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Baseball today: Thursday, May 24

TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY: Yesterday the talk was how the Red Sox have gotten the pitching this year and the Yankees haven't. Today -- at least regarding last night's game -- it's the opposite, as Curt Schilling (AP Photo, left) was outdone by Andy Pettitte in the Yankees' 8-3 win. (projo.com) On his blog, Schilling says he felt ''great during the day, even better after warmups,'' (38pitches.com) but none of it carried over into the game. ''24 base runners in the past 12 innings means there isn’t just one problem here,'' he wrote. ''From lack of command to horrible execution, the problems run the gamut. This game always is and always will be about making adjustments and right now there is a plethora of adjustments that need to be made.'' The folks at Sons of Sam Horn are getting a little nervous about Schilling, based on his last three starts (sonsofsamhorn.net); be interesting to see if he weighs in on the discussion, as he sometimes does.

DON'T YOU GET WHIPLASH FROM JERKING BACK AND FORTH LIKE THAT? In the manic-depressive world that is New York -- and Boston -- baseball, the Yanks' victory was heralded as "a statement'' by the Daily News' John Harper, one day after many pundits had declared the Yankees to be dead and buried following their Tuesday night defeat. The New York Post's George King says the victory probably saved some Yankee hides, because ''at 11 1/2 lengths back, George Steinbrenner would have been looking for a scapegoat or two.''

Imagine if there were only 100 games left in the season, instead of 116 . . .

PERSPECTIVE, PERSPECTIVE: The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says that ''even in losing two of the three games, the Red Sox look like the better team. '' And our own Bill Reynolds notes that what's happening with the Yankees can't be a surprise, as Buster Olney foresaw it all in his book 'The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty' years ago.

WHY AM I PAYING SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE? Take a look at Ben Fry's salary-vs.-performance chart. Notice that big red line going from low performance to high salary . . . (benfry.com)

SAME STORY, NEW CHAPTER: The A-Rod-as-Boston-villain storyline appeared to have blown over by 2005, but all it took was one slide into second base to reignite the embers. Dustin Pedroia was in the spotlight yesterday, talking about A-Rod's hard slide Tuesday night. (projo.com) The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy devoted a column to it. For his part, Rodriguez says he has no idea what the fuss is all about. (New York Daily News) The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti, meanwhile, defends A-Rod, calling the Pedroia/Rodriguez matchup "baseball’s answer to Godzilla and Bambi.''

WE'RE WITH YOU, DUSTIN: Both David Pinto (baseballmusings.com) and Seth Mnookin (sethmnookin.com) think Alex Rodriguez' takeout slide on Dustin Pedroia Tuesday night was wrong. Pinto stated his point calmly, Mnookin less so.

I DON'T SEE ALEX GONZALEZ ANYWHERE ON THIS LIST: Fielding expert John Dewan says Julio Lugo has been the fifth-best defensive shortstop in baseball so far this year (actasports.com)

DOWN ON THE FARM . . . Roger Clemens was less than overpowering last night in Trenton, raising questions about whether he's ready for prime time. (New York Daily News) The big guy declared himself to be ''a little bit further down the road'' to New York. (New York Post) ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, however, talked to a couple of scouts who don't think he's ready.

TOLD YA: Jim Kaat, writing for YESNetwork.com, says don't expect too much from Clemens. And he wrote that before last night.

ANOTHER COUNTY HEARD FROM: Frank Robinson is the latest to criticize Clemens' come-and-go contract. (cbs.sportsline.com) Is there anybody out there besides Brian Cashman and Joe Torre who thinks this is a good idea?

WHO CARES? Mike and The Mad Dog certainly don't, at least when it comes to Jason Giambi allegedly testing positive for amphetimines. The Daily News' Bob Raismann has a field day with what he calls the No Big Deal defense of the New York radio icons.

CARL, WE HARDLY KNEW YE: And so ends the star-crossed Yankee career of Carl Pavano. (New York Daily News) Remembering how hard the Red Sox pursued him in the 2004-05 offseason brings to mind the old saying: Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.

BE LIKE US: The Washington Post's William Arkin was at Fenway Park last weekend and was struck by the thought that ''if we could cover the military like sports, with transparency and intimate knowledge and a play-by-play that was both affectionate and unsparingly critical, we'd have a healthier debate. Interest and knowledge on the part of the typical American in foreign affairs and national security would actually increase.'' (blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning)

William also says he noticed ''five, six, seven tiers of desks'' in the press box. There are only four, though there are more in a workroom in the back.

I LIVE FOR THIS: One of the great things about the Internet is the video gems you sometimes find. The blog The Southpaw has remarkably clear video of the last inning of the Cubs' Don Cardwell's no-hitter against the Cardinals in 1960. (108mag.typepad.com/the_southpaw)

VOICE OF REASON: You don't normally associated that phrase with Denny McLain, but he has some very interesting thoughts on baseball's policy towards alcohol. McLain, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver 15 years ago, was prompted to make a blog entry by Josh Hancock's recent death, and notes that when he played 40 years ago, ''[the] best place to get high on booze was a Major League clubhouse''. He also notes that three fellow members of the 1968 World Series champion Tigers -- manager Mayo Smith, first baseman Norm Cash and shortstop Ray Oyler -- were alcoholics, and all died premature deaths. (blogs.britannica.com/blog)

WE'RE BACK! You know the Milwaukee Brewers, who've been out of the spotlight since the True Blue Brew Crew days of the 1980s, have re-arrived when they make an appearance on a soap opera. (espn.go.com)

OLD FRIENDS: Looks like Alan Embree is Oakland's new closer (San Francisco Chronicle).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:22 PM | Permalink

Game story: Yankees 8, Red Sox 3

For the last five seasons, Red Sox-Yankee games have been marked by drama, late-inning lead changes and surprise finishes.

Not this series, however.

For the third time in as many nights, the team that scored first went on to win easily. The Yankees jumped to a 3-0 lead last night, tacked on additional runs in the second, third and fourth innings and cruised to a 8-3 thrashing of the Red Sox.

In the three games, there wasn’t a single lead change and the games were lopsided enough that neither team registered a save.

Andy Pettitte (seven innings, one run allowed) out-dueled Curt Schilling (six runs and 12 hits in six innings) as the Yanks took the series two games to one and succeeded in shaving a game off the Sox’ lead in the American League East. They now trail the Sox by 9 ½ games.

The series’ loss was the first for the Sox since they were swept in a two-game set by Toronto on April 23-24. It was the first road series defeat and first three-game series lost since the first weekend of the season when they dropped two-of-three in Texas.

Schilling, now winless in his last three starts, dug an early hole and never recovered. The 12 hits he allowed were the most in a start since yielding 13 in a start against Toronto on April 22, 2004.

Schilling has won just once in his last five outings and the three strikeouts he registered last night tied his season low, first set April 25 at Baltimore.

It took the Yankees just two batters to start building a lead. With Johnny Damon (double) in scoring position, Derek Jeter (three hits) slapped a single the opposite way, just beyond the dive of second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Hideki Matsui then followed by lining a bullet down the right field line, just inside foul pole, scoring Jeter.

In the second, an error by shortstop Julio Lugo and three infield hits contributed to the fourth New York run, which was unearned. It was the first unearned run off Schilling since June of 2004, a stretch covering 69 starts.

A run-scoring single from Jorge Posada delivered Alex Rodriguez in the third and a solo homer off the upper-deck façade from Doug Mienkiewicz in the fourth kept adding to the Yanks’ cushion.

Pettitte came into last night as the Yanks’ most dependable starter, despite his 2-3 won-loss record. He was far sharper than the last time he started against the Sox, April 27, when he was charged with five runs in just 4 2/3 innings.

In the sixth, the Sox finally broke though when Manny Ramirez doubled to center and one out later, Mike Lowell followed with a double to the right-center gap, scoring Ramirez.

That’s as far as they got, however, as Jason Varitek flied to right with Lowell stranded in scoring position.

The Sox were punchless against Pettitte, blanked for the first five innings even though they had at least one baserunner in every inning and managed to put the leadoff man on base twice.

A one-out double by Kevin Youkilis in the second gave them a scoring opportunity, but Pettitte got Lowell to fly to right and retired Varitek on a foul pop-up to third.

Singles by Pedroia and Coco Crisp set the table in the third, but with the shift on, David Ortiz lined directly at Robinson Cano, stationed in shallow right, for the final out of the inning.

In the fifth, Wily Mo Pena beat out a slow roller to third and when Bobby Abreu, the subject of Yankee fans’ wrath, dropped a liner from Pedroia, the Sox had runners at first and second and no out.

But just as quickly, the Sox’ threat fizzled when Julio Lugo hit a broken-back liner to the mound which Pettitte gloved, then fired to second to double-up Pena.

The two teams exchanged meaningless runs late in the game.

Jeter’s leadoff triple and a single through the box by Matsui accounted for a seventh-inning run against Brendan Donnelly while Coco Crisp launched his first homer of the season – an upper-deck shot to right – against reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

The Sox added a second run in the eighth when Ortiz walked, was awarded second on a balk and trotted home on Youkilis’ single to right. The Yanks added their final run off Joel Pineiro in the eighth on a RBI single by Damon.

--SEAN McADAM

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Clemens struggles in second start

Roger Clemens didn't look ready for the major leagues on Wednesday night.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings while pitching for the New York Yankees' Double-A Trenton farm team against Boston's Portland, Maine, affiliate.

In his second minor league start since signing with the Yankees, he threw 64 of 102 pitches for strikes, struggling at times with his control and what appeared to be heavy legs.

The 44-year-old, who may make his next start for the Yankees next week at Toronto, was given a standing ovation by the Thunder's record crowd of 9,134 at Waterfront Park.

He walked four, struck out five, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. Clemens had planned to throw 70-75 pitches but he was at the number after four innings. He got through the fifth with only 10 pitches, but got into trouble in the sixth, giving up consecutive singles, hitting a batter and walking another as Portland tied the score 2-2.

Thunder manager Tony Franklin walked to the mound, talked to Clemens and summoned reliever Michael Gardner, who walked in the go-ahead run against the Sea Dogs.

Before the game, Clemens said his return would depend on how he pitched both in the game and in a bullpen session on Friday.

If all goes well, he could jump into New York's rotation Monday or Tuesday against the Blue Jays — one of his former teams.

If he wants more work, Clemens might choose to make another minor league start, perhaps for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, before returning to the big leagues June 2 or 3 at Boston, his original club.

Current Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein sat behind home plate and watched the game.

“I'm just here to watch my guys play,” Epstein said.

Clemens took the “Madden” bus from New York and arrived at Trenton about 1 p.m. Less than an hour later, he was holding court on the mound with members of the Thunder.

“It's exciting,” Clemens said. “I mean I am happy I get an opportunity to maybe perform in places where I normally would not have the opportunity to. I have gotten to see some neat towns. Coming here from New York it was a pretty neat drive. I am meeting some new guys and that's all part of it, I enjoy doing it.”

Clemens took the “Madden” bus from New York and arrived at Trenton about 1 p.m. Less than an hour later, he was holding court on the mound with members of the Thunder.

“It's exciting,” Clemens said around 2:30 p.m. “I mean I am happy I get an opportunity to maybe perform in places where I normally would not have the opportunity to. I have gotten to see some neat towns. Coming here from New York it was a pretty neat drive. I am meeting some new guys and that's all part of it, I enjoy doing it.”

A Yankees' season ticket holder, Kevin Carpenter of Norwalk, Conn., gave up his seats for Wednesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankees Stadium to see Clemens.

“He's been my Babe Ruth growing up. I even made the ultimate sacrifice switching from a Red Sox fan to a Yankees fan,” Carpenter said.

Clemens threw 58 pitches in four innings for Class-A Tampa on Friday night. He allowed one run on three hits — a solo homer — and struck out two against the Fort Myers Miracle, a Minnesota Twins affiliate.

Clemens struggled with his control in the first inning, when plate umpire Clory Blaser didn't give him the 13-time All Star any breaks.
Leadoff hitter Jeff Corsaletti led off the game with a fly out to deep drive to left center and the inning ended when Bryan Pritz's long fly was caught on the warning track with the bases loaded.

Clemens mixed in more sliders and breaking balls the rest of the way.

Iggy Suarez, the No. 9 hitter, hit a two-out triple down the third-base line in the second. It probably would have been a double but it took a weird bounce off the bullpen fence. Clemens got the next hitter on a weak liner to third.

Portland touched Clemens for a run in third. Jed Lowrie hit a lead-off double to right center on a hanging slider and scored on a pair of groundouts — on the first one, Clemens hustled to cover first base.

Clemens gave up a one-out double to Scott Youngbauer in the fourth, however Thunder third baseman Aarom Baldiris caught a hard line drive and made a nice stop on a ground for the next two outs.

Clemens agreed to a $28,000,022, one-year contract on May 6 and began working out at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla., last week.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:39 PM | Permalink

The Pedroia/A-Rod controversy continues

NEW YORK -- Not surprisingly, the controversy surrounding Dustin Pedroia's postgame comments regarding Alex Rodriguez' hard slide into second base in the eighth inning on Tuesday night (AP Photo, above) continued this afternoon.

''I've been in the big leagues three months and he's probably the best player in baseball. I'm not going to tell him how to slide,'' Pedroia said, attempting to defuse things. But when reminded of his comment about lowering his arm angle on his throws to discourage future incidents, Pedroia said: ''It protects me. If you come in late and with a high elbow, I've got to do something.'' The Yankees are reportedly suggesting that A-Rod's slide was in retribution for a second-inning slide by Pedroia in which the rookie second baseman appeared to have taken out Derek Jeter (AP Photo, right) despite being significantly out of the baseline at the time. But Pedroia disagreed that he'd done anything wrong.

''I didn't think my slide was wrong,'' he said. ''I came in low and on the base. I might have been out of line. If I did, I apologize to Jeter.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

Pregame tidbits from New York

NEW YORK -- Some quick notes from Yankee Stadium:

-- J.D. Drew will sit out tonight's game while Wily Mo Pena plays right field. Manager Terry Francona said Drew had success against Yankee starter Andy Pettitte when both were in the National League -- Drew is 6-for-14, .429, with two home runs vs. Pettitte -- but feels the slumping right fielder, who has fallen to a .237 average, could benefit mentally from a couple of days off. (The Sox are off tomorrow and won't play again until Friday.)

"A day for Wily Mo to play is not bad, either,'' said Francona.

-- Mike Timlin is scheduled to throw another bullpen session this afternoon. Timlin will then return to Boston to be examined and could begin a rehab stint with Pawtucket either Friday or Saturday.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:26 PM | Permalink

Wednesday's Red Sox-Yankees lineups

NEW YORK -- Not surprisingly, no J.D. Drew for the Red Sox as they prepare for left-hander Andy Pettitte . . .

RED SOX
-------------
Julio Lugo ss
Coco Crisp cf
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
Kevin Youkilis 1b
Mike Lowell 3b
Jason Varitek c
Wily Mo Pena rf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
---
Curt Schilling p

YANKEES
--------------
Johnny Damon cf
Derek Jeter ss
Hideki Matsui lf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Jorge Posada c
Bobby Abreu rf
Jason Giambi dh
Robinson Cano 2b
Doug Mientkiewicz 1b
---
Andy Pettitte p

Back after Tito's press briefing . . .

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:38 PM | Permalink

Giambi meets with commissioner's lawyers

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Giambi met with lawyers for the commissioner’s office Wednesday to discuss recent comments that some interpreted as an admission of steroids use.

"The commissioner requested that Jason come in in response to the USA Today piece. Jason was interviewed this morning," union general counsel Michael Weiner said.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:04 PM | Permalink

Yanks' Hughes throws off a mound

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - New York Yankees rookie Phil Hughes threw 35 pitches off a mound Wednesday during his first bullpen session since straining his left hamstring earlier this month.

The 20-year-old, considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, is expected to have another mound session Friday or Saturday. Hughes was injured on May 1 in the midst of a no-hit bid against the Texas Rangers in his second major league start.

"The leg feels good," said Hughes, who also took part in fielding drills and his running program.

Left-hander Kei Igawa is scheduled to make his second minor league start Thursday for Class A Tampa at the Vero Beach Devil Rays. He allowed two unearned runs over four innings during his first start for Tampa last Saturday.

The former Japanese Central League star was sent to the minors on May 7 to work on pitching mechanics. Igawa, who signed a five-year, $20 million deal with New York in December, is 2-1 with a 7.63 ERA for the Yankees.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:02 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 23

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 15-game hitting streak, going 29 for 66 (.439) with 10 doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs
-Mike Lowell, hitting 20 for 49 (.408) over last 13 games, with five home runs and 15 RBI
-David Ortiz, 8 for his last 16 with four RBI; 15 for 41 (.366) over last 13 games with 12 RBI
-Dustin Pedroia, 16 for 42 (.381) in last 14 games with four doubles, a home run and five RBI
-Jason Varitek, 18 for 46 (.391) in last 14 games with three doubles, a triple and a home run

Who's Not
-J.D. Drew, 0 for his last 10 and 3 for his last 22. Hitting .161 over last 25 games

Red Sox vs. Andy Pettitte
-Kevin Youkilis, 3 for 4 (.750), 1 HR
-J.D. Drew, 6 for 14 (.429), 2 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 26 for 64 (.406), 3 HR
-Julio Lugo, 5 for 13 (.385)
-Wily Mo Pena, 3 for 8 (.375)
-Jason Varitek, 15 for 41 (.366), 1 HR
-David Ortiz, 10 for 28 (.357), 1 HR
-Coco Crisp, 2 for 9 (.222)
-Mike Lowell, 1 for 6 (.167)
-Eric Hinske, 1 for 7 (.143)
-Dustin Pedroia, 0 for 4
-Alex Cora, 0 for 2

Yankees vs. Curt Schilling
-Bobby Abreu, 11 for 31 (.355)
-Jorge Posada, 11 for 31 (.355), 1 HR
-Robinson Cano, 7 for 20 (.350), 1 HR
-Hideki Matsui, 7 for 21 (.333)
-Josh Phelps, 4 for 14 (.286)
-Jason Giambi, 8 for 30 (.267), 4 HR
-Derek Jeter, 10 for 42 (.238), 1 HR
-Alex Rodriguez, 8 for 34 (.235), 4 HR
-Johnny Damon, 5 for 22 (.227), 1 HR
-Melky Cabrera, 2 for 13 (.154)
-Doug Mientkiewicz, 0 for 5

More Stuff
-The Red Sox have gone nine straight series without losing one; the last series they lost was the two-game set against Toronto at Fenway Park on April 23-24.
-This is the fourth time in team history that Boston has won at least 31 of its first 45 games. The other three occasions were the World Series seasons of 1946 and 1986, and the 2002 season that ended without a postseason appearance.
-Youkilis' .400 batting average in the month of May is second only to that of the Yankees' Jorge Posada, who is hitting .435 for the month.
-The Red Sox have won their last 30 games when scoring 5 or more runs, the longest such streak in the major leagues.
-Roger Clemens pitches tonight for the Double A Trenton Thunder against the visiting Porland Sea Dogs. Portland goes with top Red Sox prospect Clay Buchholz.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:55 PM | Permalink

New York would like Manny to go away

Red Sox fans have to love Newsday's lead on today's story about Manny Ramirez's success against the Yankees: "With one powerful swing of his bat in the first inning, Manny Ramirez seemed to take the spirit right out of Yankee Stadium last night, injecting it into his own team instead."

All over the New York media world today, the talk was about how Ramirez's first-inning blast off Mike Mussina took the momentum from Monday night away from the Yankees right away. Here's Steve Willis in the New York Post: "Before Ramirez went deep, the Yankees thought they were onto something, having won two straight games after beating the Mets on Sunday and the Red Sox in Monday night's series opener."

In The Boston Herald, Steve Buckley goes over the familiar stats: Ramirez has hit more home runs against the Bombers (51) than all but four players in major league history (Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski). One more ties him with Yaz; two more tie him with Greenberg. Over the last five seasons, Ramirez has hit more homers against New York (25) than any other player, with teammate David Ortiz close behind.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:53 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Tavarez wishes Lester nothing but the best

Today's guest on Projo SoxTalk is Sean McAdam. Click here to listen to the full audio file. He reviews last night's Red Sox win in the Bronx, and talks about how Julian Tavarez is handling the possibility of going back to the bullpen. Answer: Graciously. Here's some of what Sean had to say.

On Tavarez: "He really said some remarkable stuff after the game last night, because, people were sort of reminding him that [Jon] Lester was on his way, and that he'd be here in a couple of weeks, and given how well Tavarez has pitched on a number of starts, would that be tough for him to accept. And he really sort of went off on this soliloquy about how the most important thing to him was that Jon Lester was well again and healthy, and that if he's going to be here, he's going to be one of the top young pitchers in the league, and he deserves to start, and I'll be happy to give my place over to him. It really was almost heartwarming to hear one major league player speak about another like that."

On Dustin Pedroia's postgame comments about A-Rod: "I'll be interested to see how much play this gets today, because it was sort of one of those minor after-the-game things, but because some people wrote about it, because that clip of Pedroia will no doubt be on ESPN, I suspect it will take off a little bit today, and there will be a horde of New York reporters descending on Dustin Pedroia in the clubhouse today wondering if he thinks Alex Rodriguez is a cheap-shot artist. There's a little bit of blood in the water here, so we'll see how it plays out."

On why tonight is almost a must-win for the Yanks: "In a perfect world for the Yankees, they needed to sweep to really make any headway here. Even if they win tonight, there's a net gain of just one game in the standings, and for a team that started and is now once again 10 1/2 out, that's not a lot of forward progress."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:23 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Daily News: Giambi failed amphetamine test

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last year, the Daily News reported Wednesday.

The newspaper reported that after the failed amphetamines test, Giambi is subjected to six additional tests for one year. The newspaper did not cite any sources in its report.

Giambi declined comment to the newspaper before the New York Yankees' 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

The Yankees slugger recently said in a USA Today interview that he was "probably tested more than anybody else."

On Tuesday, lawyers for the commissioner's office and the players' association held more conversations about a possible meeting with Giambi but it remained uncertain when or if such a gathering would take place.

Lawyers for Major League Baseball would like to talk to Giambi about comments in last Friday's editions of USA Today.

"I was wrong for doing that stuff," the New York Yankees designated hitter was quoted as saying, remarks some have interpreted as an admission of steroids use.
Management lawyers would like to hold the meeting as soon as is practicable. The failed amphetamines test most likely wouldn't be discussed at a meeting since MLB policy is to keep a first positive test secret.

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson took issue with one of Giambi's comments.

"What we should have done a long time ago was stand up - players, ownership, everybody - and said: 'We made a mistake,'" Giambi was quoted as saying. "We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. ... Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it."

Robinson said Giambi should speak for himself.

"If Jason wants to confess, then he should come out and say: 'I'm guilty. I apologize. I apologize to baseball. I apologize to all the fans that have supported me and supported baseball over the years. And I will clean up my act and promise you I will not do anything like this again,'" Robinson said during an interview on ESPN. "He should not drag others into (it), because when he says baseball, that includes everybody in baseball."

Before the Yankees played Boston on Tuesday night, Giambi was asked about a report in the New York Post that said the Los Angeles Angels had an interest in acquiring him. Giambi has a full no-trade clause.

"This is all news to me. I'm a Yankee," he said. "It's kind of fun to read. I never asked for it."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:21 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 23

CUT TO THE CHASE: You can analyze the Red Sox' hot start and the Yankees' slow one eight ways to Sunday, but, in the end, it all boils down to pitching. So far this season the Sox have had it, and so far the Yankees haven't.

Last night was a microcosm of the first two months. “It comes down to getting quality starts,” catcher Jason Varitek told Sean McAdam, and last night the Sox got one from Julian Tavarez (AP Photo, right) while the Yanks didn't from Mike Mussina and Boston cruised to a 7-3 win. (projo.com) (The Sox also got a decent night's work from their bullpen [Boston Herald], despite the late-game wildness of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon.) The New York Post's Jay Greenberg says ''never mind Boston, [the Yankees] are not going to make up seven games on wild-card leader Detroit without starting pitching that consistently gives them a chance to win.''. Mussina certainly hasn't; as the headline on the Globe's Nick Cafardo's story notes, Moose has been a mess so far this year.

THE SAVIOR: So, naturally, all eyes in Yankee Universe turn to a certain 44-year-old who'll be pitching tonight in Trenton. (New York Post)

TONIGHT, TONIGHT: Peter Abraham, writing on the excellent LoHud Yankees Blog, says tonight is a must-win game for the Yankees because if they ''can’t win a series with Wang, Mussina and Pettitte on the mound, perhaps they just aren’t all that good." (yankees.lohudblogs.com) There's also some Johnny Damon audio in this post.

MAKING MORE FRIENDS IN THE BOSTON CLUBHOUSE: Dustin Pedroia wasn't around for the goings-on in 2004 -- the fight with Jason Varitek, the slap of Bronson Arroyo -- but, after last night, he's no fan of Alex Rodriguez, either. (projo.com)

GUESS AGAIN: The New York Daily News' Bill Madden says Joe Torre ''truly believed the turning point of this miserable season was at hand'' before the game. Maybe it was, just not in the way Joe hoped.

TRIPLE FIGURES? Our friend on the Sons of Sam Horn board are chewing on the conclusion by Baseball Prospectus' Mark Silver that the Sox will wind up winning 103-105 games. (sonsofsamhorn.net)

'DRUNKEN, ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR': They're also sharing horror stories of attending Red Sox games at Yankee Stadium.

UNDER THE RADAR: According to the blog Fire Brand of the American League, which quotes another blogger citing a report from a San Francisco radio station, the Red Sox ''continue to show ‘persistent interest’ in Rich Harden. The A’s have said that he is not available at this time, but the Red Sox are expected to attempt to acquire him at the deadline, possibly along with an outfielder, in a deal that would also include either Coco Crisp or Wily Mo Pena heading to Oakland.”

BIGGER PROBLEMS: The New York Daily News has an exclusive report that Jason Giambi failed a drug test for amphetamines last year.

ENOUGH! Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus, writing for SI.com, says baseball ''has the toughest [performance-enhancing drug] policy in sports, and no longer has anything to be ashamed of in how it handles the issue". Therefore it should stop George Mitchell's probe into past drug use because ''MLB isn't going to get anywhere by trying to figure out who was doing what five to 10 years ago; there's nothing that can be done, and no credible way of sorting out the impact of PEDs on gameplay, wins and losses, or statistics.''

LET HIM SPEAK: FoxSports' Mark Kriegel says baseball is trying to silence Giambi on the topic of his past steroid use, and that's wrong.

I'M NO ANGEL: Speaking of Giambi, he laughs off trade rumors that have him headed West. (New York Daily News)

BRING IT ON: The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley isn't angered or threatened by Curt Schilling's blog. In fact, he thinks athletes talking directly to fans can be a good thing

MEET THE NEW BOSS: Used to be that players wanted to become managers after they retired. Derek Jeter wants to become an owner. (espn.com)

YOU MUST NOT BE A MARLINS PITCHER . . . if you're raving about Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera on the left side of the infield. As offensively prodigious as they may be, they're also, ah, defensively challenged.

WHERE DO I SIGN? Some folks have put together an online petition to end interleague play. (www.petitiononline.com/mlb2007)

IN CONCERT: If you happen to be in Cincinnati Sunday night, Bronson Arroyo would love you to stop by. (lodgebarcincy.com)

MORE TROUBLES IN TAMPA BAY: The Devil Rays have had their share of problems with their young players, the latest being Elijah Dukes. (St. Petersburg Times)

OLD FRIENDS: Byung-Hyun Kim is with the Marlins, his fourth team since leaving Arizona, but his October/November meltdowns in Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series are still fresh on people's minds (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) . . . Ex-Sox farmhand Matt Murton may be on the trading block in Chicago (Baseball Prospectus) . . . As is Tomo Ohka in Toronto (Toronto Sun) . . . Tom Gordon has begun a conditioning program in Clearwater, Fla. (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Chris Reitsma is headed for the disabled list in Seattle (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) . . . Dave Roberts is working his way back from elbow surgery (San Francisco Chronicle).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments 1