Results tagged ‘ Brian McCann ’
Pitching & homers winning combination for Yanks
The combination of quality pitching and the long ball continued to be a winning formula for the Yankees as they won a 3-2 squeaker from the Braves Wednesday night to complete their second straight inter-league series sweep. The Yankees are 7-2 in inter-league play this year and have a three-game set this weekend in Washington, D.C. How good are the Yankees going? They don’t have to deal with the Nationals’ Steven Strasburg, who won Wednesday to go to 8-1 and will not pitch again until Monday, by which time the Yankees will be back in the Bronx.
Hiroki Kuroda kept telling everybody that there was no lingering problem with his left ankle, which was smashed by a Scott Hairston liner in his previous start, and he showed that he was right. He gave the Yankees six solid innings with eight strikeouts. His only hiccup was yielding a two-run home run to Brian McCann in the fifth that gave Atlanta the lead briefly – very briefly.
The next inning, Curtis Granderson negated McCann’s blow with a two-run shot of his own off losing pitcher Tim Hudson. That was the 19th home run of the season for the center fielder that had 41 jacks last year yet still keeps saying that he is not a home run hitter.
Kuroda was at his best pitching with runners on base. Over the first four innings, the Braves stranded seven base runners – five in scoring position – as they managed one hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position, and that was a weird bunt single that loaded the bases with the pitcher due up next. Atlanta left ducks on the pound throughout the night, with 13 left on base as the Bravos had 2-for-13 (.154) with runners in scoring position.
Kuroda took the mound with a 1-0 lead, thanks to an RBI single by Tuesday night hero Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees are 17-0 in games when A-Rod drives in at least one run. Over the course of the 3-hour, 36-minute game, no more than one run separated the clubs, so the pitchers were under circumstances throughout.
Boone Logan walked two batters in the seventh inning but worked out of the jam by getting Jason Heyward on a fielder’s choice and Eric Hinske on a fly to center. The Braves got two singles off Cody Eppley with one down in the eighth, but he shut the door by getting Martin Prado to ground into a double play.
Atlanta got the potential tying run on base in the ninth off Rafael Soriano on Chipper Jones’ two-out single, but the righthander earned his 11th save by retiring Heyward on an infield pop.
During the Subway Series, managers Joe Girardi of the Yankees and Terry Collins of the Mets both said they would be fans of the other team once they were finished playing the other because of how the schedule fell this week. Collins was delighted to see the Yankees sweep the National League East rival Braves while Girardi loved the Mets beating up on his American League East rival Rays the past two nights.
Because of that, the Yankees remained in first place for two straight days for the first time this season. It is a good feeling.
Mixed results for Yanks in All-Star Game
PHOENIX – It was anything but a 1-2-3 inning for David Robertson, who got a 1-2-3 result in the second inning of the All-Star Game Monday night at Chase Field. Called on early because the Red Sox’ Josh Beckett was hurting, Robertson had plenty of support from his teammates in getting through the inning in his debut All-Star performance.
For all the heat Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Alex Rodriguez are taking for not coming here, it was good to see three Yankees on the field when Robertson came into the game to join starters Robinson Cano at second base and Curtis Granderson in center field.
Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista made a stunning, sliding catch in the right field corner on a foul drive by Braves catcher Brian McCann, the Most Valuable Player of last year’s All-Star Game at Anaheim, Calif.
Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman, who was Robertson’s teammate with the Yankees for a couple of months last year, lined a single through the middle. Robertson needed assistance from Cano to get out of trouble. As Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday looked at a 3-2 cutter down the middle for a called strike three, Berkman tried to steal second, but he slid off the bag with Cano alertly tagging him after taking the throw from Tigers catcher Alex Avila. That completed a strike-‘em-out, thrown-‘em-out double play.
Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, still swinging for the fences the night after his close loss to Cano in the Home Run Derby, connected off Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee for a leadoff home run in the fourth inning. The American League’s first 11 batters were retired in order before Gonzo’s homer, the first in an All-Star Game since 2008 at Yankee Stadium, by another Red Sox player, J.D. Drew, in the seventh inning. Two innings earlier, Holliday, then with the Rockies, homered for the National League.
The AL jumped on Lee for two more hits, singles by Bautista and the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton, before Lee was lifted by NL manager Bruce Bochy of the Giants for Nationals righthander Tyler Clippard. Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre lashed a single to left, but a strong throw by the Astros’ Hunter Pence cut down Bautista at the plate.
Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, who has been booed regularly here for two days, heard his first cheers when he followed singles by the Mets’ Carlos Beltran and the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp for a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth off Rangers lefthander C.J. Wilson. It was the first All-Star home run by a Brewers player for Fielder, who was the captain of the NL in the Home Run Derby and had incurred Arizona fans’ wrath for not putting the Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton in the competition.
Three stolen bases helped the NL scratch out a run in the fifth, by which time Granderson and Cano had come out of the game. Each had grounded out twice. Yankees catcher Russell Martin was the only AL position player who did not get into the game, a 5-1 NL victory.
Mixed bag for Yanks
ANAHEIM, Calif.
There were mixed reviews for the Yankees in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Angel Stadium, a 3-1 National League victory.
Joe Girardi became the first American League manager to lose an All-Star Game since the Indians’ Mike Hargrove 14 years ago at Philadelphia. If you don’t think 1996 was a long time ago, consider that only six players on the rosters that year are still active – three from each league – Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez and Ivan Rodriguez from the AL and Chipper Jones, Mark Grudzielanek and Jason Kendall from the NL.
Girardi did a good job getting players into the game. All the position players except for A-Rod did time. Girardi left himself short in the ninth, however, and did not have anyone to pinch run for David Ortiz after he opened the inning with a single. A-Rod was available, but Girardi said he needed him either to pinch run for hamstring-aching Adrian Beltre if he reached base or to be the designated hitter had the game gone into extras.
Beltre did not reach base and struck out. Blue Jays catcher John Buck dumped a flare to right in front of the Cubs’ Marlon Byrd, but he fired a blazer to Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal covering second to force the plodding Ortiz and essentially kill the rally. So Alex Rodriguez never got to swing the bat.
Phil Hughes was hung with the losing decision, the first Yankees pitcher to lose an All-Star Game since Tommy John in 1980 at Dodger Stadium. Hughes came on in the seventh and got the first out before yielding singles to Reds third baseman Scott Rolen and Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday. Rolen’s reputation for savvy base running was evident as he challenged Angels center fielder Torii Hunter and got to third.
Girardi pulled Hughes at that point for White Sox lefthander Matt Thornton, who got righty-swinging Chris Young of the Diamondbacks on a foul pop. Byrd worked out a walk in an eight-pitch at-bat to fill the bases before lefty-swinging catcher Brian McCann cleared them with a double, which earned him the game’s Most Valuable Player Award.
A wild throw in the fifth inning by Dodgers pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo had given Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano the opportunity to drive in what proved to be the only AL run with a sacrifice fly. A base-running blunder by Twins catcher Joe Mauer, thrown out at third base trying to advance on a grounder to Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez, spoiled the AL’s chance for another run that inning.
Derek Jeter reached base twice in his three at-bats with a walk and a single. Pettitte pitched the third and looked sharp striking out the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier and the Brewers’ Corey Hart before Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina reached the lefthander for a single. Pettitte ended the inning by retiring Ramirez on a fielder’s choice. Nick Swisher batted as a pinch hitter in the seventh and struck out on a nasty curveball by the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright. CC Sabathia was not eligible for duty because he pitched Sunday.
Jack O'Connell
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