Greetings from Tropicana Field

st-petersburg.jpgHello from Tropicana Field, where I wouldn't have thought we'd still be anticipating Alex Rodriguez's 600th at-bat, but here we are.

Don't let anyone tell you there isn't interest in this milestone. Judging by the passenger load on my flight from Cleveland this morning, there's plenty - there were several fans decked out in Yankees jerseys and caps, including one carrying on a giant banner that said '600.' 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are limited reasons to bring that to Tampa International Airport. (And while I'm on the subject, I always feel like it's 1988 when I come to this area. The first song on the radio today was You Spin Me Right Round. Really?)

Of course, there's plenty going on here under the sloping white roof and rings of catwalks, besides A-Rod's drive toward history and pop songs from the 1980s. This is a matchup between two clubs that some believe are the best in the game, and they meet with just two games separating them for the lead in the American League East. 

"Not only are their payrolls different; their teams are different," said Indians closer Chris Perez, who faced both teams recently. "The Rays are more of a run-here, a-run-there kind of team. Get guys on, get them over, do the fundamentals. The Yankees aren't like that.

"Their lineup can hurt you. Every day it can be somebody else hitting the big homer. The Rays are more station-to-station, steal the bag, that kind of stuff. They don't make mistakes. They don't beat themselves."

Factor in tomorrow's trade deadline and you've got the makings of a busy weekend. Now I've just got to try and get this song out of my head. 

7/29 - Yankees at Indians

072910arod.jpgHello from Progressive Field, as the Yankees wrap up this four-game set with the Indians and look to take three of four in the set. You'll notice Jorge Posada is not in the lineup tonight, even though he said he could have played. 

Joe Girardi said Posada told him his left knee was still feeling a little cranky, and the Yankees are expecting Posada to play two of three games in the upcoming weekend series against the Rays in St. Petersburg.

If you look at the standings, as well as the Yankees have played, they just haven't been able to shake those pesky Rays. That's not likely to change anytime soon, Phil Hughes said.

"They've been playing great and even when we've gotten on some hot streaks, they've stayed right there," Hughes said. "We expected that coming out of Spring Training, that they'd be tough, and they have been."

We're getting ahead of ourselves. Here are tonight's lineups in Cleveland as Alex Rodriguez yet again goes for home run No. 600: 

YANKEES (64-36)
Derek Jeter SS, Curtis Granderson CF, Mark Teixeira 1B, Alex Rodriguez 3B, Robinson Cano 2B, Nick Swisher DH, Brett Gardner LF, Francisco Cervelli C, Colin Curtis RF
Dustin Moseley RHP (0-0, 4.22)


INDIANS (42-59)
Trevor Crowe CF, Asdrubal Cabrera SS, Shin-Soo Choo RF, Carlos Santana C, Austin Kearns LF, Matt LaPorta 1B, Jayson Nix 3B, Shelley Duncan DH, Luis Valbuena 2B
Mitch Talbot RHP (8-9, 4.08)

Is tonight the night?

Could be. One thing's for sure -- if Alex Rodriguez wants to hit No. 600 at Progressive Field, he'll have to do it tonight. Otherwise, the catwalks of Tropicana Field could bear witness. 

For his part, A-Rod said he's enjoyed the outpouring of attention he has received here in Cleveland, where hundreds of Yankees fans seem to be roaming the streets wearing jerseys, t-shirts and caps (which makes it pretty much like every other city the Yankees visit).

"I just know that overall I've been very surprised with how supportive the fans have been in Cleveland," Rodriguez said. "All the signs and all the support, it's been pretty cool."

A-Rod didn't get to enjoy his 600th homer last night, but at least he got his 471st double out of the way. That one came on a ball hit to right field in the sixth inning, and the base popped loose when Rodriguez hit it with a headfirst slide, clutching it to his chest and grinning quizzically toward the Yankees dugout. 

He later joked he thought the milestone he was looking for was doubles.

"The thing just popped right out. I've never seen that before, so it was pretty funny," Rodriguez said.

7/28 - Yankees at Indians

Now getting set for baseball here in Cleveland after some very dark skies rolled through the area and forced the writers in the front row to scramble to shut the windows, amid the flying debris of paper and cups that littered the press box.

We're looking at a 7:40 p.m. ET first pitch as the grounds crew prepares the field for this game, which can be seen on YES. Jhonny Peralta was in the original lineup tonight for the Indians, but he has been traded to the Tigers for left-hander Giovanni Soto. 

Here are the revised lineups, and don't forget you can always follow along during the game on Twitter @bryanhoch:

YANKEES (63-36)
Derek Jeter SS, Nick Swisher RF, Mark Teixeira 1B, Alex Rodriguez 3B, Robinson Cano 2B, Jorge Posada DH, Curtis Granderson CF, Francisco Cervelli C, Brett Gardner LF
RHP A.J. Burnett (8-8, 4.77)

 
INDIANS (42-58)
Trevor Crowe CF, Asdrubal Cabrera SS, Shin-Soo Choo RF, Carlos Santana C, Travis Hafner DH, Austin Kearns LF, Matt LaPorta 1B, Andy Marte 3B, Jason Donald 2B
RHP Fausto Carmona (10-7, 3.51)


AT A GLANCE: The Yankees will play the third game of a four-game series at Cleveland tonight...have split the first two games of this series, the first stop of a seven-game road trip also featuring a three-game series at Tampa Bay from Friday-Sunday...went 6-3 on their just-completed nine-game, 10-day homestand following the All-Star break vs. Tampa Bay (2-1), Los Angeles-AL (1-1) and Kansas City (3-1)...own the best record in Baseball (63-36, .636) and lead the AL East by 2.0 games...is the team's best record after 99 games since 2004 (also 63-36)...took over first place in the AL East on 6/20 and have not relinquished the lead since...are 27G over .500, one game shy of their season high-water mark...are 23-7-2 in series in 2010, marking the most series wins in the Majors this season...have won 15 of their last 20 games, 16 of their last 22 and 22 of their last 32.

GREEN THUMB: OF Brett Gardner recorded his team-high eighth outfield assist of the season in last night's loss at Cleveland...was his fourth OF assist in July...is tied for the third-most outfield assists in the Majors and trails only Toronto's Jose Bautista (9) among American League outfielders.

MAN ON A MISSION: 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his 599th career HR in the 7/22 win vs. Kansas City, and with his next home run will become the seventh player all time to reach the 600-homer plateau...will become the second player to reach the mark as a Yankee, joining Babe Ruth.
  • Owns 10HR in 58 career games at Progressive Field and has not homered in Cleveland since 8/11/07...has never hit a milestone HR vs. Cleveland, however, Nos. 501, 502 and 503 were off Indians pitchers.
  • Is 2-for-8 (.250) with 1HR off tonight's starter Fausto Carmona.

A-Rod pressing for 600?

072710arod.jpgAlex Rodriguez did a nice job on the homestand of not allowing the expecting eyes looking for 600 to take him out of his usual mode, save for the one swing where he tried to emulate Reggie Jackson and reward the fans for sitting through a two-hour plus rain delay.

But A-Rod is now 0-for-Cleveland after taking a collar last night, grounding into a fielder's choice that ended the game representing the tying run. And the mounting pressure of the hundreds of flashbulbs popping alongside every pitch, to say nothing of the specially-marked 'R' baseballs being delivered to the home plate umpire, might be having an effect.

072710arod2.jpg
Here's what Rodriguez said last night:

"I think for me, the biggest thing is to stay within the game and not try to do too much. I think a few times over the last three or four days, I've kind of come out of it and tried to swing a little too hard, or maybe get a little pull-happy. As long as I swing at strikes and think [about] the big part of the field, like that ball to right-center [in the seventh inning], then good things are going to happen.

"I don't think I'm really expanding my strike zone. Guys are throwing strikes and I think for the most part I'm swinging at strikes. What I want to do is let the ball travel a little bit and use my hands more."

For what it's worth, Indians closer Chris Perez said Monday that he was beginning to see a little different version of A-Rod:

"I went after him. I even threw him a hanging slider the second pitch. He took it. If there had been nobody on, I would have thrown him all heaters. I think he's starting to feel it. He's starting to get aggressive. That could be good for us. Throw a sinker down and in and let him roll over it."

Maris loses an RBI, picks up AL runs title

maris-mantle.jpgRoger Maris just lost an RBI from 49 years ago, though he did pick up sole possession of the 1961 American League runs title.

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has discovered two errors in scoring from the '61 season that affect Maris and Mickey Mantle. The world may have been paying attention to the M&M Boys chasing Babe Ruth's record for home runs in a single season, but everyone overlooked a pair of small items that have now been corrected.

Maris was originally credited with a league-leading 142 RBIs, but he was erroneously awarded one in a July 5 game against the Indians at Yankee Stadium, where the run scored on an error. That now gives Maris 141 RBIs, which ties him with the Orioles' Jim Gentile for the AL title.

Mantle was issued one run scored too many because of an official scorer's error in filling out the sheet filed to the league office for a Sept. 10 contest, the second game of a doubleheader against the Indians in New York. That run should have been credited to Moose Skowron, so Mantle loses a run scored and drops to 131. Maris now stands alone in that category with a Major League-leading 132 runs.

The facts were uncovered through SABR's painstaking analysis of box scores, newspaper reports and other data from that year, including pulling out the old score sheets of beat writers from that era. Retrosheet, Baseball-Reference, Baseball Almanac, and the Elias Sports Bureau all now recognize these numbers. More information on the changes is available on baseball-reference.com's blog. 

7/27 - Yankees at Indians

Hello from Progressive Field in Cleveland, as the Yankees play the second game of this four-game series with the Indians. 

The big story is once again Alex Rodriguez, who gets to try for homer No. 600 on his 35th birthday, facing rookie Josh Tomlin in his Major League debut. Alex is hitting .353 (6-for-17) with two doubles and four RBIs since hitting No. 599 last Thursday vs. Kansas City.

Mark Teixeira has a half-day today as the DH, as the Yankees look to get Juan Miranda's bat in the lineup after his good homestand. Should they get a lead to the eighth inning, that picture remains muddled. Girardi said again he'd be ready to go to Joba Chamberlain if necessary, but didn't think any further explanation was needed if - say - David Robertson gets a call. 

"The guys down there know my stance," he said. 

UPDATE 6:57 p.m.: Yankees C Jorge Posada has been scratched with a sore left knee.

Here are the lineups for tonight's 7:05 p.m. ET start, seen on MY9:

YANKEES (63-35)
Derek Jeter SS, Nick Swisher RF, Mark Teixeira DH, Alex Rodriguez 3B, Robinson Cano 2B, Curtis Granderson CF, Juan Miranda 1B, Francisco Cervelli C, Brett Gardner LF
CC Sabathia LHP (13-3, 3.18)


INDIANS (41-58)
Trevor Crowe CF, Asdrubal Cabrera SS, Shin-Soo Choo RF, Austin Kearns LF, Shelley Duncan DH, Jhonny Peralta 3B, Matt LaPorta 1B, Jason Donald 2B, Chris Gimenez C
Josh Tomlin RHP (MLB Debut)



BIRTHDAY BOY: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez celebrates his 35th birthday today...his HR total is the most ever for a player prior to their 35th birthday...collected the most hits (2,629) and games played (2,259) for any player prior to turning 35 since Robin Yount (2,733H and 2,436G)...recorded the third-most RBI (1,787) for any player prior to turning 35 behind only Lou Gehrig (1,910) and Jimmie Foxx (1,884)-credit: Elias...has homered five times on his birthday (1996, 2001, 2002-twice and 2004)...according to Elias, only two players have ever hit a century milestone homer on their birthday: Cecil Fielder (No. 300) on 9/21/97 and Raul Ibanez (No. 200) on 6/2/09.

GRAND PLANS: CF Curtis Granderson has homered in three of his last seven at-bats and has hit safely in each of his last six games, going 9-for-21 (.429) with 7R and 4RBI over the stretch.

EDGING IT OUT: With last night's 3-2 win, the Yankees improved to 10-6 in one-run games this season...have won their last six games decided by one run and are 10-2 in their last 12 such contests after starting the year 0-4.

COMEBACK KIDS: The Yankees own a Major League-most 32 come-from-behind victories this season, including five of their last seven victories...four of their comeback wins in 2010 have been by at least three runs...the Yankees led the Majors with 51 comeback wins in 2009.

The eighth inning is wide open

Joe Girardi said before Monday's game that he would "probably lean toward" using Joba Chamberlain if presented with a tight spot in the eighth inning, but when that situation came up, Girardi steered away from Chamberlain and called on Dave Robertson and Boone Logan to help lock down the Indians lineup.

Girardi said that he saw matchups that prompted him to go in that direction, but it could just as easily have been the trust that Robertson has earned of late. Robertson has been unscored upon in his last eight appearances dating back to July 4, while Chamberlain has allowed eight runs on 12 hits and four walks in his last five appearances.

"I'm not saying I'm handing it over to Joba every time we go to the eighth; I'm going to look at things," Girardi said. "That's my job. He's struggled a little bit. I went with what my gut told me."

Chamberlain said he was not bothered by being passed over on Monday, saying, "I still understand I can come out and help this team win." Robertson said that he's willing to pitch in whatever situation Girardi deems fit. 

"Sometimes the seventh inning is just as important, so I don't really see the difference," Robertson said. "I'll throw whenever he wants me to - if he wants me to go in for the seventh, the sixth or the third. It doesn't bother me, I'll go do it."

7/26 - Yankees at Indians

Getting ready to go here at Progressive Field, where Alex Rodriguez is preparing to take his run at 600 home runs on the road. Wondering how he's doing after last night's hit-by-pitch in the Bronx?

"The hand's good," Rodriguez said. "The hand's really good."

So there you go. Here are the lineups for tonight's 7:05 p.m. ET start, which can be seen on YES:

YANKEES (62-35)

Derek Jeter SS, Nick Swisher RF, Mark Teixeira 1B, Alex Rodriguez 3B, Robinson Cano, 2B Jorge Posada, DH Curtis Granderson, CF Francisco Cervelli, C Brett Gardner LF 

Javier Vazquez RHP (8-7, 4.68)


INDIANS (41-57)

Michael Brantley CF, Asdrubal Cabrera SS, Shin-Soo Choo RF, Carlos Santana C, Travis Hafner DH, Jhonny Peralta 3B, Matt LaPorta 1B, Trevor Crowe LF, Jason Donald 2B
Jake Westbrook RHP (6-6, 4.74)

MAN ON A MISSION: 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his 599th career HR in Thursday's win vs. Kansas City, and with his next home run will become the seventh player all time to reach the 600-homer plateau...will become the second player to reach the mark as a Yankee, joining Babe Ruth.

Is batting .462 (6-for-13) with 2 doubles and 4RBI since hitting HR No. 599.

Owns 10HR in 56 career games at Progressive Field and has not homered in Cleveland since 8/11/07...has never hit a milestone HR vs. Cleveland, however, Nos. 501, 502 and 503 were off Indians pitchers...hit career HR No. 472 off  tonight's starter Jake Westbrook.

REACHING 1,000: 2B Robinson Cano recorded his 1,000th career hit with his eighth-inning, two-run double in Sunday's win vs. Kansas City...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two "homegrown" Yankees in the expansion era collected 1,000H in fewer at-bats than Cano (3,232) - Derek Jeter (3,112) and Don Mattingly (3,042)...became the sixth second baseman to collect 1,000H with the Yankees, first since Willie Randolph...Elias also notes that Cano is the first player, whose primary position is second base, to collect at least 1,000H and 100HR within his first 830 Major League games.   

ROAD WARRIORS: The Yankees tonight embark on their first road trip following the All-Star break...at 28-19 (.596), own the second-best road winning percentage in the Majors this season, behind Tampa Bay (33-18, .647)...are tied with San Diego and San Francisco for the most road wins behind the Rays...have won 10 of their last 12 games and 13 of their last 17 away from Yankee Stadium. 

THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE: The Yankees have scored a 533R this season, most in the Majors...have allowed just 405R, marking the third fewest among AL teams behind Tampa Bay (382) and Oakland (398), and eighth fewest in the Majors...the Yankees' +128 run differential is the best in the Majors and 13 runs ahead of the next best team, Tampa Bay (+115).

Moseley to make Thursday's start

The Yankees are making a switch to their rotation, as Dustin Moseley will start Thursday against the Indians instead of Sergio Mitre. 

Joe Girardi said he didn't see the crispness from Mitre that he would have liked on Saturday against Kansas City, and doesn't think Mitre is physically ready to handle pitching out of the rotation. 
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