]

9/22--Matt Cain (7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 5 BB, 5 SO) and Buster Posey (3 hits, 1 2B) led the Giants to a 11-2 win over the Yankees. C.C. Sabathia (4 IP, 7 H, 6 R/ER, 7 BB, 6 SO) took a pounding for the Yankees. Since the game was already out of reach, with a 8-2 deficit in the top of the 9th, the Yankees were able to bring in Mariano Rivera to mop up on the day he was being honored at Yankee Stadium. Rivera turned the 8-2 deficit into a 11-2 one, as his ERA rose to 6.00.

ATM--Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera had 5 hits and hit for the cycle.

AL
Indians 7, Astros 1
Tigers 9, White Sox 8
Red Sox 11, Blue Jays 2
Rays 4, Orioles 2
Royals 4, Rangers 2
Mariners 6, Angels 5
Twins 6, A's 5 (10)

NL
Nationals 9, Marlins 4
Mets 8, Phillies 4
Reds 9, Pirates 6
Diamondbacks 10, Rockies 8
Cardinals 12, Brewers 4
Braves 9, Cubs 6
Padres 4, Dodgers 3

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 3 1/2
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 10 (CLINCHED)
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 12 1/2 (CLINCHED)
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 2 1/2, Red Sox by 3

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 12 1/2 (CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 2
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 5 1/2
NL wild card: Reds lead Braves by 3 1/2, Pirates by 4

[nyy26wc]

9/23--The Yankees had a day off.

ATM--Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera hit his 50th HR of the season. Red Sox 3B Hanley Ramirez and Diamondbacks CF Aaron Hicks won Player of the Week. The Cardinals clinched a postseason berth.

AL
Rays 10, Orioles 1
Rangers 15, Astros 5
Tigers 6, Twins 2
A's 6, Angels 2
Mariners 10, Royals 3

NL
Mets 12, Reds 2
Marlins 8, Phillies 1
Brewers 6, Braves 3
Pirates 9, Cubs 7
Cardinals 9, Nationals 2
Diamondbacks 4, Padres 3

RACES
AL East: Yankees lead Rays by 3
AL Central: Tigers lead White Sox by 10 1/2 (CLINCHED)
AL West: Mariners lead Rangers by 12 1/2 (CLINCHED)
AL wild card: Rays lead White Sox by 3, Red Sox by 3 1/2

NL East: Nationals lead Braves by 12 1/2 (CLINCHED)
NL Central: Cardinals lead Reds by 3
NL West: Dodgers lead Padres by 6
NL wild card: Reds lead Pirates by 3, Braves by 3 1/2